safe bet for lunch. while it may not be authentic italian, straight off the boat, the old spaghetti factory does offer tasty fare at very good prices. the decor is whimsical; kids seem to love the trolley planted in the middle of the establishment. the high-ceilinged, cavernous main dining room can get a bit noisy during the busiest hours, so if you're looking for quiet conversation, it might pay to ask for one of the more out-of-the-way tables.
if you're on a budget and you're entertaining folks you don't know very well, it's a pretty safe bet -- an entire meal averages around $10 per person, and the quality, while not world-class, is reliably good. staple dishes like spaghetti with meat sauce are complimented by more-adventurous offerings like cappellini with browned butter and mizithra cheese, which you will like if you enjoy strong cheeses.
service is generally quite good, though the kitchen itself can be a bit slow during peak times. when i've dined at the old spaghetti factory, the servers have always been great at keeping the bread coming if the wait was long and the table was hungry.
one caveat: this place is usually very busy around 5 - 6 pm on week days and during primary meal hours on weekends. i'm not sure whether they take reservations or not. wait times can be long and trying if you're out for a spontaneous meal and hungry. if you decide to do dinner here on, say, a wednesday, consider dining around 7 to reduce your wait, or eat a late lunch.