50 Best Italian Restaurants in Raleigh

“An NC State staple.

Founded by a former NC State football player in the 1960s, Amedeo's continues to serve up great Italian meals 60+ years later.

The atmosphere will make any Wolfpack fan feel right at home!“

“I had one of my favorite meals recently at Figulina with a few friends. To start, they have a great list of mocktails in addition to their wine and beer list, which is always a plus given that half of my friends don't drink. We ordered the market greens and the honeycrisp apple salads to start and both were excellent. We followed that with a pasta course and the Paccheri is absolutely the way to go if you want a super savory, absolutely delicious pasta dish. For a sweeter dish that is equally amazing, try the Cappeletti. The one dish is don't recommend is the Malfadine/carbonara. It was extremely bland. (Our server said they had just changed out the ham used in the recipe and maybe that had something to do with it. I hope they work out the kinks.) Dinner was followed by tiramisu and the toasted almond ice cream dessert that came with peach compote and both of those were delicious as well. I will absolutely be back here.“

“Amazing ambience and food great location loved it“

“We drove all the way from Swansboro, Nc to eat their pizza and mozzarella cheese sticks! No joke! We take a mini trip just to eat their delicious foods! Highly recommend! Everyone is so kind! My son even loves playing the piano as we exit the building! We are already looking forward to be returning in the near future! The cheese pull on the mozz sticks is crazy! Thank you again!!!“

“I really love this restaurant and the Italian food is outstanding. Very nice management and staff too with outstanding service.“

“We recently went to Brodeto to discover what all of the hype was about. From the minute we walked into the restaurant until the moment we walked out, I have nothing but great things to say about this restaurant. i honestly believe it was one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. The food is awesome and the staff was spot on in every aspect. I can only hope that everyone has the same experience that I was able to witness.“

“We had a wedding rehearsal dinner there this past weekend. Delicious food, good sized portions, excellent service! Thank you so much for making it a wonderful occasion.“

“Today we had an excellent lunch of eggplant parm with a Ceasar salad. My husband had the same but with a side of pasta. Eggplant was nice and thinly sliced and the sauce was amazing. We tried the non alcoholic italian cream sodas which was a plesant surprise. We finished off with an affogato and pistachio gelato. Food was great and service was fantastic. This is truly a gem in Raleigh. Highly recommend.“

“It was my first time in and i only gave amazing things to say, a great environment, greeted as soon as we walked in, staff was very kind and helpful when trying to pick what to get, and the food was amazing, i tried the carbonara pasta with hot chicken and I was not dissapointed!! i will definitely be back!!“

“Great New York style pizza. Sandwiches and desserts are great too.“

“Our entire family celebrated my daughter’s birthday on a busy Friday night, but we felt like we were the only ones in the restaurant! Personal service, great wine, and the food makes you want to go back every day for something new!!! Thanks to the Longp family for a spectacular and fun celebration! Will be back soon!!!!“

“Nothing beats the comfort and quality of Bella Monica food! I first dined here in college when I was looking for some eggplant parmesan - since that day 20 years later it’s still my favorite Italian restaurant in Raleigh! Btw their eggplant parmesan uses in house ROASTED eggplant not fried and I cannot explain how delicious it is. I’ve likely tried everything on the menu by this point and not once have I been disappointed.“

“I found a recommendation for Farina on a Reddit post about Italian restaurants in Raleigh and I am so glad I decided to try it! The food was beyond wonderful with amazing portions and our server, Rachel I. was just as splendid. I can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed our experience and I will definitely recommend Farina to everyone!“

“Just had one of the best Philly cheese steak subs ever! Definitely would recommend.“

“Such a great place. So yummy and friendly :)“

“As always, it was excellent. We found this place during covid, now we drive 90 miles for Dr. appts. at Durham and make sure we get to eat here before we leave. Excellent! Excellant! Excellant!“

“it was ,by far, one of the best restaurants for authentic Italian food that I for one grew up eating in New York. we came for dinner on 8/29/2024 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. it looks like the restaurant has changed hands, as all of the staff with the exception of one of server has been replaced. and, the quality of the food has gone down quite a lot. there's no where near the consistency and portions, yet they have new menus with higher prices. we sure won't be going back. this is a shame, as we've been going there for quite a long time.“

“We discovered this restaurant during restaurant week and we are so glad that we did! We went in about an hour before closing and sometimes that can be a hit or miss, but not for this restaurant! Our food came out hot and perfectly prepared! Everything was delicious and I definitely did not expect these type of dishes at this restaurant! I’m so excited to come back in a try an array of different entrees. The ambience was also great in the restaurant and it definitely can accommodate any type of gathering or small birthday party as well.“

“Just ate here for the first time. I had the Dijon Chicken and shrimp and my wife had a penne pasta dish. We both were super impressed especially after moving back to Raleigh after many years so many other restaurants have not been very good.“

“Great authentic Italian cuisine! Great friendly staff!!“

“I get pizza from here every Wednesday night. The pizza is always outstanding! They also give military discount on Wednesdays. Highly recommended! 🍕“

“Apps, meals and dessert were all excellent- high quality ingredients and prepared perfectly. Cocktails- ginger and cosmo martinis were perfect. Watch sunset on large terrace. My son said his pizza was just ok. Great place for date or special occasion.“

“Love coming back to this place for our corporate parties. Delicious food, great service, beautiful design and warm atmosphere.“

“Came in around 8p and ordered a small pepperoni (hand-tossed) with spinach (spinach recommended by cashier) and he told me 10 minutes. I sat in my car for 8 as I was walking in I was met at the door with a steaming hot pizza & may I add it was quite delicious. Don’t think I’ll be getting my pizza elsewhere!!“

“Ate dinner here last night! Food was great and our waitress, Hannah, was the best!“

“Love the service and food! 10/10 recommend!!“

“My waitress Alexis was the best! I ordered the Salmon entree and it was so delicious! The bread and oil were the best I’ve ever tasted! This was my first visit and I’ll go back!“

“We just discovered a hidden gem here. It's got a very casual feel but the food is no joke. I had lobster ravioli and it was fantastic and the breadsticks that they serve with every meal are hot and tasty. They obviously have great pizza pies, although I haven't had one yet but they have a real variety of all kinds of Italian foods. My wife had a Stromboli and she loved it. She liked the fact that it wasn't real heavy on bread and it was nice and crispy with a great marinara sauce for dipping. Of course, the most important thing is the service and Marta did not disappoint. She knows the foods and is one of the nicest waitresses ever. She will take good care of you, I promise.
Thank you so much Marta!“

“Share a great Italian meal with great friends last evening! The atmosphere, the sweet waitress and most of all great Italian food made our experience over the top! Oh, did I mention the wine? 🥰🍷 I highly recommend Dante’s for a great dining experience! 🥰🍝“

“Some of THE best pizza I've ever had! We drive an hour just to come eat this pizza. The cheese is my absolute favorite but the chicken bacon ranch is awesome too!! Can't go wrong with any choice!“

“La Piazza catered my daughter's wedding this past Saturday and OMG, it was the best EXPERIENCE ever!!!! The food was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS, the amount of food was incredible. Guests were coming up to me all night and the next day asking who catered the wedding, because the food was so delicious. I HIGHLY recommend Anthony for all your catering needs. If you are looking for delicious authentic Italian food then he is your guy to go to. He was absolutely the best to work with. He stayed in constant communication with us the entire time. We also had him make 20 pizzas for the rehearsal dinner and EVERYONE loved the pizza's. He helped make our daughter's dream wedding come true. His staff was AMAZING. Anthony, WE APPRECIATE YOU!!!!THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!“

“Update: Carly called me immediately, handles me with kindness and rectified the situation. I appreciate her.

I placed an order for delivery through the Olive Garden app on October 3, 2025. My food never arrived, and I called the restaurant that same evening. The Togo assistant told me a refund would be processed within 3–5 business days and all I could do is reorder. So in good faith, trusting that a refund would be issued- I reordered.

Nonetheless, the refund for the first was never issued. So on October 13th at 9:42 AM, I called the restaurant again and spoke with a female staff member, assuming she was the manager because I called before opening. I provided the order details, the last four digits of my card. She told me there was no record of my order and said there was nothing she could do & “had nothing to refund” & to contact my bank- despite my bank statement and the Olive Garden app showing otherwise.

I then contacted my bank, and they said they could not get sufficient information from Olive Garden, so the dispute could take up to 90 days. I have given up on receiving a refund.

I am very disappointed with the customer service I received. I’ve always enjoyed Olive Garden - so this has been frustrating. I hope Olive Garden takes this seriously and improves their online ordering and refund process.“

“Doug was an incredible server. They were short staffed, but Doug was very attentive and we couldn’t tell. He recommended a great wine 🍷 and dish. Please tip well!“

“I had a great meal tonight consisting of veal parm and pasta, bread and salad. The veal and pasta were very flavorful. The rolls were very tasty.“

“Although we live near this restaurant, we had never visited. The closest we had come was to go to the Poppyseed Market, which is closeby in the same shopping center.

There is no outdoor seating. We actually inquired about this, they plan on possibly adding a couple of tables outside in the near future. Anyhow, the inside of the restaurant is nice, but nothing special. We ordered a salmon dish, penne vodka, and insalata gorgonzola. We also got the chocolate cake for dessert, which was delicious. The food was overall good. The service was friendly. We had arrived close to closing time, but they allowed us to stay without hurrying us to finish our dinner. Prices are moderate to high.“

“First time trying them and the piece of pizza was huge. I need to go back and try their entree’s. So far I would say check them out.“

“My family enjoys our local 3 Olives ( New Hope) regularly. Prices are reasonable, food is always excellent and customer service is ??. They’ve earned this review - six plus months and we have enjoyed each dish. Please know we appreciate you!“

“Excellent food, service and atmosphere.“

“If you are looking for amazing authentic Italian food (especially the pasta) look no further. I also love the whole atmosphere - it was wonderful to sit outside in a place that doesn’t feel like it is in the city and genuinely has a beautiful view.“

“Great experience Food was GREAT. Leona and Hampton are the best.“

“Excellent food and service in a cool and chic setting. Calamari is especially tasty with lemon aoli and hot honey sauce. Focaccia bread is amazing too. save room for dessert“

“Excellent pizza! We ordered 2 pies and a gluten free. All were excellent and piping hot. We will definitely be back.“

“Food was great...Service was not so good. I was with my family that consisted of 10 people, we dined in a private area..The waitress was polite, but she was rushed and she forgot to bring refills..I think they were shorthanded because it was like she wanted us to hurry and place our orders...and once we did that, we barely saw her..On a couple of occasions we went to find her because we needed refills for our beverages..But the food was very good, and we will dine in again..Oh, and it was my sister's Birthday and she never got her free dessert nor did they recognize her even after they were informed that we were there to celebrate her big day...“

“The atmosphere was romantic and the food was absolutely amazing! My husband had one of the best filets that he has ever had and the homemade pasta was as close as I’ve found to true Italian pasta. Highly recommend for a romantic date night ❤️“

“Phenomenal food at a family owned business. So glad my wife & I found this hidden gem today. We were very pleased with our tasty food, large portions, & great atmosphere. We will be back.“

“Great experience Food was GREAT. Leona and Hampton are the best.“

“The Chicago pizza is AWESOME!!! Stopped in on a trip too get it to go. The manager (assuming he was) and/or at least bartender made great LIT’s and was a cool guy to talk to while waiting! I’ll be making the hour drive there often!“

“So delicious!!! Ravioli and chicken cacciatore.Yum!“

“We have been going to Dominic's for years! The pizza is delicious. Everything else is just as good. The staff rocks and the location is beautiful around the pond. Live music on weekends and always a smile and great service inside of Dominics. Give it a try! You'll LOVE it!“

“Despite the late hour , the staff was very accommodating. Our waitress, Brook was awesome and so we’re the drinks and pizza.“