Nico

WOULD NOT RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE.
Anyone with tastebuds will realize that this place is all show and no substance. The food was TERRIBLE.
I got the seafood risotto while my boyfriend got the Veal Meatball Fettuccine and they were both despicable, but let’s start off with the service. After we were seated, it took about five minutes for our waiter to even approach us. After we ordered, my lemonade didn’t come until about 15 minutes afterward when I asked her about it, and she said «Sure, I’ll go grab it» as if I was required to remind her to bring it to me for me to get it. Then, I noticed other tables had bread and it had been 20 minutes and we had’nt been served anything, so I asked her about it. To that, she responded «Sure I’ll go get some» as if I wouldn’t have gotten it if I hadn’t asked. The bread came the same time our entrees did, a whole 35 minutes later.
The seafood risotto came completely dry, lacking the risotto texture completely. It was also grossly undersalted to the point that I felt like I was eating white rice. There was barely any seafood in it and what there was the seafood was bland and overcooked. My boyfriend got the fettuccine and it was even scarier. He poked into the pasta and it literally all came up on his fork in one clump. The pasta had been cooked stuck together the whole time, so the center was raw and all stuck together. The sauce was ok and the meatballs too heavy on the cumin. My boyfriend literally had to eat his pasta was a fork and knife, swallowing it in huge clumps.
When the waitress came to clear the table, she didn’t even ask why I left ¾ of my food on the plate, which they usually do if they find out a customer barely ate anything. Come one, people. Can customer service get any worse. This waitress was the one with the crooked teeth for anyone who wanted to know.
We ended up going home and buying McDonalds, which I thought was an improvement from dinner.

Still bad.
Bland food. Moroccan chicken was more like a week old, lukewarm omelet wrapped in mushy filo. The green pepper appetizer tastes like runny, salty pizza topping without the pizza. And the cauliflower appetizer is just bland. Something a home cook will do on a week night. The wine matched the food perfectly.

I love this place, I’ve been here twice and I’m planning to go again. I’ve always used a groupon deal and never had a problem with it. The groupon deal is great because for me, this place is expensive for anything other than a special occasion.
And I do consider dining here a special occasion because the food is so unique, interesting, fresh, yummy, and truly a pleasure.
I like the light, airy interior with the large windows for people watching out on busy, ecclectic Delmar.
The service has always been impeccable here, too: Any special requests we had they were happy to meet.
I enjoyed the moroccan chicken bastilla — a warm baked comfort food dish with fragrant spices and sweet plump raisins. Another time for early dinner I enjoyed the spinach salad — a fresh, hearty and tangy blend that satisfies for a light meal. I’ve heard the pork entrée is delicious, too.
The menu is small but with such variety, and I truly think each dish is something they have lovingly perfected. I have grown to admire restaurants with a small, tried and true menu. And this place uses quality ingredients.
It’s one of the best places to eat in the area.

As a mother of a newborn, I haven’t been able to leave the house a lot over the past few weeks (all of the winter snow hasn’t helped!). I’ve been eating my share of lasagna and have been dying for some «real food». My cravings were satisfied tonight when my husband picked up the most amazing dinner at Nico! We both ordered our favorite, lamb burgers. They were grilled to perfection with a delicious blend of spices, topped with an egg and caramelized onions and served on a homemade roll. This was hands down one of the best meals we’ve ever eaten! My only regret is that we didn’t get to eat it inside the beautiful restaurant.
Side note: some restaurants can be crabby about to go— they made placing an order very easy

My wife and I met for dinner with some friends down in the famous Delmar Loop in St. Louis. We window shopped the restaurant the week before and decided this would be a good place to try. The specialty drink for the day was a blend of Pyrat rum and grenadine, with a rosemary sprig. Verdict… POUR ME ANOTHER!!!
We then shared an starter of duck confit empanadas served with a lightly flavored chili sauce. They were wonderfully cooked, just crunchy enough and well filled.
My wife had the seared salmon with Jerusalem artichoke, squash, radish, wild mushroom, kale and arugula in a light pistou sauce (similar to pesto without the nuts). I was well seasoned and flavorful.
I had the bouillabaisse, made with mussels, shrimp, scallops, chorizo, and charred tomato in a white wine and saffron broth with bread points to soak up the amazingly flavored broth that was left over when all the seafood was gone.
We finished with caramelized peach empanadas, served with some vanilla ice cream and a sauce made with huckleberries. I’d never had them before and they were quite good… a bit tart, but it blended well with the sweetness of the peach empanada.
Executive Chef Grace Dinsmoor is certainly on her game here at Nico. Definitely a place for a repeat visit.

Nico is a Mediterranean restaurant in The Loop to grab a quick bite and drink. The outdoor patio is relaxing and is a nice place to enjoy the weather and people watch.
The food is mediocre. I was not a fan of the warm olives and the stuffed piquillo peppers were ok. The scallop ceviche which lacked flavor and freshness that the ceviche at Mango restaurant in downtown captures. I understand I live in Missouri and I should not be picky when it comes to ceviche, but hey, it is one of my favorite foods! The one redeeming dish was the delicious Moroccan spiced lamb burger with an egg on top!
I am interested in the live music and brunch menu so I plan on giving Nico another try in the future. Hopefully, the food will be more memorable!

This was my first time here. We came in the mid afternoon, so the lunch crowd was gone and it was too early for the dinner crowd so the place was empty. I thought their menu was fairly eclectic in its selections. The prices were reasonable and they had a good wine selection. The one thing that puts any place at the top of my husband’s list is if they have Pernod. And they did. I am becoming a Cosmo connoisseur and theirs was one of the best I have had both in taste and alcohol content.

I went here with my fiancé for dinner. Our first impression of the place was that it smelled horribly like fish. Even to this day, when we’re walking on the loop and pass the restaurant, we get a big whiff of fish. I don’t know what that is about, but they need to fix it. The restaurant itself is nicely appointed.
The food was poor. I got the pork shoulder and my fiancé got the Orecchiette. Neither of us could take more than a few bites, and we were starving. Fortunately the owner/​manager walked by and saw that we were not eating and took the dishes away and did not charge us. I appreciated the gesture, it’s what they should have done, but we still had to leave the restaurant and go find something to eat elsewhere as we really didn’t trust that anything else would be good. Even though the service was good, and they handled our situation well, I just don’t see myself coming back here.

The Hubby and I did a Delmar Loop date night last night — dinner, movie and desserts. We started the evening at Nico for dinner. I was very curious about this place after reading the reviews on Unilocal… and I gotta say, I just don’t get it. From a location/​atmosphere/​people watching perspective it is great. But from a food perspective (and that is really why we are there, non?) it left both of us very unimpressed.
I immediately let our server know I was allergic to gluten and she pulled out prepared handwritten notes of what I could have, as is and with modifications. For this, I was impressed. Since we were planning to head down the road for a hefty dessert after dinner we skipped appetizers and went straight to dinner. I decided on the Seafood Saffron Risotto. It was like no risotto I’d ever had before. Not creamy — it really was more of a rice pilaf. The textures of the scallops seemed damaged by the defrosting process and the clams were just, well, gross. The Hubby got the Mushroom Ravioli and thought it was just OK. He thought a 2.5 rating was more in order for his dish.
I think The Hubby said it best. As we were walking away we both agreed it wasn’t worth going back. He described the food as «upscale presentation of poorly executed food».

When you come here, think Spanish, French, and Morroccan blended together. I’m writing this review based on a take-​out order, and I couldn’t have been happier. When I called in, one of the waiters asked me how long it would take for me to get to the restaurant. Well, they timed it perfectly, because as soon as I walked in, the had my receipt ready fairly quickly and with it the burger. It was still extremely warm and I could tell they had just finished cooking it less than a minute or so before I got there. Well done Nico’s! I’m extremely impressed :)
As for the food, I ordered a lamb burger that was cooked perfectly. I was a little skeptical about the poached egg they placed on the burger, but the overall dish was well balanced, savory, and delicious. They served it with a side of fries and a creamy aioli. Absolutely well done! I will definitely be coming back very soon!

I did a little date night action with the fiancé at Nico last week. I thought the atmosphere was really interesting and they had a nice vibe going on. The loop always carries so much foot traffic so I asked for a seat near the window so that I could people watch and eat my meal.
I ordered a glass of Red Cab and the Brussel Sprouts to go with it for my starter. The brussel sprouts were shaved, not whole, and that caught me a little off guard. They were still yummy, but the portion size was incredibly small. Only enough for a few bites… I had the Ciapino– fish stew basically and it was fair. The broth was really nice and light, which I like, but I felt the seafood in the stew was lacking a little. I guess the portion sizes at Nico are on the smaller end of things. My fiancé had the steak with the balsamic reduction sauce and he loved it– the steak was cooked perfectly (medium rare!).
Maybe next time I will have to try something a little more hearty vs the lighter side. I will be back– great location, really can’t be beat.

Dined here last night for dinner. I read a lot of the polar reviews beforehand so I was a little unsure of what I was getting into. We ordered the garlic shrimp and hummus to start. The shrimp was indeed very garlic-​y. It was good, but nothing you couldn’t replicate at home with several heads of garlic! The hummus was rather terrible. Lacking in flavor, tons of oil and just too pasty. Being middle eastern, I am a bit of a hummus snob and quite frankly this was just so far off target for me.
I ordered the Hake as my entrée– a thick, flaky, mild fish that came with peas and asparagus. The texture of the fish was great. I loved the crispness from a well executed pan sear but after a few bites the saltiness of the dish became overwhelming. And let me tell ya, I love salty but this was far too much, even for me.
Dessert was definitely the redeeming course of the night. We ordered the beignets with caramel, mascarpone and quince… amazing! Two came on the dish and the three of us inhaled every last bite. I’m a bit on the fence about dining here for dinner again but we did have extremely good service. And of course, those beignets.

Finally made it back here and glad I did. The last time I had reviewed Nico my main complaint was it was so noisy to the point of not being able to talk comfortably with my friend across the table. My post was responded to by management and mentioned that sound panels had been installed, which they have and it is definitely an improvement noting there were several tables, enough to generate a similar noise level. Certainly because of that I enjoyed the meal more than last time and had some very good menu choices on this visit.
I ordered the braised short rib ravioli (very good), baby spinach salad (also very good), kasseri cheese (excellent, a must buy) and a Burroughs, a drink recommended by a friend that includes a absinthe rinse (interesting story behind absinthe). Strong but a drink I might order myself (my friend Earl ordered it).
I will come back now and try other menu items, which is nice since The Loop is my favorite area to visit. Nice they are paying attention.

This review is more like 3.5 stars but I rounded up.
They’re open all day practically, which is fucking awesome. I cannot express my frustration when I try to go somewhere between the hours of 2pm and 5pm only to discover that they close between those times. And I can see why, because it was DEADER than a doornail at Nico when Sean H. and I arrived around 3pm. As in literally, we were the only two souls in there! (BTW can’t believe this place used to be Brandt’s! It cleans up nice!)
Our waitress was SO damn awkward. She was nice and really prompt, but man was she awkward. I guess that’s not really a big deal or anything, just pointing it out. Sean H. rarely comments on stuff like that but he felt the need to point it out repeatedly. lol.
Anyway, I was really pumped to come here due to a photo I saw that someone had uploaded on Unilocal.It looked like medium rare lamb slices on top of pearl couscous. Omfg. Looked so good. I was practically drooling all over myself. So we asked the waitress about it, and she said something about it only being on the dinner menu. And we had the lunch menu because it technically wasn’t dinner yet. Oh… okay…well then. Nevermind that being the only reason I wanted to try this place! I even tried checking to see their online menu before driving all the way to the Loop, but they don’t even have a website… yet??? Maybe they do, and I just don’t know. I couldn’t find it. I didn’t think they were open for that long, so I figured they might still have the lamb dish. I sighed and decided to just get hummus until I made up my mind.
Then, she appeared with dinner menus and the hummus (as well as a glass of wine I ordered) and said the kitchen was still prepping for dinner but they’d be able to make some dinner food anyway. I was like «SCORE.» She left and I looked over the dinner menu. Whut. The… much to my disappointment, I could not find the lamb on couscous dish on the dinner menu either. In fact, not much was different other than the prices were higher on the dinner menu (and probably larger portions) but otherwise identical. I think the lunch menu had maybe 4 – 5 lunch specials on it that were not on the dinner menu…
I asked her what the heck was going on and she was like «oh yeah we don’t have that anymore.» Wow. Way to get my expectations up. :(I was so bummed! Sean H. decided he’d just get a burger, and I decided to get the grilled chicken. It sounded pretty fantastic… so why not?
BTW the hummus here is freaking AMAZING. So good. Damn near as good as Aya Sofia’s and that’s saying something in my book! It was the perfect balance of garlicy and smooth and it had little chunks of feta and some lemon juice in there. Served with a lemon and fresh, warm, soft little pillows of tasty pita. I was in heaven. I am drooling just thinking about it again!
Sean H. said the burger was «okay.» But what else is new? LOL. I am just glad they had a burger on their menu for uh pickier eaters? Or people who fancy burgers. (Although Fitz’s is right down the street, lol.)
The grilled chicken was not as great as I’d hoped. Yes, the pasta that it came with was fantastic, and I loooved the mushrooms and pine nuts too. Crisp and yet not raw. Tasty. The sauce was very lacking though. Tasted like basic Alfredo sauce to me. Why not add sage? Would be perfect for fall/​winter. The chicken had a lot of gristle and was not super tender. It reminded me of a microwave dinner. What a shame, because everything else was spot-​on.
Wine was overpriced and unremarkable.
I think I’d only go back if I bought a Groupon. I tried getting one for this trip but the purchase somehow didn’t go through… thanks a lot, Groupon. :(

I didn’t really eat there, I did walk in the door and sat down, checked the menu and left. Now having disclosed that, I will have to tell you that when I walked thru the door, the odor of cooked fish that was well past its prime filled the air, perhaps the HVAC was broken that day in the kitchen, not sure, didn’t ask. The menu was limited and the prices not so cheap. I don’t often walk away from a table once seated, but this time, no question. Again, I did not actually eat the food here, but I did not find the menu offerings interesting and the prices high, but I would have delt with that if the place didn’t stink so badly of fish.

Nico is a great addition to the Loop. Their menu offers a wide variety of delicious plates to choose from. If you’re just browsing around the area and you’re hungry for a small snack, try the duck confit empanadas (2 for $ 11). The inside of empanada is so savory and is made with tender duck. The empanada is paired with a tangy aioli sauce which I wouldn’t mind asking for a cup on the side to dip my empanadas in. If your tummy is hungry for a full meal, check out their main menu. The list isn’t very extensive and doesn’t feel inventive, but I appreciate a restaurant that focuses on doing a few dishes well. If the food is just good, people will come back again. This is a place I wouldn’t mind coming back for favorite dish on the menu.
Also I am obsessed with the bar. A place I wouldn’t mind spending my nights at. I love the beautiful interior that mixes rustic and modern décor with raw wood accents. One critique about Nico is that their décor and menu is beautiful, but feels disjointed. I have a little trouble getting a sense of Nico’s identity. Regarless, I would totally recommend people to check this place out. Great place, good location, good food, and good people.

I’ve been wanting to come here forever, and I’m glad I finally did. This place rocks!
Dinner on a Friday night. The inside was empty but the outside tables were filled up. They had a guy playing guitar and singing 90s rock and he was pretty good.
Kicked off with the duck confit empanadas (2 for $ 11). They were very tasty and served with some thin-​sliced peach which was a perfect complement to the richness of the duck.
I went for the bouillabaisse ($ 20). A big shallow bowl was lined with mussels and filled in the middle with bite-​size pieces of shrimp n scallops and veggies. Lovely presentation. And the broth, oh my, rich and comforting with a little heat at the end. I could not stop slurping this stuff down. I was very happy with this dish.
My friend got the lamb burger w/​fries ($ 12). I only got a couple bites but WOW this burger had some very bold Mediterranean spices going on. I loved it, as did my friend. The fries were good too. I am DEFINITELY coming back for one of these.
I didn’t indulge but the cocktail menu looked very interesting. I’m sensing 5-​star potential here. Definitely check this place out.

Great experience!
Our server Christophe was wonderful, and was really helpful when I had a hard time deciding on what to get! My date and I got the lamb burger and the atlantic char, respectively, and the starter of the salty cod. All delicious! But my favorite hands down was the focaccia bread that came with everything… amazing. Seriously. It was warm out of the oven and it came drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and wow. Perfect. We had two plates and if our server had offered us more, even though I was stuffed, I wouldn’t have been able to turn it down!
Overall– great. Will be back.

I’m so glad we have this place in the Loop. My initial thoughts when I first walked in, were «wow… this is absolutely beautiful! Wait a second. This used to be Brandt’s?!» Soft colors, great lighting, and a bar I wouldn’t mind sitting at while sipping some wine.
I need to come back during dinner because I feel like that experience would be even better than lunch… I only have a couple of gripes as far as the atmosphere goes. First, why do restaurant owners let customers eat in complete silence?! I knew going for a late lunch it’d probably be quiet in there, but I just think a little bit of music (instrumental, something, anything) makes the experience seem a little bit better. Second, our server came up and just asked us what we wanted. I feel like with a new restaurant, a short blurb or explanation of the concept is really nice, that way you know what they’re going for. Our waitress was lovely, I just would’ve liked to get the DL on the place before I dove into the menu.
My eyes always go straight for the cheese plate, so that was up first. It was definitely one of the best ones I’ve had! To my surprises, all three cheeses were VERY strong instead of at least one being mild, but I loved that. I’m not sure exactly what they were, but one was a bleu cheese drizzled in honey… yes please. It was served with house-​made focaccia and met all expectations. For lunch I had the spinach salad, which was extremely simple but in a good kind of way. Accompanied by a dollop (I hate that word) of house-​made cheese, pine nuts, and other goodies, I definitely got my dose of phyto-​nutrients and it tasted great while doing it.
I will definitely come back for dinner! So glad to have Nico in the neighborhood.

Went for the soft opening, everything seemed to flow really well. We were seated quickly, drinks, apps, salads, and entrees came out quickly as well.
The charcuterie plate was rich, I think there was a duck breast carpaccio that was amazing.
We tried several pastas, all good, I had the Beef Daube, not pronounced Dobby apparently. It was a really nice beef stew, tender steak, potatoes, and a bread sopping worthy broth.