We have loved and enjoyed Ciao since our daughter was in her first year at UNH in 2021 and took her to dinner when she moved in .We have had many wonderful family meals and celebrations in Durham at Ciao . The food was always delicious and loved the atmosphere and welcoming warm spirit . Our son is in his first year at UNH and we had an amazing dinner last night for his birthday ,when we made the reservation didn't realize it would be our last meal at Ciao .We are sad that you will be closing but will keep our fond Ciao memories ♥️???. We will look forward to trying Clarks American and glad your hospitality will still be on Main Street in Durham . Best to you all and your amazing team .
Pete
Our second time dining there, and likely our last. For a wine bar they were out of most red wines, and the wait staff, while friendly, were not very attentive. Considering the price for a dinner for two I feel there are many better options out there. Sorry Ciao, we really wanted to like your restaurant, but it just hasn't lived up to expectations. Negatives aside the food was great and we appreciated the live music, which was very entertaining and at just the right volume for the atmosphere. But for nearly $200 I think it's fair to expect better.
gknh
Ciao Trattoria is not your typical pizza and spaghetti and meatballs Italian restaurant, where the menu options for someone with a gluten allergy are limited to salad. Instead, at Ciao Trattoria just about everything on its extensive menu, including pizza and bruschetta, can be had in a gluten-free version. The only exceptions are the homemade focaccia and the baked sausage. Gluten-free menus are available, which when compared to the regular menu, provide proof of this restaurant's commitment to accommodating gluten-free diners. Cheeses are used in moderation, not as a coverup for lack of flavor in anything else on the plate. The roasted asparagus and broccolini are done to perfection. Salads are ample and can constitute a meal on their own. The shrimp scampi is prepared with a light lemon cream sauce rather than the traditional pool of melted butter. The Alfredo sauce for the chicken is also light, allowing the flavor of the grilled chicken to predominate. Everything tastes freshly made rather than poured out of a can or plopped onto a grill without any attention to seasoning; everything is moderately priced. Inventive cocktails change with the season, and on Wednesdays all wines are half-price. Good, affordable food and wine, an attentive wait staff, in a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing space where you can talk with those at your table without having to shout .... such a welcome addition to a community where for several decades "eating in town" meant getting a pizza or burger and beer; "eating out" meant going out of town . Having spent most of my life in Durham, I'd given up on the likelihood of an eatery of this quality ever appearing in this tiny downtown. Here's hoping that the fact that Ciao Trattoria is owned and managed by a fellow townie will bolster its chances of thriving for a good long time.
ArdieH
We had eaten here previously and had a good experience. Last night, however, was not so great. They were out of the first 3 wines that I selected to start. The Caesar salad was good. My entrée, the parmigiana encrusted salmon was fairly dry...a bit overcooked. The risotto was also a bit dry. The meal was supposed to come with asparagus, but instead, came with oil-saturated roasted broccoli. My husband had the linguine with pomodoro and meatballs. He said it was good. One of our friends had the chicken piccata, which I had had previously and had been pretty good. She said it was “OK”. Not sure why all the mishaps last night, but will think twice before revisiting.
ChristineO
Food was amazing, service was outstanding. Was there having dinner after my college graduation. Definitely recommend having a reservation but definitely worth the wait. Drinks were delicious too.
rickd967
A good dinner, a nice bottle of wine and great service at the bar from Ed! A very enjoyable night in Durham.
Chris Paese
This is a great place to grab a drink or go on a date. the atmosphere is quite elegant and the service is friendly. The pizza is better than most pizzerias in NH and the drinks are great. We’ve sat a a booth and the bar before and both the server and bartender were respectful and profesional. Im defiantly going back again and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pizza
Molly Dominov
Sweetest workers EVER. Amazing drinks. Bartenders were so welcoming if you just want to stop in for a cocktail, or grab pepperoni and hot honey pizza to go, definitely worth it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pizza
Emma LaRoche
Ed is the best bartender! Drinks are great and atmosphere is great! Love coming to dinner here. Will definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
tess bonavita
Ed the bartender gave the best service. Drinks were more than perfect and his food recommendations were on par.
We hosted our wedding welcome drinks in the private event space downstairs at Ciao and it was fantastic! Coordinating with the team ahead of time couldn't have been easier, and Isabelle reached out proactively to touch base with us or offer input on any questions we had. When the night came - our guests had a BLAST. The space is warm and inviting, and the bartenders made sure that none of our ~70 guests had an empty glass. Some of our friends ate upstairs beforehand and had great things to say about the food. We did a light assortment of apps for the event and people were raving about the meatballs - so much so that we brought a few orders home. Thank you to Isabelle and the Ciao team. We had to drag most of our guests out which is a tell-tale sign of a great event. This was a perfect way to kick off our wedding weekend and we can't wait to stop back next time we are in the area!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kiersten Ranfos
Sat at the Bar with my best friend, ordered drinks. Ed was our kind bartender. He was phenomenal, answered questions, laughed with us and question if we were okay after a dilemma with people next to us. Great drinks always great food! Enjoy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pizza
chloe allen
My boyfriend and I came here for dinner, waited 15 minutes after initially sitting down just for water and the waitress to introduce herself. We ended up waiting over an hour for our food, which was decent but not good enough to make up for our terrible waitress or how long we had to wait—two tables near us who had been seated after us both left before we even got our entrees. Would not recommend due to poor customer service and mediocre food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
JL
We dine here quite frequently and like the food and atmosphere. The staff is friendly and attentive and the food is always served hot. Recently they were short staffed and Ed, the bartender served us. I had a drink last season which hasn't been on the menu for awhile (the restaurant likes to change the menu on occasion to keep it "fresh"). I had no recollection of the drink's name but recall it had whiskey as one of the components. The bartender, Ed, went out of his way, finding former menus and he figured out the drink for me. I really appreciate how he took the time on a busy night to help out. I highly recommend Ciao.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
RitaZ
Great Italian restaurant. Excellent choices on their gluten free menu. The shared Antipasto was AMAZING! Plentiful and super fresh - would be enough for 4 to share due to its abundance. Our gluten free pasta was done perfectly - they get gf pasta that can be persnickety to cook. He had prosciutto and peas in a creamy sauce. I had the eggplant parmigiana. They were both very tasty and the portions were generous. The personable owner stopped by, what a pleasant experience! Our server Mariah was exceptional. We can't wait to go again and this time bring friends.
We have loved and enjoyed Ciao since our daughter was in her first year at UNH in 2021 and took her to dinner when she moved in .We have had many wonderful family meals and celebrations in Durham at Ciao . The food was always delicious and loved the atmosphere and welcoming warm spirit . Our son is in his first year at UNH and we had an amazing dinner last night for his birthday ,when we made the reservation didn't realize it would be our last meal at Ciao .We are sad that you will be closing but will keep our fond Ciao memories ♥️???. We will look forward to trying Clarks American and glad your hospitality will still be on Main Street in Durham . Best to you all and your amazing team .
Our second time dining there, and likely our last. For a wine bar they were out of most red wines, and the wait staff, while friendly, were not very attentive. Considering the price for a dinner for two I feel there are many better options out there. Sorry Ciao, we really wanted to like your restaurant, but it just hasn't lived up to expectations. Negatives aside the food was great and we appreciated the live music, which was very entertaining and at just the right volume for the atmosphere. But for nearly $200 I think it's fair to expect better.
Ciao Trattoria is not your typical pizza and spaghetti and meatballs Italian restaurant, where the menu options for someone with a gluten allergy are limited to salad. Instead, at Ciao Trattoria just about everything on its extensive menu, including pizza and bruschetta, can be had in a gluten-free version. The only exceptions are the homemade focaccia and the baked sausage. Gluten-free menus are available, which when compared to the regular menu, provide proof of this restaurant's commitment to accommodating gluten-free diners. Cheeses are used in moderation, not as a coverup for lack of flavor in anything else on the plate. The roasted asparagus and broccolini are done to perfection. Salads are ample and can constitute a meal on their own. The shrimp scampi is prepared with a light lemon cream sauce rather than the traditional pool of melted butter. The Alfredo sauce for the chicken is also light, allowing the flavor of the grilled chicken to predominate. Everything tastes freshly made rather than poured out of a can or plopped onto a grill without any attention to seasoning; everything is moderately priced. Inventive cocktails change with the season, and on Wednesdays all wines are half-price. Good, affordable food and wine, an attentive wait staff, in a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing space where you can talk with those at your table without having to shout .... such a welcome addition to a community where for several decades "eating in town" meant getting a pizza or burger and beer; "eating out" meant going out of town . Having spent most of my life in Durham, I'd given up on the likelihood of an eatery of this quality ever appearing in this tiny downtown. Here's hoping that the fact that Ciao Trattoria is owned and managed by a fellow townie will bolster its chances of thriving for a good long time.
We had eaten here previously and had a good experience. Last night, however, was not so great. They were out of the first 3 wines that I selected to start. The Caesar salad was good. My entrée, the parmigiana encrusted salmon was fairly dry...a bit overcooked. The risotto was also a bit dry. The meal was supposed to come with asparagus, but instead, came with oil-saturated roasted broccoli. My husband had the linguine with pomodoro and meatballs. He said it was good. One of our friends had the chicken piccata, which I had had previously and had been pretty good. She said it was “OK”. Not sure why all the mishaps last night, but will think twice before revisiting.
Food was amazing, service was outstanding. Was there having dinner after my college graduation. Definitely recommend having a reservation but definitely worth the wait. Drinks were delicious too.
A good dinner, a nice bottle of wine and great service at the bar from Ed! A very enjoyable night in Durham.
This is a great place to grab a drink or go on a date. the atmosphere is quite elegant and the service is friendly. The pizza is better than most pizzerias in NH and the drinks are great. We’ve sat a a booth and the bar before and both the server and bartender were respectful and profesional. Im defiantly going back again and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pizza
Sweetest workers EVER. Amazing drinks. Bartenders were so welcoming if you just want to stop in for a cocktail, or grab pepperoni and hot honey pizza to go, definitely worth it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pizza
Ed is the best bartender! Drinks are great and atmosphere is great! Love coming to dinner here. Will definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ed the bartender gave the best service. Drinks were more than perfect and his food recommendations were on par.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We hosted our wedding welcome drinks in the private event space downstairs at Ciao and it was fantastic! Coordinating with the team ahead of time couldn't have been easier, and Isabelle reached out proactively to touch base with us or offer input on any questions we had. When the night came - our guests had a BLAST. The space is warm and inviting, and the bartenders made sure that none of our ~70 guests had an empty glass. Some of our friends ate upstairs beforehand and had great things to say about the food. We did a light assortment of apps for the event and people were raving about the meatballs - so much so that we brought a few orders home. Thank you to Isabelle and the Ciao team. We had to drag most of our guests out which is a tell-tale sign of a great event. This was a perfect way to kick off our wedding weekend and we can't wait to stop back next time we are in the area!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sat at the Bar with my best friend, ordered drinks. Ed was our kind bartender. He was phenomenal, answered questions, laughed with us and question if we were okay after a dilemma with people next to us. Great drinks always great food! Enjoy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pizza
My boyfriend and I came here for dinner, waited 15 minutes after initially sitting down just for water and the waitress to introduce herself. We ended up waiting over an hour for our food, which was decent but not good enough to make up for our terrible waitress or how long we had to wait—two tables near us who had been seated after us both left before we even got our entrees. Would not recommend due to poor customer service and mediocre food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
We dine here quite frequently and like the food and atmosphere. The staff is friendly and attentive and the food is always served hot. Recently they were short staffed and Ed, the bartender served us. I had a drink last season which hasn't been on the menu for awhile (the restaurant likes to change the menu on occasion to keep it "fresh"). I had no recollection of the drink's name but recall it had whiskey as one of the components. The bartender, Ed, went out of his way, finding former menus and he figured out the drink for me. I really appreciate how he took the time on a busy night to help out. I highly recommend Ciao.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great Italian restaurant. Excellent choices on their gluten free menu. The shared Antipasto was AMAZING! Plentiful and super fresh - would be enough for 4 to share due to its abundance. Our gluten free pasta was done perfectly - they get gf pasta that can be persnickety to cook. He had prosciutto and peas in a creamy sauce. I had the eggplant parmigiana. They were both very tasty and the portions were generous. The personable owner stopped by, what a pleasant experience! Our server Mariah was exceptional. We can't wait to go again and this time bring friends.
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