NCReview
Yes, Gocciolina is an Italian restaurant in a strip mall, but you’ll forget that the second you enter the just-crowded-enough dining room. From the old-timey photos on the walls of people shoving pasta into their mouths to the tall breadsticks in the middle of the table that always taste like childhood, you’ll immediately know this is somewhere you want to eat pasta - and they happen to make some of the best in the city. The appetizers and pastas are all small-ish portions, but nothing’s over $14, which makes it easy to get a few things to share for the table, like the spicy chickpeas and the crispy fried eggplant, as well as spaghetti carbonara and one of the raviolis. Walk-ins are welcome, but you’re better off making a reservation, especially for groups larger than two and on the weekends.