Nick's Seafood Restaurant

We visit this restaurant each time we visit Sydney as well as the other places belonging to the same owner. It’s a nice venue. Nice area, nice atmosphere. Most of the dishes are delicious and of a decent and good quality. Some preparations could be a bit better. An example, the lobster had more béchamel sauce than actual cheese. Where the restaurant truly lacks is the welcoming. The waiters have a bit of an attitude and often drunk, which doesn’t give the best image. The restaurant is mostly very busy. I still think that good client’s should never be taken for granted

As always Nick's is a night to remember, easy online booking, warm welcome at the door and ever attentive and friendly table service. The food was perfectly cooked and high quality. Staff know the menu well, and the cocktails are very tasty as well as the mocktails too (always appreciated). Awesome views of Vivid activities in Darling Harbour too.

I love this place! It’s probably my favourite place in Sydney. My partner and I now come here every anniversary. It never disappoints. The service is exceptional, the food and drinks are phenomenal. I recommend Nicks to every person I know as the best place in Sydney! (Managed to snap a good picture nice and early before it got busy)

A definitely place to try when visit Sydney! We’ve tried fresh lobster with 1.3kg And the seafood platter to share! Didn’t expect the dishes in such big portion! Everything was good and nice to try We’ve spent a great night of our last stay in SYD.

Nick's Seafood Restaurant is my go-to spot for delicious seafood! The food is always fresh and flavorful, and the service is top-notch. I've been back multiple times and always leave happy. Highly recommend!

Excellent service - trained wait staff, such a joy! Our waiter Chandra was a delight. The food was tasty and enjoyable and the team took care of my gluten free requests.

Incredible seafood! Highly recommend the fresh lobster, baby octopus, and sizzling garlic prawns. The Island Fizz was amazing, too. Special thanks to our humorous and charming waiter, Peter, for his clear introduction and thoughtful reminder about portion sizes.

Great seafood restaurant conveniently located in Darling Habour, close to ICC and the water. The food was fresh, deliciously prepared and in large portions, perfect to share. Great option for a group meal. We dined on a Thursday night and reserved ahead so there was no wait. Booking was easily made and managed via online system. Large drinks/wine list but selection was ok, nothing special. Service was good but can be a bit slow at times since it can get busy. Food was definitely the star of the show.

The place was great. Waterfront restaurant We got a seats and table thank you for the beautiful receptionist. We were seated in pretty site of Darling Harbor. The menu has a great selections of seafood. The mussels with tomato sauce based was superb The nicks combination platter was great to Share. Fish and chips were mouthwatering. The Greek salad was very crispy and fresh. Clam chowder was ok. The vegetable linguini was aldente super good. The menu is pricey worthy of visiting Sydney .

Pretty overpriced with poor service. Nice view but just felt like any standard fare seafood place but with a 33% price increase for being touristy.

This place has been operating for twenty plus years and has been serving good seafood all this time. I had takeaway this time which they deliver to boats docked along cockle bay. Great battered prawns, flaky and crispy fish, fabulous chips and calamari. Most of it was fried but good. I have had the seafood platter here as well and it's been good. Service is good and the staff are friendly. Our order was delivered promptly and everything arrived on trays and hot. Happily come here again.

Very nice restaurant on Darling Harbour with wonderful seafood and pasta dinners. Service was very good with nice recommendations. Food was delicious. Will be back to try others dishes.

Simply perfect. Since I travel around the world alone, I requested a table in the shade away from all humans. I ordered a Chardonnay and the lobster pasta. The lobster was tender. The flavor was on point with absolutely no complaints. staff was attentive and environment was perfect. I don't understand why this restaurant has low points. They nailed the experience.

Nicks seafood restaurant is a special treat. It's located on darling harbor so you look out over the harbor and is a great location. We live inland so to be able to go and have fresh seafood that's not frozen is a real treat. The food is amazingly fresh and well cooked and presented. The staff are great and very helpful and there is plenty to choose from off the menu. Even for people who don't want seafood there are other options. Some of the larger seafood platter look amazing with lobster, prawns and a heap of oysters and I'm sure they are a real delight for the lucky people who order them. We have been here twice only but plan to return on one of our next trips to Sydney for some more great food. I highly recommend it.

Beautiful space and friendly service, even close to the end of the night. The bay bug was tender and nicely complemented by fennel-orange salad. I had oysters whenever I could as I traveled across Australia, and this was the only time I didn't finish a half dozen. I'm glad I stopped after two (they tasted more "fishy" than the ones I'd had elsewhere) because I had intestinal upset hours later. The draw for Nicks is the atmosphere and menu for cooked items was solid.

So good we went there twice Centrally located in Darling Harbor, their seafood offerings were amazing, attentive wait staff made our dining experience very memorable.

Good service but food isn't what you expect in a high end restaurant. I would say below par

We came to Nick's on the strong recommendation of my parents, and they were not wrong! We had the fish and chips (can't remember which fish I went with, but took our server's recommendation) and the kangaroo filet. Absolutely delicious and the steak was so tender it came apart with a fork. We will definitely be back next time we're in Sydney!

I wish we would of come here sooner. The service and food was to die for. My wife had the bay bugs which had an amazing flavor. We had the octopus as an appetizer... OMG so good. I had the fish pie and one of the best I have had while in Sydney. What topped it all off was our server. He was just great. A must for dinner if your staying near darling harbor

Dined here for a very belated anniversary due to covid lockdown a etc... Turned up for lunch without a booking but after a few mins got a table, having checked quite a few other places this seemed the best and so glad we chose it. Waiter service was prompt and friendly, ordered the platter for two and certainly not disappointed, fresh cold food as well as hot food, just managed to get through it but left a lot of chips and an order of Garlick bread, too bad, no room for desert but totally stuffed with great quality seafood, price was reasonable for the area too, definitely would go back!

Food was really good, excellent service & beautiful location on the harbor. Would recommend

We had reservations at Cyren Grill and when we got there we saw the building was being torn down. The owners of that restaurant and Nick's Seafood are one and the same. We were never notified. We ended up eating at Nick's and the service was a joke. We got our entrees first and then our appetizers and salad. As the kitchen prepared the dishes is when we got them. These people did not even speak English. When we asked them to take away the entree in lieu of receiving our apps, we received them both back at once. The meal was horrible and we couldn't wait to leave. NO tip was given which is really not what we like to do but the service was horrendous. I would never go back there and would never refer friends and family there. I did email the owners with no response. That right there tells me all I need to know. Who knows, maybe they do not understand English either?!

This place is a decently high-end restaurant that sells delicious seafood. I came with a big group and we were seated immediately. Our host was really nice and friendly and he helped us choose what to order. I ended up getting oysters and a lobster, which were both fresh and high quality. I'm giving this restaurant 4 stars instead of 5 because it's really pricey. But besides that, all of the food tasted great and I would give the service a thumbs up too.

Amazing seafood. Lovely location. Buzzing with people. Recommended to book. Staff is top notch and you are not rushed. Bit pricey bit you get what you pay. Even the dessert was worth waiting for. I would definately go back.

Excellent!!! Has to be the best seafood restaurant in Sydney. The lobster is the BEST I have ever had and I dive every year for lobster in the Florida Keys so I have had very fresh lobster. The service was also exceptional. Not sure how this place has only 3 stars at the time of this review. We did have the manager as our waiter so maybe that helped. But the massive seafood platter with lobster was incredible.

I'm no gastronomist but I absolutely love my food, and know exactly what appeals to me and what doesn't. A while ago, a friend and I ended up here while on a stroll. We both had a craving for fish 'n chips, and the name of the place gave the impression that this could be a bit of an institution, so we took a chance. Long story short, I thought the food was fine, but didn't warrant almost $25. It was late afternoon and the place was pretty empty, but service was lacking, as I had to wait unnecessarily long to get my glass refilled. Based on this experience, I doubt I would consider coming back in the future, but I wish them well.

Nicks is a decent seafood restaurant. Lots of tourists because it sis on the edge of Darling Harbor. It can hold 400 guests - much bigger than it looks from the entrance. Food - local oysters were fresh and paired well with my martini. I asked for the salmon to be cooked medium rare and it was spot on - skin charred to perfection and the salmon juicy. Service - easily seated promptly with 400 seats available on a Thursday in October. Waiter stumbled delivering to another table and hit me in the head - no damage. I'd recommend. Good for tourists in Darling Harbor. If you are elsewhere in Sydney, there is no reason to travel here - good but not that good.

One of the perks of being in Australia is taking advantage of the fresh supply of abundant seafood! My husband and I had some time before our tour so we decided to stop and try this place. They brought out this big pot of fresh mussels. These mussels were the biggest I've ever seen. I was so excited to go digging for shellfish in the rich tomato broth. The soup was well seasoned and perfect for dipping the free bread. I don't know what to say about my husband. He ordered a beef burger at a seafood place. Go figure, but he said that he liked it so I guess they are good with other types of meat as well. Service could be better. This was one of those restaurants where I looked at the wait staff and it looked like they really hated their lives. haha. The prices are higher than other places, but you are basically paying for the atmosphere. I would recommend this place because you'll get your money's worth.

I ordered the grilled Salmon-medium with mashed potatoes, garlic bread and garlic spicy prawns. The prawns were delicious and flavorful. The garlic bread only includes 2 small pieces which wasn't much for $6. The salmon was fresh however didn't have much seasoning. The mash potatoes are not garlic mash and required a little bit of salt. Overall, the ambiance were relaxing and it had the most beautiful view of the pier. P.S watch out for the birds. They're very bold and will land on your table and try to steal your food.

Stopped in for lunch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at my boat captain's recommendation. It was fairly crowded, so I didn't expect my request for an outside table to be satisfied, but they did. I ordered a local pinot grigio and told the waiter I wanted local, grilled fresh fish. He brought me grilled John Dory with a nice, light lemon cream sauce and a salad with oil & vinegar dressing. It was perfect for lunch. Service was very good too. It was a little pricey, and loud, but exactly what I was looking for.

Lots of good things to say about this place and one bad one. First off, this place can seat up to 1200 people including the bar areas so if you have a large group your in luck. The view of the bay is wonderful and the atmosphere in the area is very exciting and upbeat. The food. The food was all very good which including calamari, lobster, shrimp, oysters and a few of the group even went for the Kangaroo steaks which they said were great. The bar has anything you could want and don't forget desert! The only downside was that is was a bit slow with the service and pace. I think our group of 11 took almost 3 hours starting with the 30 minute wait to get seated to the time we were finishing deserts. It was a pleasant and wonderful evening but a few of the group were tired and would have liked to of been out sooner. Overall a nice stop if your in Sydney! Enjoy!

Absolutely amazing!! Highly recommend this place if you're looking for a nice place to eat for lunch or dinner on Sydney's famous Darling Harbour. We came here for lunch and were impressed with the food, both its presentation and tastiness. The Alaskan crab salad was incredibly refreshing with avocados, arugula and tomatoes. Next was the steak and prawns. The steak absolutely melted in my mouth and went really well with the mashed potatoes and bernaise sauce. The prawns in the dish were also very tastily cooked. The Morton Bay bugs came in four pieces and was like a very tender lobster. Don't let the name scare you away as it's actually a seafood and not an actual bug! (like I thought it was originally). Finally, to top it off we shared a passion fruit panna cotta that had pieces of mangoe, strawberries and coconut milk. Absolutely heavenly!

Came by here for my partners birthday lunch, we ordered the steak sandwich and beer battered fish and chips. Price was reasonable for lunch and food tasted great. The chips were very filling. Staff were very friendly too. Overall great experience

Had my birthday dinner here last night actually. Lovely, vibrant atmosphere near the harbour just like you'd expect with great, friendly and efficient service despite it being completely packed on a Sunday night. However, the quality of the seafood wasn't the best and my Fisherman's basket left much to be desired. It also came out a bit colder than I expected, sadly. The oysters are a classic though, very fresh and well priced so I can't complain. We've actually been to Nick's many, many times over the years and usually I'm more impressed by them. However, I'm giving them three stars for last night's meal to be fair.

We only had the fish and chips. Very well done. The fish was tender and the fires good. You come here for the location, and it's packed with tourists.

Always great. One of my mums favourites and she is hard to please . Every time we go it's always the mussels in the tomato sauce. Hot, juicy and delicious. I'm a huge sucker for mussels and especially in a tomato sauce. They are always a hit here. Then to the hot and cold seafood platter with lobster mornay. Well I think that sentence enough to summed up how I felt about it! 10/10! Presented well and amazing service. Great view, great food, great service. What's not to like. A family favourite.

My third time in Sydney and my second time at Nicks! It's a great place to go out with friends for a nice upscale evening. Beautiful at night on the water with the buildings and boats reflecting light on the marina. You have to go all out here, expect to spend a little more. The environment is exciting and noisy. We had the biggest seafood platter with components of my personal favorites: Morton Bay bugs, king prawns, muscles, and much more. The potato salad avocados are delicious! And if you like a nice gamey piece of meat, order the Kangaroo Filet, especially if your American... when in Oz! Id drink it down with any of the white or sparkling wines (I'm not much for red, but I prefer the crispness of white when I'm having tropical foods)

I'm embarrassed about HOW EXPENSIVE my bill was at Nick's considering I ate there all alone... Wait, no I'm not, I'm PROUD- ha! If you are about to turn into a fish, just like me, because you eat it so often, then when you visit Darling Harbor, head STRAIGHT to Nick's Seafood! Don't even BOTHER looking at any other menus on the way there! I was seated right away (table for 1 please!) and given a menu filled to the gills with scrumptious menu options: octopus, bay bugs, seafood platters galore, barramundi, scallops... WHAT ON EARTH IS A GIRL TO DO? Oh that's right, order EVERYTHING! Okay no, I didn't order EVERYTHING but I did have the Grilled Octopus (OMG let me go back in time and savor that deliciousness again please), the whole baby Barramundi (risk you life by getting the whole fish... Yes you could choke on the bones but it's worth it), a side of steamed vegetables (because I mean, fiber is important) and then, even though I was pretty full and actually starting to get a little sick of the dining patrons around me staring at me like I'm an eating freak show, I ordered the scallops for dessert... They're sweet like dessert so why not? When finished, I told myself that I could totally come back the following night but it took every ounce of willpower not to, only in Sydney for two nights, I had to broaden my horizons... Kind of wish I didn't though because Nick's may very well go down in the books for my favorite restaurant... Well, food wise. The severs seemed a little pretentious, but I was too focused on the food and the map of Sydney to give to calamari salads!

Went here for a work lunch on Tuesday afternoon. Lots of tables with a great view of the harbour. Staff are well dressed. A plethora of seafood options which makes it difficult to deiciden. On our table, we got nicks seafood basket which is a bit of everything seafood, the Moreton bay bugs (3 large bay bugs in shell with an orange fennel olive oil dressing and some greens in a creamy dressing), barramundi grilled with a side of chips and grilled octopus (massive plate). I also got a glass of prosecco which wasn't very nice. Price range for mains is from 36 dollars and above so definitely on the pricey side. But very fresh seafood and great service.

Wife had a craving for seafood so we went in for a late afternoon lunch. I had the fried seafood platter and my wife had grilled salmon with mashed potatoes. We also had garlic bread and spices garlic prawns as a appetizer. The food was as expected nothing great but not horrible and the service was average.

For starters let's start with the bad service they leave you waiting. Not just for food but drinks. I ordered a strawberry kiss cocktail which tasted like lemons. The seafood platter was such a disappointment I've ordered many but this by far has been bad. The lobster was tasteless and hard was over cooked and then probably sat on ice for god knows how long. There was no utensils to eat your crab or lobster with either and no bowl of water or towelettes to clean your hands. Disgraceful..We will definitely not be returning.

We ate at the cafe and were able to order from the restaurant. The food was delicious however the staff was not so friendly.

Went for breakfast. Menu was somewhat limited but had some good options. I chose the breakfast burger, which was described as a layered panini and listed ingredients. What I received was definitely a breakfast burger but was not as all like the description - it was in no way a panini and had other ingredients that were not listed. Had I known what it was I would have gotten something else as a sauce and lettuce filled bun was not what I was after. Descriptions need updating. On the plus side, service was friendly and my friend's food looked good.

Bed service, very average food, good locations and very pricey for what they offered. So find something different. Good passion fruit mojito

My hotel recommended this restaurant and I was not disappointed-the food was delicious and the atmosphere was great; I highly recommend this place. Will definitely return there for a meal on my next visit to Sydney!

It took 10 years, but I am finally getting around to writing a review of Nick's Seafood at Cockle Bay and Darling Harbor. I was in Australia for 2 weeks traveling in different places. We took the train into to Sidney for 4 or so days. Our second night we were exploring and happened to get off the ferry near Nicks. We looked at the menu and decided to give it a try. We actually loved it so much, we went back the very next night. I don't exactly remember what we all ordered the first night since it was 10 years ago. I believe I had lamb with potatoes and a pea puree. It looks like another in the party had a surf and turf of a filet and some prawns, and the other in the party ordered a different cut of steak for their surf and turf version. I do remember that we all raved about the excellent quality of the entrees. We all ordered desserts as well. Again I'm not certain what we all ordered. I know I ordered a sticky pudding though, and it was incredible. I have included all of the pictures, so if anyone else has had these dishes, perhaps they can recall what they were for me. Nick's Seafood was an experience for us. It did take a long time to eat, but we were on vacation in Australia, so really what's the rush? Slow down and enjoy the fruits of hard word from time to time. While were were eating and chatting, we kept noticing all of these tables with seafood towers. We had seen the price of these seafood towers for 2 on the menu, but were a little reluctant to spend that kind of money without knowing for sure how good it was. Of course as the meal went on and we actually saw how many people were ordering it, so we knew it had to be fantastic. Right then and there we decided to come back the following night. When we arrived the next evening our waiter said the chef could make us a seafood tower for 3. Of course it was more expensive. What a sight this thing was coming through the dining area and people were following it with their eyes to see what lucky table was about to dive into this creation. It had both cold and hot portions. We remember very vividly that the fried calamari and the John Dory were just the best version of calamari and a breaded fish we had ever had between the 3 of us. To this day we still talk about those. It seems that every time we happen to order some fish of calamari back at home in the US, most of the time we recall that night at Nick's Seafood. The cold tower was just amazing as well. Everything was fresh and top quality. To top it off, our waiter was the best waiter I have ever experienced. I remember he was from Europe and told us he was planning on moving to work at a resort on a small island off the coast of Australia. I wish him the best of luck and I hope was able to do that. My brother has since been back to Australia and ate at Nicks one night on his stay. He maintains that Nick's was incredible on that night as well. I have to say that Nick's would be my pick as my last meal and certainly my most favorite restaurant I've ever eaten at. Sadly a friend who accompanied me on this trip has recently passed away, and I got around to writing this review mostly because of him. He brought up Nicks way too many times for me to be able to count. That seafood tower for 3 was without a doubt his favorite dining experience ever. I will always be able to look at the pictures from Nick's and think of him and our friendship and about the amazing time we had in Australia. Miss you Danny. Here is to you, DW.

Great location . Book early to get seat by window for amazing views . Food really good. Gets crowded & busy

Overpriced with lousy service, head to a competitor there are plenty of better options on the beach. On the plus side the hostess as well as the person who brought us our main course items were fantastic. She sat us at a superb table, and he immediately brought me the spoon I asked for as well as the hot sauce he thought I asked for and when I told him I actually needed Parmesan cheese he advised he'd tell our waiter. Our waiter however was completely inattentive when he realized we were not going to jump at the suggestions he made for items he'd obviously get a bonus for selling such as the non-priced lobster for two "special" that was obviously sold every night, or the weird pre-appetizer minnow-type fried fish, or the single glasses of wine he tried to push after we finished our twist-top bottle of Pinot Gris for 55.00 that retails for 16.00. The waiter took our order and that was the last we saw of him till I waved frantically to him from across the room to get the Parmesan for the 25% of pasta I had left. Just after he dumped the Parmesan on our table the skies opened and rain poured down on our table as we were in the gap between the two awnings they rolled out. I jumped up and moved to an open table and an employee had the F'ing gall to say to my friend that we "couldn't just move" to another table!!! Dense af. Then the "manager" came over and asked EVERY TABLE around us if they were ok re: the rain, though none of them were affected, and he ignored us completely until I yelled that in case he cared, we were ok too. Then it became clear what was happening, we were the only tourists that came from the EAST to Australia. Apparently they know EXACTLY who to target as the perceived gullible over-spenders. Avoid this place at all costs, worst experience I've had in years. Horribly overpriced with service. 2 thumbs down.

!!!TOURIST TRAP!! Awful food. Terrible service. Do NOT go to the restaurant save your $$$ and go somewhere better.

Expensive but tasty food, good location, however snobby female waiters, scam for water when all you want is tap water, flat Pepsi cola. We wanted to sit inside because it was very hot but either way they sat us in the fringe of outside. Overall not bad...

As a visitor to Sydney I get that I chose to eat in a tourism precinct - meaning tourist prices. What I didn't expect was tiny portions at huge prices. In Nicks defense, the wine list was well priced but nothing too exciting. I ordered a main of the Tasmanian lobster pasta. 4 tiny hunks of lobster and a huge amount of definitely box dried pasta doesn't warrant $48.

Food is very mediocre, but the location is excellent! I had their seafood chowder, it was watery, and not much "seafood" in it, except few pieces of salmons! I had the steamed veggies with it, which you can't really mess that up. Not sure if I would come back again, probably not for the food rather for it's location, and maybe a glass of wine or beer to people watch! You can't really messed I beer or wine.. or can you?!

While I can't speak for the food, the service was not up to par for a restaurant of this caliber. It was my dad's birthday October 24th. I found out that they chose to dine at Nick's seafood. So I call from overseas to give my credit card details to pay for my parents meal (since I can't be there to do in person). I call. I fill out the form that has been emailed to me. I'm scan the form. I email it back to corporate by which they ensure that they are "on top" of everything. At 5.30am (New York time) there is no charge in my card. I call the restaurant. Mind you this is the 3rd call. 1 to request I pay. 2 to ensure I filled the form correctly. 3 to find out what happened. Vanessa tells me that she was "waiting for me to call". I don't understand. For what? She didn't recognize the email. And then admits she "forgot". My parents have left at this stage, paying for their meal. A bland apology at best from Vanessa. I'm upset at this stage. In up at 5.30am NY time chasing why my parents are paying their own meal. Another call, number 4 is made requesting the manager. Now I am talking to Georgette. I'm livid at this stage. The "I forgot" doesn't cut it. She proceeds to try and compensate by calling my folks. It's too late. The moment is lost. And my father on his ACTUAL birthday day has paid for a meal that his capable daughters can pay for. Unacceptable. On service alone I would never dine here. It would be cheaper and just as visually spectacular getting some fish and chips with your love and watching the moonlight/ fireworks from darling harbour as it would be dining inside this establishment. Fish markets is just as much of a treat, minus the unbearable charge.

Really good fresh seafood but you are going to pay for it. Located in prime touristland Darling Harbour, this place is mostly like an outdoor type seating with an enormous amount of tables and a decent size menu of lots of fresh fish, lobster and prawns. I had the BBQ prawns and they were 6 huge buggers done perfectly. The side salad that came with was blah and I think minus any dressing. We split an order of chips (fries for Americans) and they were big fat perfectly done steak fries like you get in Greektown Chicago swimming in cheese sauce. About a week later I came back and we split the big seafood hog down platter which was balls expensive but a super tasty gorging of all kinds of stuff that swims/ Service was good and overall I would go here again.

Went for family dinner on Christmas Eve, was very busy but service was still great and the food amazing. Garlic butter bugs nom nom nom

Fabulous. Wonderful view. The waitress is friendly and efficient. The food is surprisingly not only well priced. But also ample and delicious. Loving it

Had chargrilled octopus. Service and good were excellent. Portions were generous. Will definitely come back!!

Overpriced and subpar food. Great for drinks and hanging out by the water, but I wouldn't recommend eating. Also, most of their tables on the patio are reserved so you will be seated in the back if you don't have a reservation.