Diners' Choice: Italian restaurants in Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Italian cuisine in Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Nino’s Cucina Italiana

4.8

4.8 (140)

$31 to $50

Italian

Greenville

About the restaurant

Nino’s Cucina Italiana is a tribute to our father, Nino. He still travels constantly to all the locations to make sure everything is done “Nino’s Way,” with quality food, personality, and love.

Over 75 years of an Italian family tradition in baking and cooking from three generations has culminated in Nino’s Cucina Italiana. Our Italian dishes are centuries old recipes handed down from our family throughout the years. We prepare all our food daily—making fresh dough, sauces, mozzarella cheese, pasta and our delicious meatballs in-house.

Top review

AprilVIP

Dined on Mar 25, 2025

I love this place! Food and service is always excellent!

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4.8

4.8 (1663)

$30 and under

Italian

Raleigh

About the restaurant

Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Cafe Tiramisu offers a menu full of authentic Northern Italian cuisine. The family-owned and operated restaurant is decorated sparingly and the dining room is a cozy, relaxing environment. Cafe Tiramisu has a full bar but specializes in wine with an extensive wine selection both by the glass and by the bottle.

Try the ravioli or the shrimp dip to start out your meal at Cafe Tiramisu. Choose from Italian classics like the lasagna or the marsala. The menu includes plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options as well. Choose one of the restaurant's sides for your entree like the fried eggplant or the sauteed spinach.

Top review

brenda

Dined 2 days ago

We had a wonderful experience at Cafe Tiramisu! Every bite of food was delicious--lobster bisque, ravioli appetizer, beet salad, fish cooked perfectly, tastiest pasta and of course a perfect tiramisu. Staff did a great job. A total 5 star night!

Encore Ristorante

4.8

4.8 (141)

$31 to $50

Italian

Raleigh

About the restaurant

Now Accepting Reservations For July 9th and beyond,
The crew from Northside Bistro are now going to provide some amazing Italian cuisine, Top notch Steaks, and delightful seafood. Expect to see some of the great cooks and friendly staff you expect at Northside along with some great new team members we are excited to introduce to the area.
Chef John and his team are excited to bring you some takes on classic Italian cuisine along with some expected twists and turns to keep things current and we will always hunt for the highest quality ingredients we can find. Service promises to be warm and inviting never taking our focus off the details that matter while still keeping it fun and light hearted.
The decor here at Encore is a polished but comfy, the environment will create great energy and a sense of community but still provide some romantic corners for a Romantic evening with loved ones.
Carol and John are so excited to bring their second offering to the North Raleigh area!

Top review

kenVIP

Dined on Apr 18, 2025

Fantastic menu and staff. We love this place for regular stops and special occasions.

Cucciolo Osteria Durham

4.8

4.8 (1708)

$31 to $50

Italian

Durham

About the restaurant

Cousins Jimmy and Julian Kim welcome you to Cucciolo Osteria Durham! A sister restaurant to the original Cucciolo Osteria in Seoul, Korea, offering modern Italian cuisine with a twist.

We are located in the same building as the Amtrak train station, just opposite side, next to West End Wine Bar.

Top review

LauraVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Delicious food, cool ambience and attentive staff. Loved it!

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Popular dish

Linguine alla Vongole

Popular dish

Butter Chicken 'Sostanza' Style

Popular dish

Tiramisu

Osteria Georgi

4.7

4.7 (991)

$31 to $50

Italian

Chapel Hill

About the restaurant

Giorgios Bakatsias' inspiration behind his newest concept, Osteria Georgi, stems from a deep appreciation for his dear friend- the late, great George Tarantini, an Italian native and beloved soccer coach for NC state University, well-known for his love and respect for hospitality.

Osteria reflects the passion behind Italian cuisine and culture-
a daily celebration of life while gathering around a shared table, of enjoying the beauty in simply prepared hand-made pasta, locally sourced ingredients and vibrant flavors, in having gratitude for the local farmers, fisherman, and artisans from which it all came, and always- a love for great company.

Top review

Floy

Dined 4 days ago

Italian food is not typically my favorite, however my husband and I agree that this is one of the best meals we have ever had. The food was very fresh and flavorful from start to finish and it literally melted in our mouths. The inside of the restaurant is super cute. The staff were all very nice and attentive. Good parking. Highly recommend. Perfect for a special occasion. Can’t wait to go back.

Amalia's Authentic Italian Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (864)

$50 and over

Italian

Wake Forest

About the restaurant

Amalia Fumelli is the inspiration behind Amalia’s Authentic Italian Restaurant. She was born in Italy in 1932, and grew up on a farm. As she grew up, she took an interest in cooking and learned everything about the Italian kitchen from her mother and grandmother. For countless hours each day, Amalia began making hand-made pasta with her rolling pin on an old, wooden table. After many years, she had mastered her pasta creations through her skilled handiwork, precise cutting skills, and the amount of love she put into her work.

Over time, Amalia has passed all of her secrets and knowledge about food along to her children and grandchildren. One grandchild in particular, Filippo Fanfani, gained a passion for the art of cooking through her guidance. As a child, he spent all his days at his grandmother’s house preparing meals for his family. The two have a strong bond, that began with their conjoining love of creating meals that are enjoyable for everyone.

Top review

Jean

Dined 7 days ago

Did was amazing and our server made this an extra special experience

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Popular dish

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

4.8

4.8 (3680)

$30 and under

Italian

Raleigh

About the restaurant

Bella Monica – A Beloved Italian Trattoria in Raleigh

Since 2000, Bella Monica has been a neighborhood gem, serving authentic Neapolitan cuisine with warm hospitality. Owned by Chef Corbett and Julie Monica, our locally owned trattoria is an extension of Nana’s table, where guests become family.

Our menu features thin-crust flatbreads, housemade pastas, fresh NC seafood, and locally sourced meats, crafted with San Marzano tomatoes and the freshest ingredients. Pair your meal with a selection from our all-Italian, Wine Spectator 2007-2025 award-winning wine list, and don’t leave without trying the best cannoli in Raleigh!

Recognized with Diners’ Choice Awards for being charming, intimate, and perfect for special occasions, Bella Monica is where Raleigh gathers to enjoy great food, local art, and a lively atmosphere. Mangia bene!

Top review

Lily

Dined 4 days ago

Great service! Food was really good. Had the stuffed spinach shells, there were awesome. The margarita flat bread was good.

Caffe Luna

4.8

4.8 (2588)

$30 and under

Italian

Raleigh

About the restaurant

Situated in a beautiful historic building in downtown Raleigh, Caffé Luna has been bringing authentic Italian cuisine with a Tuscan flair to the Triangle for over two decades.

Top review

Pat

Dined 4 days ago

We love to eat at this restaurant when we are in the Raleigh area. Our service was wonderful and our food was delicious. We highly recommend making reservations and eating at Caffe Luna.

Il Palio

4.7

4.7 (1790)

$50 and over

Italian

Chapel Hill

About the restaurant

Il Palio is an intimate restaurant in the Siena Hotel. We strive to emulate the best of the great Italian tradition of hospitality and quality at the table and in the glass. Our vision is simple – use the best local and Italian ingredients as purely as possible and serve them with comfort and pride. We cook as an Italian might in North Carolina.

Top review

SuzetteVIP

Dined 5 days ago

We were really impressed by the food - everything we had was delicious! The service was great as well. Will definitely go back.

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Popular dish

Black Truffle Tagliatelle

4.7

4.7 (1748)

$30 and under

Italian

Cary

About the restaurant

Seasonal changes, outstanding ingredients and a made-from-scratch philosophy guide Chef 's menu of house-made focaccia and pasta, antipastis, made-to-order wood-fired pizzas, and piatti. The chef curated dinner and dessert menus, pair with the well balanced wine and beverage program. Located at Fenton in Cary, NC, this casual yet polished family-style Italian restaurant features 120 indoor dining seats, 60 seats outdoors on the semi-covered patio, and a 12-seat bar.

Top review

Annie

Dined 4 days ago

Love the ambiance and service. I had the pasta carbonara and it was superb!

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