Nick’s On Madison

Nick's did not disappoint this foodie!  We had reservations in the evening, but showed up early since we were able to sneak away from work a little early.  The place was just opening as we arrived and completely empty.  It gave us time to take in the beautiful bar and art work around the restaurant.  I enjoyed the casual feel of the place: open and airy, classy but not stuffy, clean and crisp. Our waitress greeted us and got our first round of drinks and let us know to enjoy the quiet time together while we could as they were expecting a full house (it was a Tuesday night mind you).  And indeed it began to fill up fast after 6PM.  And even when completely full and bustling, we were able to carry on a conversation with ease.We planned on doing all the courses, so we settled into our little spot and started sipping our delightful cocktails as we caught up on life.  Our waitress remained attentive just at the right times and it was clear she was very on top of it even while taking care of multiple tables!Our choices for the evening; my friend had the Spicy Margarita : just the right amount of spice and clearly made with all fresh ingredients.  The perfect bite of lime to compliment the smooth Tequila.  It was light and refreshing for sure.  But I'm a bourbon gal, so I opted for the Black Manhattan.  I loved the simplicity of this cocktail and the bourbon was perfect for a crisp fall evening.  Both cocktails were strong, so slow sipping is recommended.  For our second cocktails that evening she opted for the House Old Fashioned and I ordered an off menu a Vieux Carré.  Both were well made, but I really wish they had served mine a large rock as well instead of normal ice.For dinner we opted to share everything of course so we could both get the full experience.  Course one: Mushroom Bruschetta.  Oh lord was this so good.  The earthy mushrooms with the perfect thick cut sourdough and the slight bit of greens was a delight for our taste buds and had me very hopeful for things to come.  Second: The soup that night was a cauliflower and gruyere.  It was smooth, creamy, warm, and oh so savory.   We also paired it with the fig and poached pear salad.  They were both delicious and even my friend who said "I'm not sure I'll like that soup" loved it!  Third course:  We opted for the King Salmon and Duck Breast.  The salmon was very light with a wonderful earthy umami sauce with a hint of spiciness and texture added with the crispy rice.  The duck was rich and flavor forward and everything on the plate melded together perfectly!  We were both pretty full and happily buzzing at this time, but we decided to push through and get the final course while sipping some coffee and tea.  I had the spiced pumpkin cheesecake and she had the chocolate cake.  Both of them were decadent and sealed the deal for us that Nick's was indeed a spot to put on the list to come back to.  So get your reservation in and get an Uber so you can enjoy the evening and not have to skimp on their great cocktails ;)

I've been wanting to go to Nick's since it opened and finally had the chance. Everything was wonderful from the stunning decor to the wine and the food was absolutely perfect in every dimension! Will be adding this to our regular restaurant rotation!

Great food, attentive staff. This place is a gem. We will be back for sure. Cauliflower app and burrata apps were fantastic. Everyone enjoyed their entrées, and deserts were fire.

Went with friends + our 2 year old toddler. Perfect time with great kid friendly service (crayons and a toy car upon arrival!), great food (I always love the fried chicken sandwich - the bolognese is great too!), and a relatively spacious environment for the being in the middle of the neighborhood. Every time we come here we start making plans to come again. Nick's is a gem.

Finally got a chance to check out Nick's On Madison for happy hour. They have a great selection of bites and some drinks on their hh menu. We ordered: the charcuterie board, bao buns, Caesar salad, Moscow mule, and an old fashioned. Everything tastes excellent and the service was great too. Looking forward to coming back for dinner next time!

Great food and lovely ambiance. Clearly a lot of locals and the owners were front and center. Great area - Montlake

We've been here before and it was great so it was really disappointing to have a bad meal and even worse service. We were seated in the back room which would have been okay except we were ignored from then on. Had to get the manager to take a minute to order drinks. Our waitress took her sweet time getting with us to order an appetizer. Another long wait to order entrees and she never bothered to see if we were fine, wanted more beverages or anything else! The waitress we had last time brought us our food and remembered us. My date had the rib eye that he didn't want to finish it was so poor. My risotto made me ill later in the evening. Our waitress never bothered to come back and ask if we wanted dessert. We had to ask for the check. We wanted to speak to the manager about it but he was too busy. We're not ones to stiff a server for bad food but she was a lousy waitress so she got a $5. That's $4.50 more than I would have left.

Swung by last weekend for dinner and got to try the new nicoise salad. It was delicious! And such a great size for a light dinner option. Service and drinks were great, as always

Environment was great if a bit loud.Food ranged from mediocre to very good across our group. Service was poor. Our waitress demonstrated disturbing behavior dominating our table scape in unsubtle ways and was also unable to deliver our selections accurately to the kitchen (despite pen and paper props in hand).

Foot is consistently good. Love the vibe here. Nick is always there and he has a great presence. Love this little neighborhood spot.