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

OpenTable

Updated 05 May 2025

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

Encore Ristorante

4.8

4.8 (144)

$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

John

Dined 5 days ago

Always exceeds expectations and delivers! THE GO TO restaurant in Wake Forest.

cafe tiramisu

4.8

4.8 (1666)

$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

ScottVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Thanks for a great dinner. Great service with Richard this evening. What a great part of celebrating Mothers Day.

Cucciolo Osteria Durham

4.8

4.8 (1712)

$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

Dined 5 days ago

The place had a great vibe for dinner. Liz, our server, was super friendly and fun!

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Popular dish

Linguine alla Vongole

Popular dish

Butter Chicken 'Sostanza' Style

Popular dish

Tiramisu

Nino’s Cucina Italiana

4.8

4.8 (141)

$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

Tammi

Dined 5 days ago

Very lovely; excellent food; super nice waitress

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4.8

4.8 (3678)

$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

Joseph

Dined 2 days ago

Most of the food was excellent. The Pesto Rigatoni was a but dry. The service was outstanding! We have been here 3 times and will be back.

Osteria Georgi

4.7

4.7 (997)

$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

MarkVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Excellent food! Good variety and all prepared masterfully.

Caffe Luna

4.8

4.8 (2593)

$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

Lisa

Dined 5 days ago

The food was absolutely delicious. Had the pasta with four cheeses and pear in a cream sauce. Very different. It was amazing. Prices are very reasonable. Second time here. If I lived closer I would be here a lot more often !

Bombolo

4.7

4.7 (324)

$31 to $50

Italian

Chapel Hill

About the restaurant

Named 2023 Restaurant of the Year by Eater. Dishes you’ve long loved served alongside dishes you’ve never heard of make our ever-changing menu an adventure you’ll want to embark on often. Our wine list is as varied as our food, and every one of our cocktails has been created just for Bombolo by our mixologist.

Top review

Isaac

Dined 1 day ago

Great Mother’s Day fixed menu. Food was delicious but maybe a little salty on some of the sauces. Will definitely visit again.

Amalia's Authentic Italian Restaurant

4.7

4.7 (866)

$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

Nathan

Dined 3 days ago

Absolutely amazing food, service and place! I highly recommend Amalia's! Natalie took amazing care of us and the food could not have been better. Truly an amazing surprise in the Wake Forest, Raleigh area!

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Popular dish

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

4.7

4.7 (1793)

$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

Marjorie

Dined on 4 May 2025

I enjoy going to a fine dining restaurant where I am certain that every time I go it is consistently great. That is why I go to Il Palio. We had a delicious meal with a welcoming & professional staff.

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Popular dish

Black Truffle Tagliatelle

Experience

Mother's Day Brunch

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