In 1972, the first Spaghetti Warehouse opened in Dallas, Texas and has now grown to more than 20 restaurants in nine states. The chain opened another restaurant in Philadelphia and it has thrived in its Spring Garden location.
In a city famous for its food and abundance of Italian restaurants, this is no small feat. However, if you are a believer in chain restaurants bringing quality food and service, one might want to look elsewhere on your next night out.
Upon entering, the first customer realization is that the Spaghetti Warehouse is suitably named; the restaurant is located in a building that was at one time an actual warehouse. The building’s walls are completely covered with old-fashioned paintings, ads and posters.
Spaghetti Warehouse’s most famous dish, the fifteen-layer lasagna, priced at $8.95, is not for those watching their weight. It is clear that if you are worried about your weight at all, stay away from the Spaghetti Warehouse.
Visiting on a weeknight the service proved to be outstanding, but the restaurant itself turned out to be disappointing.
A server’s control in the kitchen is very limited at best, and therefore, special requests cannot always be satisfied.
Upon arrival of the entrees, the amount of cheese on top, and the amount of water it’s steeped in easily outweigh the amount of pasta. An apologetic waitress can’t make up for food that is clearly substandard.
It is commonly understood that going to a restaurant includes both getting a good meal and enjoying the experience. However, this is very difficult when frequent visitors continue to approach your table.
Apparently, the Spaghetti Warehouse not only employs an adequate serving staff, there are also many peddlers on the floor, selling everything from balloon animals to fake flowers. Being bothered for money is something that happens in the city- it should not happen while dining in a restaurant.
It is only fair to say that, other than the service, the only suitable point of the night was the reading of the check – the prices were reasonable, considering the amount of food served.
Next time you are out to dinner, be it with friends or on a date, search a little more south than Spring Garden Street. It may be farther away from campus, but taking the trip is worth a decent meal.
Michelle Nicoletto can be reached at mnic@temple.edu
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