# What to Order at Cafe Spaghetti

_Published 2026-07-19 on DinnerElite (https://dinnerelite.com/blog/what-to-order-at-cafe-spaghetti)._

Cafe Spaghetti ([cafespaghetti.com](https://www.cafespaghetti.com/)) is Sal Lamboglia's ode to the classic neighborhood Italian restaurant in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, the kind of red-sauce room with handmade pasta and a Vespa parked in the backyard. It has become one of Brooklyn's harder Italian tables, which makes knowing what to order before you sit down worth the trouble. This guide covers the dishes worth your appetite, the ones to go easy on, and how to actually land a reservation. DinnerElite tracks [Cafe Spaghetti](/reservations/59220) and emails you the moment a table opens, so you can spend the wait planning the order rather than refreshing the app.

## What should you order at Cafe Spaghetti?

Start with the cacio e pepe riceballs, the fried arancini that [The Infatuation](https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/reviews/cafe-spaghetti) calls the best appetizer on the menu, crisp outside and gooey with cheese inside. For pasta, the spaghetti pomodoro is the signature move, a simple handmade-pasta-and-tomato dish that [The Infatuation](https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/reviews/cafe-spaghetti) describes as surprisingly rich and buttery, and the orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe is the heartier pick, the bitter greens cutting the sweet sausage. If you want a showpiece, Patrizia's eggplant parm is the menu's marquee plate, and the branzino is the lighter option, a tender filet under oregano and breadcrumbs served with a green-bean-and-potato salad. Save room for the tiramisu, which the chef's father makes. It is a menu built for sharing, so order across it.

## What should you go easy on at Cafe Spaghetti?

There is not much to avoid at a room this focused, but a little ordering strategy helps. The menu is built around the pastas and a handful of signature plates, so this is not the night to load up on appetizers before the spaghetti arrives. Portions run generous, and the pastas are the point, so a starter, a couple of pastas, and a shared dessert is usually the right shape for two. If you are torn between Patrizia's eggplant parm and a second pasta, the pasta is the more reliable pick unless the parm is exactly what you came for. And since the backyard is the real draw, a rushed weekday-lunch visit sells the room short, so save it for a night you can linger.

## How much does dinner at Cafe Spaghetti cost?

Expect classic-neighborhood-Italian pricing rather than special-occasion numbers. The pastas and plates sit in the range you would expect from a Carroll Gardens room, with the signature Patrizia's eggplant parm around $27, according to [The Infatuation](https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/reviews/cafe-spaghetti). A dinner for two with a shared appetizer, two pastas, and dessert lands in comfortable-neighborhood territory before drinks, which is part of why the room stays so popular and so hard to book. Treat the eggplant-parm figure as a reference point rather than a full estimate, since menus change.

## How do you actually get a table at Cafe Spaghetti?

Cafe Spaghetti takes reservations and recommends them, especially for dinner and especially for the backyard, though the room does hold some space for walk-ins. Tables go quickly once they open, which is where a cancellation alert earns its keep. DinnerElite watches [Cafe Spaghetti](/reservations/59220) around the clock and emails you the moment a table appears, whether from a fresh release or someone else's change of plans. We send alerts and never book automatically. The one exception is our Expert plan, where a human on our team books hard tables on your behalf. If Brooklyn Italian is your target, our guide to the [hardest Italian reservations in NYC](/blog/hardest-italian-restaurant-reservations-nyc) covers the rest of the field.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Cafe Spaghetti known for?

Handmade pasta and classic Italian-American cooking from chef Sal Lamboglia, served in a Carroll Gardens room with a much-loved backyard courtyard. The cacio e pepe riceballs, spaghetti pomodoro, and the family tiramisu are the signatures.

### What should you order at Cafe Spaghetti for the first time?

Start with the cacio e pepe riceballs, get the spaghetti pomodoro and the orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe to share, and finish with the tiramisu. Add Patrizia's eggplant parm if you want the marquee plate.

### Is Cafe Spaghetti hard to get into?

It is one of Brooklyn's more sought-after Italian tables, especially for the backyard in warm weather. Reservations go fast when they open, so a cancellation alert is often the most reliable way in.

### Does Cafe Spaghetti take walk-ins?

It holds some space for walk-in guests, though availability is limited and the backyard fills first. Arriving early on a weeknight is your best walk-in shot, otherwise a reservation or an alert is the surer plan.

### Does DinnerElite book the table for me?

No. We send alerts and you book the table yourself. The one exception is our Expert plan, where a human concierge books on your behalf.