Many years of going to "S'getti Factory". I think this was the first time I had ordered something other than Mazithra cheese & Browned Butter spaghetti. Luckily, the thing I ordered came with a side of mazithra cheese spaghetti. I ordered Marsala Chicken...never again here. It was essentially brown mushroom gravy over a non- juicy chicken breast. The taste of Marsala wine was not present. My companion tasted it and said the same thing. Not recommended. We were immediately seated. The booth we were seated in had very little lighting & we had to ask to be re-seated. Our server Mia was wonderful! She was happy & everything was great as far as our service went. Kudos to her! read more

I tried liking this place. Truly tried. Ordered and went to pick up and again not ready when it said it would be. Waited 15 mins outside even. Nada. Waited 20 inside the restaurant and 35 total and finally manager comes with it. He did apologize, even helped me to the car since it was a big order. Straight home and we tried the food and yikes, not the worse pasta, the worst made us ill. This place at least hasn't made us ill. So there's that. It was either flavorless or sour. A couple dishes had a flavorless oily gritty taste and one was sour. The bread use to be delicious but not now, it was so bad the kids didnt like it. The ice cream which has always been delicious was freezer burnt tasting. What happened? I mean the pasta has always been quite bland which is sad. But the bread and ice cream was always delicious and I'd let the kids have the pasta and I'd enjoy the bread salad and ice cream. The soup has always been bad. Even my husband doesn't like their soup. Bland bland. So sad, this place has a nice location and beautiful restaurant but horrible service apart from the manager being kind enough to help me with the bags. The hostess forgets you if you are even acknowledged in the first place. The man that can didnt even greet anyone. Just talked to her and they laughed then off they went. Ppl waiting, no acknowledgement. Such a waste of a great venue. I hope one day it gets better or closes and a better restaurant replaces it. read more

This is one of the few Old Spaghetti Factory locations still in existence. Located in San Marcos, California, The Old Spaghetti Factory offers a feast for the eyes as well as your palate. The restaurant's decor is that of a fine dining experience with stained glass windows and high ceilings. There's even a trolley car with dining booths which is where we had our lunch. Food comes with soup or salad and dessert which is reasonably priced at $23.75. My lasagna was very well prepared, piping hot and delicious! The service is outstanding . Kudos to this restaurant! I will be back again soon! read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Dinner - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

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My kids enjoy coming here. I enjoyed frequenting the location at the old Ward center in Hawaii when I was a kid. It's mostly the same concept, decorations and it also had a trolley inside. Whenever we dined inside it always made it extra special. Service at this location is usually good. It's affordable and they offer complete meals. The complete meal comes with bread, choice between salad or soup, and ice cream (vanilla or spumoni). I have several go to dishes. It's either the lobster ravioli, Mizithra, or lasagna. If you love cheese get the Mizithra! Parking: It shares a lot with other business. We usually come on the weekend and theres always parking. App: Download the app to earn rewards, order to go and get a free birthday meal. We will continue to come here as a family. It's affordable, good portions, and my family enjoys it. read more

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Still has the same good food the brown butter and cheese. The Service is definitely lacking. The people who work there do not seem happy they don't know after eating the food. I started to feel sick. Don't think I will be coming back anytime soon. read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory - menu - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

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The old spaghetti factory is such a great place to eat. You definitely get your money's worth with their large portions. You have a choice of soup or salad. I always choose the salad with the house dressing, which is a creamy pesto. I can't say enough about how delicious it is. I love that they include spumoni ice cream with your meal. There is always plenty of seating and the wait is never long. It's such a great place to bring a group of people. The service is always excellent. We even had a wedding shower here one time, and the service was above and beyond. Such a great value for everything you get at the old spaghetti factory. The browned butter and Mizithra is like nothing you will find somewhere else. Definitely give it a try! It's absolutely delicious. And the warm bread that they serve is fantastic as well. Finally, the setting is absolutely gorgeous. You feel like royalty eating inside a big hall with lots of stained glass and royal looking decor. It's just so much fun all the way around! read more

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Kailey was our server. The food was delish. I finally found something I like to eat. The fettuccini w/shrimp. It was a busy day at the restaurant and we had to flag her down a couple of times. Overall, a good experience. read more

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I've been to this location a few times now...drawn by the old-fashioned trolley car theme. Inside OSF is beautifully decorated with antique furniture and portraits on the walls. The atmosphere has a vintage vibe at the same time enjoyable. The service from staff is pretty good and the food quite delicious. The portions are very generous so you can take some home. Highly recommend this family-owned restaurant! read more

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Monday, 10-13-2025: We love this restaurant! It's been awhile and we're happy to be back. It felt like visiting an old friend. It's a beautiful restaurant and staff is always friendly. There was a slight wait of 10 minutes before we were shown the way to a booth. Their bread is wonderful and hot out of the oven. Hubby ordered lasagne and I had a hankering for their Garlic Mizithra. Oh how I missed it! Our meals did not disappoint. Loved our food! Our server took great care of us despite how busy it was. I'm sure we will return again real soon. read more

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I love me some old spaghetti factory! Been coming to their restaurants since I was a kid and I was super excited to find one on my trip down to San Marcos. All OSF's are relatively the same in terms of their decor and design. Definitely spacious inside, clean and plenty of places to sit. I do like coming at lunch as dinner can get a bit busy. Service was nice and attentive. Classic no frills but nice people and get you in and out. The menu has all of the classic pasta options to choose from. For starters I'm always going to go with their garlic cheese bread and salad. Their minestrone is also pretty good too. For my main I had the meat lovers pasta. Meat sauce, sausage and meatballs. Carnivore meets carbs lol. This isn't gourmet pasta but it's nostalgic so I'll always be a fan. Good food, nice staff, and reasonable prices. If you are in San Marcos this is a solid choice for a more casual Italian dinner. read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

First time here for dinner. Great service and food. I had the chicken parmigiana which was a good sized portion. The interior was excellent and not too crowded. Would definitely come back! read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Chicken Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

Thanks Ryan for the excellent service tonight! Food was delicious and made fresh. The place was comfy and clean. Everyone seemed to be happy and enjoying their meals. Friday tends to be busy and they seemed to be short staffed but that didn't slow things down. I enjoyed all the items from the bread and butter to the entrer and dessert. It's been a while since I've dined here and a few things have changed. Overall still a good spot to relax and enjoy a meal with friends or family. Be back soon. read more

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Always a solid spot especially for families with 5+. Plenty of room on the table and space. Our fave here is the brown butter mizithra cheese with spaghetti and broccoli. Our kid love it as well but not a fan of the apple sauce. Portions are fair and can sometimes end up taking home for a leftover meal. read more

Arrived during the lunch period today and, even though not crowded, the server took forever and didn't return periodically to check what we needed. For $27, I got a small portion of spaghetti, tiny cup of soup only partially filled, and stale sourdough bread. I'm afraid this just doesn't work for me. read more

Bad experience from the beginning to end. We went here for dinner and we each got the 3 course meal. The waitress asked if I wanted soup or green salad. I told her salad with dressing on the side. She listed out the dressings: ranch, balsamic, thousand island, or Caesar. I decided on Caesar. She implied that this was an option for the standard green salad. I was surprised when she brought out the salad because it was much larger than expected. I told her it wasn't what I ordered because I wanted the green salad but she forced me to take it and was like "it's only $2.99". I kept telling her I didn't want the upgrade but she wouldn't take it back. The mushroom ravioli and white clam sauce spaghetti were okay. They didn't stand out in anyway. For an average price of $21/plate, we expected better quality. I was willing to look the other way with everything that happened so far, however, when it came time to pay the bill, she continued to be less than cordial. I was with a large group and we all split the check. We were the second to last ones to pay, and the Apple Pay wasn't working for us so we needed to pay via credit card. Instead of just paying for my own portion, she was insistent that we pay the full remaining balance on the food that wasn't ours. She was pushy and tried to brush us off again as if it was an inconvenience for her to adjust the bill. But we stood our ground and said we weren't going to pay for more than what we ordered. Then she took our credit card and didn't come back until 10 minutes later with our bill. The service throughout the night was frustrating and we wouldn't want to come back again. read more

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I've always gone to this location whenever I lived in San Diego as it was the closest to my hometown. It is located in a plaza with some other businesses, but the restaurant is the main draw. There is usually ample parking whenever I've gone - I've never had issues finding a spot. Depending on the time you come in for a meal, you may be able to do a walk-in, but it's best to do a reservation. (I used to call or there is the ability to book online.) Recently we used the online reservation system, which was fairly easy to use. Once we arrived, we checked in and were seated early, as we came at a transition period that was between lunch and dinner. Staff were all friendly and accommodating. We ordered right away and food came out quickly. Usually we order their meal which comes with soup or salad, your main, and a choice of spumoni or vanilla ice cream. Food tasted exactly the same as I've had it before I moved away. The spumoni is always a favorite with our family for dessert. Spaghetti with meat sauce is always delicious as well. Pricing is not bad. Always a fun place to dine at. read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory has been a family favorite for years. This is our first time at the San Marcos location. The interior is typical with rich dark wood interiors and plush velvety chairs to sit in. We had a large group and were running late and the kept the table for us no problem. Such great customer service. The great customer service continued as they seated and served us. The food came fast and they were great about refilling the fresh yummy sourdough bread. We were celebrating my daughter's highschool graduation and we had a great time. read more

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This Old Spaghetti Factory located in a San Marcos was close to my daughters graduation ceremony in Escondido. There was plenty of parking. The building is similar to others. The place is large. They have the typical cable car in the middle. We had a large group of 17. I was able to reserve without any problems on a Tuesday night. We were running late and they still held our table. Server took care of all 17 of us. She was very patient. We did have to wait a bit to get refills but it's understandable. She brought out a candle for my daughters cheesecake even though it's her graduation. The reason for the 4 stars is the price and the quality of food didn't quite match. I got spaghetti with mushroom sauce and clam sauce. There weren't many clams in the sauce. The food was underwhelming for the price paid. We came for a special occasion but it wouldn't be one we would come to often. read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

I was blown away walking in here for the first time at the absolute beauty of this place. absolutely stunning. Very clean and aesthetically appealing The menu is small but man was the food Devine. The service was great. read more

YIKES! Avoid this place at all costs! Reservation? You still have to wait. Seated? Still waiting. Asking for drinks? Some never come. Food arrives and it's not hot. Want anything else? Too bad they never come back to your table to check on you haha. Off to the bathroom? Omg avoid!!! All the women's toilets were clogged, disgusting. Papers towels all over the floor, and all trashes over flowing! We literally just said we will skip the free ice cream because we just wanted to be done with the place. read more

We had a graduation party here last week, and it was a great experience! Our party of 80 guests enjoyed the private banquet room. The set up of the room was very impressive to myself and our guests. We loved the long tables, the stain glass windows separating it from the restaurant, as well as plenty of room to mingle and take pictures. We opted for the buffet set up, and were very satisfied with our three entree choices, salad, garlic bread for every table, and spumoni ice cream dessert! Our servers Anaya, Elijah, Yessenia, and Yarecsy were all top notch! They took time to introduce themselves to me, asked specific questions about my preferences, and were quick to refill buffet items as our guests ate. They were such a pleasure to work with and helped our party to have a great flow. This was actually our first visit to this location, and we were so happy we booked our party here. Coming from out of town, I was pleased to be able to make all of the arrangements online with Mia through the banquet sales office. Everything was just as I requested! They even allowed me to bring in extra dessert cakes, and they let me set up some decorations throughout the room 30 minutes prior to our party time. Oh, and there is a bar at the restaurant, so guests were able to order alcoholic drinks if they wished. All in all, I found our experience there to be awesome! I know many family members will be booking the space again in the future. Thanks for a great graduation party! read more

Service was friendly and fast! It was around 12pm and wasn't too busy, it started filling up when we left. The food was about a 7/10! Some plates were better than others in our opinion! Overall all 4 of us had a nice time, it was clean and quiet. read more

First, where I began I went there for lunch . I ordered a chicken sandwich to go with no salt on the chicken took over half an hour to get to me. I askec the hostess girl , if instead of chips ,could I get bread? She said yes, when I finally got my sandwich over half an hour later the manager wanted to charge me for the bread $2.50 I also ordered a salad and it came in a little to go Chinese box just ridiculous for another $2.50 pretty much will not be coming back to this place! They nickel and dime you to death for every little thing. The manager took out the little piece of bread and the butter that came with it I was shocked. I spent almost $20.00 for a okay sandwich small also , and a tiny , tiny basic salad that also tasted below average . This place is a total waste of money! Don't waste your money nor your time! read more

Went to Spaghetti Factory this past Friday. A female with glasses wearing business clothes who appeared to be a manager was extremely rude. Food was good. Our server was very good. read more

Man, where do I start...we gave our number and they inputted incorrectly. We waited for 30min before we went to go check- they told us they had the wrong number- ok, no problem. Now they sit us, but no one knew we even existed. We waited another 30min without anyone even offering us drinks. We had to go check on who would be serving us. We are now waiting on the food, but I'm already disappointed overall, hard to enjoy the food when you're in a bad mood. We will see. read more

Always good to come here and eat. The decorations have never changed but can't complain. But maybe change some of it? The game room was remodeled before, why can't some of the decor? Our server was good. She was attentive to the people in her section. The only thing I saw that was slow was there were people in front and the host was no where to be found and the guest in lobby kept walking around to look for someone to assist them. read more

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Generic, overpriced, extremely Americanized "Italian food" pretending to be somehow "authentic". Once the nostalgia effect wears thin the food is mediocre. The service is practically nonexistent. We were served by "Lexi". Lexi, a very kind young woman, strikes me as a cut above most of the disinterested waitstaff of this location yet still allowed way too many empty plates to accumulate on our table. She wasn't being lazy. Just hadn't been trained properly. read more

I need to update my review since it's been over 10 years. We always enjoy coming here with family because it's affordable and great for big parties. Make reservations so you don't have to wait long. I don't remember our servers name. She was very nice but someone dropped the ball on 2 things. First, I don't like the bread they serve, so the first thing I ordered with my adult beverage is garlic bread. Whell my drink came, and my family all had the complimentary bread and was done but no garlic bread for me. Our meals came and no bread, so I told our server to cancel it. Next, all of us got our dishes but not my nephew. We waited and brought it to the attention of the server, and about 5 minutes, a dish came, but it wasn't what he ordered. He finally got his order. My favorite dishes I love are garlic mizithra. My BF always gets the combo with mizithra and red sauce. In addition, the salad with creamy pesto and ice cream dessert is a treat. Despite my last experience, I'd still return. The food is always good. read more

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I usually don't go to Italian food places. I try not to eat pasta often because it's so heavy. My family made a reservation here for a birthday celebration and there were about 20 of us. Upon walking in, you check in with the host. The lobby waiting area is big and there's a lot of seating. There's also a mini arcade with a few games near the bathroom. The interior decoration is cool and fun to look at. They have a vintage weighing scale in the lobby which you can stand on, but luckily it's broken LOL. That way you won't be reminded of the weight you're about to gain from eating. We were seated at 2 tables in a secluded area which was a great space for a large party. I wish I walked around the restaurant because there were some cool seating areas. I think I saw an old bus with people dining in it. There was one waiter for the entire party, which wasn't an issue at all. She was sweet and got all of our orders correct. Every entree comes with bread plus minestrone soup or salad with choice of dressing, and at the end you get your choice of spumoni or vanilla ice cream. Between the soup or salad, I chose the salad with their house dressing on the side which I believe was pesto ranch. The bread was absolutely delicious, soft, and warm. I think the butter was very plain though. It could have used some salt or even some honey to enhance the flavor. The bread dipped in the house dressing was the way to go! The salad was underwhelming as it was just leaves, dressing, and croutons. It was almost like eating empty calories. For my main dish, I ordered the jumbo lobster and crab ravioli. It came with 6 large pieces of ravioli stuffed with lobster, crab, and ricotta, covered in pesto Alfredo sauce. It was so good! I would highly recommend if you want a seafood based dish. The other people in the group order different dishes, so I got to try a few things. Someone ordered the garlic shrimp fettuccini which I really liked too because the sauce was good and it came with a lot of shrimp. Someone else ordered the meat lovers, which was basically red sauce over spaghetti that came with 2 meatballs and some type of sausage. Definitely meaty. I also got to try the mizithra cheese and brown butter pasta and oh my goodness it was my favorite. I never had a pasta like that before. The brown butter had a sweetness to it. The cheese wasn't super melty so it had texture to it and combined well with the brown butter. The downside is that it didn't have a protein. But I would honestly get that if I ever come back here. There were a lot of leftovers because there was simply so much food. After the entrees the waiter came around to ask which ice cream we want between spumoni or vanilla. I chose spumoni which is 3 flavors - cherry, pistachio, and chocolate. Honestly I was not a fan, but that's just a personal preference. Everyone else enjoyed it. They accidentally brought out an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream which I thoroughly enjoyed instead. Overall, the experience was great especially for a large party. I'd come back with a smaller group or just one other person, as I'm sure it'll provide a different, more intimate experience and I want to see the rest of the space. On the ride home I felt extremely full and heavy. I didn't even finish my food. I knocked out in the car. It was not a good feeling. read more

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For years Spaghetti factory has been a staple restaurant, of mine, to meet up with family & friends on many types of occasions. My go to is the Mizithra. Sometimes the brown butter and often times the garlic! Soup or salad are side options. An extra order of cheesy bread and broccoli is a must too! A scoop of ice cream to top it off. Nom Nom Nom! I've enjoyed their keepsake glass/Italian soda deal over the years as well. They've many options for beverages. Depending on the day or event will depend on what I choose to have. Calm service and fun antique & stained glass decor. The caboose is fun too. Sat in it to dine a couple of times before. Come hungry and spend quality time with your loved ones. Very family friendly. There is bound to be some party of people celebrating something. read more

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Service was excellent, food was tasty and the facility was welcoming! Enjoyed the dinner, hadn't been there in a while!

Here Vive has a nice atmosphere with an old vintage look that adds to its charm. However, the food was just okay--I'd rate it a 7 out of 10. The spaghetti and meatballs lacked flavor, which was disappointing. The ravioli had a good taste but the portion size was on the smaller side, making it feel underwhelming. I'd also rate the flavor a 7 out of 10. Service was average and could have been better. We had to ask for cheese and drink refills, which should have been offered proactively. The pricing is about average, but overall, the experience didn't quite meet my expectations. Would I return? Maybe, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. read more

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Wanted to try this location because we really liked the one we tried in Canada. The restaurant has plenty of tables, so we didn't have to wait for a table. I tried a different dish since they have so many dishes to try. The garlic mizithra is my favorite dish. The plates come with soup/salad and ice cream, so the prices are very reasonable. You definitely have to get the cheese garlic bread! read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Garlic Cheese Bread - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

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I came with my family after my nephews graduation. We had a super large party, and the company policy says we were supposed to be treated like a banquet. The banquet food options wouldn't have been agreeable to the entire party, not to mention it would have stuck one person with the entire bill. After speaking with the manager, he said he would help us figure out how to split the party into two parties instead of one. It took a minute, but he and the staff were able to accommodate us, and we were still able to be close to each other! We ended up closing down the restaurant, but the entire staff was patient and attentive. The food was great but let's be real. If the staff isn't great then no matter how good the food is, I won't go back. I don't live in San Carlos, I'm only visiting. But, my family lives here and I know they are regulars there. And when we come visit, eating at this restaurant will be something we do. Every time. Thank you to the Manager on duty tonight, our servers, the chef and cooks. You work really hard and it shows. Thank you for a wonderful dinner. read more

I hope the kitchen is cleaner than the dining room. This baby spit-up looks lile it's been there a while read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Back of booth bench - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

Very nice location with older medieval vibes inside. We ate out food so quick because it was THAT GOOD! Love the Brown Butter pasta & Chicken Marsala. Also got to end it with a nice scoop of Spumoni Ice cream! Our waitress Sammy was super nice & accommodating! Also there is a hidden arcade by the restroom. read more

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The Old Spaghetti Factory in San Marcos is a wonderful restaurant for a nostalgic trip to my childhood. It still looks the same inside as I remember it. The food has gotten better with more variety and excellent price point. Our server was very attentive to our needs and promptly served our meal. It's an all inclusive meal with drinks, entree, sour or salad and my favorite, SPUMONI ICE CREAM!!! Get the OSF app for specials and to earn rewards if you frequently get Italian food and to make reservations. Lots of parking. Easy to find right off HWY 78. read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Front Entrance - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

It was my first time there and it exceeded my expectations. Everything was delicious and we can't wait to go back!

Ryan was an amazing waiter and a host, and provided a very good experience. The food was tasty and the drinks delicious. The ambiance was inviting and didn't break the ear drums. Our daughter, Violet, had an amazing first visit...inhaling her Spumoni ice cream (she never finishes her dessert haha). Thank you for a great time, as always :) read more

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Violet gives a big thumbs up to Spumoni!! - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

Brown Butter over Mazithra Cheese Spaghetti dish is Amazing and My Favorite!!!! Yum, yum, yum!!! I'm hungry just thinking about it!!!!!