NICO Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Newark

I can't shake it. I feel like someone stole my wallet. Went to Bill Burr show at the NJ Pac. Had reservations with my wife and 4 sons before the show. I should have realized something was wrong as the show was sold out, but the restaurant was almost empty! So here's what you get. Cocktails are priced higher than the hottest restaurants in NYC, and they are measured ( so bring a flask or be prepared for a liquor bill that's higher than your mortgage payment) Prefix menu that's so limiting. Pick your appetizer? Sad that the most exciting thing is grilled asparagus!!! Or try the shrimp cerviche which is served in this huge white plate that houses a half of one piece of shrimp cut into tiny, tiny pieces, sprinkled with POPCORN!! Main course- Lots of luck. Pasta, 2 of my sons ordered and sent it back. Hanger steak? Im still chewing it the morning after. Pick a desert. House special is Bombosso or something like that. What is it? Dunkin munchkins with chocolate sauce!! Check please- How much? $525 for the 6 of us and we could not wait for the show to end so we could go get something to eat. The pizza we got on the way home blew away anything on that menu!!. Oh, the bread is decent. The chef owner, Ryan is a pro!! What a waste of talent in this overpriced, disappointment of a "high end " restaurant!!!! NEVER , NEVER AGAIN!! Btw, google does not let you post a review with at least giving 1 star, so don't be fooled. I would give it minus 5 stars if I could. I'm not a review person, but could not wait to get up this morning to tell the world what a disgusting rip off...

Ok, This was our second sub-par visit, and we've now made a mental note to by-pass this place. The place gets two stars from us, for being conveniently located steps from any NJPAC performance. The drinks were average, at best. I was starving and ordered the salmon. BIG MISTAKE. DRY, DRY, DRY, no taste. No seasoning whatsever! The soup reminded me of the can tomatoe soup I had as a kid with my grilled cheese sandwich. The only difference was, it looked like the chef threw some white kidney or butter beans in the soup. My husband wasn't as hungry as I was, and ordered the crab cakes with cabbage. Crab cakes were hard as a rock, and cabbage was tasteless. We thought we had plenty of time to make it for an 8:00pm show. NOT. We got there at 6:00pm ish. Ordered right away, but still had to wait extensively for our food to arrive. Arrived at the performance late, even though we were steps away. Ordered a cocktail. HORRIBLE, had to send it back. The Manager never came over to ask us how our evening was going. Funny, he asked others around us. Hmmm?? Others around us complained as well about their food, and were given free drinks. We didn't make a reservation, so we had to sit in the bar area. We weren't given a choice actually. Didn't realize that sitting in the bar area would make a difference in the menu options. We were never told that. It's a shame because this place is so convenient when going to see a...

Nico Kitchen + Bar is a very nice restaurant. When we arrived the atmosphere was very nice except for the female hostess. She had an attitude and was not friendly at all. Once we were seated our server came a greeted us. Jasmine is a breath of fresh air. Very friendly, informative and personable. She gave us a perfect fine dining experience. My husband and I were in town July 22, 2018 for a concert at NJPAC which is connected here and made a reservation for convenience. We made a great decision. The Nico burger was perfection. The beef was top quality. The beers on tap were fresh and were served at the right temperature. If you know beer you will definitely tell the difference. Jasmine suggested the creme brule' after we enjoyed our cappuccinos. It was delicious. I wish I had of got my own instead of sharing with my husband hahaha. I definitely reccomend this restaurant. Ignore the hostess' attitude and ask for Jasmine. Jasmine will surely take care of you! Jasmine and the quality of the food are why I am...