Nikki C's Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Arcadia

The parking lot behind the restaurant is relatively small and difficult to access if you're not familiar with the area. I mention this first because I wanted to get the only negative out of the way, so I can focus on more important items.

It was my first time, but it will not be my last. I was with four other people for whom it was also their first time here, but they were very complementary about their respective dishes. I kept things very simple for my first time--an antipasto salad. In my travels, I've discovered if an Italian restaurant can make a good antipasto, it bodes well for the rest of the menu. Crunchy, so the lettuce blend was relatively fresh with no obvious evidence of wilting. An excellent balance and blending of salami, pepperoni, and provolone where the flavors were present, but not dominant. Finally, the area where many salads go south: the dressing. Sometimes, too strong in flavor, too much in quantity, or too much ambition. I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied. It was the best antipasto I've had in years.

I only gave four stars tonight, due to my limited exposure to the menu. But, I'll be back and I'm confident the score will increase based on my friends' reactions and my...

Pretty good food. Pretty good service. Can’t say I had the best Italian meal or service here, but there were definitely some highlights that will have me coming back.

For one, wine Wednesday! Half off up to $40 bottles and $20 off anything more than $40. They had a wine from prisoner under $40 which was really nice for under $20. Jordan would be a great deal for under $80 next time. The other drinks were pretty good, meaning strong and not outrageously priced. I suggest the Dirty Nina and my GF the Petite Poire.

Food wise, I tried the Ciopinno Pasadena which has a lighter broth than I’m used to, but very good. Price was reasonable, but didn’t have crab so there is the trade off. Other seafood was fresh and nicely prepared I asked for spicy, which they accommodated as well. GF enjoyed the lasagna and rest of the group seemed to enjoy the other dishes, like calamari, shrimp martini, burrata and pasta.

Service was pleasant. Had a small issue when I asked for bread, but not major. This place is old school and clearly has...

I wouldn't recommend this place and I'm genuinely confused about the high ratings. This is the kind of restaurant you see on "Kitchen Nightmares." We were visiting the area and were definitely fooled by the good reviews but should've walked away when we saw the "Italian" menu featuring tacos, burritos, ceviche, wings... Of course, the food was just lame. The pasta was an overcooked and watery mush, they insult everyone's intelligence by claiming their sauce is "homemade," I guess they must mean pouring it out of the can and heating it up with some herbs makes it homemade. Their cheese garlic bread was genuinely inedible, a tough and dry bread with some melted cheese on top. They give you some "focaccia" upon seating which was dense and clearly not focaccia, tasted more like Olive Garden bread sticks. Basically, only come here if either you don't know how to cook, you want a local and lame version of Olive Garden, or you want someone to heat up frozen food for you. Waste of...