Farina

Had one of the best Italian dinners I have had in a long time. Reminded me of Little Italy in NYC. Service was great. Tim was our waiter. He was knowledgeable and very good. Food was great, portions huge. I have dinner for tomorrow can’t wait to go back

Pleasantly surprised by this spot after reading previous reviews. The interior is very inviting and nicely decorated. We had the butternut squash ravioli and margherita pizza and really enjoyed both! I would absolutely recommend both dishes and we will be back soon. Pasta is cooked al dente and the pizza was cooked perfectly in a wood burning oven.

3 ½ stars would be more like it, but I’m rounding up because I think they are trying really hard and I really want a Pizza/​Italian place to thrive in this location. Six of us had dinner and drinks here on a rainy Monday night in early November. I had an airport run to do, so I caught up with everyone already seated at a round table near the door. They were a drink or two into things when I arrived.
Four of us ordered pizza… I did Pepperoni. Husband had Italian Sausage. Another had Prosciutto with Arugula, and the fourth tried a Roasted Grape with Gorgonzola one. The other two had Sunday Gravy with Rigatoni, and Pumpkin Ravioli.
Two in our group had been here recently and raved about the Sausage Carbonara. Unfortunately it was a different Carbonara this night and they said they couldn’t do it since it was off the menu, she went with the Pumpkin Ravioli, which didn’t thrill her. I tried it and thought it was quite tasty. Very rich though. Would’ve been one to share.
The gal who got the Sunday Gravy was happy with it, and there were leftovers that I finished due to her having to leave town. I will say that having tried it fresh it tasted better than the leftovers. Which is actually kind of unusual for Italian food. I felt the same way about my Pepperoni Pizza. I felt like I won the «best of» award for pizzas that night, but the leftovers were kinda blah. Husband liked his Italian Sausage one just fine, but also liked my pepperoni. And the one who had the Roasted Grape/​Gorgonzola one (who also does some cooking and pizza making back home in Minneapolis) liked it just fine but said the Grapes weren’t roasted.
Overall we had a pleasant time. Server Gal was great! Price-​wise here you can go inexpensive to expensive. Love choices!
Also hear that they are still tweaking the menu. Think it’s great that they are responding to feedback!

We have dined here several times — the food is consistently really good– great service too!

Intersting place. Cant wait for menu to settle. Dear people in charge. Your pork milanese was great, why remove it? Your veal, does anyone own a mallet? See you soon.

We sat outside on a nice evening and really enjoyed the setting. The food was pretty good but nothing over the top. I thought my wine was excellent but the food was okay. We had a pasta dish and pizza. We did get the goat cheese with the jam that is served with some bread… sooooo goood! I would just go for the apps and wine next time!

Brunch review: if you prefer your brunches heavy on the lunch side, perhaps consider Farina… Although I won’t go again. Featuring a buffet brunch, there were only 2 breakfast main item selections … Waffles or omelette to order. They did offer bacon, sausage and home fries all of which were fine if unspectacular. Lunch offering included pizza, chicken cacciatore, a seafood stew, pasta and shrimp risotto on the hot side… Cold side included pasta salad, fruit salad and potato salad.
Problem is the potatoes were nearly raw and the pasta salad had so many onions it was inedible. After pointing this out to the server (who was courteous and professional) he alerted the kitchen who then pulled off the items.
Dessert items included cannoli, chocolate chip cookies and mini eclairs. Problems here with soggy eclairs (frozen and dethawed most likely). The cannoli filling was improperly prepared and had the texture and consistency of small curd cottage cheese.
Juice and coffee included in the price.
At $ 16.95 /​person you can do better.

Not impressed! The pasta bolognese was noodles with meat on top, practically no sauce at all and no taste either. So dry and unappetizing. We took my Italian in-​laws there for dinner. We sent the bolognese back and they graciously took it off our bill. The margarita pizza was good. Nice, thin, crispy crust. The goat cheese and calamari apps were good as well. Not a very extensive menu.

Was there when is was Paparazzi and the service was amazing. Came to enjoy the restaurant again and left because the service is extremely bad! The girl server was making comments for all our questions… Very unpleasant and rude!
We brought expensive champagne to celebrate something very special and they refused to open in (because they don’t have a license for it).
Will never be back!

EXTREMELY disappointed since it changed ownership. They no longer have a gluten free menu, no gluten free noodles. This day in age why would you get rid of GF noodles?! I got the seared tuna and asked for a side salad with that. «We no longer do side salads we only have the 3 dinner salads». What restaurant does not or will not make a side salad?! The «seared» tuna was not very seared and was mush. No flavor at all.
I am not one to write reviews, but this warranted a bad one. Will not be attending again and will tell others to stay away.

Great rich foods. Tried the bacon and egg pizza and the short rib gnocchi. Both were delicious and filling.

This was a bitter disappointment after Paparazzi’s. The food was terrible. My husband got the chicken parmesean and the pasta was all glommed together. It did not look appetizing at all, and I typically like to try his food. I got the breaded pork milanese, which was just a disaster. Thank god for the arugula salad, or I might have gone hungry. The pork was not quite as thin as a scallopini, but still quite thin, and too salty. The entire dish was drizzled with what I assume was ranch dressing. It was unnecessary on the meat, and didn’t really go with the flavor of arugula, where a vinaigrette would have been better. Paying for bread is just insulting. We will not go back.

Recently opened in the Lafayette Village spot that used to house Paparazzi, Farina is a great spot for small plates (try the 3 for $ 15 special!), wood fired pizza and hand made pasta.
Brainchild of chef-​owner Nunzio Scardo, who also owns Driftwood next door, Farina’s concept is «down home Italian» with dishes like rustic meatballs, charred octopus and of course fresh pasta with house made sauces.
The bread basket is well worth ordering as an extra to your meal. It costs $ 3, but is baked by the masters at Night Kitchen and arrives at your table hot and fresh. After sharing a pizza and the three plate special with a companion, I had leftovers and no need for extra carbs, even delicious ones.
Service is friendly and professional, and the cooks are happy to accommodate special requests for diners who have allergies or restrictions. The atmosphere is spacious and pleasant, with comfortable seating including outdoor tables on the patio.
Farina is currently open for dinner and Sunday brunch, and a spot worth checking out if you’re in the mood for homey Italian food with an upscale presentation.

Very disappointed in the new Farina! Went for the Tuesday night $ 5 cocktail special and they would not substitute vodka for gin in their Sweet Basil cocktail! It’s basically the same drink that they served when the restaurant was Paparazzi except they now use gin and lemon instead of vodka and lime. No substitutions allowed!
Also, if you want bread with your meal, you have to pay $ 3 for it now! Never heard of this at any nice restaurant!
The temperature was very cold inside Farina, and they were not interested in adjusting the ac to make the patrons comfortable.
Needless to say, they just lost a group of customers — this is definitely not the way to impress!

Wow — if you want bread with your meal you have to pay extra for it! Our party of six could not be accommodated inside, so we had to sit outside, with the bees and flies.
The braised duck was mushy/​stringy, as were the veggies and wide noodles it was served with (the pasta was way overcooked). My daughter’s seafood rissoto was pretty good. Menu options for dinner were very very limited, and there was not a kids menu. Portion size is very small for the price. One might be better off (from a value standpoint) ordering 3 appetizers and calling it their meal, then again, I have not seen what the appetizers look like.
The saving grace here is service — our server was on top of her game, refills on water and fountain type drinks were plentiful and timely, always checking on us to make sure we were okay.
(Sigh) I miss Paparazzi.

C&C and R&R (four Unilocalers) check out New Italian Restaurant in the spot where the «Old» Italian Restaurant used to be! What has Changed?
They took out one Circular Booth and I guess the idea was to make the space more OPEN? I guess it works? One more escape to the front door option! All the Paparazzi Photos are gone
MENU
Menu is SIMPLE! Smart to specialize! ! !
Eighteen Small Plates
Twelve «Pasta & More» Entrees
Seven Pizzas
Three Desserts
One Bread $ 3.00 Please
Zero Espresso (as of 8-​8-​2015)
SERVICE
Perfekt!
Most of what our Server and Host did went unnoticed! Impressive! Polite yet unchatty, Water glasses were filled all night, plates were taken away when we were done! The four of us are a talkative group and two of our friends have extensive training and experience in all aspects of Creating and Serving Culinary Masterpieces so, If you want to say something, you better speak UP! Our server seemed almost invisible (in a good way) EXCEPT when we needed to ask for something, then He was right there and was even an expert in Anticipating needs! Service gets 5 Unilocal stars or the highest marks! If Service mattered that much this place might get closer to five stars Overall!
FOOD
Calamari Appetizer was Perfekt beyond Portion for Price which was VERY Fair! $ 6.00 or if you get Three «Share» Plates it is 3 for $ 15
Calamari 5 Unilocal stars
Mussels close to 5 Unilocal stars
Meatballs with Sunday Gravy 3 Unilocal stars or just a little better
Pasta
Melina’s Fresh Pasta from Durham, NC
The Pasta was Really Nice though the Sauces made by Farina Need Work!
Bread
By: Night Bakery, Raleigh $ 3.00
Medium/​Small Loaf for Four People… I thought this was Fine in Portion and Price! The Bread was HOT and Delicious an EASY 5 Unilocal stars and I think it is Perfektly fine to charge $ 3 for a Bread this Delicious!
Pizza
The Simplest Pizza is the one I ordered and I enjoyed it… I’m thinking there are only about Four more Pizza’s in Raleigh that I like better, so this one gets almost 4 stars. Almost 4 stars means I would NOT order it again!
Meats and Sauces
Rigatoni with Goat Cheese Parm Cream and Rosemary… Unfortunately two people ordered this one and it was very Disappointing barely worth 2 Unilocal stars
Beef (Short Ribs) 1 Unilocal star makes this the Worst Tasting dish we experienced… Totally Unenjoyable! The Preparation of the meat needs to be Reimagined or Omitted! As the most expensive Dish on the Menu it is an Embarrassment to the Meat and the Establishment!!! I was thinking about ordering this dish and since someone else did, I knew I would get to taste it and I am So GLAD I ordered Pizza!
No Espresso ! Hey if you can NOT make GREAT Italian Style Espresso Do NOT begin to offer something that is sub par… This is another Smart Move! Italy did Spawn the «drink», still next time I’ll be checking out the Desserts
9 – 14 –2015
55 Update!!!
55 and I head over hear for Dessert
Beautiful Evening! Perfekt for Outdoor Dinning! We took the Opportunity for a very relaxed Hour and a Half Dessert… Canoli and Tiramisu
Tiramisu was Fantastik! Very Enjoyable 4 stars at least
Canoli was Beautiful to Photograph though the Flavor of the Filling was unrewarding 1 star
Espresso Update :
They got a Maschine! It did not work so well, they sent it back! I’m still admiring their focus on the Pursuit of Excellence!

We had a truly fabulous meal last night at Farina. I had only been to the former Paparazzi once and was highly disappointed by the horrible service and sub-​par food. Thank goodness Farina is here!
We arrived around 8:30 pm on Friday night and were seated promptly at table 15, the best in the house. Our server, Iris, appeared immediately to get drink orders and discuss the menu. The drink special last evening was watermelon sangria, which I wanted to order very badly, but I remembered that my current medicine rules out alcohol. Boo!
We decided to order three small plates. The potato cakes with mushrooms and truffle cream were perfect. The flavor and texture could not have been better. The pan-​fried meatballs were just as I like them: dense, large and flavorful. The calamari was prepared well; not rubbery as bad calamari often is.
The fiancé ordered the chicken parm and had a religious experience. The chicken is wonderfully juicy and flavorful because they do not deep fry it (they egg-​wash it, coat it in breadcrumbs & spices, then «fry» it on the griddle!). The large piece of chicken parm was served with a perfectly al dente portion of spaghetti on top. They pile the spaghetti on top of the chicken to tantalize the eater; the spaghetti would not hold that shape if it was not al-​dente or if it was too wet or soupy. Fun!
I ordered the bacon, roasted garlic, truffle honey & farm egg pizza and I’m so glad I did. This is a white pie with very little cheese on top. The crust is completely covered with fried eggs with slightly wet (not runny) yolks. The bacon and garlic are on top of the eggs and the truffle honey isn’t visible. This pie is like nothing I’ve ever eaten. The pizza crust is perfectly crispy/​chewy, the eggs make an excellent «nest» for the crispy bacon and melt-​in-​your-​mouth garlic. This pizza is savory, sweet (honey, after all), salty and delicious!
We ordered nutella tiramisu for dessert. I cannot say enough about it! Please do yourself a favor and save room for this when you go!
Iris, our server, was super-​friendly, attentive and helpful throughout the meal. All dishes were served lightning-​fast. Josh, the manager, made sure to check on us to be sure we were having a pleasant experience. We are now considering Farina for our rehearsal dinner!

A lot different from the former restaurant. Décor pretty nice, turn the music down if it’s not overly crowded. Staff were all attentive, but didn’t tell us it was Wed. Wine night, but yea. Yes, you pay $ 3.00 for the bread… Had the chicken parm and lemon cheese ravioli– just ok, if you add garlic shouldn’t it be soft? Choice of 2 deserts, good cannoli. The only choice for a salad is arugula, just strange. You may like the choices of small plates, we didn’t try them. No salmon or that type of entrée offered.

I wanted this place to be good. I really, really did. We really liked Paparazzi and wanted to give Farina a try. We were seated and the menu immediately made me sad. The only real dinner items are pizza and pasta. I try to stay as gluten free as possible and there wasn’t any really substantial protein dinner source. I ended up with some small plates. The calamari was fine, too many random olives, mussels were passable and the meatballs weren’t good. I’m always on the lookout for a delicious meat ball and this one was more meatloaf than meat ball. They also charge $ 3 for bread. For an Italian restaurant, that’s just a bad idea. Raise the prices .25 and cover the cost of bread instead of charging for it.
Hopefully they’ll work out the kinks but until they at least have a non-​breaded protein option for dinner, I won’t be back.

a little different from the original restaurant that was there. i like the idea about the side dishes that they serve. the pickled vegetables seemed like they were from the can, but maybe a high dollar can. they were presented in a little mason jar with the brine, which was neat. and it was pretty darn good.
you only get 2 potato cakes with some sort of creamy sauce. they were also good.
our table also ordered the chicken parm. not enough red sauce on it.
tuna plate was pretty good. the chicpea dish was tasty but wasnt what we expected. we thought it would be softer chicpeas, but these were a it chewier, not in a bad way though.
the white bean dish was also good, very hot when served.
overall pretty good. server was nice and atmosphere looks almost the same as before. but the food could use some tweaking.