251 Route 73 S | Marlton, NJ 08053 | (856) 983 - 9444
"We are the Marlton Spaghetti House and are not affiliated with any other Spaghetti House Restaraunt"
Destiny appears to have taken a strong hand in the success of Marlton, New Jersey’s “Spaghetti House” and in the lives of the husband and wife
team who own operate the popular Italian restaurant. For 20 years, Masi (Tom) and Caterina (Nina) Saraceno provide a steady stream of
customers with Italian dining from their former location on Route 70 in Marlton. With the opening of their new Spaghetti House on Route 73 in the
Marlton Crossing Shopping Center, less than a mile from their previous location, they are delighted to be able to continue to cater to the loyal
customers who have enjoyed dining at Spaghetti House through the years. Tom has his own philosophy in the kitchen. He strives continually to
bring the dishes closer and closer to the original, authentic, Southern Italian cuisine he grew up with, while keeping a simplicity about the cooking.
To quote him , “Simplicity is Beauty”.
Born in Cortale, a small village outside the city of Catanzaro in Calabria, Italy, Tom first came to the United States with his mother and father when he was 9 - 1/2 years old. When he was in his early 20’s he returned to Cortale, where he fell in love with Nina, who being a young girl, was very protected by traditional, Italian family dictates, requiring they be chaperoned at all times. The two were kept at a distance always. The village possessed five natural spring fountains. The water from the fountains ran through spouts built into the stone work of the buildings to which the girls of the village brought water jugs for collection. Not to be daunted, the young males of the village realized in this opportunity to talk with the girls, unchaperoned, which afforded Tom and Nina’s attraction to each other the occasion to blossom. Tom, himself, compares their love story to Romeo and Juliet. They eventually married, producing two daughters, and have stood side-by-side operating and maintaining Spaghetti House. As a tribute to their meeting where the water was collected, a striking photograph hangs in the restaurant dining room of the very spot where their courtship took place. The charm of the photo is that the two girls, dressed in authentic garb and seen gathering water are Tom and Nina’s daughters, Michelle and Desiree.
Twenty years after their marriage, when their eldest daughter, Michelle was 19, Tom and Nina took Michelle to visit the village of Cortale where they had fallen in love. There, Michelle met 22-year old, Dominico Siniscalco. The attraction between the two was no less strong than that of her parents’ for each other, only Tom was the protective father, quickly bringing Michelle back to America with him. Michelle and Dominico had to wait a full year before seeing each other again, but in 1996, Dominico came to America, and eventually, Michelle and he were married with Tom and Nina’s blessing. Having learned restaurant cooking in Italy, Dominico went to work at Spaghetti House, where he learned much from Tom, as well, and now is an accomplished chef. He says he “dreamed to be a chef”, but his Mother discouraged it. His desire, prevailed, and Dominico now is Executive Chef at the new Spaghetti House location in Marlton.
The road to acquiring the new restaurant site has been somewhat of a challenge. After 20 years of operating a successful restaurant at the Route 70/ Route 73 shopping center, the Saracenos were faced with the landlord refusing to renew the lease for Spaghetti House due to further construction plans. Tom and Nina did not want to lose their bond with their loyal customers, and relentlessly searched for a spot within the vicinity. Though many other locations presented themselves, they persisted until they found the new site in the Marlton Crossing Shopping Center. Tom and Nina waited with anticipation as the last inspection for the new restaurant (the Board of Heath inspection) was passed on June 20, 2000. The number 20 seems to be a recurring theme in their lives. That evening in the new store, little Desiree noticed a pile of debris left by the previous tenant and picked up a framed one-dollar bill and showed her Dad. Handwritten on the bill in red ink was the date 6/20/79 - 20 years ago, to the day, that someone realized their dream and commemorated it with the first dollar earned.
Now open for business, Spaghetti House at Marlton Crossing has a seating capacity of 80. White linen table clothes with teal - colored napkins accent padded, teal booths that line the walls. Limestone-faced pizza station and brick/bread over combine with terra cotta tiled floors for a comfortable feel to the dining room. Family photo and paintings from Italy decorate one wall, while another mirrored wall compliments the decor. Of particular note is the newly-renovated, state-of-the-art kitchen, the design of which allows for kitchen entrances to be set well apart from dining areas. Sample fare includes Pasta Spaghetti House Style, Masi’s Lasagna, Baked Cannelloni (made with roast beef, chicken, and pork), Penne Vodka, Caterina’s Hand-Spun Fusilli with Special Pomodoro Sauce, an enormous Seafood Combo, Pescatore, and Veal Dominico to name a few.
All major credit cards are accepted at the Spaghetti House, and ample lot parking is available. The restaurant is entirely non-smoking and does not have a liquor license, however patrons are welcome to bring their own spirits.
Born in Cortale, a small village outside the city of Catanzaro in Calabria, Italy, Tom first came to the United States with his mother and father when he was 9 - 1/2 years old. When he was in his early 20’s he returned to Cortale, where he fell in love with Nina, who being a young girl, was very protected by traditional, Italian family dictates, requiring they be chaperoned at all times. The two were kept at a distance always. The village possessed five natural spring fountains. The water from the fountains ran through spouts built into the stone work of the buildings to which the girls of the village brought water jugs for collection. Not to be daunted, the young males of the village realized in this opportunity to talk with the girls, unchaperoned, which afforded Tom and Nina’s attraction to each other the occasion to blossom. Tom, himself, compares their love story to Romeo and Juliet. They eventually married, producing two daughters, and have stood side-by-side operating and maintaining Spaghetti House. As a tribute to their meeting where the water was collected, a striking photograph hangs in the restaurant dining room of the very spot where their courtship took place. The charm of the photo is that the two girls, dressed in authentic garb and seen gathering water are Tom and Nina’s daughters, Michelle and Desiree.
Twenty years after their marriage, when their eldest daughter, Michelle was 19, Tom and Nina took Michelle to visit the village of Cortale where they had fallen in love. There, Michelle met 22-year old, Dominico Siniscalco. The attraction between the two was no less strong than that of her parents’ for each other, only Tom was the protective father, quickly bringing Michelle back to America with him. Michelle and Dominico had to wait a full year before seeing each other again, but in 1996, Dominico came to America, and eventually, Michelle and he were married with Tom and Nina’s blessing. Having learned restaurant cooking in Italy, Dominico went to work at Spaghetti House, where he learned much from Tom, as well, and now is an accomplished chef. He says he “dreamed to be a chef”, but his Mother discouraged it. His desire, prevailed, and Dominico now is Executive Chef at the new Spaghetti House location in Marlton.
The road to acquiring the new restaurant site has been somewhat of a challenge. After 20 years of operating a successful restaurant at the Route 70/ Route 73 shopping center, the Saracenos were faced with the landlord refusing to renew the lease for Spaghetti House due to further construction plans. Tom and Nina did not want to lose their bond with their loyal customers, and relentlessly searched for a spot within the vicinity. Though many other locations presented themselves, they persisted until they found the new site in the Marlton Crossing Shopping Center. Tom and Nina waited with anticipation as the last inspection for the new restaurant (the Board of Heath inspection) was passed on June 20, 2000. The number 20 seems to be a recurring theme in their lives. That evening in the new store, little Desiree noticed a pile of debris left by the previous tenant and picked up a framed one-dollar bill and showed her Dad. Handwritten on the bill in red ink was the date 6/20/79 - 20 years ago, to the day, that someone realized their dream and commemorated it with the first dollar earned.
Now open for business, Spaghetti House at Marlton Crossing has a seating capacity of 80. White linen table clothes with teal - colored napkins accent padded, teal booths that line the walls. Limestone-faced pizza station and brick/bread over combine with terra cotta tiled floors for a comfortable feel to the dining room. Family photo and paintings from Italy decorate one wall, while another mirrored wall compliments the decor. Of particular note is the newly-renovated, state-of-the-art kitchen, the design of which allows for kitchen entrances to be set well apart from dining areas. Sample fare includes Pasta Spaghetti House Style, Masi’s Lasagna, Baked Cannelloni (made with roast beef, chicken, and pork), Penne Vodka, Caterina’s Hand-Spun Fusilli with Special Pomodoro Sauce, an enormous Seafood Combo, Pescatore, and Veal Dominico to name a few.
All major credit cards are accepted at the Spaghetti House, and ample lot parking is available. The restaurant is entirely non-smoking and does not have a liquor license, however patrons are welcome to bring their own spirits.