Spaghetti Works

Thursday January 3, 2019

Spaghetti Works

502 S. 11th Street, Omaha, NE

Where we went:

Happy New Year everyone! For our first meal of the New Year we chose to go to a classic and very popular Omaha staple, Spaghetti Works. Spaghetti Works has two locations in Omaha, the Old Market and Ralston, as well as a third in Des Moines. We chose to go to the original Spaghetti Works in the Old Market.

What we Eat:

Spaghetti Works is know for one thing, obviously, their Spaghetti! Something Eric and Kyle both love! However, they do have a few non-pasta based dishes if you are feeling up for something else. Probably the most popular dishes to order at Spaghetti Works are their unlimited spaghetti meals. With these meals you chose a type of pasta, a type of sauce, and a topping. Then you get a many refills as you want! One common question servers get is, “I don’t want any more to eat, but can you just box up my next refill?” There answer is always the same, “No I can’t, however, I can bring you a new bowl, watch you take one bit of it, then hand you a box.” It’s a great way to have leftovers for tomorrow!

Tonight, however, both Kyle and Eric wanted something a little more. Eric chose their Chicken Parmesan dish while Kyle went with the Alfredo Chicken and Mushroom Bake. Tonight they were featuring their Italian Sodas, so Eric decided to try one. He was having trouble making a decision from the massive list of options, so the waitress suggested her favorite: the Milky Way Iced Soda.

Every meal comes with a trip to the salad bar and a basket of fresh, warm garlic bread.

The Food:

We started our meal out with a trip to the salad bar. Eric usually skips salad bars, but he decided to go with the salad bar for this trip for blogging purposes. Now, this salad bar isn’t Omaha’s best. There Isn't anything wrong with it, it's just a standard salad bar that doesn’t feature anything particularly unique or tasty. It was slightly messy with salad toppings straying from their containers and getting all over neighboring ingredients. Eric found it slightly annoying and had to carefully pick his tomatoes to avoid ones with other things on them. This was largely due to the large amount of topping containers being in such close proximity on the small salad bar that it’s inevitable that some get dropped in their journey from bar to plate. However, this may be a sticking point for some (like Eric).

The garlic bread was delicious. It was nice and warm with just a hint of garlic on it; enough to make it delicious, but not overwhelming. The waitress offered to refill our bread basket and Eric enthusiastically took her up on that offer!

Eric’s Mikey Way Iced Italian Soda was also really good. It didn’t taste much like a Milky Way, specifically, but it was a lot like a more refreshing ice cream float. He definitely has to come back and try some other flavors.

Chicken Parmesan, in general, is one of Eric’s favorite Italian dishes, so he’s always interested in trying how various places prepare it differently, and Spaghetti Works didn’t disappoint. The chicken itself isn’t particularly remarkable, but what really makes Spaghetti Works’ dish really stand out is that they really pile on the cheeses! It’s fantastic! Kyle, on the other hand was surprisingly disappointed by his meal. It started out tasting really good, but the further he got into it the more overpowering the mushroom flavor became. Kyle really likes mushrooms, so this was a little surprising. Alfredo sauces is also a tricky sauce to work with, because as it cools it becomes thicker and eventually has the texture of pates. The combination of the thickening sauces and overpowering mushrooms, really turned Kyle off to his meal, and he was unable to finish it.

The Atmosphere:

Now, the Atmosphere at Spaghetti Works is a major reason to go there (at least the Old Market locations). First, it is located in a old historic warehouse building, the former home of the Union Outfitting Company in the heart of the Old Market. The atmosphere even starts before you get inside. Spaghetti Works features a large covered dining patio along 11th street, with long park like picnic tables to dine at. The one here is the same covered patio is also a public sidewalk (unlike most outdoor dining, where you are cordoned off from the general public), so you need to check in with hostess desk first before being seated outside, and crowds of people will be walking by as you eat. But if that isn’t a turnoff, it’s a great way to people watch while dining!

Inside the atmosphere of Spaghetti Works takes over. Once could also compare it to a early 20th century carnival. Old mismatched brass chandeliers light the space, and unique items such as carousel horse, old street signs and marketing campaigns and miscellaneous statue can be found throughout. Each salad bar, for example, in located inside the back of an old truck. Our favorite place to dine is in small tables located in a row of old wooden telephone booths that line the back wall. However, there are only so many of these to go around.

Spaghetti Works is a very large restaurant, with no less than four dining spaces, one specifically reserved in the back for parties. Tonight were were sat directly behind the bar, a place neither of us had been seated before, giving us a new view of the place that we haven't seen before.

The Service:

The staff were very friendly here as always. Tonight Spaghetti Works seemed particularly busy with many groups of young people coming in and out. Our waitress explained that Omaha Public Schools Central High, located in downtown, was hosting the Nebraska Thespian Festival, a high school theater conference. So there were groups of high school students from all over the state downtown tonight. What food goes over well with all high school students? Spaghetti! Despite how busy it was, our food came out surprisingly fast, and our waitress was stellar at providing prompt refills of both beverages and garlic bread!

In the End:

In the end Spaghetti Works is an excellent choice for a night out or a quick lunch. Although Kyle wasn't pleased with his meal this time, that isn’t a deterrent for him, and he will be going back. The food is the same at all three Spaghetti Works restaurants, but if you want a truly unique dining experience, our recommendation is for Spaghetti Works in Omaha’s Old Market.

BONUS!:

Despite temperatures reaching -10 on new years day, the temperature today got up to the 50s (yup, that is weather in Nebraska!). So we chose to skip Spaghetti Works dessert menu to go just around the corner to treat ourselves to another Omaha staple, Ted and Wally’s. Ted and Wally’s is a small little ice cream shop located in an old mid century gas station/garage. They feature both cups, cones, and classic sundaes and are known for their ever-changing variety of unique ice cream flavors as well as bags of popcorn.

Kyle got one scoop of the Oatmeal Raisin cookie ice cream while Eric got two scoops, one of Honey Peach Praline and one of the Gingerbread Cookies & Latte. We both really liked our scoops, Kyle's started out a bit more oatmeal-ely then he would have liked, but as he got more into it it got better. Eric enjoyed both his flavors immensely. The Gingerbread Latte was a surprisingly effective flavor mashup with neither over-powering the other and complimenting each other very nicely. The Honey Peach Praline was a refreshing fruity contrast that also managed to be good, but not too rich or too sweet.