We vacation in Kalkaska and have NEVER had a bad experience with Nico's, whether we pick up or get…read moredelivery. My New Year resolution is to leave more reviews so after our lunch today, I figured it was time to share our love of Nico's food. Delivery was so fast today and I'm grateful because I put my order in later for lunch than I should have. (But last time we ordered from a local competitor it took forever, so thanks Nico's!) We normally get pizza, but today I ordered a 16" chicken club grinder and pepperoni sticks for me and my kids to split. The grinder was delicious! We even ate the crusted melted cheese pieces and extra chicken chunks that were leftover in the box. The pepperoni sticks were also great! They weren't quite what I was expecting- more like hollowed out pizza crust with pepperoni slices loose inside and plenty of Parmesan cheese sprinkled all over it, rather than pepperoni- and cheese- stuffed breadsticks, but still very tasty! Sooo good! Thank you, Nico's! We'll definitely order again!

Our food was superb!! Full sandwich! Gal on phone and delivery gal were extremely friendly!!! Worth…read morethe wait!!!! I don't order often. But I'm never disappointed!!

I was able to eat here on a Monday since my flight that was supposed to leave got canceled so I had…read morean extra day to spend in Michigan since my friend's family managed to add me to their reservation. This restaurant is definitely on the smaller side but it has such the cutest charm! I ordered the Salmon Piccata with a side of Caesar salad, and pasta with oil, garlic, and butter. The Salmon Piccata was perfectly cooked; however, I wish it had a tad more seasoning (maybe a tad more salt or simply lemon juice) since I truly had to rely on the capers for any acidity. The Caesar salad has to be one of the best I've ever had--it honestly had the punch of lemony boquerones. If you truly love anchovies, I highly recommend ordering it with some extra anchovies! Lastly, the pasta was just as expected, but it was still delicious! Pro tip if you order the salmon piccata: dip the pasta in the lemon and white wine sauce--you'll thank me later!

What a special place in what feels like the middle of no where. A house on a street that is inside…read morea cozy, lovely restaurant. Even in the middle of winter, reservations were needed. Upon entering they will take your coats ( if you have them) service was great The ambience is low key, an intimate feeling. Selection of dishes check boxes for classic Italian. I love how you can choose your side pasta and kind of sauce with the entrée. That is a special touch worth going just for that. You are charged for sharing but they offer side and salad with the extra charge. Not unreasonable in my opinion. The bread brought out was delicious. Felt the marinara was a little salty for the eggplant But certainly not inedible. A nearby table had ordered mussels and the smell did carry over to us so a sensitivity to that could be an issue . Dessert The Tiramisu was fabulous. I actually liked the texture as you could taste every component. Usually soggy lady fingers which can taste great but here they kept their structure I felt making it stand out . Wonderful flavors. Parking is one way and could be icy in the lot. Well lit though. Worth the drive!

Everything was lovely. The communal seating style, to the flawless team service, and B&B bathrooms…read moreare all nice touches that made for a flawless experience. We split a braised beef and a mushroom gnocchi and found them to be a wonderful balance. The braised beef was recommended from our table neighbors and did not disappoint. The sprouts add a pop of freshness to pasta dishes that, somehow, do not make you leave feeling heavy. Topped off a lovely dinner with an espresso-tini for dessert. Yum.

Food was so good! it was really cool watching the cooks do their thing and it came out super fast…read moreas well! I would absolutely go again soon! Service was amazing, we sat at the bar because they were full with reservations (we forgot to make one) The bartender was so sweet and amazing. Fast service as well! Everything was so aesthetically pleasing and very well designed. I loved my experience here! We went on 2/28!

Had the pleasure of trying this restaurant recently with a group of friends and it was such a…read morefantastic dinning experience. The restaurant is beautiful inside we were seated in a very private area in the back of the restaurant making for a fantastic space for conversation. The service was impeccable,our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu and did a fantastic job managing our party of 8. The food was excellent I can't stop thinking about the steak tartar and the amazing plating and presentation. The pasta dishes were perfectly al dente and so rich in flavor. I would highly recommend making this a go to location for any special occasion you will not be disappointed.

What a great find! This place came highly recommended by the locals. You always want to go with the…read morelocal recommendations! PepeNero haa a gorgeous atmosphere. Very romantic and up scale feel to it. The menu is small but the food is absolutely amazing!!! I literally can't wait to go back!!

Stick to pizza. We were there for lunch & Had a hamburger & chips. It was clearly a frozen premade…read moreburger which wasn't very good. We Also had the spinach & artichoke flatbread pizza & was disappointed. It had a white creamy sauce on it that wasn't cheese. Very little artichoke but lots of bacon if that's what you like. I'll stick to their pizza next time.

Stopped here almost 2 years ago when traveling through Kalkaska, so glad to again enjoy amazing…read morepizza and service

What a great little mom and pop spot in Shanty Creek! The dude behind the bar was awesome and the…read morefood was made with love. The spicy fried pickles were solid. Not too hot and had a great crispy texture. It was the pizza that did it for me. I ordered a personal pizza, no sauce, pepperoni, pineapple, and jalapeño. Yes, pineapple belongs on pizza! The crust was the star. But I love how it came out hot and the cheese had such a sick cheese pull. When you're up here, make sure you visit this spot. The servers and bartenders made our group feel at home! Also, I know the bartender didn't think I noticed... but I was really appreciative of him not changing the golf tournament we were watching when the guy requested the Tigers game. Mad respect there.

We were a little confused when we arrived at the address as the restaurant is part of a resort and…read morethe actual location is a small building sitting behind a handful of other buildings. If you're seeing a giant neon PIZZA sign you've found it. The food itself was okay enough but nothing overly special, especially for the price. The atmosphere was very comfortable though and the guy who runs the place seems to care a lot which was nice to see. They also have live music if you're into that. All in all I'd say if you're on the resort (or staying less than a mile away like we were) it's a good close option but I wouldn't drive out of my way to eat here.

Stella Trattoria... where do I even start…read more The vibe? Dark, moody, romantic in the best way possible. The kind of place where you instantly feel like you're somewhere special. And somehow, you completely forget you're literally dining in what used to be an insane asylum... which honestly just makes it even cooler. The food was amazing every bite was so good and the wine? Even better. Like, the kind of place where you keep saying "just one more glass" and suddenly it's a whole night. This place is a whole experience, and we will absolutely be back.

What. A. Vibe…read more Walking in, I didn't know where this place would be. It's under an apartment complex with winding hallways. Felt a pinch bizarre. But then you walk in, and you're transported into such a cozy restaurant with an underground feel. Yes it is a bit pricey, but the food was delicious and we absolutely went to town and treated ourselves. So worth it. We all shared everything and there wasn't a bad dish. Our server, well she was amazing. Memorized everything, always checking in (but not in an annoying way), and just so friendly. Highly recommended and definitely make reservations way in advance!

Food was amazing! Wasn't sure about the pumpkin cheesecake but that was purely to personal taste…read moreand not the food itself. Everything was delicious. Service was good but it was busy and it did take a second for us to get our bill, totally understandable. We just had a limit on our meter for parking so we had to leave pretty quick. Hosts were okay, we were told about 45mins so we left and walked downtown, we came back to check on our spot and we were told they thought they sat us and we weren't on the waitlist anymore, no biggie though, it happens; they immediately sat us and it was great from there! it was gorgeous inside though, the bar looked fun; will be back to sit there next time! 10/10 recommend this place to anyone who wants a nice dinner!

This was our second time here, our Friends' first time. The food does NOT disappoint. Full of…read moreflavor - well balanced, authentic, hot & delicious! We each ordered a dish and shared family style. The chicken pesto pasta was a favorite. Pasta was cooked perfectly and the dishes were sauced just right. Portions were generous but not too much. Highly recommend this Italian restaurant. Good service, great food, comfortable accommodations!

The good: the ambiance is beautiful and the service is amazing. We had a really excellent server!…read more The bad: the food was SO subpar, especially for the prices. The mushroom soup was just okay. There was too much pepper in the soup. The hot toddy was a good drink. The elk meatloaf was just okay. The bbq sauce was a little too sweet. The mushroom pasta was not good at all. It was so unbelievably bland. Over $40 for the most bland pasta I've ever had. I am not sold at this point in coming back. Again, the service was amazing! The food was not worth it for the price.

A characteristic of a great restaurant is; Fresh Quality Food, Servers and Staff who are long…read moreterm, Great Ambiance and established clientele. We have been dining at Bennethum's for 15+ years based on all of these. The best upscale, (but not pretentious) option in the Gaylord area. Josh and his family go the extra mile to insure their guests feel welcome and receive great service. On our most recent visit, I had the Perch, a menu staple. Always fresh, lightly dusted and flash fried, nice portion and great flavor. Accompanied with jasmine rice and green beans. My wife had the BNI Blue Wedge Salad, blue cheese dressing , applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, onion, with shrimp added for protein. Shrimp were plump, juicy and flavorful. And a meal is not complete without a loaf of their BNI bread. :) Great cocktails, warm ambiance. Be sure to check them out when in Gaylord area.

My girlfriend and I came here once before on our first date over a year ago, and it was a great…read moretime. So much so that when her parents came to visit, I wanted to take them here, and I'm glad I did. We made reservations for 4 people ahead of time, which is recommended, and we got a nice table inside. Rachel was our server and what a complete gem of a human. Rachel is funny, attentive, and just plain awesome. Three out of four of us got drinks and my Old Fashioned was made VERY well, I know it's a simple drink, but you'd be surprised. My girls aperol spritz was also made well. Nobody ordered appetizers but I chose a bowl of Morel Forest Mushroom Bisque and HOLY SH*T was it good. Once I tried it I had to make everyone at the table try it and we all had the same reaction. Rachel came to check in on us about the drinks n soup and I expressed how great it was. The pizzas came out a little too soon but it was fine since nobody got appetizers. My girl got the Spanish pizza and her dad ordered the Smoked Brisket BBQ, and they loved their food. The Spanish was a perfect balance of sweet n savory and had a crunch with the nuts and was absolutely awesome. I didn't try the bbq pizza because it was gone quickly haha. I ordered the Chicken Parm, which is going to be hard not to get next time. The pasta seems made fresh, the sauce was bright and flavorful for 'just a red sauce' and the chicken was unreal, just perfect. Outside was crunchy and inside was juicy and perfectly cooked. Now, despite being absolutely one of the best Chicken Parms I've ever had, I was only able to eat about 1/3 of this plate. It was SO much food l but I was excited to take it home. My girls mom didn't get Chicken Marsala til a bit after we all started eating, and when it finally came out it looked smelled awesome. After a little allergy scare ( totally cleared up and no issues on either end) we decided to grab desserts to go (which ended up being incredible as well much later) Rachel and the chef that we met were absolute legends and despite a couple little oversights (early pizzas and late entree) I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I'm sad I didn't get any photos but everything was too great to waste time on a phone. Thanks Nittolos, we'll be back soon!

We were seated in their outdoor garden area on a pleasant summer night. Beautiful flowers, pergola…read moreand overhead twinkle lights lend a relaxing atmosphere. We started with a limoncello martini and a bottle of Fuga red wine - both excellent. There were 7 of us and we ordered for the table to share Caesar Salad and Pasta Rigatoni. Also, Crab Cakes and Shrimp Alla Vodka. All were delicious. Service was good and we had a wonderful, friendly waitress. Would recommend!