Where to find spaghetti in Flagstaff

Celebrating the classic Italian dish: Spaghetti
By Angele Sionna

We’re in the midst of Italian-American heritage month. So what better time to talk spaghetti, one of the most popular dishes at Italian restaurants world-wide.
Lots of cultures (Italian, Chinese, Arab, and Greek) claim the invention of spaghetti- the pasta, dating back thousands of years. But the spaghetti dish as we know it today, complete with a tomato sauce, is much, much younger. Tomatoes are native to the Americas and they weren’t combined with pasta until modern times. According to InMamasKitchen.com the first recipe bringing together tomatoes and pasta was written in 1839 by Ippolito Cavalcanti, Duke of Buonvicino and the spaghetti dishes we love today came to America with the huge Italian immigration in the early 1900’s.
Here’s a look at where in Flagstaff, you can dine on the classic Italian entrée…

Pasto Cucina Italiana
19 E Aspen Ave
779-1937
menu at pastorestaurant.com
For fine Italian dining and spaghetti Pasto is your place. This romantic restaurant brings the love with its Spaghettini e Polpette (spaghetti and spicy meatballs)… the best in town. The spiciness in this sauce is more flavor than burn and is sure to please. It comes in two sizes. The large is a slim portion, so I wouldn’t opt for the small unless you’re ordering that for a child or its going to be just one of many courses for you that night. Pasto makes their own pasta as well as the meatballs and sauce, as you’d expect from a high end restaurant. They open at 5pm everyday (besides Sunday) for dinner only.

Dominic’s Italian Bistro
1850 N Fort Valley Rd
779-6400
menu at: flagstaffpizza.com
From the recipes of Great Grandma Lucia comes the bold, home-style taste of the spaghetti at Dominic’s. They give you a plentiful portion, just like grandma would too. Dominic’s menu says, “We’re not pretentious here– we proudly serve old fashioned one of a kind comfort foods at an affordable price” and that does seem to be what you get there. Dominic’s serves up this classic dish (with meatballs or chicken if you want as well) from 11am-2pm and 5-8pm Monday through Saturday.

Pesto Brothers
120 N. Leroux, suite 104 (in the Old Town Shops downtown)
Pestobrothers.com
774-3020
The family run Pesto Brothers has a homey feel and classic food. The walls are decorated with pictures of the owner’s kids and you get that same kind of touch in your meal. Pesto Brothers saves their spaghetti just for the dinner crowd. Order the Papa Tony’s (aka spaghetti with meatballs) from 5-9pm any night of the week.

Mamma Luisa Italian Restaurant
2710 N Steves Blvd (at Kachina Square)
526-6809
Mamma Luisa is a family run, cozy place serving Flagstaff for almost three decades. It may be tucked inside a strip mall but you’d never guess it from the quaint atmosphere inside. Spaghetti here comes served several ways, with tomato sauce, meatballs, meat sauce or mild Italian sausage. It comes with soup or a salad. You can order this dish at dinner only, which is served 4:30-9pm Monday-Thursday and 4:30-9:30pm Friday-Sunday.

Strombolli’s Italian Restaurant
1435 S. Milton
773-1960
Strombolli’s also serves up this classic dish. Here you can order spaghetti with tomato sauce, marinara, spicy Italian sausage, or meatballs. Strombolli’s says the tomato sauce has a pork base and the marinara is a vegetarian sauce with more of a spice to it. The spaghetti is served with soup or salad 11am to 9pm everyday.

Roma Pizza
1800 S Milton Rd
779-4425
menu at: romapizzaflag.com
Needing a spaghetti fix late night or any other time of the day, then Roma Pizza is your spot. This small little joint serves up spaghetti and meatballs with a house-made marinara sauce everyday from 11am to 10pm. It comes with breadsticks too.