Uncle Nicky's Italian Specialties — Restaurant in Austin

I work nearby so I decided to walk over for lunch, which I ordered ahead of time to enjoy a bit at the restaurant before taking everything to-go later and not have to ask an employee to bag up my meal. My initial reaction was that the establishment is exceedingly casual; I also work on South Lamar and recognize the price of living/working here, but to grab a $17 serving of spaghetti and meatballs (which were decent but nothing entirely special or elevated) on a lunch break, it’d be more relaxing to not see half-eaten food and what looked like unattended samples on a bar counter. There was a low droning sound and a fly hanging in the air. A patron was vaping inside the restaurant, at another table an irritated father yelling at his hungry baby. Of those two, the former could be mitigated by an employee — but there only seemed to be one employee at the counter. After waiting patiently for the employee to finish tending to another customer ahead of me, I greeted them with a smile and said, “Hi, I’m picking up an online order…” I’ve never experienced customer service where I’m not given at least a hello, and even worse, the employee grimaced and said nothing to me, “..for Anna.” At this point, they turned around to the only to-go order on the counter, handed me the bag and said nothing again. I work in customer service as well; we all have bad days, but this experience really just makes me not want to go back at all.

The atmosphere felt depressingly heavy. There’s some heavy energy at this location. As a neighbor, I’m rooting for the businesses around here to thrive so we can build up our SoLa community — this experience was so disappointing. I even thought of trying a dessert but I just left wanting to leave as soon as possible. If they can improve their customer-facing services to match their pricing, I’d love...

A Birthday Lunch & Learn to Remember – Thanks to Uncle Nicky’s!

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I’m always on the lookout for great eats, especially when it comes to catering for the office. Every month, my company hosts a Lunch & Learn—a chance to break bread while the execs share insights on trending workplace topics. This month, however, was extra special. Not only did we have our usual session, but it was also my boss’s birthday, so we decided to treat ourselves a little more than usual.

The team unanimously voted for Italian, and I was thrilled because I’d already fallen in love with Uncle Nicky’s famous meatballs. This time, I got to dive deeper into their menu, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. We ordered a large Caesar salad, a tray of chicken alfredo, and of course, those legendary meatballs.

From the very first bite, it was clear we made the right choice. The meatballs were just as rich and flavorful as I remembered, the alfredo was perfectly blended with just the right balance of noodles to sauce, plus a healthy amount of tender chicken, and the Caesar salad had that ideal crunch with just the right amount of dressing. The whole office was buzzing about how good everything was—raving reviews all around!

Shoutout to Taylor Gardner, their Director of Events and Catering, for making the ordering process seamless. Our office is near 360 & 2222, so while there isn’t a location super close (except for Duval, which doesn’t handle catering), the South Lamar team made it happen—even though it was a bit of a trek. And for those who don’t mind splurging, they offer delivery for an even easier experience.

If you haven’t tried Uncle Nicky’s catering yet, let this be your sign. Thank you to the South Lamar team and to Taylor for such a fantastic experience—you’ve just earned some...

Tried Uncle Nicky’s for a couple of Italian sandwiches, and it turned into a full-on scavenger hunt. We clicked the “order for pickup” link from their Google page, which took us to DoorDash. Naturally, we assumed it was for the location we clicked on. Nope, turns out it defaults to their North Austin spot. Didn’t realize that until I showed up at the South location for pickup and was met with confused looks and zero help.

The staff, especially one employee, seemed more annoyed than interested in being helpful. No solutions offered, just “we don’t have your order.” I called the North location (credit to them for at least being polite) and they said to contact DoorDash. Cool.

After burning time and gas, I tried calling in a fresh order at the South location. Same employee, same energy. She flat-out refused to take my order over the phone, insisting I use an app... even though their location isn’t on DoorDash. After some back and forth, she finally gave in and took the order.

I show up again, order is not ready. I waited while the staff casually milled around. When I finally got the order? The sandwich wasn’t grilled like I asked, the bread was not what i ordered and there was wayyyyy too much of it. Basically a loaf of bread pretending to be a sandwich.

Oh, and it was $40 for two sandwiches. Unreal. That didn’t even include the mystery “health and wellness” fee they tacked on, despite already tipping.

Bottom line: poor service, chaotic ordering process, and totally overpriced. There are way better sandwich shops in Austin....