Nick's Italian Restaurant

I have been going to Nick's for years, pretty much since he opened. I am not going to say much about the food ,which always excellent, because I believe that this is a matter of taste. Something that is delicious to me it may not be good for somebody else. I would like to share my experience from my last visit , I am having a nice rellaxed casual dinner with my wife we are enjoying our red wine when this family comes in with two young boys between 6-10 years old. Our quite evening just went down the drain. Two spoiled little brats running up and down the dining area banging their feet all over the wood floor and when they were not doing that we had to deal with the disturbing sounds of their electronic devices. We had to ask for the check and get out of there. Nick, realised that we were not happy and he came out and asked us. When we told him he went to the table and asked the parents to try to keep their kids quite. The father got up asked for his check and told him in a very rude way that he was dissapointed that he was actually asked by the owner to kip his kids quite. Then he left upset. Thank you Nick for saving our evening. Keep up the good work more

Let me start off with saying that I have been enjoying Nick's for years. My husband and I started going before our kiddos and now our kids call Nick 'Pappa Nick'! The food is PHENOMINAL, wait staff OUTSTANDING (love Alex), and the atmosphere is perfect. If you are going for a romantic evening or a nice evening out with the family, Nick's can accomidate it all! I have read some of the things said about Nick and/or his establishment and all I have to say is please try it for yourself. There are so many folks out there that might have been having a bad day, or just their personality in general is SOUR and they decide to take it out on the first victim......try it for yourself! You will love it! more

My wife wanted Italian for mother's day, so we decided to try something new. I wish we hadn't. With regard to the food, it wasn't bad. Not stellar, but not bad. Probably a little better than the Olive Garden... Where to start on the service? First, we had to fight the waitresses and bus boys to keep our plates. Every time they wandered past, it was an exercise to keep them from taking our food. Twice, the grabbed plates and stacked them while my daughter was still trying to eat. At one point, my daughter was standing beside her chair and the waitress told her to sit down! I was shocked. The final straw was when I took my daughter to the restroom. I had noticed the restrooms near the entrance and was headed that direction with her when the owner (manager?) asked me where I was going. He then proceeded to inform me that there were additional restrooms in another location. I thanked him for the information but since I was almost to my goal, continued to the first set I had seen. He blocked my way and said go to the other restrooms. I politely tried to move on to the restroom when he, in a loud voice, said those restrooms (which I had used earlier) were not available for our use. Not wanting to cause an issue, I used the restrooms indicated. On the way out, he shouted across the dining room, ""How was the bathroom."" Stated simply, I will never patronize this place again and recommend that no one else do so either. more

I have been going to Nicks for years....I have always known the owner to be a bit cranky but after last nights experience, I will never go back! I was there celebrating my brothers birthday with my family which included my cousin and her 4 year old autistic son. We were in the PRIVATE room, had just been seated and she was having problems getting him into his high chair. Nick came over and said ""no children out of their seats!"". My cousin decided to leave because she could tell her son was not going to calm down. She left the restaurant but then called Nick to apologize, explaining the situation with her son. He told her that his restaurant was a classy place and did not need retarded children running around. He then hung up on her! He came to our table and explained that our family member who just left the restaurant called him and was complaining. he said ""she tell me her son is retarded!, like this is any excuse"". That was it, we will never be back to this heartless man's restaurant. I vowed to notify as many people as possible about his attitude towards disabled children! more

The atmosphere will you take you back to the 70's or 80's. And so will the menu. This is not Italian food that one would find in Italy, but Italian food according to Americans. As with most restaurants these days, they skimp on quality ingredients and make up for it with portions. The entrees are mediocre at best--it all tastes canned/assembled. Sysco with flair . Skip the seafood., the salmon was BLECH. The dressing on the salad is the best thing this place has going.. Unfortunately, they are always super busy so it is loud and they will rush you so they can turn the tables. Dessert tastes like it came from Randall's bakery or some such--don't bother. If your fave restaurant is Olive Garden, you will think this is authentic Italian food. Otherwise, you prob need to drive to Houston or perhaps just go to Italy. more

I've been coming to Nick's for years- love the food and the atmosphere. It's nice to see that he recently expanded to accomodate more guests but I still like the ""old"" room the best.\r \r To all those who are bashing the owner, I agree that Nick can be a little edgy, but he's always been warm and friendly to me and my guests. As others say he runs a tight ship. Insofar as kids go, honestly I appreciate an owner who will confront parents of loud, obnoxious screaming, running kids. I'm not sure when it became ""OK"" to bring screaming brats to nice restaurants and the parents to think it's ""OK"" to let them act out and ruin everyone else's evening, but I for one am sick to death of being seated next to a screaming 2 year old an it's oblivious parents. Want to take the tikes out to eat? Try McDonalds. Don't ruin other adult's night out. Go Nick! Oh- and the pistachio chicken is excellent! more

We were kick out of this place when our baby started crying. We were not even done with our meal, but still expected to pay. Nick came out of the kitchen and stated he does not allow crying children only good kids are allowed. My son was 1yrs old!!!!! Cons: rude owner more

I've been going to Nick's for years now, and have never had ANY problems like the one's I am reading. Nick is always extremely nice to my family and I, and his wife is just as nice. I find the food to be amazing and the specials to be unique. Although I must say, this is NOT a place to bring your rowdy children...most of the bad reviews are from people who bring there little kids to this place. Don't! Pros: Great Service, Great food. Cons: None. more

We love Nick's Italian and have been going there since he first opened. Nick likes well behaved children and we have taken ours there since they were 4 & 9 and now 13 & 19. Nick's is a fine dining restaurant and meant to be a wonderful ambient night out. If your children are used to behaving like they are in Chucky Cheese or Chili's this might be the place for you. We have celebrated many occasions, had date nights out, entertained friends and business associates and it is our number one favorite place to go. The food is exquisite, the service impeccable and Nick is very gracious and always greets us at the door like family with a big welcome in Greek. He oversees that everything is just perfect and always asks us how everything was as we leave with gracious heartwarming farewell. My favorite dish is the Chicken Pistacio. Pros: Best Restaurant in the Houston Metro Area more

Just wanted to WARN EVERYONE and let the owner know, SHAME ON YOU for treating us the way you did the other night when we wanted to take our daughter to some place she enjoyed. SHAME ON YOU for parking in the handicap space without a tag and yelling at us for parking along the side of the driveway. SHAME ON YOU for yelling at us in front of our little daughter, who is herself handicapped, and was made to feel at fault!!! I should've called the police on you. SHAME ON YOU for treating decent people and innocent children like that!!!\r \r I cannot even express enough what a low, despicable monster you are. I hope you go out of business. We will NEVER go there again, and everyone we know will hear about this! \r Pros: absolutely NONE Cons: Horrible treatment by the owner! more

It is so nice to finally be able to get this off my chest, and it is so nice to read all the negative stuff that has been written about Nick's. About 4 years ago my wife and I went to dinner there and had a delicious meal. About two months later we went with our kids: wo boys aged 11 and 9 that had grown up eating in restaurants and are very well behaved. . Well we got there at about 5:15 on a Saturday afternoon and there were approximately 5 tables with customers. We were met by Nick and he ushered us to a table by the bathroom and the kitchen entrance. I asked if we could sit by the window and just started walking over to a window table. Nick then said no you have to sit at that table. I said that there was no one here and we would really like a table by the window. He said, and I quote, ""Do you get to pick your seats when you fly in an airplane?"" I looked at him and said, ""Well as a matter of fact, I do get to pick my seats when I fly."" This seemed to really incense him. He then said ""If you want food you eat at that table."" He was combative, hostile, angry and extremely rude. My family and I left. My wife was floored, and she said that she wanted to call and talk to the owner. I said that the guy who sat us had to be the owner because even the rudest waiter I had ever encountered before was never as bad as that guy.. My wife did call him and said that we left because he was so rude, and he didn't care. Since that time I have made it a point to tell anyone and everyone this story. I bet I have stopped at least 30 families/couples from going to Nick's. I don't know how he stays in business. Pros: I left before I was seated Cons: It is still open more

I've visited Nick's Restaurants since 1995. It can be a good experiernce as long as you do what Nick wants you to do.\r \r Do not bring your children, do not ask too many questions or have any real opinion about what the public wants in a Eatery.\r \r Nick is confrontational, rude and intollerant of young people and thier parents. He's the Alpha in that place - no questions or challengers allowed. The food is good but the food is quickly over shadowed by aggression towards the customers. Wonder how he stays in business??\r \r We have a new Food Czar, so move over NY soup kitchen. Pros: Great food Cons: Children are unwanted more

Wow by reading everyone's reviews...i realized that I'm not the only one who thinks the owner is some nut head. The guy is rude to his staff and his customers! Someone should get this guy shut down Pros: nothing Cons: the owner is so rude! more

My husband and I love this place for a special night out. It's a wonderful place to take the in-laws or special guests. The waitstaff is friendly and attentive and the food is amazing! My husband's favorite is the Chicken Pistachio. I love the Linguini Con Vongole and Nick's Baked Lasagna. Actually, we've liked everything we've had here. Nick often stops by the table to make sure we're happy with everything. We have absolutely no complaints about this treasure of a restaurant. Pros: excellent food, excellent service, excellent atmosphere more

We took my mom and kids to this restaurant. I was a little nervous to have a 3 and 5 yo after I read the reviews, but we had a great experience. They do not have a kid's menu or coloring sheets, so I'm glad I brought an activity bag. The owner seated us and was gruff, but charming. The food was fantastic - I had the pesto chicken - yum - and plenty left to take home. The rest of our party loved their meals, too. more

Just went to this place for dinner last night with a friend. The atmosphere is nice, waitstaff is very attentive, and the food was great. I can't wait to go back and try a few more dishes, as I had a hard time trying to decide what to order! Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere more

I was wife my wife this past Sunday at this supposed fine dining Italian Restaurant enjoying our average, over-rated (similar to Olive Garden) meal when we were alarmed to witness apparently the OWNER (Nick) arguing and shouting profanity towards a family with small children (probably 2-7 years of age) as they were leaving. This being our first time to visit this establishment, I can say that it will definitely be the last based on watching how this man treated this family with small children by trying to intimidate and literally almost push them out the door. There is no excuse for this under ANY circumstance, especially with children bearing witness. When this Owner does put himself out of business based on his awful customer service skills, I hope he can get into a field that is more in line with his type of management practice (i.e. prison guard). Pros: None,unless you like The Jerry Springer Show Cons: Everything more

We actually had something run across our table and over a plate. When we told the owner Nick about this he got very upset and said that it was not true. He told us that we were not welcome at his restaurant and told us to leave. He was treating the customers and his waitstaff with complete disrespect. I could not believe that a owner would not believe a customer when they point out that they have a problem and not want to do something about it. Next time you go there you may get more than you paid for. This is the worst restaurant i have ever been to and the owner needs to take anger management classes. Cons: unwanted dinner guest more

We went to dinner to celebrate our grandmother's birthday and were thrown out after confrontation with the owner Nick. He told us that children were not welcome and that he did not want us back. He waited until we paid our bill before confronting me in front of our children. He began to scream and yell at us that we were bad parents and that we could not control our kids. Our kids never left there seats and never raised there voices. The restaurant was almost completely empty and the nearest diner was three tables away. I was shocked at the way he spoke to us in front of young children. He made my youngest daughter start to cry and that did not even bother him. I told him that he should put a sign out front that said children were not welcome. He agreed and said that kid's had no business being in a restaurant. I have never been treated this way before and told Nick that we would never be back. He said ""good"" and that we were not allowed back. This man has a lot of anger inside him and he will let it out if you rub him the wrong way. Pros: nothing Cons: owner has god complex. more

Tonight my fiance'and I had the worst dining experience of our entire lives. Upon entering the restaurant Nick allowed us to wait several minutes until he decided to seat us. His idea of seating us was to point and tell us to sit at that table over there in the corner. This behavior should have been our first sign of the horrible service. Our waiter only came to our table twice while he catered to everyone around us and sent others to serve us. The food was only average and the service was less than average, we tipped accordingly. The absolute worst part of the entire evening was when Nick came to our table \r after we had paid and asked ""why we did not tip 15%"". The service and food was not worthy of what we tipped. He said if we came back he would not serve us. \r Nick is the rudest most obnoxious man I have ever met. I will NEVER go back to this restaurant again and NEVER recommend it to anyone. If you want good service and good food DO NOT go to this restaurant. Cons: Food, Service and Parking is bad more