Mothers & Sons Trattoria

We enjoyed our meal. We shared the burrata and Buffalo mozzarella. Both were incredible. I had a seasonal pasta of pesto made with ramps and he had bucatini. We shared a gianduja budino for desert, which neither of us had heard of, but we both really enjoyed. The tables were pretty close together and I don't think a wheelchair would fit through. When I went to the restroom,I thought it might be gender neutral because I didn't see a sign, but it was multi stall, so it had to be? When I left I saw a picture of a woman next to the door. Was that supposed to count as a sign? It just looked like a picture on the wall.

We had a 15+ minute wait with a reservation, come to find out it’s due to the extremely slow kitchen and service . 30+ minute wait between each course in a 3 course menu . Food was bland or super salty. Dining experience took 3 hours . Don’t bother with another RDU Italian restaurant caught in the hype. $300 for cold bread and an empty stomach.

Good food that’s a little heavy on the salt. Our table of three shared pasta dishes, the arancini as well as Cannoli. Most pasta dishes seemed authentic

Visited Mother's upon recommendation and I was not disappointed! First time enjoying a real ragu. Delicious! Akeem is a fantastic server and bartender.

My experience at Mothers & Sons was incredibly disappointing. The evening started poorly when I was greeted by the host, who didn't make eye contact and asked, "What can I do for you?". I responded with a confused, "dinner?" Ashlyn mentioned there was an hour wait for a table, so I decided to sit at the bar. The bartender, Akeem, also provided poor service. I chose this restaurant specifically because they serve Chianti, and the owner was in the kitchen this evening. However, the service was frustratingly inattentive. Akeem repeatedly overlooked me. I had to get his attention to order my meal and again to get a glass of water. This lack of basic hospitality was surprising and, frankly, offensive. The experience felt alienating and was one of the worst I've had both domestically and internationally. I believe this is the first time in my life I have not added a gratuity. -Ciao🌺

I’ve lived in the Triangle since September 2018, and I’ve probably sent more people to this spot than I can count. The service has always been amazing (still is), and for a long time, the food matched it—consistently great, even kind of special. I went back a few days ago and, while the vibe and service were just as good as ever, the food… kind of missed the mark. I ordered the bruschetta with burrata to start, and it honestly looked like someone just dropped a ball of burrata on a plate, tossed on some whole cherry tomatoes alongside very meh grilled bread and called it a day. I’m Italian, so I love those simple flavors—but this felt lazy. Bruschetta shouldn’t be something that makes you think, “I could’ve just made this at home with far better results and saved myself some money.” Historically, the tagliatelle has been my gold standard here. This time, I opted to try the cavatelli. While the seasoning was there, the overall dish was a miss. And spending $120 for food that was underwhelming made it feel like a real misstep—especially from a place I used to rave about. And I really hate to even bring this up, as someone who’s worked in hospitality and knows how tough the job is—but the food runner had extremely strong body odor. It was hard to ignore, and we found ourselves holding our breath when they approached the table. It made the entire dining experience feel even more uncomfortable. It makes me sad to say it, but I don’t think I’ll be back anytime soon.

What can I really say. This is one of our go-to’s and I’m actually regretful I haven’t submitted a review until now. Please take your family here. Share your meal together. Laugh and have some wine or a cocktail. The atmosphere, the staff, and the food are some of the best Italian around. I don’t say this lightly; their porterhouse steak is the BEST steak I’ve ever gotten from a restaurant in this area. That is saying something. Stop looking at the price. Share it with your family and enjoy. It’s worth the price because they buy good cuts and they season and cook to perfection. Thank you M&S for your years of amazing experiences. Don’t stop what you’re doing and make sure you keep your charm. Never give in to lowering quality to keep prices low. It would only take away from the amazing attention to detail and flavors. Thank you.

Very nice restaurant. The vegetarian lasagna is incredible. The street parking can be a little tight at peak times.

Food AND service were amazing! The house made pasta is always a fav. One of my favorite restaurants in Durham!

I have been back twice this summer and both times have been fabulous. Had the same waiter both times and he is excellent on recommendations. First time, had the roasted beet salad, bucatini, and lasagna. Would eat the salad everyday. Second time, had two bruschettas: the tomato conserva and the seafood one. Love the spice in the conserva. Decided to split the chicken, bucatini, the special ravioli, and seafood pasta ( recommended by our waiter). Everything was delicious, would eat the ravioli and seafood pasta again.

Mothers & Sons Trattoria is an OK Italian restaurant in downtown Durham. If you want great Italian in the Chapel Hill-Durham area, I suggest Tesoro in Carrboro (our favorite) followed by Osteria Georgi and 411 West Italian Cafe in Chapel Hill. In Durham, I think Cucciolo Osteria is better. Where Mothers and Sons has Tesoro beat is in space and ambiance -- it's bigger and more comfortable, and it's easier to get a reservation. I don't mean to put Mothers & Sons down. This is a neat spot and service is great too. It's just the food could be better. Mothers & Sons opened in June 2016 and is from the same folks behind Mateo Bar de Tapas next door (opened August 2012). As I wrote in my review for Mateo, both restaurants provide a fun, "elevated casual" night out. If I had to pick between the two, I'd go with Mateo. The food there is better. Mothers & Sons doesn't have dedicated parking. For this visit, we parked behind the restaurant in one of our go-to lots: 111 W Chapel Hill St. At the time, parking in this lot cost $2.25 per hour, Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm. We visited Mothers & Sons after 7, so our parking was free. This restaurant is popular. Book reservations in advance using OpenTable. Mothers & Sons awards dining points, which is a plus since not all OpenTable restaurants do. We had an 8:00pm reservation for three on a Thursday. When we showed up, the place was very busy. Almost every table was taken. Floor to ceiling, the restaurant has a simple, yet beautiful, design. This is a modern Italian restaurant with a rustic elegance to it. You can have a romantic candlelight dinner here. During our visit, the food menu was fairly streamlined - with various pastas and Italian entrees (secondi) - and the wine list was long. The drink menu had creative cocktails and several different types of vermouth and other aperitifs. Here's what we ordered: Vermut and Cocktails * Naturale Orange ($10) - rosato/arancia vermut; Ragusa, Sicilia, IT * Gold Sounds ($15) - turmeric-infused Lunazul tequila, Luxardo Bitter Bianco, ginger, lemon, black lava salt * Rabbit Heart ($14) - 1000 Piers Gin, Carpano Antica vermouth, Carpano Dry vermouth, housemade beet shrub, Scarborough bitters Specials * Artichoke Salad ($16) * Burrata ($18) * Squash ($15) Antipasti * Fritto Misto ($17) - surf clams, squid, smelts, shrimp, lemon, zucchini Primi * Linguini alla Puttanesca x2 ($17 each) * Cavatelli Pugliesi ($15) - fennel sausage, rapini, chiles, Pecorino Dessert * Gianduja Budino ($11) - hazelnut butter, dark chocolate, vanilla creme anglaise, hazelnut crumble * Tiramisu x2 ($13 each) - ladyfingers, espresso, mascarpone, cocoa The Naturale Orange vermouth was excellent. It was more sweet than bitter with a strong and pleasant hint of orange. Mothers & Sons serves their vermouths with club soda and citrus. The Gold Sounds - their take on a margarita - was also excellent. It was tasty and tangy. The black lava salt on the rim and side of the glass was a unique touch. Food-wise, we ended up going with three of the specials. The Artichoke Salad was our least favorite dish. It was too vinegary and needed more salt. The three of us arrived hungry and "struggled" to finish this one (extra odd because my wife and I love salads and vegetables). The Burrata was fine. We order burrata often when we go to Italian restaurants. This burrata was nothing special, but not bad either. The Squash was also just OK. It was baked and served in an iron skillet with a tomato sauce (like a marinara sauce) with cheese. It was kind of like baked meatballs or baked spaghetti. Again, not bad, but not memorable. The Fritto Misto was good and I recommend it. I knew I had to order it after seeing pictures of it on Yelp. Hard to go wrong with fried seafood. This seafood was lightly battered and fried in olive oil. For a plate of fried food, it wasn't heavy at all, which I liked. My only gripe is I think the portion size could have been bigger (and I don't complain about portion sizes that much). In general, the pastas were too salty. The Linguini alla Puttanesca was the most flavorful dish that we had, but the noodle-to-sauce ratio was off. Too much sauce, not enough noodles. The Cavatelli Pugliesi was yummy, but watery. The Gianduja Budino (chocolate budino) was terrific. It was delicious. Very rich and smooth. Also, you have to try the Tiramisu here. Sylvan was our server and she was wonderful.

The food was unique and delicious, though I was not as impressed with the seating/ambiance and service. The seating is mostly an open room jammed with lots of tables close to one another. I will say, the food was excellent and the tiramisu was the best I have ever had.

Just amazing! This place needs more stars. The pasta is homemade, and Frito misto or mixed fried seafood reminded me of Italy! I had the Cacio de Pepe which was cheesy and decadent. Sure, it was on the saltier side but was delicious. I wish I came here sooner! The waiter was pleasant and friendly. The ambiance was moody and romantic.

Been wanting to try Mothers and Sons for a while but was ultimately a bit disappointed. First, I want to call out my waitress, Sarah G. I told her I was on a bit of a time crunch and she was very quick taking my order and bringing me the check. Things that could have been better: It was just me dining and the host was a bit awkward. I could see many open two top tables and he kept looking around the restaurant trying to figure out where to seat me. Maybe the tables were reserved, not sure. He then asked "You want a table, right?". I said I could eat at the bar if necessary, but it was full of people already and the host said he didn't know when those people would go sit at their table. Eventually, I was seated at one of the open two top tables. I ordered the cacio e pepe entree and it was sooooo salty. The pasta was also a bit undercooked. There was lots of cheese on the meal which likely contributed to the saltiness, but to me it tasted like there was too much added salt to the dish. I got the tiramisu for dessert and the cocoa layer on top was too thick. It kind of coated the roof of my mouth with each bite. The wine by the glass options are pretty pricy, with the lowest being $14. I ordered the sangiovese, and it was more than both the cacio e pepe and tiramisu. Nice ambiance for the restaurant, but I can't say I will rush to return.

We've eaten here twice in the past week. We enjoyed both meals. I definitely recommend making a reservation. The service was prompt and good. The restaurant has a great ambiance. Food was excellent. We tried the arancini, the beet salad, and the bruschetta for apps. All were excellent. The eggplant parm is quite a large dish, so an excellent choice if you're hungry. Tuna was excellent as well.

I had a nice time but I think it could be even better! I really loved the food. There was so much flavor. I even loved the free bread they serve (and that's rare). It was warm and dense and crumby, which I love. I'd buy that bread. I also loved the frito misto. So flavorful and so fresh. However, I thought the food portions could be bigger. Even the pasta dishes were not that big. I love big portions! And I didn't find them here. The ambiance is fine, but I think it would be a little better. I was a little confused about the design of the entrance (why is there a fake balcony thing that no one is using?). But I love the hard wood floors. I thought they had really good (and fast!) service, but it wasn't super memorable for me.

The pizza is phenomenal, the cocktails are amazing, the service is superb, and the atmosphere is lively and fun.

Atmosphere: Mothers and Sons has a dark, romantic interior. We'd encourage making a reservation for dinner, as the space can fill up quickly. Service: Our server was friendly and happy to provide us with menu recommendations. Our food also came out quickly. Food: We started off our meal with the Arancini, which had a nice crisp on the outside. For our main dish, we ordered the Cavatelli Pugliesi, made with fennel sausage, rapini, chiles, and pecorino. The texture of the pasta was great, but it was difficult to appreciate the flavors of the dish because it was so overpowered by saltiness. Overall: Mothers and Sons is a Durham favorite, but we unfortunately were not impressed with our meal there. Though seemingly a great spot for a nice date, given the price and quality of our meal, we would likely head elsewhere for an Italian meal.

The food was great! Really enjoyed meeting in a group setting. The service was great.

I came in a party of 7 people for a birthday dinner on a weekend evening. Good thing we had a reservation, because it was pretty crowded when we arrived. We ordered two of the Crispy smoked octopus, arborio rice & summer squash, mustart green salsa vere to share and I got the Tagliatelle al ragu. My other friends ordered the Paccheri cacio e pepe and Squid ink tonnarelli which I got to sample. The crispy octopus was delicious. The tagliatelle was a bit dry, but had a lot of meat. I really liked the squid ink tonnarelli - the pasta was firm and the portion was very small, but the sauce tasted really good. The cacio e Pepe was good, but a bit saltier than I anticipated. The portions were very small, so one dish will probably not be enough for one person. If I were to get one dish, it would definitely be the squid ink tonnarelli. Our waitress was very attentive and very helpful with giving recommendations! Overall, we had a great time and will return next time we're in the area!

Amazing service!! Had a large group and they bent over backwards to seat us all! Food was great as always

Food: 4/5 Overall amazing and delicious food! We ordered the 3 different bread and cheese / antipasto combinations. I only had the one with ricotta and some spicy red sauce. The others went over well. Additionally we had the squid ink pasta, cacio e pepe, gnocci (both dishes). The cacio e pepe was my personal favorite. I do think with all of the dishes the pasta seemed a littler tough. The gnocci with cheese also a bit burned on top and tougher to eat. Overall the food was really good, I think homemade pasta has a bit of a different take than regular, so just don't expect it to be the same. Atmosphere: 4/5 Great spot!! Hard to get a table, especially with larger groups, so make sure to book in advance!!

Delicious home made pasta and creative drinks. This was a great find. Service was friendly and ambiance was warm and inviting.

Food and service were both amazing! Great cocktails and atmosphere too. We went for a work event and they were so hospitable

A piece of Italy, right in Durham! The food, the ambience the staff the entire environment will give you an Italian experience like none other. Friendly staff great food selection nice wine list, everything was just overall fantastic. Highly recommend! Bellissimo!

We loved Mothers and Sons restaurant experience! It's rare to find really good Italian cuisine in the Triangle and the interior decorating really fit the vibe. Of all the starters we tried, the tomato conserva bruschetta and arancini were our favorites. The eggplant parmigiana was also very tasty. The chocolate budino was one of the best desserts I've had in a long time! Thank you for the excellent wine choices and a great way to spend an evening out!

Pasta was delicious. I can't remember the name of it now, but it's the one with squid ink. Some of the best pasta I've had! We sat at the bar, which was a fun experience for us as the bartender and servers there were very interactive and fun. Their mocktail was really good as well. Loved that they had all their serveware in a giant armoire type piece as it gave a very home kitchen feel. Make sure to make reservations ahead of time cause they book out quickly! It's not one where you can just pop in easily

My first visit here was phenomenal in so many ways. We made an early reservation before seeing a show at DPAC, and our server was prompt, friendly and perceptive of our timing needs. We sat in the deli side of things and really enjoyed the cool atmosphere. The MUSIC was also wonderful -- a lot of places don't pay much attention to what's coming out of their speakers, but you can tell M&S was intentional about it. Our table of 4 opted to share a couple apps and pastas -- each one with a very focused flavor profile. A couple simple, quality ingredients and fresh-daily pasta...the true Italian way, and you can taste the difference. Nduja and giardiniera are some of my very favorite ingredients, so I loved having those together on fresh, warm bread. Cheesy arancini and hearty bucatini were also highlights. Can't wait to come try the porchetta next time!

Exceptional in every way! Atmosphere of an old trattoria, incredible service, and amazing food. Fresh, authentic Italian. Alicia described each item on the menu to us as everything was unique. I imagine if you grew up in an Italian household many of their offerings would be familiar to you, but to those of us accustomed to Americanized Italian cuisine, this was new territory. Alicia was very helpful in helping us navigate the menu. She inquired if we had plans following dinner, perhaps the show at the DPAC, to which we replied we did. Alicia said she would keep track of our food and the time so we had plenty of time for the short walk to the performing arts center. As I said, incredible service. There was one special tonight which we gave a try. The pasta is made fresh daily as are the sauces. I highly recommend sharing and tasting several offerings a La tapas-style. There are so many incredible flavors. Given the quality of the ingredients and careful preparation, I thought the prices were very reasonable. The very best in casual Italian dining. Well deserved Five Stars

Amazing people (staff) great authentic italian you deserve as a guest and treated so. Many options for you and family. Great visit, a must try!

Pasta was excellent, rest of the food was good depending upon what was ordered. For appetizers my wife and I had the bruschetta burrata & grilled corn, marinated mixed olives, and Roasted Beets. The bruschetta was good, toasted bread and garnish great, however, the beets were not evident in the salad and the olives were "meh." We were not disappointed by the pasta, bucatini al 'Amatriciana' and tagliatelle al ragu, both were excellent. We also had the rosemary hearth roasted new potatoes, about half of which were burnt. When we mentioned to one of the staff (not our server) that the potatoes were burnt and that there may be a quality control issue, her response was, "Yeah, the fire is really hot and sometimes the potatoes get crispy." Half of them were charcoal black on at least one side. Credit to our server who was excellent and took the burnt potatoes off the check and who was tasked with serving too many tables and helping at the wine/coffee bar to provide excellent service. I rated the service good and not excellent (though I thought our server was great under the work conditions) because they were clearly under staffed in the wait staff.

Cute place. Food was good. Service was little slow. Porchetta portion is very large. Definitely enough to share. Squid ink pasta was delicious. Crispy octopus appetizer was also delicious.

Great food and service! They were very accommodating and the food was fantastic. We had a big group and they handled it well!

Overall pretty good food and great ambiance. Looks we're a little deceiving when it came to desert

My husband and I came for our anniversary dinner and it was a nice spot for a Saturday evening. We made a reservation and didn't wait for a table. The best thing was by far the bruschetta! I wasn't blown away by the cavatelli pugilese, but it was still decent. The squid ink tonnatelli was an amazing flavor! I would recommend this spot for a quiet dinner out.

Mother's and Son's was a pleasant surprise. My fellow Yelpers and a quick food search brought me here. The place makes you feel like you're in someone's home having a wonderful Italian dinner. It's a cute date night idea tucked into her downtown Durham area. Pasta was fresh, service friendly and attentive. We were so hungry that we didn't get to take pics...but go check it out.

Great vibe. Well prepared and presented dishes. Excellent quality and creative selections. Good wine list and excellent service. Definitely will return.

Heard great things about this place and surprisingly was able to get a table for dinner without a reservation on a weekend! Dishes are meant to be shared and we were able to get some specials for the night! -Cauliflower fritters, covered in a nice golden batter with a nice mayonnaise/wasabi/egg yolk-y sauce. -Squid ink tonnarelli, with little pieces of squid or octopus and smothered with a tomato/shallot/onion based sauce. The sauce was well seasoned and pasta was al dente; just wish they gave us a little more seafood. -Pork chop with honey citrus glaze, loved the sweet and savory combo! The pork chop unfortunately was a little undercooked for me (still slightly pink) but tender and had a crispy sugar coat on top. Also enjoyed the accompanying sauteed veggies. -Focaccia bread - was also pretty solid: chunky but still air-y!! I've heard they have a smaller kitchen and indeed the food unfortunately took a while to come. The wait time between dishes were also a little longer than expected; felt bad for the people waiting for a table. Our server was nevertheless very nice and gave us extra bread in between. Overall I thought the dining experience was good (except for the wait times) but I had wished I ordered other things on the menu so I guess I'll have to come back!

tl;dr- enjoyed the pasta dishes, but the meat dishes left much to be desired Atmosphere/Location- 4/5 located in downtown Durham, parking might be a little difficult. However knowing this, our party of 8 took Ubers. Inside the restaurant is beautifully decorated with dim lighting, and the restrooms are very clean. Food- overall 4/5 Our party tried and shared many dishes, including the squid ink pasta, cacio e pepe, rigatoni alla norma, porchetta (pork), hearth-roasted chicken, and catch of the day (swordfish). squid ink pasta- 5/5 very unique taste. Black dyed, thick, homemade pasta noodles. Great al dente texture and unique taste (slightly bitter). Would recommend trying! cacio e pepe- 4/5 decent dish, nothing notably special but has solid flavor. rigatoni alla norma- 5/5 delicious perfectly cooked pasta with lighter meat sauce, very yummy and tasty flavors. porchetta (pork)- 2/5 seasoning was quite good, but tasted and felt very dry hearth-roasted chicken- 2/5 same as the porchetta, but less seasoned swordfish- 3/5 not the most delicious fish, but swordfish does tend to have a 'firmer' taste. Service- 3/5- it was almost a full house and we did order a large variety of food, but the wait time for it all to come out was almost an hour.. even just for the pastas. Will cut some slack as it seems like a small(ish) restaurant. All in all, I would definitely go try their homemade pastas (all delicious!), but the meats were not as good as they sounded and looked...

Make your reservation RIGHT now!! This place is my favorite restaurant when I visit the area! We had dinner there 5/10 and tried 2-3 options from each section of the menu AND from the specials that were offered that evening. The three of us have our personal favorites but we 100% agree that NOTHING was a disappointment. Every single bite of food was a happy delicious experience. Our host was knowledgeable, friendly, and excited about the food and drinks she recommended and provided us with perfect service. All of the staff appear to be exceptional. If you're looking for an upscale meal with a relaxed atmosphere this is the place. We love it!

So amazing!!! All the food was delicious, ambiance was fun and Amaro flight was a unique ending to a pre- show meal. We will be back.

I haven't been to mothers and sons in 7 years, and was interested in whether they have changed much. Food I think has improved. Last time I was here it was average, but now is above average. Burrata bruschetta was great, as was the beet salad and octopus (tiny dish, mostly a bunch of potatoes). Porchetta was huge and decadent, but mostly fat. Tagliatelle, tonarelli, and gnocchi were pretty good but very small in quantity. Our waitress was nice, but barely checked in on us. There seemed to be tons of wait staff and assistants and managers, but most everyone was standing around doing nothing. I think the kitchen was working really slow, maybe understaffed, but everyone in the restaurant was visibly getting annoyed at how long food was taking to prepare. No one checking in to see if we needed more drinks, no refilling water, no apologies, during the 60 minute wait after placing order. Management must have been absentee that day because it certainly wasn't due to understaffing. Sad.

Delicious food and excellent service. Went here for my birthday recently, and it was a great pick. Wine was tasty, arancini was amazing, focaccia for the table was excellent, and the three pastas we ordered were perfect. Really enjoyed being able to split dishes. We left stuffed and with leftovers. Will be back to celebrate.

Last night we decided to go to Mothers and Sons and it was great! They accommodated our last minute reservations and the place was packed! I had the Gnocchi and my son had the Cavatelli Pugliesi. Both were very good and very fresh! I enjoyed the bread service so much that I didn't have room for dessert but we will be back!

Mothers and Sons has been on my list of restaurants to try for a while since I've always heard good things. I arrived with my friends around 7:45pm on Saturday night. We didn't have a reservation and we were put on the wait list. I think we waited around 10-15 minutes which wasn't bad at all. We decided to order a few apps, pastas, entrees, and sides to share between 4 people. Our experience started off great as all the apps were delicious. We ordered the Fritto misto, Arancini and Fried cauliflower (a special). The arancini was definitely my favorite. They were out of the cocktail that I wanted - Time after Thyme so I went with Semi-Charmed. It was pretty good. After the apps, we got to the pasta dishes and they were just okay to me. We ordered the Paccheri cacio e pepe, Squid ink tonnarelle, and Tagliatelle al ragu. I liked that all the pasta was fresh and handmade, but I felt that it was on the undercooked side (not al dente) and could have been cooked for maybe a minute or 2 longer. The flavor of the cacio e pepe was perfect but I feel like that's a dish that's very hard to mess up because of how simple it is. I really enjoyed the paccheri pasta shape. The squid ink pasta and ragu were both pretty salty. I did see other reviews that stated the same thing so I wasn't exactly surprised. I am surprised that the chef hasn't read the reviews and adjusted the salt level of the dishes. We waited a very long time in between our pasta dishes and the entrees. While we were waiting on the entrees, we asked the waiter if we could go ahead and put in a dessert order so that it could come out right after the entrees but were told that the dessert usually comes out pretty quick. For entrees, we got the Grilled swordfish and a mushroom dish (a special). They were both salty and nothing special. The sides we ordered were roasted potatoes and broccolini. The potatoes were great and perfectly roasted. The broccolini was salty and pretty oily/greasy. When we finished the entrees and placed our dessert order for the chocolate budino and tiramisu, the waiter told us they had just run out of the chocolate budino. So in hindsight, we should have just put in our dessert order earlier.

It's been 4 years since i was last at Mothers & Sons and I am pleased to report that the food is still as good as it was on my previous trip. Nice italian bistro vibe to the restaurant and attentive server staff make this a must visit when in downtown Durham. The roasted octopus was truly the star of the dinner; served over a plentiful spread of Arborio rice it was accompanied by not overcooked summer squash (a frequent issue in other establishments) and lightly accompanied with a mustard base green salsa verde. Yummmy! We split the eggplant parmagiano, which was very good; not the fried or crispy mess we've had at some other places. The red sauce is the best; delicate and robust in flavor, not sweet or sour, just the right balance. We will be back the next time we are this way!

Reservations at Mothers and Sons can be tough to come by, but my boyfriend and I secured a table for Valentine's Day dinner. I'd been excited to try this for a while and see how it stacked up to Cucciolo Osteria down the road. For appetizers, we tried the kale salad, bruschetta and arancini. The arancini was the highlight: perfectly crispy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside- think a mozzarella stick on steroids. As a main course, we ordered the ragú and the vodka rigatoni. The ingredients were clearly high quality- and the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente- but both of us agreed it just didn't have that wow factor. It was good, but not something we'd go out of our way to get again. Service was fantastic. Our waiter really knew the menu back and forth and was able to offer plenty of recommendations. However, if an Italian craving were to strike again, I'd go for Cucciolo.

After having been to Italy, the thought of homemade pasta was very appealing. The pasta itself was very good, the sauces used in the dishes we ordered were over powering. The garlic in one dish completely took over the flavor of anything else on the plate. Staff were friendly and the restaurant was nice.

Came to try the restaurant week menu. All my food had both great flavor and texture. I tried their new dish Fusili alla gracia and the pork flavor was fantastic, highly recommend. My friend's cacio e pepe was a bit undercooked (pasta was a little chewy) but flavor was good. We both loved the Arancini! We also liked how they made their restaurant week menu two main courses (one pasta and one meat/fish dish) rather than dessert. It was a lot of food :) It took a while to get our table ready even though we had a reservation. However after getting seated the service was very good; our server was attentive & patient and took time to introduce the menu. Will definitely come again and try more items on the menu!

Mothers and Sons. Simply put it's a fantastic restaurant for the price point. If you don't want to spend a ton, you can walk out spending $50 or less, but I recommend following the traditional Italian dinner model, and ordering multiple courses. We started with fritto misto and burrata which were incredible starters. The burrata was a seasonal item, so if it's on the menu I definitely recommend it. We split the porcheta which was huge. But it was super tender, and the skin was very crunchy. We ended with the panna cotta. Definitely recommend getting a dessert to change the taste of your mouth. They also have an extensive wine menu, and recommend getting a glass. All in all, a wonderful dining experience.

A great Italian restaurant in downtown Durham. Proper sized plates that will allow you to try a few items on the menu without feeling wasting food or concerned about over indulgence. LOL. The pasta dishes were all very good. I had not tried its meat items so cannot comment. The dinning can get noisy so for a large group that wants to carry a conversation, people have to raise their voices quite a bit.

We ended up here to treat our New Yorker friends and they were not so impressed. I think the service is really pulling this place down. Our food was served cold and the server was changed twice. The one who got us started was definitely grumpy for some reason and he just vanished. When we got a bit frustrated with the delays, a supervisor-ish guy took charge of our table and finally we got our food. The drinks were overpriced but delicious; but the cold food really spoilt the evening. $300+ for drinks and food for 6 people in Durham would've been so worth it if the food was served hot and with a smile. The portion sizes are not huge and we were left hungry; we didn't order more food because it'd have come out cold too. The place has potential but the service would disappoint you; make a wise choice, lots of other great places in downtown.

This was recommended to me by the bartender at my hotel. It was sooo good. I had the octopus, Cacio e pepe and the gianduja. Way too much for one person, but if I die tonight, I die happy.

Service was below average and the food wasn't very impressive. Our waiter barely checked on us and never offered my guest and I any complimentary bread and oil for the table. We watched as other tables received the gesture and couldn't help but wonder why it wasn't extended to us...

Incredible fresh made al dente pasta. Excellent service. Very pretty restaurant with gorgeous bar. Seems like a great place for a fancy dinner or date!

I'm going to start off and say this by far has been the best meal I've had in a long time. We found Mothers and Sons Trattoria from a Tiktok highlighting awesome restaurants in the Durham area. We didn't have a reservation and the wait was about 45 minutes. It was Restaurant week and they were running a special for $35. We were able to spend that time at the bar. I asked for recommendations from the bartender and he didn't disappoint. I was looking at the Five Points and Melissa Means Honeybee. Based off the recommendation I got the Five Points. My friends got the Chicks 'N Hens and the Forsythia. Everyone enjoyed their drink. Once seated we reviewed the menu and decided to skip the restaurant special but to order 3 pastas to share. We started with the Arancini for the table. We then ordered the Tagliatelle al Ragu, Paccheri Cacio de Pepe and the Bucatini al Amatricia. While each pasta was amazing for some reason I was in love with the Paccheri Cacio de Pepe. It was such a simple dish with so much flavor. The Tagliatelle al Ragu was a strong second. I was so stuffed I hate that o could order dessert. I will have to return for dessert and to indulge in these delicious pasta dishes. Mothers and Sons Trattoria 107 W Chapell Hill St, Durham NC 27701 Saturday June 12, 2021 8pm (Review 533 overall, 77 in 2021)

I've heard so much hype about mothers and sons and I finally had the chance to go! The food was delicious and I will certainly be back again soon!