Spaghetti and meatballs is one of the most enduring and delicious comfort foods on the planet; a true classic and a universal dish that always seems to bring people together. Cooking spaghetti isn’t necessarily difficult, but making a great meatball takes skill and care, and having the best tomato sauce is also a critical part of the process.
When you get a good plate of spaghetti and meatballs — whether from a restaurant or made at home — there’s almost nothing else in the world like it. And, as it turns out, you don’t need to go to a fancy, expensive Italian restaurant to find it. There are plenty of chain restaurants out there that do spaghetti and meatballs right for a modest price, and we wanted to find out about the best options. To do that, we combed social media and review sites to determine the five best chain restaurants serving spaghetti and meatballs, based on consensus around taste, quality, and value. Keep reading to find out which restaurants made the cut.
Read more: 9 Red Flags At A Pizza Shop That Should Send You Running
1. Maggiano’s
The exterior of a Maggiano’s restaurant – CLS Digital Arts/Shutterstock
With locations scattered across the country, Maggiano’s has garnered a reputation for being an affordable Italian spot that doesn’t feel too exclusive. Its history goes back to 1991, when its first location opened in Chicago, Illinois. A few more locations followed after a successful launch, and four years later, the restaurant was purchased by a larger company and expanded even more. Today, its reputation for quality Italian cuisine is pretty unmatched as far as chain restaurants go.
Customers seem to love Maggiano’s spaghetti and meatballs in particular. One reviewer for Business Insider wrote that their son got spaghetti and meatballs when they visited the restaurant as a family, and he loved it so much he came home with leftovers. Maggiano’s also recently introduced a “secret menu” spaghetti and wagyu beef meatball dish, which customers on Instagram praised as “delicious.” If you’ve never had Maggiano’s and there’s a location near you, it’s definitely a solid choice for pasta and meatballs next time you’re craving some.
2. Buca di Beppo
The outside of a Buca di Beppo restaurant – Gsheldon/Getty Images
If you’re on a quest to make the best meatballs you possibly can, there are seemingly endless ways to do it and all kinds of secrets you can employ to get your desired result. Or, you can just get yourself to Buca di Beppo and try its “world famous meatballs,” instead. Buca di Beppo has been around since the early ’90s, established in Minnesota before expanding nationally. It offers all kinds of Italian dishes like bolognese, eggplant parm, osso bucco, and more. But it’s the chain’s spaghetti and meatballs that get glowing reviews.
One of the things Buca is known for is the size of its meatballs, but customers are not disappointed with the quality of the spaghetti and meatballs either. One reviewer called it a “must-try” dish, while another praised it, saying that: “It doesn’t disappoint. The marinara sauce is tangy and fresh, while the meatballs are tender and flavorful.” If you’re looking for a great Italian option and there’s a Buca near you, it appears that you can’t go wrong with this popular Italian chain.
3. Cheesecake Factory
The exterior of a Cheesecake Factory restaurant – Photos from Micah/Shutterstock
When you think of The Cheesecake Factory, what springs to mind first? We’re guessing cheesecake, right? Yeah, thought so. One thing you probably don’t think about when it comes to this long-running national chain is spaghetti and meatballs. With The Cheesecake Factory’s exceptionally large menu, though, it actually makes sense that you’d find spaghetti and meatballs somewhere in the massive book of items (most of which are, incredibly, made from scratch).
What you probably wouldn’t expect is for it to be any good, but people actually seem to really love it. One TikTok reviewer gave it a 10 out of 10, while another specifically praised the chain’s meatballs, calling them “savory” and “perfect.” Next time you visit a Cheesecake Factory and aren’t sure what to pick from the shockingly large selection, consider tucking into a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.
4. Sbarro
The illuminated sign on the outside of a Sbarro restaurant with tables and umbrellas outside – Gustavo Enrique Cortez/Getty Images
If you’ve ever been to a mall, chances are you’ve encountered a Sbarro and you’ve very likely eaten at one. Once the king of cheap mall pizza, it has struggled more recently to maintain its reputation as a decent place to find incredibly inexpensive fast-casual Italian food. This comes after Sbarro closed a large number of U.S. locations and as attempts to expand beyond its niche markets have tended to flounder. The chain has maintained strong business internationally, though. Despite the ups and downs, one thing that continues to endure is the chain’s spaghetti and meatballs.
Take social media’s word for it: If you’re craving spaghetti and meatballs and you’re on a budget, try Sbarro. One Redditor praised the dish, saying that there was “something unique about the flavor that [they’d] only had at a couple other places.” On YouTube, a reviewer said the spaghetti and meatballs tasted like “it was homemade,” while a TikTok reviewer said the dish was “so underrated.”
5. Olive Garden
The sign and car park outside an Olive Garden restaurant – Patty_c/Getty Images
Olive Garden is probably the most well-known fast casual Italian chain of all time. Known for its endless breadsticks and pasta, this chain tends to get pretty mixed reviews. The restaurant has a ton of appetizers that people do seem to love, however. If you’ve never been to Olive Garden, then you’re missing out on an essential American experience. You might not love everything it has to offer, but one thing is true: The spaghetti and meatballs is a sure thing.
Social media users love this dish, with one Facebook reviewer writing that it’s “simple but very tasty.” On TikTok, a food reviewer said that the Olive Garden pasta “don’t miss.” Redditors also strongly recommend Olive Garden as a great spot for this Italian comfort food classic. So, if you’re looking for something cheap and reliably good, it seems as though you can’t go wrong with a big ol’ plate of Olive Garden spaghetti and meatballs.
Methodology
A closeup of a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with a sprig of fresh basil – Alex_Karlsson/Shutterstock
We put this list together by combing through Reddit, Facebook, TikTok, and other social media websites, as well as review sites. After reading reviews, we judged chain restaurants based on the taste, quality, and value of the spaghetti and meatballs. Selections were also based on the reported tenderness of the meat, taste and quality of the tomato sauce and/or pasta, and the overall value of the meal compared to its price point. The restaurants above fared the best in terms of our criteria, and consistently got good reviews among customers.
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Read the original article on Chowhound.
Dining and Cooking