Tesoro is a cute little neighborhood gem in Carborro just a stones throw away from Weaver Street market. The vibes are intimate and cozy, and I'm so glad I made a reservation because even on a Tuesday night, the whole place was full, and people kept coming throughout the evening. There's a few smaller tables and a bar overlooking an open kitchen. Bonus vibes points for the fresh flowers on the tables. The menu is Italian with a small, focused menu. We started with the focaccia bread, and wow, it was pillowy and melt in your mouth good. The butter that accompanies it was a warm hug that brought the whole thing together. Otherwise, we ordered a few other dishes. The waitress was really kind and helped us ensure that everything we got was vegetarian. We ordered the linguini vegetarian, rigatoni, and the gnocchi. All were very flavorful and rich tasting. read more

Tesoro is a charming little Italian spot in Carrboro. We sat outside on a beautiful day, which made celebrating my husband's birthday even more memorable. We started with the beets, focaccia with whipped herb butter and a glass of wine--simple, fresh, and a great way to start the meal (the focaccia is a must order and the herb butter was worth the $1 upgrade). For our entrées, he had the mafalde and I ordered the ricotta gnudi. Both dishes were delicious. We couldn't skip dessert. We shared the caramel bread pudding with ice cream and the olive oil cake with citrus crème anglaise. The olive oil cake is a must order. Because of the restaurant's small size, I'd definitely recommend making a reservation if you plan to dine in. read more

Where do I even start!!!! The best restaurant in the Chapelboro area (in my humble opinion). Tesoro is our go-to for any date night or special occasion meals. The cozy, candlelit space itself is beautifully decorated. Only 26 seats means there's a nice intimate atmosphere, but also that you should probably make a reservation. But if you're only 1-2 people, you could probably walk in on a weeknight and sit at the bar, which is also cool because it's you get a front-row seat to watch them cook your meal. The seasonal menu is super cool as well because there tend to be different items every time we go. My favorite starters so far are the broccoli & crispy chickpeas, focaccia, and arancini. I should try different entres but I can't stop ordering the ricotta gnudi. It's so good. I dream about that shit fr. The staff is polite, attentive, and super personable. Our servers always make excellent food and wine recommendations. Truly a gem, we feel incredibly lucky to have this place in our neighborhood. It's so special to be able to walk here and have a perfect meal every time. I love you Carrboro and I love you Tesoro!!!! read more

Tesoro - Italian Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

We always love sitting down for a great meal at Tesoro! Lovely service and a charming atmosphere is hard to beat. We started with the focaccia and upgraded to the fancy butter, which was with preserved lemon and garlic (worth it). I ordered the fennel sausage sugo lumache, and my friend got the garlic and anchovy linguini (her favorite!) Perfectly al dente pasta and rich, flavorful sauces. I finished my night with an affogato that was amazing. Just one of those places you keep coming back to, for good reason. Always a pleasure! read more

Tesoro - Foreground: Fennel sausage sugo lumache. Background: Garlic anchovy linguini. - Italian Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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First of all, only 18 seats in this establishment? That's bonkers. Anyways, lucky us, we came at the right time I suppose on a Friday night (around 6:30pm) without a reservation. I was scared we were going to get shooed since they didn't have any reservations left and they had so little seats. But they said that they had an open table for 2, and they were going to clean it for us. It was an outside table, which was approximately 1 feet long and wide, and facing the rainy, dark street. It was definitely odd and felt weird sitting outside on cheap metal chairs in the darkness. I was still glad we got a seat though. Since it was supposed to start raining more soon, the lovely waitress told us that she would be able to move us to bar seating shortly. Bar seating was great! We were right front and center of the chef making the pastas, and you can see all of the fresh ingredients and pasta they use. The interior was stunning. Very classy, cosy vibe, but it had an upscale elegance feel to it. I ordered the pappardelle ragu and it came out decently fast. The dish was amazing. SO much flavor, I've never tasted a pappardelle ragu like that before. It was very head strong on the cheese and meat flavor, but it was delicious. My one complaint is that it was definitely not enough food to satisfy me, but I think they gave the right amount of pasta because I think it would be too overpowering to eat more of. Would I come back? No. Was it a great meal? Yes! read more

Tesoro - Italian Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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This is a cute little cafe with great pasta dishes! Seating is limited so I'd recommend reservations. Between 2 of us, we had a satisfying meal with 2 starters, 2 pasta dishes, and a shared dessert. The stand out for me was the ricotta gnudi! read more

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Tesoro served some of the best pasta we've had anywhere. This is one of the best Italian restaurants we've been to not only in the Triangle, but in North Carolina. Needless to say, I highly recommend this place. It's bucket-list-worthy. That's all you need to know. If you want details, keep reading. This place is popular. You should book reservations well in advance, especially on weekends. Book here: https://tesorocarrboro.com/reservations/ This is a small, intimate restaurant. You'll be sitting close to your neighbors. There's seating for about 20 inside, including six at the bar. Sitting at the bar is an experience because you get to watch and interact with chef-owner David Peretin. He cooks and finishes his housemade pastas in the front open kitchen. There are also a few two-tops outside on the sidewalk patio. As reported online, David worked his way up from dishwasher at The Fearrington House in Pittsboro. He was also sous chef at Pizzeria Mercato in Carrboro. For my wife and me, those are two of our favorite restaurants in the Triangle. Therefore, it was no surprise we found Tesoro to be outstanding as well. Tesoro means treasure in Italian (and Spanish). The restaurant opened on August 17, 2021: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSrfLwWHOfm/?hl=en It replaced Market Street Coffeehouse, which had closed by June 2020 due to the pandemic. David acquired the space in October 2020. He completely gutted and redesigned the interior: https://chapelhillmagazine.com/tesoro-slated-to-open-in-carrboro-this-spring/ The atmosphere is hip and homey; this is Carrboro, after all. If you're looking for a bigger and more traditional Italian restaurant experience, this isn't it. My wife and I loved this place, from the warm and friendly vibe we got from David and his staff to the incredible food. We got lucky and found a free parking spot on E Weaver St, by the Spotted Dog Restaurant & Bar, next door to Tesoro. Do *not* park across the street at Weaver Street Market and Carr Mill Mall. Carr Mill Mall is notorious for towing. Tesoro has a helpful free parking map here: https://tesorocarrboro.com/parking/ In addition to pasta, Tesoro serves "seasonal plates and classic sweets with Italian, French and Croatian influences." The restaurant is open Tuesday-Saturday for dinner only. During our visit, the food menu was straightforward with seven "plates" (appetizers, sides) priced at $6-16 each, seven pastas at $17-25 each, and seven sweets (desserts) at $5-15 each. The drink menu had about 40 wines, including 10 available by the glass. The wines were mostly Italian and French. There was also a small selection of beer with craft selections from Steel String Brewery in Carrboro and DSSOLVR in Asheville. Here's what we got: Drinks * Sanpellegrino Melograno & Arancia (pomegranate and orange) sparkling drink ($4) * Domaine Migot, Cotes de Toul "Vin Gris" 2022, France ($15) Plates * Arancini - risotto, salsa Calabrese ($16) * Local Lettuces - olive oil vinaigrette, shallot, Grana Padano ($13) * Special Bluefish Rillettes ($18) Pasta * Lumache with pork sausage, green garlic, Grana Padano ($25) * Linguine with garlic, anchovy, lemon, breadcrumbs ($17) * Ricotta Gnudi with spinach, brown butter, Parmigiano Reggiano ($17) Sweets * Ricotta Cake with Citrus ($15) * Caramel Bread Pudding ($15) Everything was phenomenal and presented beautifully. While the pastas stood out, we were impressed and happy with every dish. All of the dishes were quality. The Arancini were well made and hit the spot. One order came with two large balls. The accompanying salsa Calabrese was mildly spicy. The Local Lettuces salad was fresh and tasty. The leaves were crisp and satisfying, the Grana Padano was finely shaven, and the shallots were pickled. The Bluefish Rillettes were delicious. They came with grilled bread (sourdough, I think), Dijon mustard, and pickled onion. My mouth waters just thinking back to the rillettes, which was an off-menu special at the time. The pastas were fresh and absolutely fantastic. To me, the best thing about them was the texture. My wife thought all of the pastas were perfectly cooked. We loved everything about them, from their wonderful flavor to their uniqueness. For example, I don't think Lumache and Gnudi are common on restaurant menus in the US. Searching back through my thousands of Yelp reviews, I only found where we ate Lumache one other time and where I ate Gnudi two other times. Lumache are also known as shellbows. The pasta is shaped like snail shells, not exactly like the Kraft mini-shells or similar-type pasta you often see in mac and cheese. Gnudi is like gnocchi. They're both Italian dumplings, but Gnudi is bigger, softer, and made with ricotta cheese. Dessert-wise, we both preferred the Caramel Bread Pudding to the Ricotta Cake, but both were great. I suggest saving room for the Bread Pudding. You have to try it. Our slice had amazing consistency and taste. Olivia was our server and she was awesome. read more

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Tasted most of the pasta dishes and enjoyed everything. Good service. Like the space. Went with a party of 6 and everyone left happy. Good desserts, too. read more

Great food, great service, downscale vibe We went to Tesoro last night for the first time and we're sorry we haven't been there before. The restaurant is very small, but we easily made reservations on a weekday. We got a nice table by the window to watch Carborro pass by. The menu is small, but we had no trouble spotting several items to chose from. I had the Arancini appetizer and the gnocchi main dish. Everything was well prepared from fresh ingredients. The ramp pesto was a nice variation and kept things interesting. Our server was friendly and efficient without hovering. (Wish I could remember her name.) The prices are on a par with what you'd expect for great food and great service. The atmosphere is decidedly downscale and doesn't quite match the food and service. The hostess was dressed in cutoffs, sneakers, and a wrinkled t-shirt. The tables were bare and we had to re-use our app silverware. I chalk it up to being a Carborro thing. read more

This is now going to be one of our go to spots for Italian! My fiancée and I had an amazing dinner this past weekend! The food, the vibe, the ambience, the service! Thank you, Caroline for making my first time there so special! Highly recommend the focaccia, local greens, arancini, Lumache, and the linguine. read more

This little Italian eatery is doing a lot of things right! Located in a very busy area of Carrboro across from Weaver Street Market, Tesoro offers up pastas made in-house in classic Italian styles along with a handful of appetizers (primi). And I can tell you that the focaccia here (served with olive oil and salted butter) may have been the best I've ever had. What makes Tesoro super interesting is its size, the space sits only 18 to 20 people so you'll likely need a reservation. And given the size, you're better off with a smaller group. Or just sit at the bar where there should be more availability. But overall I love what they are doing here. An old-school eatery with a small curated menu featuring top-quality ingredients and preparation. Make the effort to visit this busy restaurant! read more

Tesoro - Italian Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

I'd been waiting to try Tesoro out for months. They usually have reservations available, but there was a mixup on our end and we were able to sit outside as walkins on a Thursday which was nice. The outdoor tables are standard issue and nothing to write home about, but the street is relatively quiet. Despite there being a 12-top inside, our server was incredibly attentive and helpful for the entirety of our visit. She checked in at all the right times, and several other servers and hosts checked in with us. Service was 5/5. We ordered focaccia and olives to start with a green garlic/sausage rigatoni special and the linguine. Everything was 5/5 stars - the linguine wasn't anything to write home about, but there was a mixup with our ordering so an ingredient was missing. It was still 4/5 stars without that ingredient. The rigatoni special was incredible - my mom wasn't able to stop eating it even though she was so full. The focaccia is fried in olive oil before serving... enough said, but it was probably the best I've had since it wasn't served cold. We'll be back! read more

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Two meals here, both exemplary. wonderful menu for pasta, lovers, great appetizers and desserts, a very good wine list. Servers are knowledgeable and friendly, sustaining the restaurant's casual yet still elegant vibe. LOVE this place. read more

The appetizer was excellent, the main course was delicious, the dessert was fantastic and the wine paired perfectly with the app and main course. Our server, Tammy, was attentive, knowledgeable, friendly and professional. She recommended the perfectly paired wine. The vibe is cool and all the employees were great. read more

We finally had a chance to try Tesoro the other day, and it really lived up to its reputation, The food was excellent and service was good. I generally agree with most of the positive reviews, but a few tweaks are still needed (in my opinion). As others have noted, this is a small restaurant, and you do need reservations. I counted seating for 16 inside, and another 2 small tables on the sidewalk. Also a bit noisy, but not objectionable. We tried the arancini and focaccia as starters. The focaccia was near perfect - light crust on the outside and soft on the inside. The arancini was very good, and the sauce was excellent, but I do think smaller balls would make it even better. For mains we tried the ricotta gnudi and the tonarelli with pancetta. The gnudi is not something I have ever seen locally, and it was excellent - great flavor and texture. The tonarelli was also very good - perfectly al dente with an excellent sauce. My only complaint with the mains are that they are on the small side (the gnudi was 3 dumplings; 4 would have been perfect). As for service, the staff was attentive and helpful. One minor comment - you will have to ask for a spoon for past dishes (if you twirl). Highly recommended, and looking forward to going back soon. read more

This is a special place and deserves five stars...yet there are few areas that can be approved. The environment for me is perfect. I love the small, cozy, intimate lighting and the flow works for the space. 27. The service is very good. prompt, professional, informative. 25. The food is delicious, special, authentic. 28. Overall, it's a 27 out of 30 easily. Maybe higher. Areas to improve: 90 minutes per seating is too tight. We came 10 minutes early and got our 6:00 pm table but left right at 7:30. I'd expand the window to 100 minutes. That will work better with a table for four, especially if we order apps, mains, desserts, which we did. The lamoche (sp?) that my wife had was a 6 of 10 on heat scale not a 3 as server described. Too much red pepper or chile or whatever they added. That's it. Evertything else...lovely. Focaccia was best I've ever had (no lie). Olives, Salads.. excellent, simple, superb. My parpadelle was perfect. Our friends enjoyed their Gnudi x2. Wine selection (Aglianico) was outstanding. Desserts of Pecan/lemon tart, grapefruit sorbet, citrus cake and bread pudding all favs. So proud to have this place in our town. They focus, execute, deliver. Nearly perfect. Nice work, chef. But give us those extra 10 minutes by design. ty! read more

where the free bread at? we love italian food so came to check this place out. surprised to find out that there is no complimentary bread to open the meal. we ordered the focaccia which was excellent - crispy on the outside, almost croissant like, and rich and soft on the inside - but extremely heavy. But I still missed the plain crusty bread that we usually get at other Italian restaurants. We also went for the Arancini which was honestly the best part of the meal. crispy hot and filled with this spicy marinara sauce. for the mains we went for the malfalde and linguine. pasta itself was excellent but the sauce was lacking - not particularly special or flavorful. the most surprising part of the pasta menu was the lack of seafood. overall, decent fare but a deviation from the italian experience we know and love. read more

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Tesoro is one of the few restaurants in the Triangle that my family and I really enjoyed! It did take us a month in advance to make a reservation, as there is limited seating inside the smaller location. The setting is classy and the table and wall decorations are a nice touch. Waiting time after ordering does take longer but it is absolutely worth the wait! The Focaccia with the whipped butter was delectable and the pasta was the thing of dreams (our favorite was the Linguine with lemon). We had an amazing time chatting and eating and the server was kind enough to explain all of the different choices and recommend wines that paired well with the dishes. One thing my family agreed to was that we wished there were more variety in the deserts and add a tiramisu or a chocolate cake option that would have completed our meal very nicely. read more

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Service was good; polite & attentive. The pasta was & sauce was boring, though, considering that Tesoro claims to have a Chef. Pasta tasted dried; not fresh. I won't return. read more

I only have good things to say about this place. We know a restaurant is good when every course from start to finish blows our minds. That's a beautiful place for a date. The ambiance is chic, classy and intimate. We had a good time celebrate my birthday here with my spouse. First, small plates: olives and foccacia with whipped butter and oil. The bread was clearly fresh out the oven... moist and fluffy. It paired well with the wine from La Comarcal, Spain, Delmoro Tinto Valencia 2022 And, Mas Des Capitelles, France, "Faugeres" Vieilles Vignes 2021. The main dish : Tagliatelle with Pork Ragu and Parmigiano Reggiano Mafalde with Fennel Sausage, Tomato, Grana Padano. Chocolate Tart for dessert and Olive Oil Cake. The Chocolate Tart was rich and luxurious with a toasted meringue. The Olive Oil Cake was good too and had a pomegranate syrup that paired well with it. Every bite was spectacular at Tesoro. The timing of the service was perfect, the staff was really nice. The menu options were original and clearly they only served dishes that they had perfected. 5 stars! we had a blast and we will be back. read more

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Over time the portions get smaller and smaller. The rigatoni with pesto was not good. While the marinara is yummy, it costs $24.00 and doesn't come with parmesan sprinkled on top. Underwhelmed. read more

I absolutely adore this restaurant. They really nail it just about every time. I'm so glad this is in Carrboro. Have had too many great meals there to count. I read more

Tesoro was a treat in Carrboro. It only seats about 20, and there are a few outdoor tables as well. We shared the local lettuces which had a bright, flavorful dressing and cheese galore and the large, filling arancini. The pillowy supersized gnocchi with pork ragu was delightful. My only complaint is the lemon overpowered the Cacio E Pepe bucatini but otherwise a beautiful meal with wonderful service and still deserving of 5 stars. Definitely make a reservation because of the size! read more

Tesoro - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

It's all about the pastaaaaa. Lovely little restaurant (and by little I mean like 10 tables) serving up fresh and delicious pasta dishes. They stick to the classics, but level them up. We started with the arancini which were huge, creamy, and crispy. Would have loved the marinara sauce to have been a little warm with it. For mains, we stuck to the classics: a pork ragu which was spicy and complex and just wonderful! We also split the olive oil and anchovy spaghetti and it really surprised us! All this washed down nicely with a bottle of wine. Plus, we were seated outside and got to people watch and enjoy the street life. Almost like a little slice of Italy. They advertise as Italian and Croatian influence, but I'm Croatian and did not get any Croatian influence at all. That's ok! Also had to wait a while even though we had a reservation, but it gave us a chance to have a pre-dinner glass of orange wine (yummmmm)! We were only visiting chapel hill, but if I'm ever passing through again, I'll be sure to reserve a spot here again. read more

Tesoro - Daily special dessert: peach and berry galette - Italian Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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I was so looking forward to coming to this Italian restaurant in Chapel Hill. The reviews online looked fabulous, I love a limited menu because it means they are really perfecting their craft, but I was let down to say the least. We started with the Focaccia which was great I just think it would have been 100x better if it was with whipped ricotta instead of butter. We also split the local lettuces (not pictured) which was good, nothing special. For entrees by boyfriend got the spaghetti which he enjoyed and I got the Ricotta Gnudi and I was so disappointed. I ate one and didn't eat the rest - the sauce was inedible. I'm Italian and cook my own sauces at home a lot and this chef did not know how to make a brown butter sauce it was practically lemon juice, water, and oil saturated on the pasta. It was not good. I would never recommend this dish. I was so let down. And the pasta took dishes took a long time to come out too. The staff were fine - they weren't the friendliest but surely didn't care about asking why the dishes weren't eaten. Another let down was they only serve beer and wine, so no cocktails if you're looking to have one. Restaurant needs some improvements in order for me to ever return. read more

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Solid pasta and a ton of vegetarian options! This 18-ish seater restaurant in Carrboro is home to some of the best fresh handmade pasta that you will get to try in the Triangle area. I am a lover of simple, straightforward flavors when it comes to pasta, and Tesoro nails it. My husband and I went for dinner a few weeks after they had opened, and we thoroughly enjoyed everything that we ordered. All the pastas that they offer are handmade and cooked to order. The best part is, if you end up being seated close to the kitchen, you can see the pasta being cooked in action. They have a small but rotational menu, and have a couple of menu items that may not be listed on the menu; so be sure to ask your server if they are serving any specials. Here's what we got: * Spaghetti aglio e olio * Rigatoni in a tomato sauce with eggplant * Buccatini cacio e pepe * Arancini * Local bibs lettuce salad * Fior di latte ice cream This is definitely a small but mighty addition to the triangle restaurant scene, and I cannot be back to try more of their seasonal offerings. read more

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BLUF: Solid. Perfectly cook pasta. Delicious and every dish is well flavored. Ordered two specials and two regular menu dishes. It was very difficult to not order the entire menu. Needless to say, we'll definitely be back. Loved the countertop seats, gave us a direct view to the prep and cooking area. Always love watching the chefs in action and all the professional equipment. read more

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Frankly I'm a bit shocked. Despite the great reviews, my linguine was under cooked (no not al dente, you could taste the raw flour) and under sauced (barely any). Anyway, anyone can have an off night, so I asked for some lemon to enhance the flavor. I was told "No, you cannot have lemon. You can only have red pepper flakes." I was told this was the chef's rules (apparently also the owner). Wow, I've heard of arrogant chefs for sure, but having eaten all over the world in expensive restaurants and street food, no chef has ever made me pay to support their ego. Every other chef (and I do mean every) has wanted to create a lovely or warm or delicious experience for the customer. Evidently, in Tesoro, the experience is "you will eat what you are served and you will enjoy it!" Lol, not what I expected from a sweet Carrboro storefront! Also, the $17 glass of wine was a chintzy pour. So disappointing. I gave them 2 stars because the atmosphere is cute. My partner's gnocchi was fine--plain fare but adequately cooked. read more

Well hello there Tesoro! Welcome to Chatham County! We've needed a place like you! Recently opened in Carborro, Tesoro is a small Italian restaurant specializing in freshly-made in house pastas and other goodies! My wife and I made reservations ahead and nabbed a place at the counter so we could observe the highly skillful chefs weave their culinary magic right in front of us! After a couple glasses of red wine, we started off with the Local Lettuce and Arancini appetizers both of us which were very well made and light on the stomach. But our reason for being there was for the pastas and they did not disappoint! We went a little nuts and got 3 of their pastas, namely the Cacio e Pepe, Aglio e Olio, and Rigatoni with eggplant. There may have been some fork fights between us as we fought to grab the best bits! All three were excellent and while the Rigatoni could have been a bit less al dente, the taste of all 3 was impeccable and the Cacio e Pepe was our favorite of the evening! Although we were stuffed, we managed to save room for a scoop of Fior Di Latte ice cream which was the perfect sweet ending! The reason we really loved Tesoro were the numerous vegetarian options inspite of having a limited menu, and that speaks volumes of the confidence of the management and the chefs, and us being vegetarians, we didn't mind one bit! Parking can be found on and around Weaver Street. read more

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Transported me back to Italy! Small/cute restaurant. Small menu so not great for groups. We loved everything we ordered - butternut squash crostini and smashed sweet potatoes for apps & spaghetti and cavatelli for entrees. The crostini was delicious, simple ingredients but flavors meshed so well together. The special for the night was a smashed sweet potato and it did not disappoint. The chef kept the skin on but caramelized it so the outside was crispy and the inside was soft and sweet. My favorite pasta dish was the spaghetti while my husband enjoyed the sausage cavatelli. Again, simple ingredients, just like how they do it in Italy. Absolutely delicious! We ended the night with the olive cake and it was just the right amount of subtle sweetness. Be sure to order this for dessert. read more

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The food was reasonably good but the pasta sauces repeated themselves and there was no hint of anchovies on the one dish that was supposed to feature them. The acoustics were prohibitive read more

Add this to the top of the list of the few, legitimate Italian restaurants/pasta shops in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area! SO excited to see this restaurant open. The majority of pasta dishes (4 out of 5) do not have any meat so most main courses are available to you if you are vegetarian! It is relatively small, seats approximately 18-20 people, and has 1-2 outdoor tables with the remaining being inside. There is also some bar seating. You gotta make a reservation on Resy at least a few days ahead, and might want to go here with a small group only The food here was absolutely delicious! They have the essential appetizers including very good crostini and arancini. The arancini, by the way, are massive and they give you two - see picture! If it's just you and another person, you might not want to order more appetizers :) We didn't have the focaccia, but I was eyeing other people's the whole time :D The pasta was hand-made and delicious! The Gnudi was probably the most unique pasta on their menu, which they were out of by the time we had our late dinner reservation. They do a cacio e pepe (my favorite pasta to order anywhere) with grana padano cheese, and that was VERY good with just the right about of cheese and pepper. They have few pastas on their menu, but they range from different bases including tomato, cheese, and olive oil. We did not have room to try dessert, but definitely will next time! Service was very fast and friendly. Be sure to check out Tesoro! read more

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What a treat! What are the chances you could find a reservation for Valentine's Day two days ahead? But when my husband called and asked, the really nice guy taking the call said, "if you get here right at 5:00, we have two spots at the bar for walk-ins". So glad we did! This tiny tesoro (Italian for 'treasure') offers an intimate atmosphere, amazing house-made pastas and focaccia, great wines and friendly staff. No wonder it's always full; David the owner knows the value of doing something with excellence and keeping it manageable for his staff and family. Bravo! read more

My favorite restaurant in town and possibly in the world! The vibes are cozy and the food is always excellent. I almost always order the cacio e pepe; I've never been able to make it well at home and am often disappointed when I order it out. That is not the case here! It is creamy, peppery, and just delicious. I'm also a fan of the focaccia, the local lettuce salad, and the gelatos. Because this is a small restaurant, there are a few quirks: 1. The menu you see online doesn't always reflect what is available. This is fine by me; I see the chef twice a week at the farmers market, so I know that whatever he is cooking up is local and fresh. Despite my love for the cacio e pepe, I'll try the special apps and my husband will often get the pasta special to get a full appreciation of the chef's talent. 2. Limited seating: Tesoro is not the kind of place where you can waltz in with a table of 4 on a Friday. You need a reservation, and you should plan on being out in the door in 90 minutes once you sit (even ordering 3 courses). Again, fine by me: the restaurant is small, and people who hog tables while nursing a glass of wine should do so elsewhere. The waitstaff is polite and will check on you often, without hustling you out the door. My singular pet peeve with this place is that they don't offer decaffeinated espresso. Management, if you read this, please consider adding this as an option for those of us who can't have caffeine after 2 pm!! read more

The reason for a two star rating (instead of a single star) is because of the graciousness of our server. The food, from a very limited menu, is average compared to the excellent Italian restaurants in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Durham neighborhood. But what grates is the arrogance of the establishment. To make a reservation a Credit Card is required as there is a $25.00 per person charge if there is a cancellation in less than three hours of the reservation. On the day before the reservation a text message is sent as a reminder, with the requests that all members of the party arrive together, and do not stay for more than ninety minutes. To add insult to injury, when the three of us arrived (together and on time) we were kept waiting for almost an half hour! Obviously, in the case of Tesoro, what is good for the goose does not apply to the gander. As there was no place at the bar we were shunted off to a bench (which barely accommodates two persons - fortunately all three of us are of a small build), next to where the sidewalk was cordoned off to foot traffic, and within two feet of a table of five patrons. We were handed a wine menu and had to sip our prosecco facing in the same direction, for want of space. Yes, arrogance is the antithesis of service. read more

Just good food. It's a tiny space with minimal outdoor seating. It's right on the sidewalk in a busier street with lots of foot traffic. Their beverages are only wine and beer. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced. I didn't enjoy the outdoor seating and felt that could be vastly improved but loved the food. The wine was excellent if smaller than average pours. The bread was incredibly flavorful and had excellent texture. The lettuce salad was a refreshing bite but lacked any substantial flavor. The arancini were relatively standard but were hot and fresh. The pork ragu was very filling and had tons of meat flavor. The linguine really packed a lemony punch and overall had nice balance. We enjoyed the meal but would do inside seating next time read more

Tesoro - Pork ragu, linguine - Italian Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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These guys have replicated the European corner bistro/trattoria experience, down to the 45 min delay on our reservation. (Kidding! They covered the first round for our trouble.) We sat at the counter, which I think we've done once since Covid. The service was very attentive. All this was good: * 1/2 dozen oysters - a little spendy at $17 but they were big and meaty * radicchio salad - well dressed, well appointed * Meatball special * Ricotta gnudi - sort of like a big gnocchi? bright green and delicious * Olive oil cake for dessert Spendy wine list with stuff I wasn't familiar with, but I got a nice Barbera for $11 read more

Absolutely delicious from apps to entrees. Wish they had amari cocktails but worth it nonetheless.

Tesoro is a local gem. We've been here 3 times and their food is always amazing. Every dish is flavorful and delicious. They change their menu frequently with the seasons so there's always something new to try. Make sure you make a reservation! read more

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This is really awesome food, a small place, it's hard to get a table right now, but oh my goodness I've not had Italian food like this in North Carolina ever. I have gone to some Italian places this good in Chicago or NYC, and I've gone to a few restaurants this good in Chapel Hill, but they are killing it for Italian food in our town. Hats off to these chefs and servers, this is definitely the hottest reservation in town right now. It's a cosy little restaurant where you can see the kitchen cook, and it had a very cool atmosphere. This would be a good place to bring a really fantastic date, share a nice wine, eat everything. I would suggest share a few apps, the pastas aren't giant but they're enough for someone with either an app or dessert. They have a good wine list, our wine really complemented the food. read more