Serving a rotation of seasonal dishes, Cucciolo Osteria keeps the menu small to keep the flavor big. With the original restaurant location in Seoul, Korea, the Durham restaurant continues the practice of serving excellent Italian dishes with a twist. Whether you’re looking for dinner, dessert or both, Cucciolo Osteria will exceed your expectations.
Delicious! Italian deliciousness! We had dinner and drinks at the bar. Good service, good food. Ambiance but could be a little more. Very noisy, hollow sounding, my only
Complaint. (Industrial, brick. Fits with the area a whole, but doesn’t make for cozy feel) We felt Portions NOT shareable. We shared and I only got 2 bites of main dish. Would order my own next time. Had a beet salad-delish, and Tajarin was excellent! BREAD IS DELICIOUS-but have to ask for it. Not served otherwise. In a walkable area from our hotel. Felt safe at 9-10:00. Would go back again. Delicious!!
Zachary Sutherland
Jun 24, 2025
4
Overall a pretty good experience. 4/5
All of the food I had was good, though I am not sure it's as good as the price would suggest. Food overall, 4.5/5. Food, for the price? 3/5. I'll give it 4/5 for this review.
The service was great. We had two waiters and our water was refreshed regularly without being intrusive which is great. 5/5
My main problem here is it's excruciatingly loud. By the end of the evening I had a growing headache because it was hot and LOUD even when there was only a single other table left around 9:30. The concrete/brick building is tall, long, and narrow so it turns into an echo chamber. When we arrived at around 8:10 for our reservation, the volume in the building was *thunderous* and we couldn't hear each other despite sitting next to each other. I really think the dining room would benefit from acoustic tiles, tapestries, or even canvas paintings along the upper walls. 2/5 for atmosphere.
McKenna Wood
Jun 24, 2025
5
One of my favorite meals in Durham! If you’re dairy free ask for their dairy free pesto! Cocktails are also delish!
Christopher Schlitt
Jun 1, 2025
5
We drove from Raleigh to try this place bc of the truffle pastas. We were amazed at all the unique dishs and spins they did on classic dishs. The butter chicken was superb. The truffle pasta was delightful and deep with flavors. The spin on the carpaccio was pleasently satisfying. The server Moe was super and knew the menu and ingredients as well as cooking processes of all the dishes. He was like a teacher of taste :) I highly recommend this place to friends and family...the parking however sucks and it cost me 8$ on a Sunday
Jeff & Nancy Kueffer
Apr 24, 2025
5
OMG! Calling all Carbonara lovers! Kudos to the Chef for his delicious recipe for Linguini Alla Carbonara (Roman way). It is simply incredible and ranks amongst the best I've ever eaten and this includes "Crispo's" of NYC which won "Best Spaghetti Carbonara" by New York Magazine in 2004. Trust me... try Cucciolo's version... it's just as good if not better.
Allan Robison
Feb 9, 2025
5
Cucciolo Osteria is an absolutely wonderful high-end, quality Italian restaurant. We have come numerous times and have never been disappointed. This time, we are in their private dining area. We were introduced to a very unique beer from Fullsteam Farm's Edge called Hard Frost. Reservation is required. Still returning and still amazing. Still coming back.
Chandler Meyer
Oct 28, 2024
5
We rented the private room for our small wedding of 30 guests. All of my guests raved about the food, and even though I was so nervous on my wedding day, I couldn't help but eat so much of the food. The staff was also very friendly. It was the perfect room to have a small, intimate wedding reception. I highly recommend!
Allan Robison
Oct 4, 2024
5
Cucciolo Osteria is an absolutely wonderful high-end, quality Italian restaurant. We have come numerous times and have never been disappointed. This time, we are in their private dining area. We were introduced to a very unique beer from Fullsteam Farm's Edge called Hard Frost. Reservation is required. Still returning and still amazing.
TanYa Gwathmey
Aug 31, 2024
3
I really wanted to love this place, but a few things will keep me from returning.
It's a quaint, intimate restaurant that's pretty noisy, due to the proximity of the tables and the size of the place.
The menu is really appealing with some really interesting dishes; however, execution missed on a few items. The brushetta with walnuts, grapes and goat cheese sounded wonderful but just didn't come together in flavor. It would be better to go for the more traditional version in this case.
The beef carpaccio had potential but needed more acid/citrus, shaved parmesan and perhaps even some arugula.
My daughter had the spicy vodka rigatoni and I had the clams and linguini. Both were just ok. Serving sizes were on the smaller end, but that's fine. I'm a tiramisu fan but this one fell short. It was a little bitter and not so creamy.
None of these things are terribly egregious, but maybe cause to try different items next time. The appalling act was when the waitress who was setting the table beside us dropped the silverware on the floor, but picked it up and put it back on the table. This was disgusting. If she would do things like this out in the open, imagine what happens behind closed doors. We passed this info to the manager and decided we would never return.
Govindarajan Vadakpat
Aug 17, 2024
5
An absolute gem in the heart of downtown Durham. This is an old warehouse that has been converted into a modern restaurant. There is ample patio seating available for patrons.
The wine list is a mini booklet. The three course menu is not very extensive but the menu caters to all food selections including vegans.
For the appetizer, we had roasted beet salad. For the main course I had spicy vodka tomato cream rigatoni. The dish was prepared Al Dente and the taste was superb. I had affogato for dessert to top off a fantastic meal.
Benay Hicks
Aug 14, 2024
5
My husband said after dinner at Cucciolo Osteria Durham: “please do a review about this because it was really, really good.”
The vongole linguini and fish dishes were both great. The wine was all delightful. The meat eaters loved the carpaccio. And not pictured here were well-loved bruschetta, blue cheese pasta, and bread pudding dishes.
The atmosphere was lovely and the whole team was kind, friendly, and efficient!
Tamar Beridze
Aug 10, 2024
5
Cucciolo Osteria is one of Durham's culinary gems that never disappoints. The dishes are always amazing, bursting with flavor and creativity. The restaurant's downtown location near the train tracks adds a nostalgic charm that I absolutely love. The space is cozy and intimate, and they are always busy, so reservations are a must. If you're in Durham, this is a restaurant you simply have to check out!
