Nicholas Restaurant

Really frustrating because the food is phenomenal and I've never been disappointed in that, but it's become one of those places that's so popular, always a line out the door, that they don't care about losing customers because you're lucky to be able to eat there, right? Wrong! I was extremely polite and smiled at them a lot, but never got a single ""you're welcome"" or a kind word of any sort. Any time we asked for anything, like napkins or more bread, it was met with indifference bordering on annoyance. I asked for a side of rice to be brought out as soon as possible for my 4 year old who had been starving while we waited 30 minutes for a table... that was the very last thing they brought out after all of the other food, despite my polite reminders. It almost seemed intentional! They acted completely put out that we had 6 people in our group and it seemed as if they were punishing us. If you go there, make sure to go with 4 people or less or you'll never get seated and they'll be annoyed with your presence. Good luck getting in! more

holy balls! this is the best Mediterranean food i have ever eaten. i went there with a party of 6 and they... more

holy balls! this is the best Mediterranean food i have ever eaten. i went there with a party of 6 and they brought us the biggest piece of pita i... more

I love their menu but I wish it wasn't such a small place. Everything on the menu is above average. What a tate treat. Pros: Taste Cons: Small place more

I absolutely love the food at Nicholas. I have never been disappointed by any dish I have tried there, although I rarely get past the Mezza in the menu. They have raised their prices from when I first started going there, but are still reasonably priced.
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Stopped eating here a couple of years ago when quality took a dive. Went along with a group who were set on this place against my advice. I ordered the lamb gyros. Pretty bad. Horribly dry and lunchmeat like. Wait staff clueless - just stood chatting with each other instead of taking care of tables. Had a bite of my friend's Shawarma Sandwich which has the following menu description: ""Fresh cuts of to sirloin beef marinated over night with garlic, olive oil, ten different Middle Eastern spices passed down by the owners Pros: none left Cons: no cards, dirty dining room and bathrooms, flies, poor quality ingredients, overrated more

I went to Nicholas Restaurant because of the word-of-mouth from my co-workers. BIG MISTAKE!!! I was sat by someone who barely spoke English which was frustrating because I couldn't understand her. The waiter was pleasant and informative, no issues there. More frustration abounded when I asked the waitstaff/busser? for napkins and she looked at me with a blank stare did not understand a word I said. To continue, the floor is dingy, the bathroom was horrendous, and the flies are appalling to see staring at you from the wall. Has an health inspector been in recently??? I will say, the food was super fast and appealing and the service from my waiter was great. However, I felt jaded first by the lack of response I got from the person who sat me, second by the lack of cleanliness, and lastly, when I went to pay, the cashier was rude, gave no eye contact, and was unresponsive. When she finally did respond, she was incredibly crass. I find this hard to believe when I am the one standing there about to give her my hard-earned money for food I just ate, not to mention I was going to include the tip. Luckily, the waiter with the tattoo on his arm won me over with his excellent service and sense of humor, and I gave the tip to him before I left. All in all, the food was good, my waiter was good, the rest I would leave behind. When you update the decor, get rid of the wall of flies, disinfect the bathroom, and provide consistent and friendly customer service throughout the restaurant, I am more inclined to come back with my friends and family. Until then, I refuse. Pros: waiter great, fast food Cons: dirty environment, inconsistent customer service more

Ok, now I already know it's hard to go and find quality food from citysearch or yelp reviews. I have been led astray by people saying such and such a place is good. I think many people here have no clue what good food is. This place, is crowded with people and I really don't know why. Today, I understand why as it is the New year, and a GOOD Lebanese place, Karam's, was closed. I've been to the offspring of Nicholas', Arabian Breeze, and it was FAR better. Pros: It was open on New Years Cons: Oh, just read the review more

The mezza at Nicholas' is great. The hummus is tasty and the tabouleh has just enough lemon to not make you pucker. The falafels are some of the best I've had in a while and the spinach pie is delicious. The veggie kabobs, however, are marginal at best. Pros: Best mezza in town Cons: Filthy, dirty restaurant more

This is some of the most flavorful food I have ever eaten. We ordered the Mezza for Four; not only did the four of us go home with full stomachs, we had leftovers for the next day! The only conversation you could hear during dinner was ""Mmmmmmmmm"" and ""Oh, god, this is wonderful!"" I do have to say there is a downside...the restaurant is extremely small for the amount of service they get and the wait staff aren't as customer service-oriented as they could be. I would suggest dining there during the off peak times so as to get seated more quickly. Those of us who have eaten at Hoda's agree that Nicholas' food is much more flavorful, but Hoda's has 'em beat as to ambience and size. Pros: Flavorful food Cons: Ambience, service more

If you like good food, go here! It is casual and a whole in the wall and such a gem of a restaurant when it comes to their food. Everything is amazing from the mezza platters to the shawarmas to the spinach pie, hummus, baba however you spell it - it is simply the best in town! more

I had been to Nicholas for dinner once before and was not terribly impressed. The ambiance is not wonderful. This last vist, though, was for lunch. We arrived before noon and there was already a waiting list. The staff was relaxed, gracious, and patient. We were waited on and served promptly. Although some of the items seemed a little oversalted, I was impressed with the freshness of everything. The spinach pie was delightful. We took a little longer than we had intended with lunch and there were other people waiting, yet the staff never rushed us. I will go again, because there are many things on the menu that I haven't tried yet. more

This place has great Mezzas. There service is come and go! But when they have good service it's exceptional. Pros: Most food Cons: Not the best hummus in town! more

I went here once just before a show. Bad idea. This is a popular restaurant and small, so there is a wait,... more

I went here once just before a show. Bad idea. This is a popular restaurant and small, so there is a wait, and the food is amazing and ought to be ... more

The food is consistently good but the service is come and go - This has become more apparent since there has been more of an ""owner absent"" operation. A Middle Eastern Restaurant must serve great food accompanied with GREAT hospitality. We continue to frequent the restaurant even though at times the service leaves no room for desert. Pros: Menu Cons: Service (inconsistent) more

We went here on a recent vacation... the fact that we got here rather early (6pm-ish) & still had to wait a little for a table was a testament to how tasty this place is. The food was sensational! I wasn't even in the mood for this cuisine that day but I am soo happy we went here. Everything was amazingly delicious, especially the baba, grape leaves & yogurt sauce (which I didn't expect to like at all, it's usually not a fave of mine). Most of the staff, hostess, other waiters/busboys, etc., were friendly but our waiter was a bit smarmy ... He brought our pita bread holder (to hold the monstrous pitas they bring for the table) & said ""You'll need to keep this in the center of the table."" Shortly after, we had a water spill at our table - other staff members were quick to offer towels & help us clean up the spill, so things on the table got rearranged. Our waiter came back & snapped ""I wan't lying when I said you need this in the middle of the table"" & moved the bread holder back to the center w/ a huff! Thank goodness this waiter's b!tchiness (or b!tchy sense of humor...?!) was overshadowed by the wonderful meal. Pros: FOOD!, inexpensive Cons: Crowded, we got the lone crabby waiter more

One of the first times I went to Nicholas' was Christmas day 2005. We had a Christmas eve gathering with friends who were not going home for the holidays. We woke up Christmas day sans leftovers and our cupboards bare. If we were to find anything open we would need to get ethnic... As we walked inside of the restaurant we were one of three couples ( I have never seen it without a line since). Our meal was just what we wanted for Christmas. I had the lentil soup and we had the vegetarian mezza all of it was fantastic. The tabuli salad is by far the best I have ever tried. Pros: amazing food, attentive staff, open 7 days a week,outside seating Cons: location, tables are tightly packed, no debit/credit machine more

I am not sure why this place gets any good reviews... we have been there three times (we really wanted to like this place!) and have yet to be impressed, in any way that is good at least. Our last visit was on an ordinary Thursday night. The servers are indifferent amatuers - never refilling water glasses, never clearing a single dirty/empty dish, not anwering any questions, just chatting amongst themselves with their patrons a mere afterthought. It seems to me that this 'Portland Establishment' has seen it's prime come and go... mom and pop are retired and it is now in the hands of the kids- who are running it into the dirt. The last time I went I ordered the beef kabobs, which are seasoned ground beef, skewered and baked. There were at least 10 pieces of cartilage and bone in my dish alone - HOW DISGUSTING! This implies low quality beef and shoddy preparation. The chicken bouillon/lemon/salty rice side is unimaginative and gluey, the bleached white flour oversized flatbread is gluey and poorly done, and the baklava is completely forgettable. And for the ambiance - the acoustics are terrible, with the dominating noise being the clang & clatter of dished being dumped uncerimoniously into bins as the tables are cleared, and what is with the decor? Go to Hoda's or Ya Hala. Do not waste your time on this one. Pros: just about nothing Cons: just about everything more

My boyfriend and I just got back from eating at Nicholas and we both agree it has nothing compared to Ya Hala. First of all, I have no idea why this is considered to be so cheap. We both enjoy appetizers like hummus, grape leaves, falafels, etc and can get the veggie mezza at Ya Hala for 9.00 and be full. At Nicholas, they charge you by the amount of people eating it, so to get the veggie mezza would have costed 16.75. I opted for the calzone instead. The veggies inside were raw and had not much of a flavor, not like the ones at Ya Hala which are 1.00 cheaper too. The feeling of the place was crowded and noisy and the servers were not friendly. Our server got my order mixed up, it look forever for bread and water and he not once came to ask how the meal was or offered to fill our water glasses -we went without water for the last part of our meal. And the funny thing is there were 2-3 staff just standing around looking at everyone, yet no one offered to get us more water. Another downfall is they only take cash or check. I will not eat here again, too bad too, because it is really close to where I live. I'll definitely drive the distance and rather go to Ya Hala. Pros: we got seats right away Cons: atmosphere is not inviting, subpar service, I wouldn't consider it cheap eats more