The News & Observer invited readers and staff to nominate the best Italian restaurants.
We started with 66 nominees and narrowed the list to the Top 30.
Vote for your favorite local place to eat Italian food before 10 a.m. Friday, April 17.
Friday, April 17 update: The best Italian restaurant contest has moved to Round 3. You can vote here.
We asked for the best places to eat Italian food, and now we’re one step closer to crowning a winner.
First, The News & Observer invited readers to share the Triangle’s top places to eat pasta, cannoli and more. Then, we asked our staff’s food experts to help round out the list of can’t-miss spots.
We started with 66 local restaurants, and now we’re down to the Top 31. Below, you can vote for your favorite Italian restaurant in the Raleigh area.
If you really love a restaurant, you can refresh this page and vote more than once. Here’s what to expect in the upcoming rounds of this contest:
The second round will determine the Top 15. It will be live until 10 a.m. Friday, April 17.
The third round will determine the Top 5. It will be live from about 11 a.m. April 17 until 10 a.m. Monday, April 20.
The fourth round will determine the Top 2. It will be live from about 11 a.m. April 20 until 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 22.
The fifth round will determine the winner. It will be live from about 11 a.m. April 22 until 10 a.m. Friday, April 24.
We originally planned to keep 30 restaurants in the running, but we expanded the field given there were several ties. Also, one of the nominees — Fresco Veloce — was removed from consideration as the business has since closed. Here are the restaurants that received the most votes in Round 1, in order of how well they fared:
Anthony’s La Piazza
Mamma Mia Italian Bistro
Cucciolo Terrazza
Pomodoro Italian Kitchen
Fiori Italian Restaurant & Bar
Vici Ristobar
Fresco Veloce
Lugano Ristorante
Piccola Italia
Vivace
Cristo’s Ristorante & Pizzeria
Cucciolo Osteria
Vic’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
Farina Neighborhood Italian and Flour and Barrel (tie)
Cucciolo Famiglia and Daniel’s Restaurant & Catering (tie)
Bella Monica Cucina & Vino and Gocciolina (tie)
La Grassa Pastificio
Cafe Tiramisu, Caffe Luna and Frank’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant (tie)
Figulina
Garibaldi of Garner
Alimentari at Left Bank, Casa Carbone and Gravy (tie)
411 West Italian Cafe, Amalia’s Authentic Italian Restaurant, Milazzo’s Ristorante and Vivo Ristorante (tie)
Please note that this contest is meant to be fun and not a scientific poll. To be eligible to participate, nominees had to have fewer than 20 locations nationwide and be located in or near Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill.
Here’s the full list of all 66 Italian restaurant nominees, arranged in alphabetical order:
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