L’Uva Enoteca

This restaurant is closed — sad face. Now the space will become something really depressing, like a baby gap.

I’ve been to L’Uva a few times now.
It’s great pre-​DPAC restaurant! Parking is really easy in one of the nearby decks, and the staff understands that many people are trying to eat before the show, so it’s not a problem to eat and pay quickly.
It’s also a good restaurant for business lunches. So many of the up-​and-​coming Durham restaurants only serve dinner, so it’s really nice that L’Uva is open for lunch — and takes reservations (online, even — super easy!) — and has convenient parking.
And the food is fantastic… with a constantly rotating menu that features homemade pasta dishes as well as other entrees, I’ve really enjoyed everything that I’ve eaten at L’Uva. I usually split an appetizer and an entrée (so I can try more menu items!!). But the lamb shank that we had last night was amazing — and so tender that it just fell off the bone! And there’s a great wine list, too.
And there’s an outdoor patio on the American Tobacco Campus courtyard — so you have the option of eating outside on a nice day. That’s always a plus, for me!
L’Uva is just such a good restaurant to start off an evening in Durham!

Stopped by L’Uva Enoteca last week before a show at the DPAC. This place definitely caters to the theater crowd which I respect. They were able to get us in and out in no time. There weren’t any tables available inside by the time we arrived so we sat outside the doors in the office building, no biggie for me we needed to eat and didn’t have much time.
As soon as we sat down our server came order to get our drinks. They have a very nice wine menu I just went for the house red since I was undecided it was a really good wine. They were having a $ 5 special on a rose and a Lambrusco that my mom decided to order. Before we even looked at the menu the waiter mentioned they were out of quite a few items. I always find it a little strange when your looking at a menu at a restaurant and then they hit you with well we don’t have this, this, or this. But at least they informed us before we had our heart set on something.
I decided to order the sweet potato gnocchi. The gnocchi tasted like it was freshly made and the spicy sausage and red sauce was very good. The menu is pretty small overall. I like that you can order small or large portions of some of the risotto and pasta dishes. I thought I ordered the small gnocchi but for $ 18 I sure hope that was the large portion. My mom decided just to order the cured salmon brushetta for $ 11 this was a large appetizer and plenty to share.
The food was good but there wasn’t anything that would keep me running back for more. I’d definitely give it another try though and hopefully get a chance to sit inside and enjoy the atmosphere a little.

Cool spot in tobacco road for a nice dinner. Nothing too special here. I enjoyed the $ 5 sangria and the taleggio & honey-​peach jam bruschetta. Mussels were okay. and the chicken pasta was also just okay. I’d go back but would probably try something else. The restaurant is pretty dead during the week so no need to make a reservation.

«Italian in downtown Durham: Good quality, high price, mixed atmosphere»
Came here for my anniversary dinner with my wife. We arrived on a Wednesday at 6pm with a reservation, which was then very quickly and obviously unnecessary since there wasn’t a single other customer inside. We only had appetizers and main dishes here– they only had 3 – 4 dessert options, and none jumped out at us.
Positives:
+ Quality. I had the Taleggio & honey-​peach jam bruschetta appetizer, a bite of the Caprese salad (given to my wife complimentary because her entrée was delayed– see below), the Beef lasagna with ricotta, and a bite of my wife’s Acorn squash and spinach risotto. Every dish was good. The brushetta was quite tasty albeit extremely messy/​sticky to eat. The Caprese salad was fine though not exceptional. The beef lasagna was interesting and different from most lasagnas I’ve had– much less tomato sauce, and almost tasted like a «bechamel». The dishes seemed to be at least partially fresh-​made, though our host said something about the risotto for my wife’s dish having been «past the date» resulting in a delay as they remade it freshly (suggesting some parts were supposed to have been pre-​made). But it all tasted good.
+ Service. We had a primary host and a trainee, and they were attentive to us and helpful with questions. Then again, for most of our dinner, we were the only ones in the restaurant.
Negatives:
— Setting. I didn’t like the layout of the restaurant– it felt cramped. It felt almost like a sealed-​off kitchen was thrust into the majority of a small room, leaving a thin enclosed «strip» around it for seating. There was music playing outside that was extremely loud, so much so that it overpowered the music playing inside the restaurant (my wife commented, «they should just turn off the music in here, since we can’t hear it over the outside music). It was far from what I expected for a «fine dining» (or «romantic») setting. This was all a negative for me, but I do appreciate some may not find any of this problematic.
— Price/​value. Whoah. I’d want a $ 19 lasagna to totally knock my socks off, since I can get a $ 10 – 12 lasagna many places around town that’s good, or even a $ 15 lasagna just up the street at Pop’s or Piazza Italia (which are fairly upscale). My lasagna was good, but I wouldn’t say it was 2X as good as the $ 10 lasagnas… not even 100% positive it was «better» than those in my opinion, though it was different. Although I was told it was «really filling» (potentially implying it’s quite large), I found it to be fairly typical in size– a good size and satisfying, but no leftovers. Relatedly, the bruschetta was $ 11 and came with literally 4 pieces.
Synopsis:
Everything tasted good– I should stress that. Some people may have found the dishes «excellent» in comparison to others, so perhaps I’m not as perceptive of subtleties that others would appreciate about the food. I just really found it «good» but extremely expensive for that level of quality I perceived. I’m at the 2 – 3 star border as a result, but since our server was quite good and since I enjoyed the meal, I’ll go ahead and round up.

I had a wonderful business lunch here. Our server was very friendly and quick. One of our guests took forever to arrive and we were not rushed at all. Our server brought us some delicious bread and olive oil. Normally it’s an appetizer for $ 2 — which I am kinda meh about having to pay for bread when you’re already spending $ 14 – 18 on a main dish. But I was happy I got my bread!
I had the chicken with goat cheese polenta and mushroom demi. It was very tasty. I wish there was a stronger presence of goat cheese in the polenta.
I think it’s funny the people who have reviewed this place gave it less stars because of the freaking parking. That should have nothing to do with it. There’s PLENTY of places to park for free but you may have to walk a bit. Monday-​Friday there is free parking for 2 hours during lunch. Get off your lazy butt and walk during the other times. If there’s a Bulls Game then you maybe shouldn’t eat here that night unless you’re parking for the game!
The atmosphere is nice. It’s small inside but very modern. The outside is a small area but has great wooden tables and nice chairs. Great little wall that keeps you from watching any tipsy kids at Tyler’s.
I will definitely be back. This is a nice place for a date or a business lunch. We had 6 people at our table all get different things and it only took like 20 minutes max once we ordered. So impressive.

I tried L’Uva Enoteca for the first time. Had noticed the place when I was last sitting outside at Tyler’s. My friend and I went there for lunch yesterday. It is a cute spot, with outdoor seating. We stayed inside b/​c it was a bit chilly. Our server was great, available without being overbearing. The menu looked really good, so we needed his help deciding. He recommended the grilled salmon with lemon gnocchi, lump crab and red pepper sauce. Sold. Our dishes arrived, and they looked good. I tasted the sauce and spinach and they were REALLY salty. The lemon gnocchi was mushy, and had no discernable lemon flavor? The lump crab was sparse and the salmon was overcooked. Disappointing for a $ 15 lunch entrée. Maybe it was an off day?

LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Hands down our family favorite. great food and wine (and milk). Something new and different all the time; which good because we go at least once or twice a month. My 12 year old son tried oxtail and liked it so much he didn’t want to share. My 6 year old’s favorite is the bolognese. The fresh pasta is divine, the gnocchi delish… mmmm I go for the special whatever it is.
But its the staff that really puts it over the top. They are just phenomenal!
They are attentive, they know the dishes, the wines and they are just downright fun to be around. I don’t know how Quentin does it but its always a great time even when they are packed and busy with all the pre-​show traffic.

My boyfriend and I went to L’Uva for Valentine’s day, and we were extremely disappointed. In fact, our meals consisted of some of the worst food we’ve eaten at a restaurant since moving to Durham three years ago.
We started out with a lovely appetizer of what seemed to be potato chips, pre-​packaged smoked salmon, and dijon mustard. Seriously.
For the main course, my boyfriend had the ossobucco, which consisted of an almost-​too-​salty-​to-​eat hunk of meat that was atop an unappealing pile of gelatinous polenta that lacked any flavor whatsoever. I had the flounder, which was overcooked and flavorless.
The kicker: The whole thing cost nearly $ 150 when it wasn’t worth even a third of that amount.
The wait staff was lovely but, my goodness, find a new chef. In a town full of fantastic restaurants, don’t waste your time and money on this one.

Good Food, Bad Design
Visit: December 29
Food: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Parking: 2 stars (not because we had to walk but because we had to pay)
Atmosphere: 1 star
I heard good things about L’Uva and I was exceedingly pleased to get a reservation on a busy Saturday night. There are several parking decks at the American Tobacco Campus and since there was a show at DPAC we were required to pay $ 4 to park. Since it was our first time having dinner at the ATC, I wondered if L’Uva would validate the ticket (uhm, reimburse us?). The answer is NO. We walked into the lobby of the large building and it was well lit, very bright, boring business-​like, and a bit sterile but there was a tv showing a college football game. I was surprised to see tables set up outside the restaurant in this lobby with two tables already filled with patrons. The atmosphere is not conducive to a relaxing, intimate meal as one would expect from a ‘nice’ restaurant. No thank you… not for me! We were lucky to have a table for two inside the restaurant but not that lucky. Our table was in front of the double doors opened up to the glaringly bright and unpleasant lobby. But our chances for a better spot are incredibly limited to the low number of tables inside the restaurant. L’Uva has a poorly designed space! Imagine a big square in which the kitchen takes up about 60% of the space and tables lined around the perimeter of the 2 sides of the square and a teeny bar on third side.
Shortly after we were seated, a silver bowl of bread and a dish of olive oil with a dollop of pesto was delivered followed by tall glasses of water. I unwrapped the bread to the tantalizing aroma of warm crusty Italian bread and focaccia. I rarely eat ‘white’ bread but I was very tempted by the Italian bread and I was not disappointed. It was super light and airy with a lovely crunchy crust and the olive oil was fresh and highly aromatic with lots of flavor. Andy and I shared a Caesar salad which had a delicious, lightly creamy dressing on fresh romaine lettuce topped with croutons, roasted red peppers, and generous sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. The red peppers added a nice little punch of flavor to the salad. Andy ordered the special which was thin pasta the size of a piece of paper filled with small tender chunks of smoked chicken and a rich cream sauce and served with a chunky pomodoro/​marinara sauce. I’m not a fan of really smoked meats but I had a few bites of this dish and I liked it… subtly smoky not too overpowering. I had the rigatini with spinach, goat cheese, and pomodoro sauce. This dish normally comes with mushrooms and when I asked our server to have the dish prepared without the fungi, he jokingly commented that they were the best part. Yea, I get that often but none for me. He also told us that the pasta was made from scratch. Mmm, gotta love fresh pasta. The little pasta tubes were cooked perfectly not hard and not mushy either. My meal was mildly flavored even with the presence of goat cheese and it was pleasingly hardy… great comfort food for a winter night. Our waiter was friendly and efficient.
The ambiance really detracted from our experience so much so that I will not return even though the food and service were good.

Meal: Brunch
Verdict: Yumm!
It was a Sunday morning which was pretty chilly outside so we sat inside. Unfortunately, we’re pretty warm-​blooded and felt chilled inside as well. It’s a pretty intimate space for the high traffic area of Brightleaf, but at least that day it worked because business was slow.
I ordered the Brioche French toast… holy Mother of Pearl. Massive slices of soft, sweet decadence with mascarpone cheese spread and vanilla bean syrup. WOW! Super delish. My wife got a hanger steak with prosciutto hash, which sadly didn’t really impress us in any dimension. I suppose hash is traditionally salty by definition, but this was a bit extreme for our tastes. As for drinks we had a good sangria (not an aficionado, but I enjoyed it!) and a mimosa. Desserts (apple tart and pumpkin gelato) were also good but dwarfed by the awesomeness of the toast.
Service was attentive but unobtrusive. I sense we will be back in the summer to try out the swanky patio and taste some upscale Italian.

We parked in the parking deck next to the American Tobacco Campus, and walked up the stairs and across the open courtyard — coming face-​to-​face with L’Uva Enoteca’s outdoor patio. When it came to be close to 11:30, I expected for someone to open the doors to the restaurant, but no one did. However, we saw employees inside still prepping to open. We walked back over to the entrance to the outdoor patio, and were met by a slightly startled waiter. I informed him that we had an 11:30 reservation, and we followed him inside as he double-​checked with someone inside and then got our menus. He asked us if we wanted to sit inside or outside — even though it was specified in my reservation that we had a table outside. The patio offers such a serene ambiance, with the sounds of the water «stream» flowing nearby. My only complaint about the patio is the insects — while we were settling in and studying our menus, I had a nasty bumblebee that was soaring crazily above us and diving at me.
Our waiter was pretty fast in getting our orders. For starters, we got 2 «bottomless» coffee specials and an order of Antipasti. You pick 4 out of the 5 items ($ 10) — we chose pickled deviled eggs, cured meats & cheeses, provolone-​tomato, and the white bean-​artichoke salad. It took about 10 minutes for our waiter to return with the antipasti, and he pleasantly explained everything on the plate.
Unfortunately, once we started eating, I realized the health concern regarding the antipasti. Upon entering the interior of the restaurant, all 5 of the antipasti items are laid out, uncovered in open air across the table counter by the bar/​host station. All patrons approach or walk by these as they speak to the host or walk out to the patio — these antipasti are just asking to be petri dishes for breeding colds and other bacteria. When my boyfriend and I were first standing by the host station, I was wondering about why this food was out — and was even inclined to think, «Is this a free-​for-​all „snack“ buffet?» Germs aside, the antipasti was delicious. The pickled deviled eggs were full of dill and just the right amount of salt. The cured meats & cheeses were the best
I chose one of the 3 «Brunch» menu items: «Brioche alla Fiorentina with sautéed spinach, poached egg and hollandaise sauce. It was really disappointing that there weren’t any other «brunchy» items and that there was no MEAT in any of them — I’m a carnivore and like meat with my eggs.
As we finished up our Antipasti, we had a bowl of fresh, hot bread delivered to our table — along with a bowl of olive oil and spices for dipping. Around 15 minutes later, we finally had our main dishes delivered. Unfortunately, as the waiter laid my dish in front of me, I realized how *SMALL* it was. My boyfriend’s dish, «Fettuccini with roasted pork, white beans and pesto,» which had the same $ 14 price, was 4 times the size of mine. My dish consisted of a square-​cut slice of white bread, topped with sauéed spinach, a soft poached egg, and hollandaise sauce poured on top with spices. Don’t get me wrong, the food was ABSOLUTELY delicious, but my brunch item was not worth the $ 14 price tag. I do not eat like a bird.
Luckily, my boyfriend opted to share some of his pasta dish with me. The pesto sauce was perfect on top of the al dente Fettuccini surrounded in olive oil. The slow-​roasted shredded pork was crispy like bacon, yet moist and flavorful. We completely cleared our plates to the delight of our waiter. He quickly returned with our check, but we were under our voucher amount by $ 5 — so we waited for our waiter to return (10 min) to inform him that we needed another item for our voucher. He quickly became off-​put and through in the towel on waiting on us – he disappeared for another 10 minutes and then gave us the menu we requested. Five minutes later, I managed to get his attention to ask for a dessert to go. Unfortunately, he never returned — 10 minutes later, another waiter came by with the dessert boxed up and our updated check. I gave him the voucher and some cash, to which he said he would return soon. Five minutes pass and my boyfriend and I decide we have had *ENOUGH* waiting. We left a nice tip and quickly departed.
Voucher holders, beware the decline of your service once you mention said voucher. The couple next to us made the mistake of mentioning their voucher earlier on, and they had a lot longer wait time in regards to service. Waiters, just because we have vouchers, doesn’t mean we won’t leave a nice tip for you — my boyfriend and I definitely didn’t skimp out.
We probably won’t return until the brunch menu improves, and the prices and portions are adjusted.

Simple and stylish, L’Uva is brought to you by the owners of Revolution and is a great option for a pre-​DPAC dinner. The space is a bit tight but L’Uva has a great patio in the back for your dining needs. I had popped in for a quick dinner before Chicago and they were ready for the pre-​show crowd. Our waiter was a personable guy and ready to serve but I had to wait a bit for my friend. Ordered up the house sangria and a bruschetta with eggplant and sofrito to start things up.
The sangria was decent and the daily drink deal at $ 5 which was perfect. The bruschetta came out on three large toast rounds with sauteed, fresh veggies on top. Very nice stuff. My main of short rib over goat-​cheese grits was well prepared but a bit bland. I expected a bit more kick from the goat-​cheese and better seasoning on the tender beef. Service lagged a bit on the way out, we had to flag down the waiter to get the bill and hit up the show.
So while I do believe L’Uva is a nice option for a meal, they missed a bit with the second half service and the overall flavors for the meal. In all honesty, I have the same impression with Revolution so I’m not entirely surprised. A good looking spot with solid food and upscale environs works to a certain extent but I hoped for a bit more from a value perspective…

I visit L’Uva at least once a week for lunch, and it’s always been above par. The menu changes all the time, so there’s something new, seasonal, and delicious to savor each week. Right now, the gazpacho with calamari is out of this world. And when brussels sprouts are available, I’ll always end up with one or two plates of them. (Speaking of which, it’s about time to bring them back!)
Our regular server, Quentin, is a riot. He turns workday lunch meetings into something worth looking forward to – it’s hard to pick between him and the food as the highlight of the meal.
Bravo.

The boyfriend and I ended up here last week after a quick perusal of Italian spots on Unilocal and left very happy. As we work both work late and erratic hours, one of the big things I look for are places that serve late food until or after 9pm without a lot of hassle.
The food was delicious (I had a lamb bolognese that was fairly life changing) and our waiter was helpful and nice without being overly present. Our service may have been a bit better because we weren’t eating during a rush but either way I left satisfied and we will definitely be going back soon.

Was going to see The Addams Family at DPAC (Thanks, Unilocal!) and was looking for somewhere to dine close enough to walk to. Friendsay and I were walking around when a fella heard us bantering about what to eat and suggestd L’Uva. Having never been there, we jumped on it.
Little did we know, on show nights, they are very busy and it is best to make a reservation, however, our server suggested we sit on the patio since there was a space near the little fire-​tv thingy. (Ok, this deserves an explanation, there is a table sitting beside a wall where it looks like a flat screen of a fireplace, however, it is real fire and gives off real heat but is totally safe, behind a glass). It made for a great seat since it started getting a little chilly out.
We started with Presecco and the yummy bread with pesto/​olive oil mixture. With some suggestions from our server, I ordered the Rigatini with basil, tomato and goat cheese and Friendsay ordered the Fettucini with shrimp and broccoli sauce. We both ordered the small size (your choice is small or large) and it was huge. I cannot imagine what the large size looked like. We both agreed that our plates were super flavorful, some of the best italian in the area.
Our server was slammed but still took care of us and timed everything perfectly knowing how to manage getting us our drinks, meal, and quality time to enjoy the experience and still make the show on time. He seemed like a pro at doing this.
The interior was small but very trendy and chic. I am looking forward to returning to dine inside, although I loved the patio area.
Famed Food Critic, Peter Meehan, recommends visiting a place 3 times to get the real feel. I can hardly wait until visit 2 and 3 to L’Uva but I’m pretty sure I will enjoy it as much as I did the first visit.

We went here for dinner with friends before a show at DPAC. The space is fairly small but I like how they have transformed the décor for the failed sushi restaurant that used to be in the space. My only gripe of the the design is the tables seem very cheap compared to everything else with their formica tops.
Our service of average. I knew we were in trouble when the waiter started by apologizing for his lack of knowledge about Italian cuisine. Study up buddy, you are getting paid to do this! Also at point it seems like a long time between checking in with us and we finally had to flag him down because we were going to be late to the show and still had not gotten our check.
The food makes up for it all though. Everyone in our party enjoyed their meals. We tried two different types of bruschetta for appetizers, one traditional, one with shrimp. Both were tasty. The pasta dishes received the best comments of the night for those who had them. I enjoyed a deliciously seared steak with potatoes that night. Finally the desserts — gotta go with tiramisu on this one. Excellent execution on that.
Overall, a good pre-​show dining spot. The menu is small but well crafted.

I’ve eaten here twice. The lunch was far better than the dinner, both in terms of quality, service, and price. I was pretty disappointed with dinner. First of all, despite being Italian, I don’t like olive oil on my bread: I like butter. When I asked for butter I was told they didn’t have any. REALLY? No butter at all in a restaurant? Then, after dinner I asked for decaf coffee. Again… REALLY? No decaf coffee? Then I asked for hot tea, only to be told they don’t carry tea, either. I finally gave up and had a glass of hot water with some milk in it. (At least they didn’t charge for it.) Call me crazy, but I think every restaurant should have these three basic items available to customers. And they not only didn’t have these things, they were pretty unapologetic about it. They definitely lost a star for that.
The food was generally good – I especially enjoyed the beet/​mandarin orange/​goat cheese salad – and the desserts were very special. Too bad I couldn’t have a decaf coffee to savor along with my chocolate chip cannoli!

Good pasta, fantastic dessert.
Fortunate enough to sit outside for dinner on one of the last perfect-​fall-​nights in Durham, my friend and I ordered small bowls of all the pasta dishes. The winner, hands down, was the orrechiette with rapini tips and sun-​dried tomatoes, with what I believe was a soft kiss of fresh garlic that tied together all the flavors. As if that weren’t good enough, dessert was mind-​blowing: a delicate tiramisu, and the bold yet fresh taste of cardamom-​pear sorbetto.
I would definitely return here for a slightly more formal than usual dinner.

Very different but no less worthy concept from the folks behind Revolution just a couple of blocks away. Revolution is hands-​down my favorite Durham restaurant, so I was anxious to give this place a try but waited a few weeks to let them iron out the opening kinks.
There’s an outdoor seating area with probably fifteen or twenty tables that gives a nice taste of the landscaping and water features in the American Tobacco Center courtyard, but there are opaque partitions up to keep you from feeling like you’re one with the passers-​by. It also has several well-​spaced heaters that will make the space viable even in cool weather. There are also about as many tables inside in a narrower space that’s only two tables wide. Then there’s a three-​seat bar. The interior décor is sort of industrial with its high ceilings, big frosted-​glass plate windows and cool color scheme, but it’s warmed up by blown-​glass lighting fixtures hanging over the tables and the large wood wine rack at the bar, as well as a deep wood serving station in the corner for the waitstaff.
The menu is all Italian and manages to cover a wide variety in relatively few items. There are some antipasti, some pastas, a couple of salads, a few seafood items and a pork chop. I had the fusilli with chicken, spinach and goat cheese in a tomato sauce. It was tasty, though I might have liked the sauce to have a little more oomph; as it was the goat cheese provided the only real kick in the dish. I also had a side of asparagus. They have several side items which are all $ 3 and based on the size of my asparagus side (8 spears), these are good deals. Most of the plates also come in small and large sizes.
The night I dined, there was a show at the DPAC across the street and L’Uva was packed. Literally, I don’t think there was an unoccupied table. Still, the staff was highly friendly and personable and took time. The food arrived in a short time and there was no delay for the check or anything. I didn’t get a chance on this trip to explore what I’ve heard is an extensive wine list, but I’ll be going back to do that. The by-​the-​glass menu was about 10 choices, plus some signature cocktails including several sparkling wine choices. I chose one that had elderflower, peach and grapefruit flavors added and it was excellent. This is definitely a place to watch in Durham and a really excellent place to just hang out for a smaller meal after shopping or before a show.