Find handmade pasta inspired by chef Josh DeCarolis’s Italian nonna at Mothers & Sons Trattoria downtown, where our best recommendation is to fully go for it with a four-course, Italian-style meal with salads and bruschetta to start, followed by a pasta or two to share, a hearty protein entrée with vegetable sides and dessert. You may overdo it, but an after-dinner espresso or aperitif will set you straight. Experiment with the extensive selection of amaro to aid your digestion.
Mothers and Sons is a truly enjoyable dining experience. Amazing food, staff, service, and drinks are the stars. The restaurant is in Durham style and very beautiful. Cannot wait to come back.
whitaker burns
Oct 28, 2025
5
Get the Dunderi (gnocchi)! This place had one of the best pasta dishes I've had in the triangle in terms of uniqueness and flavor. You won't find a dish like this one, squash, brown butter sauce (I think), and the Tagliatelle al Ragu was also phenomenal. Burschetta was good, arancini was good, desert of Panna cotta was also good. Overall top 5 Italian restaurant in the triangle, a must-try if you love Italian and like to try new places! Alexander was a fantastic server and I barely got a pic of our food before it was gone!
Lev Kolinski
Oct 25, 2025
5
My mom and I had a great dinner at Mother and Son's last night! I made a reservation to celebrate my mom's birthday, and the host greeted us with a tasteful little "Happy birthday" note. Our server, Alicia, was wonderful! Super knowledgeable, kind, and funny. And very low key but sweet about my mom's birthday. She gave us a free cannolo with a little candle in it at the end :)
The food was very good. We split a green salad, eggplant parmesan, and sides of rapini and polenta. The rapini was weakest--very bitter and not much other flavor. The other dishes were great! Very generous serving sizes.
John Lawler
Oct 22, 2025
5
Beautiful interior with comfortably well executed dishes and flavor profiles. Love the vibes of the bar and the atmosphere. Solid selection of amaros and cocktails to pick from. Delicious selection of meats. Solid comfort food in general, warm and inviting on the tongue like a blanket of savory flavor in each dish.
Rachel S
Oct 11, 2025
3
Service was great; we had a wonderful server. We ordered the mozzarella and beet salad which was unique and flavorful. I ordered the paccheri cacio e pepe pasta and my husband ordered the butternut squash dunderi. My pasta was good, not over the top delicious but good. My husband’s was disappointing as it was cold, from the dunderi to the sauce. That was unfortunate and made the overall food experience a negative.
Wonderful restaurant, almost ordered one of everything and it all was outstanding! The fresh summer pasta and the shrimp bruschetta our favorites!
Francis S
Sep 7, 2025
5
Fantastic food and service! We can’t wait to return in our next trip. Pastas were al dente without having to ask, the porch Etta is perfect for sharing and the crispy octopus was tender on the inside.
Rachel
Sep 4, 2025
3
Average Italian restaurant experience and a bit overpriced. Ordered the gnocchi and there were only about 10 on the plate in a thin cheese sauce. It tasted alright but nothing special and definitely not worth the price of $17. The music was also too loud and it was difficult to hear the person sitting next to me. The server, however, was lovely and attentive.
Mike Coon
Jul 11, 2025
5
Visited Mother's upon recommendation and I was not disappointed! First time enjoying a real ragu. Delicious! Akeem is a fantastic server and bartender.
Andrea Martin
May 25, 2025
4
Good food that’s a little heavy on the salt. Our table of three shared pasta dishes, the arancini as well as Cannoli. Most pasta dishes seemed authentic
Claydoo (claydoooo)
May 10, 2025
5
What can I really say. This is one of our go-to’s and I’m actually regretful I haven’t submitted a review until now. Please take your family here. Share your meal together. Laugh and have some wine or a cocktail. The atmosphere, the staff, and the food are some of the best Italian around. I don’t say this lightly; their porterhouse steak is the BEST steak I’ve ever gotten from a restaurant in this area. That is saying something. Stop looking at the price. Share it with your family and enjoy. It’s worth the price because they buy good cuts and they season and cook to perfection. Thank you M&S for your years of amazing experiences. Don’t stop what you’re doing and make sure you keep your charm. Never give in to lowering quality to keep prices low. It would only take away from the amazing attention to detail and flavors. Thank you.
V
Apr 19, 2025
5
We enjoyed our meal. We shared the burrata and Buffalo mozzarella. Both were incredible. I had a seasonal pasta of pesto made with ramps and he had bucatini. We shared a gianduja budino for desert, which neither of us had heard of, but we both really enjoyed. The tables were pretty close together and I don't think a wheelchair would fit through. When I went to the restroom,I thought it might be gender neutral because I didn't see a sign, but it was multi stall, so it had to be? When I left I saw a picture of a woman next to the door. Was that supposed to count as a sign? It just looked like a picture on the wall.
Tyson Eckel
Mar 13, 2025
5
We were in town for work and a client suggested we meet for dinner here. What a wonderful experience. The meal was fantastic. The service was exceptional and every one of Amanda's suggestions were enjoyed by each and all. I will be back to try more of the menu during my next trip.
John Doe
Mar 1, 2025
5
Very nice restaurant. The vegetarian lasagna is incredible. The street parking can be a little tight at peak times.
