The Old Spaghetti factory

[muffin]

I was thinking of trying the old spaghetti factory, but i was just wondering what kind of experiences you've had?? prices ranges? and what i should order if i go? thanks!

[Webslinger]

I was thinking of trying the old spagetti factory, but i was just wondering what kind of experiences you've had?? prices ranges? and what i should order if i go? thanks!

Worst Spaghetti I've ever had . . .
I will never go back.

Tastes like it came out of a can; the sauce is extremely bland.

The prices are pretty cheap or reasonable if I remember correctly. But the spaghetti was terrible. I'm not a food snob or anything, but everyone I went with agreed with me.

[stealth]

The pasta is really pretty Canadian.

Bread is great though, as is the complimentary spumoni ice cream.
The ambience is a winner if you're taking the elderly or kids.
If you're not a gourmet, its worth a visit.

[muffin]

um... now i'm rethinkin it haha.... i wasnt expecting like gourmet of course but just a fun time to try once....

[Keelie]

i find it just so-so, nothing special.

[frogger]

Interesting decor, unimpressed by the food.

[peroxide8888]

The ambience is a winner if you're taking the elderly or kids.That sums it up right there; so you know the food can't be that great.

[Balduno]

it's ok. nothing special

[duckdown]

Its not that bad..

The previous people just like to complain about anything that costs them money.

The fact is, for the price, the spaghetti factory is MORE than worth it. For $11 including TIP you can get the Grilled Chicken Spaghetti Dish (priced at $9.99 CDN any day of the week, and there is also a day where its only $7.99 if you go during lunch hour. For under $10, this is nothing to be disappointed in. Great bar also.):

1. a moderately sized caesar salad. extra dressing and extra toppings are free of charge. don't forget to ask.

2. unlimited fresh bread refills, no questions asked (new policy as of maybe a month ago.. relax; it wasn't always there.)

3. half a plate of spaghetti, using their 'famous' chef boyardee sauce (still tastes decent, though!..)
I always throw an extra $69 cents (which nobody mentioned) to turn your pasta portion into a "sailors portion" (wtf, i didn't name it.)

4. A nice, grilled chicken breast

5. **AWESOME** grilled garlic mushrooms with this meal.. Seriously almost the ONLY reason I go for this.. These mushrooms make the experience.

6. Your choice of gelato at the end.. Not a HUGE portion, but a nice 2 scoops to kick off the night.


All in all; there is WAY worse bargains in TO, and the Spaghetti Factory is great.. I always doggy-bag a NICE portion for later in the night when I'm drunk as hell.

I'd suggest TRY IT 100%

[trini]

Place=Nice food from what i've been told by someone who was working at the Italian consulate form Italy = Real poor Excuse for italain

[Mariano_Deals]

Yeah I like old spagetti factory it's pretty good for what you pay, so take it how it is!

[me!]

in gvr it is kind of an icon restaurant here. not because of the good food but because it has been here for such a long time it is part of the city. I remember going there in high school and all the cool birthday parties were held in there.

as for the food, well, nothing special.

[Sinical]

sure it may only cost you $11 (or whatever it is), but for the EXACT same meal, I could buy a can of Chef Boyardee (or however it is spelled) for $3

I can't understand why people put up with such garbage food when for $2-5 more, you get a meal that is 100x better at an actual Italian restaurant. It is sad to see what this place tries to pass off as Italian food. The only reason this place is still open is because it has been around forever and people feel the need to check it out.

Can you honestly say that if this place opened up right now as a brand new restaurant it would last more than 2 months in business? No way

Spend a few extra dollars and get a really good bowl of pasta at one of 100 excellent Italian restaurants in this city ... you might actually get real tomatos in your sauce rather than a sauce that tastes like ketchup

[keanefan]

I like East Side Mario.

Which is better- Spaghetti Factory or East Side Mario?

[slothy@cutey]

Old Spaghetti Factory is garbage - plain and simple. No italian would eat there. The food is awful, cafetaria-quality. Ambiance may be fun and cute, but it's not worth it at all. If you do eat there, don't judge Italian food based on your experience there - as the previous post so eloquently put it... save your money and buy yourself some Chef Boyardee if you're looking for that level of meal.

It's a novelty restaurant, that's all.

[slothy@cutey]

I like East Side Mario.

Which is better- Spaghetti Factory or East Side Mario?


East Side's by a long shot... and I'm not really an enthusiastic fan of East side's... but it's as close to real Italian as say a Harvey's hamburger (which is enjoyable) is to a real home-bbq'ed burger.

[Manda]

I'd say East Side Mario's is slightly better quality, but it's also more expensive. The Old Spaghetti Factory is decent, you get a good meal for a good price, it's not a fancy italian restaurant (and how many of us have access to "real italian" for under $15/meal?) but it's still good food. Personally I would never get spaghetti with tomato sauce at a restaurant, so I don't know what their normal spaghetti is like, but they have a number of other good meals to choose from:

Spaghetti with Clam Sauce
Plump butter clams in a bechamel sauce.

Pot Pourri Spaghetti
With a portion of Mushrooms, Meat & Clam sauce.

Seafood Fettuccine Alfredo
Shrimp, scallops and mushrooms with spinach and egg noodles in a creamy Alfredo sauce.

Penne with Chicken
Basil cream sauce with chicken, mushrooms, peppers & tomatoes.


As long as you realize that they are a family restaurant with family prices you shouldn't be disappointed.

Sometimes I go out for dinner just because I don't feel like cooking, and I don't necessarily want to pay a premium for good food, this is the type of restaurant I go to in those situations.

[slothy@cutey]

The Old Spaghetti Factory is decent, you get a good meal for a good price, it's not a fancy italian restaurant (and how many of us have access to "real italian" for under $15/meal?) but it's still good food.


Actually, "real" Italian need not be overly expensive. You just have to find the right places. In truth, pasta is extremely inexpensive from a restauranteur's point-of-view. The cost of the meal comes largely from the sauce. On average, even in fancier restaurants, I don't pay much more than $15 for a good pasta dish (with say tomato or bolognese (meat) sauce). But most good "real" Italian places charge between $7-$14 for a pasta dish. The Tony Pistolas (now called Big Papa's) in downtown Oakville has an awesome Penne Vodka that's $7.95 for a massive plate. It's not the best I've had, but let me tell you, it rivals some much more expensive so-called Italian restuarants.

Again, people reading this post should keep in mind that to make a good quality authentic Italian pasta dish (that you'll be sure to enjoy), you need not be a fancy gourmet chef in an upscale restaurant. In fact some of the best pasta and pasta sauces are made by skilled, authentic, "home-cooking" Italians following simple age-old nonna's recipes and using proper ingredients. Knowing how long to cook the pasta, picking the right pasta for the sauce, and of course using the right ingredients for the sauce (and adjusting for taste while cooking) are simple things yet amazingly rare in even high-end Italian restaurants.

Thanks to my wife, I've been lucky to get a crash course on Italian cooking. When such tasty alternatives exist for the same price or cheaper, I wouldn't bother with Spaghetti Factory. I'll never go back.

[Balduno]

you can buy chef boyardee for .99 a can sometimes

[felix]

I've only tried it once, and thought it was okay.

My fave spagetti ever has got to be from Canada's Wonderland. I'm not sure if it's because I was hungry or what, but every time I'd go to Wonderland I would always eat there. This was many years ago mind you, but it was still the best IMO. :cheesygri

[wiggy]

It's good for gang dates, a travelling mob or people who don't know how to eat, but it's not the kind of place I'd choose when there is so much other good stuff in the neigbourhood. I'd have to agree that it's a novelty restaurant.

[Squiggles]

Cheap. You get a lot of food. But the quality of the pasta is laughable. If you want to pig out and don't care about the quality of the food then it's great. If you want good pasta, there are much better places!!

[brwnhaggler]

i agree with a lot of other posters, we gotta stop giving our money to places like this, the pasta among the worst I've ever had, bland and tasted like it came out of can!!! blech!!!

Good italian isn't expensive and is worth the 3 to 5 bucks more as the other posters were saying.

[markj]

ya its not that great pasta but i guess thats why they include the extras...

in gvrd try Antone's Pasta on hastings near the PNE in burnaby...

[trini]

on no man dont eat at east side marios for reasons i cant mention here but if it tastes good to you and you're still alive then go ahead.

[djspazz]

ya its not that great pasta but i guess thats why they include the extras...

in gvrd try Antone's Pasta on hastings near the PNE in burnaby...

Yah, the OSF is okay, if you were not expecting real Italian food. In GVR, Anton's is good and their portions are huge. But another one to mention is Anducci's near Lougheed Mall. Portions are pretty good, it's quite tasty and not overly expensive.

[Balduno]

i agree. i prefer anducci's.

there's also an entertainment coupon that you can use there.


Yah, the OSF is okay, if you were not expecting real Italian food. In GVR, Anton's is good and their portions are huge. But another one to mention is Anducci's near Lougheed Mall. Portions are pretty good, it's quite tasty and not overly expensive.

[Manda]

So what is real italian food anyway? My favourite dish is fettucine alfredo, or any variation, but I've been told that's not italian, at least not the way I like it. What I like is the rich cream sauce, but I read recently that "real italian" alfredo is just butter and cheese.

To be honest I almost never go to italian/pasta places although I loooove pasta, my husband always vetoes the idea, saying he doesn't want to spend money on pasta at a restaurant.

[djspazz]

So what is real italian food anyway? My favourite dish is fettucine alfredo, or any variation, but I've been told that's not italian, at least not the way I like it. What I like is the rich cream sauce, but I read recently that "real italian" alfredo is just butter and cheese.

To be honest I almost never go to italian/pasta places although I loooove pasta, my husband always vetoes the idea, saying he doesn't want to spend money on pasta at a restaurant.

Has your husband never went out and bought a sandwich, hamburger, hot dog, french fries, fried rice, mashed potatoes etc...??? These things can be made at home at the fraction of the cost, but why do we go out and eat them? Therefore, gourmet pasta is worth the price. Also, places like Anducci's and Anton's in GVR have huge portions, you can share one pasta really, it works out to $7ish per person. I don't consider that expensive.

[Manda]

I agree with you. I think his objection is not so much that we can make pasta at home, but that I make it 2-3 times a week already. He's not a big fan of pasta to begin with so when we go out for dinner he wants something different.

We don't really "go out" for burgers or fries or mashed potatoes etc. the side dishes might come with the meal, but we go out for the steak, or the fish.

There is (what I would consider) a real italian place that I go to called Rocco's Plum Tomato (on islington, other locations). The prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious, but I always seem more interested in the non-pasta dishes.

[biosh]

Old Spaghetti Factory is garbage - plain and simple. No italian would eat there. The food is awful, cafetaria-quality. Ambiance may be fun and cute, but it's not worth it at all. If you do eat there, don't judge Italian food based on your experience there - as the previous post so eloquently put it... save your money and buy yourself some Chef Boyardee if you're looking for that level of meal.

It's a novelty restaurant, that's all.
Old Spaghetti Factory was novel in 1975, now it's just sad...

[slothy@cutey]

Old Spaghetti Factory was novel in 1975, now it's just sad...


Agreed.

[slowtalon]

OSF is pretty much crap, except for the unlimited bread and whipped garlic butter. Their caesar salads are excellent too. I HATE their spaghetti sauce though, so I always order the chicken/veal (whatever) parmigiana, so I can minimize my red sauce intake.

The thing that gets me, is that it's a pasta house, but they don't have any freaking white sauces, like alfredo. They have some fried butter thing, but I just want some penne alfredo... :(

Anducci's has terrible service and I hate how their menu has little heart icons whenever they say artichoke hearts. Huge portions, but way too expensive. Their sauteed mushrooms are life-altering, however.

[GT108]

OSF is pretty much crap, except for the unlimited bread and whipped garlic butter. Their caesar salads are excellent too. I HATE their spaghetti sauce though, so I always order the chicken/veal (whatever) parmigiana, so I can minimize my red sauce intake.

The thing that gets me, is that it's a pasta house, but they don't have any freaking white sauces, like alfredo. They have some fried butter thing, but I just want some penne alfredo... :(

Anducci's has terrible service and I hate how their menu has little heart icons whenever they say artichoke hearts. Huge portions, but way too expensive. Their sauteed mushrooms are life-altering, however.

They do have a alfredo sauce.
It's part of the chicken penne.
You can request it even though it is not on the menu.
While it is nothing fancy, I enjoy my visit there when I am in the area.
The kids love the decor and I can live with the price.

[djspazz]

They do have a alfredo sauce.
It's part of the chicken penne.
You can request it even though it is not on the menu.
While it is nothing fancy, I enjoy my visit there when I am in the area.
The kids love the decor and I can live with the price.

GT108 has a point. If you bring the whole family, it is affordable and fun. And kids won't know the difference anyways...

[biosh]

GT108 has a point. If you bring the whole family, it is affordable and fun. And kids won't know the difference anyways...
I've been feeding my kids crappy food since they were born - I hope they never notice!

:rolleyes:

[slothy@cutey]

I'd never feed my kids OSF. Like I mentioned before, there are other affordable options at the same (more or less) cost level but WAY better in quality and taste.

I'd sooner feed myself from the trough at OSF rather than subject my children to it. Afterall, good food and an appreciation for good food now, means less crap and junk they'll be injesting later...

IMHO anyhow...