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    Nick's On State

    4.5 (976 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    NICK'S ON STATE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Romantic
    Classy

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    Recommended Reviews - Nick's On State

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    The local market salad
    Elizabeth C.

    I absolutely love this place. I haven't tried a ton of their menu items but of the things I have tried, everything has been delicious!! The restaurant and patio are absolutely beautiful and very classy and the service is always top notch. I ordered iced tea, the tomato soup (omg so good!!) the local market salad and my 4 year old had the buttered noodles. She ate it all so I count that as a win! This salad is crave-able. It is so delicious and everything tastes so fresh. It always has the perfect amount of dressing also. I really want to try other things but I just can't get away from ordering this salad.

    deviled eggs and crisp martini
    Haley E.

    Waited for some time for bar seats because the regular table wait was very long but it was pretty good! Crisp martini and espresso martinis were both very good. Got the deviled eggs which are lightly fried somehow and I thought they were great even though I dont love deviled eggs but my partner who rewlly liked deviled eggs didnt love them. The bistro meal was SO good the steak was cooked literally perfectly. The kale salad was frshnand whatever the soup was was pretty good too. Would definitely come back and try a full steak it was incredible

    Old Fashioned
    Amy B.

    Love the location and the quaint feeling inside. If you're coming on a Friday or Saturday be sure to get a reservation because it's packed. The food was phenomenal, I had the Chilean Sea Bass and my husband had the Cioppino. We started with breaded Asparagus spears and Old Fashioned's. Probably the best sea bass I have ever had, cooked to perfection. If you forgot to grab a reservation, it's worth the wait. We will be back.

    Best butter cake
    CheRich R.

    We love Nicks in Laguna so we were excited to find this one when we stayed in Oceanside/Carlsbad area for vacation. We love this location too so thanks for consistency between locations. Great customer service and beautiful ambiance. The food is definitely the main character here though. Wow, wow, and wow. We ordered the ribs which came with sweet bbq flavored sauce, fell off the bone, and were accompanied by kale salad and mash potatoes. All were perfectly made and made us want to eat there each day. They even give you a warm towel for your hands after the ribs. Oh my, save room for dessert, order the butter cake cause it's thee besssssttttt! The espresso martini was another great experience. My only complaint is why the meatloaf ( the best ever put in a restaurant) is not served year round! Thank you Nicks for top notch food delivery and service.

    Sam P.

    Stopped here for pre dinner drinks and appetizers! Loved it. Great location, enjoyed the outdoor patio! Service was fantastic and loved the drinks. I am not usually a martini person but they had a unique version made with gin and Sauvignon blanc that was phenomenal! We enjoyed the spinach and artichoke dip to go with the cocktails and had a blast! Great place

    Prime Rib Dip
    Emily C.

    I had a great time and fabulous meal at Nick's on State. The food, beverages and service were all top notch. I was thrilled they offered mocktails and had the Noughty rose, a great alcohol free wine. We started with the signatures Asparagus fries which were hot, cooked to perfection and delicious. I opted for the Spicy Thai Salad which was probably one of the top 10 salads I've had anywhere! It was really spicy and delicious. I'd go back just for that dish. My dining companion had the Prime Rib Dip and a couple of beers and enjoyed everything he ordered. The design and atmosphere were great. We ate at the bar which was fun for people watching. It's a great spot for a date or to grab a meal at the bar. Highly recommend!

    Buttermilk Cake
    Carl M.

    I live around the area and Nicks is our go to, it's perfect mix of casual yet classy, and seriously you can't go wrong with any food in the menu, the last 3 times i've been in the restu i've been ordering the meatloaf it's perfection! Besides great food and ambience the service is outstanding as well!

    Mai tai
    Vivian V.

    This is our date night place for me and my husband we live in Vista not too far from here and we love coming here. They do great service- it feels very formal and attentive the way that the staff is trained here. We love to sit inside my husband is a redhead and I just don't wanna do the sun lol so there's been a couple of times where we made a reservation and I've put in the notes inside, but I have to specify when I get there so if I'm being nitpicky, I would say they might want to update their OpenTable to be able to list one or the other so you can choose but that's just me being nitpicky. When we get here, we usually order some cocktails, and then we love to listen to what the market vegetable and the soup of the day is to help us decide what we wanna order. We've tried almost everything on the menu. I would say your favorite appetizer is probably the deviled eggs or the spinach artichoke dip and my husband's favorite entrée is the prime rib dip sandwich. He really loves that. We had the butter cake once and I think the sundae once for my birthday and both were phenomenal. We're just not big desert people. I always joke and say that my dessert is a dirty martini and these guys make a killer a dirty martini.

    Chicken sandwich
    Johny L.

    Food is always good at Nicks and bartender are fast. Great weather for weekday lunch I order the chicken sandwich it was good not great more veggies and meat fries were cold

    Blackened Fish Sandwich with a petite Bistro Salad
    Elizabeth H.

    Definitely Nick's has delicious sandwiches! And came with a choice of yummy side of market veggies, bistro salad or fries. Portions were substantial and felt very satisfied. I had the buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich, a good choice and now it's my favorite fried chicken sandwich ever. Chicken was not dry and stayed crispy throughout. It had havarti cheese, sweet slaw, almonds, tomato, arugula, honey mustard, herb mayonnaise... all these yum in a brioche bun. The market vegetable was string beans sautéed in garlic and onion...very tasty! My daughter and husband had the Blackened Fish Sandwich that looked amazing as well and a petite bistro salad. It was scrumptious! The kale was not hard or chewy, it was perfect. The restaurant is very nice with a breezy airy outdoor patio. Our server made sure we were happy by being attentive to us. Will definitely come back!

    Nick J.

    This location is much better than the one in Long Beach service wise, and I would say ambience the food was good. The star of the show was the corn chowder. Very good. Recommend that the lunch special was a good deal also and we grabbed the shrimp taquitos as an appetizer the shrimp was a bit overcooked and my steak they accidentally gave me medium rare than medium, but I was in a business meeting and was timed so I couldn't really let them know so I ate it, but it was good overall would come back.

    Mary L.

    First time for me at this restaurant, but my husband has been here before. We visited to celebrate a birthday, and it was a great pick! We came in right at opening and was seated right away. We had tried shrimp taquitos and fried asparagus and deviled eggs for our starters, all was delicious! Staff was very friendly and quick to pick up dirty plates. We had rigatoni, buttermilk fried chicken, the sea bass, the bistro plate and meatloaf. Again, all was amazing! Birthday celebrant also loved it which was the most important part. Highly recommend to try them out!

    Pan seared seabass. Ig@mel_foodie_ventures
    Melanie P.

    First time ever trying this restaurant and upon first arrival, I can see how popular this place is. The restaurant was busy but was able to accommodate last minute reservations, which was a plus. I started off with a mocktail - Yuzu Berry Spritz. This was a refreshing, fruity drink to start off the meal. I had to try the highly recommended Classic Caesar salad, which was absolutely fantastic! I loved that it's plated differently from other Caesar salads that I've had, with the salad on halved baby romaine heads. You can add some bacon on this as well, but I thought it tasted pretty good as it is. For my main, I had Pan Seared Chilean Seabass. The filet was a nice hefty portion and it was perfectly seared and flaky. It had the perfect amount of beurre blanc, which paired well with this fish. It would be nice to have the option to substitute the potatoes for a low carb option. I got to snag a taste of the Baby Back pork ribs which were full of flavor and tender. This is a lot of food, which can easily be shared. I definitely will come back again to try some other dishes. Service was pretty good but can be delayed during peak hours. Parking is best on the street.

    Center cut steak and loaded potatoe

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    13 days ago

    Caitlin is an amazing server and we will be back for her! Continuous check ins and great recommendations. It was great to chat with her!

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    Best deviled eggs ever! Great atmosphere. The service is amazing. Can't wait to eat more soon.

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    Page 3 of 25

    Ask the Community - Nick's On State

    Can they make a milk free meal?

    I would call the restaurant manager directly before visiting . That's an important question that should be addressed directly with the restaurant management.

    How far is it from the Star theatre?

    About 20 minutes depending on traffic - I would google map it with the day and time you want to get to the theater so you get accurate information.

    Do they have a happy hour?

    No, happy hour and it's fine dining so expect to pay a higher price for your cocktails , but they are very good.

    Is there happy hour? If so what days and time?

    Sorry, I'm not sure. Maybe only at the bar, but not from the dinning tables.

    What is the largest party size for reservation?

    I was seated there with a party of 8, no problem. Not sure if they do larger parties. Call them to find out for sure.

    Do they have the warm bread basket like other restaurants- it comes before we order?

    No, not that I know of; however, I've seen people order the sourdough that comes with the cioppino off the menu.

    Do they offer a lunch menu?

    Yes

    Is there happy hour?

    I asked last time i was there and they laughed at me. I guess that's a No.

    Are kids allowed here?

    Of course kids are welcome. There is a big patio out front and I've seen plenty of kids. There is also an inside eating area where I've seen kids. It's a restaurant. And casual clothes are welcome.

    Able to accommodate diners avoiding gluten?

    Yes, they have some gluten free dishes! Their food and service is beyond awesome. Not the least expensive place to eat in town, but we'll worth it.

    Do you take Apple Pay?

    Yes!

    View All 17 Questions

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    This small spot specializes in poke and tacos and a bunch of other interesting, mainly seafood…read moreitems, which make me want to return. That is always a good sign. The poke here is excellent. The poke sampler gives you three separate pokes (we had to double up on one of the pokes because they ran out of the third). This is a delicious dish. It comes with some very good seaweed salad and a scoop of rather dry rice. But for poke fans, this is a winner. We also tried the taco combo which gives you three separate tacos. We went with fish, shrimp, and potato, and the potato was the clear winner, by far. While we enjoyed all the tacos, and you can tell these use quality ingredients here, they were basically street size. For the price, I cannot recommend the combo. They have many interesting beers on tap and a good selection of unique wines. I have had the Shoots Japanese lager before and it is a good one. I went with a dark Mexican lager this time and loved it. This is primarily an outdoor seating place. Order at the counter and grab a seat. Get the poke.

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    That line is worth the wait
    That line is worth the wait
    Spicy poke
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    Vigilucci's Seafood & Steakhouse

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    We came here for dinner to celebrate my hubby's birthday. We had a reservation at 6:45pm. Valet was…read morepacked so we parked around the corner. There is a host as you enter in the door. She greeted us with a big smile and checked us in our reservation. We were seated in the outside patio overlooking the beach. It was a beautiful view. The server came to greet us right away. He ask what we wanted to drink and afterwards told us the special menu for the night. First we started with the appetizers. We had the Fritto di Calamari e gamberretti and the Carpaccio di manzo. The calamari and rock shrimp were soft and crunchy. The batter was flavorful but subtle and the marinara sauce tied it altogether. We loved the filet mignon carpaccio. It was tender and rich. The cheese, capers and arugula provided a great balance to this dish. For our entree, we had the spaghetti portofino, Pappardelle con funghi e Capesente and Cappellaci di Manzo. When our food came we could not believe how huge their portions are. One entree is equal to 2 entrees and it makes sense because the price is up there. The Portofino, had huge amount variety of seafood and the scallop and jumbo prawn stood out which was placed on top of the dish. Wish they did have more spaghetti, but we were happy with it. All the seafood was cooked perfectly. Soft and tender and the pesto sauce was more like a little bit of marinara and pesto. The Parpadelle was cooked with just the right texture and the different types mushroom had full of Umami flavors. You can tell they make their own pasta. The 2 huge scallops in the sides were cooked just right, tender and just delicious! This was to die for. The Carpellaci was amazing!!! The hat-pasta was full of braised prime short rib and the porcini cream sauce with aged asiago and black truffles really excelled this dish. The sauce was creamy and just bursting with great flavors. All of these dishes were outstanding!!! Ofcourse none of us finished our entree. We were stuffed half way. We were not disappointed!!! We had plenty of leftovers. Also the bus boy and the servers really took care of us. Our water was always filled up. At the end they served my hubby with a birthday cannoli with a candle. We all got a taste of his birthday dessert and wow this cannoli is fantastic. It's a great way to end the evening! If you're heading to Carlsbad, this place is a wonderful restaurant to spend a special occasion or a celebration to the end of your vacation.

    The service was exceptionally bad. Once my party arrived, the waiter did not come back and check on…read moreus. To make matters worse, when I asked for cracked peppers, he set the pepper dispenser on the table and walked away. The food was decent. I had eggplant. It was ok. I do not recommend this restaurant. For a place that charges $50/plate the food should be outstanding and the service should be excellent. I have been to Tuscany and this place doesn't come close.

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    Sunset view from table
    Sunset view from table
    Chilled Seafood Platter
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    Fish 101

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    Inside
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    2 piece Fish  and  Chips
    2 piece Fish and Chips
    Thirsty Thursday!!!!

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    Nick's On State - newamerican - Updated June 2026

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