Very nice experience friendly down to earth staff and provider, a little challenging to schedule but not bad once you get established

I don't typically write yelp reviews, but I am writing one for Dr. Nicolas because he deserves his flowers. Dr. Nicolas is, without a doubt, the best dentist I've ever had--no exaggeration. He is incredibly kind, patient, and thorough. He explains everything clearly, from what's going on with your teeth to the procedures he'll be performing, the costs involved, and his honest recommendations on what you should or shouldn't be doing. All of his advice has been practical and reasonably affordable, especially when considering long-term dental health. I had a few cavities filled by him, and he was the gentlest dentist to ever work on my teeth. I genuinely felt comfortable throughout the entire process. Cheryll, his wife, often manages the front desk and appointments, and she is absolutely wonderful--attentive, accommodating, and truly invested in making sure patients get the care they need. When my partner had a toothache but our appointment was still weeks away, she made sure to get us in as soon as possible by moving up our visit to the earliest available slot. This is the best dentist I've ever had. I highly recommend and I am so sad that I ended up moving out of SF. If I was still living in SF, I would keep Dr. Nicolas as my dentist for the rest of my life. read more

Dr. Nicolas was able to schedule an appointment for the next day. During the examination and treatment he explained what he was doing and what he found. He accommodated pain with kindness and understanding, and recommended treatment options and time lines. Highly recommended. read more

This is the first dentist I've had that actually tells me all the details about what's going on with my teeth! The doctor thoroughly explains what he's doing to my teeth while he is doing it, and why. I feel like I learn a lot every time I go. Knowing all my health details and the reasoning behind the recommendations is a style that I appreciate. Small office, super nice family business. I'll be going back for while. read more

Just go. Especially if you've been told you need a bunch of work or expensive deep cleaning. Worth the longer drive and paying out of pocket to keep seeing Dr Nicolas instead of the dishonest providers who are part of my Anthem HMO. read more

Scheduled an appointment over a month in advance. Day off, I decide to try and call 3 separate times to confirm, but some how no one is there to pick up the phone. I show up at my appointment and the first thing he says to me as I walk in is "you're early." He checks his system and says I requested an appointment and that it was never confirmed. So he can see that I requested an appointment and over a month later I'm not on his schedule or no call to say that the time is unavailable? Definitely will find a different dentist. Don't go here it's unprofessional. read more

Great and friendly dentist! Been coming here the past few years and always have a good experience.

A couple of weeks ago, I called Dr. Nicolas' office three times during normal business hours trying to set up a new patient appointment. No one ever answered the phone. I left two messages, but my messages were not answered. I called the following week as well. This time, I was sent a text saying they were accepting new patients and to respond with my desired dates and times. I responded right away, and again, the week came and went with no response or confirmation. If I can't get someone to answer the phone or return a text or voice message, and this is just the front office, those are called clues. If you can't get the front office to return a simple call of text, what's the rest of the operation like??? I'm concerned about the entire operation. Of further note, check out Andrew T's review of this office on 5/2/23; it's almost the same complaint as mine. I'll be moving on. BEWARE!! read more

Dr. Nicolas is awesome! I love how easy it is to make an appointment online and I always get a text reminder the day before. I used to hate going to the dentist when I was younger because sometimes the cleanings or procedures were painful. I've gotten a couple cavities filled by Dr. Nicolas and it's always pain-free and very quick. He's super nice and efficient and always patiently explains what's happening with your teeth and what to look out for. There's also a ton of easy free street parking in the neighborhood. Highly recommend! read more

Dr. Nicolas is amazing. He's knowledgable and answers questions directly, and at no time did I feel like he was trying to "upsell" me on anything. (I've experienced that with other dentists). I went in expecting to get two new fillings, which my previous dentist suggested were necessary, only to discover I wasn't in need to change them yet. Dr. Nicolas touched up one filling, but only after I asked if he would do it on the spot. It was painless and he walked me through everything he did. He's gentle when he works, and he's got a zen energy that makes your visit the least dreadful dental experience ever. My husband and I were able to book an appointment on-line and see him within a couple of days of finding him through our plan. We didn't know what to expect, but we chose him based on the good reviews and wow! were we pleased to meet him. He's friendly and kind and makes you feel welcome from the get-go. He took his time with each of us and did one of the most thorough cleanings we've had in a while. He did the cleaning himself and also walked us through the x-rays, speaking about things to consider in the future, as well as daily care. He's definitely our new dentist, and we're picky, so that's saying a lot. ;-) read more

Let's do some old-school SAT recall, shall we? Most DHMO providers :: Dick Cheney Joe Nicolas, DDS :: Barack Obama As a gal limited by a DHMO, my options were a slew of 1-starred horrific-experience dental care providers. Just as I was about to go the route of gritting my teeth and choosing the least damaging provider, I stumbled across Joe's stellar Yelp reviews. They are incredibly deserved - first off, his office is immaculate - open, clean, clear, aesthetically right on. Second, he was incredibly personable, and explained every step clearly and concisely. Third, he was gentle as can be - I just had a general checkup and cleaning, and it was great. He finally totally won my loyalty when he said, "I'm new to this DHMO thing, but I've heard the horror stories - people getting processed through the dentist's chair - and I'm determined to be different, to offer a different model." You can't ask for a better mentality than that. read more

Just had the BEST experience ever at the dentist, my teeth have never been so clean (even after 2.5 years since my last visit). SO, if anyone needs a dentist I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Joseph Nicolas @ 801 Portola in San Francisco. Very friendly guy and super thorough - not a speck of tartar or plaque left on my teeth. He is fantastic! He also is a great resource for orthodontia referrals as well as oral surgeons. I find him though trial and error and I will definitely be keeping him as my dentist and look forward to seeing him again in the future. He accepts all types of insurance, his office is clean and very easy to get to with plenty of street parking as well. read more

Dr. Nicolas was great. He fixed my chipped tooth and was very gentle with the cleaning. He was also very personable, and there was no waiting time before my appointment started. Thank you Dr. Nicolas! read more

I would definitely recommend Dr. Nicolas. I hate going to the dentist, but this was the best experience I've ever had. The office is small and casual, so it's not the same experience I've had in large, suburban clinics. This was not a problem for me though, especially since the actual dental procedures were done very well and he also accepts insurance. read more

I found out the hard way that popcorn is really bad for your teeth - I broke a tooth eating it. One whole corner of one of my teeth broke off leaving a big jagged edge. Of course this happens on Saturday night. I call my brand new Cigna dental insurance assigned dentist's emergency number, hoping to get a call back. Nada, no phone call from this dentist's emergency number at all despite three messages. Admittedly, I had never been to their office but I'm in their system as being assigned to them and I broke a tooth! Couldn't they have at least called? Nope. I will never go to South Van Ness Dental. Ever. I call Cigna and say I need a new dentist gimme another name. That's how I find Dr Nicolas, who is a very, very kind man and a wonderful dentist. He gets me in at lunch time between patients (giving up his lunch time). He put a temporary fix on my tooth which is really well done; it's not obtrusive at all. Now my tongue doesn't feel like razor blades are being dragged across the bottom of it every time I speak. Dr Nicolas explained everything clearly and concisely and was very professional. His office is small and in an old building - don't judge a book by the cover. He's great. read more

I chose this dentist through my DHMO and kind of regret that. At the time of making my appointment, I was told the earliest time they could get me in was two weeks out. Kind of made sense, considering their days. I did attempt to see if there was anything sooner at one point when I ended up with a toothache a week before the appointment. Was told no, there wasn't. An hour before my appointment, I got a text asking if it could be pushed back an hour. Should have been an iffy sign, but I agreed, and showed up at the new time where I was greeted by the receptionist. After filling out the patient forms, she started chatting with me about my job, which seemed normal enough...until she asked how much I made, then told me the salary of another employee of the company who was also a patient there. Yikes. The appointment itself was okay, x-rays were done and I was recommended to an oral surgeon for extractions. However, the dentist told me he wouldn't do any other work (I.e. crowns, fillings) until after I did the extractions, and that I would have to wait six months before that as well.) the conversation kind of made it seem like even if I wanted to get the other work done before the extraction, it wouldn't be doable. After the consultation (which was about 40 minutes tops), he told me that since that ran over, he didn't have the time to do the cleaning because it was almost closing time...after they pushed my appointment back. Definitely a weird experience all around. read more

Dr. Nicolas is exactly who I've been looking for - a kind dentist! He's professional, friendly, straight-forward, gentle but still direct. He talks you through everything he's doing and explains what's going on with your teeth in simple to understand terms. I've only gone once, but will continue to go as long as my insurance stays the same. I need to book my next appointment soon. Can't forget to mention that the reception lady is sweet! She texted me prior to my appointment as a reminder - I thought that was awesome! A few more noteworthy things: 1. His office is clean (and I am picky about cleanliness) 2. He accepts DHMO (hallelujah!) 3. He is Filipino! :) read more

Fantastic experience! Booked a same day appointment and received caring, thorough and professional service. I am returning for additional work that I've been putting off--so relaxing that I almost fell asleep. read more

I guess it would have been too hard to notify patients that you're closing shop or planning to be away for a while. No phone message talking about an absence, and no call back. read more

Pretty sure they're out of business. Been calling for a month straight to make an appointment and have left messages. No one either picks up or calls me back. Don't waste your time. Would give zero stars but yelp doesn't allow that. read more

This was possibly one of the best dentist appointments I've ever had. I have so much anxiety going to the dentist- I almost skipped my appointment! Dr Nicolas is gentle, kind, and easy going. Would regommend to anyone who has dentist anxiety. read more

I've just had a great experience with Dr. Nicolas. I was very stressed over my dental problem, and Dr. Nicolas put me at ease. He's very professional, and inspires trust. Also, his work was very gentle, and before I knew it, I was done, and very happy with the service. read more

I scheduled an appointment with this schmuck for this morning at 9 am. When I arrived, the office door was locked and no one was answering their phone. It's now 3 pm and i have yet to get a call back with an explanation. Don't waste your time. read more

Called this place 4x over the last month and no return call! Is this place closed? And the one appointment I did get got cancelled by them because they said the doctor had a conference to go to and I wasn't supposed to be scheduled that day! Ok...the next appt I finally got they had to reschedule AGAIN because they said he had a meeting! Isn't the staff supposed to already take this into consideration BEFORE scheduling appointments? So far I've been trying to get an appointment at this place for over 4 months! Terrible customer service!! read more

If you looking for a kids friendly dentist, a excel professional and one that does exactly what your mouth needs, that's the guy. Dr. Nicolas doesn't keep searching for $omething el$e in your mouth even when you don't have nothing bad on it. Honest and very skilled. read more

I've tried getting a hold of the office for the past two weeks. I always get directed to voice-mail, and even after I leave messages I never get called back. Is there only one person working there? read more

I've had a cleaning and a filling replaced. He did a great (and painless) job on both.

I had a good experience going here. I felt I could trust Dr. Nicolas and after my last two untrustworthy dentists that means a lot. The office decor is simple and nice. And Dr. Nicolas is thorough, friendly and explained everything as he went along. I will continue with him as long as my insurance allows. read more

I was worried no one else would be as good as Dr. William Galager, DDS when my company insurance changed and no longer covered me under my original dentist . . . but I felt I was in good hands when I found Dr. Nicolas -- he is very meticulous with each tooth he cleaned. Nice job :) read more

Choosing a dentist can be a crap-shoot unless you're referred by an existing patient. But I totally lucked out in finding Dr. Nicolas. He is the greatest: Personable, skilled, very one-on-one oriented. And by that, I mean he takes the time to explain everything and puts your anxieties at ease. I'd had a horrible experience with my previous dentist's (lack of) chair-side manner, and Dr. Nicolas seriously restored my faith in the DDS realm. Office Manager Cheryll is very sweet and proactive in getting all the insurance stuff sorted out with you in advance. His office is not a zoo, so you never feel like a number or lost in the shuffle. And I've had no problem getting in for follow-up visits. I'm super happy to have a great dentist that I can trust in my corner. read more

Joe is a great dentist. He's honest, technically good, and cheaper than average. He has a tendency of talking too much, but hey, you can't have everything, can you? read more

We are still seeing Dr. Nicolas and his recently renovated office is better than ever!

Great dentist. Explains everything in detail. Good communication from front office. Part of Cigna DHMO. I picked him as primary due to the good reviews here and am very happy I did. read more

I can't even remember how I found Dr. Nicolas - all I can say is that after years of either horrible service and bad results, bordering on the criminal, I've finally found a dentist that I trust. Dr. Nicolas has a beautiful office (recently updated and just gorgeous!), a very nice receptionist (bilingual in Portuguese), and a comfortable chair. But most importantly to me, Dr. Nicolas does what's needed to do, finds the problems that other dentists have caused, and fixes them - no muss, no fuss. He's gentle, he is kind, and he is a human being, not a robot. I really appreciate his warmth. As a very open person myself, I enjoy having a conversation with Dr. Nicolas (though sometimes he asks questions while his fingers are in my mouths, so... :) ). Anyway, my highest rating goes to Dr. Nicolas, and my confidence in him is 100%. In five years, he has never let me down. He has also worked on my husband, who had even worse results from our former dentist, including an incomplete root canal that caused a major infection. Dr. Nicolas referred us to a top-flight oral surgeon, Angela Leung, and we could not be happier at her service, or Dr. Nicolas' excellent guidance. read more

First visit was great. The staff is very friendly. Second visit was terrible and they missed a lot of things on X-ray. When I had a checkup right before getting braces they said I only had one cavity. They fixed it but complained the whole time. When I went to get my brackets installed my orthodontist found another cavity that was visible to the naked eye and couldn't proceed with treatment. At this point I ended up going to another dentist and had to pay out of pocket for x rays. My new dentist also has to fix the filling performed by Dr Nicolas read more

I hadn't been to a dentist for about 3 years and Dr. Nicolas was amazing. He's very cheerful, thorough, and answered all my questions about mouthwashes, Emergen-C and Gummi Vites as relates to one's teeth. Also, the wait time was minimal and on both my visits, I noticed that he runs a very efficient dentist office. read more

Awesome service!!! I hadn't had a visit in years and was developing some tooth ache issues. I requested an appointment online at their website at 6 PM and heard back the same evening. Appointment was scheduled for 48 hours later since it was an becoming an emergency. Dr. Nicolas was very thorough and explained everything to me throughout the visit and then sat with me to develop a plan of care that included several levels of price and service to tailor to my budget (I was given choices, nice!). I have a follow up for 7 days later. The office building is mid 50's and beginning to come back in style. It is well maintained and his office is just the right size. I have been to many others where I felt like the prices of the dental work reflected the high rents they were paying for super chic spots with views of the bay, not for the quality of the dental work they provided. Here I feel like I am getting great service and not supplementing the price of the view. Very convenient to get to for me and lots of street parking nearby. The fact the large parking lot is reserved for tenants only and was mainly empty was a little off-putting, but beyond Dr. Nicolas's control. Street parking is easy, or park in lot by Tower Burger, Tower Market shopping center. Meters there, but very inexpensive (bring a few quarters). Can't recommend this superb office enough!! Thank you Dr. Nicolas and your office manager. This is first time I ever got positive feedback from a dentist and didn't leave feeling like a scolded little kid for not flossing my teeth everyday. read more

After many attempts to get a hold of someone, I was finally able to schedule appointments for both myself and my daughter. The timing was tricky and I wasn't very pleased when I arrived to find no one at the office. I checked my phone and found a text, sent 15 minutes before my appointment, saying that the dentist and receptionist were at lunch and would I mind waiting? I did mind, because I still had to go across town, get my daughter from school and bring her over for her appointment. When they showed up, I had my cleaning and it was fine. But my daughter was literally in and out in five minutes. When I asked if she'd had her teeth cleaned, Dr. Nicolas sort of shrugged and said "oh, she's fine." I was too surprised to say anything, plus I felt sort of uncomfortable given the whole "text" situation earlier. In the car, my daughter (who was 12 at the time) told me that he'd given her some mouthwash to rinse, looked at her teeth for a few minutes and that was that. I meant to check in with my insurance to see if we were billed for a cleaning, but I didn't. I won't go back though. read more