Mothers & Sons

4.6

169 Reviews

$31 to $50

Italian

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 11, 2025

7:00 PM

Experiences are available.

Charming
Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions

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.

Private dining

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Dining areas

Additional information

Location
107 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701
Phone number
(919) 294-8247
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
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Josh DeCarolis
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

Gift card

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Experiences

An Evening with Marina Marcarino
$175.00 per person
Prepaid
Mar 19, 2025 only
We are honored to be joined by Marina Marcarino of Punset. Marina will be here all the way from Barbaresco to tell you tales of her delightful winery! We'll pair her lineup of breathtaking wines with a 5 course dinner featuring the culinary stylings of Chef/Owner Josh DeCarolis. Come enjoy what has quickly become one of our favorite wineries in Barbaresco.
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.

What 169 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

4.5Food
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 in Durham delights with its "phenomenal drinks, food and service." The homemade pasta, described as "absolutely stellar," and the inviting atmosphere create an authentic Italian trattoria experience. While portions can be small, the food is consistently praised as "delicious" and "fresh," making it a must-visit dining destination.

169 Reviews

d
doron VIP
Raleigh15 reviews
5.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing as usual. Will go again. Best Italian place in the area
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L
Laura VIP
Raleigh19 reviews
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
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.
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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,
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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.
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J
Joseph
Memphis/West TN1 review
5.0
Dined on February 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Perfect dining experience. Big fan of Mother & Sons
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A
Andreas
Raleigh1 review
1.0
Dined on February 15, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
Awful food was terrible and cold took 3 hours to get food. And super expensive
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OT
OpenTable Diner VIP
Salt Lake City2 reviews
1.0
Dined on February 15, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
I feel bad giving any restaurant a poor rating but after attending their Valentine’s Day “experience” it feels almost like my responsibility to ensure nobody else has to experience this. My spaghetti was undercooked. My beef was cold by the time it got to my table. Our waitress rushed us to order only to have the first appetizer delayed by nearly 45 minutes. We were brushed aside and treated rudely by the seating staff and had to wait nearly 20 minutes after our reservation for a table. We sat right next to the door which meant there were dozens of couples hovering right over our table waiting for their seat too. Not to mention the frigid air that kept coming in through the door right next to us. If this had cost 20$ a person this would be acceptable quality but it cost well over 100$ per person and booked weeks in advance. We have had far better dining experiences for a quarter of the price in Durham.
1 person found this helpful
T
Tom
Raleigh1 review
3.0
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
We were disappointed. Between the higher price point, the fair food, and the just-under-ambiance.
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C
Carolyn VIP
Charleston4 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
My husband and I attended their special Valentine’s Day 3-course meal and wine pairing. It was amazing! We both got different courses so we could taste everything. The portions were perfect, not too small or too big. And the wine pairing was a great touch. Highly recommend one of their events for a date night and fun experience.
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T
Tony
Western NC2 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 12, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
The setting was a downtown Trattoria. Seating was cozy. Our server Kayla was friendly, knew the menu well and was an excellent server. The wine wine list offered many choices at reasonable price pints. We settled on a Nebiolo. My wife and I shared the Arancini for an appetizer, Pasta Amatriciana and the Porchetta. They we all well done and served hot. We enjoyed ourselves and will definitely back. The only issue is parking. We struggled to find a spot for our 6:00 PM reservation
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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 169 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.