Vince’s Spaghetti

What to expect at Vince’s Spaghetti in Ontario, CA

Vince’s Spaghetti serves spaghetti and French dip sandwiches unchanged by time or fashion. It is a cavernous eating hall that is a favorite for families with kids. For adults, there are dirt-cheap carafes of wine and impossible portions of spaghetti.

What to eat at Vince’s Spaghetti

Spaghetti with meat sauce is the thing. Rich, meaty ragu packs mushroomy umami that makes us think of a jarred meat sauce we might have tried while traveling in some far off land (not Italy!) and, now, can’t find back home. It makes for appetizing memories. The spaghetti itself is cooked nicely — not firm, but with a good texture for fork twirling.

Mostaccioli with tomato sauce is not such a good memory. This sauce lacks the greasy glory of the one with meat. We wore out our arms rattling oversized shakers of grated cheese in an attempt to make it sing. It’s OK for dipping garlic bread, but not nearly enough to support pasta. Perhaps it is better smothered in shredded provolone, which is an option. Or, perhaps not. The pasta itself made us wonder if the kitchen uses a pressure cooker to achieve this level of mushiness.

Tavern-style sandwiches are fun. We gussied up our meatball sub by upgrading to garlic bread and adding provolone cheese. The meatballs are fluffy and simple, well suited to a grinder, if not a good companion for pasta. The sub’s soft bread, soft meatballs, and gooey cheese slide down easy. The prevailing flavor is the garlic butter on the bread.

Best bet: the 40s era French dip. It comes already double dipped with the right amount of jus soaked into the bread; and there is a little side car of pan jus if you need more. The sandwich is stacked much higher than at the iconic Philippe’s (inventors of the French dip). The meat is very tender (boiled?), savory with the same mouthwatering umami as the meat sauce. Is this flavor Vince’s secret to success for all these decades?