nicola restaurant & bar

awesome italian dinner. i was at nicola tonight for dinner and had an exceptional grilled trout stuffed with fresh herbs. perfectly cooked. great wine (prosecco), very good service. the restaurant was packed, yet each dish came out on time and just right. i almost always have pasta or risotto at nicola because it is homemade (just like i remember from italy). this was my first time for the trout dish. excellent.

great friendly atmosphere and food that always transports me back to italy just as i remember it.


-----02 dec, 2011-----

authentic italian. i had the pasta with duck on my first visit, and risotto on the second, while my date had pasta with bolognese sauce. both dishes were exactly as i remember them from italy. the dining room has a great, warm feel. the place is well managed and the food has been excellent both times.

i travel in italy for several weeks out of each year, and i am always thrilled to find a restaurant that cooks in the true italian style. right now, this is the one. handmade pasta, real bolognese sauce, perfect risotto with a glass of great dolcetto.

gamberi alla pavarotti. one of my favorite dishes in columbus, and the reason i will continue to return to nicola. also love that the owner is always so nice, welcoming and appreciative. great patio in the summer for wine and antipasti. love nicola.

amo nicola. i love nicola. it's the real deal...first-rate italian food. the wine list is fab and the food is even better. the cupino is divine, and i've never been disappointed by anything else on the menu. their pasta dishes are to-die-for delicious, and the salads are always fresh. the service is outstanding, and the rest of the staff is always welcoming. it's worth every penny. we've been there at least ten times, and i always look forward to going back.

rip off. are they kidding? $35 entrees in a mock italian restaurant in a strip mall on kenny road? rushed service, no atmosphere, tasteless lobster bisque, stale bread and a piece of chocolate cake that sara lee could create more flavor in added up to a night of feeling ripped off. mediocre at best.

amazing!. once again, we had the most amazing dinner at nicola. we started with a roasted beet salad and the calamari, which was so tender, light and flavorful. they were both exceptional. then for dinner we had the cioppino that was better than what we had in italy. nothing we've had here at home even comes close to nicola's. the linguini with clams too, was unlike any we've had before. we found out their pasta is handmade daily by nicola. he brought his recipe straight from sienna and the flour he uses is imported from italy., as well. just like nicola and his wife, who greets you with a beautiful smile and the warmest welcome. we finished with their diplomatica and a seasonal special of pumpkin panna cotta. try the nicola limoncello, another specialty of theirs. and the service was attentive and not over powering. you'll feel right at home. you've got to go!


-----28 apr, 2013-----

unbelievable!. we had the paella last night, which is new to their menu, and it was unbelievable! truly the best paella i've had. their cioppino was my favorite, now it's the paella. and we finished with an affagato (gelatto, espresso and a liquor). the perfect ending! our server was excellent as well. can't wait to go back.

will not return. we first visited nicola when it opened in the winter. it took us over 2 hours to be served salads and most of the main courses were sold out. it was a miserable evening.
we decided that, now that the restaurant was more established, we would give it another shot, so we headed out tonight, full of hopes that this would be our neighborhood restaurant.
it started out very well. very attentive service, nice wine selection, and appetizer of pecorino cheeses which was delicious. the problem came with the main courses. i had ordered a seafood/pasta combo that was baked in foil. my husband ordered pasta with mushrooms and truffle oil.
my husband's malfada arrived with good, tender pasta, and all the promised toppings. however, the pasta pieces were stuck together, and too much oil caused the mushrooms to oozily glide off the pasta.
my pasta arrived with very few pieces of the promised seafood. however, this was a blessing. i put one mussel in my mouth and, upon tasting something "off", immediately spit it out. i tried another one; same thing. the third one i picked out had half of the upper shell broken off; obviously dead before it ever went into the pot
we called the manager over, who blamed the problem on michael's meats sending them poor mussels. i asked that my dinner be substituted with some kind of pasta w. bolognese sauce.
i was given a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with a thin red sauce. i asked the manager to come back, because i was bothered by her putting the blame on her supplier. it took her 15 minutes to come back when i explained to her that i cook mussels often, and that, every time i buy them, there are always ones that are broken and need to be thrown out, she ignored me, blaming michael's meats. when i said that i was trying to be helpful, not critical, and that perhaps she should maybe just check what seafood her chefs were putting in their pastas, she argued w me.
bottom line: nicola's served me a dish that was inedible and failed to own the mistake. you can get a much better meal elsewhere for the money.

love this place!. i went with a group of friends after work - what an amazing experience! the atmosphere is upscale and fun, service was great (our waiter was shawn) and food was some of the best we've ever had. we had a blast and can't wait to go back! ... this would be great for a business lunch or large party too!

worst service. my server ******** was horrible , there was also a little girl running around the place and i was told it was the owners daughter. my food was not that great and ridiculously over priced. never eat here again

unique and delicious. i have been at nicola's several times and the foods always wonderfully unique and delicious,with the flavors balancing perfectly on the plate,the food artfully presented and served with a warm, friendly yet polite smile.the ravioli di mare and capesante saltinbocca are among our very favorite.oh,and the diplomatica dessert is to die for.so when you're in the mood for a real italian treat,treat yourself to nicola.

bravissimo. nicola's is very good.it was everything i was hoping for! exellent service.entire meal was delicious,from wine (gavi) to appetizer(rollatini vegetali) to diner(gamberi alla pavarotti) to dessert( diplomatica).
bravo nicola! we will be back having our son's graduation party.

we enjoyed dinner at nicola on 3 occasions each time better than the previous.bravo no pun intended.

my family and i have been going here the past few weeks and they never cease to amaze me. the food is made to perfection and the service is extraordinaire. ellen is an amazing server and we always request to sit in her section. the best part is that if you don't see something on their menu that jumps at you, although i'm not sure how you can't, then they will make you whatever you want. although it is a nicer atmosphere we have never felt uncomfortable taking our 2 year old. the owners make an effort to greet every customer and go out of their way to make your experience as best as possible. i can not speak better words for nicola.

simply delicious. my first experience at nicola's was with my husband on a spur of the moment dining experience. we both enjoyed it very much; not only the food, but the ambiance and you could actually carry on a conversation. the waiters were very attentive. the mista salad was perfectly dressed, the gnocchi was tender and not gooey and the wine (suggested by the waiter) was a good compliment to our order. since that first experience, i have been back twice for 'girls night out' and we sat at the bar. a very good wine selection along with great appetizers for happy hour! the rolatini alla grilla and suppli di risotto are scrumptious and a delightful presentation makes you want to practically lick the plate.

spectacular food, delightful amosphere. wow, so i had the caesar salad, the risotto olantango, and 3 different flavours of gelatto for desert. the food was authentic italian food, delicious, and not overprocessed. this place is the real deal. the head chef (who is also one of the owners) came out and chatted for a minute to make sure everything was up to par and so did his wife, speranza:) very friendly accomodating people from the old country itself and i cannot even describe how wonderful my experience was. i will definitely be back, their gelatto is to die for^_^

disappointing. the food was adequate but unadventurous. although the food came out quickly enough, the four waiters attending the restaurant (which was only about 1/3 full) spent much of their time huddling in the back (i could see them schmoozing as i left the toilets).

why weren't they refilling my water? they swirled their backs so i could not approach them comfortably. panna cotta had about 5 times as much sugar as it needed. no italian panna cotta would be so sweet! i needed a lot of water to try to eat it but no water refills were offered.

we had to wait for cutlery and wave down a server at some length to get it. food was heavy and of sub-par quality. i will not return. a simple chain restaurant like the spaghetti warehouse or the olive garden can provide better fare. go to brio tuscan grille at easton mall or better still to basi italia or z cucina for far superior fare. you won't spend much more and the food will be more palatable and the service more conscientious.

the bruschetta was ok; the lobster bisque was tasty but had minimal lobster flavor. the red sauce was too sweet and heavy; the spaghetti was overcooked. the meatball was standard, but not bad.

perhaps the location is cursed?