The seafood pasta is really good here. The only thing better is the Cioppino is my favorite here. The servers are very attentive and friendly. We always enjoy coming here for lunch or dinner. read more

This is one of our go-to places. We usually sit at the bar. Love the bartenders. It's a friendly crowd. So, we usually have fun at the bar. The drinks are strong and the food is tasty. We love the Santa Anita pizza (thin crust), the linguine & clams, orange roughy and the lasagna. read more

NEVER AGAIN. BYE BYE Nikki C's. Today was the last straw! Trying to place an order at your restaurant through Postmates is impossible! Your employee who takes the orders is a TOTAL idiot; no, she's a LIAR !! We kept waiting for our order to be picked , we called the restaurant and the gal says it was picked up.........meanwhile Postmates is there to pick up the order and restaurant tells Postmates it was picked up. Yet when we called the restaurant again, they tell us the order was canceled because no one came to pick it. Huh?? Doesn't even make sense. The bottom line is....Nikki C's NEVER prepared the order!!! In the past, we have ordered for delivery and just couldn't get the order right. POSTMATES, don't do their delivery any more. Nikki C's, during this time, you need ME, but bye bye, NEVER AGAIN!!!!!! I no longer will enter your establishment Your idiot employee said it was the only Postmates order they've had all day. There's nothing to confuse. read more

I bring my family and friends to this location and everyone loved Nikki's. Music is a big part of our family and the tunes are wonderful. The food is delicious and the service is outstanding. read more

Good food, good drinks and friendly staff. Will definitely go again. Small and Comfortable restaurant with a nice bar.

This is a place where the locals hang out. I enjoy sitting at the bar and getting to know the regulars. Danny, the bartender, is very friendly. I love that they have blue cheese olives for the martinis. The salads are great here, and I love the sweet potato fries. One day I'll have to try the pizza. The place gets packed at dinner. There are a few parking spaces in front and the back - otherwise you have to park on the street. They also serve brunch on the weekends, and their happy hour is good too! read more

I had not been here in years, and I was surprised at how disappointing the experience was when I recently went. 3 out of 4 of our dishes had something missing from it. One pasta was totally dry, veal parmaggiano had a scant sprinkling of cheese on it, and almost the most expensive dish on the menu touted filet mignon had 5 bite sized slices of steak on it, ironically served with a huge steak knife. Our waiter made me feel like I was being served by someone's 20 something son living rent free in a basement. He was courteous enough yes, but why is someone waiting tables if they have zero interest in serving? As a former server myself, I've always enjoyed serving and talking about food. Needless to say, I'll be avoiding Nikki C's, or what my husband now calls Famine's Starvation Cafe. read more

Great service, food, ambiance, and best of all, price! We tried the fish and chips and burger, both were amazing!

Been coming here for a long time and am surprised at some negative comments. Never had a negative experience and food hasn't been an issue as far as it goes. Staff always friendly and attentive and will continue to recommend any time, period. read more

One of our favorite places to dine. Excellent drinks, food and atmosphere. I have the Mai Tai and and the steak or prime rib sandwich depending on how hungry I am. Sometimes you'll get lucky and not need a reservation but it's best to have one. read more

This review is mostly related to service. Since the server was nice, I'm rating it a 3. But if he wasn't, this would be a 2. We ordered a salad to split. We were asked when ordering if we were splitting. We received the salad, one plate and one piece of bread. We ordered a pizza too. The pizza was placed directly on the table, not a pizza stand. We weren't even given a spatula to pick up the pizza from the tray. He never asked how we were doing during our meal. Only after we piled everything up to show we were done was I finally asked if I wanted another drink. My husband had a soda and he was never offered a refill. Poor service. There was no excuse either. It was slow. Food is good. Not great. Service definitely subpar. read more

Long overdue review ... Really love this hidden gem! They have amazing foods on their menu ... love their halibut and risotto and and their Cioppino is amazing! read more

Friendly staff with full on PPE gear. Super fast pickup service that was easy. Attached photos show the high quality food. Would highly recommend. read more

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Came here for a lunch special on a Thursday, and it was probably one of the worst experiences I've ever had. I'm not sure what it was but I was greeted with a side eye and an attitude. The woman working at the time did NOT want to be there for some reason. After 15 minutes I was waiting around for a server, to the point where the kind gentleman refilled my water almost 3 times before I had to ask him if we could have a server come to our table. Lo and behold, the server was the woman that dropped us at a table. She rudely asked us which food we wanted and when I asked for recommendations, she dismissively said two items without describing them. I decided to just order what I felt looked good. At this point, I was trying to be understanding, maybe she had a bad day and didn't want to make a big deal. No, she was literally being bright and bubbly, refilling other people's waters, asking how their food is, to literally everyone besides us. I felt discriminated against and I was trying to not let it bother me. It took approximately 17 minutes for her to look at our table and say "oh your food is coming", and when she realized we didn't have our food, it looked like she forgot to input it in the system and had it rushed? Not too sure but it wasn't a good experience. I will say there were two saving graces for this establishment: the really sweet man constantly refilling water and the lobster grilled cheese (not pictured because it was devoured right away). Not to mention she charged us for the wrong bill, chased us out and didn't apologize and made it seem like it was OUR fault for not checking the bill thoroughly. We just gave her the card because we just wanted to leave. She reversed the transaction and if I'm not wrong, every establishment is required to have receipts for when transactions are voided but she couldn't provide one. Personally, I won't be returning even though I was looking forward to try this restaurant. read more

Nikki C’s - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Nice and romantic. I want to go again as the items are pretty reasonable and my wife and I both liked it!! Tasty and dim lights!! read more

Nikki C’s - Linguini and clams - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Our 2nd time at this establishment, which is just blocks from our house. The first time was a double date on a Wednesday evening. Then, I ordered the special mushroom risotto and fell in love! We went back especially for that and pizza, and they were all out by 7pm on a Friday! We had dinner reservations at 6:30pm, showed up 10 minutes late and had to wait over 20 minutes to be seated (although there were 5-6 open tables); the kitchen likely needed to catch up. This place is funny to my husband and I. It looks like your typical East Coast Italian restaurant, transplanted in East Pasadena - a total trip. Lots of 60+ patrons there (both times) and many appear to be regulars. Our waiter was friendly, but totally working his tail off. We'll go back and hopefully order that risotto again. read more

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A lovely comfortable Saturday dinner out. We were in the mood for a not-too-complicated Saturday dinner, and decided to try Nikki C's, which is just a few blocks from where we live. They had a table for us, the last one open, and the feeling was warm and comfortable on a cool evening. We were near the bar, where a group of fans were enthusiastically following the Dodgers game. The servers were all really friendly and sweet, and the relaxed feeling was very enjoyable. We had the seafood linguine (very good) and the risotto with steak (also very nice flavor). The portions were generous, and we enjoyed taking our time and enjoying the atmosphere -- cozy, easy, friendly, and completely unpretentious. Walking out, we already agreed that we'll be back. read more

Looked like a great menu but I was by myself and sat at the bar to eat. I never ate as the bartender never engaged with me long enough to have a conversation about the menu. Sad. There's friendly Mexican restaurant just up the street! read more

I am completely shocked that this restaurant has 4 stars because it doesn't even deserve 3. 2.5 may be justified. It's a shame that restaurants think Italian food is supposed to have tons of garlic; this restaurant is one of them. The chefs use garlic as if it is salt. Besides that, the food wasn't any good. I always take home leftovers and I left everything at the restaurant, couldn't even finish half of any of the dishes. Along with that, service was alright. Our waitress was great, very sweet, but hostess was rude, avoided eye contact and never cracked a smile. The busboy was the same. After writing this review my sister, who was with me, said, "two stars is a little too generous". Along with that the ceiling was full of stains from water leaks. Disgusting. I don't even want to know what the kitchen looks like. Trust me, save your time and don't come. read more

This is a belated late lunch review. Parking in front is limited. There is a parking lot behind the restaurant. The outdoor patio in front of the restaurant is available, but there are about 4 tables. Our waitress was very friendly and service was wonderful. I tried the Fish & Chips lunch. It came with fries and coleslaw. The tiramisu was delicious. This is a very nice place to dine outside and relax. read more

Great food!! Also, a friendly staff and fair prices. What else can you ask for? Definitely recommend the pizza if nothing else! This is our new favorite place for Italian food Mike M. - Pasadena read more

The place is loud and service is slow. The fish tastes kinda yucky. I hope service is hetter next time

Meat sauce had absolutely no flavor. Use to be so good not sure what's up with that. Ordered sausage and they just had a few slices in the sauce. Service good read more

We were pleasantly surprised at the outdoor dining experience we had last night . Great food and music the whole night long, We will be recommending this to friends and family. read more

We alway's love coming here when we are into town. When you seat down warm bread comes with olive oil & balsamic. I love a good steak here or pasta! Or there seafood. Our server was excelente!! She was funny we had a great time. we had eight of us for a friends birthday. The drinks are always great. I ordered steak with salsa verde excellent! Cooked med rare 3 of us order this. Osso Buco. Always great too. There seafood is great, pizza too. You want to watch sports they have T.v's In the bar. Or just a night cap is a good place to come. services is always great here & very friendly. This restaurant we been coming here for over 10 yrs. With our family. We glad they haven't changed to much. If you like quite place with great food come here you wouldn't be disappointed. read more

Seriously amazing food. Great atmosphere and service. Can be casual or very romantic. Been here many times and always 5 stars. Steak and Landon salad the best. read more

A GREAT Find after finding out that our show with Johnny Lang was cancelled five minutes from getting to the venue. I looked up Yelp and found this Italian gem of a place and because of the reviews, stopped in to check it out. Ate at the bar and Samaya was PERFECT to suggest , encourage and delight us in great service. She was working alone and managed the full bar like a Pro! Wings were delicious and pasta was great. The customer service was on point and the people in the bar were all friendly so we had some great conversation with many of the patrons. We want to return and certainly believe that anyone in the area , should try out this establishment on their next journey out for some great Italian food and service. read more

I am updating my review based on our second interaction at Nikki C's. Our first time was awesome. Food was perfect dessert amazing and Chef Vin amazing. Fast forward too our recent visit. The quality of the food we received was the quality you'd expect at Denny's or fridays. Not very good at all. When we arrived Melissa helped us and sat us down. We asked was Chef Vin in and she informed us he was no longer there. We were very disappointed. But we ordered anyways. We ordered the Spagetti meatballs and meat sauce and the chicken Parmesan. We got our food and boy it was bad. The. Spagetti and meat sauce was so greasy it was inedible. It was like they added extra oil to it. The chicken Parmesan was rubbery and the marinara sauce was so acidic. I would never recommend this place to anyone. As it has gone down the toilet since the chef left. The desserts don't even taste the same. I hope the owner reads this and gets rid of whoever is trying to cook back there. Emphasis on trying to cook. This food is not good now. Thanks but no thanks. read more

Ordered through Postmates. Received the Eggplant Parmesan instead of lasagna in nikkis trio. The girl who answered the phone told me they don't serve eggplant parm. I said it was definitely eggplant and that I see it on their menu. She said, "Yeah, but is doesn't come in the trio." I said, "Yeah, that's the problem." She told me they couldn't do anything to fix it because they only have one driver. She said to request a refund through postmates. Postmates offered us $9.88 back on the $25 order. I guess the take away is don't use Postmates. The restaurant won't do anything to fix it. Very disappointing custom service. First and last experience. read more

This was my first time here. The server was very professional and nice. He made the perfect amount of contact with our table to make sure we were taken care. The food was flavorful and delicious. We got the Santa Anita Pizza and the Nikki's Trio. Both affordable and comparable in price to chain restaurants I've been to. However, for that price at Nikki's, you get cloth napkins and a more upscale service. I highly recommend that you take your special someone to this dimly lit romantic spot. It's a total classy gem. There seems to be a good amount of parking behind the restaurant. read more

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We had pizza and salad today. I've Jenn here before and never been disappointed in anything I have order. Nickis food is always delicious. I've had a couple of different friend join me and they all have loved the food. Service is great and the friend waiters. I've order anything from seafood, soups, wings, pizza, salad, and calamari and e everything is always delicious. Good job guys I give you 5 starts read more

Rude,Rude and Rude Specially niki and melisa. You are the worse persons ever I saw. Very nice place but the worse customer service. Nobody welcome to you. Your just losing your money. Don't go there. We had two dear guests for valentines night. You made us embarrassed because we had to go to another restaurant We never come back I promise read more

What's the best way to describe Nikki C's through my eyes? Lets see... It's like having a newly fried egg sandwiched between week-old white toasted bread. Yeah, that's it! If you can form a mental picture of that in your head - you'll know exactly what I mean. This is my third time here and I swear I see the same exact crowd every single time. Nikki C's is the quintessential "neighborhood" rustic Italian restaurant/bar that is a social hangout for Pasadena's Chapman Woods "well-aged". This section of Pasadena's demographics is well represented here, and I'm sure they like it that way and want to keep it that way. My first visit, I had the sliced New York strip. This was pan grilled, peppered, and topped with béarnaise, which was good enough to make me wanna come back. Had drinks the second time at the bar. The third visit resulted in me asking the waitress Patricia her opinions on three of my choices. Surprisingly, she suggested the cheapest of the dishes, which was the Veal Marsala. Any server whose suggestions are NOT based on return profit is A-OK in my book. The veal was sautéed in marsala wine, mushrooms, garlic, and green onions. It was a bit bland, but given the clientele - I'm sure it was spiced just right! ;) Their warm ciabatta bread and balsamic vinegar & oil dipping sauce is another big hit with the crowd. Their Martini menu is pretty awesome. A choice of 15 unique-tinis, and this is probably one of the main reasons why I find myself returning to this ultra-dark setting. A dim-lit example: A before (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/m_ppA-kHSVfwehEvU6sIBQ?select=C6uhxdJKN-8OBhI-IrKHRQ) and after (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/m_ppA-kHSVfwehEvU6sIBQ?select=oO-_6OF_xNvVXtKHPLGpcQ) the flash... You see what I mean? - Blueberry lemon drop - Absolute lemon drop - Pomegranate cosmo - Dirty joe c martini = checked with Jay's sign of approval - Fuzzy peach - Green apple martini - Cactus cooler - Tropical mel - Makers mark manhattan - Slim del martini = checked with Jay's sign of approval - French martini = checked with Jay's sign of approval - Key lime pie martii - Grey goose pears - Patron margatini - Tommy bahama mojito Yeah I'm an egg and a fan! read more

Nikki C’s - It be dark in here... dark enough that I can't see the plate in front of me~ - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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My wife and I have lived in the area for over 50 years. Today was our first visit to Nikki Ci's. We were pleasantly surprised with the atmosphere and decor. I enjoyed my meatball and spaghetti lunch and my wife said she would order the cioppini again. Angel made us feel comfortable and was ready to help at any time. The other young man with the baseball hat on backwards must learn to smile and at be more helpful. Then again. maybe he was security and we shouldn't have been asking him for chili and cheese. read more

Nikki C's is the NBA equivalent of the LA Clippers. Although they have great players and game strategy they don't stand out like the Lakers who have a huge built in fan base. Nikki C's off Rosemead Blvd is somewhat overshadowed by various big name restaurants, however I feel their "game" is good enough to stand out on their own. STADIUM LAYOUT: This restaurant seems small from outside but upon entering there is enough seating for a large restaurant. We sat at the bar and ordered our meal. if you're in the mood for a great meal while watching a sports game, definitely come here. The bar had at least four large screen TVs but beware of obnoxious "regulars". Apparently there are a lot of locals who sit at the bar and literally talk the ear of the staff. I didn't feel like the bartender didn't discriminate against us because we were not regulars, but could definitely sense which customers coming in vs. those who seldom come here. GAME PLAN: I ordered the Island Ribeye with shrimp, fries and a beer on tap. The bartender knew her steaks and made some great recommendations on how to get the most flavor out of our meal. To the dismay of my fellow foodies and Top Chef drop-outs everywhere I love my meat well-done. With her advice I did go medium-well which was right-on-the mark in terms of getting the best flavor from my entrée. PLAY-BY-PLAY ACTION: 1st Quarter: The food came out--smelled and looked delicious. The steak was juicy but I did feel the fries were a little bit on the light portion. I did ask for A1- sorry folks but I love A1 on my steaks. 2nd Quarter: Ate a good half of my steak, I really underestimated how large and juicy it was. The fries were decent, but kind of bummed they didn't serve as a larger portions. Asked for a refill on my tap beer. I am loving every bite of the steak but nothing is sticking out with my fries, they seem bland with no seasoning. 3rd Quarter: Taking it slower, eating my meal. I think I can definitely finish the whole dish. The shrimp were average size, a lot larger than what they sell at Sizzler but I felt there was still enough room for these "little guys" to grow. If your spending $30 a plate for Surf n' Turf, I would expect larger shrimp. 4th Quarter: Completely done, I took care of this meal. I won this game with one-hand-tied-behind-my-back. GAME RECAP: I am reluctantly giving 5 stars. I did feel the quality of the steak was solid which was the primary reason for going here. However I did feel corners were cut on the fries and the shrimp. I am not bummed the fries had a smaller portion and the shrimp were on the smaller side. The island steak was delicious which is why I promoted this to five stars instead of four. I could tell these were top-notch steaks. I was pleasantly surprised with the great service, I would recommend this place for a nice evening dinner. Note to all the single guys: Take your 1st dates here...it is something better than Applebees or Chilis but not nearly as expensive as Ruth Chris or Arnie Mortens. Nikki C's is not cheap, they maybe on the pricey side but if you looking to make a positive impression I would come here. read more

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12.26. Waited 20 minutes we got water only. Was starving. We left. Bartender NOT very friendly on 12.26 .....I love this place normally and to be fair I will be back and this First bad experience. We have left MANY good reviews. Literally can't stand poor service ESP when NOT busy. read more

Nikki C’s - Drinks. Happy hour. - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

First time here and a yelp discovery. Okay, almost gave this place a 3 star cause my ribeye wasn't all that special. But luckily my mom also ordered a filet mingnon (so) with blue cheese crust and it was amazing. The ribeye... didn't seem like a particularly great cut. And supposedly aged but not sure how long. Both steaks cooked properly to medium rare but the flavor of the 7 spice just seemed too charred. But bleu cheese crust, that's the way to go. And perfect for a filet cut. Also got the pescatore pasta which was good. Tasty tomato broth that wasn't overpowering and seafood tasted fresh and not over cooked. I'm not a pasta eater but with the sides and sampling my kids pasta plates, they were amazing! So I ate way too much pasta for my diet. It's got an interesting vibe here and it's great for a date night or just hanging after work. But parking is really lacking. I guess there are side streets to park but not much. All in all this was a yelp discovery and if I could give it a 3.8 or 3.9 I think would be more accurate. It's easily 5 stars if you order the right stuff. read more

Nikki C’s - Not bad - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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We came to Nikki C's as a party of four at 7:30PM on Friday, April 7th. None of the people in our party have ever been to this restaurant before. The restaurant was near capacity; however, we luckily only had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. Parking is mostly in the back of the restaurant; however, if the lot is full there is plenty of street parking in the area. The restaurant is dimly lit, but very nice inside. The complimentary bread at the beginning of the meal was a real treat. The menu is varied; however, rules at about 50 - 60% Italian type cuisine. I personally had the Sangria, which was pretty good. (4/5). The table shared the calamari, which is different from many. These were fried strips but longer and thicker than what you see in most restaurants. It was yummy (4/5). For my entree, I had the Chicken Marsala. It was average to good, and I give it a 4/5. We ended the meal with a shared dessert of the Espresso Brownie and that was really good at a 4/5. The service was very good. The prices were relatively reasonable. My overall score is a 4/5 and that is very good to me. I would definitely return again. read more

Though I usually hate filling up on appetizers at restaurants, I totally didn't mind gorging myself on them at Nikki C's! The short rib tacos were savory, flavored, and the meat was perfectly cooked. My uncle was like, "Whaaaat? Who puts this much meat in a taco? Amazing!" HAHA! And the chips that came with the tacos were delicious as was the salsa that came with it. Ignore that old saying: don't fill up on bread. DO fill up on bread here. It's sooo good! My family was raving about the appetizers the entire night. I got the Virtuoso pizza cooked crispy. Fantastic! The toppings tasted fresh and the crust was crunchy and thin. My uncle loved the veal and everyone was raving over the ribeye. The thing that really shined was the service. Servers were always by our table to make sure our glasses were never empty and we were never wanting. Amanda was our server and she was super attentive and friendly. Nikki, who mans the front of the restaurant, was so amiable and was happy to give me recommendations when I asked. The tiramisu was good and so was the affogato (it's really strong though, but I really enjoyed it!). Overall, it was a great dining experience and I'd definitely eat here again! read more

05/05/2014 **Update**and **Redo** So I finally made it back for pre fixe Monday. Since given the chance for a do-over from Nikki, I just I ended up bringing my BF for a nice meal - especially since he loves Italian food. Drinks - I got a moscow mule - gingery goodness!! nom nom. The BF went with a makers mark manhattan - totally interesting. Whiskey instead of vodka. heheh Good stuff. Perfect for me. Me? No so much, but it's a personal taste. I'm not huge on cranberry juice. It's a nice sizable menu - with a good selection of Happetizers (appetizers that make you happy - happetizers), entrees and food to choose from. I opted for the three course pre fixe - Appetizer - Lobster Crab Cakes. Holy moly, this was delicious. I loved the lobster sauce that accompanies the perfectly fried and seasoned crab cakes. Entree - Opted for the Sole. Crusted with cheese on a bed of risotto, mmm it was light, seasoned well and holy nom nom nom ness. I'm so happy that I opted for that! Dessert - "Spumoni" - scoop of pistachio, cherry, and chocolate gelato. A perfect light meal! woot The boyfriend went with the prosciutto and buffalo burrata plate as an appetizer and the rib eye with shrimp. The prosciutto was so thinly sliced and yummy with a huge chunk of burrata (and a balsamic reduction on top, I believe) and a bruschetta and pesto sauce to accompany the crostini bread. NOm nom! My BF's steak came out over done (luckily I remembered the last few times we have had overdone steak, and reminded him). :( However, Brittany to the rescue - she returned our plate and swiftly came back with a replacement that was so flavorful, tender, and cooked to a nice medium rare. The steak is slightly under seasoned, but a dash of salt and pepper fixed up the steak pretty well. Thanks Brittany, Sara, and NIkki for hosting and providing such hospitality for myself and my boyfriend. Both of us will return. And I will try the cioppino - which they are known for. read more