The Nice Guy

Too expensive. Food all came at once. Not very tasty. No sense that we were actually welcome when we arrived at the restaurant. We had been before and loved it. But not last night.

Nice place! Cozy on a cold night. My ribeye was excellent. Nice staff. Definitely going back.

Over rated!!!! Will never go back or refer anyone else again. Before we even set down we were told we have to leave in 1:30 hrs, mind you I made reservations 2 weeks in advance. We just got the desert and coffee and they approach us asking us to pay and go over to the bar since the next guest has arrived and needed to be seated. They charged us for desert and coffee/tea that we barely touched because we were rushed to pay the bill and free the table. Overall the food was ok, nothing to die for. Not worth it!! There are many nice restaurants in the area with better food and PLEASANT service where they don’t have you shove your food down your throat and get rushed to pay the bill and leave.

My review of the Nice Guy in a nutshell: Unfortunately it is a very pretentious restaurant scene with uninspiring food, an overpriced menu and terrible service with an attitude. Now for the longer story: I love LA and I wouldn't live anywhere else, but our city sometimes gets a bad wrap as being a place of shallow, fake people without a real sense of art, craft and culture. These accusations about our city are almost always wrong. LA is becoming one of the leading cities for food, art and culture, but a place like the Nice Guy makes our city look hollow, empty and superficial. Everything about the Nice Guy reeks of a place that is desperately trying to be the scene for high roller/celebrity types, but sadly its all just smoke and mirrors. There is no "scene" there yet and nobody truly famous falls for this faux attempt at exclusivity. After trying the Nice Guy out on four separate occasions, I have to say it consistently sucks each time we eat there. The food is seldom on point or even accurate to your order, but the service and attitude that come with it can be unbearable to take at times. I would go as far as to say that the Nice Guy is probably one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had in LA. While the food isn't that remarkable, the hardest part to stomach is how they treat customers. Suffice it to say, it feels more like a strip club environment then it does a distinctive restaurant scene. My wife and I both work in the fashion and design industry and we get to eat at places all over the world. We know authenticity when we see it, but this is just a place trying really hard to be something it is not. You don't start out your restaurant day one with an attitude of exclusivity. You have to build that reputation over time through the quality of your food and the unique way you treat your customers. I genuinely wanted this restaurant to succeed, but eating there is an awful experience that will make you feel more like a chump than a celebrity.

We went there on our first day in LA
We were so hungry and a little bit tired. Food was okay but the noise... We were sitting on a two person table with my husband and I shouted to talk to him and it was very exhauisting so we didnt order and dessert just eat dinner and head back to our hotel

Excellent.
Eye wateringly expensive drinks.

Amazing venue, great jazz/soul music and cool vibe. Quite dark and exclusive inside.

One of our favorite spots in LA.
Very private and cozy!

Menu was wonderful. Ambiance great, but almost *too dark*. Great for date night or small celebratory dinner.

Food was just ok but very overpriced in my opinion. It was really dark to the point I needed to use the light from my cellphone to see the menu.

Unfortunately only tasted 1 drink and a starter from this place. My boyfriend and I had a reservation at 9pm, the clock hit 10:45 and we still had not been sat. We decided to go elsewhere.
The ambiance is a romantic setting, good for a date. Very cute restaurant, but service was not the best.

be sure to let them know you don't want to sit outside... if you don't want to sit outside in their very small, very unappealing garden! the staff was lovely and accommodated us nicely after a long wait to find three seats at the bar together and then finally... a table. once we were settled in it was fantastic.

Aside from my wife's Sea Bass Putanesca & our two sides coming out 15 minutes late, the FOOD was spectacular, Larry was especially gracious and took her meal & sides off the check, aside from that minor, not so minor hiccup, the food was phenomenal and the atmosphere was GREAT. My wife and I will definitely definitely be back!! We loved it!

Amazing!!!!!

I love how classy and romantic this place is. Great food with an intimate setting.

I enjoyed my time at the Nice Guy. Food, especially mashroom pizza, music, service and in overall everything was perfect

In coming to Nice Guy for my friend’s birthday, we did not expect to be sat outside, which honestly was a different restaurant apart from the food—there was no vibe, the music was random, and we were the only people seated there. Further, our server was extremely grumpy and obviously unhappy about something (which is uncommon for Nice Guy considering all my past servers here have been excellent and friendly). I am not a new customer to Nice Guy and I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences in the past, however yesterday evening was incredibly disappointing, especially considering it was my friend’s birthday celebration.

Food and service were excellent. Unfortunately, we were seated alone on a tiny patio, eliminating any chance for ambiance. The host was unwilling to offer us an alternative table so it was a very disappointing, almost comical experience. It’s clearly an undesireable place to be seated in the restaurant, so it should be communicated to guests in advance.

Great experience

Terrible table offered (expected a much better one since I've stated it's a special occasion; my wife's birthday), had to move outside to the patio; nothing like the ambiance inside

Pizza was overcooked

and our meals didn't come at the same time

Bday dinner

Some reviews complained about service or found it "pricey". It was a first visit and it made me skeptical. The service could not have been better, the food is great. And yes you could say it's "pricey" but it is after all a "supper club" in the true meaning and there is LIVE Jazz with no cover. So it sort of all washes out. The ambiance is incredible. Not much like it even in LA. So that should be taken into account regarding price-point. Staff was amazing.

Reservation only venue, exclusive. The music was louder than expected it was also 11pm, the dim lighting and relaxing lounge vibes turns clubbish. I would recommend earlier dining for the relaxing experience and a later dining for a vibrant bar scene. The seating sucks if u aren’t lucky to be seated in one of their booths or couches. The awkward placement of ur grandma’s uncomfortable 2 seater tables can make for a very unpleasurable experience. We didn’t even eat our dinner as we could not get comfortable in our hardwood chairs placed right by the busy serving side of the bar. No photos allowed in this venue but their is a photo booth with very vintage decor.

Overall the food was very good and the service, just had to move our seat three times since it was so dark inside. Once put outside the experience was better.

Food was nice but came out in separately. Chips way before the main, would’ve been cold had we waited, main then came, and then the brocollini side came out when I was 2 bites from finishing after chasing them up. Service was terrible and no effort really made by anyone. Tucked away in a corner and sat down and not given a menu so had to ask for one, to be told they are trying to find us one. Wouldn’t recommend and wouldn’t return. Disappointed as this was out first meal of our holiday.

Food is always delicious and the flavorings make your taste buds dance! Seating is always very cozy which is actually nice and adds to the ambiance. This particular dining experience was a slight let down as our server was not the greatest and forgot about us on several occasions. Thank goodness for the bus boys who actually should have been servers as they were attentive and constantly picking up the major slack of our waitress who seemed to be a little out of it :(

not worth the Hype...Dont get me wrong, IT IS NICE but there is much better.
The place was 20% full on Thursday at 10pm
Service was above average as you'd expect from a place like that so does the food.

I was a bit disappointed because I guess I expected more for the price paid ($250 per couple with 2 drinks each, tip included)

Great vibe.. great music.. great people.The place makes you want dance and enjoy.

We Went all the Way from MEXICO to celebrate my husband’s birthday. They first offered us a table outside were there’s not even music. Finally the gave us a Little table next to the patio’s door. It is very dark you will need your cellphone light to see the menu. Food arrived sooo COLD and the Flavor was average. the waitress Seems not to Care about us and kept forgetting our drinks . Go if you Want a casual drink but definitly not for dinner or an special ocation.

Had a lovely birthday dinner for my boyfriend. Food was really delicious. Would recommend an earlier dinner (starting before 8) because as the night goes on the crowd turns more into a bar. Food was outstanding and it is beautiful inside. Feels like entering a different time when you walk inside.

Amazing restaurant! The food is out of this world - a little more expensive than your average restaurant but completely worth it. The atmosphere inside is great and there is a great ambiance. Couldn’t fault the waiting staff, they were amazing. Will definitely be going back here when I’m back in LA!

Possibly some of the worst service I have ever encountered.

Bartenders/hosts were a bit rude. Server was very nice and food was really good. Had a great night.

Too dark for me. Our friends food came cold. Otherwise it's OK.

I came to The Nice Guy for my first dinner in LA visiting from Australia and had the best time. The venue is cosy and sexy and the food is delicious. 100% would recommend!

We waited for 40 minuets to be seated when it was half empty and left.

This place is awful.

Incredible, rich and flavorful food + great ambiance

Pretentious and over priced, staff could not be bothered looking after you unless you are a someone or are spending a lot of money there. The food is average, nothing special and really expensive. It’s so dark in there you can’t see what you’re eating. Made to feel so uncomfortable, would definitely not return or recommend to anyone.

Pros: tasty Italian food and lovely ambiance. The no-photos policy is wonderful and the curtains at the entry and exit are a nice touch. Cons: Food is overpriced for the quantity and caliber given. The lighting inside is very dim, so coming in through the curtain during the daylight hours takes a minute for your eyes to adjust, and the clutter of chairs, table, and people are tough to navigate around in this situation. Our waitstaff was also a bit slow - understandable given the crowd, but all three waiters who had helped us in the beginning seemed to have disappeared entirely by the end of our meal. One waiter also poured tap water into a $6 glass sparkling water at our table despite us identifying it as he went in for refills. The photo booth in the back was non-operational during our visit. Finally, the bathrooms are quite nice but the male and female restrooms are two adjacent stalls in the same room, which can make things a bit awkward. It's also hidden inside a blind turn from the kitchen, and leading to collisions with the staff and patrons entering/exiting the kitchen/bathroom. Overall consensus - a pleasant experience, but probably wouldn't come here again.

Waited 40 minutes to be seated at the table we made the reservation for, waited another 30 minutes to get one plate, didn’t get water until we were done and it’s not as if 100 people were in the restaurant...