Nicholas' Restaurant

07/07/2008 Posted by nattbrisviskar

Before my husband and I were married a friend brought us to nicholas' over 8 years ago and it's still my favorite restauraunt to date. I love the food as always and have turned many friends onto the experience. Ya it's small but I think that's part of the experience they're trying to capture and be quaint and family like. I think the people who gave them bad ratings have issues with their taste buds, or are maybe just cranky. Iv'e never once had a bad experience and will continue to go for years to come.

Pros: Great prices, excellent food, friendly employees

Cons: parking only on street

06/23/2008 Posted by lola2002

I LOVE THIS PLACE, my fave in Portland, the food is really great and it's cheap (most of the menu is under $10 and you get a lot of it). It's very small though, it's hard to get in, and then when you do you're eating elbow to elbow with some stranger, not for the full figured people!

Pros: Yummy food

Cons: restaurant size

06/05/2008 Posted by vanwyek

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!

04/22/2008 Posted by pdxmodchick

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

03/09/2008 Posted by goodnbad

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. <br> The only drawback of Nicholas is the building they are in. The building is old and could use some serious updates. It is also very small and the tables are really close together. <br> If your looking for good food and don't mind getting up close and personal with the people at tables on either side of you then I would definitely recommend it. I typically don't mind and consider it one of my favorite restaurants in Portland. Just be sure to get there early or you'll be waiting outside.

03/01/2008 Posted by stumptowner

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 grandparents, with herbs and red wine and tahini sauce." It was gristly, tough poor quality beef underseasoned overly wrapped in the same doughy dry flat bread as my gyro. Seems the food has continued downhill since the last time I was here. And the place is still dirty and staffed by far more attentive flies than wait staff. As for prices, that is kind of subjective. By current Portland standards, they are not out of line at all but they are also not cheap, especially considering the quality of food, service and cleanliness. This place was really popular ten years ago or more when I was in college and looking for a deal but it's sad to see that in all the years since, they seem to have squandered that popularity and worse, are exploiting some persistent mythological appeal among Portlanders that continues to drive unfortunate first-timers to their door. Never again. This place is on my permanent dead list. Do yourself a favor and pull your well-meaning friends to any other Lebanese restaurant if that is the type of food everyone is after.

Pros: none left

Cons: no cards, dirty dining room and bathrooms, flies, poor quality ingredients, overrated

02/13/2008 Posted by lassietoo

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

01/01/2008 Posted by leequa

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. So, first time at Nicholas' and my boyfriend and I ordered the Lamb Platter. Lamb is supposed to be tender and fall apart when your fork touches it not tough like an old German yak! The rice was flavorless and my boyfriend's peach juice was oddly textured and without much flavor. Unlike Arabian Breeze, the service is fleeting (busy place) and the pita didn't come with anything to swab up. I mean, that's like going to a Mexican restaurant and getting chips but no salsa! The hummus was not bad and they were quick with the food at least. Here's what is annoying. This is the 21st century and this place doesn't have a card reader. So, they tell you there is a US bank three blocks down. US Bank charges $3 to pull out money. I told them this is an annoying way to inconvenience their customers and the guy tells me that they do this because it keeps their prices low. Prices Low?? Yeah, whatever you need to tell yourself, buddy. Your prices are NO different from Lebanese places which except debit and credit. You guys are just cheap. So, that's why I didn't tip. The bank got your tip.

Pros: It was open on New Years

Cons: Oh, just read the review

12/17/2007 Posted by readyornot73

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. My real issue with this restaurant is how filthy it is inside! We knocked a plate over and did our best to clean it up. No one ever came to help clean. The people next to us spilled their water and did the same. The server didn't bother to clean up the floor but went ahead and sat the next guests. The floor was a wet, dirty mess. That's bad, but it gets worse. THERE ARE FLIES EVERYWHERE! Trying to eat while batting away flies is not appealing. I shudder to think what the kitchen looks like. While I think they have the best mezza in town, we will be going to Hoda's or Riyadh's from now on just to avoid the filth.

Pros: Best mezza in town

Cons: Filthy, dirty restaurant

12/17/2007 Posted by rlbjeannette

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