Old Town Spaghetti Store — Restaurant in Jackson

Let me start by saying: I am a pasta fanatic. I make my own pasta, my own sauces (some that take 3 to 4 hours), so I know my way around Italian fare. I wish I could say this place did as well.

What did they get right? The ambiance and the lighting were wonderful. The employees were all very friendly, and they had a reasonable selection of wine.

What did they get wrong? Everything else. The bread came out toasted (a small loaf), but the butter was served cold. There were also two kinds, which I wasn't given any description of. I figured out after a couple slices that one was garlic butter. News flash: let your butter get to room temperature before serving. Trying to spread cold butter on a piece of soft bread is next-level frustrating. The salad was mediocre (really, one slice of cucumber and tomato?). My entree was: rigatoni with meat sauce, and I added an Italian sausage. The rigatoni was way overcooked. Not even close to al dente. The meat sauce was "new", tasted like it had not been cooked for very long. The ground meat was mealy and the sauce was bland. The sausage tasted a lot like those cheap sausages you get in an 8 pack, with very little "snap" to the skin and cheap filler.

I'm not saying it was bad. I wound up eating pretty much everything (I had spent a long day working at a job site). But it wasn't great. And it wasn't even good. It was just...there.

It was middle of the road or worse all the way. I wish I could take anyone who thinks this place makes a reasonable plate of pasta and show them how it can really be done. And it doesn't have to be ultra fancy. Great tasting Italian food is about rustic ingredients cooked lovingly by people who care...

My husband and I were on a 10 day road trip going from Tomball Texas to Michigan and the U.P. , on the way to Michigan after some time on the road we stopped here for a late lunch, my car charger for my phone wasn't working so I asked the waitress if I could plug my phone in at the waitstaff station (it was on a shelf out of the way) the waitress plugged in up for me. My husband and I enjoyed appetizers, lunch got our bill paid tipped the waitress went to get my phone and it had been unplugged for the entire time we were there ( about an hour) when I inquired why my phone had been unplugged they informed me that the manager (miss Debbie) aka Karen unplugged it and wouldn't allow it to be charged!!! Never mind the cliche about customers always right what happened to common Courtesy?That was just an underhanded thing to do and not have the nerve to come and tell me herself!!! I not only feel like I should call her out over her behavior but I'll also be contacting her boss and if this is a franchise I'll be contacting them as well!!! Can you imagine if something were to happen while I was on the road and no phone to call for help!? The food was good and wait staff pleasant, as for Miss Debbie the manager I think she would be better suited for a job that she didn't have interaction with the general public. This w happened in the first week of October 2021, I meant to write this review as soon as we were home but as life happens, I got busy but never will I forget this unpleasant and unnecessary occurence at this...

Our visit had pros and cons for sure. We were seated quickly (party of 2) on a Friday night so that was a pro. I ordered cheese tortellini with Alfredo and grilled chicken and a salad, my husband ordered the seafood Alfredo with spicy beef and rice soup.

My husband enjoyed his seafood Alfredo though he said the soup was not even remotely spicy. And he said the Alfredo sauce on his pasta tasted different than the sauce that was on my dish.

First, the honey mustard with my salad, while plentiful, was VERY acidic. Like to the point where I did not finish my salad bc it was honestly burning my lips a bit. And the croutons had a very strong oil/grease taste. I had strong hopes for the tortellini but it was also a let down. The tortellini itself was fine, not great but fine, and the Alfredo sauce was a huge let down. If it is homemade the recipe needs some work… it tasted very bland and I could literally tell that there were preservatives in it so it made me wonder if it was jarred/bagged. It tasted cheap… in all candor. I tried to add the Parmesan powder that was on the table but it just did not help. I didn’t finish the meal. However, the chicken was wonderful… it was thin but it had a great flavor and it was juicy.

The dining room was very loud. To the point where our server had a hard time hearing us. Just bc there were so many tables shoved in there so close together that we could hear the conversations of everyone around us. Though I did think it was...