Melo Trattoria Tapas - Durham

We only are able to come twice a year (Valentines our anniversary) because we live an hour and 20 mins away but no matter how much we spend or how casual we are dressed (currently tshirt and blue jeans with ball caps) we are treated like a millionaires! Curly and the staff are pleasant and accommodating?not to mention all with a a smile in theirs eyes (COVID?masks). Highlyrecommend reservations, they usually don?t make same day reservations. This place is the triangle?s hidden gem. Always packedalways great food, always good service?always.

Had a great carry out meal from Melo. Chicken Parmesan and house salad. Great flavor, they included bread and the staff could not have done a better job. Great place for excellent food.

This restaurant serves incredibly delicious food! Their salads, especially the berry spinach salad, are my absolute favorite. The dinner plates and tapas are also fantastic. The meatball tapas bring back memories of my grandma's cooking. The staff is friendly and professional, providing amazing service. I'm truly impressed with this place and would give it a perfect 10 stars. Thank you for the great food and outstanding service!

The albondigas came with three good-sized meatballs and a nice chunky tomato/marinara sauce that wasn't overly garlicky. My husband ordered the veal and found it flavorful, though he thought it was a bit thicker and tougher than he expected. His parmesan mashed potatoes were rather dry and bland, with just a sprinkle of parmesan on top. I enjoyed my ravioli, which was cooked al dente and paired well with the same tasty sauce as the tapas meatballs. Wine prices were about what we anticipated, roughly double what you would pay for a bottle in a store. We were looking forward to some lovely rustic Italian bread, so we were a bit let down by the three yeast rolls we received (not that yeast rolls aren't delicious in their own right). We had a reservation and were seated fairly quickly, but the service was a bit slow—we ordered our entrees at 7, and they didn't arrive until 8. Overall, it wasn’t a bad meal or experience, just nothing particularly special.

The food was excellent as always, and the atmosphere was great. My family will definitely be returning!