Spaghetti Bender

To bad they are closing because this is a beautiful relaxing atmosphere. The staff are friendly, helpful and cheerful. My brother and I stopped by today to make sure we had our opportunity to have a wonderful meal plus a relaxing good time ☺️😊 We both had the Papa's Combination which is three pasta dishes that includes Lasagna, Spaghetti & MeatBall, Sausage & Peppers plus we add the Soup & Salad. All the food was excellent mainly the Cheesy Garlic bread 😁☺️ We sat at the bar because all the reservations were full and the bar is open seating.

So many family celebrations have been here. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, any special occasion, and this was our place. Even now that I live out of state, whenever I am in the area, it’s a first stop. The salad is amazing. In fact, as a kid, I didn’t like avocado until I realized there was avocado in the salad and now it’s one of my absolute favorite things. The white manicotti is sublime. There really isn’t a bad thing there. I’m so sad to hear of them closing. I had planned to go back last summer but due to family things it fell through so I’ll just have to fondly remember the last time I was there.

My aunt and uncle took my family here for dinner. It’s low key from the outside, but once you walk inside, the restaurant is very authentic, has a rich atmosphere, and an old school Italian feel that tells you it’s going to be a great meal. My Aunt and Uncle didn’t disappoint! Service here is great. We all ordered the soup and salad after my aunt and uncle kept raving about the soup they had years ago-and OMG, it was SO good!! I never had a clear minestrone soup before. It was delicious!! The garlic bread was heavenly, but let’s be real. You probably shouldn’t eat here if you’re on a diet. The salad was also very good. I ordered one of the platters and it was large enough for 2 people. I ended up taking it home for my husband. It came with gnocchi, chicken Milanese, and another pasta. I only ate a little of the chicken and it was very good. We all left full and really enjoyed our visit. This is a perfect place to bring a date or take your family out for dinner. I would definitely recommend coming here. I can’t wait to go back!

If you're in the area, this is the best choice. Great place with a great atmosphere and great food. Oh yea, the cheesecake is Amazing!!!!👏 🤩 😋 😍 👌 🙌

Great food, great service! The waiters and waitresses remember everyone, and have fun personalities. I LOVE their gluten free pasta option.

I created my own combination of Fettuccine Alfredo and Cheese Ravioli with tomato sauce, and the restaurant accommodated my request with no problem. Both were yummy! I just added salt to the fettuccine to taste. Their spaghetti with angel hair pasta and meat sauce is very good and my friend really enjoyed her Caprese salad. I enjoyed their house salad, but again, I just added salt and pepper, to taste. Service is always excellent! The atmosphere is cozy inside and they also have patio dining. I think the place is romantic, especially when it isn’t busy.

Delicious food, the staff were all super friendly and helpful. Highly recommended!

Holy Garlic Bread! Came here with family (who are all carb eaters) and wasn't expecting much from pasta, but this place had great food and probably the best garlic bread I've ever had (they season BOTH sides of the bread!). I had the Gemelli Pasta with Chicken Sausage as recommended by our waiter, my parents had the Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (it's their favorite) and the rest of the family had Fettucine Alfredo and Rigatoni Primo. Everyone loved their food but I really enjoyed the flavor of the sausage and the creamy garlic sauce on mine. It was the perfect combo of veggies and pasta and absolutely delicious. They give you BIG PORTIONS so be prepared to go away filled, or to have enough to take home with you.

Spaghetti Bender has been part of my life since I was a baby. I have so many fond memories of eating there with my parents and the memorable staff. Fast forward, decades later, my now husband asked me out for our first date. Since I'm not a huge fan of the fuss of Valentine's Day, we went to Spaghetti Bender (my suggestion) for our first date on 2/15/2006. Two years and one month later, we brought my parents to Spaghetti Bender to let them know we intended to get engaged and get married and we wanted to get their blessing. Which of course, they did. After dinner, just like we did on our first date, we walked across the street to the beach. He proposed, I said yes. A bunch of years later, we became parents, and continued our tradition. We've brought friends and family from out of town, to share our special place. I'm pretty sure I've had dinner at every single table in the restaurant and we always got a kick of looking at various tables and remembering the dinner that was had there. Even during Covid, we would drive there and get Takeout. Last night's dinner was simply magical. From picking up my mother and getting a parking spot right out front so we didn't have to worry about her going up and down steps, to the luscious bread (something we all still just randomly talk about), to the spaghetti that I was begging the recipe for when we left. Some of the servers and busses were just the friendly faces we've seen for years. We will miss this restaurant and it's family (biological and employee) tremendously. We are beyond thankful for all of the decades of memories for three generations of my family and how they were a part of some major milestones in my life.

This place is so unassuming off of PCH. I cannot believe my family and I had never been here before. I saw the Spaghetti Bender come up in looking for a low key restaurant close to our hotel. This place reminds me of an old school Italian restaurant that (appeared) locals frequent. Come hungry because portions are generous! Our server sold us on the meal option and the soup and salad were great little starters. All of our food was so delicious. I loved that they had the combination options. The Gnocchi was soft and delicate. The marinara sauce was rich and flavorful. This is definitely no frills but gosh darn was it delicious, exactly what my dining companion and I were looking for. We will not hesitate to return when we are back in the area.

As a kid, I used to come here with my parents and grandparents all the time. As a newlywed, my wife and I came a few times but never brought our kids. We came to celebrate my daughter's 18th birthday and it was still just as incredible as I remember it. The minestrone soup is tasty and the salad is fantastic. Of course, the garlic bread is always a favorite. I ordered the Famiglia and could barely eat any of it because I was so full. Warmed up nicely the next day for lunch. We'll definitely be back more often.

The food is delicious along with a real Italian family atmosphere! Our server Kayla was awesome and Dean stopped by to say hi and check on how we were doing. The linguine with clams and white sauce in the photo is my leftovers as the portions are huge! I love this place!

Great local Italian spot. The inside is family owned vibes and the food is really good. The bread is addicting, make sure to save a piece to dip into the pasta sauce. I love the chicken Parmesan with "Rosa" sauce (mix of white and red sauce). What really stands out is the service. They are always able to accommodate our large family and our server, Dean, was so friendly and welcoming. He made great recommendations, memorized all of our orders without writing them down (impressive!) and was very attentive to our large party throughout the dinner. We will definitely be coming back here.

This restaurant was amazing. So heartbreaking to hear they closed. Please re-open. Exactly the way it was. My family loved it so much.

We had a group of about 10 people tonight. The place is lovely, old school Italian. We had a great waiter and also other people came by to refill our carafes of water (I love when they provide those) and AMAZING garlic bread. We had ordered some bruschetta for the table. Delicious. A couple friends ordered salads and loved them. Long story short, by the time we got our entrees we were full! I managed to eat most of one giant meatball and taste the red sauce on my spaghetti. Normally I never order something that "ordinary" but I had a hunch it would be great and it was. My friend ordered eggplant parm which she loved. A couple people ordered the Papa special with spaghetti and meatball, lasagna and sausage and peppers. Our friend with a huge appetite could barely make a dent but he loved it. Some other friends ordered the salmon and that looked really nice. I will have to get a report on how everything tasted once they can actually eat their dinners tomorrow as they were too full from apps and salads, but based on what I tasted, I'm sure it was all great. I grew up in a very heavily Southern Italian area and it is hard to match the food there. This place has the same full authentic flavor.

After having passed by this place a million times, I finally gave it a go yesterday. Based on the reviews, we ordered the garlic bread, minestrone soup, house salad, lasagna, and the half ravioli / half spaghetti. The garlic bread and minestrone came out first and man, both tasted amazing. Probably the best garlic bread and minestrone I've ever had. The house salad came after which was also good but not mind blowing (in their defense, I'm not a huge salad guy). The entrees came last and both were solid. Unfortunately, by the time it came out I was already semi-full so I ate only about a third of it before getting the rest to-go. Having said that, it probably wasn't the best lasagna I've had but it still pretty good (probably because I accidentally ordered the one without any meat). The spaghetti wasn't the best either but still solid. The cheese ravioli, however, was very delicious. All things considered, the prices were fair, the service was great, the restaurant has a cute Italian theme and feel, and the we were satisfied with the taste of the food. We would like to come back in the near future to try other things.

First of all, the service was very attentive. Our server, Carter, was right on time from beginning to end. There was never a time that we waited for anything during our dinner. The food was definitely worthy of writing a review. It tasted & felt as if we were at dinner with family at their home. The ambiance only added to that, as there were fresh roses on every table. Also, they have Fresh Parmesan Cheese grated if you ask for it. We will definitely be back & recommending this wonderful restaurant to both friends and family!

Hands down my favorite Italian spot and hidden gem. This restaurant has authentic Italian food and is located on PCH. It's mostly locals which is nice. It can get crowded during the weekend so id make reservations just to make sure you get a spot but during the week it isn't too bad just mostly locals . Hours- the hours they post aren't always accurate. Since it is one of the ma and pa places they make up their own hours so make sure you call and see how late they will stay open. Parking- they have a small parking lot and parking in the front. I've never found parking to be an issue. Staff- The staff here is always amazing! We always get lucky and have the same waiter every time, Pedro, if you are lucky you will get him too. Great guy and the most attentive waiter. Food- everything here is really good but my personal favorite is the Familiga combo. It's gnocchi in a red sauce, fettuccine Alfredo, and chicken Parmesan. It doesn't get better than that in my opinion. I highly recommend getting that and making it a dinner. It's only $14 per person to make it a dinner which included the best minestrone soup, an amazing salad and unlimited garlic toast. The salad here is tossed in their secret dressing which tastes likes heaven!!! The garlic toast is amazing and fresh, reminds me of Texas toast. Atmosphere- hidden gem with a great ma and pa vibe. I love sitting outside when the weather is nice and they have tower heaters for night time as well as blankets.

I love the spaghetti bender. It is a perfect little Italian getaway just a block from the beach. The servers are great and make you feel right at home. It's like O**ve G**den because when you're there you're family, but the food is way better. So thankful it is in my neighborhood, will be going back again and again!

We have been coming to the Spaghetti Bender for years. I ordered food-to-go during the pandemic. The food and service are great. The ambience is cozy.

I'd never been there before. For a Saturday night I'm happy we were seated quickly. The soup and salad were so delicious! It's really cute inside with an outside bar/patio dining area. We all shared a taurine of minestrone soup and delicious garlic bread! I had chicken Marsala & fettuccine Alfredo. So delicious. Everything was delicious. The only issue I had was the food not being hot enough. I like my food steaming hot to eat. Other than that I'll go back over & over!

Such a good dining experience in Newport - very delicious, and the Soup/Salad and garlic bread are a great addition to any entree - the staff are all great (shout out to Curtis) and really enjoy the Italian family style dining experience. Affordable and fun, great for groups or date night. Highly recommend.

The absolute BEST lasagne I've ever had! Servers are very friendly. Ambiance is like an old vintage Italian restaurant-- which I love( I hope it's the same..last time I was there was 2021- overdue review) Prices are fair as well.

This mom and pop Italian restaurant tastes nothing short of authentic. As soon as you enter, you are greeted by tunes from Frank Sinatra and old style table cloths. The restaurant itself is charming, but not overly fancy. It's the perfect mix for a nice night out. Where to start? The bread! The garlic bread is by far some of the best I've ever had. You could probably order baskets of it and call it a day. As far as the entrees, my mom opted for the spaghetti with sausage/meatballs; my step-dad went with the shrimp scampi. Their entree portions were hefty and definitely enough for another meal for the next day. I ordered a dinner sized salad, which was simple yet fresh. If you want some home cooked Italian food, this is definitely the place to be.

I'm so sad this wonderful restaurant is closed. I moved to another state but when I'm in California this is one of my stops. The salad dressing is my favorite. I always bought a pint to take with me. I would love to have the recipe. If anyone knows the recipe that would be awesome. I have some of the ingredients just not the amounts.

New favorite dinner spot out there all thanks to our beautiful server Dean. He was on top of his game 24/7 and was so charming while doing so. His sparkle and up lifting personality almost makes the dish taste like perfection. All plates were crystal clean by the end of the night and you cannot go wrong with any dish you get.

I have gone to the Spaghetti Bender since it opened in 1969 and I lived on the peninsula as a student. I have gone back many times over the years, including about twice a year in the last several years. This was the first time I have ever been disappointed. The recipe for the salad dressing has changed, definitely different. The soup recipe was slightly changed. The food was slightly below what we have come to expect.

We went here based on a local resident's recommendation. We were up for a weekend and felt lucky to get a table on a Saturday night, especially as we had our small, old dog with us. The service was great. The servers were attentive, but not invasive. Our food came quickly and was really good. It has a quaint, old Italy vibe. If I am back in the area, I would go back.

My best friend and I loved this restaurant and as older teens and early 20 year olds we'd use our hard earned money to eat dinner here often. Loved the minestrone soup, the avocado ranch capers salad, and garlic bread. Then of course our main entrees. I'm so happy that I was able to share this experience with my own children and my friend when she came out for a visit when my kids were little. She's headed back out here soon and informed me today that Spaghetti Bender has closed permanently. I guess I wasn't too surprised considering I had recently heard something about the menu changing. How sad. This place was loved so very much. I know how to make the awesome salad, but that minestrone soup, I wish I had that recipe.

We've been eating at The Spaghetti Bender for 40 years. ( When Papa used to walk around greeting guests.) We went a week ago Sunday, the 17th, to celebrate my wife's 66th birthday. We had a party of 10 and unfortunately probably had the worst service I can remember at the Spaghetti Bender. We had probably been seated for 20 minutes before our waitress took our orders. Our meals seemed to have taken quite a while before they came. She also never came by after our dinners came to see how everything was going or if we needed anything else. When we were done eating we had to search for her to get to-go containers. The same thing for our check, we had to track her down for that as well. Lastly, we had brought a small birthday cake. We then found out from the Manager about the $2 per person cake fee. When I questioned her about it, the Manager rudely responded "I don't make the rules". She's been at the Spaghetti Bender for quite a years!

Edited to add: We have been going through old pictures as we downsize for a move and we found this picture from our honeymoon in 1993 We have such great memories of our time in Newport Beach and they all include the Spaghetti Bender

Average Italian food. Nothing was bad but nothing amazed. You can convert any entree into a dinner which then comes with an abundance of soup, salad, and garlic bread, more than you could ever eat. Be sure to save room for your entree! I got the Papa's dinner which came with lasagna, sauteed peppers and sausage, spaghetti and meatballs. It was fine.

Have been coming here for over 10 years and love it! Just a note if you don't come here often, that even on weekend nights if they say they close at 9, get here by 7. They actually close up starting at 8.

The waiter was nice--but the minestrone was basically celery and broth, the salad bland and over dressed, the garlic bread greasy and inedible. Ravioli was fair. The prosecco was overpriced but good quality. The place was fairly busy but why??? Do not recommend.

Great home style Italian spot with great service and a lot of history. Highly recommend!

Food is amazing. Nice little spaghetti place. Family owned. The lobster ravioli was freaking delicious!!! I need to go back just for that. Love to come here when we go to the beach before we head home. So I recommend this place

The food was unbelievable, the service by Jose was off the charts. Great times......I'll be back soon I really enjoyed there Lasagna.

This place has been around for over 50 years....the food is absolutely perfect every time. The service is impeccable and the ambiance is like being at home

This felt like a tour of italy. Our server, Lorenzo Heavenly Angel Chivalry was such a great host. I recommend this spaghetti.

A Newport icon that never fails to disappoint. Would be easy to fill up on their unbelievable bread and salad, but you need to leave room for their entrees because they are epic. Have eaten there dozens of times and every time the food is delicious. Service is excellent and the manager Dean was super attentive. Spaghetti Bender is THE BEST

Love this place, the food is very tasty. But I was denied dining here on my birthday. I came around 8 PM and the lady decided to close an hour early because of a large party dined there even though there was ample seating and the party left within 5 minutes. So disappointed it's not professional . The service and management is not as good as it used to be......

Great food with super big portions. The staff is very nice and friendly. I love the patio for outdoor dining. I got the sampler of chicken parm, fettuccini alfredo, and bolognese as my main. Great if you want to try a few things. We ordered table side salad and soup for the table. They are both very tasty. The garlic bread comes with free second helping. Its hard not to take left overs home! See my photos @mike.eats.out on instagram for more details.

Cute atmosphere, great food, friendly service . Highly recommend. Lobster ravioli was delicious.

Great food & excellent service! The soup & salad, the pasta along with the warm bread were amazing. Yummmm

Not Italian, Cold bread, entree Not Hot. Poor Service. Veal Not tender. Refuse to box to go food. Bad attitude. Food not to good

My first visit to the Spaghetti Bender was in 1970, shortly after they opened. Mon, Dad, my sister, and my infant brother. Just the single tiny dining room and kitchen. I remember when Papa was shot during an attempted robbery and fearing for him our favorite restaurant. I continued to go into the 80's. Family affairs, dates, company dinners. Always good, always fresh. Always generous portions. Endless soup, salad, and bread. Fast forward to February of 2024. Haven't been in probably 16-18 years as I moved to inland OC. Same family, now with partners and kids/grandkids. Mom is 87 now and this was her special request. I order the fettucine alfredo with the soup and salad. The soup comes out-at room temperature, maybe. Very small bowl of soup. Flavor was still there, but the temp and quantity were seriously lacking. Then the salad. Bagged, old lettuce (brown tips) and the same wonderful dressing. The endless bread was there, but the flavor was off-how hard is it to make good garlic bread? Then the main course, the over cooked, clumpy pasta and absolutely flavorless Alfredo. A mountain of white, enough for four people-a creamy pile of goo, void of any attempt at flavor. I added some parmesean, red pepper, and black pepper-which helped everything but the pasta. Picked at it a bit. Leftovers went home with the teenage athlete. The food was very disappointing-someone in the kitchen is just going through the motions, no care, no interest in the product. The service, on the other hand, was outstanding. Very accommodating. There when needed, but not obtrusive. Probably won't go back, given the vast number of great restaurants (and food trucks) in OC that offer great food at a similar price point.

As neighborhood "Gravy Houses" go, The Spaghetti Bender is 5 Star. We were a party of 6 last Saturday Night. Restaurant was pleasantly busy. Always good to review when busy to get a good look at the place. The menu has stayed the same for years, and we like that. Reasonably priced and satisfying portions. Our table had 6 different entrees and everyone was happy with the food. Server was very good. If you want basic Italian Food, whether Eggplant Parmigiana or Spaghetti with Clams, you will be pleased.

Such a hidden gem! Never knew this place was here, but the food was awesome. Really good portion sizes. I didn't love the salad, it kind of lacked on flavor. Everything else was good!

OMG!!!! Incredible meal. Service was spot on, Jose is an AWESOME server! Such an incredibly enjoyable experience. We really enjoyed every single thing we ordered. Wasn't sure how good it was going to be. Prices were so affordable. Thought we were going to get what we paid for. Let me tell you... EVERYTHING we ordered was fantastic. Salad, Minestrone, garlic bread... the BEST Fettuccine I remember having in a LONG time. Chicken piccata was so delicious. Every dish our party of 9 ordered was flawless! Cheers to you guys. Should have never doubted a restaurant of 53 years in business. We are visiting from Las Vegas. I think we are going to stop buying groceries and eat here for the rest of the trip. Thanks Guys for providing this little gem of a restaurant in Newport Beach. It's our new "go to" and we will recommend it to everyone!

One of my favorite Italian places. Super cute inside and out. They offer heat lamps and blankets for the outdoor patio. Menu has many Italian options to choose from. Love the complimentary garlic bread. They soup and salad that come with the meals are my favorite.

The service has definitely declined over the last year and the food was luke warm when it came out. Please try to do better. People understand when prices go up but the service should not go down.

We travel here about every three months for dinner from Temeclula. We love it. Went there on Sat with my niece (her birthday), best friend and her daughter (1st time there). We brag about the soup and salad a lot. We were disappointed this time. Something was different about both. I finally added some salt and that helped. Please don't change the ingredients. We will notice! We will be back at least one more time, hoping that this was just an off night. But the bread, entrée and service was excellent as always.

Really good food and service. We sat outside with the kids and the atmosphere was perfect for our family.

Great ambiance, service and food! We love the pesto shrimp pasta and the garlic bread.

I love coming here!!! The soup and salad are one of a kind and I have never had a bad meal. Customer service is always very welcoming. This house shaped restaurant really makes you feel at home along with comfort food.

A rare moment when I give 5 stars! Either I am just super hungry to appreciate any food you put in front of me or the food or dinner is super awesome. I believe this is one of those moments when the latter is the case! The coziest little Bender nook in Newport that has some oooooh great tasting food, albeit rich, but great!!! Make sure you jog afterwards because it is hard to put your fork down!!!! Let me start with the place. Cozy, old world, your grandma's place in Italy...not that I have Italian heritage in me, but this is what I would describe it as. Garlic bread. One word, superdelish! I ordered the Papa Lorenzo 59th dinner anniversary combo from 1969 that comes with minestrone soup, salad, and for the main dish, Lasagana with meat sauce(ooooh, was it good!!), fettuccini alfredo, and chicken parmigiana and to top it off, spumoni! Mama mia!!! Suffice to say, I gobbled up the bread, soup, and salad and barely had room for the main course. Then the desert. Let me not tell you to go here, but you owe it to yourself to do so!!! At least once. IMHO, this place beats Mama D's hands down!!! And very plentiful and reasonable just like grandma would serve you. Please please Papa Lorenzo family, don't change a thing, maybe not even that dimming Disneyland like lights! Haha. Check boxes all. Cozy, check. Value, check. Good food, check. Good service(from Pedro), check. Old world feel, check. A hidden gem of hustle and bustle of Newport coast, check. One thing Italian missing, maybe pizza and cola carbonation. But hey, who's complaining? Lots of pizza joints around already!

the food is amazing everytime i go. service is spectacular and it feels so homey inside! dean is a great manager and brings the vibes up every time. he puts a smile on everyone's faces. he is very accommodating to everyone's needs. he is so kind and helpful! my favorite is their salad!! i get it every time it is so delicious. all of the servers greet me with a smile and are so kind. i bring my dog on the patio and everyone is so loving and friendly with him. my family loves to come and we always leave satisfied.