Mothers & Sons Trattoria — Restaurant in Durham

We stopped in for dinner while exploring the city, we did not have reservations but we were seated immediately. I am quite sure it helped that we arrived shortly after opening for dinner.

The decor in this establishment was very classy and intimate at the same time. The open floor plan and well balanced lighting made it feel energetic inside, the New York style seating was very manageable in this space.

One thing that really stood out was the fact they did have a full service bar available with some seating at the bar, not only a great business decision, it complimented the establishment very well.

The service was excellent! We were immediately met by our server who was very upfront on what we could expect from the menu, transparent in terms of serving sizes and how to order most efficiently from the menu. I ordered a glass of wine, of course, it was a Barolo and I did the wine menu was exceptionally equipped to handle any pallet.

We went through the specials of the day, some very enticing selections! Of course we ordered one of the starters immediately after hearing about it. We just called them pizza bites, they were pizza dough bites, smothered in a fresh cheeses. Our server also immediately brought us out fresh bread and oil, he knew we would need something to mop up the remainder of that wonderful cheese. I was taken back by the consistency and freshness of this homemade bread, it was wonderful dipped in oil as well.

My entree was one of the specials being offered for the day, the name escapes me but it was hollowed spaghetti noodles covered in slightly spicy red sauce with peppers and included a combination of bacon and pork. This entree was phenomenal, the sauce had a thick and rich flavor, with a burst of spice from the peppers. I was very impressed by the texture of the sauce being as light as it was holding onto so much flavor.

We also ordered a side of rosemary potatoes to share, I have had rosemary potatoes before, however they were never prepared quite like this. The texture was perfect, they were equally soft with a bit of a crunch on the skins. The rosemary was not overpowering and the saltiness was just as I would have preferred. Very impressive!

The other entree we ordered was a cheese gnocchi, our server described them as something that would melt in your mouth and he was absolutely correct. The fresh cheese blend the gnocchi was surrounded in was excellent and as advertised the gnocchi literally did melt in your mouth. This was something we have never experienced with gnocchi before.

To finish the dinner I ordered a limoncello which was served in the proper glass with the block of ice to ensure it remained cool without diluting the drink.

The dinner was absolutely delightful, the quality of the staff was excellent and very impressive. We will return. The serving sizes are not to large and the menu offers plenty of options to not only accommodate a variety in your dining experience but assurance you will not leave...

My husband and I went last night for Valentines because we had heard great things and we knew that the same owners own Mateo and Luckys, which we love. The hostess that greeted us was pleasant, said our table was almost ready and to feel free to get a drink at the bar, which we did. The bartenders were very friendly, greeted us right away, suggested some wines and poured us a glass very quickly, even with it being a very busy bar. The hostess came to get us, sat us and again was very nice. We were very impressed until our waitress Cynthia made it to the table. She gave us a minute to review the menu, when she returned I had a few questions, it was a fixed menu and I wasn't familiar with some of the items. When I asked her could she review it with us, I was shocked at her response!!!! She was very condescending replying "Well Honey, I don't know what you mean, everything is listed right there" I said, are any of these salads on the 1st course?" In which she replied "No sweetie, none of those are salads" very snub. My husband and I frequent many of the downtown restaurants and love a diverse menu with things we may not have had before, and never have I had someone not review the menu and give their opinion. I had my husband communicate with the waitress after that. I believe she knew that I was a bit aggravated after being brushed off, called honey/sweetie and honestly made to feel like a complete idiot for not understanding the menu. After receiving our food, which was great, we had run out of wine. 1) She never checked on us to see if we needed another glass or to see how the food was 2) My husband got up from our table himself and walked to the bar to get the glasses of wine himself, once again greeted by the wonderful bar staff 3) She only returned to the table once she saw my husband had gotten up to go and get a glass of wine She did bring the wine over after that and said that it was on her, which we insisted that she did not need to do that. I do believe at that point she tried but unfortunately by this point she had set the mood for our experience at Mothers and Sons. We said that we would return, sit at the bar if possible because that staff was great and the food was good. But note to owners and staff, when a customer ask about your menu, kindly review it, there is no need to be...

We cannot tell you how many times my wife and I went to Mothers & Sons and forgot to take picture because we were so excited to dig in! (Two rare pictures shown below - two specials that night that were amazing! One was a fennel salad and another was a type of housemade pizza dough bread in a sauce - don't let my descriptions put you off becuase it was much more complex and elegant than that haha) But we cannot say enough great things about this place. We actually first visited at hapchance because we were on Yelp and hungry but were super hesitant because we went to another Italian restaurant in the area that was highly rated on Yelp which tasted HORRIBLE and was expensive. I usually don't frequent Italian restaurants in general though because, honestly, they have all been the same. BUT MOTHERS AND SONS?? They are seriously eons above the rest. The flavors here are phenomenal. You know when you visit your favorite restaurant and think, "Every dish can't be as good as the last one we tried, RIGHT?" WRONG. My wife and I don't like to veer off too much from our favorites if we visit somewhere to eat. But literally every dish we've tried here has been so delicious and we are always open to try new dishes here. Of course our super favorites being the squid ink tonnarelli (SO GOOD), farm lettuce salad, grilled castelvetrano olives, burrata, anything with roasted beets, and more we can't remember the names of!

On to the service! The service here is warm, welcoming, and just makes you feel at home. Our favorite server and now friend, Tracy, has made it a special experience every single time we've visited. Nathan (manager) has spoken with us on numerous occasions and is so approachable and friendly!

For my wife and I, this place is special. Not just because of the wonderful, exciting, and amazing food. Not just because of the superb service. Not just because of the friendly and happy fellow patrons we meet. Not just because of the beautiful atmosphere and ambience. But because of all of the above and we feel at home every time. If you haven't tried it, then you really should. You're...