Mothers & Sons

4.6

146 Reviews

$31 to $50

Italian

Make a reservation

2 people

Jan 25, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 69 times today

Experiences are available.

Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions
Charming

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.
Triangle Restaurant Week!
$50.00 per person
Jan 27, 2025 - Feb 1, 2025
Join us for Triangle Restaurant week, January 27-Februarry 1 Only $50 per person (tax and gratuity not included). We're thrilled to be part of Triangle Restaurant Week again this year, celebrating the amazing restaurants of the Triangle! Three choices from each to choose from, with something for everyone. Featuring favorites such as arancini, paccheri cacio e pepe and chicken cacciatore Find the full menu posted on the triangle restaurant week website! https://trirestaurantweek.com/listing/mothers-sons/
Nebbiolo Night with Piedmont Wine Imports
$175.00 per person
Prepaid
Feb 26, 2025 only
Join us for a celebration of the king of Italian varietals! We'll run the gamut of expressions the Nebbiolo grape offers including two Barolos from one of our favorite producers. Chef/Owner Josh DeCarolis will be whipping up some of his favorite Piedmontese dishes to pair with our curated selections. With 5 courses served, this event is sure to fill your belly and warm your heart!

What 146 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
4.5Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Durham
Great for fine wines
Durham
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Mothers & Sons shines with "excellent service" and "authentic Italian food," creating a cozy, inviting atmosphere. Their "handmade pasta" receives high praise, with dishes like eggplant Parmesan and squid ink tonnarelli standing out. The thoughtfully curated wine list and attentive staff enhance the dining experience, making it truly memorable.

146 Reviews

M
Mimi
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined today
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
As always, the food flavors take me right back to Italy. We had the lasagna, squid ink pasta, ragù, and chicken with polenta. The servings were the perfect size and absolutely groan worthy! For dessert, we finished off with canolli, tiramisu, and panna cotta- in a word, Divine! The staff is exceptional and attentive.
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D
Danielle
Raleigh
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on January 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always love when friends come from out of town and I get to show them M&S! I love any chance I can get to enjoy the food, great service and ambiance. I love it here. I love all the pastas but I could easily fill up on Burrata with pesto, grilled ciabatta and the whipped ricotta with the conserva. Mmmmm I try not to get too full before I have a chance to get dessert. I love the tiramisu, Pana cotta, well, all the desserts are amazing. Can’t wait to come back.
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r
rae
Charleston
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on January 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Our server Alicia was amazing. The food was delicious, wine list was great and we loved the atmosphere.
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F
Frances
Raleigh
3 reviews
1.0
3 reviews
Dined on January 9, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
Prices too high for mediocre food. Staff not friendly. If you can afford to pay that kind of money to eat out the food and service should be impeccable. Very disappointing. I would not go again. The eggplant Parmesan was old and tasted terrible. I hope this perspective helps you to make improvements.
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J
Justin
Chicago
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on January 6, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful experience sharing appetizer, salad with vinaigrette and pastas. Outstanding white wines, and house olive oil was great. Would go again in a minute.
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R
Reagan
Raleigh
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on January 5, 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Service was terrible, we obviously had a new server who didn’t know anything about the wine list and then got a huge table shortly after we sat down. We ended up ordering a $81 bottle that was just ok. From then on the service was extremely slow and the server was very frazzled. We didn’t get one of the appetizers we ordered until we reminded her about it. The pastas were very over-salted and forgettable. Needless to say, we won’t be back.
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C
Carol
Raleigh
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on January 3, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our first time here and we felt like we had returned to Italy with freshly prepared food and a perfectly paced presentation of courses. Our server did an excellent job explaining the menu and accommodating dietary restrictions. We kept receiving fresh plates and silverware for each course. Atmosphere was charming and noise level soft enough it was easy to hear one another at our table of four. Authentic and memorable!
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N
Nancy
Raleigh
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on January 3, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Mothers and Sons has the best Eggplant Parmesan ever. We go there specifically for that! But everything else is good too from the fabulous polenta w/ mushrooms and squash to the excellent salad greens! Their wines are always outstanding as are the desserts! Great service from the wonderfully accented Italian waiter. Could almost be in Italy! Leave feeling happy and deeply satisfied!
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L
Laurent
VIP
New York City
8 reviews
1.0
8 reviews
Dined on December 31, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
One of the worst Italian restaurants I have ever dined at. The food has zero taste and is not real Italian food as they claim.
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L
Loretta
VIP
Raleigh
35 reviews
4.0
35 reviews
Dined on December 29, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Excellent food. They serve the best rigatoni and the ricotta is exceptional. Our waiter, Pietro, was delightful. There are no soft furnishings to absorb noise so be prepared for difficult conversation if your party is more than two people.
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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 146 OpenTable diners.