Nick's is an absolute gem located not far from I-40 in Cookeville. As someone who lives in Nashville surrounded by great restaurants, the culinary scene in Cookeville is often underwhelming to me. But Nick's is absolutely spectacular! The atmosphere of this spacious restaurant is classy with great views from atop the hill. The waitstaff is incredible! And the prime rib is among the best I've ever had! The loaded baked potato is cooked to literal perfection. The only letdown was the unimpressive blue cheese dressing. But everything else was amazing! Get that prime rib!! read more

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We had my daughter's graduation party there and everything was fantastic. We booked the meeting room and it was a perfect place to have a private family gathering to celebrate. The entire staff was fantastic, and the food was all perfect read more

Food and service are average; we had to wait too long for the food. Nick's is also quite pricey.

We recently did a family reunion at Nick's. Instead of salad, I had chicken noodle soup and it was among the best things that I have had to eat anywhere. Yes it was that good. My meal was a combo of shrimp and flounder. The flounder was ok. Good but not great. But the shrimp was outstanding. Best I've had in Cookeville. And I like shrimp. Also had a baked potato. Very good and very much worth getting. I usually get the prime rib and it is always good. I really liked the chicken noodle soup and the shrimp. I would definitely get it again. And if you are a shrimp lover, I strongly suggest that you try it. read more

Our server was responsive and helpful, delicious food, which was served promptly. We found the place to be clean, with a relaxed and quiet atmosphere read more

Always nice excellent food staff Known Nick and family for many years Sure miss his big smile read more

NEVER disappointed with the food from their filet mignon to the lasagna is fantastic! Love the view just has an old smell about the building. The waitresses and waiters are exceptional and friendly and observant. read more

Very over priced for an average meal. Nothing special here. Food was average. Had the prime rib and it was tuff. The knives are cheap and made it very difficult to cut the meat. Forks are similar to what you would see in a cafeteria . The prime rib also had a very odd taste to it and the au jus had a very weird taste unlike anything I've had. Salad was ok, my son said his salad wasn't anything special either. Very disappointed . Staff seemed friendly, but our waiter seemed robotic and not really engaged, just went thru the motions and didn't really look at us when he spoke. They have a dress code, but I'm not sure why, the place and atmosphere seemed cheap, just like the cheap cafeteria or school type flatware. read more

My huge family had dinner here tonight. A lot of us were from out of town and had never been here, and let me tell you, the service, the food, the ambiance was perfect in every way. We were looked after and fed good! Thanks for the great job y'all do!! read more

Nick's is a carefully guarded local secret! Excellent service. Very cool old school lounge vibe. Nice place for a date night. Gorgeous bar! I would love it even more if they had live music. Delicious menu options, including gluten free and vegetarian options. read more

Nick's Restaurant & Lounge - a bar with red leather chairs - New American Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

The steak and chicken parm was cooked to perfection. Service was fast and friendly. We were seated as soon as we walked in read more

My first visit to the restaurant for our company end of season gathering. Servers were pleasant, food was properly cooked and pleasant presentation. read more

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Friendly waitstaff, accommodating to our allergies and food requests. Everything came out great and I love the prime rib. It's exactly how I wanted it. Definitely a gem of a place read more

Nick's Restaurant & Lounge - Oh so good Roast Prime Rib of Beef Entree with fries and a glass of Cabernet. Really good dinner. - New American Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

Growing up in Cookeville in the '70s, this place was the swankiest spot in town, though it was called El Toro back then. The menu is similar, and they still have the same flounder that I used to love as a kid. The vibe is small town desperation, and it looks like it would smell of decades-old cigarette smoke, but the food is ok. The chairs have great back support, which is important as we age, but they have casters on the bottom, so be sure to ease away from the table gently unless you want to make a surprise visit to your neighboring diners. Overall, I want to rate it higher, but there are much better dining options in Cookeville for roughly the same price. I won't come back, unless it's to sit at the beautiful old bar. read more

In town renting a cabin for a quiet birthday weekend. Found reviews for Nick's and decided to check it out. Had several steak lovers so was looking for someplace that had some options. Staff was friendly and welcoming. Reservations over the phone were quick and easy. Our waitress was pleasant and attentive without being overly around. Food was wonderful! I had the french onion soup and greek chicken dish. Both were amazing. Other three had prime rib, filet, and ribeye with salads and said the steaks were all done perfectly. Ambiance felt a bit like we were in a catering hall and think the room above us had a party going on as people kept looking over the wall and down on us as we ate (a bit distracting). Prices seemed reasonable for food quality and quantity. Would definitely recommend this place for a great meal. read more

I ordered the lamb with brussels sprouts and French onion soup soup has great flavor with fresh onions and croutons on the side. Brussels sprouts were fried to perfection, and the lamb pieces were excellent and juicy. I even caught myself drinking. The juice from the to go container, was greeted by very friendly staff member upon entering, and after walking around The entire place it was very professionally set up, clean great views of Cookeville Tennessee. Good lighting and ambience would recommend anyone in Cookeville to come and try nicks. You will not regret eating here read more

This place is so hard to rate because A. It's one of the best steaks I ever had, but B. Why not get a bartender who knows a few specialty cocktails and do a few simple updates to the decor so you're not sitting there in 1986?! read more

Amazing! Top notch atmosphere, delicious food, tasty and affordable prices! French onion soup is best I've found in years! Filet mignon and lobster tail cooked to perfection! Salad was fresh and beautiful! Grandson had lasagna and he raved about it! Tea was smooth and refreshingly good! Try this place out! Parking is tricky, but well worth the trounle! read more

Nick's Restaurant & Lounge - New American Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

We went to Nick's for a private birthday party. The wait staff was tremendous! They never stopped asking if we needed something. The room was cozy and the food was the best I've had in a long time! I wish I would have taken a picture of my filet / teriyaki chicken with veggies on the side. The filet was cooked to perfection. The chicken was moist and flavorful. My husband ordered the salmon which was out of this world! Can't wait to go back. Thank you Nick's for a great time ! read more

My husband and I went to Nick's last night for our 15th anniversary. We love the old-school, throwback vibe of the place. My husband had the Cajun salmon, which was very good, but when he tried my prime rib he wished he had ordered that. The prime rib was wonderful, cooked just as I like it and very tender. I also had the French onion soup which was also delicious. This was our first time going to Nick's, but it won't be our last! read more

Great restaurant for families or couples. We stopped for lunch on our way through to Crossville. The food was great. We had French onion soup that was homemade and yummy. One of us had the fried flounder with roasted vegetables. He said it had the perfect amount of light breading. One of us had the roasted vegetable salad. She said it was very good. The rolls were homemade yeast rolls that were warm and flaky. If you're in the area stop in. read more

Always a good meal. Steaks are as good as you will find in Cookeville. I love the French onion soup. Service is friendly and attentive.

My boyfriend surprised me with reservations at Nick's for Valentine's Day and it was amazing. All of the hosts were very polite and more than happy to take our picture as well as all of the other guests dinning with them. Our server was super sweet and made sure to inform us about all of the V-Day specials and was very attentive throughout the entire evening. Our food came out quickly and was very delicious. My boyfriend was especially over the moon when he found out they had his favorite dessert a lava cake and it was phenomenal! Needless to say we will definitely be back for another date night. read more

Nick's has great food that is reasonably priced for an upscale restaurant! We have family that has lived in Cookeville since 1990, and we visit from out of state a couple of times each year, but we somehow never knew about Nick's. Recently we wanted to treat the family to a nice dinner, and Yelp produced Nick's. Great reviews lured us, and we were not disappointed. We made reservations, though it was not required. Upon entering the restaurant there was a large table with a block of help-yourself-gouda. It was yummy. The complementary bread tasted like great grandma's homemade bread--delightful. Our party enjoyed menu items from appetizers and soups, to salads and pastas, chicken and prime rib. Everything was delicious. We even enjoyed a decent bottle of wine. The total bill averaged to around $30-$40/person, including tip. That is a fair price for a guaranteed deliciously satisfying dinner with family. Thank you to the owners and chef and waitstaff for providing a pleasant evening. read more

People either love Nick's or hate it. There is no middle ground. I hate it. I have found the food average at best. Others swear that they have the best steaks in town. Service is generally good. Stepping into Nick's is like stepping into a Time Machine. You are instantly transported to 1978. Which is a little comforting. Portions are generous. If you don't mind the food it is a good place for a large group. I hate to write a negative review because a lot of people really enjoy eating here. I in the other hand would rather eat anywhere other than Nick's. read more

We've been in Tn. for 7 years and have finally found a "real restaurant that serves great food"!. The prime rib and the flounder were outstanding. Our server Keaton took great care of us. I don't mind the 45min drive from Crossville for a remarkable meal. read more

I could have made a meal of the French onion soup alone!! It was the best I have had, yet! My partner said the same. Service was excellent, thank you McKayla for taking such good care of us! The only reason I didn't give Nick's 5 stars is: My partner ordered the teriyaki chicken, substituted the roasted veggies for baby bakers, that were tender little potatoes but bland. I ordered the Mediterranean Chicken (excellent choice if you are a fan of garlic, like me) that was topped with flavorful asparagus cooked to perfection! My chicken was a bit dry, maybe could use more sauce or serve the bread to the side so versus under the chicken so it doesn't soak up all the juices. Overall great dinning experience and wonderful views! read more

Had another fantastic lunch today at Nicks! The Sunday lunch crowd was large but the staff did a good job getting people seated and served. Our wait staff was immediately at our table taking our drink orders as soon as we were seated. We started our meal with cheese stick appetizers-it was a generous portion of 7 cheese sticks steaming hot and the cheese inside was delicious. For my main entree I ordered the Nick's chef salad; it was a very generous plate of fresh lettuce topped with olives, cheese, onions, ham, eggs, turkey and home made thousand island for my dressing. It was such a generous serving, I was unable to eat it all. My wife enjoyed the fish lunch entree which was lightly breaded flounder perfectly prepared and crisp with a generous serving of sweet potato fries. She likewise had to request a "to go" box because the serving was so generous. She also had a side salad which was topped with delicious home made ranch dressing. Nick's Restaurant is very conscious of CDC guidelines with the tables properly distanced and the staff taking necessary precautions. Our entrees were delivered hot and tasty within 20 minutes of ordering, even with a large lunch crowd. We enjoy Nicks and have never left hungry or unsatisfied! read more

Tried for a sweet romantic Valentines night meal. The food taste was very- well not taste at all. French onion soup with croutons ? Cold dinner bread- then came the main course - no real taste - We used to dine here years ago - it was such a nice treat. I would recommend passing on this restaurant- just not what it should be at all read more

Hand-cut prime, baked potato, French onion soup, ice cream pie with a rich chocolate sauce are just a few of my favorites. Wonderful salads. In the winter, I like to stop in and get a chocolate coffee. They add their rich chocolate sauce to their coffee. read more

This place used to be my favorite before they started changing hours, with no notification. It's still wrong on every website, including this one, which ruined my 20th anniversary. So we tried again for my birthday, they were out of prime rib, salads, and baked potatoes, to which the waitress then asked, "what can I get you to drink". Got up and left. They don't need me, and I dang sure don't need them. It was the place we had our first date, so this is heartbreaking. read more

Excellent food! Wonderful variety on the menu. We applaud them for removing menu items that aren't in season rather than serving frozen, less than perfect alternatives. If we're ever in the area again, we'll definitely be back. read more

Old style bar and restaurant. We went to Nick's after reading reviews on how good the Onion Soup is, we were disappointed, it was mediocre getting a 3 of 5. Prime Rib (beef) was very good, but flavoring was lacking. Scallop dinner was average, small for sea scallops, asked for them "blackened" so they made with black pepper. Again a 3 of 5. read more

What a great find. Prime Rib was amazing. Steaks were spectacular. Service was great. It is a restaurant that time forgot. It reminded me of restaurants my parents brought me to as a kid. Prices blew me away. This is a must try!!! read more

Yesterday, my friends and I held a birthday dinner at Nick's. I wasn't expecting much, and had been disappointed the first time I had chosen to eat here. However, the service was top-notch. A funny, professional waitress took great care of us, and had a great attitude although we were waiting on a few of our party to arrive. She was extremely thoughtful and really made our night special. I ordered the grilled salmon with cajun seasoning, a baked potato, and a caesar salad. Everything was excellent. The prices are a bit higher than what I wanted to pay, but the food did NOT disappoint. I recommend giving Nick's a second chance. read more

Like a blast from the past. A wonderful dining experience déjà vu the 70's. Stiff Johnnie Walkerr, lovely view, good food and pleasant service. read more

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Great prime rib. Shrimp cocktail and lobster tail were perfectly done. The place is HUGE...only 2 handicapped parking spaces - so parking was a bit of a walk. Highly recommend. read more

Everything I have had at Nicks was awesome. Steaks, lamb chops, lasagna were all great

This restaurant was very disappointing to say the least when I thought I'd try it out yesterday for dinner while in Cookeville for my monthly business trip. The chicken breast I had for dinner was extremely dried out, tough, and had no flavor. It came ala cart with the exception of a very few almost toothpick size asparagus on top. Not worth the money after ordering a salad and a side especially with the poor quality. I won't be back and suggest you stay away so not to be disappointed. read more

Ashley our waitress was very friendly and fantastic. The food was excellent, the atmosphere was great and very close to where we we're staying. Thumbs up. read more