What happened to this place. We used to come here up to 4 years ago and the food was fresh and delicious. The service was equally good and friendly. On our last trip, the complimentary bread was so stale, probably been sitting for days. Ordered chicken parmigiana and the chicken was so CHEWY which led me to believe that it was either not fresh or they use frozen chicken. Also they use too much sauce for it. Service was ok but not like before. The waiter did not know what a smile is. The dining room seemed darker than the last time we were there. The reason I gave them 2 stars is because of their bruschetta which was fresh and delicious. read more

We went for dinner on Friday, May 19. The service from the hostess was 5 stars, better than many more expensive restaurants. It was a busy night, we didn't have a reservation and she got us a table. She also specified what type of seating/table we would get and asked if we're ok with it. She was efficient, detail oriented and friendly. We didn't expect this level of service from a casual Italian restaurant/sports bar. Food was solid. We will go back read more

I give Niki C's a solid five stars... the food is very good. I've pretty much everything on the menu, if something is wrong with my order I let my server know and is always taken care of to make it right. I love the atmosphere it's welcoming and a fun place to go with friends for lunch. Bartenders are great and patrons are loyal, not loud or obnoxious like some of the smaller cute restaurants. I go there a couple times a month never disappointed! read more

Wow, my first time here and loved the place. I just had a Caesar salad and the fusilli and my friend had the veal Parmesan. Both were fabulous and the bartender Tamaya was our server. Everything was perfect. read more

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

I have been going to Nikki C for well over a decade. We dined in, or should I say attempted to dine in, for the first time. We sat and we waited. Not one single server acknowledged us. They all kept walking by us. Now, point of reference, we are sitting in a booth where they kept walking past us to go to the back. We were NOT in a corner, which is where they initially wanted to seat us. At the end of the bench seating, there was this small a@#! end table. FYI, there were empty booths available; hence why I wrote, we were sitting at a booth. In fact, another couple came in seconds after we did. They got seated at that small end table. They waited, and they ended up leaving the restaurant. Since we have been loyal customers, we wanted to give them a fair shake. As we are still waiting, I am looking around, there are about 5-6 empty tables and everyone was eating or being served their food. As a result, there is no rush to wait on new customers at that time. Now, it appears to me that things have deteriorated since I couldn't get past the "stench." I noticed the smell immediately when we walked into the restaurant, but I thought, "Hmm if that is the food, this is not a good sign." After waiting a little bit, and having to smell that nasty stench, we had enough and we walked out. I guess they don't need our business. Good for them. Out of courtesy, I did tell the hostess why we were leaving. read more

Wanted Italian for dinner and decided to go here. Parking was easy, and free, at the rear of the restaurant. I was a little worried at first after waiting 10 minutes for the hostess to seat us, but we did get seated. Water and our drinks were brought out quickly, and the fresh bread came a few minutes after that. Our server apologized for the slowness of everything, stating that two the cooks were new. The breadsticks and oil & vinegar was very good, fresh baked. We ordered our pizza, but got a pizza that wasn't ours. Our server wasn't who dropped off the pizza, but our server never came back. We decided to just eat the pizza we'd been given, because it looked good too, and we were starving. I do wish we'd gotten the Virtuoso pizza we'd ordered. Our server seemed to be responsible for everyone in the restaurant, so she didn't check in often, or at all, to ask us if everything was ok, so we were never able to remedy the pizza error. Overall, the food here was really good, but I probably wouldn't return based on how service went. read more

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

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Every year my high school classmates and I get together for a holiday dinner. We decided on your place. What a GREAT CHOICE! From the cocktails at the bar to the Neptune shrimp appetizer that led to the risotto with the fillet, everything was DELICIOUS. Our service was awesome too. Thanks for a great night. We'll be back read more

Really good food. Great service. Good date spot. Cant wait to go back for my birthday

We had a great experience here, we had called about 20 minutes before to see if they could fit us in, and the hostess said that they had a table. When we arrived, not only do they have a table. She was waiting for us a new ask my name. The waitress was also great and I have to say the food was delicious. Short rib tacos were favorite and we will be back to enjoy them again. read more

My favorite local spot. I've been a loyal customer for years and always enjoy my meal, no matter what I order. Everything on the menu is delicious including their cocktails! The lemon drop martini is my usual, but the sangria is also delicious and refreshing. The staff is friendly and attentive. Great dark and moody ambiance with an intimate vibe. Reluctantly writing this glowing review because I love that it's a local hidden gem. read more

Nikki C’s - Lemon drop martini - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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We have driven by Nikki C's many times and have always wanted to try it. We finally did on 8/15 and we were so glad we did. We started with the meatballs and garlic cheese toast as appetizers. They were both delicious! I had the eggplant parmesan with pasta for my entree and my husband had the orange roughy. The eggplant was layered like lasagna and was one of the best I have ever had! Yum! My husband said the orange roughy was really tasty too. We had spumoni for dessert and that was also delicious. Nikki C's has a nice vibe with good music and relaxing atmosphere. Not only was the food really good and in such a nice setting but our server Bailey was wonderful! She was friendly, professional and checked on us frequently to make sure we were ok. We are already looking forward to our next visit and we are bringing our friends with us. read more

My sister and I had a 5* meal and service yesterday. Arrived at 1 and had no problem parking or being seated. Ambiance good once your eyes adjusted to the low light. Angel was our server and answered many questions. My sister is vegan and they were very accommodating. She had the pasta pommodoro with fettuccini. I had the burger raclette with bacon and grilled onions. It was served with fries. They grind their own meat. Very well prepared. I finished with what seemed to be a triple scoop of spumoni served in a chilled metal martini shaped vessel. A very relaxing lunch. read more

Nikki C’s - Burger raclette and fettuccini pommodoro - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I cannot get enough of this place! The staff are wonderful! Very friendly and willing to make you feel welcomed any time. Their food is made with care and love. Everything we get we both love and cannot wait to try something different. I highly suggest their chicken pram, the steak and fries or the classic spaghetti and meatballs. Wonderful place for a date night Waiter Roger was super cool read more

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

Great place, waitress very friendly. Great service, great food. Will recommend highly. Order Calimary and The Nikky trio , superb. The Ambiance is very friendly, great bar service. Enjoyed my dinner. read more

Sorry Nikki, Spent lots of money here in previous years. Start going back recently. 3 times. Left the third after one drink. My father was served a newcastle beer? With no label. Bar tender/server has really bad attitude all three times. I realize she was bar tending and serving, I may have had an attitude as well, which is why we came back 2 more times. This was last Saturday. I won't give her name here because I have some class. You will know who she is. She needs another profession, not with the public. Very unfortunate. I loved Nikki C's. read more

Three weeks ago to the date, Tuesday, December 20, 2022, I had plans to meet here with some friends for a pre Christmas celebration. I was the first of the group to arrive and checked in. 3:15 pm. Upon walking to sit at the table in the dining room, I experienced a most horrendous fall. I would like to thank the nice gentleman who came over from the bar area (because he heard the fall) and helped me up from the floor. I was so shook up I did not ask your name. If you are reading this, I would like to thank you for your kindness. Management was most unaccommodating with any talk of an incident report. My daughter spoke with Corinne who was condescending and said she had offered ice, which did NOT happen! No one ever took my name or followed up with me. My family has patronized Nikki C's thru the years with celebrating many birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions there. No longer will Nikki Cs be a choice for me. read more

Food was alright. There was a rose in a glass of water at the host stand that has mild growing in it... kind of surprising since it's the first thing you see and right in eyeshot of the host. We had to wait awhile at the host stand and it seemed they were a bit understaffed so we were trying to be understanding. The napkins they gave us our bread on was dirty which was also surprising cuz it was facing outward so how did the kitchen and the waitress miss it. Although, The restaurant is small and cute and seems to have regulars. They pour the drinks strong so you definitely get your moneys worth there. It was okay but not for the upscale date night I was looking for. read more

We came here for the first time last night. We were seated promptly. The service was really good! We enjoyed our food. We started with the bruschetta. I had ravioli & meatballs and water, and hubby had the steak sandwich and a glass of wine. It was all quite tasty! On our way out though, it was too dark outside. The lighting isn't great. There is a parking stop on the front-north side that is painted blue, but I didn't see it at all. The one on the south side is painted yellow. I tripped and fell really hard. Thankfully, just scrapes, bruises, and I'm a bit sore. Great place, just watch your step. We will be back though! Gotta replace those leftovers that I dropped in the parking lot . ;) read more

This place is a time capsule of a past age, in the best possible way. I have no idea how long it's been here, but the whole feel of it reminded me of Italian restaurants I went to 50 years ago. There is nothing trendy here, and that's wonderful. Just good honest food, rich in flavor, from quality ingredients. I had the pasta with meat sauce and Italian sausage, and it was as good as any I've eaten anywhere. Our waitress was pleasant and efficient and the older man doing all the small jobs - bussing tables, fulling glasses, etc. - was in constant motion keeping up with everything nicely. Even the music playing softly was from the 70s. Lots of old favorites. A treat. read more

I hate giving this place 2 Stars. It almost hurts my heart, because I know this place has it in it to be a 5 Star establishment. My wife and I went here for a little date night dinner. We walked in and were happy to see such a beautiful, romantic interior, but were a little disappointed with the fact that it took a few minutes for someone to come over and greet us and seat us at a table. Santos (who is AMAZING) came right over with water, warm delicious bread along with vinegar and oil for dipping. And then...we wait. We waited so long for a server to come over, that Santos was on his second round of filling our water glasses. Now I'm a patient woman, but this place was far from busy when we walked in at around 7pm. There was even a server sitting at the bar with a couple chatting it up when we walked in. Finally after waiting about 10-15 minutes a server walked up and asked if someone had helped us. She did apologize that we had waited so long, so that was nice. We were quick to order our drinks and food and off the server went. I was very pleased with my cioppino. The broth was super flavorful, seafood was fresh. My only complaint with my meal is the broken clam and mussel shells that were at the bottom of my soup. I also ordered a sangria. Was it good? Not at all! My wife on the other hand was not pleased at all. She ordered the spaghetti with not just meatballs, but sausage as well. After about 2 bites of meatball, my wife mentions that the meatballs had a weird texture, like they weren't fully cooked, and then says they were cold. Sure enough, not only were the meatballs cold, so was the sausage. Of course we sent it back, and they were nice enough to give my wife her meal for free. Again, Santos was amazing. And they need to consider making him a server. We saw more of him than anyone else. He was always walking around, filling water glasses, kissing babies. We loved him! Our server came back around to ask how the food was. My wife ordered another drink. And so we wait...AGAIN!!! We waited for the drink so long that another server came over (she could probably sense we were beyond annoyed at this point) and asked if we needed anything. We then ordered the drink AGAIN. Would I try this place again? Maybe! Do they need Santos to take over and show these servers what great customer service is? MOST DEFINITELY!!! Give that man a raise. read more

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Driven past this place many times, finally tried it. The food was excellent. Will be back.

We haven't been to Nikki C's since before Covid but we remembered liking it well enough. Nothing about the menu and what we ordered was very special. Appetizers sliders - these were good : comes with 2 sliders with blue cheese and bacon -they were not medium rare as requested but flavor was good . Caprese appetizer - this was probably the least good thing we ordered - thick slices of tough mozzarella - with a few cherry tomatoes. Drizzled with a tablespoon of what tasted like the same sauce they served with the bread basket and balsamic. Just not good. I can make better and I do not like to cook! Orange roughy. This was good but basically just a piece of very lightly breaded fish. No capers or seasonings. Tartar sauce and lemon on the side as if it were fish and chips. Yes it was good if you like lightly battered fish s. We also ordered several sides - spinach, veggies and noodles. Those were as expected, cooked right not much seasoning (Don't bother checking in on Yelp- they haven't honored the 15% since Covid apparently. They forgot to tell Yelp that ) read more

Nikki C's is a quaint little spot that serves up good food and cold beer. It is a smallish place that falls victim to the speed limit on Rosemead; by the time you see it, you've missed the parking lot. ... And by "parking lot," I mean the small four of five spots behind this joint, accessible by narrow in n out one way driveways on respective sides of the building. As Quagmire once said: "you can't actually see it; you just have to BELIEVE it's there." But friends, find a place to park, and find your way in here. Tasty entrees, fresh salads, pasta dishes, pizza, and a full bar make this a casual place to relax. I make it here about once a month or so, to enjoy a Sculpin, and enjoy the end of the work week. The bar staff is cordial without pretense, and the service has always been attentive. Quiet atmosphere, for the most part-- don't come here with a party of 12... But for a quiet dinner for two, it's a good choice. Actually, knowing the approach of this place, if you show up with 12, they're goi g to make it work and work well! I'm a fan. read more

Nikki C’s - Kershaw and Ballast Point... - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Husband and I were always curious about this spot. Luckily, our best friends suggested it for dinner. Was craving for filet and it scratched my itch, yum. Husband had a trio and he really enjoyed it. You can also build your own pizza for the kiddos if they want certain toppings only. Service was good, our server was tentative, friendly and helpful. Ambiance felt a bit fancy and casual at the same time. I'd come back. read more

The ambiance and employees were really nice. The cocktails are strong. The appetizers are small portions but meals themself are on the bigger. The pizzas are well cooked. The only reason why it wasn't the best because the tiramisu was not taste house made. Definitely had a strong hint of maple syrup. Skip on the dessert. read more

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

Monday nights are $21 Pre Fix Menu - you get an appetizer, main dish and dessert. My friend suggested us going there, she had been before. I got the crab cakes and she got the caprese salad, but we shared. We also shared the steak and frittes and this seafood soup dish. For dessert there was this really chocolatey dessert but I opted for the fruit and whip cream and my friend got the spumoni. Overall it was a good meal, nothing spectacular but tasty enough. read more

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Very basic and not real Italian food, plus expensive. I don't get all the high ratings? Have people never eaten in a real Italian restaurant before. Born and raised in NJ and now living in Florida I know what real Italian restaurant food is, and this isn't. Don't get me wrong, the food was edible, but not real Italian and tasteless. We ordered the fried calamari and received a dish that looked like fried mozzarella. We even questioned the waitress, and she said it was calamari. My wife got the eggplant parmesan which was tasteless, and our son got the salmon that was watery. Needless to say, we won't be back. read more

I used to love this restaurant and had so many great things to say but tonight I made one comment about their bathroom being dirty. Only hopes they'd clean it just to up keep the good reputation. Instead I had one of their staff members come up to me very rudely telling me he didn't understand what I was talking about. The urinal looked like someone threw up in there. The toilet floor area looked like there was urine all over. It's disgusting. And for the staff member to come up to me and be mean about it is very unprofessional. I give one star for the waiter that was very nice and attentive. read more

Best Pizza in town. Santa Anita is our favorite, but thin crust that's crispy. Avanti missers! Well we found our home here.

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

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

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

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

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

First sit down restaurant I went to during Covid-19..! It was a surprise as my uncle and auntie decided as I arrived to their home to go dine in at Nikki C's (one of Uncle's fav restaurants). They have definitely placed some safety precautions which made me feel safer and better about the experience, like all staff had masks, face shields, and gloves which was nice to see the restaurant protecting its staff and patrons. You also have to have a mask on while walking through any of the public spaces (anytime stepping away from your table). Yes, the experience is surreal, but, needed for now. Service remains great (the older server with the fedora hat is a treasure), and they are attentive, without being overwhelming. Lighting is veeeery dim in here even during the day, and the guests were intentionally spaced apart. There was only one other table on a Tuesday at 2PM, and a couple of guests at the bar area. The food is just ok in my opinion. It's yummy for what it is, but to me not mind blowing. I got the fusilli gianna and it was wonderfully cheesy, and pasta cooked well. The bread's a little hard, but overall good flavors. The chicken's a little dry, but again the sauce makes up for it. The cioppino looked great as well as the eggs Benedict with that the rest of my party got. Please continue to rep and support local businesses! 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

Came here for dinner with friends on 12/28/13. Reservations was made in advance for a party of 7... Arrived and was seated at a table meant for 6. It was TIGHT! Our table was near the entrance and my chair kept getting bumped by people trying to get through. That was quite annoying. Our server didn't seem to be all there that night. While we were waiting for the rest of the party to arrive, he came to our table 3 times to ask if we were ready to order. There were clearly empty chairs... He also messed up our orders. One friend order her steak well-done (she's pregnant) and it came out rare. The other friend ordered Vongole "linguini clams" and she got linguini w/ alfredo sauce. When she told him, he raised his voice and exclaimed that it was her fault and that was what she ordered... He was rude! I was shocked! I ordered the Vongole ($19) and it was so salty! The portions were huge and there generous amounts of clams but I couldn't get over how salty it was. Parking: few spots in the front, some in the back lot and street read more

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