just heard that someone is franchising a nothing but noodles for norman. suppose we'll see if they complete the ed noble parkway expansion or make a horrible non-restaurant row locale decision...

the only other great location would be on campus corner, but i've noticed that if the place doesn't have great drinks, isn't open until 4am, doesn't deliever, or isn't cheap as hell, they don't last long over here. only exception to this is Al Eischback's, which is expensive, has horrible food and bad waitstaff, but is apparently a classier alternative to having a Hooter's on campus corner, if you get my drift...

I'd atually prefer that a chain like this not be located on Campus Corner. I think Ed Noble Parkway would be a better fit.

Has anyone ever eaten there? It just never seemed that appealing to me in Bricktown with so many better restaurants around.

Well, the one in Jenks is awful, tried it twice.

Really bad, and pretty busy, I don't get that, but there you go. It's next door to Starbucks, maybe that helps the business.

Well, the one in Jenks is awful, tried it twice.

Really bad, and pretty busy, I don't get that, but there you go. It's next door to Starbucks, maybe that helps the business.

After the bitter taste of paying too much for expensive coffee, maybe they can not taste the food.

Okay.. sounds about right. If I'm in Bricktown, I can immediately say that Zios and Spaghetti Warehouse are tops on my list when it comes to pasta. Some prefab chain that's next door to a Sonic is definitely going to end up pretty far down the list :D

Well, my opinion is that Zio’s and Spaghetti warehouse are awful too.

Well, let’s say Zio’s is somewhere between mediocre and bad and Spaghetti Warehouse is very awful, worse than Noodles. I think they both just open cans of prepackaged sauce, heat it and poor it over bad noodles and call it Italian.

For chain Italian I think Olive Garden is fair, and Carrabba’s is usually ok. I do like Macaroni Grill, it’s the best of the chains to me. I hear good things about Johnny Corrino’s but I haven’t been there.

I've liked what I've received at Spaghetti Warehouse. Hasn't been bad at all.

Zio's as well.

But I never get simple pasta. I almost always get something more elaborate than that.

My only problem with Spaghetti Warehouse is that the quality of the service is very sporadic. It seems like they hire a lot of high school kids, and at times, there isn't a lot of leadership in the restaurant. I've had to wait forever sometimes just to get service. I've left there many times leaving a poor tip and a note explaining why.

I don't believe I've ever had any problems with service at Zios, and the food there has always been good.

Zio's is an excellent concept that has had some growing pains. I hope things are turning around as I love the food. The house salad, to me anyway, is better than the always-raved-about Olive Garden salad. Zio's all started out, in case some don't know, as "Ken's Pizza" in Tulsa. They have come a long way since the early Ken's days.
on edit: A little more history......Ken's actually started out under a different name which I can't remember. Most of the Ken's changed their name to Mazzio's and went with that special crust recipe. But, as I understand it, some stores still operate (same ownership) under the original "Ken's Pizza" name. Zio's was Ken's high-class concept and grew too fast. I hope it has stabilized. I think it's a wonderful place to eat!

For the past few years, I've wondered how Spaghetti Warehouse has survived.

My only problem with Spaghetti Warehouse is that the quality of the service is very sporadic. It seems like they hire a lot of high school kids, and at times, there isn't a lot of leadership in the restaurant. I've had to wait forever sometimes just to get service. I've left there many times leaving a poor tip and a note explaining why.

I don't believe I've ever had any problems with service at Zios, and the food there has always been good.

Strange.. I hadn't noticed that. I guess I've just been lucky.

For the past few years, I've wondered how Spaghetti Warehouse has survived.

I agree. Food is always cold and service poor and sporadic. Zio's has always been excellent with quality ingredients. Olive Garden is not much better than Fazoli's in my opinion, I don't see what the big deal is there. Johnny Carino's is good. Nothing but Noodles I wouldnt even classify as Italian since they serve a variety of noodles, including beef stroganoff and mac and cheese. The slice of bread they give you is always cold, bland, and disgusting with no flavor and no butter or anything to put on it. I've tried both the memorial and bricktown locations and food and service is not so good although the bricktown location seems a little better.

i have enjoyed nothing but noodles many times. I think the food is terrific. I have only eaten at the one on memorial though. just make sure you bring your wallet because dishes run between 6 and 12 bucks i beleive. not including drinks or extra ingrediants(shrimp, chicken, etc) just depends on what you order. their deserts and bread are awsome also.