BOTHELL — If you need a place where the pizza’s great yet affordable and the family wants to gather for a celebration, Sparta’s Pizza and Spaghetti House has what you need.
Sparta’s is family-owned with restaurants in Lynnwood and Bothell, and the focus is on families. The Sunday afternoon my friend and I dined, families and couples were seated in the booths and at tables in the front, and a large group was filling the second dining room with hugs and presents.
The dining rooms are decorated in warm Mediterranean colors with murals or plate collections accenting arched insets. Grape vines curl around the posts. When it gets colder, an open fireplace will complete the cheerful atmosphere.
The restaurant’s wine list includes seven red and six white choices that range from $14 to $25; most are also served by the glass ($3.50 to $6.25). There are two beers on tap ($3.75) and five bottled choices ($3 to $3.75).
The menu is a collection of our favorites: lasagna ($11.55), chicken parmesan ($12.95) and sub sandwiches ($8). There are a few Greek accents such as a main-dish salad with chicken ($11.45) and Greek olives for pizza toppings. There are 25 traditional pizza toppings such as pepperoni and Italian sausage ($1.20 to $1.45). The pesto sauce, feta cheese, garlic chicken, shrimp and kalamata olives ($2.20 to $2.60) are in the “premium” category.
My friend ordered one of his favorites since childhood — baked spaghetti with meat sauce ($11.55). At Sparta’s, this dish is made with spaghettini, which is smaller than spaghetti but larger than angel hair pasta, and for vegetarians there’s marinara sauce. My friend’s baked spaghetti was just like he wanted it — steaming hot from the oven with a few crispy bits of cheese stuck to the edge of the baking dish and a tasty combination of pasta and sauce. It was served with a decadent slice of warm bread steeped in olive oil and garlic.
Instead of one dinner choice, I decided to order two lunch items — a seven-inch personal pizza with pepperoni and Italian sausage ($4.90) and a meatball sandwich ($8). Both come with soup or salad, so I had house-made minestrone soup and a salad with the oregano-rich house-made vinaigrette dressing. Both were excellent.
My pizza was as close to perfect as I’ve had, with a crisp crust and tasty toppings. The meatball sandwich was a surprise because I didn’t read the menu’s description. I was expecting round meatballs smothered in sauce on a crusty roll instead of, as the menu describes it, “sliced meatballs, fresh mushrooms and Danish cheese baked on a poor boy roll. Served with a cup of meat sauce.” So, I spooned sauce on my meatball and enjoyed.
In a few months, Sparta’s will celebrate 30 years of making and serving its pizza and pastas, and the food is the reason.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.
Contact Anna Poole at features@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
