I love Nikki C's. Great food, good drinks and everything i've tried, I have little to no complaint! The service is always friendly, even though they're usuall really busy. read more

This is our local eatery. Great food, great service. Very cozy place. The bacon wrapped shrimp appetizers are Fantastic! read more

Nikki C's offered great service, never had an empty glass. The Staff was friendly, the place was clean and the food was pretty darn amazing. The Sena pizza was delicious with the short rib and avocado and the Nikki's trio (spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli) was an excellent dish. I do not enjoy sauce that has any hint of a "Ragu" taste which many restaurants serve. Not at Nikki's. Their sauce tasted truly homemade. If you are in the neighborhood stop by and give them a try. Oh, and there is parking in the rear. read more

Came here for dinner with my girlfriend for dinner around 5 pm. The place is sort of a hybrid of a restaurant and a bar at the same time. You have the tables to dine on the left, and the bar with constant sports being played on the right. Besides that the first thing I noticed was that EVERYONE there was old. My girlfriend and I were the only young couple there, every other table was filled with much older people. At first I though that perhaps that was a bad sign for things to come, but it was necessarily the case. We decided to split two entrees and an appetizer. For our appetizer we got wings, you get 6 for about $7. These aren't just any ordinary wings, these things were massive. They truly were wings, and on top of that they were delicious. Even after we had finished them we kept talking about how good they were, and we secretly wanted more. For the entrees we go the Hollywood Cobb salad, which is just a Cobb salad with chicken and we also got the Nikki's trio, that consists of lasagna, angel hair pasta with meat sauce, and also cheese stuffed ravioli. That sounds like A LOT of food, but the portions were reasonable, which made it manageable. The lasagna was very cheesy and meaty, that precisely was what I come to expect from lasagna. That was my favorite, but the cheese stuffed ravioli wasn't too far behind. The angel hair pasta with meat sauce was sort of bland, we barely even touched it to be honest. The salad was very delicious, one of the best Cobb salads I have had in a long time. You get 3 different types of dressing to eat the salad with. The food was good, but not amazing. Sadly the thing we enjoyed the most were the wings. I did love their service, they were very attentive and on top of things. The environment was would have been better if it didn't feel like a retirement home in there. read more

I have been coming to Nikki Cs for more than 10 years. Recently the quality of food has really declined We used to enjoy the restaurant but I think they lost a chef or something because the last few times the food was nothing special. Would rather spend money on better food and a change of menu. read more

This restaurant has been here since I was in high school (almost 10 years), and I think that it still has it's nostalgic charm. If you aren't a local, it can be difficult to spot and I've definitely missed the turn into the parking lot once or twice. I would recommend coming during lunch, where you can sample a few things at a more reasonable price. I would suggest trying the fish tacos, they're great: have the right amount of seasoning and the slaw they use has a great crispness to add. The bread here is also amazing! It comes out hot! My only remark about the establishment that I don't like is the dark "ambiance." Because there is limited lighting, it can be a little difficult to read the menu ... and in turn, inspect the food. read more

Went there with some friends for the first time. The crowd was a little older, the food was good, and I had a good time. Nikki is a goddess. read more

Amazing! We started with the Burratta alla Panna and the seared Filet on toast. We ordered the Osso Bucco and Cioppino and we couldn't have been happier. The food was outstanding. All in all, we loved Nikki C's! The ambience and music was lovely...We sat in the bar area and the service was excellent! The bartender, Somalia, was wonderful...genuinely caring, attentive and friendly. What a pleasure she was to have around! The evening was wonderful and we can't wait to go back!!! 5 's doesn't do this restaurant justice! read more

I have been coming to Nikki C's since it opened. While they describe themselves as an "Italian Steakhouse" their pasta dishes is where they truly shine. I have tried numerous dishes and never had a bad one. It really doesn't matter what they want to call themselves, they are one of the two best Italian restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. Di Pilla's being the other. As far as the service goes I am a bit perplexed by some of the other "reviews" listed below. I have never had a bad server at this restaurant, which is saying a lot. If ever there was a person who puts his servers under a microscope it would be me. I dissect everything in my newspaper columns, regardless of the profession, and customer service is one of my pet peeves. So for me to give kudos of this kind is almost an alien experience for me. I was there today for their $7.00 lunch, which is basically a scaled down version of their dinner entrees. While there I had a server that we had not had before. Being pretty familiar with the staff I assumed she was new. Well at least new since the last time I came in. She was completely in step with the vibe of the restaurant and was very attentive to all of our needs despite the fact she was pull double duty waiting tables and bar tending. She took both jobs in stride. The bottom line is this: If you want a good Italian meal this is one of the places to go. read more

Great food! Service is excellent and the drinks are strong! It seems as if its a retiree hangout but the older folks know how to have a good time in this place! I enjoyed so I'm bringing my parents the next time they want to go out. read more

Just left the restaurant - truly disappointed. I ordered the Vongole and it was a goupy mess. The "fresh" clams were ice cold and they added so much corn starch to thicken the sauce that it was more like a gelatinous soup. My wife ordered a pizza and I ordered a glass of wine and the bill came out to $35 after I asked for my pasta to be returned. Could've had a better pizza at Pieology for half the price. I wanted so much to like the place after seeing the reviews - an Italian restaurant so close to my house - maybe a place I could've called my spot...unfortunately No. No manager to see how we are doing or make things better. Waiter just said "sorry". If the service had been any better I might have thought they just had an off night but it seems that's just the way they handle things. Oh well - thousands of restaurants in the 626 - no need to come back to this place. read more

First time to this place and totally didn't know what to expect. We had the lobster grilled cheese appetizer. The kids each had a penne pasta, one with butter parmasean and the other was a marinara with meatball. Wife had the linguini pescatora and I ordered the 7 spiced rubbed rib eye steak. Food was very well prepared and extremely well timed. Everything came out at the same time with the exception of my wife's order which was accidentally left off. The waiter immediately went and have the kitchen quick fire her pescatora order. The seafood was sooooo good, scallops were perfectly cooked along with the shrimp, even the fish was right on the money, not sure how thy did it but I was amazed. My son's penne and meatballs were cooked well, pasta was not over done and also the sauce was well balanced with sweet and tang. The ribeye was a perfect medium. The bread they give at the beginning was sooooo good, crisp outside warm tender insides with a pleasant garlic flavor. The waiter comped my wife's dish due to the accidental misorder. Service by all the staff was otherwise perfect, never had to ask for refills of water or bread and they were all very friendly. read more

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Came here for dinner about a month ago. Had ravioli with meat sauce (e waitress suggested it over the marinara) and eggplant Parmesan, which came with pasta and the marinara. I agree that the meat sauce was better. I can't remember what the soup was I had, but it was so good. It had beans and veggies. Today we came for brunch. The lunch menu looks pretty good, I'd come back to try some stuff for sure. I had the crab cakes eggs benedict. The crab cake was nice and crispy. My friend had the chilaquiles, which I am gonna have to get next time. So good! Gotta love $3 mimosas, bloody marys, and screwdrivers. Saturday and Sunday 9-1, which gives the not so early birds plenty of time to catch the worm. read more

This place is very romantic inside; dim lighting, candelight, and sophisticated, sleek black seats and tables. My friend and I both ordered pasta dishes. The presentation of the dishes were nice!! It all looked very appetizing with the green garnish sprinkled around the plates. The food wait was a little long, but it didn't feel that way since we were both having a deep conversation. The complimentary bread was delicious. The service was adequate. The food tasted clean and acceptable, but nothing so stunning I need to return here quickly. Entrees are ~$15 and up. Recommended for dates. Dress attire would be between casual and business casual; it wouldn't be appropriate to come here in a tank top and a mini skirt, straight from the beach. read more

For a quick italian fix i usually went to Di Pillas but i found my new favorite lil italian gem. Easily blocked and missed if you're coming from the 10... It's behind the robust President Thai so don't miss it and yes there's back parking... make a right right after president thai!! Nikki C's has great service and are very welcoming right when you walk in the door. I felt a little under dressed for this fanciful looking spot and I should have known... Dim romantic lights and strong bar drinks. BIG PLUS for STRONG BAR DRINKS! I very much enjoyed the bread and the Fusiili Giana.... mmmm chicken with a cream sauce... sun dried tomatoes and aritchoke. Actually craving it again. Their vongole is no joke either... its heaped with clams on top... wish it had a bit more garlic and flavor but still good. Fun and lively crowd... seems as if everyone's a regular. I like that kind of feel. I can enjoy myself just listening to everyone conversing that day... Come check it out! Afforable and STRONG BAR DRINKS! read more

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

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It was a place I really wanted to like. But unfortunately, it was just OK. Nikki C's menu is mostly Italian with some fusion elements, like really good fish tacos for appetizers. I had the linguini pasta dish with meat sauce along with those tacos. It wasn't bad, but the sauce could've used a bump or two up in terms of thickness. It was a little too watery, and I didn't get that heavy garlic and tomato flavor I like from my sauces. The ice cream sunday was delicious. So why a 3 and not a 4? I think their logistics and service need a little work. A host/hostess stand should never be empty for more than a minute, and it took a long time for someone to return to seat us. There was another long delay in the waiter coming to get our order. And when he finally gave us our stuff, he gave me a salad instead of the minestrone soup I ordered with my entree. It was all topped off by a weird passive-aggressive dynamic the whole time. When I inquired about the status of said soup, he gave me a long disquisition about how he wanted to wait until I was done with the tacos. You could just say ask whether I wanted it now or later and stop with the defensiveness. (If you think I'm overplaying the psycho-dynamics at the table, I'm not. It was really weird.) I might be back, but with other options in SGV, probably not for a while. This place has promise, but it's not Gale's just yet. read more

Cocktails are awesome, service is great, atmosphere is fabulous, lunch menu ok not too exciting..

We come here quite often, which is a bit surprising. The service here is good. The busboy, water and bread bringer guy is awesome. He's an older gentlemen, and is our favorite employee there. The food is a bit spotty. Speaking specifically about their fish. I've never had fish there that didn't TASTE good. BUT they tend to over cook their fish. We always ask the waitress/waiter to have them undercook it. Sometimes they listen and the fish turns out great! if not it comes out kinda dry. The steaks are spotty as well. They also tend to over cook it a bit. I like char on my steaks but here the steaks has almost a burnt layer. The salads are good. I love their wedge salad, the Langdon is good too. I'm a burger kind of guy but only had their Kobe burger once and wasn't too impressed. I ordered that the first time I went to NC's and never ordered it again. Their specials are normally pretty good. But you have to try their Braised short rib Crostini or Taco. it's the best thing there. read more

I've been to this place twice and it's pretty good. Atmosphere- Dark but I like that, TV's, and nice bar. Food- Excellent, everything was delicious, one complaint I have is the onions were strong in my burger and I had to take them out. Service- First time excellent! Second time, waitress wasn't on top of her game, hopefully she was just having a bad day. I will return! read more

We were brought here under the recommendation of my mother. We ordered the build-your-own pasta, salmons and halibut. Everything on the fish dishes were tasty. The pasta was really good too. However, too bad that the additional meatballs that we ordered, were over-cooked, or our whole meal would've been perfect. The server was nice enough to take the meatball order out right after we told him. Only flaw that this restaurant has, was the busboy. Well, bus man. It's good to be taking dishes away when customer finishes them, but he doesn't really have to ask everything that he walks pass, which is basically every min. If you are not done with your dish, I suggest you hold on to your folks!! Or the dish will be taken!! Overall, yes, I will be back. read more

Good: Had no trouble with parking behind the restaurant on a weekday evening. We were seated promptly and given bread and water to start. The bread was AMAZING. We ordered the Bruschetta appetizer which was great as well. I would give the dessert 5 stars if I could. We got the tiramisu and the adffogato and both were amazing. I would probably come here just for dessert. Not So Good: I ordered the Fusilli Gianna, which was not good at all. It was so bland and did not taste good at all. I took most of it home and ended up not eating the leftovers. I was really looking forward to it and it was pretty much the reason I came here, but it was very disappointing. My boyfriend was not a fan of his entree either. Overall, the main dishes were not good, but the rest was great. I would definitely come here again, but I would get something else for my entree. They were also very attentive with filling our drinks and taking away plates which was nice. read more

I've only been here for brunch, so that's what I'm reviewing here. A good friend from college lives in Pomona and I live in Studio City, so Pasadena seemed to be a solid halfway point. After realizing that this place has $3 mimosas, we decided to come here for brunch yesterday. The first thing I noticed is that the prices are insanely low for the quality you get, and the ambiance of the restaurant is beautiful and elegant. You feel like you're in a really nice, swanky restaurant but are paying college-student prices. It's awesome. The service was fantastic. Our waitress was really sweet (even taking a photo for us when we asked, and didn't make us feel stupid or awkward for asking), and she was prompt. As soon as we walked in, she was ready to help us and was quick about delivering our drinks (and refills!). We did have to wait a little while before we got our bill, but she seemed to have quite a few more tables at that point. We stayed for two hours catching up and there was no indication that they wanted us to hurry up and leave or anything. The $3 mimosas and $4 pomegranate bellinis are delicious! They don't skimp on the champagne or the size of the glass - they're the normal-sized drinks of normal quality for a reduced price. Super yummy and bubbly. The food was fantastic and for so cheap! My friend had the crab cake benedict and loved it, while I had the breakfast panini and really enjoyed it (I'm picky about my breakfast sandwiches too). For the two entrees, with added avocado on mine, and four alcoholic drinks, the bill was around $34. Fantastic! I would consider driving to Pasadena from Studio City more often just to have this brunch again. read more

Love this place!!! Huge portions and absolutely delicious!! Got the Nikki's trio with is lasagna, angel hair pasta and ravioli. The portions were so huge I had to take it home and eat it over 3 meals! Delicious every time! My brother got the Kobe burger and lobster grill cheese, both were so yummy!! Everything is so good! Their wine is also delicious! Good selection! read more

Nikki C’s - So Delish!! - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Paulette and Kate are the best! A reco for all that is an alteration to a menu item... For breakfast order their Chiliquiles with filet mignon med rare and green sauce. Off the charts, absolute bananas! read more

Love the prime rib dip! And the service is great!! Everyone is really friendly and very attentive! read more

Nikki C’s - Prime rib dip AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Had the steak. Did not taste aged at all. Don't like that the side pasta was placed in a plastic bowl. Really cheap presentation. The waiter didn't seem to like that only half of our party ordered alcoholic drinks. And get this, we had an ordered of fries for the only toddler in the house. Fries never came. Really, you couldn't get the fries out first? Wouldn't that be the easiest task along with water? Our server apologized for the overlook and said he had removed the cost from the bill. He didn't. read more

Nikki C’s - Steak & Pasta. Meh. - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Meh, tried the Nikki's Trio and was pretty disappointed. Ravioli and pasta ok, but lasagna tasted like it was made last week... very stale and boring. Will give it another shot, as room is comfortable and service good. Definitely not four star. read more

This is the most Italian restaurant that I love , lobster cheese sandwich is a bomb and my favorite the free garlic cheese bread is delicious , I love their seafood pasta. Prices are reasonable. read more

Great brunch! Katie rocks and serves an awesome Bloody Mary! Just incredible! Come by as often as you can!

Great service, tasty drinks, and awesome Osso Bucco. It had pork, not veal, and was fabulous!! Can't wait to revisit soon.

Like an Olympic slalom skier this place is going downhill. What a difference a year makes. On the positive side it was a sunny day and Parking was available. When we arrived for brunch the place was nearly empty but we waited a bit for the hostess to arrive. When we were seated it took them a while to bring us a menu. The brunch menu is average and the cocktail selection is boring. Because the place was empty I figured once we ordered the food will be out quickly. Once again I was wrong. It took at least 20 minutes to get our party of 4 served. The pasta dish had very little flavor and was too light on the garlic but the salad was fine, but the dressing was too sweet. It had been a nice place for pasta over the past few years but we will not be coming back again. read more

Been here only twice and was impressed both times. I had seen this place for years but always forget about it because it's not in old town. The location is tricky. The service is great, the food is great and the price is great. The people are locals it looks like, they all know each other, and they know the bar tender. It's the neighborhood hang out. We felt like the newbies. We definitely will be going back for more. It's really close by and no traffic or parking structure situations, if you just want an in and out dining. Drinks are definitely not weak here. I have to order easy next time. :) read more

Wow 1st time here GREAT place service was excellent taco Tuesday special yummy flat bread good and hot.... For sure coming back. read more

Nikki C’s - Wedge with blue cheese yummy - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

This place has been here for awhile and I've never been. My boyfriend took me here to try something new, and we loved it we've been twice in the last month!! Great food, great service!! read more

I thank my old friend for steering me to this little gem. Food is delicious, service is excellent and prices are reasonable. They have a Sunday brunch not to be missed! i would give them 5 stars but some of their regulars can get loud and obnoxious after a few drinks. Overall a great place! read more

Great Italian restaurant walked in to celebrate our weddings anniversary. We shared a Caesar salad a the Santa Anita pizza. It was so good the pizza was loaded with toppings. Love the ambiance and the staff was very good. Definitely come back again would love to try their lasagna read more

I wanted to try this place. So my Honey and I came here for Valentine's day celebration. While Veronica our server was nice enough it seemed she had other things on her mind because she appeared pre-occupied! Yes she took our order but then disappeared to the back. Both her and the bartender seemed to be not thinking about the restaurant which seemed strange considering this was Valentine's a potentially busy time! Granted at the time we came it was not very busy but still I thought if nothing else their attention would be on their customers! Also different was what I consider a normal Italian restaurant fare, bread with butter! Anyway we ordered Calamari appetizer, Sweet potato fries (my Honey wanted to try them), Virtuoso pizza, and Fettuccini. Overall all the meal was okay, the service seemed off, a final note is the menu seemed to cover many styles of food. I mean their was American fare like Steak, Fish Tacos, Fish and Chips, Lasagna, Spaghetti and Meatballs. To me it seemed the restaurant wasn't really focused on one type of cuisine. read more

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My dining experiences at Nikki C's have been really hit or miss. The prices are indeed high, but if they come through on the food it's totally worth it as the great food and ambiance combine for a very enoyable, relaxing dinner. Of course, if they're off that night you will find yourself wondering why you're paying these sorts of prices. I will recommend the Ahi Sashimi as a starter and do yourself a favor and order it with your drinks at the start as it takes a bit longer than usual for them to prepare if you want it served before the main course. Enjoy some good fine with a date and you'll be quite pleased with it. My dining companion has had a hard time there when ordering the cappellini -- 3 out of 4 times they've botched it. Either it's overcooked or has been served cold. I know timing thin pasta's cooking can be an art form, but come on this isn't Olive Garden. So to sum, when they're on it's a great time. When they're off you'll be bitter when you pay your bill. If they can get to be more consistent I will start coming back here regularly again, but for now, they're on the C-List of places to check up on every six months. read more

2/2 good food, we came for second time and not disappointed at all. Osso bucco is simple and tasty. Soup of the day (lentils) perfect.... chicken parmigiana absolutely moist, perfect crust, abundant tomato sauce and you get to put as much Parmesan cheese as you like. We tried the fish tacos last time and are very yummy!! read more

Love this place every time we go! The atmosphere and food never disappoint. My husband and I have been here maybe 4-5 times and plan to go back many more. Don't let the small exterior fool you; it's actually much bigger inside than it looks from the outside. In my opinion, at least. read more