Cucciolo Osteria Durham

Absolutely fabulous experience! We were quickly seated (we had reservations as soon as they opened), service was prompt and pleasant, our meals were all perfectly accurate and delicious, and even parking was easy! For appetizers our group shared the hazelnut burrata and the giant meatballs with crispy bread. These were delicious and I would be happy to enjoy them by themselves as a meal! But I got the butter chicken "sostanza" style, which is lightly breaded and fried in a butter oil sauce and is unbelievably delicious! Others in our group got the linguine a la carbonara, and the blue cheese alfredo tagliatelle. Everyone commented that these were some of the best dishes they've ever enjoyed! We had to look up a lot of the menu's Italian terminology online, but everyone was very pleased with their meals. We also enjoyed a range of creative cocktails, from the delish "Santa's 52-Week Vacation" with charred rosemary, to the "Captain Pek Pek's Business Class Flight" cocktail complete with attached paper airplane with the recipe printed on it! Loved these! There was also a nice array of desserts, and we enjoyed everything from affogato, gelatos, bread pudding, to tiramisu! The atmosphere is simple and streamlined, but it doesn't feel unwelcoming. The staff are all helpful, professional, and very familiar with the menu. They even had dietary restrictions labeled on the menu, so there are options for those that are vegan, gluten-free, etc. I appreciated that the pace of the meal was leisurely (true to a traditional Italian meal) and at no point did our group feel rushed. Every element of the meal was fabulous from start to finish, was served hot, and was presented beautifully! Thank you for a fantastic first experience, we will all definitely be back!

We stumbled upon this restaurant during our Durham wandering today while looking for something dog friendly that had gluten free options. This is typically a pretty hard bill to fill, especially because I'm also a vegetarian. The host told me they had gluten free pasta as an option, so we were sold. Our server, Josh, was a true master at his craft. He was friendly, knowledgeable about the extensive menu, and brought everything out with perfect timing. The food was exceptional and we could have kept eating if our stomachs hasn't stopped us. This is a real find and we will definitely be back the next time we are in Durham.