Mothers & Sons

4.6

175 Reviews

$31 to $50

Italian

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 30, 2025

March 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 32 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Good for special occasions
Charming
Neighborhood gem

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.

Restaurants you may also like

View all

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Italian, Sicilian, Contemporary Italian
Hours of operation
Brunch Sat 9:00 am–2:30 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00 am–3:00 pm 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
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

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

Gift card

Send gift cards instantly by email or print to present in person.

Send a gift card

Experiences

Graduation Weekend & Mother's Day!
$80.00 per person
May 9, 2025 - May 11, 2025
Celebrate Graduation and Mother's Day with Mother's & Son's! We will be offering a specially curated three-course fixed menu, created by Chef Josh Decarolis. Enhance your meal with our optional wine pairings, expertly selected to complement each course. Please note that our usual a la carte menu will not be available during this weekend. The menu will be released by mid April, and we will be able to accommodate a wide variety of dietary needs.

Private dining

What 175 people are saying

Mothers & Sons reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

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

4.5Food
4.6Service
4.5Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Durham
Great for fine wines

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Mothers & Sons offers an authentic Italian dining experience with "phenomenal" food and "fantastic" service. Known for its handmade pasta and seasonal specials, this cozy spot delights with dishes like eggplant parmesan and squid ink pasta. The welcoming atmosphere and thoughtful service make it perfect for celebrations and intimate dinners.

175 Reviews

G
Gaurav
Seattle1 review
4.0
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
The food is decent, the eggplant parm was too bready but we liked the gnocchi which we got without meat
Is this helpful?
J
Joseph
Raleigh7 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 20, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Highly recommended!!! This small restaurant space can only offer but so much ambiance or cozy romantic dining space but the food is excellent and the service friendly!
Is this helpful?
R
Rebecca
Raleigh1 review
5.0
Dined on March 19, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I've been here many times, and every time it's been amazing! The wait staff are super sweet and knowledgeable and are invested in making sure you have a great meal experience. The food is phenomenal, I don't think I've had a bad dish yet. They offer a lot of seasonal specials too with fresh ingredients. We got the poached shrimp bruscetta and the arancini to start. The bread for the bruscetta is char grilled and gives it a good smoky flavor. The shrimp are cooked perfectly, and the veggies and olives it's cooked with are bright and crunchy. I was asking for more bread to dip in the leftover sauce because it was that good. The arancini was nice and crispy on the outside and gooey and cheesy inside. My husband then got the Cavatelli with fennel sausage, rapini, and chilis, and it was so good! Spicy and garlicky, with a lot of texture from the different ingredients. I got the tagliatelle al ragu which is a staple there, and one of my favorites every time. The sauce is very rich and smooth, and the tagliatelle is perfectly al dente. We finished up dessert with a slice of tiramisu and the gianduja. The tiramisu is amazing, soft with so much flavor, and is definitely some of the best I've ever had. The gianduja is delicious too, but it's really rich as it's basically a little tub of Nutella with cream and praline on top. Overall I can't recommend this place enough, they're super accommodating as they check in about dietary restrictions and allergies, and were super helpful finding a seat where we could have my baby sitting with us in the car seat. They helped store the stroller for us too, so we didn't have to worry about trying to fit everything. Definitely my favorite place to celebrate at or even just to stop in for a little pasta.
Is this helpful?
J
Janet
Raleigh9 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 18, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Excellent service, easy parking (early), great wine. Our favorite dishes: squash & fig bruschetta, octopus salad, grilled tuna, and tiramisu. Squid ind tonnarelli a close runner-up. Pretty loud, but no more than other places.
Is this helpful?
R
Robin
Western NC6 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful food, service and atmosphere! Will definitely be back!
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Raleigh1 review
5.0
Dined on March 10, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our waitress was excellent, very friendly atmosphere. The food was very good, prepared with high-quality ingredients.
Is this helpful?
d
doron VIP
Raleigh15 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 8, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing as usual. Will go again. Best Italian place in the area
Is this helpful?
L
Laura VIP
Raleigh19 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 5, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great service, food and casual ambiance. It always smells so good in there too, with the wood stove. Hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, which is small. We love this little gem and will return.
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Raleigh1 review
5.0
Dined on February 26, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Squid ink pasta amazing shrimp cooked perfectly, arancini were okay,
Is this helpful?
M
Michael
Raleigh1 review
5.0
Dined on February 24, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
First time to Mothers & Sons and it was a great time. Food was wonderful and the entire experience was a lot of fun. Will definitely be coming back for more.
Is this helpful?

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 175 OpenTable diners.

Mothers & Sons does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.