Nicola's Ristorante Restaurant

Visited this restaurant on a work trip with a very large group and when I tell you that the service and food was GREAT. I group had several different meals, but can personally attest to the seafood pasta 🔥, steak, salmon and chicken parm. In my group those were the dishes that, EVERY loved. I know that I would recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting or just here in Springfield. It will be my new stable anytime I am back in the city

Great place. Had my 8th old daughter with me and she wanted spaghetti…. I just looked for it and went. I would say it’s a date night kind of place and atmosphere. She loved it even though I had no idea and we walked in after just getting out of a pool…

We had to sit for an hour and a half to two hours in a hot room because they had no air conditioning, it took us a half an hour just to get drinks, the owner was there, He should’ve comped some drinks something but he didn’t do a thing, he came over and had some dessert from the people that brought The birthday dessert. For how much our bill was that was very disappointing. The food was great though and that’s a beautiful place.

A fine dining experience with great Italian food. I got the pork shank it was very tender and the server was correct. It definitely fell off the bone with ease. Also got to try the butter pie with blueberries and it was amazing! Will definitely be coming back to try more of the menu. The service was top notch and the vibe of the staff was so pleasant. Tonight I was reminded that flavor chasing can be fun and rewarding.

For our anniversary we went to Nicola's. It was very nice. I had chicken parmesan, which was amazing! My husband had the filet in a gorgonzola cheese sauce. The only negative would be the blue cheese on top of the steak overpowered everything. The ceasar salad had the most amazing flavor, and of course, the turtle cheesecake for dessert was great! Overall, this is a great place for a special occasion!

Food was honestly very delicious....but I think it's overpriced. 10 dollars for a very basic salad and 26 dollars for tortellini but not fresh parmesan. I know, very picky....corking fee is 20 per bottle. They do have an excellent wine list, but man, the prices are crazy high.

This is the classiest Italian restaurant in the region. The food is chef-prepared and you can tell. The atmosphere is terrific for a normal date night or a special occasion. I highly recommend it.

This was a good italian restaurant. They didn't have many choices for me as I'm lactose intolerant. Everything had cream in the sauce. So I got the pork loin. It was very tender and good. I don't think i would go often, just because of my issues.

I think I was most impressed by the ambiance which is reminiscent of The Garrison though less intimate & without the "speakeasy" facade. Prices were roughly equivalent. The location is more convenient though far less pastoral. I wouldn't label this as traditional "Italian cuisine" per se, but there certainly were reflections of Italia. Our reservation was at 8pm. While the bar was packed, the pure restaurant area was sparsely populated. I preferred it for conversation. While the bar is said to offer faster service, if fast service is important, go to Fazolis. Nicola's service was more than adequate while discrete, polite & efficient. I mean, if you're going to pay these prices, allot the time, sit back & enjoy... The wine list was nice, hitting a majority of the bases & their pours were adequate by the glass. I split the Beef Carpaccio with my son, while my wife split her special Seafood Cakes with him (no surprise). I tasted what they could spare & it was very good. I've had better Carpaccio elsewhere but it was serviceable - colorless, too limp with marginal taste, but serviceable. I questioned its freshness due to the faded color. Our entrees were delivered a tad too soon for our purposes but certainly about right: The Salmone for the wife; the Sea Bass for my son. I asked the waitress what their signature dish was - surprisingly she suggested the Pasta Nicola which I, in turn, ordered. My crew absolutely raved about their selections...I mean, RAVED! Mine was served at an extremely warm temperature & with a surprising amount of spice which made me appreciate the waitresses' prompt, seamless water refills. It was good enough to finish but didn't bowl me over like my companions. We were too sated for dessert but probably should have sampled & split one. My overall ranking would have leaned more toward "Good" than "Great" but my cohorts' reviews were outstanding...so I succumbed. Overall, it was a great evening nonetheless - and who could ask more? While this being a "hidden gem" might be excessive, it certainly is well-worth patronage - special occasion or otherwise. It has the potential to rank up there with the old Shady Inn that Bass Pro demolished, leaving only their signature tree. I would still offer Shady 2.0 & jewel status as a SGF standard go-to as you never know which acquaintance you might run into...part of Shady's legend.

I wish I could give Nicola's even more stars. Nicola was beyond accommodating for a last minute business meeting. I had to use their private room and he was able to make it work even though there were other reservations later in the night. He let me come in early before they opened to set up. Once arriving, I realized I didn't have the correct adaptor for my MacBook to hook up to their projector. Nicola immediately offered to run to the store to find a solution. He came back just 15 minutes later and saved the day! The food was so good and the vibes were great. The restaurant was clean and the staff were very friendly. I will be back!

The food was delicious and the service was great. It was like eating in a cave it was so dark. And the prices were too high.

Great food, perfect service from Katie. There were 8 of us. We enjoyed the duck, seafood pasta, steak, mushroom soup, wedge and beet salads, the snails, meatballs, fabulous Cannoli and great mixed drinks - great way to celebrate my birthday!

This place is a gem in Springfield. The ambience is off the charts. The food exemplary (even to go). The portions are spot on - not insanely large or anemic. Try this out for a date, anniversary, or anytime. You will be happy you did.

Ambiance was great - pretty, Nicky decorated tables. . Menu was good. Food was just ok. Being from the east coast and being Italian - food was mediocre. Staff although friendly - was very young and immature. All fooling around at front desk - running and yelling to each other through restaurant (on Christmas Eve) and didn't even say goodbye to us as we left when there were 3 of them at the desk.

Travel a lot. Aside from the North End Italian restaurants, of which there are many, and other fine eateries, Nicola's is about as good as it gets. Beautiful "old school Sinatra style" ambiance, decor, great wine selection and impeccable Italian inspired dishes. Service was also impeccable. Can't remember the pretty young ladies name who waited on me, believe it may have started with an "A"? You'll recognize her w the nose ring and sweet smile. I'll be back - if business brings me back to Springfield. Bon Apetit!

An old friend treated me for dinner here when I returned to town. Wow was I surprised. What a simple, classy, sophisticated experience in a strip center! Enjoyed the cowboy steak, decor and service.

Excellent food, service and atmosphere. A real neighborhood location. The owner and staff are always focused on great food and service.

I had a great experience this evenings at Nicola's from the service to the food. I noticed immediately the quiet and soothing environment as everything is very well set up and spaced out nicely. I felt I was able to focus on my table and meal very well without some of the usual distractions that restaurants can have.

As always Nicola's Ristorante delivered last night! The service was excellent and the food was even better:-) I love the ambiance and supporting local businesses is what I'm all about, we are lucky to have such a fantastic restaurant in our community!

What a great place for a date night! Service was prompt and welcoming. The meal itself was delicious. Definitely get the house pasta when you go. Enjoy.

Long time favorite. Great place for couples night. Parking can be a little tricky on busy nights. Reservations recommended. They will reserve a table for you in the bar! Italian food done right.

Gave it a try. Gave up and went some place else. Menu was blah. Hoped for more. Would have loved to see one entree that was a little adventurous or exciting.

Good atmosphere, very good food, usually great service. Recommend for a special night out or a romantic date night.

The food here is very good. The service? Well let me tell ya. The waitress, Alyson T was excellent. Very friendly and helpful. It was my father's birthday and she made it enjoyable.

Their food is good and drinks are great but sit in the bar. Service on the restaurant is very slow.

Have you ever taken a bite of food that was so delicious the world around you suddenly just faded away? Did you also feel yourself pause in that same moment just so you could savor every second of that bite? I had never heard of such a thing until one night I experience it firsthand. I remember I was sat between two of the firm's best Sr Partners, trying to answer all their questions until our meals came. The presentation of my meal alone was so beautiful that I knew this was not like any other Italian place I had been to before. And boy was I right! One bite...ONE BITE of Nicola's Filet Gorgonzola and I was gone. If the Partners next to me were still talking or asking questions, I did not hear a word they said. Needless to say, I did not win over either of those Sr Partners that night; but Nicolo's Filet was beyond worth it. It was truly, hands down, the best food and service I have ever had! I highly recommend Nicola's Ristorante to anyone who likes the best Italian cuisine in town, a relaxing atmosphere, and excellent service.

Excellent, friendly service and delicious, freshly made Italian dishes. Husband had the pork shank and it was so good he's ready to go again SOON. I had the pasta Nicola which was fresh made pasta, mushrooms, sausage w a little kick and a tomato creme sauce. So good! We split a wedge salad which was perfect. Their bread was fresh made and I could have eaten a lot more but stopped myself. Didn't have dessert but suspect it wouldn't disappoint.:) They have a full bar and huge wine list. Loved the ambiance of this place and will definitely go back!

I feel that the level of service and food quality is dropping. We came to celebrate a birthday and made reservation 48 hours ealier. For our dinner reservation we were sat down at a table that was not set up. The butcher paper and the silverware rollups were brought to us by the hostess. We had to help her setup the table when we were already seating. 2 of the menus were dirty with food indicating that the menus were not wiped with sanitizer between different guests usage. Choking during these pandemic times. The server took a long time to come and welcome us. The overall service was long. We placed our beverage and food order at the same time. We had to ask for iced tea refill each time the server was around our table or when the food was brought to our us. The red beets in the salad were not well peeled and were bland (not seasoned). The caramelized walnut were ok but not crunchy. Both zitti pasta dishes were overcooked. The linguine were fine. I had reminded discretely the hostess, as we arrived, to mention to the server that I had made a reservation 2 days prior for a birthday. She confirmed the knowledge for the special celebration. I was hoping for a candle. When the desserts arrived, the server announced out loud to the table "we dont have candles.. sorry, bur happy birthday" it was embarrassing. The dessert were ok, we did not finish the canole. $180 tab including 18% minimum tips. It was our 4th visit in 2 years. Disappointing!

Always delicious, fabulous service and great ambiance. This is a perfect venue for dinner with a group of friends, family celebration or dinner for two. Can't go wrong at Nicolas!

Great place. Great food and good service! Higher than Zios -but worth it! Great for that special occasion meal!

The Calamari steak with teriyaki sauce was not tasty at all. The Seafood Pasta is unfortunately the worst Italian dish I've ever had. The portion was generous, it was loaded with clams, & it came with giant prawns & scallops, but the problem was the prawns weren't fresh & the scallops were at a different temperature than the rest of the dish, they were slightly undercooked; the sauce was salty without depth... The only positive note was the atmosphere, when we entered & sat diwn, we were excited & anticipating a great dining experience but it was anything but! The poor waitress was polite & good nature but she was severely under-trained.

Being Italian/Scilian and recently moving to Springfield, Mo. Every restaurant in Springfield should be ashamed to call itself an Authentic Italian Resturante'! Nicola's is no different. The Service is amazing, the ambiance is very appealing. Especially for a date night. I definately recommend reservations, especially weekends. Now. As far as the food goes. It's average at best and $$$.

Only opened for dinner. This is fine Italian (training from Italy, the world, NY, Chicago, and now Springfield, Mo is his home) dining on one side and a more casual bar that serves their entire menu on another. The service is generally impeccable with Nicola always visiting your table-side at some point of the night. It is very clear that the majority of the customers are regulars. Things to Note: 1) Homemade pastas 2) Very sizable entrees to share 3) Lots of good table bread options 4) Spectacular wine list 5) Cannolis!! 6) Private dining options for birthdays, corporate events, etc. available Favorite: 1) Pasta Gilardi (homemade Ricotta noodles with a spicy sausage/mushroom sauce) 2) Duck! Nicola is a place worthy of a special occasion or a comfortable Thursday Night out dinner.

We love the fresh pasta at Nicola's!! Great wine selection! Great service and the owners. Nicola and Monica, are wonderful people !! You will be happy you stopped in for dinner

Arrived at 9:48 kitchen closed Yelp hours say open until 11 wasted our time driving there!

This place is a very nice environment, staff was helpful in helping me decide what I wanted to eat. I would say, it was one of the BEST dining experiences that I have had in Springfield, EVER! Thank you to our waitress, Lindsay, she was literally the best! Oh and they have imported Italian beer and a wine selection for Update: this is still the best place in Springfield. If you have the extra money to spend. Go here. This experience is so personalized. You never felt like you were home til a chat with Nicola at your table.

Food was ok. Waitress was great. Coke was flat. I ordered the duck and had a long piece of hair wrapped around one of the legs. I sent it back and requested to have it removed from my ticket

One of my favorite restaurants. Great happy hour also. The food is always spectacular. Try it, you will love it!

I keep hoping it improves... I remember the good old days when Nicola's was downtown. And you felt like you were having dinner at your noni's house. The food was authentic, (think homemade pasta), service impeccable and atmosphere reflected the food experience. I've only eaten at Nicola's a couple of times in the last few years. Twice in the last year. Went back this week and now I remember why it's been so long. The food is just meh Once again I left disappointed tonight. While the service and atmosphere are fine, the food is just ok. Ordered a Caesar salad. Swimming in dressing. Some freshly shaved Parmesan or a Parmesan crisp would have been a nice touch. Ordered veal piccata. Again, SWIMMING IN sauce... this time a lemon piccata sauce. Lemon didn't taste fresh. Breading was mushy and Angel Hair was over cooked. It tasted like it had been sitting under warming lights for a couple hours and everything just got soggy and mushy. Owner stopped by the table when we were first seated and welcomed us. That was a nice touch. I think the best Italian in Springfield is probably Avanzare or Piccolo in Nixa.

We visited Nicolas recently for a birthday dinner. They really outdid themselves with service. Very nice. Our party had Veal Parmigiana, Mushroom Raviolo, Pasta with vodka sauce, Tortellini, and Chicken Parmesan. All of the food was delicious. I will say ALL of the pasta sauces were on the salty side. The pastas were all handmade, delicious, and the sauces were good, but too salty. I do t say this lightly since one of the party who ordered the Mushroom Raviolo is a salt hound. It was too salty for her. Cut back on the salt a little, and this would have been a 5 star review. Go to Nicolas, and buoy your dinner. If you are salt sensitive you might tell them to lighten the daily a little on your order.

This is a great place for an intimate or nicer sit-down Italian meal. Expect to pay at least $30/person, but the food quality is totally worth it. The portions are great too. I ordered the Nicola Pasta which is a tomato sauce and sausage pasta. Very creamy. Very delicious. To start I had their salad of the day which was a spicy Italian salad. And last but certainly not least was their chocolate cannoli. Amazing! I did not try any wine but they also have a very nice wine selection. Everything from a $8 glass to $650 bottles of wine. They have sections for small and large groups. I definitely expect to come back here in the future.

This is the second time I've eaten at Nicola's, though my husband remembers them "way back when". This is a lovely and romantic place to go with your sweeti, a great place to take family members, or treat a friend. Their dishes are remarkably affordable, given the upscale ambiance. The best part? They have many gluten-free options! (Thank you, Nicola's!) We really enjoyed the wedge salad, one of our favorites where ever we go. We also shared the chicken curry, which was wonderful, as well. I had to pass on the bread, so I can't speak on that topic, except that they bring it to the table before the meal. Service was FAST - that was the other thing I noticed. Our server was super nice, and made sure we were well taken care of . As we left, we took a peak into the bar and the patio. Both looked like fun places to be - great ambiance, again. Bar was more of an "upscale" feel, while the patio was more casual. Something for everyone! I would definitely suggest eating at Nicola's.

A phenomenal atmosphere, food, and service. Had a wonderful time on a date with great wine and conversation. Highly recommend.

Food was average to below average- way overpriced for what it is. Service was just okay. I got the vodka rigatoni and it was average. I would not go back.

My wife and I took an evening out at this restaurant and aside from the emptiness of the dining room we were seated by a door with a draft. The food took a decent amount of time to come out of the kitchen but, the salads were odd that balsamic was added to a caesar...BALSAMIC IN A CAESAR SALAD! When the entrees were brought out we were astonished at the presentation of a seafood pasta that had shrimp with tails still on! How or why would I as a customer want to yank tails off of a marinara covered shrimp!? On to the calamari which was quite literally chewing a piece of rubber. God forbid some old person with weak dentures chokes on one. Finally the scallops, which were bland and tasteless and overall crap. This was all on my wife's plate alone mind you. Now the duck that I had ordered. I was excited for a moist succulent piece of poultry, what I got a dried overly cooked piece of what I could swear was chicken but none the less a dried piece of meat on a bone. By the end after pointing out these things to the waiter who agreed at our reaction and even said that complaints have been consistent about the food. After only the salads, crusty bread and 2 glasses of wine and refusing to pay for those entrees I still spent 34 dollars. Worst restuarant experience ever! 0 stars if possible.

Poor service and over priced food. Spend 12 minutes waiting for my sever. The food was bland and not authentic.

Had the best meal ever. Our service was amazing (Eric) was our server and probably had the best service we had in Springfield. The quality of food was stellar. LOVED THE GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS. The best thing about this selection of food is its Italian and its real Italian choices. Not every dish is pasta, I had the Pork loin-the meat pulled from the bone, if you can appreciate well cooked best prepared food this is the place. Wine selection amazing. Menu versatile and fulfilling, well priced with whole food. REAL ITALIAN STYLE COOKING. Full bar, and rich food selections make this an place to enjoy the whole evening not some place to eat and leave, we had an amazing experience and cannot wait to go back. Full review to come later but I would say this is the best place in the SGF!

Limited menu but great food , wine and atmosphere, upscale though and expensive so I think we'll save this place just for special occasions

Great ambiance, courteous staff and very nice. Feels like an awesome family dinner place yet professional appearance for formal events. GQ

Nicola's is the kind of place you want to go to celebrate a fancy occasion. This place has a very nice ambience, great setting making it perfect for a birthday or date night or even a business meeting. While the food itself is pricey, the ambience and the quantity justify it. I had the penne in vodka cream sauce and it was very creamy, smooth and tasty. I could also eat it for two whole meals and have some leftover. The bread and spread they get for the table tastes very fresh and nice! My friends got the salmon and the basil chicken and theirs came in big amounts too. The portobello for appetizers is very well done and is the right combination of crispy and soft. The quantity of the appetizer is just right. The house salad has a great dressing. I'd definitely go back just to try desserts since we were so full when we ate there and couldn't try any!

Chicken Kiev amazing and The risotto when they have it Great wine selection love this place one of my favorites you can't go wrong

Our dinner tonight was amazing and our waitress kicked ass! We sat outside on the patio in tue perfect weather. My wife ordered the snails appetizer. It was super tasty. Love snails. It tasted great with the bread they serve. Next up was the salad course. We both had the jazzed up Caesar salad with blue cheese, tomato and bacon added. Finished mine. For the entree I ordered the seafood pasta. It had large shrimp, scallops, calamari and plenty of muscles. My wife ordered the sea bass dish served with a saffron cream sauce, basmati rice and mixed vegetables. We are going back for sure.

I have three words for this monument to Italian dining, and together they should form all the persuasion you need to patronize this little slice of heaven. Are you ready? Here they are: Veal. Ravioli. Pizza. Now, if you're saying to yourself, "Oh no they didn't," let me take a moment to correct you. Yes, they did. And it is every bit as wonderful and decadent as its title suggests. It's so good, that even if everything else on the menu were utter garbage, I would still give this restaurant a five star review on the strength of this single menu offering. Fortunately, I don't have to do that, because there are plenty of other options which are equally tasty, and they are served by one of the funnest wait staffs in the land of 417. Put simply, there's a reason why Nicola's boasts a five star AVERAGE here on Yelp, and you need to experience it for yourself ASAP.

Yummy stuff for sure! We had a group of seven 4 adults and 3 kids. Kids had pizza and it was very good. Adults had their bruschetta that was very good and fresh. My husband had their tomato soup which was rich and creamy. I had their wedge salad which was very good and their chicken parm because the waitress recommended it...don't typically get this dish but it was good. Friends got pasta Nicola and cheese tortellini...all very good. We brought plenty of leftovers home. The restaurant is lovely...very nice ambience. Their outdoor patio is very nice too. Overall highly recommend great food and service.

If you are undersided about what would your taste buds want well look no further. Lame Shank with garlic potatoes and a bottle of Silver Beach Sauvignon Blanc or a glass if don't your missing the second most wonderful thing in your life.

The more we go to this place, the more we love it. We generally set in the bar area to eat. The food is fantastic. What impresses me most is the service. After watching him grow this business over the last 15 years, he is one restauranteur that gets it. Charges a fair price for the meal, then provides the best service in town. His motto to his employees is the customer is always right, if you don't think so, ask me.

An amazing dinner. Yelped an Italian restaurant on our way to Dallas from Illinois and hit the jackpot. Everything from the service to the home-made pasta were delicious. We started with the meatball and polenta appetizer YUM!!!. Then the Italian wedding soup which was the best we have ever had. My husband had the pork shank which was fall off the bone tender and very flavorful. I had the veal marsala and will be craving it until our return trip. Then the butter cake was the perfect dessert to end this fabulous meal. The owner was great. Came by twice to check on our experience and even had a nice conversation with him on our way out. This by far us a destination restaurant that you will go out of your way to stop at!!