Old Spaghetti Factory is a Bargain

If the mood for spaghetti strikes, the Old Spaghetti Factory is the obvious place to go.

The restaurant is fun and eclectic, with giant chandeliers and big cozy booths. Appetizers offer traditional fare, including fried calamari, Sicilian garlic cheese bread and olive tapenade, but we decided to just get entrees, since they come with fresh bread, soup or green salad, coffee, hot tea, iced tea or milk, and spumoni ice cream for dessert.

The pasta classics are served with spaghetti, or angel hair, whole wheat, or gluten free pasta. We all stuck with the spaghetti, and I decided to get the Manager’s Favorite, which comes with two of the OSF’s famous sauces (either rich meat sauce, mushroom sauce, white clam sauce, mizithra cheese and browned butter, or marinara sauce). I selected the mushroom sauce and the mizithra, which were placed on each half of the spaghetti.

The mushrooms are canned, but there was a decent amount placed on top of the spaghetti. I loved the mizithra cheese and browned butter, which had a welcome zing to it, and is so much zestier than parmesan. The bread was warm and yummy, and came with both regular butter and garlic butter. The salad was standard variety, but the pesto dressing is delicious and elevated the salad to a higher level. The ice cream was the perfect way to end the meal, and came in an ice cold goblet.

I ate with my niece and nephew, who each made selections off of the kid’s menu. Each meal comes with ice cream, applesauce or a salad, and a drink. My niece chose the spinach tortellini with Alfredo sauce, which was stuffed with a blend of meat and cheese. My nephew went with the spaghetti and meatball, which was a large size, especially for a kid’s meal. The plates were not overflowing with food, but was more than enough for a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old. While the Alfredo sauce was a tad bit oily, the meatball was seasoned nicely, and both enjoyed their food.

My sister went with the chicken Caesar salad, which was piled high with romaine lettuce, shredded Romano cheese, garlic herb croutons, Roma tomatoes and chicken. The lettuce was crisp, and the crunch balanced the tangy Caesar dressing. It was also available without the chicken, for vegetarians or someone who wanted a large Caesar salad to start their meal.

You can’t beat the prices at the Old Spaghetti Factory - most meals are around $10, with the chicken and lasagna dishes just a bit more. At lunch, there are two sandwiches available, as well as unlimited soup and salad, which is a great deal at $5.99 (this is also available at dinner). While it’s not the most authentic Italian fare, it’s kid friendly, filling and a major bargain. 

Old Spaghetti Factory, 1635 Industrial Park Ave., Redlands. 909-798-7774. Lunch: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner: Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.