I almost didn't want to review because I don't need more competition to get in! This is a great little neighborhood homemade Italian restaurant. I appreciate the love of the homemade aspect and so happy after 21 months of working out of their food truck they are rebuilt from Ian. Good house wine, outstanding chicken dishes, solid pasta dishes make us come back pretty much weekly. My husband and I order the piccata and franchese almost every time because it reminds us of a place back in MI that we used to frequent before we moved down here for most of the year and it was our regular place. Service is great and we have been outed! They know our order I still have to try their desserts they look completely yummy. you will be disappointed if you go. Snowbirds have this place packed so plan ahead. read more

Always Delicious go before Season hit or make a reservation! Yes, busy place great atmosphere too

We had an absolutely delicious meal at this restaurant last night, there were seven of us! All of us adored our food! Each meal comes with a beautiful little salad and the service was just wonderful! The acoustics are good, lots of parking, everyone that worked there was very nice, we will definitely be back! read more

Nicola's Italian Kitchen - Italian Near Me - Englewood, Florida

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I wouldn't have guessed this was as nice inside as it was from how it looks from the road. But whoever did the layout for this , did a very nice job making it, cozy & private it feels very romantic. I went for my birthday on the 20th. I had Sauvignon Blanc. It was delicious. I also got the tortellini but I had them switch the meat to chicken because I don't eat pork which they were able to do which I really appreciated. I had pumpkin soup as my side and it was so amazing one of the best pumpkin soups I've ever had !!! my boyfriend got the veal Parmesan. We had that bruschetta starter. That was also delicious. Our server was Irma and she was fantastic, kept us very taken care of. Thank you Nicolas for a wonderful evening! read more

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We sat outside because we didn't have a reservation, and the fan and shades made it nice. The eggplant parmigiana was delicious and the service wonderful! read more

Nicolas never disappoints. It's so great to have them back and in full swing following a long Ian-induced pause. Nothing is bad here. Literally. The marinara is the main event. Well so is the Alfredo I guess too. Or the chicken parm. Or the stuffed shells. Or the pizza. It's all top notch. Pay attention to their opening hours and make a reservation. People know how good it is so it's always busy. read more

Food is always delicious and fresh. It's quaint and well decorated on the inside, but sometimes feels a bit crowded, as they do get a lot of business and it's not a huge space. The service isn't anything to rave about. It's not bad, but it's not generally fast. Service on the bar side is faster than the dining side. read more

Staff were very pleasant. Nice atmosphere. We had the tortellini alfredo and lasagna and it was good.

Have not been back for sometime; however, it's not because of food, service or pricing. All were above expectations. Very good Italian restaurant. read more

First time ever at Nicola's which is surprising considering I am born and raised in Englewood. We arrived around 7 and the girl at the counter told us about 20-25 min so she took our name and we waited but while waiting I also noticed a lot of customers walking in with reservations. We had waited about 25ish minutes and another couple who had just walked in with no reservation comes in, the hostess walks up and says "okay who's next to be seated" and we had said "we are, we put our name in 25ish minutes ago" come to find out she didn't even put our name down & proceeded to just seat the other couple. We waited another 5 min and they sat us. Which is fine, a little annoyed but it was okay. The waitress was amazing, very nice & very attentive! I ordered the chicken parm and it was so good! My fiancé got stuffed shells which was also so good & my dad got chicken Alfredo which was disappointing because it was very dry and they didn't have the regular grilled chicken for it so they had to serve it with breaded chicken which was very very thin and hard. In my opinion i don't think they had reservation customers and walk in customers handled very well. I think maybe they should only take reservations because they had no was of keeping track of who has been waiting as walk ins. We will be returning of course and with a reservation lol read more

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Some food came out cold. Veal was way too thin. Expect much better quality for the price. Food is mediocre at best.

1st time here. BEST Italian restaurant I have been to!!! Staff was wonderful, Didn't have to wait at all.

Last night, two couples, it was our first time being here. I follow the lead of my host, I had chicken Parm and my wife had chicken Alfredo. The chicken Parm, of course, is handmade and prepared very tender just joy to eat. The couple we were with has been eating there for 20 years and they could not speak highly enough about it George's Wife is Italian and it's her go to favorite restaurant in the area. I could not agree more. We live in a resort town which has very high-end restaurants and this was certainly on par with any of them if not better. NANTUCKET. Truly enjoyed to eat there thank you so much. read more

Nicola's Italian Kitchen - Our very reasonable bill for such enjoyable food. Certainly worth every penny. We are from Nantucket. Great food. - Italian Near Me - Englewood, Florida

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The food was good, the service was also good for a fully packed Resturant, the staff was friendly and doing their best to accommodate us,, What needs some work, we had reservations at 6:00 pm but didn't get seated until 6:20 pm, the online reservation said to arrive 10 minutes early so we had to sit outside for almost a 1/2 hour, my wife and I enjoy wine with our dinner especially with Italian food, my wife ordered the one choice on the menu of Riesling and she is not that picky on wine but she said it was so bad she couldn't drink it, I ordered Chardonnay , not knowing the brands I ordered the most expensive one on the menu hopping it was not tinny , same result it tasted like a cheap rhine wine not a Chardonnay and it was terrible , there were two other Chardonnay on the menu and I asked the waitresses which one would be similar to the type I like, she brought me a glass of a less expensive wine and It was better but also didn't look like Chardonnay and was not something I would drink again and even though the food was good by not having a decent wine it ruined our dinner experience. One thing I've always wondered is why do Italian restaurants have wine on their menu that nobody ever heard of instead of popular brands that most people generally drink, when that happens I usually do not go to the Resturant in the first place or do not go back ,, maybe the Resturant will read my comment. Bottom line , The food was good but based on having to wait almost a half hour after making reservation's and not having a decent wine on the menu we would we would not go back to the restaurant.. read more

Everything is AMAZING!!!! We go to this quaint, elegant, romantic but relaxed restaurant for dates, family celebrations or just because almost weekly, because, WHY NOT!!! The staff family is AMAZING, wine selection is AMAZING, appetizers are AMAZING! My mouth waters thinking about the garlic bites, deep fried banana peppers basket, and side salad that comes with just about every plate. Whether my husband and I are in the mood for a delicious pizza and wine or a baked ziti with crumbled Italian sausage on top or the chicken parm with my choice of pasta everything is enjoyed to the last bite especially saving some of the garlic bites to wipe the plate of the homemade sauce We always make sure to take home half our plates so we have room for the DELICIOUS HOUSE TIRAMISU, and each time we share a different dessert so we get a taste of of course adding a latte or coffee to our meal just seals the AMAZING night and listening to the Italian music just takes us back to having a little bit of Rome, Florence, Tuscany and Sicily right here at home at Nicola's. Yes, we walk in and everyone smiles and greets us and owner Reena always comes out with a smile and warm Italian hugs and checks on everyone as we catch up on how everything is going yes, this is where they truly treat you like family! Andiamo a mangiare! read more

Excellent Italian food. My favorite dish is Nicola's pasta plate. In my opinion, the wait for a table is worth it.

Staff is extremely friendly and the food that we have tried so far has been amazing. Can't wait to go back a try some different dishes.

We just moved to the area, and pass by Nicola's all the time. We stopped in the other night to try it out. They do take reservations (recommended) and you have to make them by 4:30pm for that day. We didn't have reservations, but we only had to wait about 30 mins. We ordered drinks at the bar and sat outside. One of the servers brought our drinks to us outside! Dinner was soooo good. I had gnocchi and added meatballs. Delicious! My husband had the chicken parmigiana. It was also delish and a huge serving! We had enough for dinner the next night. My favorite though is there "garlic knots" (that's what I call them. Bite-sized garlic bread... OMG. Love them! We will definitely be back! read more

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We are huge 6 year fans of Nicolas. So happy they are back. The Carpaccio was absolutely spot on. Veal parm, perfect as always. Pasta cooked perfect. And trust me, my man is straight up Italian. Chicken Franchese, delish. Oboy disappointment was no espresso. But should have next visit. Hands down best Iralian in Englewood area! read more

Nicola's Italian Kitchen - Chicken Franchese. - Italian Near Me - Englewood, Florida

We have been waiting for two years for this place to reopen and it did not disappoint. I recommend reservations, however we got there right at 4:30 and were seated promptly. The staff was amazing and our waitress Irma was EXCELLENT. The entire meal was fabulous from start to finish. Such a staple in our town and I am so happy to see them back in business and thriving. If you are looking for an incredible authentic Italian meal, I highly recommend trying this amazing family owned restaurant read more

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Very average. Or I was there on an off night. Veal Marsala was in a thin, insipid, tasteless liquid. I've never had a bad Marsala sauce before. The veal was overcooked. The little garlic bread pieces - not knots- were hard and dry. My companions were happy enough with their meals, and the place is very popular, but nothing would redeem the $29 Veal Marsala. read more

Very nice environment. Staff friendly. They don't have sangria. Food was delicious. Bruschetta, calzone, gnocchi, baked pasta, every thing well seasoned. read more

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Let me start by letting you know that at this time the restaurant is still closed and we are purchasing Nicola's food from family members that are working in a trailer to help Nicola's owners with the reopening of the restaurant. Menu is therefore limited, but still Nicola's authentic recipes! We are excited that others are also purchasing and in addition donating money to help them continue the remaining repairs to get their permits signed off. They've been through unbelievable City stalls that are incomprehensible. Please support their efforts by frequenting food truck! God Bless each of you! read more

We had the shrimp scampi and an extra salad. The dish was good but not the best we've had. They charged $4.00 extra for a split of meal. (The restaurants in downtown punta gorda do not charge). The garlic knots were good. I ordered 2 meatballs. They were so so. Too much filler not enough meat and needed more garlic. We will be trying the other Italian restaurants in the area next. Not this one. read more

I have a friend who has told me so much about this restaurant, I have been intrigued for a while but didn't see myself going to the area any time soon. At one point she spoke about Nicola's frozen heat and serve dinners. OH! I was intrigued and since she would be in the area and kindly agreed to pick some up for me. This made me very happy since I love eating at family restaurants with family recipes. We ordered the Salmon in Sambuca sauce with veggies for sides. Normally I prefer grilled Salmon with no sauce but this looked de-lish and couldn't wait to try it. It is Gluten Free for anyone who has allergies by the way. When I was perusing the menu I also saw that they sell homemade sauces and could not resist ordering their Puttanesca. My friend was kind enough to deliver to our house which was pretty cool and on Mother's day we ate the Salmon dinners. I don't even know how to begin to describe how amazing this meal was but I will try. The Salmon was very fresh and the portion quite large, the sauce was delicate and didn't compete with the flavor of the fish. Our veggies were broccoli and carrots and they also were very fresh and cooked just right! All we had to do was heat and serve. What a perfect Mother's day dinner!! Now for the Puttanesca - I cooked GF penne (so it could trap some of the delicious sauce in the tubes) and made a fresh salad to go with it. The sauce is literally the best red pasta sauce I have EVER had! It was made from fresh tomatoes, not a paste or canned sauce base, the flavor is bright and delicious. I got spicy (they have one that isn't spicy also) and it has the perfect amount of spice, not Arrabiatta spicy but just enough to add depth to the flavor of the tomatoes, anchovies and kalamata olives. I loved this so much that when my friend returned to the area I asked her to get me 2 more jars. So. GOOD. Long story short: Delicious homemade food that tastes just like your Italian Grandmother would make - because the owner literally is an Italian Grandmother. You should not miss this delightful food. read more

Nicola's Italian Kitchen - Their Puttanesca sauce on GF pasta - Italian Near Me - Englewood, Florida

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Great pizza can't find better anywhere in the state. Good polite service. Good take home sauce. read more

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Food was absolutely fantastic! Can't wait for them to get remodeled and opened back up in the building.

The food is very saltywe are not crazy about Nicola's mainly because you can never tell when it's open also the food and pizza are very salty so if you have a sodium problem I wouldn't eat there. I'm sorry if I upset you but it's been a while since we ate at Nicola's and now I can see why because like the young lady said it's operating out of a food truck not a brick and mortar building however it's been a long time since we actually ate there but that was our experience read more

Food was fantastic before the hurricane don't know what happen after. But really good quality food. Congratulations to them. They cook pasta as it should be cooked. A good experience. read more

This review is for customer service. My parents love this restaurant so I ordered them a gift certificate (I live 2000 miles away). Through my own mistake (address error) it was delivered to a business. After trying to fix the issue, Rina personally delivered a copy to my parents house. If a restaurant cares this much about its customers, you can be sure the food is going to be great! Can't wait to go when I visit them! read more

We tried this restaurant twice. The food was like cafeteria food,only beer & wine, no ambience, uncomfortable chairs, long wait for lousy food and a nasty waitress each time. I can't understand why so many people go there. They must all be local Floridians who have never tasted New England, New York or Chicago great food. read more

Quick service, nice, attentive staff. Great local spot. I just have to say and I hate posting anything g negative. Our pizza's lately have been so salty. Almost to the point we can't have another slice. I will be a regular but maybe just check this out. read more

Nicola's Italian Kitchen - Italian Near Me - Englewood, Florida

The restaurant isn't open yet but have enjoyed takeout from the food truck on two recent occasions. The food was excellent as always. 5 different entrees and each was wonderful. Flavorful and generous servings. Wish the pizza ovens were operational because we always enjoy their pizzas. Service was appropriately timed and pleasant. Didn't use the patio dining option but it looks pleasant enough. I always recommend this restaurant to friends visiting the area and will continue to do so read more

I live close, and after hurricane Ian my mother and I had dinner there. Everything was just excellent. The service and food looked great, and tasted great! Be back soon! read more

This place is always packed so be prepared to wait. The foods average for Italian but not very authentic ( who puts cream sauce on Carbonara???). Service is really good even with the crowd. No bar but they will serve you wine while you wait. read more

Fabulous food, fabulous portion, and an all-around fabulous place! It's a Hidden Gem! We will be back ! read more

Excellent food Great prices Friendly even under stress During the season , get there early or expect to wait read more

Excellent service. Great food when dining at the restaurant. Takeout is not as good. The serving size is smaller, and I did not receive all the items included with the meal. Hostesses and staff are very nice and friendly. Eggplant Parmigiana was great. read more

Snotty New Englander here. If you're not in Boston, , NYC, Philadelphia ar Providence you're not going to get good southern Italian food. Proved me wrong. Have to admit the place looks like a clam shack by the side of a Cape Cod highway but looks were deceiving. Full southern Italian menu of anything you've ever heard of that has red gravy. We had veal Parm, Chicken Parm, chicken PICATA and chicken Francaise, There is a choice of sauce, a meat based one and a marinara. We loved the meat, the marinara proved to be somewhat bitter and tasteless. There was a choice of pasta surprising in a Florida restaurant. Limited wine list but when we ordered a Pinot Noir and didn't care for it they were perfectly happy taking it back and we chose a nice Chianti. I've never encountered an attitude like that Very reasonably priced, four meals, bottle of wine, two extra wines: 128.00 its not elegant dining but the food's great, and the staff is friendly and efficient. Again, WEST COAST FL. EATS EARLY. OUR 7:30 reservation caused us to close the restaurant down. read more

It's the best Italian I've ever had. My friend is Italian and she said it's the closest cooking to her Italian grandmother's.