Cinelli's Italian Cuisine

This is where I always get pizza. I have eaten in the restaurant, the non-pizza entrees are acceptable, the service slightly rude. I usually get delivery. This is the only place I order pizza from, except Randy's, once, which is okay too. They say 40 minutes, you should count on an hour and a half and lukewarm pizza with the cheesy turning to rubber bands. However, it's still really, really tasty. Especially the plain cheese. Delicious sauce, nice crust. The salads are really fresh and nice too (unless they've been wilting on the top of your once-hot pizza in the back of the delivery man's car for an hour, still tasty if you like cooked salad, though). I can't say no! I still like it a lot and will continue to go back. Pros: best pizza, good salads Cons: bad service, horrible delivery times more

The food is a little bit better than a typical Italian fast food establishment such as a Pizza Hut or Fazolis. However, the staff is incredibly rude. I attempted to use a $25 gift card given to me as a Christmas present. My waiter took the gift card and returned about ten minutes later to inform me that they would not accept the gift card. He told me that you had to have the original envelope that the card came in to use the card. I told him that I had never encountered this before and asked to speak with the manager. The manager came out and immediately told me they would not take the card. He then walked away. I will never eat at this restaurant again. Pros: OK food Cons: Rude staff more

I placed a carryout order at this restaurant last week. I was told it would be a 45 minute wait. After an hour and a half had passed I called the restaurant again. I was told that my food was in transit and should be there within ten minutes. Forty minutes later it finally arrived. My pizza was literally cold to the touch. I called to complain and ask for another pizza and the person on the other end of the line laughed and told me to call Domino's. Also, a medium pizza was $16 and they wouldn't give me a receipt. Cons: expensive, terrible service more

I have always enjoyed takeout so I do not know to much about the staff though the delivery drivers seem friendly enough; how friendly can you get with a delivery but the pizza is the best in durham in my opinion. Pros: They deliver Cons: none more

I have been to 4 Cinellis in the triangle. I have been to the North Hills, Durham, Apex and Cary locations. The food is pretty good at each. The staff, however, is much different! The manager in Durham is VERY RUDE! I have heard him use profanity in front of customers. He is THE REASON I will NEVER go back to the Durham Cinellis! I would highly recommend the other Triangle locations! If you are in durham, Brooklyn pizza or broad st cafe are both GREAT places for pizza! Cons: VERY RUDE! more

Eating @ Cinelli's for 4 years and counting. First, LOVE the food. Second, enjoyable when the extremely efficient and communicative owner is there at lunch, or sit at the cozy lil bar with the bartender, but as noted previously in reviews, the waitstaff leave much to be desired (which does reflect on the owner, no matter his own service). Slow to bring the "complimentary" rolls (and a refill basket) but quick to bring/offer the wine (which of course I pay for and vamps up the receipt, therefore "more tipping" - pun on my drinking). I've had the Grandma's, calzone, alfredo, pasta primavera, minestrone and escarole soup, Philly, Italian sub, and customized pizzas. All were delectable, flavorful, herbilicious, arrive warm upon residence or business delivery and "just right" as Goldilocks says. BUT, this great food can totally be negated by sorry service. As stated, I always enjoy lunch time, take out, bar dining, and their efficient delivery, but not table dining. At takeout, selection of individual pizza slices is limited, and they'd benefit from more variety offered, but what they serve as slices for lunch are yummy. They had signs posted last year regarding rise in semolina prices as it affects their menu prices, due to transport and bulk logistics cost increase. If we wanna eat out, as consumers, it now costs more... many business' prices increased. This didn't affect my selection for Cinelli's. For Italian in Durham, especially proximal to Duke and 9th, it's not bad! I miss my Casalinga's in a Capital Blvd strip mall in Raleigh! Cinelli's isn't as stellar, but they pass muster. more

Grandma Pizza - Simply the best pizza - I could eat a whole one by myself. The food its really good, everytime I have crave italian I think Cinellis. Staff is friendly even though it could get really busy. Pros: just great food Cons: none more

Ever since I moved to Durham 4 years ago I would eat at Cinelli's every Friday night. The service was fast, the prices were reasonable and the food was great. All of that changed recently and it all started with a take out order I made. I called and placed an order like I always did, only this time when I got my medium cheese pizza it had shrunk a size. When I looked at my 15 dollar bill I thought it had to be a mistake. The driver assured me that it was indeed a medium cheese pizza just as I had ordered. When I spoke to the order taker over the phone, she told me that I was wrong. The medium pizza was cut into six slices and the mini pizza, 4. I had been ordering the same thing from Cinelli's for all this time and suddenly, the number of slices denotes the size of the pizza. What I received was a pizza about the size of a regular frozen pizza, for 15 dollars. Since I do not make the salary of a CEO, I decided it was a better value to buy frozen pizza. Then last week I had a craving-I decided to give them another try. I went in an odered a regular cheese calzone, my dinner date had a stromboli, we had 2 salads, 2 fountain drinks and some garlic bread. The bill came to 35 dollars. I thought this had to be a mistake. when I looked on the bill, we were charged 2.50 each for 2 fountain drinks. 5 dollars for pepsi? I mean come on...REALLY?! Needless to say I will be standing in line at Kroeger with my 99 cent 2 liter and frozen pizza. Does it taste as good? No. Will I now have enough gas money to get to my job? Yes. The choice is yours. Pros: Tasty Pizza Cons: i had a hair in my pizza once and though they cooked me a new one I was charged 4 it. more

I ordered their famous grandma pizza and tiramisu. I thought the tiramisu was somewhat stale. But hey, I like tiramisu, so I ate it. No complaints. Then there's their "Famous Grandma" pizza. It's famous, but the servers can't tell me what's on the pizza. The server at my table said it was a thick crust pizza. Then came back and told me that it was thin. In the end, it was thin. I asked what's on the pizza. I heard something like it's got cheese and tomatoes. Really? cheese and tomatoes on a pizza? Is there anything else? She couldn't say. It turned out that there's little else on the pizza. Some garlic, some basil, etc. The pizza is actually VERY GOOD. I have no complaint about the pizza. I'd gladly order it again. But if I ask a question, I'd like an answer. I'd like for it to be accurate. It's not like I asked something unrelated to Cinelli's product. IT'S YOUR FAMOUS PIZZA. Cinelli's pizza menu, both in print and online, will frustrate anyone who's curious about what they're about to order because they provide no information other than the names of the pizzas. White pizza. Famous Grandma Margarita Pizza w/Fresh Mozzarella - Ok... I know there's mozzarella on this pizza. Thank you for that. Anything else? The internet exists for people to share information. How about some description or pictures about your food? Pros: Pizza... Liquor availalble :D Cons: Makes you guess what you're ordering more

I've been to this Cinelli's dozens of times - the food is great (especially their Grandma's and Neopolitan pizzas). I would highly reccomend their food, and during the school year their later hours are wonderful. We have been burned a few times with attempting to place take out orders later in the evening. On more than one occasion we have called to check their hours for that day, but when calling at least an hour or even two before closing time they stopped picking up their phone. This happens to us mostly when school is not in session. Doesn't sound like much, but its left our bellies empty and dissapointed since we had been planning on one of their yummy pizzas all evening. Pros: great food, friendly staff Cons: stops accepting take out orders early on random nights more

I just had the worst delivery experience ever. First when I called to place my order, the man just hung up on me right after I gave him my credit card number. When I called again, I was put on hold for at least three minutes, the man excuse himself in a very impolite-impatient way and said that the order will be at my house in max. 45 min. 50 min later the delivery guy call me and says, "I am outside, come out" and hangs up. I call him again and i say that I couldn't see him. He was in the wrong address. I called to complain again, and the same man ended up screaming at me, saying "what you want me to do, cry!!??". I could not believe, he was screaming at me!!! And of course the food was cold and not tasty at all. Canned tomato sauce over pasta, which was Overcooked of course!! Never again! Pros: no pros Cons: all the cons more

I have been to Cinelli's twice. I absolutely loved it the first time. It was great... prompt service, delicious food, I was very happy. Today was the exact opposite. The waitress was always in a hurry, giving me the impression that I was keeping her from wherever she needed to be. It required a special talent to catch her eye to ask for anything. I understand that Friday nights can be busy, but that doesn't mean that every customer should be dealt with as quickly as possibly can. We had to wait 15-20 min. for the bread to arrive. When it did come, it was obvious it was stale..... The "grandma" pizza was excellent though.... fresh, great crisp crust, delicious!!Then came the pasta ....what a disaster!! I mean if I made that dish at home, I would be embarrassed to serve it to my friends....the pasta was undercooked, there was nothing in the sauce, the escarole was unpalatable...very bitter and the cannelloni beans added nothing, everything was bland and tasteless except for the bitter escarole.........I could not eat it. My friends with whom I shared this meal managed to eat it. If not, I was thinking of complaining and asking for a replacement. The desserts came in minuscule portions compared to what you get in other restaurants, I felt ripped off. To add insult to injury, the bill was incorrect. I told the waitress and she go it corrected, saying the prices had changed but the menu hadn't been updated! I won't be going back there again....what a nightmare! And to think I liked it the first time..... Pros: Ample parking, relaxed atmosphere Cons: Poor service more

It seems at Cinelli's the staff are rude and completely unfriendly. In the past I have been subjected to long waits and the like but I always thought the food was worth it. Today I went for lunch. Apparently if you order from the counter you CANNOT sit in the restaurant and eat. I was litterally the only customer, I ordered a couple slices of pizza and took a seat in a booth (the entire restaurant was empty). The waitress came to the table and asked if I was planning on staying in the restaurant. I said I would like to. She then told me I couldn't "because then I would need a server and would HAVE to give a tip". After realizing this wasn't a joke (literally the entire place was empty) I stood up and asked for my money back. At which point an equally rude man told me "we dont want custormers like you with attitude". This place is dreadful and unless you have a penchant for masochism, go ANYWHERE else. more

Last Friday night my husband and I decided to try out Cinellis in Durham. It turned out to be a really nice experience. If you like red wine, there is a nice Malbec from Argentina. I had the chicken sorrentino and my husband had the veal francaise. We were both pleased by the food. The waiter was also very knowledgeable and helped recommend some food choices. If you are looking for some good Italian, I'd recommend it. Pros: Quality of food Cons: Can get busy more

I was suprised to find Cinellis as a perfect little Italian restraunt-Cozy atmosphere-great service- Frank Sinatra in the background- Plus it wont hurt your pocket-the portions are oversized and send you home with left overs-What more could you ask for-And the food out of this world- Try the pasta Cinelli with grilled chicken or the original Grandma pizza-Guaranteed to love! more

Have you ever felt speechless in front something delicious? well i felt that way...i can explain you, describe you the grandma pizza..but until you try you won't understand. i think the roman gods have something to do with or maybe the owner...yesterday this pizza made my day, that's what i know Pros: atmosphere more

If you are a careful about what you eat...like me you will stay away from NY style food...well i was looking for my way in downtown, i stopped by Cinelli to grap something to drink...while i was waiting to give my order....i saw passing by this delicious sandwich, and i asked this waiter to tell me what it was...the name is chcken caprese i believe...a light sanwich but so rich in flavor....mmmmh i just felt in love....you got to try. Pros: knowledge Cons: decoration more

Every Friday night I go out to eat with my neighbors. One of our favorite places to eat is Cinellis. We are regular customers there. We start off usually ordering fried calamari and a bottle of wine. Then we order the brick oven pizza. The brick over pizza is great, the basil on the pizza gives it a nice flavor. I really like their logo, Have You Had a Hot Piece Today. Pros: Pizza was delicious more

BEST PIZZA IN TOWN,I FEEL LIKE I WAS EATING IN MY HOME TOWN,YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS IS AN AMAZING FLAVOR OF TOMATOES AND BASIL UHMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Pros: GREAT SERVICE Cons: SMALL PLACE more

Recently, my husband and I went to eat at Cinellis and was very pleased. We ordered the Penne Rustico and it was absolutely to die for. The week before, we ate at Maggiano's and it was very over priced and the pasta was dry and pastey like glue. The prices at Cinellis are very good and the service was great. The staff at Cinellis were very polite and the service was great. Go to Cinellis for REAL Itailian Food! Pros: Service and Food is Great! Cons: Parking more