Mothers & Sons

4.6

170 Reviews

$31 to $50

Italian

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2 people

14 Mar 2025

22:00

Booked 49 times today

Experiences are available.

Neighbourhood gem
Charming
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.

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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
Brunch Sat 09:00–14:30 Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00–15:00 Dinner Mon–Thu 17:00–21:30 Fri, Sat 17:00–22:00
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
Area
Durham
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Experiences

An Evening with Marina Marcarino
US$175.00 per person
Prepaid
19 Mar 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!
US$80.00 per person
9 May 2025 - 11 May 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 170 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.

170 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
Raleigh1 review
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
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.
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d
doron VIP
Raleigh15 reviews
5.0
Dined 7 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 on 5 March 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.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Raleigh1 review
5.0
Dined on 26 February 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 24 February 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
Memphis1 review
5.0
Dined on 17 February 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 15 February 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 15 February 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 14 February 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 14 February 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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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 170 OpenTable diners.