Nick’s Restaurant

Something of a hidden gem. I’ve had some reasonably good food in Bolton, but this place certainly stands out. Now it’s often said that too long a menu can be a bad sign, but despite that the execution of the food was very well done. I had a rather delicious chicken in creamy peppercorn sauce and my brother had steak and lobster which he enjoyed too. I probably shouldn’t have had dessert, but I couldn’t resist the bread and butter pudding and I was glad I had it.
Prices may be quite high for the area, but the quality of the ingredients and cooking gives good value for money. Boltonians should cherish this place — it’s a credit to the town.

Electic menu, lovely bar/​lounge, fabulous cocktails and ales. This is a great place for fine dining. If you love fish it’s a great place they have lovely weekly specials. I would recommend pre booking as it’s very difficult getting in. The only thing that lets this place down is how compact it is.

Great little restaurant. The food here was great and so was the service. Fresh food done brilliantly.

Don’t be put off by the exterior of this restaurant. The menu has one of the best in Bolton with a wide selection of fresh fish and meat. Various starters to choose from with unusual combinations that worked extremely well. The Dover sole was exquisitely cooked and boned at our table with a selection of vegetables to accompany a perfect dish. The fillet stroganoff was full of flavour and cooked extremely well. Nick comes out of the kitchen at the end of Service to introduce himself to each customer. He is keen to ensure you have enjoyed the food and you have been well looked after. Well done to Nick and the team who support him, you deserve to be successful.

We were celebrating Mr. Snarky’s birthday a couple days late and I told him that I would research some restaurants and that he should pick one. Nick’s was on the list, but he wouldn’t make a decision, so I did. Of the three restaurants, this was the only one in Bolton, so in the end, I decided we should get to know his new hometown. We nearly drove right past it, but were able to find some parking on a side street just down the way from the restaurant. It doesn’t really stand out from the other businesses next to it, so just make sure to keep an eye out for it.
When we walked in, there were a number of couples downstairs having dinner. We did not have a reservation so we were taken upstairs. It is quite cozy inside and once you get upstairs, there is a little soft-​seating area, which I’m assuming is for cocktails or maybe even for those waiting for tables. A few different staff waited on us, one person taking our drink order, one taking our food order, one bringing our food, and another to take out dessert order. It was fine, but it was a little confusing who we should waive down for the check or anything else.
We were by ourselves upstairs for some time… the music started out lovely and then it turned into a strange mix of 70s disco and 90s dance music with a break for happy birthday. Besides the menu they give you at the table, there is also quite the list of specials for the night on a blackboard. Just reading through the menu, then the specials took quite some time and as Mr. Snarky said, «There were too many choices.» And when Mr. Snarky has problems making a decision, you know there are just too many choices… so you can imagine that I had trouble making a decision. Of course, we were a little concerned that offering all of the choices would result in a decrease in the quality of food.
Eventually, two other couples were sat upstairs and we could tell they were regulars. One couple was very familiar with the waiters and the other couple already knew what they wanted before they sat down… both couples were in and out before we had finished our meal! I was having trouble deciding between two starters off of the specials menu: Crispy Duck Salad or the Beef Filet with rocket and Parmesan cheese. Mr. Snarky said that both of those sounded good to him as well, so we decided to order both of them and just share. The Crispy Duck Salad was great… love Crispy Duck, but… the Beef Filet was the winning starter. The beef was so very tender, it really did melt in your mouth. Every time I took a bite, I think I melted with the beef. After those starters, we were even more excited for the mains, but both of us agreed that if they had put a main portion of the Beef Filet on the menu for mains… we both would have ordered it.
For the mains, Mr. Snarky had the rack of lamb and I had the Hake with Leeks and Smoked Haddock Sauce. The mains come with veg, sweet potato mash, and chips. All of it was amazing. The chips were absolutely delicious. Mr. Snarky’s lamb was done really well and was very tasty. My Hake… brilliant. The hake was flaky, but meaty with a bit of crispiness on the top. The sauce with smoked haddock and the leeks was delicious and just right with the hake. In fact, I’d like the recipe for the sauce, but I bet that is a guarded secret. We were absolutely stuffed, but both courses were so good that we felt we had to try dessert. Just an FYI… one of the couples, ordered an ice cream sundae for takeaway… I don’t know if they allow that with all customers or just their regulars.
Mr. Snarky had the Arctic Roll (sponge, raspberry jam, and raspberry ice cream) and I had the Bread and Butter Pudding. The Arctic Roll looked lovely and was probably very refreshing. The Bread and Butter Pudding looked good and comes with your choice of cream, custard, or ice cream. Unfortunately I did not like the Bread and Butter Pudding… I thought it was too custardy and eggy, not enough bread. I also am not a fan of raisins in my bread pudding, but there was a refreshing hint of orange throughout.
Overall dinner was amazing and we will definitely be back to try more of their dishes… although if the Beef Filet is on the menu again, I think we know what I will be having. For three courses each, a glass of rose, and a diet coke we paid about £78. A bit spendy, but absolutely worth it for how good our meal was! At the end of the meal our waiter was talking with us and asked us if we had been in Bolton long or just visiting. Mr. Snarky had said that he had recently moved her so the waiter gave us a card with the number of the restaurant so we could make reservations as some nights they do get very busy. Great hidden gem in Bolton!

The best restaurant in Bolton. No argument. If this restaurant was in Manchester then you wouldn’t be able to book a table on a Friday or Saturday for months ahead and the price for the quality of cooking would be double. Beautifully presented, locally-​sourced food. The steaks are a highlight and the best I have eaten outside of a recent visit to a NYC. Nick is a local hero.