I've had some of the best Italian food all over the world, and this restaurant was one of my favorites. This used to be a five star restaurant until the chef, who was an alumni of ALMA, recently left. If Convivio wants to maintain its reputation, they must find a chef of similar caliber. Otherwise it will become just another Italian restaurant. In the meantime, I will be going to Amalia's in north Raleigh. Amalia's chef was also trained at ALMA, which is one of the best culinary schools in the world for Italian cuisine.

I loved the look of the restaurant. In all the food was good however the portions were smaller than any I had in Rome. Our waitress Sofia was on her phone the entire time. We got the appetizer but it came after the food. I was a waitress for 7 years and if it was busy, I would give her the benefit of the doubt in forgetting but we were her only table. She was on her phone the entire time. Honestly would have rather went to maggianos.

Went over Valentine’s Day weekend and there was a limited menu. Great ambiance, music, and service, and you get to see staff plating food in the back—lovely touch. I look forward to trying their full menu sometime. Ample portion of shaved truffle on the risotto. I’m used to less upscale Italian restaurants and would’ve loved to have seen slightly larger portions and bread for the table and for fare la scarpetta. Great service again. Edited to remove comment about them charging for water.

My partner and I had a lovely experience here. The food tasted great and was obviously prepared with care. The server was knowledgeable of the wine and food. The space was relaxing and made us feel like we were enjoying an authentic Italian meal with family and friends. At no point did we feel rushed - we were able to sit and enjoy the food and each other. We will definitely be back! Also the dessert was delicious!!

My group booked a wine tasting with a party of 20 guests and we had the best time. Giuseppe was extremely knowledgeable abo the wines that we tasted (and they were yummy). We also had some nice anti pasto! Can't wait to go back & try their dinner menu and experience the alley way when they get that open!!

My husband and I just returned from a trip to Italy and were hankering for some food that took us back there, Convivio did not disappoint. Ambiance was simple and classic, service is impeccable, the server answered our questions thoughtfully, and provided great recommendations. The food was fantastic, we had an appetizer, first course, second course and dessert. Everything was amazing, but especially the risotto and lamb. Wine menu also outstanding. We will certainly be back.

My husband and I had a phenomenal anniversary dinner at Convivio. This is authentic Italian food. If you've been to Italy and want a reminder of your travels, you will love it! Everything we tried was incredible, and the wine selection was very nice as well. We are looking forward to our next visit!

Superior care and craft in the preparation, presentation, and customer experience. The wine selection is personally selected and imported by ownership and the food is phenomenal - the pork belly/loin in particular. Wines available to take home...and we did.

Total rip off- $35 per person 2 course menu with portion sizes too small to even be considered appetizers. The course 1 salad was just a few pieces of lettuce, and course 2 mushroom spaghetti was barely a handful. Food runners weren’t sure about what they were bringing out and our dishes had to be remade. The food was ultimately good but definitely wouldn’t recommend. We all left still hungry!

Enjoyed dinner before a DPAC show - everything was amazing!! Authentic Italian, great wine pairing and happy to enjoy 50% off a bottle! Staff was engaging and the entire experience was wonderful- will definitely return and allow more time next visit to enjoy the Convivio experience!!

Very disappointing experience at Convivio, a place I genuinely wanted to enjoy. Made reservations on the Saturday ahead of Valentine’s Day, and there was no note that there was a very limited menu (dramatically different from the online version). I overheard other tables with the same issue. My main issue was with the service. My partner and I were seated at a high top, while multiple other couples that came in after were seated at traditional tables. This was not part of the reservation. Second, the woman who served us did not ask any questions, didn’t introduce herself, etc. She just asked what we wanted every 10 minutes or so. She was pleasant, but it felt like we were bothering her. The owner was walking around to every table except ours, strangely, and had long conversations. It felt like we weren’t welcome, though I still can’t figure out why. If it were a busy night I’d be more understanding, but we were one of ~5 tables at any given time. Every a basic “here’s what’s on the menu tonight” would have been nice. The whole experience was only ~45 minutes, and we quite left hungry despite getting 2 appetizers and 2 entrees. The food was generally good, but didn’t justify the price tag (~$80 per person, before alcohol/drinks). Overall, I’m disappointed because I really love the decor and vibe, and I’m sure the owners are good people. But based on our experience and my familiarity with all the restaurants in downtown Durham, I’d suggest one of the many other fine Italian restaurants that are equally priced, have equal quality of ingredients, and include a much more welcoming experience.

Don’t be fooled if you peek in the window and it feels empty, if you walk in, you’ll have one of the best meals and fine dining experiences you’ve ever had. My sister and I sat at the bar where Barrett made us feel right at home. We got to taste multiple white wines on their list, shared a taste of the house made lemon cello. And the fish special and risotto was delicious! Barrett also recommend a great after dinner activity, the 24 hour museum that was in our hotel and we didn’t even know it! If we lived here, we’d go back often. Thanks Barrett!

Can't say enough of how much I love Convivio. This is some of the best Italian food I have ever had, and it's the perfect place for a drink after work or a nice evening out with friends. Incredible service, incredible wine list, and incredible food.

I have really mixed feelings about this restaurant, but felt it could be helpful to write a review when one of the first things that came to mind was this restaurant when someone asked me about scams I've fallen for in my life. Don't get me wrong, the food here tastes amazing. At the same time, it's hard to enjoy the moment when you feel like you need to be on guard. I remember the person who seated us was snooty and didn't give a good first impression of the restaurant. And by the time the kind chef came around, I didn't want to be unkind when the food was great but the rest of the experience was lacking. I ordered one of the pricier entrees, the lamb, and asked for a wine recommendation. I'm not sure if it was a miscommunication, or this is just their business model, but the waiter was very pushy when I didn't want an appetizer and wanted to save room for dessert due to celebrating my birthday. I also feel like I was tricked into ordering 2 entrees, because I wanted exactly what I described and felt really pushed until ordering a "side" that ended up being a second entree that was $24 in addition to the $35 entree I actually wanted. I felt like crying when the food came because I felt swindled and almost didn't order dessert, but my friend offered to pay for my dessert, if there was a charge, since it was my birthday. I was expecting a charge for the dessert and feel it's worth mentioning that there was no wiggle room for anything remotely similar to a substitution for anything, so I wouldn't recommend this place for anyone with allergies or dietary restrictions. I think my friend could have been deathly allergic to mushrooms and still pushed into having the risotto with mushrooms, based on my experience here. They didn't charge $9 for the gelato, but overall, I had a negative experience here and would not return. I would have paid for coffee and a cocktail with dessert, if not for the entree issue. Please, please, please if anyone from management is reading this, please just let people order what they prefer to have. You would have gotten a similar profit or more, without being pushy, and I would have nicer things to say about my experience here.

Husband and I had a great meal at CONVIVO last weekend! Absolutely the best Italian food I’ve had in NC - everything was seasoned just perfectly (even the simple salad was seasoned just right!). And not to mention an unbelievable wine selection too. Many vegetarian options were available, which is always appreciated (husband ordered gnocchi that he said was amazing). if the chef would be willing, I would be so excited to see a vegan pasta dish on the menu in the future (pasta contained egg). Even though I needed to skip the pasta, my dinner was absolutely delicious and super fresh - I was extremely happy. The service was also exquisite and the overall vibe of the place is just very cool and romantic. Can’t wait to go back

Very delicious and I will absolutely be back. The burrata Pinsa (Roman pizza) was the absolute star! The mains were a tad on the small side for the high price point but you can tell the quality of ingredients is top notch.

Authentic Italian food in the heart of Durham! The food, service, and atmosphere were all incredible. Cannot recommend this place enough... Get the Cacio e Pepe - you will not be disappointed!

I've been in this restaurant tonight 25/05. Everything was perfect, from the location to the service. The food was amazing as well and the chef is very kind! I strongly suggest this place!

This place was great for dinner. I went with a colleague on a Thursday night around 6pm and it was pretty much empty. The service is very friendly and attentive and all the food was delicious. Portion sizes aren’t overly huge but are still substantial. It’s a good spot for a date night.

Food was just okay. Our entrees were pancetta and the fish preparation (haddock). Neat looking, but not that interesting. There was insufficient wait staff so service was very erratic. I wish I could be more positive- they seemed nice. But we won't be back. It wasn't bad, but there are better options.

We went here just after we came back from Italy- missing it but knowing it couldn't possibly be as good. We were mistaken. The chef is a true inspired Italian chef. Quiet ambience and makes you feel special without crazy expensive prices.

Every time I've been here, it started off a bit empty at times and then it would have an influx of customers and then clear out again. The dark and moody, intimate vibe makes it feel like a good date night spot. This recent time, I went with larger group of friends and we were treated super well by our waiter. He kept the wine filled and flowing, made great recommendations on pairings. They had a family style meal created for us that ended up being perfect portions for all, with a bit extra leftover. I do think that some of the single entrees are a bit overpriced, but we enjoy our time when we go. One time we sat at the bar, and the bartender was super friendly, seemed knowledgeable about wines and spirits, and helped us figure out portions of what we were ordering.

I likely couldn't be happier about this experience. We were attempting to visit Pompieri one last time but they had a one-hour wait for pizza. Anyways, that wasn't happening so walking back to the car we stumbled across this spot. The wine is a bit overpriced and I wasn't a fan of getting a bit conned into buying bread and paying extra for a bit of parmesan cheese dressing but I have only wonderful things to say for the food itself - we shared the special $35 two-course meal and had a small charcuterie and mushroom pasta. Both were to die for. Just exceptional flavors and just the right amount of food for a light dinner. The server was also very, very nice. Will return.