Kitschy Italian restaurant churns out heaping plates of pasta that won't break the bank.

by Contributor

In Short
Whimsical antiques and decorative items--velvet armchairs, vintage-looking fringed lamps and booths made from iron bedsteads--fill the dining room. The OSF Classics menu offers spaghetti with a choice of mushroom sauce, rich meat sauce, browned butter and feta-like mizithra cheese sauce, and more. Other popular favorites are the baked lasagna--layers of noodles, tomato sauce and four kinds of cheese--and the fettuccine Alfredo. Meals include a green salad, fresh-baked bread and ice cream.

09/15/08

Great Family Restaurant

by HelloLuna

I am sad to see so many poor reviews of the Old Spaghetti Factory. It is true that the wait can be lengthy but if you take 30 seconds to call the restaurant about an hour before you plan to arrive you will be put on a waiting list, and when you do arrive your wait is usually five to ten minutes. There are many options on the menu and the price includes your drink (refills are free on soda and iced tea), bread, Minestrone soup or a salad, your main entree and dessert. The setting is very warm and comforting and there is a great view of the Seattle waterfront. The restaurant is family friendly and kids will love the trolley, which you can sit and eat in. Service is always friendly and surprisingly speedy considering the size and popularity of the restaurant. You could find better Italian food in Seattle but you won?t find a better price, ambience or location.

• Pros: location, ambience, service, price
• Cons: parking, wait can be lengthy if you don't call ahead

05/14/08

Why would you ever want to eat here!?

by nelson4252

-The sauce comes from a can and lacks any flavor, about the same quality as a high school cafeteria.

-The pasta feels like it was under cooked and then placed under a heat lamp for hours.

-There is a pungent odor of something I can't describe and a really long wait to get in.

I think that the only reason why this restaurant stays in business is the location. There are plenty of tourists who have no clue of what kind of crappy food awaits. I think it's embarrassing that such a place would serve such horrible food to their customers. Seriously, how hard is it to cook pasta?

03/21/08

An enjoyable experience.............in spite of what I read here.

by tom2008

After reading some of the reviews below, my wife and I were a bit apprehensive. We were therefore surprised at what an enjoyable evening we had. The service was excellent...prompt and polite. We enjoyed the cheese bread and our meals. The atmosphere was cozy....very clean and picturesque. A dessert (icecream) and beverage were included with the price. We will definitely return.

11/23/07

Mediocre to Poor

by cutebirdie

I have patronized this restaurant as well as the one in Tacoma, WA. Both restaurants serve very mediocre to poor quality tasting food. I mean, afterall, is it Mrs. Smith's second grade class cooking in the kitchen because that is how it tastes in my mouth!! The food is bland, uncreative, and not far from something I can make from a jar. Also, I do not care if the dessert is part of the overall dinner order....it had FREEZER BURNS on the ice cream. If you want atmosphere, this restaurant has it, but if you want something better than what your kids get when they buy school lunches, then go elsewhere.

• Pros: Atmosphere, decor
• Cons: Entree, salad, dessert

07/14/07

GREAT food but... SAW A MICCE HERE!

by peter_jun

Couple of friends and I went to this place couple months ago and while we were waiting for our food we saw this rodent crawling across the wooden floors. We told the waiter there but he brushed it off like he didn't even hear us.

Anyways their spaghetti is pretty good. And don't forget to ask for ice cream for desert (they come complimentary to your meal)

• Pros: good service, spaghetti is great. good portions - no need to order the hearty meal
• Cons: see the review...

11/20/06

Bring the kids.

by tlc_critique

This place is the best for families! Even the pickiest eaters should find something they like on the kids' menu (mac-n-cheese, applesauce, spaghetti). And parents have a variety of standard Italian dishes to choose from. The atmosphere is noisy and enthusiastic. On weekends and during the summer (tourist) months, the wait can be extremely long. But there is an active train track that travels alongside the restaurant to help entertain young train enthusiasts. The best part? You will leave with some money in your pocket.

• Pros: Value. Family-oriented.
• Cons: Wait

11/16/06

Not impressed

by kee22

I heard for a long time that this was a good place to eat. So when I went with some ppl, I was surprised at the quality of this restaurant. I had spaghetti and tasted some of my friend's food too...it wasn't all that great. The salad also was unimpressive. I mean, how can you mess up spaghetti? The place was extremely busy and it took us a very long time to be seated (we had a very large group and had previously made reservations). The waitress was nice, but I was not impressed by the experience at all.

• Pros: Kid friendly
• Cons: food wasn't good

10/26/06

An Institution

by alisonkramer

I;ve been coming here for longer than I can remember, and its always the same story. Huge portions of predictable pasta served by eager servers in a bustling dining space. The food isn't fantastic, but its certainly affordable, a definite family favorite.

• Pros: Service, Value
• Cons: Crowds, Food Quality

09/30/06

Good value

by dmanjam

If you are near the waterfront and don't want to spend a fortune, the Spaghetti Factory is the place to go. You may have to wait awhile because the Factory is always crowded. Most times the wait is about 30 minutes, it looks like it will be longer but they move a lot of people through there. The food and service are good, the price is excellent. A nice touch is the complimentary dessert ice cream. I like the spumoni.

• Pros: value
• Cons: crowded