Stepping into Figulina feels like entering an old school red sauce joint with sleek modern touches, the atmosphere buzzing with a sense of welcome and ease. You’ll traverse the green and white-tiled floors to find your seat beneath large paper lantern chandeliers and twinkling globe lights strung between the rafters. The concrete walls are strewn with eclectic culinary-inspired posters and prints and a striking mural of a crane extends behind their cozy bar. Eighties classics and grungy rock hits from artists like The Black Keys hum just below conversations. The lights are dimmed just enough to capture a slower, more intimate dining experience.
Figulina is helmed by executive chef David Ellis and known throughout Raleigh for their pasta-centric menu which has garnered more attention after the restaurant became a 2025 James Beard Semi-Finalist for Best New Restaurant. Handcrafted pastas like sacchetti, cappellacci, and bucatini are menu standouts, and each dish comes tailored to the season with bursts of color and energetic flavors. Sink into a cozy plate like the brown butter butternut squash rotolo or opt for a brighter option like the orecchiette with pork cheek, cabbage, and fennel pollen. Each dish has a distinct personality and unique flavor, yet the menu remains cohesive.
While the seasonally-inspired pastas at Figulina are a focal point, don’t sleep on the starters. Their simple market lettuces are piled high with a light vinaigrette, topped with fried garlic and panko, and smothered in a pile of parmesan. Seasonal tartare, whipped ricotta, and terrines are also dishes that won’t disappoint. An intimate, love-letter style dessert menu is coyly delivered to your table and opens to reveal a curated selection of treats. With chef Ellis’ roots in the United Kingdom, any dessert with British influence, like a cherry bakewell tart, is an automatic order. Close out the evening with a pernod on ice or amaro lucano from their extensive digestif list.
While plates of pasta and towers of fluffy focaccia stream out from the kitchen, a separate production room showcases the pasta-making process. Flour sifts through the air as handcrafted mafaldine, orecchiette, and tagliatelle make their way into existence. Peering into the process is easy as the pasta room is visible from almost all seating and from their market. As you depart, browse through their curated market of novelty candles, cookbooks, pressed olive oils, sardines, chocolates, and pre-packaged fresh pasta—you won’t leave empty-handed.
