Reviews for Gocciolina in Durham, NC
Lovely little Italian place. The food was fantastic. It seemed like maybe a daily menu, written up on a board. We got the fried... eggplant appetizer, I got the eggplant ravioli and my partner got the seafood ragu. Ambience was really nice, even out on thepatio. Service was wonderful. We will definitely be back! Read more
The service was just okay. They were very slow in getting our drinks and brought out the appetizers one at a time. I know it... used to be a Tapas restaurant, but it no longer is, so not sure why all the apps didn't come out at the same time. The portionsize of the meals was ridiculously small. It was like they were serving us tapas portion at full meal prices. We were here formy Dad's birthday because they enjoyed it in the past. It was not enjoyable so we removed this restaurant off our list. Theserver was nice and it was possible they did not have enough help so that is why our drink and food service was so slow. Read more
Our experience here was a little disappointing after all the good things we'd heard about the place. But first, the good: The... meatballs were delicious, as was the eggplant ravioli. The atmosphere was cozy and pleasant. The drinks were good. BUT...Portion size, for the price, was pretty small. We understand that this is a tapas style place and some dishes are going to beappetizer sized. However, three ravioli for the main course was pretty minimal, as was the serving size of the seafood pasta.(Come on, guys, we all know the noodles are cheap -- can you at least toss in enough of those to touch the sides of the bowl?) Agreen salad was lettuce with balsamic vinegar. PERIOD. The ($38) pork chop was pretty big, but it looked lonely sitting on anaked plate without even a sprig of garnish. (Presentation?) Bottled wine prices were excessive even though we expect 100%mark-up on alcohol in restaurants. Service was spotty: everyone's dishes didn't come out together, we were told we had to waitfor bread to bake, and then we had to ask for it again (finally got 4 slices for 4 people). Overall, tasty food, but there arebetter options in Durham. Read more
I?ve been going to this place before the pandemic and before the hipsters found it via News & Observer. Our antipasti were good,... not great. An $18 gnocchi entree was a pitiful less than a cup of food. Tonight, the $28 snapper was a shameful, literal fourbites fillet - not the whole fish that others have posted. Has the management/chefs changed? I get inflation, but this wasabsurd. Our waiter was good. Two stars because the food tasted good albeit so little of it that I went home to eat a real meal. Read more
Food and drinks: 12/10 Service: 4/10 The food and drink are absolutely great. Some of the best food in the Triangle honestly.... You can definitely go wild just on appetizers alone and keep it cheap. Fair prices on everything! But there were VERY extendedperiods between when our server checked in with us in between each 'event' from putting in orders to even getting our card backafter paying the bill. 5-10 minutes on average. Would be nice if you offered fresh cracked pepper or grated Parmesan on theentrées but when the helper gave us our food there was no follow up for a long time Had an 8pm reservation and wasn't seateduntil 8:40pm last night, due to the table before us 'taking 2 hours to pay their bill'. Once we were seated we understood whythey were there 2 hours. Food and drinks come out slow. The amazing kitchen needs better support with Organization / Front ofHouse to truly unlock this place's 5 star potential Read more
I love this restaurant so much! We come here for celebrations or anytime we feel like a fancier meal. The ingredients are... locally sourced and the chef prepares everything fresh, never had a dish I didn't like. The menu rotates so there's always a newsurprise. Read more
We shouldve known right from the get go. First off they gave 1 horrific quality photo copy of a handwritten menu... There were 3... of us and we are all mid 40s so the waiter had to tell us all the things we couldn't read. The only place they have the drinksmenu is on butcher paper on a wall inside...right behind a table. I had to walk right up to an occupied table and take picturesso we could know what cocktails were available. Then I ordered a cocktail... And it wasn't available. It's butcher paper tapedto the wall, why couldn't they just take it down? The apps were all great and reasonably priced. The mains are tiny... Like Iget meat is expensive so that's ok. However the serving of gnocchi looked like it was dispensed with an ice cream scoop. It wasjust 1 scoop. Also it's al la carte so that's all you get for $18. I didn't even take pictures because it was just sopitiful. The service was fine. They were busy and the waiter did his best. I had heard this place was great for so long and byso many people. It was such a disappointment to have this experience. Read more
I've never had a meal here that wasn't great, which is why I keep coming back! Just don't expect too many leftovers - the... portions are almost always perfect, which I appreciate. The staff is amazing. What more can I say? Do yourself a favor and givethis place a shot. It's only slightly off the beaten path. Read more