The bread was so dry I expect it was several days old and served with little plastic packets of margarine. The mushroom risotto was too greasy to finish. The salad was good and the wine pour was generous. The service was pleasant, but not particularly speedy. read more

ordered take out. poorly packed and sauce leaked over everything on the drive home. worst dish was the baked meat sauce pasta, which tasted like rancid tomatoes from a can. fried zucchini was obviously frozen previously. bread that came with the meal was stale and tough to chew. disgusting. only edible thing was the vodka sauce pasta that we ate because we were starving. nothing is more disappointing than wasting $47 on food that is horrid. will never go back or recommend. read more

I have tried to my this my neighborhood bar and restaurant because it's nearby. Can't do it! Firstly, the owner is about the unfriendliest host I've ever met. My neighbors and I have been going for years but she never speaks or even, smiles! The food is mediocre, at best, and tasteless. The portions are small. They also serve the smallest amount of wine. Bypass this restaurant and try nearby,, Melo's on Hillandale Rd. Their Italian food is much better and the are actually happy to have you. read more

Service was good and the food was even better . With the restaurant less than a mile away from home we decided to try this place out and we did not regret it! read more

Pomodoro Italian Kitchen - First time here and it's a very nice environment and food smells delicious.. can not wait to dig in!!!!! - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I had low expectations going in and it met or exceeded them. The bread was soft and fresh. I ordered the most straight forward dish possible: spaghetti and meat balls. It was exactly as expected. The pasta was cooked al dente and the meatballs were large and moist. Others enjoyed their lasagna as well. In the end, for a very standard Italian meal, I was satisfied. read more

Lasagna was luke warm in the middle Service was ok but did not honor the yelp coupon I would not recommend and will not go back read more

This is a great family style restaurant. It has good food and provides a comfortable atmosphere. I had the chef's special. It had Italian sausage, red bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli and spaghetti with a decicious sauce. It was very good. The server was helpful and provided prompt, courteous service. read more

Pomodoro Italian Kitchen - Italian Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

What a disappointment. The mozzarella sticks appetizers was still frozen. This was after waiting 5 minutes to see our server. The food was ok, at best. If you like to hang out at the bar with a bunch of old folks getting drunk, this is the place. Steer clear and go to McDonald's. Better service and better food. read more

Not busy on the Monday night I stopped in but I sat at the bar and the bartender disappeared for about 10 minutes before coming back to take my order. Very limited beer selection and only 3 taps. Being in Durham , I assumed there would be more but maybe most people aren't looking for beer with their Italian food. The lobster ravioli was yummy and maybe they are better than the 3 stars I gave. But that was my initial impression. Worth a 2nd look. read more

This is a really good take out option but the dine in experience was mediocre. We went in the middle of the week and the servers just looked miserable and obviously were not enjoying what they were doing. The food is really good tho! read more

Expensive! Dinners don't come with salad. Not worth the price! Drink prices are outrageous! Majority of basic cocktails are made with a 1 oz. Pour. We used to frequent..but after a horrible service and ridiculously high drink tab last night with Lydia behind the bar...we won't be back!!! read more

The 2 high school girls who seated me were friendly and the waitress was friendly. The food was average at best. The service was sooooo sloooooow. If stay at same hotel when in town; I would eat there again. Would not make it a priority. read more

We would describe Pomodoro's as "Semplicemente meraviglioso," Simply Wonderful! We ate at this Italian Restaurant in Durham NC while visiting. This restaurant offers REAL Italian home made cooked food with awesome service and at a price that is very reasonable. I ate their delicious home made Tortellini soup and Grilled Salmon while my friends had Stuffed Shells and fries, and Chicken Parmesan. If you visit Durham and you are or love home made Italian food then you must eat at this restaurant! read more

Came in as a big group on a Friday night. We were sat in a private section in the back. Initailly I was a little put off that the high chair provided was broken so I was pretty skeptical going into the rest of the dinner. The food ended up being really good!! Service could have been faster and more attentive, but then again we were a group of 12 so I am also being realistic here. If I lived close, I would definitely return. read more

We love it! We're from NY and feel they have the best pizza in Durham. The Calamari is great also. Ive tried other entrees live the summer chicken which was also superb. The manicotti was just OK. The servers are pleasant enough, but it serves subs, so it is not an elegant place. read more

A group of 5 childhood friends met for dinner on a Weds. night at this location which has been great in the past. I am not certain if they have a new chef or what but this past time has us all thinking it was our last visit. Two of the party ordered the "special of the night", one ordered the "Chef's Specialty dish and I ordered the "NEW" Saltimbocca dish on their menu (which in Italian means - "jumps in the mouth"). One of my favorite Italian dishes. This version dish had absolutely NO taste at all. It was a piece of shoe leather tough veal cooked with no seasoning at all smothered with tasteless cheese, spinach and a tasteless piece of ham served over dry angel hair pasta. A total waste of $15.95. The gentleman who ordered the Chef's Specialty informed me he ended up tossing his leftovers in the trash. Hopefully, they will realize, to survive, the food needs to be at least up to par with other Italian restaurants in the area. Just around the corner in the nearby shopping center is a great place that makes this one look like fast food garbage. read more

My boyfriend and I just got back from Pomodoro, and this is the first time either of us has ever been moved to write a Yelp review. I had pasta marinara, which was horribly overcooked, and reminded me of an overchewed piece of gum that has lost all of its flavor. The sauce was worse. My boyfriend had the manicotti trio, served in a bath of what, at some point, was probably a yellow powder. After valiantly fighting through 1/3 of the dish (with a pained grimace), he watched it congeal into a single mass while we waited for the check. Neither of us would consider ourselves "foodies"-- we frequent (and even enjoy) places like IHOP, Waffle House, Subway, Domino's, etc. Pomodoro, however, was astoundingly worse than any other restaurant in living memory. Had I cooked the meal I was served, I would have recoiled at first bite and thrown it in the garbage-- even if all I had left in the house was a box of Saltines and Velveeta (which, for the record, would make far better quality ingredients than whatever they use at Pomodoro). The waitstaff seemed fine; our waitress was attentive and pleasant. She seemed to be aware of the limitations of the food she was paid to serve us, and asked the typical waitstaff questions (e.g., "Everything tasting ok?") without expecting an honest answer, or, indeed, anything more than a head nod and an earnest attempt to keep the food in your mouth. Needless to say, we will not be returning. We'll spend the rest of the evening eating our own frozen food, which will be infinitely better than anything you could possibly get at Pomodoro. read more

Blazing Good Food ! Consistently serving good food. Only issue I've dealt with over and over is that cook the Wings entirely too Hard !! They need to lower the temperature and cook the Wings a little slower and Surely you will have a Better Wing ! read more

I really enjoyed my lunch from here. Portions were huge. Food was good. Service was great.

Two stars is really because the only only thing worthwhile eating there is the pizza. The pizza is good for NC. The pasta is over cooked. The sausage hero I had was two sausages is a hero roll, no cooked peppers or onions, just two sausages in a piece of Italian bread with cheese. There is no Italian in the kitchen, none. Yes the pizza crust is good making the pizza tasty. read more

I love going to Pomodoro's, especially after the buy 1 get one 50% off coupon comes in the mail. It's definitely not the best Italian food I've ever had, but I really enjoy the food. The service is always amazing. I have a few food sensitivities in my family and they've always been able to accommodate. For me, Pomodoro's is a huge improvement over an Olive Gardens-type place because there are less people, more attentive service, cheaper, and equally good if not better food. Favorite items: Take-out pizzas, Godfather sub read more

There wasn't really anything about this place that was downright bad; it was all just aggressively mediocre. The bread for the table was fairly warm and tasted fine but the margarine that accompanied it was gritty and tasteless. My calzone was a very large portion, but it was unevenly heated and the cheese had an off-puttingly sweet flavor. My friend ordered the Manicotti Trio, and it was also just not especially good -- under-salted and bland. I've heard good things about Melo Trattoria across the street, so I'll definitely be going there instead if I'm ever in the area again. (Though, contrary to several other reviews, the service we received was absolutely great) read more

The first thing I noticed was that their Fleur de Lis was upside-down. We had a little chuckle over that. The calamari was okay, but the "marinara" sauce was watery! The server was okay, the food was okay, it was an okay experience. Timing was terrible... the place was empty but we still had to wait for long periods of time. Coming from an Italian family, the food wasn't as good as it should have been. We won't be back and wouldn't recommend it to friends. read more

Best Italian food around. Such a nice staff and are quick and friendly. The food is true authentic Italian and has a great variety. There are specialty dishes such as Chicken Caprese as well as classics like lasagna and chicken parm. Definitely a perfect place to bring your kids for a family dinner out because everyone can find something they'll enjoy. Awesome drink specials too ($2 Margaritas!) read more

The food was not bad. Not great either, but passable. The service and atmosphere, however, really brought this place down. The restaurant seems shabby and run down, and the waitress payed us very little attention. read more

FANTASTIC. Authentic, excellent Italian food. Went in on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. Had the gnocci with alfredo sauce and it was amazing. Husband and bow tie pasta with meat sauce and loved it. We are going back tomorrow night as we are not local - live in Atlanta. Wait staff is very pleasant. Please - take your families - you will love this place and the food. And the owner comes directly from Italy and makes his sauces every morning. If I could give more than 5 stars I would! Maria & Cam J. read more

I still like this place. This time i had a greek salad and the chicken parmigiana plate. The salad is still good. I was perplexed by the chicken. I not sure how to describe it. The sauce that came on it was good. read more

Food - ok. What you'd expect from a 'time-warp' Italian eatery from 20 years ago. Red sauce and cheese and pasta all 'ok.' Meat dishes hit or miss. Got some fried seafood and ate about half that was good, didn't eat half that was overcooked and overbreaded. My impression was frozen portion control. Salad was huge and very good. Based just on food this place is a 3 star. Service when I've been there has been 1-star. We were seated in a booth behind the servers 'social booth.' Waitresses plopped down repeatedly behind me, spoke loudly, laughed and when one came out with a tray of silverware and slammed it on the table behind me I objected. They all laughed but agreed to move us. The waiter was uninformed and when I asked him about a draft beer he said he didn't know what kind it was but I should try it because 'trying new things is good.' From our new seat we got to watch the barmaid sweep her area into the dining area next to us. It was surreal. It was convenient to where we were, it wasn't walk-out bad and it seemed relatively clean. There are better places not far away but... the food is ok. After all it is part of the wasteland of restaurants in N. Durham. read more

Convenience is the ruling principle here. Not bad, not great. Quick, good customer service, but if you're in search of good Italian, look to Pop's or Meelo's. For pizza, your guess is as good as mine, but Rosati's in Morrisville is above average for these parts. read more

This is a nice family operated business. I believe that their pizzas are first rate and pasta sauces are quite tasty. Their appetizers aren't particularly innovative but they are worth exploring. If you get lucky some nights have a nice wandering singer strolling the restaurant. read more

Solid simple Italian inspired cooking for an meat-and-potatoes appetite. I brought take out for my family of 4 (including 15 and 18 year olds.) Everyone ate their meal but I also heard comments about a lack of flavor and seasoning. read more

Chicken Marsala had no Marsala wine flavor. The dish I got was chicken breast and common mushroom over spaghetti with generic pan sauce. I mentioned the lack of any marsala wine flavor to the server, who was pleasant and otherwise did a good job, but offered to do nothing about the Chicken Marsala. read more

My son and I love Pomodoro and get take out fairly regularly. He had his middle school formal tonight and wanted to go to Pomodoro afterwards in lieu of eating at the dance. Of course I was in! We got there at approximately 9:20, were immediately seated, greeted (very well I might add) and got our meal off to a great start. Our salads were promptly brought out, and even though we were told our calamari would take awhile, it came out rather quickly too. Awesome! Our food was spectacular, however, the service was not from that point on. Our salad plates and appetizer plate was never removed from the table. The server dropped our entrees and didn't even bother to take the items piled at the end of the table or stop back until 20-30 minutes later to see if we wanted the check. No bread was served, no drink refills offered....our food could have been terrible (but it wasn't). If it was too close to closing time, someone should have made us aware. Long story short, great food, less than stellar service. Make sure you don't stop in past 9:00 on a Saturday night and you should be all good. Very disappointed. Due to working in the restaurant industry in all aspects for years, I am a 20-30 percent tipper and it bothers me when I can't bring myself to take care of servers because they forget why they are there. To my server, I am sorry, but had you completed the very basics, the approximately $14 you would have made for less than an hour of work would have been worth it. read more

I went to pomodoro's for dinner, while traveling from our of town. It's in a great location, if you are staying at Courtyard Marriott (walk right next door.) The service was good and the staff is attentive and friendly. I had a cheese calzone, which was average. It was way too much in size for 1 person, but came out warm instead of sizzling hot. It filled me up rather quickly, though. A good place to check out on a casual dinner night. I will try it again with something else next time, if I visit Durham again. read more

I haven't tried many dishes here, but I can tell you that the Lobster Ravioli is superb. I have been dropping by this place for years, just for that dish. read more

Took 20 minutes after we were seated to get waiter. This only happened when I went back to hostess to complain. Ordered glass of wine that came in dirty glass. Food came out fast, but was average at best. Read reviews before we ate there, disappointed in service, cleanliness, and food. read more

Friendly, Professional service. Excellent authentic Italian food. Appropriate portion sizes.relaxing atmosphere. Great place to bring a date or family and all dishes reasonably priced. read more

Great place to eat and an awesome staff!! I have never had a complaint with any of the pasta dishes, sandwiches, or pizza that I have ordered. If you are looking for some good Italian food and a family type atmosphere this is the place for you. Great location right off 85 and five minutes away from Duke University. Has a good size party room and a bar that can fit about eight to ten people. read more

Excellent service, the best boneless wings in Durham, Stromboli is top notch, and the best Sangria around. Check it out.

Slow service today, totally inattentive waitress who tried to argue with me about what I ordered, delivered my soup tepid and out of sequence with the other appetizers at the table, and took a good 5 minutes to refill my drink. My Pasta a la Dino was good, but the dining experience as a whole took my appetite away. If I come here again I'm going to ask to not be seated in her section. Our 45 minute lunch break ended up taking a good 75 minutes. read more