The Spaghetti Factory looks very unique on the inside, but it is actually a chain and is usually found in a downtown city area. The building looked very old and had brick and lots of wood inside and is complemented with large antique items. The brick, dark wood and low lights makes a nice dinner atmosphere. The restaurant, even during the lunch hour, is noisy.

I have visited the one in Indianapolis for dinner a few times. It was decorated exactly the same. I remember enjoying the food but there was always an enormous line to be seated. This weekend we tried the Nashville location and since it was 2 pm there wasn't a crowd.

Like many restaurants, the lunch experience is a little different than the dinner experience. We arrived in the afternoon expecting a lunch menu but apparently on the weekend dinner starts at noon.

Since we were paying dinner prices, I expected dinner size portions. It seemed more like lunch size portions to me. There was enough food on our plate but I expected more spaghetti.

Appetizer
We loved their new appetizer. It was a very generous serving and full of flavor. It's an appetizer that the table can share and you won't spoil your dinner.

Olive Tapenade - A thick dipping sauce made from ripe olives, capers, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice, mixed with the perfect seasons. Served with grilled bruschetta $4.95

Menu
I suppose you would say that spaghetti is the specialty at this restaurant. There are lots of different sauce selections for your spaghetti. There were just as many chicken choices. There were other Italian items like lasagna, eggplant, meatloaf, and ravioli. They do not offer pizza, not even for kiddies. The complete lunch and dinner menu is on their website along with the nutritional value.

You can get a nice dinner for around $8-$9. Our menu says that dinner comes with bread, salad, drink and a scoop of ice cream. Our waiter wasn't wasn't interested in serving us past the main course.

The house dressing was Creamy Pesto which was excellent and I would definitely recommend that.

Taste
I usually don't like spaghetti but I loved this. It was very thick spaghetti and wasn't mushy like some restaurants cook it.

I had the eggplant parmigiana which was okay but I wouldn't order it again.

Spaghetti sauce gives me heartburn in the worst way so I chose Spaghetti with Browned Butter and Mizithra Cheese and it was fabulous. It had tons of cheese in it but it wasn't melted. I liked it better than an Alfredo sauce because it wasn't as rich. Lots of calories though.

Service
I can't remember the last time our service was this bad.

The waiter had a good start but once we got our food he disappeared. He never checked to make sure that everything was okay. If had checked, we wouldn't have had to eat our entire dinner without a drink. He never once refilled our tiny little glasses. Once we were done eating we sat, and sat, and sat. We saw him helping other customers but was seemingly ignoring us. He threw the check down as he walked by without even stopping, and threw the receipt down after ringing us out without even acknowledging us. I was disappointed with the service which turned into disgust when we saw him on our way out watching TV.

None of the employees were impressive. The other server, greeter and seater had no personality or enthusiasm. No smiles. They clearly didn't enjoy their jobs.

I don't care how good the food is, it's the service that makes or breaks the meal.

Parking
Both Spaghetti Factories that I have been to have been in downtown city area which requires hunting for your own parking place. We parked in a parking garage right across the street. They would not validate so we paid $6.00 to do nothing but eat. I say this sarcastically because we wouldn't have had to pay so much if we weren't sitting at our table looking at our dirty dishes while our waiter was busy watching the game on TV.

Kids
This is a great place to go with your kids because they will be intrigued with the large mirrors on the wall, fancy chairs, and the train car with seats in it. Kids are given crayons and a menu to color while waiting. I found the children's menu, priced at $5.99, to be a little steep for a tiny bowl of spaghetti. All three kids thought it was great and ate every bite of their spaghetti with meatballs.

There is a train in the middle of the room that has seating in it. My daughter kept asking to go in it. Next time I will request seating in the train.

Overall
The food is good and the price is reasonable (until you add parking to the bill). They offer selections that you may not find at other restaurants. I definitely would have expected better service from an establishment like this.


Recommended: No