I have been eating at Nicole's for about 20 years, so this is not a review based on one unusually good visit. I recently brought a party of six for dinner after reading some of the negative reviews, and I paid close attention because those complaints did not sound like the restaurant I have known all these years. Our service was excellent from beginning to end. We were warmly welcomed, our orders were correct, our food arrived hot, and everyone was attentive without rushing us. Our table ordered a little bit of everything: two Trio Dinner Specials with homemade lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo and chicken Parmigiana; Nicole's Homemade Lasagna; Scallop Tortellini; clams in white-wine sauce over linguine; and my usual shrimp Alfredo with angel-hair pasta. We also enjoyed the bread with rosemary olive oil and Nicole's house sweet red wine. Every single person loved their meal. As someone with a tomato allergy, I also appreciate having a restaurant that knows me, remembers what I can safely eat and consistently prepares my favorite dish correctly. I have seen complaints about the food, portions, inattentive service and the way regular customers are treated. That was absolutely not our experience. Six different people ordered five different entrées, and all six left happy. Our entire group was treated warmly and received excellent service. The best example happened after dinner. Someone in our party accidentally left a credit card behind. George came running out of the restaurant, flagged us down, showed the card to me so I could identify who it belonged to, and then personally carried it to them at their vehicle. He could have simply placed it behind the counter and waited for someone to discover it missing. Instead, he made the effort to catch us before we left. That is genuine service and integrity. No restaurant can promise that every person will have an identical experience, but I can only review what I know firsthand: approximately 20 years of dining at Nicole's and one very successful six-person group dinner. The negative reviews may describe someone else's experience, but they certainly do not describe mine. Nicole's remains my absolute favorite Italian restaurant. read more

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Everything tased fine. Not great but not terrible. Service was pleasant and we enjoyed the piano/wine bar vibe. Interesting and confusing decorations but they inspired lots of conversation. Only real complaint is pricing. Food was not good enough, nor was the size of the dish big enough, to justify such high prices. read more

Mediocre food and unfriendly staff. We will never go back. It's been awhile since we went, maybe they've improved?? Honestly, not sure how they stay in business. The parking lot is always empty. read more

My family and I have been coming here for years and this place has been run by the same people for all that time. We come here because the food is great. They have all the classics and daily specials. They have a full wine and beer list. The ambiance is homey and pleasant. If that is your thing and you want to avoid the homogeneous hype of the other Italian place nearby, then this is the place to try. read more

Loved the ambiance of the place, very beautiful. Was very disappointed in the Chicken Alfredo Fettuccine.

This is a great place! Their food is great. The ambiance is great for a nice date night. George is very nice and he has good recommendations for his wine selection. My husband and I recommend this sweet family owned business to anyone looking for good italian food! read more

Nicole's Italian Restaurant - Shrimp Alfredo and Lasagna - Italian Near Me - Porter, Texas

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Great place! Super secret gem. The Italian gravy is fantastic, the pizza is amazing. You can bring your own wine. You just gotta go check it out. read more

I love my shrimp scampi and it is INCREDIBLE here. Good lemon kick to blend with the buttery brandy sauce. I always get bread to soak up the rest. Kind service, it's usually the same man every time. The decor is unique, it used to be an Irish pub a long time ago but they've made it feel like you're having dinner at an italian relatives house (who may or may not be a hoarder haha). This is my go to spot for pasta. read more

What a great place to have dinner. Moved into the Highlands almost a year now and finally decided to eat here. The food was amazing and the prices are very reasonable. Gotta say 99.9% better food than at Highland Pines bar and Grill. read more

Nicole's Italian Restaurant - Super thin crust, pizza and lasagna - Italian Near Me - Porter, Texas

We are new to the area and believe in supporting local businesses. This was our first visit to Nicole's Italian Restaurant. I was not able to reserve a table on their website so while out on errands I stopped by and reserved a table. Early on a Tuesday night wasn't busy so we had ample time to look at the wine list and menu. The wine list has plenty of reasonable priced selections. The dinner specials are prominently displayed on the table and a lit white board, George, our waiter, was quick to suggest a moderate heat level on my Shrimp Fra Diavolo. I'm very glad I took his recommendation! My wife's Scallop Linguine was excellently prepared. We finished sharing a slice of Carrot Cake. We enjoyed our first visit and will plan more dinners in the future. We liked the decor, ambiance and music at Nicole's. We'd recommend giving the place a try as they've been here for 20 years. Thanks George! read more

Food was okay just not as good as I've had at other places. People there were very friendly just wish the food was better. read more

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Food Just ok, very polite service. I loved the ambiance. The fried mozzarella got great reviews online but I found them very disappointing.

We didn't get any pictures. I love the feel of the restaurant, it is cozy without being small. The meal portion was smallish compared to a lot of restaurants but it was sufficient. I had the spicy shrimp marinara and thought it was very good, though a bit light on the shrimp. You cannot beat the prices here, they are very reasonable. I want to go back and try another dish. I am hoping that is could become our local go to place. We'll have to see. read more

First time at this local Italian restaurant. A great find, exactly what I look for in a local restaurant. Will become a regular.

Food is not that good . Coming from Italy myself lived in Pisa for 6 years so I know the food well . But I was not happy with this restaurant. Sorry just my opinion . read more

Service was good but we were also the only people in the place. We had a groupon coupon so decided to try the place. We ordered the artichoke spinach dip which was good. The main course was alright. I mean it's good food but nothing that would make me want to come back again.. read more

Nicole's Italian Restaurant - Artichoke Spinach Dip - Italian Near Me - Porter, Texas

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We were driving down 1314 after a long day of baseball and were in the mood for Italian food. We saw Nicoles Italian Restaurant and boy what a surprise it turned out be. Starting with the OMG!!! delicios mozzarella sticks and the homemade marinara sauce is out of this world. The Chicken Fetuccine was excellent and the Alfredo sauce was the best. The Lasagna is what I will definetly come back for. The service was fast and courteous. Definetly a family place and one worth visiting if you ever driving down get 1314 in Porter, Texas. read more

Pros: Cute and "kitschy" place Friendly staff No wait Cons: 5.95 for a bud light bottle Wine was from a box Chicken.... Pretty sure it was frozen Pasta over cooked Sauces (Alfredo and Marsala) soupy and lacked flavor Totally bummed. We wanted to find a fun hole on the wall in our area. Was not worth $70.00 read more

This is our go-to for Italian. George and his team are the best! Their food is great and always consistently prepared. Delicious! Great atmosphere. Very comfortable and we never feel rushed to hurry up and leave. You feel like you're eating dinner in the comfort of your own home along side family and friends. Best service! You must go! read more

Nicole's is definitely a hidden gem here in Porter! I've lived here in Porter for 15 years and recently just tried it, and I genuinely wish I would have gone sooner!! The the staff and the restaurant itself is very warm and welcoming. I love coming here with family and my significant other to enjoy their amazing food and restaurant. If you are on the fence about coming here take this as your sign to support this local business and try their amazing food! read more

Incredible! I am sitting at the restaurant as I type this.... It's so good, it made me think "dang, I should leave a yelp review". GREAT food, good service and excellent vibes. I found my new date spot and I'm so grateful to live a few minutes away. Also, try the calamari. read more

Me and my boyfriend love this restaurant! great food, we've loved everything we've tried! especially the lasagna it's delicious! the service is always great and the staff is so lovely and kind! read more

Cozy little place, staff is very friendly and professional! Food is amazing! I will definitely be back! read more

Nicole's Italian Restaurant - The Steak - Bife Accevollado - Italian Near Me - Porter, Texas

At first we thought what an adorable restaurant, this could be a regular spot. From our first encounter with the waiter we knew we won't be coming back. The waiter was extremely busy and we understand when restaurants are short staffed, but he was so rude. He definitely did not belong in the hospitality industry. read more

Recently discovered this place, and we love it! Everything we have tried is delicious

Like others said, it's a real cozy environment. Real country for an Italian restaurant. Which didn't bother me one bit, I liked all the fishing and cabin decorations. I tried the meatloaf with a side of spaghetti marinara. Meatloaf was a small portion but tasted good. Spaghetti was okay, there was one ingredient I didn't care for, not sure what it was though. Will definitely go back and try more. Support local! read more

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Food was so amazing and we all loved our plates and the apps.. everything was so fresh and clean and amazing. Staff was so friendly and we felt like a whole family we shared bites of our dishes because each dish was so amazing we had to share. Large portions. Worth the money worth the wait and... We didn't wanna to leave we felt like we were all at home enjoying a family dinner. .. we will definitely be back. I hope they will be able to cater my wedding... So everyone needs to come and try this place larger groups need reservations bit worth it read more

Nicole's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Porter, Texas

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My husband and I had dinner @ Nicole's last night. Great service loved the intimate atmosphere. Generous portions. Garlic bread with dipping sauce was great and they have my favorite wine. We will be back, to try dessert. read more

This place is truly a hidden gem! The service is amazing and the food is even better. We were a group of 5 and all ordered different disses. Everything is homemade and has great flavor. The garlic bread is fresh and homemade. It is awesome. read more

Nice corner seat next to the wine area. My family & I love coming here. The Diablo is my favorite and add muscles. Sooo good They have a great wine selection & have recently added a cute new bar seating area. The waiter & waitresses are always very welcoming & accommodating. Great service & a comfortable place to be. This is my wine, relax & eat seafood place. Please support your local small business read more

Nicole's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Porter, Texas

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The place is reallt nice?cozy but in the small dining room they had a tv But have you ever been to an italian restaurant that does not give you bread the portions were very small amd the sauce was watery. Would have been better off at olive garden read more

Some one told us this place was good, NOT to us! The place was small. Not packed at all. The server took awhile to server us our drinks and then food. NO bread, WTH it's an Italian restaurant! Then the food was bland and over priced for small portions! We will never go back read more

We recently moved nearby and decided to finally try this spot we've been wanting to try for a while. We were really hoping this could be our new mom n pop eatery. (We ordered take out). Unfortunately the food was lack luster in flavor and offered really small portions. My 9 yrs old was even shocked at his portion size of lasagna. I ordered the shrimp Alfredo. I maybe got 6 small shrimp and the Alfredo sauce was super watery. We also ordered the spaghetti which was also watery. Not impressed. We know good food and this is not it. I gave it 2 stars because it was edible. read more

We had come in two hours before Nicole's closed and there were still more that where trickling it. George the waiter and host was absolutely trying his best to be gracious towards my family and I. We had just come from a funeral and we were in poor spirits. I ordered the chicken alfredo and it was a treat. I had a wonderful time except the older man that works in the kitchen was very displeased to see us coming in closer to closing time. I can understand his frustration but I have worked in the restaurant industry and this often happens on a Friday night. It was very unprofessional and immature of him to just mean mug my family the way he was doing. He was going very much out of his way to make us feel unwelcome. I took a picture of him because he was being very rude. It wasn't just one or two glances. He literally stared at our table for 3 min at a time until he had to cook. There was even a teenager working in the kitchen that had a better attitude than this guy. I'm from San Antonio so I wouldn't say that I will be back soon but if I did it wouldn't be on account of the rude kitchen guy. It would be because the food was very good and George hosted us so wonderfully. read more

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Cozy environment with wonderful service! The small restaurant is a gem off of 1314. The service was great and the portions were large! We became interested in this establishment because of a groupon and will be going back because of the experience we had. We started with the spinach and artichoke dip, and thenI had the chicken a la vodka while my wife had the tortellini. We were both pleased and would have kicked out plates clean if it was socially acceptable. We love to support local when we can and will definitely support them again. read more

Cozy setting, limited dining time as it is open 5 hours a day 4-9pm, closed Sunday, Monday. The owner/waiter/server appeared rude each time a question was asked regarding ANYTHING whether it be about the appetizer, salads, dessert...customer service definitely not his forte. Menus were never removed from the table the entire dining experience. Food was priced per item, NO bread brought to the table unless we ordered it and it did cost extra. Will not be visiting any time in the future. Left feeling that I will not be returning. Wasn't the small town setting that creates a feeling of WELCOME. read more

Waste of time money and space in my stomach. Worst food Ive ever paid to eat and yet they charge almost steakhouse prices. My salmon was VERY overcooked my lemonaid was a drink mix and a very bad drink mix at that the appitizers were literally the worst appitizers I have ever eatten in my life and there was no bread or salad to go with the meal. I paid for a race horse and got a gimpy donkey.... and I was STARVING as I hadn't eatten a meal in almost 12 hours so even halfway decent food should have tasted AMAZING but I couldn't even force myself to eat the salmon though I did eat everything else simply because I was starving. Never going back there. I just looked through the reviews and saw that plenty of people had a simular experience to mine and yet if you look at the overall rating ur going to assume it's a good reatraunt I'm not sure why there are some good reviews -unless the people that work there and the friends and family all posted 5 star reviews- but it's a lie that rating is such a big fat lie. read more

Exceeded my expectations and very well priced. Would like if there were more locations downtown.

This place is amazing I love that they offer you the oil and herbs to dip your bread in. Also the portions are huge. The staff is so sweet and friendly. I love the Alfredo but I can never finish it, it's just so much. read more

This place is so good! I personally like it better then Olive Garden! My 13 year old inhaled her plate of adult size Alfredo, plus 2 slices of her sisters pizza! read more