I really wanted to like Nickles Diner because the staff were incredibly friendly and were honestly…read morethe highlight of our visit. Everyone we interacted with was kind, courteous, and tried to be helpful.
Unfortunately, the food was very underwhelming. We ordered the burger with mac & cheese, a French dip sandwich, biscuits and gravy, chili cheese fries, zucchini fries, and drinks for two adults and two kids. None of us finished our meals.
My son's mac & cheese had a pool of oil underneath it, the biscuits and gravy left a greasy film on the roof of our mouths, the cheese on the chili cheese fries tasted very artificial, and the zucchini fries were slimy. I also found a piece of brown paper in my food. I showed it to the staff, and they apologized. They told me they would remove the meal from the bill and even offered me a cinnamon roll for the inconvenience, which I initially accepted because I appreciated the gesture.
However, when I went to pay, I realized they had only discounted the meal by half instead of removing it entirely. At that point, everything kind of fell apart for me. I no longer wanted the cinnamon roll because I was genuinely disappointed with the entire experience. I didn't argue about it because the staff had been very kind, it had already taken quite a while just to pay, and I needed to leave.
Another surprise was the pricing. The menu made it seem like the meals came with a side, but we were charged separately for each one. The drinks were around $4 each, even for the kids. Our total came to $73 before the partial discount and was still about $65 afterward.
I understand this isn't meant to be gourmet dining, and I'm usually perfectly happy with simple diner food if it tastes good. Unfortunately, this just didn't. It was one of those meals where you leave thinking, "Well, I ate," but not feeling like you actually enjoyed it. For the price, it was especially disappointing. I honestly feel like we could have had a better meal almost anywhere else for less money even somewhere like McDonald's, and I'm not a fan of McDonald's.
I truly appreciate how friendly and accommodating the staff were, which is why I'm giving more than one star. I just hope the food quality and value improve because the service deserves better than the food that's being served.
