Satisfy your taste for authentic, Neopolitan-style pizza straight from the wood-fired oven at this Golden Belt pizzeria. Best of all, you can order pies straight to your table at Hi-Wire Brewing next door, or enjoy a picnic on the grassy lawn outside.
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Hours:
Monday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Thursday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Friday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Saturday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Sunday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
First ever visit. We arrived about 11:30 for lunch. Pile of trash on the floor as we walked in like someone had swept the floor and didn’t pick it up. Big warehouse like space. No friendly greeting - actually no greeting at all. Was about to order and some cop guy with a gun on his hip walks up and cuts in and orders before us.
Placed our order, paid and went outside - inside was very cold.
Pizza delivered to our table. We got the one with the spucy salami and Calabrian chilis. Way more cheese that you get on pizza in Italy but it was tasty. Before leaving went to toss our trash in the can by the front door. It was filthy. Ugh! Decent pizza but otherwise it seems like not much care taken with the place. Even the Gelato was a mess. Won’t bother to return.
Camilo Saraiva
Jun 17, 2025
5
Cugino Forno – A Taste of Naples in the Heart of Durham
At Cugino Forno, pizza is treated with reverence—and it shows. The dough is a masterpiece in itself: light, airy, perfectly blistered. Each pie is topped with classic, high-quality ingredients that honor tradition without overcomplicating the story.
The Margherita is divine; even the simplest options shine with integrity. The wood-fired oven adds that final touch—a whisper of char, a taste of authenticity.
Warm service, relaxed atmosphere, and a commitment to craft make this spot a true local treasure.
It’s not just pizza—it’s a pilgrimage. Worth every mile.
Phil D
Jun 10, 2025
5
An excellent place for pizza! I'm typically used to New York-New Jersey style pizzas, but the pizza here is more typical of Naples, with fresh basil, thinner crust, and more "charred". But I really enjoyed the pizza here. Not long of a wait once the order was placed, and it turned out delicious! I'd make a point to check it and the surrounding businesses out if you're in Durham!
Dee S Jackson
Apr 9, 2025
4
Customer service, location and atmosphere wasn’t bad at all, the pizza itself just wasn’t doing it for me. I tried the Bianca (lunch) since almost everything contained pork — the pizza was hot and cheesy, yet still was lacking some flavor somehow. Maybe the Bianca needs sauce after all and it'll bring the whole pizza together.
I would give it a try again, I'd just try something different.
Simon Turner
Mar 3, 2025
5
Cugino Forno is authentic napolitano pizza and it’s worth trying out. The food is great and on a nice day, the setting outside is wonderful. This is especially worth the visit if you have young children as the turf was recently replaced and it’s a safe place to let your children run amok. We will definitely be back again, with our picnic blanket too.
Ajimon Thomas
Feb 4, 2025
5
First time here. We had the Calabrese pizza delivered inside the adjoining brewery. I loved the peppers and the spice. The person at the counter seemed very disappointed to be working on a Sunday afternoon though.
Anton Goncharuk
Nov 17, 2024
5
Cugino Forno in Durham is an absolute gem! We ordered the Bianca pizza, and it was hands down the best pizza I’ve had in the Triangle area. The flavors were perfectly balanced, with fresh ingredients and an amazing crust that had just the right amount of crispiness. The open wood fired oven added a wonderful authentic touch and that signature smoky flavor you just can’t replicate.
What truly stood out was the quick turnaround. Despite it being a busy Saturday night, our pizza was ready in just a few minutes - impressive speed for such high-quality food. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and you can even watch your pizza being made fresh in the open kitchen. Highly recommend Cugino Forno to any pizza lover - it’s a must-visit spot in Durham!
Melissa Poole
Oct 13, 2024
4
Excellent pizza! Crust was perfect, cheese had just the right pull, and the other ingredients were fresh and flavorful. The only reason it’s not five stars all around is the difficulty with parking(full disclosure, went on a Saturday), the prices were on the higher side, and they do not allow any substitutions or customizations. Luckily we weren’t in a hurry and are not picky eaters so we could find a pizza from their menu that we liked. Would definitely return, but perhaps not on a Saturday. We had the traditional pepperoni and a meat lovers pizza. Both really were incredible! Finished off with the Tiramisu cake.
Heather House
Sep 29, 2024
4
The hubs wanted to get out of the house for dinner. I started looking at my bookmarks and then just did a search for Italian. Cugino popped up, which wasn't on my list yet, and you can't go wring with woodrired pizza. We split everything. The Verona salad was my favorite. The combo of blue chees, candied pecans, blueberries and apricot vinegarette was amazing. The hubs doesn't care for blue cheese and agreed because he knows I like the combo... and he had two servings! We got the Napolentana pizza. Pizza's are good size and delicious. I love they have a little station where you can get marinara, garlic, salt, oregano, thyme paremsan cheeseand crushed red pepper. We got dessert to go - chocolate cake, Italian tart and Canoli. The tart was so good and tart! The Canoli light and the cake light... the chocolate moose filling and icing was very good. Habs said we would go back to try the Bianca!
Lillian Hagmann
Sep 9, 2024
3
Gotta be honest I didn't love it. Somehow the bottom of the crust was a little burnt and the top had no char to speak of. The toppings looked a little sad and the whole thing lacked flavor.
I got a huge cup of sauce and dumped a bunch of red pepper and garlic powder in it and then it was fine.
For the price point I'll stick to v pizza or toros.
Thomes?
Aug 24, 2024
5
Lovely pizza that makes you actually want to eat the crust. If you're usrd to Domino's then be prepared to spend $20 per pizza, but it's absolutely worth it!
