The Grinders and Spaghetti House

Was passing through on business and saw they made their own bread. Thought it would be better than Jimmie Johns and gave it a shot. I love a good Italian Grinder and I love little mom and pop places. At the register I asked the lady which was their best sandwich and asked about the Gondola. «That’s our signature grinder, I would get it hot with mozzarella cheese.» That sounded good so I ordered it with chips and a drink to go.
What I got was a comical sad little sandwich. It was about 8″ in length. Mayo and mustard packets were in the bag not on the sandwich. All that was on the sandwich was one layer of ham and one layer of salami with some shredded lettuce. Clarifying «layer» … each piece was possibly ¹⁄₁₆^th of an inch thick. I would say there was less than 2 ounces of meat on an 8″ sandwich. Oh, and they forgot the mozzarella. So it should have been 4 ingredients and you forgot 1 of them. Oopsie but I was already 5 miles down the road too late to turn back. Bread was soft and tasty, but that was all I tasted because there was so little meat on it. No excuse for lack of things generally found on a sandwich (tomato, pickle, onions, olive oil, seasoning, etc). Chips were generic super cheapo.
Maybe the pasta is good, and they did seem very affordable to feed families with good to go deals. But if your namesake is «Grinders» and THAT was your signature sandwich, then you got issues in my opinion.

Here’s the deal — I’m not from the Quad Cities. But I’m here often, and I have family that live here. All of them love this place, and I never really understood why. A place that sells spaghetti and subs? Pretty common, right?
But wow… the portions! Very good food, tastes extremely fresh, and the portions are totally out of this world!

I’ve passed this place for over 20 years and never stopped. Last week went to the Bettendorf location drive thru and got a meatball sub. Really good. Nice sweet bread/​roll filled with large meatballs topped with tasty sauce and lots of melted cheese. Cant wait to try their pizza next. No more just driving by this place… Im a stopper now. Wish they were open on Sundays.

It was okay, but the experience was really weird. The cashiers kept answering phone orders instead of waiting on the people in line, so the wait on our food was considerably longer than a normal quick-​service restaurant. The music was really loud in one section of the seating area, so we switched tables to the other side. Right when we did this one of the workers came up and asked us to move because she was cleaning that area (which was half of the restaurant). I kind of understand her wanting to mop where we were, but it was a little unprofessional, after we had already moved once.
Food was decent. Not fancy by any means, but not your cheap Fazoli’s either. I love the garlic bread.

I was REALLY excited to eat here the other day. Seems like a similar place to Zio Johnos … a sub par pasta fast food restaurant, but with decent prices for pasta and a good family special to go. When we walked in, first of all … they use an old McDonalds building, which is pretty funny to walk into. You definitely feel like you’re in McDonalds, but with a slightly more homey feel.
I ordered the seafood ravioli, stuffed with crab and shrimp with alfredo sauce. Probably not the best choice to order a seafood dish at a fast food spaghetti house, but I decided to risk it. In the end, no good. Too bland and not a very good flavor. I was actually struggling to finish it, and you know ravioli dishes… they never come with a lot. My husband got some sort of special that had spaghetti and some type of sausage. His looked better, but when I had a taste, I was very underwhelmed. I think order a regular spaghetti with meatballs might have been safer than our two choices. And honestly, I’m willing to come back to try that or their family specials to go.
Anyway, fried (breaded) calamari saved the day. Ordered some of that. and surprisingly it was good. Not the best I’ve had and not very great, but definitely better than what I expected at a fast food type of place.

Stopped in for lunch on a whim. Such a good choice. Had a meatball sandwich, fries and drink for under $ 10 and it was amazing. Five golfball sized meatballs smothered in sauce and melted cheese on crispy bread. Wi-​Fi didn’t work, but that is forgivable.

Quick service is a plus. Italian beef sandwich was skimpy on the beef. I felt like i was eating a bread sandwich. Maybe other items on the menu are better but not the Italian Beef sandwich.

Lunch special is amazing! Kimberly location gets my business at least twice a month! Specifically love this location because they have Dr. Pepper! Delicious & affordable, I frequent often. Only complaint would be the styrofoam cups, not good for environment…

This place never disappoints. Had lasagna meal the first time. It was a huge portion and plenty left over for lunch or dinner the next The homemade Italian dressing is very flavorful. Highly recommended.
This time I got the manicotti meal. All the meals come with salad and bread. My husband got the spaghetti meal and son got fettucini with chicken. All meals were delicious.
I’m also happy to report there are beers on tap!
I’ll definitely be back. Good food and prompt service.

Finally I found great food in iowa. I cant believe I bought a piece of heaven aka meatball sandwich for 5.50. A very nice find and surprise bravo.

The italian beef needs more seasoning. My wife had a plate of Tortellini with plenty of sauce but it cost extra for bread? Lots of places give you a bowl of bread. I should have gave her part of my italian beef bun because it had more bread than beef. «Where’s the beef».

Wonderful good and quick service. I used to live three blocks from this restaurant and we would go once a week for the spaghetti. I love their bread too!

Great food and people. Big portions at a great price. We purchased the lasagna and Fettuccine Alfredo with garlic bread and both where fantastic.

Love this place! Good prices and Great pasta all around. Amazing bread as well! Cheesy Garlic and Cinnamon breads are good. Can’t beat the family feast.

I love this place. The prices are reasonable, and the food is great. I always get the spaghetti and garlic bread. The garlic bread is delicious, if a little TOO buttery (seriously, who ever complains about too much butter?). There is another Grinders on Locust St. in Davenport, but I prefer this one even if it means driving further. The sauce is better!
This location is housed in an old McDonald’s. They’ve painted it and added some of their own touches, but it’s still obvious that’s what it was. You’re NOT going to have the same experience here as you would at an Olive Garden or Biaggi’s, but for the price it can’t be beat.

This restaurant could be considered family style I guess. By and large the focus is on cheap mass quantities of «meat sauce» pasta offerings. Want some spaghetti? Buy the tub-​to-​go. Feed a family of four for only $ 16.00.
However, the pasta, be it spaghetti or beef ravioli is VERY tasty. This menu isn’t just for insatiable families full of kids, it is for anyone. Their bread is doughy and delicious as well, and the meatball sub is the best in the Quad-​Cities. Lunch specials can be had for under $ 4.00.
This particular location is one of a couple local places that used to be a McDonald’s fast food restaurant (the other being Creekside Bar and Grill). One could guess that it did used to be a McDonald’s, but Grinders did a good job of updating it to feel clean and comfortable. It is pleasant to dine there. You order at the counter and take a number to set at your table to guide your delicious pasta. They have bottled beers, as well as Bud Light, Miller Light, and Blue Moon on tap. The beer garden in front where the McPlayground used to be has nice patio tables and across Kimberly the nice greenery of Duck Creek golf course is visible.