My husband and I have eaten here many times. The staff is very friendly. I love sitting in the main restaurant. The second room is less inviting but good for larger parties. The food is excellent. read more

We are almost regulars here and have always enjoyed the food. The service is friendly and efficient but like many restaurants they push you to order appetizers and desserts. They have a lovely patio for the warmer weather. Pasta and bread is homemade and you can tell! Only thing I would change is less salt in everything. read more

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Nice place for dinner but I probably wouldn't come back unless for happy hour. I had the osso bucco special, which was an enormous portion -- way more than a normal person could eat in a single sitting. It tasted good but not great. My wife and I split a Caeser and were charged an extra $2 for splitting it. That was a bummer. There's definitely better Italian in Columbus for the money. read more

Nicola has a great happy hour and I'd definitely go back. Food was good and prices were reasonable. Our server was very attentive and the patio was nice. read more

Nice small Italian restaurant. Quiet on a Monday night but not empty. Arancini were large and delicate and delicious. I had the cannelloni special (filled with chicken and kale with pesto, white , and red sauces). Delicious. My friend had the pappardelle con cinghiale (wild boar rags) - outstanding. Super savory and delicious. Dessert was their nociola (hazelnut cake with cream). All delicious and the server made a great wine recommendation. Can't wait to come back in the summer and try the patio. read more

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My young adult grandkids and I opted for Nicola's when we couldn't get a table at a restaurant nearby. When we phoned first, a friendly Gina told us to come on in. It turned out to be fortuitous choice. We found a lovely ambience, an intriguing craft cocktail menu, and an imaginative dinner menu. We shared an order of carpaccio to start with. Our entrees of fettuccine with Bolognese sauce, veal and scallops with fettuccine, and beef short ribs with gnocchi were all excellent. Our server John was gracious, informative and attentive. We called it "a find," and look forward to returning. read more

Nicola Restaurant and Bar - Fettuccine al Ragu Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Some of the very best Italian food in Columbus. We had a wonderful meal. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Such a hidden gem. The cocktail menu has unique offerings. We tried the smoked negroni and the Italian old fashioned. Both of our pasta dishes (lasagna and penne lazio) were delicious. Our server couldn't have been more attentive and friendly. Looking forward to a warmer weather visit to sit on the patio. read more

It pains me to write this, for we have thoroughly enjoyed our previous visits to Nicola, but last night's visit was WAY below standards for this place and if our experience is now common for other diners, it should be a 5 alarm warning for ownership. My wife and I came in at 7:15 on a Tuesday and the restaurant was 80% empty, so we hoped for a nice and smooth dining process, but it wasn't meant to be. I suppose a warning sign should have been the 'Wine of the Month' advertised on the table was all out of stock. Why put the signs on the table advertising a wine you no longer have? I don't know if we got the worst server on staff, but if there is a worse server than the one we had, I surely hope to never meet him / her. The dining experience was clunky and awkward and dragged out and 100% avoidable. It took so long before our Arancini came out, I was wondering if we would get appetizer / salad / entre all at once? Once (a different server in a mostly empty restaurant) delivered our Arancini, the cheese in the middle was no longer melted and the dish was barely warm. Who knows how long it sat in the kitchen? Salads should be easy, but we still waited and waited for those as well. (No offer for fresh ground pepper. She didn't even have a pepper mill with her). During another long wait for our entrees, we were never approached to see how we were doing, if we needed more wine, anything. Once our entrees FINALLY came out, both of our dishes were barely warm. My wife was done at this point. She had a long day at work and just wanted to get home. The meal was such a wipe out, she didn't even ask for a take home container, just left it mostly uneaten on her plate. (She did carry the rest of our bread home in her hand). My dish WOULD have been absolutely delicious if served at the planned temperature, but not so much when it's close to room temperature. I immediately asked for the check when the entrees were dropped off, which is a HUGE warning to a server that this meal has gone off the rails, but it didn't even seem to phase her. Has this person ever dined in a restaurant in her life? Did Nicola have a manager on duty during dinner? If so, why didn't she / he make a point to visit our table to see how we were doing? My wife and I both worked as servers when we were younger and are both very patient and understanding to having a dud of a server or a really busy dining room, but what we are not patient and understanding about is having indifferent management in a nearly empty restaurant. We have spent quite a bit of $$ at Nicola over the years and there are multiple excellent Italian restaurants in the area competing for our dining dollar. It may be a long time before we ever return to Nicola. read more

Had a great girl's night out at Nicola's. We went on a Tuesday night and sat on the patio. If you want a cozy atmosphere I highly recommend eating outside. There are beautiful flowers and string lights by the tables. I ordered a pinot noir by recommendation of our server and it was one of the best pinots I've had (called the Tricky Rabbit). It paired nicely with the Bolognese my friend ordered and the Penne Lazio. Of course all the noodles are made in house so the food was excellent. I would highly recommend going to Nicola's for smaller parties, date nights, or dinner with friends. read more

This is the place to go for authentic Italian food. We arrived at our reservation early, but were immediately seated. The server, Maria, arrived and took drink orders as we waited for the rest of our party to arrive. We were seated in a semi- private area which was exactly what we needed for our family celebration. The service and food are all excellent and prepared fresh. Maria was very helpful with wine selection for our meal. The atmosphere is casual and unhurried. Everyone in our party felt the service and dining experience was phenominal. We will definitely return and suggest to others to visit for the amazing experience we had. read more

Our most recent visit here was on a Friday evening, and it seemed like they were very busy. Our reservation was for 7:15P and we didn't get seated for a while. What was worse was that it was almost 8:15P by the time we got drinks, water and bread. Same thing with the entrees, they did take a while to come and our friends got their entrees well before we did (so things were not synchronized well). Now regarding the food. The bread with the olive oil was solid. Nice and fresh. I thought the flat bread was excellent. Lovely flavors but a lot heavier than I expected. The pappardelle boar Raghu was the opposite -- lighter than I would have expected, and the flavors were not as deep as I would have liked. But the pappardelle was cooked perfectly. The ambiance is lovely. Large open main room and smaller cozier adjacent rooms. read more

Nicola Restaurant and Bar - Pappardelle al Ragu boar - Italian Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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The restaurant is cozy, dark walls and tables well spaced. They have an outside patio as well, surrounded by plants. The service was attentive and prompt. I enjoyed the calamari and flatbread. Both were delicious. They have a great wine list, including many varietals by the glass. I had the risotto with salmon and zucchini. It was cooked beautifully. The salmon melted in my mouth. I would have liked a bit more parm flavor. I would recommend this place and we will go back. read more

Nicola Restaurant and Bar - Risotto - Italian Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Hubby and I had reservations at this restaurant for Valentine's Day. We always try a new restaurant in the area. The menu was limited as it was expected for V-Day. They had several good options and the food was delicious. However, the cost of the meals were overpriced (to me). The restaurant itself is cozy and spacious and the staff was polite. We probably wont dine here again. read more

The restaurant is NOT closing!!! I would die if it was! I have been frequenting Nicola since they opened over 12 years ago. In all of that time, I have *never* had a meal that wasn't entirely enjoyable. Everyone is friendly, including Nic and Speranza, the owners. The restaurant is not inexpensive, so if you want to have a great meal with appetizer and drinks and perhaps dessert, it's going to cost a buck, but IMHO, it will be worth it. Service, at times, can be slow but that's usually when the place is busy. Take a deep breath as this isn't a fast food joint. If you're in a rush, plan to come during the week, or make a reservation if on a Friday or Saturday, especially is you plan to be 6+ people. And you your have a timeline, LET THEM KNOW AHEAD OF TIME. They are not difficult to get along with! LOVE THIS PLACE! read more

This place is great! Great food, great service, great drinks! Came in on a Thursday for dinner. Daughter had the Ravioli and I had the lasagna. Ravioli was unlike anything ever seen... one HUGE 12" Ravioli stuffed with ricotta, a poached egg, and a buttery lemon sauce. It was crazy good. Lasagna was 6 layers, a bit light on the sauce, but was brought a side when I asked. Really good! Sar outside. Waitress was very quick, attentive and knowledgeable. Specials sounded devine, but I was in the mood for pasta. Will return again and again to try more. read more

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Not at all the quality of food that made this place so great. Bread is store bought at Kroger tastes like it. Many of the specialty items lack the taste and quality that made us weekly patrons for over two years. Very sad because we shun patronage based on the disappointment of food and lack of quality overall. read more

My wife and I came for our Valentine's Day Dinner. Nicola was incredible! We had a reservation set for 7. They accommodated us immediately and it appeared to be a full house. The hostess was very kind. Our server knew the menu inside and out. The wine menu had my wife overwhelmed - in a good way! So many choices. I took a look at the menu and thought you couldn't go wrong with anything. We couldn't agree on an appetizer so we got two- the arrancini and the Caesar. The only downside to splitting the Caesar is that after looking at the receipt, there was a $2 charge to split it. I would rather them build that into the price at that rate. The meals were out of this world. I will be thinking about that Rissoto for days to come. Cute atmosphere. There are certainly a lot of regulars that go there. We plan to come back soon! 10/10 read more

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Wow! Came here for the first time with friends and this place was gorgeous. The Italian music, the beautiful table setting and the atmosphere were perfect. Our waitress was super attentive and very kind. They had calamari which is my favorite so I was very happy! Plus a wonderful wine selection. Now I will say it was a bit pricey, so probably won't go often but it's great for a special night out. read more

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The food was not as good as I've had here previously. Maybe because it was Thanksgiving? The rosemary bread had no rosemary in it. The pumpkin soup was bland, as were the shrimp in it. My sister agreed. My BIL seemed pleased enough with his turkey dinner. My husband liked but did not love his cannelloni and mountain of unseasoned broccoli. We did love the meatball and arancini appetizers. My sister's tiramisu was good. My hazelnut cake was small and mediocre. The service was as good as usual. The ambiance was fine despite the crowd. But all in all, not worth the hefty price. read more

For the price point, I wanted to like the food more than I did. The bolognese was lacking flavor and had a strange almost farm like taste, and did not have much sauce. The acracini balls were also a bit flavorless. It was nice to sit out on the patio but it is by a very busy road so a lot of cars and sirens were going off. The server was very nice and knowledgeable. However there's so many places to eat in Columbus, I would ask to go somewhere else if this was suggested to me. read more

Nicola Restaurant and Bar - Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

We find restaurants on Open Table and try something new to us every Saturday evening with reservations then share on OT and Yelp. Last night was Nicola. I've been meaning to get us here for several weeks. We'll start with the pros: - Easy check in at the hostess stand and a very kind staff overall from the first point of contact all the way through settling up the bill where we sat at the bar - Easy to find location surprisingly in a strip mall on the NW side of the city and it really is a super cute establishment. - The bar was spectacular. Eye catching and stunning. Love the lighting the ambiance and again, the bartender was great. - You could tell we were knew to the establishment and the GM (?) made her way from greeting the repeat locals to acknowledging us recognizing we were first timers. Very much appreciated the acknowledgement. - My dish presentation was pretty: fettuccine/mushrooms and truffle. I enjoyed the dish and it was just the right portion size. - Dessert to go were both good at home. Chocolate cake and cannoli. Cons: - The wine menu doesn't really have a section for wines by the glass so you do have to look carefully. Not horrible just a call out. The slight disappointment was the pour size. Minimal at best. - My husbands meal he shared wasn't good the risotto. The presentation didn't look great almost like soup and yes, we've had risotto before and are familiar with how this has been shared in the past. We did catch a glimpse of the lasagna and he admitted after the meal perhaps he should have chosen that dinner instead. First time you learn as you go - When we were picking out our entrees, I did notice on the menu at the bottom, a basket of bread is $6. Wow. I'm no cheapskate, though when I saw this I was a bit stunned. Thankfully we weren't offered and if so, thankfully we didn't surprisingly accept. My meal was fairly priced. My husband's for risotto was $34? Again, just surprising. May give it another shot. Now we know. Staff was terrific. read more

Nicola Restaurant and Bar - Delightful bar - Italian Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Outstanding! Each visit gets better. We loved the patio. Service was spot on and food keeps us waddling back! So much flavor, pasta texture is perfection. read more

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This is such a great restaurant! Columbus has a handful of great Italian restaurants and Nicola is absolutely one of them! I loved the service, ambiance, and of course the food! We ordered a variety of appetizers; entrees, and wine. The Scallop appetizer, Pappardelle Con Cinghiale, Spaghetti Alli Scoglio + extra sauce, and Sauv Blanc were my absolute favorites! Great option for a date night, happy hour, or special occasion! read more

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The restaurant was okay......but pricey for Italian. I had the fettuccine ragu bolognese.....good taste but somehow it was on the dry side if that is possible. read more

Just really good pasta. Clearly homemade, not over-sauced, and had a good bite (not mushy!) Prices were very reasonable as well. Highly recommend the fettuccine bolognese. Inside needs a bit of an update, and it was a bit warm. Those are my only complaints. Not sure why everyone recommends Tat or Moretti's. This place is light years better. read more

We had a wonderful dining experience at Nicola two evenings ago. The server was attentive and friendly. The outdoor patio was well decorated with potted flower and the tables were well spaced. The food was outstanding. Beautiful presentation and excellent flavor. I had a veal dish and my wife had a chicken piccata. They flavored the meat through and through. The lemon custard cake was equally amazing. This is our new go-to place in Columbus. We'll be back for sure. read more

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This has gotta be one of the most underrated Italian places in Columbus. Hidden gem. I was craving pasta (what's new) and wanted to try somewhere new in the city. Nicola came up on opentable and after reading some reviews, I had a feeling we were in for a treat. You can taste the culture and authenticity in every bite. The mushroom tagliatelle. The homemade noodle flavor really pops with the lightness of the sauce. Also anything with mushroom and truffle is an easy yes for me. The SPECIAL. The crab stuffed shrimp. If you like seafood, THIS is the dish. Comes with homemade ravioli and broccoli. Healthy and full of flavor. I hope they can keep this special on the menu for a while. Calamari tasted very fresh and with light breading. I think this is now my fave calamari in the city. There are some peppers and tomatoes to add acidity and balance out the dish. Limoncello cake was fluffy and light and not overly sweet. I'd definitely get this again or try the tiramisu next time. I'd skip the gelato. It's good but unusually pricy... at $9 for this bowl (all desserts are $9 so you might as well order a more complex dessert). The patio out front looks like an absolute dream in the summer. I'll definitely plan to return. It is a little out of the way (15 min drive from downtown) but worth it for authentic Italian. read more

Nicola Restaurant and Bar - Outside - Italian Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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I went here with my husband for New Year's Eve and so happy I did! We had a table in the corner with hardly anyone around. Fabulous service! Wish I remembered our servers name, but he was great! Their special drinks were strong and tasty. We had so many drinks I can't even remember but they had an apple pie whisky drink that my husband had and it was excellent! Hubby had lamb chops, which was huge and looked amazing, cooked to perfection! I had a chicken dish that was fabulous. Everything cooked very well and plenty of flavor. We live close by and will certainly be back! read more

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We had mixed emotions - we were a group of five and sampled plenty. I wanted it to be better than it was. Best part - our server was a pro. She was perfection. I got the red snapper specially which they offered to do "piccata" which I love. It was served in a simple lemon sauce; no capers or any of the ingredients that make it piccata. Disappointing! The fish was overly fried so the skin required knife and fork to saw through. They inquired whether we wanted anchovies on our Caesar salad. Anchovies are a requisite ingredient in a Caesar salad. The question should be "do you wish that we omit them?" We got them and an extra charge for a requisite ingredient of the dish! Other dishes at the table were better - but at their fairly high prices, they need to do better. I think they need to take it a little more seriously and they'd improve. Food was a 3, server was a 5, hence the 4. I plan to give them one more try. read more

Wow!! My mom and I had the greatest Mother's Day dinner ever! The patio at Nicola is more beautiful with every visit. The weather was perfect outside, and the service was flawless even though the restaurant was packed with hundreds of mother's day guests inside. We started with Caprese salads and cocktails. The chef's homemade Limoncello and an Italian Manhattan. Awesome. The tomatoes and mozzarella were fresh and wonderful. We had the chef's Arancini with a great white wine from Campania recommended by the owner, who kindly stopped by our table on an INSANELY busy evening. Then I went on to a spectacular Sea Bass entree while my mom chose a simple handmade pasta. See attached photo. A friend joined us, which was probably out of line on a holiday evening, but everyone at Nicola was very gracious and immediately attended to our friend. Dessert was a sprightly lemon cake. My mom paired it with Moscato while I moved on to Amaro and Caffe Caretto. This was an awesome Italian dinner. I would have been thrilled with the same in Tuscany... but we had only driven to Arlington! read more

Nicola Restaurant and Bar - Arancini, Sea Bass with handmade pasta! - Italian Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

First time here. I made reservations on Saturday for Saturday - there appeared to be plenty of open times so I chose 6:30. There wasn't an option on Open Table to choose patio seating, so I hoped there would be availability. The hostess gave us a 2 seater in front of the window and next to the fountain. It was fine, and the patio is pretty, with plenty of plants that separate tables. The fountain splashes a bit, so watch out. :-) Our server was really nice - he brought waters and took our orders. Although overall service was a bit slow, I don't think it was him, but that he had tables inside as well. Our meal was fantastic. My husband had the Pork Tenderloin Rolls, and I had the Rainbow Trout with a zucchini cup. We both cleaned our plates. We had glasses of Barbera with our meal. I look forward to returning. read more

Nicola Restaurant and Bar - Rainbow trout and zucchini cup - Italian Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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We found Nicola's 5 years ago. We love it even more each time we go. We had the swordfish tonight .. LOVED IT. But than again we have never had a meal there that we didn't love. I have fatal food allergies and they always make sure I am safe. Staff is great read more

There's nothing to compare with NICOLA. Chef Nicola and his wife Esperanza epitomize the VERY BEST in truly unique, cutting edge, luxurious Italian Cuisine. You can go to an expensive steak house nearby, or you can experience the indulgence of authentic, high level gourmet, Italian cuisine. We're not just talking pasta here! Very personal service, elegant atmosphere, but casual dress, together add up to Top Shelf Dining! Go to NICOLA as often as you can. read more

We found Nicola trying to find a restaurant to go for a Valentine's dinner at a place we've never been before. Nicola is sectioned off into two dining areas that make the space feel small and intimate. We were dining and it felt like there were only about 10 tables in the space. When we walked out I forgot about the whole other section of the restaurant! Our server was really friendly. She seemed to take awhile to get to us in-between courses and our check, but she was nice. The menu us fairly simple and the food tastes great. We had the burrata and additional bread course. The two crisps that came with the burrata were not enough. Reservations are recommended. This place is enjoyable to go for a special night or to treat yourself. read more

Came during graduation weekend so it was a limited menu. They couldn't find my reservation, but were very gracious and seated us. We were greeted by a wonderful waitress who was talkative and made us feel comfortable and welcomed all night. It was my first experience because I can't have gluten so usually don't go to Italian restaurants, but my boyfriend has been before and he loves it. I was excited that even though it was a limited menu, they did have a gluten-free pasta option. My boyfriend ordered chicken Parmesan and I ordered the mushroom gluten-free pasta. However, when it came out, we noticed that the pasta looked too good to be gluten-free At that point the waitress was extremely busy and it took probably between 10 and 15 minutes before she came back to us. When she saw her mistake, she very quickly fix the problem and within a few minutes I had a new dish sitting in front of me. It was delicious. Later she talked us into a dessert and I guess we both assumed that we were going to get it complementary because of the mixup and we didn't and that's OK but we were kind of surprised. Overall, it was a great dining experience and I will definitely be back. read more

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I've been wanting to try this place for a while. I love Italian food and always looking for great options in Columbus. I ordered a house salad and seafood pasta. The salad was good, it had the perfect combo of sweet and savory flavors. the seafood pasta was on point. I love a light olive oil based sauce and all the seafood in this dish was cooked perfectly. Service was excellent! I will definitely be returning here for a date night soon :) read more

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First time here and the food was authentic and delicious! Hubby and I shared the antipasto as a appetizer. There were 4 different cold cuts and two pieces of bread with the most delicious chopped liver I ever had! My entree was spaghetti scampi. There was ample amounts of shrimp with delicious homemade pasta and small tomatoes . I couldn't finish it all so I took home leftovers. Hubby ordered lasagna and really enjoyed it! I tasted it and lots of flavor! Parking is easy and looking forward to going back! read more

Nicola Restaurant and Bar - Spaghetti shrimp - Italian Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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The calamari is the best I've had in the USA. It was phenomenal. The veal chop was tender and cooked to perfection. My wife's lasagna was outstanding. We finished with a Limoncello. What a fine ending to a wonderful meal. My hat is off to the chef. Staff is attentive and friendly. It was as good as eating out in Spain. This place saved me the airfare to get a wonderful meal. read more

I had been wanting to try this place for a while and my husband and I went for an early Valentine's Day dinner. We had a reservation and good thing because they were very busy, and after a slight wait we were seated. They have a really big wine list, a little on the pricier side (about 3.5x what you can get them at the grocery store) but I liked having a lot of options. Our waitress was great, and very attentive. We ordered the arancini and bread to start. Both were good but nothing to write home about. The Cesar salad was very different than your average, with an almost clear dressing and crispy prosciutto- so be warned, I still can't decide if I like it or not. The real stars of the show though were the main dishes. We ordered the short rib risotto and the Tuscan nido. I have never had anything like the Tuscan nido which was basically one giant ravioli shell and it was very light and tasty. The risotto tuscano was fabulous, so delicious and filling and I would come back purely for that. Maybe other appetizers on the menu are better so I have high hopes- I felt the prices were a little high for this not being an extremely nice/high end restaurant. read more

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