The food was awesome! Especially love the Greek pasta with shrimp. A perfect spot for a romantic dinner or a laugh filled girl's night! The wait staff is very attentive, going above and beyond to help you in any way possible. (Shout out to our favorite waiter, Kevin, and his killer cosmos!) read more

Enjoyed a nice birthday dinner at Melo. To start, the bread, I think foccacia, was really good. Their mozzarella sticks are huge and some of the best. Two people commented they didn't need the marinara they were so good. We all shared in some capacity. The hubs got the NY Strip which had beautiful and tasty veggies along with the good steak. I got a few tapas versus an entre. The sautéed spinach with the bacon for salt and an interesting dried cranberries for sweet were great.. not soggy or overcooked. The Shrimp in lemon was amazing! I could have just drank the sauce. Great for bread dipping. And of course the baked cheese was a winner. Service started a little slow because we had 7 folks and I didn't call ahead to warn them, but when we were finally settled the service was great. read more

See all

Beware. They will charge you 3.49% for using your credit card and blame the credit card company for the charge.

The inside and outside of this place do not tell the tale of the level of food being prepared. We were greeted by a young gentleman who was having none of my humor but promptly sat at a table and given beverages. We inquired about trying the vodka sauce as we were nervous to order it and be disappointed. We were informed we could try it but that in order to try it we would need to order it as all sauces were made to order. The made to order was enough for me to know ordering it was a safe bet. Wow. One of the best vodka sauces I've had in a restaurant outside of the Bronx. We are an Italian family and Italian food is what we do. We will return again to eat here very soon. The rest of the items ordered were enjoyed by all but I honestly don't remember what all was ordered other than the penne vodka and the calamari because I was so stuffed. The gentleman warmed up to my off sense of humor a bit and overall the service was wonderful. We never wanted for anything once we sat. The exterior is very unassuming and the interior was neither low class nor high class. It could stand to be decorated or lit a bit better but it did not impact our meal it just made me doubt the food prior to tasting. read more

Great server and they took our large party last minute. Very thankful they were able to accommodate us. Wonderful job!

I'm glad to see that Melo is still a great spot for lunch (it's been a couple of years since my last visit). My friend and I sat inside. He ordered the Croque Monsieur sandwich, I had a Greek salad with grilled chicken. He cleaned his plate, I cleaned my bowl. Lunch was very good. The service was great in spite of the restaurant being busy, with lots of people eating outside. I'd come back again! read more

We are not from this area and stumbled across Melo accidentally....but what an absolute treat! The focaccia bread was amazing, as was all our food!! I would highly recommend this restaurant and am sorry we won't be in town longer so we can try additional entrees. Our server was also very knowledgeable and made excellent suggestions. read more

Melo Trattoria - Store Front...from the side - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Very fresh, full of flavor, authentic Italian! My group and I all had 5 excellent dishes! Shrimp scampi, spaghetti and meatballs, tortellini 5 cheese, tortellini bolognese, and carbonara! We will definitely be back! Reservations recommended. We were visiting from Louisiana and heading to a show in Durham so we arrived before 5:30pm. read more

The food here is really good ,but the one waiter is always rushing us when we go . My friend asked for a coffee and dessert. She was putting her leftovers in the to go container, and the waiter placed the coffee down. He continued to stand there over her , eyeballing her . She looked up and asked about the dessert. He said out loud, "What am I magical or something ?It's coming. I just placed the order. Of course, people laughed at what the jerk said. Not knowing he was rushing us and hovering for our plates. This was not the first time we had a run-in with him. He needs to learn some patience ... read more

We ate here for Valentine's Day. I ordered the Chicken Marsala, my sister & niece got the lobster ravioli, and the hubs ordered the lasagna. We all LOVED our meals, with the exception of the hubs. The lasagna was not layered, it was more deconstructed. Bread and service were outstanding! The place was clean and quaint! A nice little authentic Italian gem!! read more

I was surprised to see that I have never written a review for this place before, bc it is my go to spot when I'm in the mood for Italian food. Sadly, customer service was not the best at my most recent visit-I ordered a glass of wine that never came, but the bread, cesar salad and lasagna were all on point! Since I didn't get the wine, I treated myself to crime brûlée which was really good! read more

Melo Trattoria - a plate of lasagna - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

Food was very good, but our server was rude, and twice brought up the topic to us about her tip. She even caught us when we were going out the door to complain about our tip even though we had left her an 18% tip. Food was good but the interactions with the waitress left a bad end to our evening. read more

Great food. Kind of a funny atmosphere but we really liked it. Ok so we have been here many times and the food is fantastic. The chef is fantastic. The wall pictures are funny. Actually a lot of things were funny but I will come back to that. The food is great. I have not have a bad experience here. I got the veal scaloppini and would get it again. Other things we got included the lasagna - but it is not on the menu - you have to ask for it. (There is your tip !) The atmosphere is authentic and hey - maybe a little dated but it only adds to the atmosphere. Everyone is usually age 40+ but I would say it was kid friendly - we just rarely see kids. Most people are older and having a glass of red wine with a next level Italian dish. Lots of little things are funny from the photographs on the wall to the disclaimer in the menu (see picture) to there being a formula for ethanol where the liquor is. We really like this place and I would recommend it. read more

See all

Food was great and the service was fast! I would definitely recommend and come back again! read more

See all

Not too bad; been three times...first was great, next two I felt like I must have been really hungry the first time. Not bad at all, yeah...good, and that's three stars read more

One of our favorite places to eat in Durham. Excellent pasta dishes (my wife is Italian and has been quite impressed), fresh salads, friendly service, cozy ambiance, affordable prices. read more

What a fantastic little neighborhood restaurant. I was traveling recently and this was right across from my hotel. So glad I went in. Friendly people and the food was absolutely excellent. If you're in the neighborhood try it! read more

I found this little gem about a year ago. I've ate here between 20-30 times. Absolutely great food and the prices are great. If you like lamb this place has some of the best lamb chops. Their vodka bolognese sauce is also amazing. Everything is made fresh It's also locally owned and the owner is a delightful man. I just love eating at melo cafe! read more

We got takeout last night for 3 people and it was $100. For that price we were expecting good food but it was awful. We all threw away our meals after a few bites. We got the shrimp scampi which barely had any shrimp in it and it was not good, the sundried tomato and broccoli pasta with chicken which had no taste, and the chicken parm in which the meat was not good. We also got meatballs and they were really gross. I rarely leave reviews like this but we all feel sick today. Hope we don't have food poisoning. Maybe it was an off night because the other reviews here are mostly good. read more

The table bread is forgettable. The mains, however, are very fine. Creamy sauces and perfectly grilled meat. Would definitely get the chicken alfredo again. The cheese cake dessert is basic and skippable. Friendly staff, but they seem unorganized and spread too thin. read more

Great food and service!!!! We always look forward to being there! So many great menu choices!

We've eaten here once before, a couple of years ago, and remember that it was good. Tonight, however, it was really really good! We had the creamy parmesan ravioli with shrimp, the shrimp Alfredo, and the tilapia with lemon butter sauce. The flavors were all extremely on point! Everything was delicious. The shrimps were perfectly seasoned ---almost grilled or pan-fried or something -- before they were added into the dishes, making them so tasty. Unfortunately, they were also a little tough and chewy (which is the reason for only four stars). The tilapia, on the other hand, was so juicy and flaky and perfectly prepared. This is a nice restaurant in a shopping plaza, with ample parking (though it can actually get full due to a handful of restaraunts all clustered together). Portions were fairly generous and moderately priced. It's great to find another good Italian place here in North Durham. read more

See all

Ambiance & Service: A This is a little neighborhood Italian restaurant with incredibly friendly staff! They know many of their customers by name and they don't hesitate to share a smile or a hug. Many people stop to have conversations with the owner/manager (nice woman with medium brown skin tone and a beautiful smile) and she takes her time to speak to them and shows genuine interest. An elderly gentleman dined close to us and he seemed a bit out of sorts but the staff took great care with him and moved tables to maneuver a wheelchair out of a tight spot. That is extremely rare these days. Food & Drinks: C Good wine choices and a full bar. We had a glass of Moscato and a margarita on the rocks. Loved the wine but the margarita was sour. My dining companion ordered chicken parm and a greens dish with bacon, I ordered Pesto Cream Pasta and substituted broccoli for shrimp. The food is not extraordinary. It is typical average Italian fare and it's not bursting with flavor or loaded with fresh ingredients but it is good and I enjoyed it. Overall: B We had 4 drinks at $9/ea, 3 apps at $8/ea and a pasta dish at $13 so our total for dinner for two was $85. You could prepare this same level of food at home so I wouldn't go out of my way to come back but if you're not in the mood to cook and you live close by then you should definitely come here.You don't need reservations, the dining room is comfortable, and the staff will treat you like family! read more

We got takeout from Melo; it used to be a local favorite for us. It's not as good as we remember it, but it filled the need for local pasta. Sadly, it wasn't much to write home about, and we probably won't eat there again for a while. The service was good, the meal was hot, and the bread was tasty. read more

Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomato penne, broccoli, sun-dired, fresh tomato, italian herb, parmesan cheese, add shrimp Great flavors, great presentation, bread hot just Awesome food! read more

Melo Trattoria - $15.95 / $18.95 Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomato penne, broccoli, sun-dired, fresh tomato, italian herb, parmesan cheese, add shrimp - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Great food, relaxed atmosphere and great service! Authentic Italian!! Will definitely be back. read more

We started with the meatballs as an appetizer which was really good - not too salty and great flavor. They didn't have the scallops which was our first choice. They also have complimentary bread which was excellent. I got a pasta dish as my main course which was excellent. Fresh vegetables and not too spicy. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a restaurant at the last minute! They were able to make room for 2 after I called with little lead time on a Saturday night. read more

Melo Trattoria - Pasta - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

"Sandwiches, pasta, and tapas off Hillandale Road" Building on my earlier review- came back tonight to try the tapas, and was impressed! I had the "pollo alla parmigiana" (basically, chicken parmigiana) and sauteed spinach and cranberries. Both were excellent in flavor, and the portion of the tapas was surprisingly large- I was OK with just those two for dinner. I love chicken parmigiana, and the chicken, sauce, and cheese were just perfectly prepared- smooth and fresh. And the price was great- each was below $7. My wife had a cup of soup and the sauteed mushrooms tapas, and that was a very tasty (although small) dinner for her as well. They also had kids' meals, too, which our son enjoyed but which was funny since I don't think anyone else in the restaurant was below the age of 40 besides at our table. A nice ambiance yet affordable "date place" for high-quality European cuisine/ tapas, and, as my earlier review suggested, great sandwiches as well. read more

Melo Trattoria - Trumpet player in restaurant on a Friday evening - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

I've tried out a few different pasta and they are all delicious. The traditional gyro is good for lunch. The staff are friendly and the service is great. read more

Melo Trattoria - Chicken Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

Food is out of this world omg, 1000% percent would recommend. Service was great, definitely need to try the garlic bread and the spaghetti bolognese. read more

Fantastic food, friendly service, lots of regulars give it a homey feel. We love it and visit often!

Service was amazing- attentive even though short-staffed. We ate outside and they checked in on us frequently. Food was lovely- Greek pasta dish was excellent, potato Parmesan soup was delicious- fresh, smooth and creamy but not rich. The chicken Parmesan was cooked perfectly and the pasta was not an accessory- it was el dente and delicious. Other favorites ordered included the lasagna (ask if not on menu) and tortellini in cream sauce. We ended a long relaxed meal with the Best tiramisu in the area and good cheese cake. read more

The salmon is pretty good while the tilapia is just so so. The smushed potatoes is very good. The baby lam chop has a very strong flavor, you may like it a lot or just don't like it at all. The bread is even below the average. Environment is good! 4/5 read more

I love Italian food and for my birthday I wanted to try a new place with family and friends. I found Melo Trattoria online and decided to give it a try. Walking in I loved the setup of the locations. It was cute and cozy, and just felt like a great place to spend some time with my loved ones. I loved the artwork they had there, it added to the charm for me. But the food was AMAZING!! Although I was at an Italian restaurant, the waiter really sold the fish so I decided to give it a try. It was delicious and so fresh and flavorful. About 15 people were with me to celebrate and no one had ever been to this place. No one was disappointed with the food, and to be honest, we were still raving about it after we had eaten everything. The staff were wonderful, and our waiter even sang me happy birthday in Italian which sealed the experience with a wonderful, heartfelt bow! read more

Melo Trattoria - Tilapia, parmesan mashed potatoes, and fresh veggies - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

We noticed this spot on Yelp when a popular Italian restaurant nearby couldn't seat us until 9 PM and decided it would be worth checking out. We were celebrating our anniversary and the ambiance was cute, even with the strip mall location. The decor was nice, a little interesting, but there were certain things, like a Pinocchio painted booth divider, that made it a little quirky, so I wouldn't call it a fine dining experience. Still a cute atmosphere. While my partner thinks the food was superb, I would say it was good, not great. Still, I would recommend trying it and we wouldn't be opposed to visiting again. To start, I ordered the house salad and she ordered the Greek salad. Both salads were okay and were made with Romain lettuce, which was kind of surprising for the price. They had an interesting choice for dressings but I pretty much stick to ranch unless it's not an option, and their ranch was not great. I was told by the server that the regular sized option was small, so I ordered the large and when we got the salads I was pretty disappointed to see the difference in size between my large and my partner's regular. Definitely didn't feel like it was worth the $2 surcharge. Next we ordered 3 items off of the tapas menu, which were the "baby" lamb chops, the grilled Italian sausage, and the Provoleta. Both the lamb and sausage were good, although there was no clear indication that the lamb came with mint jelly on it which I ended up scraping off because I'm not a fan, but the chops were still pretty good. The Provoleta was great, served with nice crispy pieces of bread. Finally, for our entrees I ordered the beef bolognese and added meatballs and my parter ordered the shrimp pesto-cream pasta with gluten-free pasta (yes, she's actually allergic and isn't following some self-gratifying diet fad). I was pretty disappointed to see that the pasta in my dish wasn't freshly made. I suppose I shouldn't have expected it to be, but for $15+ I guess my mind defaulted to fresh pasta. Maybe it had to do with being in the mindset of going to the Italian restaurant we had originally planned on, which does serve handmade pasta. Still, the sauce was pretty good. The added meatballs turned out to be an added meatball, singular, which was kind of surprising, but it was on the larger side. My partners pasta, which was penne style, was actually way better than mine and definitely ranked among the best gluten-free pastas we've had. Her sauce was pretty good as well. She added broccoli to her dish and really enjoyed her shrimp. Again, overall the ambiance was nice and the food was good. The only aspect I found disappointing other than what I've already mentioned was the pricing. $2 extra on an already $6 salad for a negligible difference, $4 extra for a few broccoli sprouts, and I honestly didn't even bother looking at how much the extra meatball - again, singular - ended up costing me. We did order a pretty significant amount of food and our bill ended up being $85 and $104 with tip. I guess it might just be a 'me' thing, but I couldn't get my head around the idea of a meal for two costing that much for average quality food and a few misses on the dishes. It felt like they were going for a fine dining feel and prices, but had a casual dining delivery in terms of quality and execution. Definitely think I wouldn't have been on the fence if the pricing lined up with the experience. HOWEVER, I will say that our second server was extremely knowledgeable about gluten-free allergies and went out of her way to make sure my partner had a nice dining experience. She even forewarned us about sauces and dressings having gluten in them and actually brought my partner gluten-free crackers to enjoy with items that typically had bread served with them. The only weird thing was our first server told us the lamb was gluten-free but then the second server let us know that there was soy sauce containing wheat in the balsamic au jus dressing they put on it, which could have been a disaster if they hadn't ended up switching tables. Still, I'd recommend it to anyone looking to try a decent spot and would definitely recommend it to someone with gluten-free needs. read more

This place is okay for standard, somewhat ordinary Italian and would do nicely if you live close by but I certainly wouldn't make a special trip from CH or Raleigh to go here. The free bread they serve before is not worth bothering with. It's a standard filler rolls while you wait. So unless your famished or you have kids that need a little something to occupy themselves with, skip. My adult daughter and I both had the chicken inamorata and neither of us fell in love as the name suggests with it. Not enough lemon cream sauce and a light breading or the option it would have been nice since it keeps the chicken tender. We also ordered the spaghetti carbonara because it's very hard to find this made with eggs and pancetta and not Alfredo sauce and we both enjoyed the creaminess of this better. The wine selection is good and we both found something to our taste. Service was fine though a lot of chatter by employees who were gathered together behind us. At least it was in Italian! I would skip dessert they taste premade and not fresh. The pecan pie was of a store bought variety and the green brûlée didn't have the hardened caramelized glaze that makes it special. The prices are commiserate with other Italian restaurants in the area but you could do better for the price point. read more

This is my go to spot for the best lamb chops my family and I thoroughly enjoy the atmosphere

My wife has ravioli with shrimp and cream sauce. I lasagna both were delicious. Will definitely return. Only complaint was better beer selection would be nice. Thanks for a great meal. read more

Cute little hidden place - very quaint inside. Service was nice but not overly attentive. Hubs had an Italian sausage sandwich that he said was great I had a Spanish salad which was ok - could have been more flavorful with better lettuce bed otherwise it was ok. Would come again but likely try something different. read more

Melo Trattoria - Lunch menu - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

The Puttanesca is amazing- service is kind and thoughtful... food is wonderful! This is one of our favorite places to go