Everything I had was great they had a great wine selection. My beet salad was delicious. And my meal exceeded my expectations portions were generous and food was cooked perfectly read more

Not going back after our visit on 2/23/19. Disappointed in the pork shank, as it was covered with so much sauce, we wished it was bbq and not the plum-like sauce that was supposed to be "port sauce". It vaguely resembled the pictures posted. The salmon dish had an excessive amount of lemon-butter-caper sauce that drowned out any taste of the salmon, and did not resemble honey mustard as the menu states...and I found it odd that the same butter sauce was offered on 4 entrees. The salmon was cooked as ordered, rare, and would have been a slam dunk for me as I like (and make) sushi and well prepared fish. Time to change it up. The escargot appetizer was over-cooked, and had a butter garlic sauce that tasted old. The shrimp cocktail was acceptable with good sized shrimp. The salad was good, but there was a disturbing side to our experience. The owner came out to greet his guests, but in doing so, awkwardly put his hand on my wife's back as he approached. A simple handshake with me, the man at the table, would have been more appropriate, and less creepy. I didn't know him, and only assumed that's who he was. No intro, just odd touching. He's lucky I didn't get in his face, as his actions were grossly inappropriate. So $130 later, we took no leftovers, ate bland and over-sauced food, and had bad wine. (the Moscato was the only wine on the menu without an origin, name or type. The red Moscato was like sweetened cabernet, or red children's juice...which would have been preferred to the wine.) Overall, this restaurant seemed to be trying to hard, lacking originality, and overusing it's sauces on every entrée. Having eaten great Italian and Mediterranean food around the country, Nicola's doesn't rank very high and I hope the owner can pick up some humility to bring him self to introduce himself to his guests before touching them. He needs to realize he's not famous, and not well known to everyone, so unless you see a regular, hands off. This is not the first review to mention something like this about the owner. read more

Nicola's is my absolute favorite restaurant. Yes it's expensive but it's the best Italian food this side of the Atlantic. The service is always great, just be sure to have reservations or plan on eating in the bar area. read more

So I echo my friends in this review: Very classy, very tasty Italian restaurant....definitely a go-to place for haute Italian cuisine. For apps, we had shrimp cocktail and the snails (new band name?)...both were excellent. For entrees, we enjoyed the Pasta Nicola and the special of the evening, Veal Ravioli with a cream sauce.....both were impecably prepared. Nice wine selections, though the 'by the glass' selections were somewhat limited. Full bar. We didn't try any desserts...we were completely sated by then. Service was quick and courteous throughout the evening. Atmosphere was quiet and intimate....we could easily hear each other. Music selections were a bit cliche but then so am I so I enjoyed them. Bottom line: If you are in the mood for high-end Italian fare....go here. read more

Normally I'm not a fan of Italian restaurants, but this was outstanding! Service, 9. Food, 10. I would definitely return. And with my daughter at Missouri State, it's a sure thing. read more

Must have : pork shank, meatballs & polenta, veal ravioli and truffle oil pizza, Monica wedge, seafood pasta, Chilean sea bass. Never disappointed with the food, ambiance, or service! Nicola and his wife Monica are always around during dinner time to say hi and make sure the food and service is up to their standards as well! Must have if you're in Springfield read more

We go here often! Great patio area on nice spring afternoons/evenings. Nicola is always making his rounds greeting his customers--you don't see that often in many restaurants! The food of course is top notch for a very reasonable price. Highly recommend! read more

Came in last week with a big group and four kids under 3 years old. Not only were they accommodating and attentive, but the food blew us away. My husband literally said, "I've never been so impressed with a simple pasta dish" . Reasonable prices for the high caliber of food and service. Highly recommend! read more

This is one of our go to places for date night! I am a huge fan of the veal piccata, always tender and super tasty. My husband loves the pork shank and the HUGE seafood pasta. The service is always great and atmosphere is very romantic and upscale. A must try! read more

Such a wonderful experience. The food is amazing. The staff was friendly. The Chef comes out and speaks to you and makes sure your meal is perfect. They have some of the best wine I've ever had!! You can tell the pasta is made fresh and it tastes amazing. It's a very intimate place for a nice romantic date night, but yoU could also have dinner with your family//friends and feel just as comfortable. I definitely will return!! read more

Very nice place to eat and out of the way. The owner is a very friendly person and will likely be at your table himself at some point! Food is a 7/10, the atmosphere is an 8/10. Try the Truffle Popcorn! read more

Went with my wife for dinner. It was a little dark in an upscale kind of way but had some decorations that were out of place for an Italian restaurant. Service was good; a little slow to refill drinks but knowledgeable about the menu. The owner or manager did stop by to see how our night was going. The cream of mushroom soup was superb, however the main dishes were bland. We ordered Chicken Parmesan and Nicola Pasta. Overall experience was lackluster compared to other places in the 15-20/plate range in springfield. read more

Try the pizza or the lasagna. It's a favorite for date night! The owner is very friendly, when we take the kids they are always allowed to go tour the kitchen and make their own ice cream. Great place! read more

Lovely experience! Romantic and fun, the ambiance was great, while the food was simply amazing. We had the calimari steak appetizer (yum), the beet salad and Nicola salad (delicious), the sea bass and the veal shank (wow - just...wow). To top off the evening, we shared the Peppermint Creme Brûlée (sounds odd, tastes wonderful). Nicola and Monica are fantastic hosts, so warm and personable. You will not regret an evening spent at their restaurant. read more

I'm a local so I'll be completely honest. Fabulous food, great wine list, excellent service. We love this place. The bar is a great place to have a drink and hang out with friends. If you don't know anyone, you will in five minutes. Nicola will be circulating the room visiting with everyone! Don't miss this place of you're looking for either a great upscale dinner, or an after work drink with friends. read more

Excellent! I went for an office party and left wishing that San Jose would have such good Italian restaurants. I was the only vegetarian in a party of 8 and was very impressed both with their appetizers and the entrees. All the others in our group were also raving about their non-veg selections. The owner dropped by and we enjoyed his tales of his scuba trip to the Dominican Rep. The waitresses (Kristin? &???) were a riot! The tasteful decor matched the food. The only regret: we had no space for desserts after the sumptuous dinner. I would recommend this place to anyone who fancies Italian while visiting Springfield. read more

I have been coming to Nicola's for years. Always great service, great food, and a great atmosphere. One of my favorite spots.

My wife and I's favorite Italian Restaraunt. You can't beat the food or service again. Great place to wine and dine!

Great food! Great dining experience. Only draw back is they don't how to pair wines with foods when asked. That is the ONLY reason I didn't give 5 stars. Guess I am used to Cellar & Plate. read more

Everything we read was absolutely true. This was clearly the highlight of our trip to MO. The pork shank is an absolute must. I normally do not order pork but it was amazing. We also ordered the lasagna which was a special and equally terrific. I would definitely recommend this place! read more

Arrived at 5 p.m. and did not have a reservation. We were told we could be seated but we must be through dining by 6:20. The salads were okay but the veal piccata was very bland, so Bland that I asked for at least some lemon to give it some kind of flavor there were so few capers they usually give it some flavor but they were almost absent. Have dined here before but won't dine here again. read more

Amazing food, all around great ambience, service and menu, will definitely go again when I'm back in town.

Great food and atmosphere. Perfect location. Nice little outdoor patio. Always packed.

Went with two others for dinner. Recommended by a friend. First with salads and soups. Beet salad fabulous, wedding soup and cream of tomato were both wonderful. I ordered the tuna, rare. It was perfect. All the sides served with it were also done to perfection and a compliment to the tuna. My daughters seafood pasta was also wonderful. My husband ordered veal. It wasn't bad but was not any where close to being as good as the other two entrees. Our server was great. He always seemed to be there exactly at the right time. The restaurant was packed but our service was prompt and the meal was hot. We will definitely go back. I would rate this a 5 star as they relate to other Springfield restaurants. read more

Driving back from Dallas and looking for a little Italian found Nicola's on Yelp. Stopped in and was greeted by a lovely waitress from there on was a great experience . Great wine list and the food and service was outstanding. Had the pizza and wedge salad. My co worker had the seafood linguini and he said it was excellent. Lots of fresh seafood and a light sauce. After dinner the owner and his wife stopped by to see how everything went with our dinner. I would recommend this restaurant to all for the great food service and ambiance. read more

Chef Nicola Gilardi has out done him self with his new restaurant. From his friendly staff to his amazing food. It is a true gem in Springfield Missouri. Nicola has always supported our local economy and continues to provide an amazing atmosphere for his customers, friends and families. Love this place!!! read more

Great atmosphere and even better food! This place is perfect for a couples night or dinner with the family! The service is friendly and fast! read more

Excellent. A top favorite restaurant in Springfield for us! Always look forward to eating at Nicola's.

Outstanding in every way. Very accommodating for our son's graduation celebration.

My husband and I made reservations for Valentine's Day dinner at Nicola's--our first visit after hearing many good things. We were not disappointed! Our server, Mason, was very attentive and welcoming (especially when he learned it was our first visit), and he knew the menu very well. The food was beautifully presented and very fine, very delicious. We started with the classic Caesar salad (the best I've had in town). I had the veal and portobello mushroom ravioli, and my husband had the sea bass; of course, we sampled each other's meal! We had just enough "room" to share creme brulee. We found ourselves talking about our next visit while eating that first meal! Thank you to Nicola Gilardi for this wonderful, romantic get-away restaurant! read more

Two visit review: July 23, 2013- We had been long time patrons of Gilardi's before it was sold and followed Nicola to the new location. My husband and I visited Nicola's for the first time on our anniversary last summer. We made it VERY clear that this was a biggie for us; our 25th. We had a nice dinner but ZERO acknowledgement by any staff members despite reservations specifying the occasion. Reminding staff politely also failed to elicit even a "Happy Anniversary" or " Thank you for spending your anniversary with us". Would it have hurt to wish us well or congratulate us? A simple acknowledgement would have made us feel welcome but as a result we didn't. This was a very special occasion and simply acknowledging it would have been excellent public relations but none of the staff was particularly friendly which dashed the evening for us a bit. The restaurant was not at all busy and the food was the best part of the evening which, of course, matters. We both ordered duck and it was quite good but not spectacular. I had better duck at Clary's on multiple occasions. December 20, 2013- The restaurant was somewhat decorated for Christmas and we took our two college student children and my parents to dinner for the holidays so we had a total party of six. The restaurant was busier than on our anniversary and that wouldn't have been an issue except others sat down after us with equally large groups and were served first, and left before us. They did have different wait staff but that was no excuse and we noticed. Treating patrons like that can be catastrophic because Springfield is a small city where everyone knows everyone else. We had to wait about 20 minutes before menus or wait staff appeared which really surprised us as we expected better service at the establishment. We ordered appetizers, steaks, pork shank, lamb and fish plus desserts and drinks. The food was only "okay" and not up to the standards at the Gilardi's of the past. all in all, the tab was rather large and we were so disappointed in the entire experience especially after building up the place to my parents who had never eaten there before. They were so unimpressed that they won't be back. We are all well traveled and worldly experienced diners and frankly, we expected better from a European owned establishment. Nicola, you need to train your staff to acknowledge patrons, occasions and focus on them not other things happening in the dining room. Stick to your European roots and bring that kind of service to Springfield then you will succeed. read more

Great authentic food, very reasonably priced, clear concise easy to read menu, and they make you feel like you are the only customer in the restaurant. Don't be afraid to try the bar area as well. Its very relaxed and welcoming . You have got to try the pizza, some of the best around. They also have Gluten Free pizza and Pasta options as well The wine selection is the largest in Springfield in my opinion you can also tell by the other reviews that they are consistently great. ( well, minus the guy who can't read menus or was too afraid to tell the girl he was trying to impress NO SALAD, I cant afford it. ) Really nice of the owner to give him his money back even though it doesn't sound like it was their fault. Crazy that one guy feels he need to vomit his rant on the page after he was embarrassed by his own mistake. Do yourself a favor, Get in there and try it yourself, you'll be glad you did. I deal in food for a living and this is the Real Deal. read more

Excellent food great service great decor!! Love to eat in the dining area ,then finish the evening with a nice "after dinner drink" in the bar. The sea food pasta is so delicious And the Monica salad is the perfect start!! Love the cannoli. read more

Ate there Feb. 12. Night started poorly as they lost our reservation. Service was great. Food was good, although very few traditional Italian favorites available on the menu - almost nothing with bolognase or red sauce. No dessert options offered. Old man at table next to us decided to carry on a conversation with a neighboring table at full volume for 20 minutes which ruined our date night. Not a great experience. read more

Nicola's has been one of our favorite places since it opened and we eat there at least a couple of times a month. There isn't anything that we have tried that hasn't been delicious. Last week when we ate there, we tried the Nutella Cannoli's for the first time and they were fabulous; the best I've ever eaten. Well, my husband was hooked. We went there again last night and when it came time for dessert, my husband ordered the cannoli's which our waitress said they didn't have. About that time Nicola walked by and asked how everything was and we said great except no Nutella Cannoli's. Nicola took off and before we knew it, we had Nutella Cannoli's in front of us. Now I usually just have one bite of my husbands' dessert, but in this case, I have to have several bites! Just another reason why Nicola's is our favorite restaurant! If you haven't been there, you really must go! read more

Really enjoyed my evening at Nicola's. There is a great environment with cool bar. There was an excellent wine list, and the wait staff was very attentive. The assortment of pastas was outstanding, and my friends had the steak and were amazed. The dessert was outstanding. We had a great experience there, and would recommend it to anyone read more

Excellent restaurant. The ceaser salad was really delicious and fresh. I had a special pasta dish which was excellent as well. The service was great also. Everyone in our party of 4 enjoyed the meal and ambiance. Next time I am in Springfield this is a define dine. read more

I took my fiancé for his birthday dinner last night for a special evening. Our dinner and wine were delicious but unfortunately the service was lacking and clouded our whole experience. I don't know if they were short staffed or something but 3 or 4 different servers were involved in taking care of us. We sat for over 10 minutes before someone came to take our drink order. We ordered a bottle of wine and a different person brought it out to us. He spilled it when opening the bottle and left the mess on the table. Didn't wipe it up. We ordered the wedge salad and the special which was a ravioli dish and a steak. Food was very good. We never got bread, even after we asked for it. Part of why I chose to take my date here was for more of a fine dining experience, which we did not get. I could have gotten the same level of service at Olive Garden. If we go back, we'll sit in the bar area instead. read more

Had dinner last night in the bar with friends. Atmosphere was perfect. Peroni on tap was a real find and the wine list was fantastic. Each of us ordered a different pizza and we all argued over who's was best! Our server was very attentive and helpful. Even Nicola, the owner stopped at our table and introduced himself. Can't wait to go back! read more

We were in town on business on a Thursday night and thought we would give Nicola's a try. It is a beautiful combination of atmosphere and wonderful food. We enjoyed the seafood linguine and the veal ravioli immensely. I have eaten at many a restaurant in the Italian sections of cities, and find Nicola's to be comparable. I recommended it to friends who live in town for their next date night. Ask for Brian as your host-he was personable and very helpful. read more