Rick’s Restaurant

Hands down my favorite restaurant around. My favorite is the chopped salad and the chicken parm, but everything is fantastic. Alex is such a talented chef and great person. The staff always makes you feel welcomed and relaxed. Great cozy atmosphere. Just love it at Ricks!

My husband and I love going to Rick’s. There is no real décor – and yet I love the décor! It is like you are eating in someone’s dining room back in the 1950’s! We always share the salad with pine nuts and I get eggplant parm and he gets chicken parm and they are consistently delicious for the 20 + years we have gone there – spanning two owners.

I’ve been to this place two times and both I have enjoyed my meals as did the others with me. I have never run into any issues with waiting, but both times we have gone around 5 – 5:30. The pasta fagoti I exceptional and I highly recommend it if it’s one of the specials. I found the plates to be filling, yet not too large. Desserts are great too!

Wish I could give a 3.5 but for now I’ll give Rick’s 4. I’ll try again and adjust if needed.
Why a four? It is not for the décor that is for sure but then again I sat in the back. What they do get right is good pasta for a good price. The staff is also very friendly, host, bus person and waitress.
I got the Alfredo and is was good not great but good. I add sausage and that was great. This was not your store bought kind but felt homemade. The wife got the linguini and clams and at was great. Both dishes had good pasta not sure if it was homemade but it was good.
The white bean dip that comes with the bread is great and worth buying a side to take home. The bread is good too but could come out warm.
I’ll be back to try a red sauce/​chicken parmesan and a non pasta special.

Not very happy place. I have a Groupon and they wouldn’t accept it because they considered the day before valentine’s day a holiday. My Groupon didn’t say anything about a holiday exception but we understood and asked if they would at least honor the price we paid for the Groupon. They said they would not accept it at all so we left. The restaurant was 70% empty and they couldn’t compromise. Food isn’t good enough to deal with them.

The service was outstanding, the food was delicious, everything was amazing. While we did have to wait a little, they say us as quickly as possible. The place is snug, clean, and they make your meal quickly. Some of the best Italian food I’ve had.

Food was just terrible. Chicken parm was dry, overcooked and had no flavor whatsoever. My wife had spinach ravioli which was equally bland. Chop salad was just OK. I can’t remember having food this bad ever.

Delicious, fresh Italian food. I had a butternut squash ravioli special that knocked my socks off. Companion was pleased with the penne points. The house salad with creamy Italian was excellent. Cozy date-​night place with stand-​out food. Highly recommend!

We went with another couple on a recent Saturday evening. We had reservations but had to wait 40 minutes to be seated. I think we waited about as long as the people who didn’t have reservations. Bread was delivered quickly but it took 25 minutes to get water (we asked twice). And it was loud; we had trouble hearing the couple sitting across the table from us!
On the positive side, the food (once we got it) was very good. If I go back, it would be only on a weekday.

DONT BUY THEIR GROUPON. They won’t accept it and then the main waitress will yell at you and tell you you’re rude! If you’re not going to take the groupon then don’t offer it!!!

Decided to try Rick’s when we saw it on Groupon and we were not disappointed. Very casual/​rustic décor with a comfortable & cozy atmosphere. We got there early and were seated right away, but the place is small and filled up quickly with a good amount of people waiting by the time we left. The staff was friendly and accommodating & happily answered our questions about the menu and specials, and made great recommendations. We tried the stuffed gnocchi and the crab cake parmesan entrees and both were delicious, and for desert had the banana chocolate chip cake which was generously sized and yummy. Oh and it’s b.y.o. wine which I always like. We plan on returning to try some of the other entrees that sounded great.
Tip: if you’re using Groupon, it’s cash only.

I want to give Rick’s four stars, but A-​OK keeps resounding in my head because the food is A-​OK, not South Philly or New York Italian delish, but it really works for me and I keep coming back. I love the simplicity of this restaurant, the checkered table clothes, the dim lighting, the BYO factor, it all works for what an Italian restaurant should be when it’s done right. I just can’t give it four stars because the food never completely blows me away. I’m always satisfied, and I always tell people to come check it out for a filling yet modest meal, but just don’t expect to go in and eat a meal that makes you fall out of your seat.
Nonetheless, it’s worth a trip to Lambertville, especially on a cold night when the atmosphere and the food really warm you right up!

This Jawn is the jam. Absolutely adored everything about this charming, homey, dinner spot.
Make a reservation, oh dear lord, make a reservation. But resies for two are not accepted on weekend nights.
We ordered four dishes (Caesar salad, side meatballs, Penne Vodka, Parmesan Trio) and all four were a solid five.
Wanna know what else was a solid five, the hospitality forward service, the BYOB factor, the fact that this was the first date spot for me and my person.
Looking forward to returning to Rick’s for all our special occasions and just bc we want good food and service in our hometown to come.

Love, love, love! The food here is amazing. I’ve been extremely impressed with everything I’ve ordered here. From the bread and dip to dessert. The wait staff is so friendly and welcoming. It’s BYOB so bring some wine and enjoy!

I don’t understand how this place only has 3.5 stars! We were in town for a week and went twice! This is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to! The specials are all amazing! We didn’t have one thing that wasn’t delicious! Our favorites were the fagottis with pear and Gorgonzola and the chicken l’orange. But again everything was amazing! Strongly recommend rick’s!!! Oh and service was great both times!

The food is fine, service sucks!!! Went there with my wife, daughter, and parents on Sunday evening. The waitress was old and nasty from the start. She made us feel like we were extra and she doesn’t have time for us. But ok, fine, we ate and at the end she brought us a bill with a 20% tip included. We asked to split the bill on our credit cards, she split the tip also! We explained we’ll leave tip as cash, so the bill should only be for the food. She said fine, but, she reiterated that the tip is what we have to pay.
This is nonsense, a tip is for service, 10−20%. Certainly not a mandatory fee. When we explained this, and told her that we will tip 10% because we didn’t like the way we were treated, she got very pushy, nasty, and stormed away. So we left her nothing!
Advice to the restaurant: fire that old bag. All a waitress has to do is bring food with a smile. Most restaurants have figured out how to hire normal staff, you should too.

Rick’s has been a staple in Lambertville for many years. The current chef/​owner Alex has been at the helm for the last 15. He brings with him some very impressive experience too. The result is a more than competent Italian cuisine, combined with some European and Asian influences that appear from time to time as specials. But the vibe here is all Italian, and as such I usually opt for those choices. Today I had beef Brasciole which is what I usually get here. I don’t see it elsewhere very often and it is killer. Tender beef that is grilled and then stuffed with a bread/​cheese filling, topped with red and green peppers that are also grilled. This is seated on top of perfectly cooked linguine. Truly comfort food. My dining companions choose veal parm, and fettuccine Alfredo. The veal was certainly fresh, and luckily she got the last one available. The fettucine was nicely done and not swimming in a cheese sauce, just enough to cling to the pasta. Portions are pretty good so we skipped apps, but the ones I’ve had in the past were good. Desserts are decent but my favorite ice cream shop is very close so I just go there. Unpretentious quality fare at good prices, coupled with the byob factor make Rick’s a good choice in this area. Groupons are readily available too. Buon appetito!

Stopped in for early dinner on this past Saturday night. This was our first visit, and we were very pleased to get acquainted with this place that some Unilocalers have called «the best restaurant in Lambertville.» We haven’t dined at other places in town, but it wouldn’t surprise me that it is the best based on our one evening here.
They don’t take reservations for 2, so we put our name on the list, then walked about Lambertville, got back to the restaurant and had no delay being seated. We were already crossed off that mysterious sign-​up list some other Unilocalers have commented on. Well, they tell you «we don’t take reservations for 2» so you need to be there when the table is available. We liked it that some folks were there with their kids, so it’s a very family friendly place, which adds a nice informality.
They apparently have outdoor seating in the back, which on a beautiful spring evening would be just the thing. We dined in the main dining room, with its blonde pine paneling. Had the feel of a European country inn or restaurant.
We liked the bread and bean dip that was brought out so promptly. By the way, did any one say BYOB? So you thought that was only in Philly and mostly So. Philly but not NJ? Wrong.
The new potato salad was excellent, which was good sized for sharing. My tofu parmigiana was quite a discovery. How often do you see tofu featured like this? I’m probably in that tiny minority of tofu lovers, but it’s a chef with a secure ego who can feature a dish like this. There is a large slab of very firm tofu (I had a delicious lunch left over for the next day), lightly seared, but of course the tofu has little or no flavor, but which is perfect for one of the best tomato sauces I can remember having in a long time. There was a pasta side, which was more food than I could get to. My wife’s seafood medley was excellent, very fresh, with all pasta cooked perfectly al dente.
For dessert, naturally the tiramisu … my wife claims she hates sweets, but this tiramisu won both of us over.
So this little restaurant, unpretentious as it is, is a great find. Next time in Lambertville, we’ll definitely be stopping back.

I came here for a casual date night based on a great recommendation from friends of ours. Perhaps I was overwhelmed by my confusion, maybe my expectations were too high, or it could just be a case of different strokes for different folks, but whatever it was, I was disappointed by Rick’s.
To start with, I had always been under the impression that this was a brunch/​breakfast spot. I think when Rick’s first came on my radar, my boyfriend and I were driving through the area trying to find some Sunday brunch. I suppose that association always just stuck with me. Furthermore, their logo looks 1) like a fried egg and 2) like the kind of logo that you would expect a generic American dinner known for their 99 cent hash brown and sausage pattie breakfast special would have. Naturally, I was skeptical once I found out that Rick’s is an Italian restaurant. But I’ll try anything once.
My initial reactions to the place were not stellar, but they didn’t make me want to turn around and leave either. This place was absolutely freezing. It’s February, people. I know it is a small space, and I know it can get hot in the kitchen, but please, turn your heat up. Or, you know, on. The décor was very outdated. Stereotypical mom and pop Italian restaurant décor. Wood paneling, cheesy mustached chef statues, Pizza Hut red and white checked plastic tablecloths. Not very stylish at all, which seems a bit unusual for a hip area like this. Remembering my friends’ rave reviews, I forgave the fashion faux pas. Poor décor does not matter, so long as the food is good. Which it wasn’t.
We got there around 9:30 pm, an hour or so, I believe, before they close. There was no hostess or waitress that we could find in the entryway, so we made our way to the back room to alert the staff that we were here. They were friendly and sat us right away at the table in front of the windows. Pretty, but drafty and freezing. I seriously cannot say it enough. I couldn’t even take my coat off until well after being seated. It was so cold.
Our waitress was friendly, but not super attentive (which is fine by me, but notable as I know some people don’t like that). We were served bread and bean dip shortly after being seated. We weren’t really sure what the bean dip was when we first got it. No explanation came with it or anything. We had to just figure it out for ourselves. It had a nice, creamy texture, so in that regard it was a welcome change from too-​hard-​fridge-​butter that also came with the bread, and it smelled amazing, but it was not very flavorful. I shook some red pepper flakes in it to spice it up a bit. That helped.
We ordered the Caesar salad as an appetizer. The dressing was clearly homemade, so props where props are due. You don’t get that very often. Unfortunately, it was very fishy, and just a bit overdressed.
For our entrees, we ordered the gnocchi with duck and the chicken parm. It was decent at best. I’m not that into duck, so perhaps I ordered the wrong dish, but I realllllllly wanted gnocchi. Too bad this didn’t satisfy my craving. The gnocchi was very dense, not the savory little pillows of amazing that I was wanting. The sauce was good, however it was more like a broth. Lots of herbs and onions and garlic and sage. As for the chicken parm, I think I could have done better myself. He claims he liked it, but he did utter «Does this have any cheese?» before taking a bite. The little bit that I tried left a lot to be desired. It was very bland. The tomato sauce was not flavorful at all, and a little too watery.
I figured we should give them one last chance and so we ordered desert. Tiramisu with coffee. Too bad for us and too bad for Rick’s. We got our tiramisu, which was ok. Not great, but not that bad either. Tiramisu is always tasty, but this tasted like I could have picked it up in the bakery section of the supermarket. The coffee never came, either, and we were informed that they had just dumped their pot. Cool.
A few more things worth noting: the bathrooms were incredibly cold (more cold than even the igloo of a dining room) but impeccably clean. There was annoying, loud, and vulgar party in the corner the entire time we were there. Although this was not the restaurants fault, the space is small and the noise carries.
Overall, I was seriously underwhelmed by Rick’s. I thought my friends had good taste, but now I’m not so sure. It was decent, not the worst food I’ve ever had, but there is nothing worse than eating at a restaurant that you could out cook in your own kitchen. I will not be returning. I will not be recommending. I suppose if you like your food very plan and unseasoned, you might like Rick’s.

Rick’s is the best restaurant in Lambertville. Consistency, character, service and quality are all there and the charm of this non-​pretentious spot fits the vibe of the town perfectly. The menu, while simple, is executed so well and the specials I’ve had have been equally great.
I’ve never had anything other than an awesome meal. Go there on a cold night, bring a bottle (or two) of wine and indulge on awesome Italian.
Sometimes it’s tough to get a table, which is the only downside but is also the sign of a great restaurant.