Nico Osteria
We invite guests to contact us by phone for last-minute reservations or those hoping to reserve seats at the Chef’s Counter overlooking our open kitchen in the main dining room.
Support Nico Osteria during COVID-19
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Angel Hair Pasta, Pomodoro
16 reviews
White Tuna Crudo, Asparagus, Cherry Tomato, Almond, Cherry Bomb Oil
3 reviews
Meatballs, Snap Pea, Radish, Pickled Spring Onion
4 reviews
Offers
Instantly increase your points with dining rewards
See availability for bonus point tables
Fri 3:30PM - 3:45PM 4:00PM - 5:00PM
Sat 3:30PM - 5:00PM
So good! Decent wine prices, brussels were an amazing app, and pasta was delicious
I had a great experience at this restaurant! Wonderful staff and wonderful food with a lovely atmosphere.
The food was great. We sat outside and they had heaters to keep us warm. Great location to people watch. They had the proper COVID protocols. However, our waitress was a little odd she said: “I am going to come back as little as possible. I don’t want to be outside. I don’t want to get sick” ouch! She seemed to relax and be more pleasant as time went by but that intro was mega weird.
Overrated . Avoid at all costs.
We ate outside on the patio surrounded by 2 heaters. The staff did an excellent job of making us feel safe by taking all necessary Covid precautions. They advised us that when the staff was present at the table, we needed our masks on, and we appreciated their concern for their staff. Our food came out piping hot and was delicious!! Would definitely go back!
I love Nico, it’s on the pricier side but I typically find everything so delicious and the service so good that it’s worth it. However last night, I was served an entree dish of scallops for $27 and the plate came with... three scallops. Come on guys.
love nico! amazing wine selections, i’m italian and love a good italian wine menu! arancini is a must have!
Brunch - delish
The food was nothing to write home about. The dishes were very underwhelming except for the Brussels sprouts.
Literally never had a server come up to our table. We sat at a table inside for 10 minutes, where no one came to even set down waters. We then asked the hostess if we could be moved outside to the patio, where we then sat for another 10-15 minutes with no service. I would be very understanding if the restaurant was packed/busy but there were maybe 20 guests total.
I had a reservation at 8:15 for an outdoor table, and when we arrived the hospitable host let us they didn’t have a table ready outside so we went inside; not a big deal. Eventually we sat around 8:20 and the host brought us water. That’s it. We sat at the table until 8:40 for 20 minutes before leaving since during those 20 minutes not a single server or busser came to the table to even take a drink order. I work in the restaurant industry so I was patient since it was a busy Saturday night for them, but 20 minutes sitting without a single table touch is terrible communication between the staff.
The food and ambiance looked great, but sadly I wasn’t able to try anything. Hopefully next time they’ll be better prepared.
Unbelievably bad. I live downtown and love Chicago’s dining selections. Seldom do I find somewhere I dislike. Nico Osteria is not only bad, nothing about its menu is Italian and very few features are seafood. I cannot believe I spent the money I did and lost valuable time by sitting around for 3 hours — all because the service is absolutely horrendous.
Only had 1 appetizer, the bruschetta and mainly drinks. It was very good, rare to find Straticitella cheese!!!! Nice balance with peaches! Rose was very good, good selections non ITLALIAN as i don't like most italian wines
Went for Sunday brunch and sat outside. The brunch menu is wonderful - upscale breakfast items. It is hard to find a similar menu in the neighborhood. The French toast is FABULOUS. Great value! Will definitely go back!
Our waiter was so nice and accommodating! The brunch was small but so so enjoyable!
Terrible food, mediocre service!
Once in a lifetime expirience, never going back!
No flavor on the pastas, sent desserts back untouched and never got asked why by the manager or server
Noted that we were celebrating a birthday. My husband called prior to the reservation to be sure it was noted. No mention of birthday from server.
Poor service. Food quality was very low. Can’t believe you can mess a pasta w pomodoro sauce!!!!
Excellent Pasta Dishes, Pleasant Service. A low noise makes this a good place for conversation.
The newer menu items aren't as inviting as some of the things they used to have.
The service was great and the food was so good. Very modern and loved the restaurant decoration. Thank you for a wonderful meal.
Yummie brunch. Nico never disappoints! So lovely they are so welcoming to our sweet dog too.
Food was served cold, latte was terrible, service was extremely slow. Not worth the price.
Everyone is so welcoming and treats me so well when I come to the restaurant, I just keep going back. An especially big shout out to Eric who is fabulous - as is everyone.
Thank you for keeping quality, excellent service, delicious food, great drinks etc., etc., during this extremely stressful time.
Antoinette
Always a favorite! So thankful to spend our 18th anniversary here.
The staff is awesome! I felt like a frequent diner here. Unfortunately, I did not care for the menu options. I had the Italian Cobb Salad. It was very different from what I was used to. It wasn't bad but I left quite a bit behind.
My husband's Nico Burger was really tasty. I heard many other patrons rave about the burger. Maybe next time. Overall, it was nice outside dining.
The menu was small but everything we had was delicious. Great service and value!
Lovely staff!
Always a great place to go for lunch or dinner or brunch on the weekends only
Great food, incredible service! Very attentive!
As a long time customer, I was extremely disappointed in the revised COVID menu. While I fully understand the constraints of operating a restaurant in the current environment, the meal was a disappointment. Hopefully, when things get back to normal the kitchen will too.
Our server seemed annoyed from the beginning on
The pandemic has made dining out difficult. You’ve done a very good job. I wish only people with reservations were allowed in the Rush Street area OR all people walking on the street would wear masks!
The outdoor dining space is wonderful. The service is fabulous.
The ambiance and COVID precautions at Nico are great. Lots of outdoor seating, nicely spaced. The menu is small but interesting and very seasonal. However, I was disappointed to find our main courses to be cold. I know we were eating outside, but the rigatoni was ice cold. The service was good - though we were made to feel a bit uncomfortable when we asked for bread, being told from our waitress "we don't do bread service anymore and I will have to go get it from the basement" and then presented with two very small pieces. Overall, the food was interesting, but the prices were steep for cold dishes and somewhat small portions.
Wonderful food, impeccable service; and we’re allowed to bring our dog who was given her very own bowl of water.
Nothing special....the pastas were simple....Salmon salade was just ok
Food has declined over years as well as the choice on their menu. Chef needs to taste the dishes being served. Very little flavor in mains and dessert was dry. One of the best crudo dishes... light but flavorful.
Fantastic !!!
Good place to eat out doors in the summer. On the Rush Street triangle.
FAQs
Nico Osteria is rated 4.3 stars by 2442 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.