I got there early so the waiter had plenty of time to explore wines with me

My sister and I sat at the bar and watched the chefs prepare various dishes....I wanted to try them all.
Fascinating to watch how intent each chef was as they concentrated on the smallest details to create a work of art...that tasted amazing. The food was as fresh as could be.

We had a lovely birthday dinner for my husband. The food was super delicious and so well prepared. The Brussels sprout bruschetta is out of this world, and every course is well done — pasta and fish, especially. Service was stellar and the restaurant manager made a nice fuss, presenting my husband with an ice cream sundae with a candle, and an offer to buy us a round of drinks at the bar afterward. Exactly the perfect night out we knew we would have at Nico Osteria.

We recently went to Nico Osteria for a surprise birthday dinner. The staff was very knowledgeable and attentive. We were looking to share a couple of starters but were unsure of what to get. Our server recommended the brussels sprouts bruschetta and the oysters, which were both delicious. Our plates came out just as we finished the starters. The orecchiette was my personal favorite with bits of tuna sausage. It was overall a fantastic experience. I will definitely be back in the near future and will be recommending to friends and family.

The service was good. The food was uneven. The octopus antipasto was excellent. The meatball antipasto was good. The tuna sausage rapini orrechietti was excellent. The lobster chitarra was not good. The dish has three ingredients: lobster, tomato sauce and pasta. The sauce was ketchup sweet, and the chitarra was gummy. To the restaurant’s credit, it was taken off the bill. Overall, a disappointment.

I am extremely tough with my reviews. However, the branzino was the best I ever had in my life. The newly introduced appetizer "anchovy stuffed with crab meat" is a creative and tasty dish. I did not expect the combination to work but it does.

Best Branzino in Chicago. Great wine selection. You have to order bread ala carte. Great service. I tipped 35%

Nico is amazing! The crudo is superb, we went with the tuna. The small plates are amazing as is the pasta. Cacio e pepe, wow! We enjoyed sitting at the counter looking into the kitchen. Love the guided wine section. Depending on the night, you may the place to yourself or the last table in the restaurant.

Food was delicious but menu is limited. Enjoyed Caesar salad, kale salad, meatball and rotolo apps. Cacio e pepe could have been more flavorful with more parm and more pepper. Also works better with regular spaghetti. Our server was excellent, hostess not so much. She seemed indifferent about checking off our reservation and then reported us as a no show to Open Table-very irritating!

The most horrible experience ever. The waiter was so rude and I will never come here again and will not recommend this to anyone. Very very poor service

Great pasta and bruschetta.

Amazing, creative, delicious food and wine. My goto Italian in the city.

Our party ordered almost every crudo available and were not disappointed! The hamachi and big eye tuna were favored. Additionally, the brussel sprout bruschetta was outstanding.
Pastas were enjoyed all-around, but we couldn't leave without gelato.
Highly recommend visiting with a big appetite!

Kathleen r waitress was helpful & attentive.

Sat at bar- which was very nice. Food was disappointing. Service was very good. Probably wouldn’t recommend if someone was looking for excellent food and atmosphere.

Great atmosphere. The staff is always friendly and the food creative. Nico never disappoints!

Great valentines dinner. One of my favorite restaurants and this visit did not disappoint. Favs include the octopus and orichette, plus their house made bread with olive oil. Husband had the pork belly appetizer and loved it.

Tables were a little close together but otherwise we loved it

Great service, great food, and love that there’s a doggie menu!

Awesome night, great server. It was a special night with a lady

I had written that we were celebrating a birthday and Valentine’s Day in the description but there was no mention of this or any “special” part of the meal offered (even for example a candle in the dessert). Service was fine, if not a bit stiff and it seemed like everyone (multiple people) was in a race to clear our plates as soon as we weren’t touching them for a minute.

Quite possibly the best dining experience I’ve ever had. Bravo Chef Tim Graham and Nico staff!

I had an amazing meal on my visit to Nico! Thompson Chicago is top notch plus a tremendous restaurant on top of it! We had the best time!

Great spot for breakfast brunch. Service and food were great

We went for restaurant week, and every course was amazing. Service was fantastic. The pasta was delicious.

Delicious food & great atmosphere.

Terrific! Went for restaurant week. The portions were generous and menu was a good value. Majority of the dishes were delicious, and nothing was bad. Will go back.

The food was great, filled with quality ingredients and it’s clear technique was used to prep it. The restaurant is cute and the servers were very good.

Excellent food and portions. Great management team!

The updated menu is to do for!

I went to Nico Osteria for dinner during restaurant week. The pasta was the standout. The meatballs on polenta were very good, but the regular bread was better than the accompanied toasted bread to sop up the extra polenta. The short rib was a bit dry and you had to cut it with a knife (I have had short ribs that fall apart with a fork).
I sat at the counter and watched the staff prepare the entrees-always fun!

Waitress never stopped by to ask how our food was. For some of us the short ribs were excellent, for others they were incredibly tough.

The food was very greasy. Part of it too much cheese and oil on everything.

This was my 3rd visit to Nico Osteria and first time with my husband for dinner. We shared the burrata starter, the charred octopus and then each ordered a pasta. We did not need both pasta dishes so in hindsight could have shared one but both pastas were delicious. The cacio de Pepe is so rich but amazing and it did not disappoint but because of it's richness is better as a shared plate. The bolognese was fantastic - their interpretation was less tomato based but really tasty. We will be back!

Had a great time. Enjoyed the restaurant week menu items.!

Had a 5pm rez. The hostess seated us at a small 2 seat table. We asked for a booth and they said they had none even though only two of the 20 booths had people in them. Apparently those were reserved for other more important people coming later. After insisting they put us at the booth next to the door. When we left at 7pm, there were still at least 5 empty booths. That being said, Trevor our waiter was awesome and attentive. The food was fabulous (all 4 courses). Its too bad that it started off poorly with hostesses that can't think for themselves when it comes to the experience. Better luck next time.

I was so disappointed in this dining experience. Nico is one of my favorite restaurants in the city, and I was the one to pick it for our girls’ lunch. The food was fine (except for the hotdog-like breakfast sausage...) but it was the service which really ruined the meal. We waited to order for 40 min after being seated, then were told the kitchen was closing in 15 min. We ordered coffee, had it delivered, then watched it grow cold as we waited for the sugar for another half an hour (the coffees were replaced). The same went with our wine. Despite being one of only a few tables seated for this late lunch, our server would disappear for half an hour or more at a time and we would be searching for anyone to help us out. Such a bummer. I live in the suburbs now and would be hard-pressed to choose this old favorite again for fear of a repeat performance.

Give yourself plenty of time. I had a concert at Newberry to attend, and wish I allowed more time to savor the experience. It doesn’t feel like it is in a hotel at all.

Our group went for a 'restaurant week' so our selections were limited to what they offered. The soup was over spiced with pepper but everything else was tasty. Those that chose the tiramisu said it was one of the best versions of the dessert they had ever eaten. Wait staff was very friendly and accommodating.

We had a reservation made but the host insisted we sit at the counter which turned out to be fun watching the chef (although I would have liked the option to sit at a booth if we wanted). Our server was prompt and working hard and brought out the food pretty timely for a Saturday night. The issue is the food itself which was unfortunately lacking in flavor, the pasta was cold without the slightest hint of truffle, and the Brussels sprouts overcooked to burnt crisps. For the price, dinner here is absolutely not worth it.