Mothers & Sons

4.6

136 Reviews

$31 to $50

Italian

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 29, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 31 times today

Experiences are available.

Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions
Great for fine wines

Our lunch and dinner menus differ greatly. Please see the menu link below to see an example of our offerings.

Partners Matt Kelly and Josh “Skinny” DeCarolis are proud to offer Mothers & Sons, a trattoria in downtown Durham featuring regional Italian food with seasonal sensibility. DeCarolis introduces the first restaurant in the South to focus on fatta a mano —handmade pasta.
Mothers and Sons offers antipasti dishes such seasonal bruschettas or smoked octopus. Choose from primi dishes like the bucatini al amatriciana, squid ink tonnarelli or rigatoni alla norma and secondi dishes like the bistecca alla floretina and eggplant parmigiana. Dishes are made with seasonal ingredients so menus may change depending on when you visit. An extensive Italian wine list, dozens of amari as well as an imaginative cocktail list with an italian flair assures there will be a drink that will complement your meal perfectly.

Order delivery or takeout

Private dining

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Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Italian, Sicilian, Contemporary Italian
Hours of operation
Dinner Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(919) 294-8247
Website
http://www.mothersandsonsnc.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Josh DeCarolis

Location
107 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701
Neighborhood
Durham
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Experiences

Valentine's Day at Mothers & Sons
$80.00 per person
Feb 14, 2025 only
Join us for an romantic dining experience with a four course fixed menu - three savory and one sweet! Optional wine pairings will be available to compliment each course. Please note the normal a la carte menu will not be offered this evening.

What 136 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.7Service
4.6Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill
Italian
Durham
Great for fine wines
Durham
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Mothers & Sons offers an authentic Italian dining experience with standout homemade pasta and a diverse wine list. Reviewers praise the "fantastic service" and cozy ambiance. While some dishes received mixed feedback, many guests raved about the eggplant parmesan and creative cocktails. Ideal for special occasions, the restaurant promises a memorable evening.

136 Reviews

a
angela
Raleigh
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
What a wonderful place! I enjoyed the atmosphere: cozy, comfortable and authentic. The food was fantastic- we had the burrata and the octopus appetizers (some of the best I’ve had!) I could have stopped with just the appetizers— had the mushroom and artichoke lasagna, which will be a great leftover dinner tonight!
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S
Sue
Minneapolis
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent restaurant experience once you navigate parking.
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B
Bob
Raleigh
16 reviews
5.0
16 reviews
Dined on December 21, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Outstanding meal. Gnocchi was light and pillowy. The two bruschetta we had were delicious as well. The one with the fig and the other with the shrimp were a nice pairing to allow our palates to alternate between the sweet and fresh. Highly recommend!
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M
Mike
VIP
Dallas
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on December 19, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Service was fantastic! Food was terrific very authentic and well prepared. Time between courses was spot on.
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C
Christine
Raleigh
9 reviews
2.0
9 reviews
Dined on December 8, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Must have been an off night. Not as good as previous dining experience.
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I
Isaac
Western NC
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 7, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Everything from the service and atmosphere to the food and drink were absolutely stellar. We came here for our anniversary and we couldn’t be more grateful to the staff for all their warm gestures. The Montenegro at the end of our meal was a particularly nice touch. Wonderful staff, amazing and authentic food. I don’t think there’s anywhere else my partner will want to celebrate our anniversary from now on.
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J
Juan L
VIP
Caribbean
23 reviews
5.0
23 reviews
Dined on December 5, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Very good food and outstanding service Will be back!!!
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D
Dan
Raleigh
8 reviews
3.0
8 reviews
Dined on November 30, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Young host gentleman at the front was extremely pretentious. He acted like it was really an inconvenience for us to be there making him take us to a table. It was a very poor first impression for Mothers and Sons. Our server on the other hand, was excellent. Good wine recommendation. The food came out very fast. This is not a restaurant to go to if you want to enjoy a nice leisurely dinner. We felt rushed. The food was good. But without any salad or sides included I would not say it’s worth it at this price point.
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C
Christine
Raleigh
4 reviews
2.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 27, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
I expressed I wanted to buy a bottle of wine to pair with my food, and this didn't motivate the waitress to share the specials with me until AFTER I picked out a bottle of wine. From there, I was served frozen burrata, dried out white lasagna with a coagulated sauce, and cold pasta. For the price, this was embarrassing. We were excited for out of state guests to join and the meal was a real embarrassment.
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L
Linda
VIP
Greensboro
40 reviews
5.0
40 reviews
Dined on November 23, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Everything was great! The food and service (Brittany) were great!
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FAQs

Mothers & Sons offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (919) 294-8247.

Mothers & Sons is rated 4.6 stars by 136 OpenTable diners.