Niko's Italian Cuisine — Restaurant in Owensboro

On our way home to Nashville from Holiday World, I pulled over on the side of the road to find the closest non-chain restaurant, closely off the exit, on the way home. This popped up, we love Italian, and it was a quick decision.

When we arrived, the building is confusing and we went to the wrong door. As we were loading up, I decided to call because I could smell garlic. The kind lady who answered the phone came out and found us in the parking lot and took us directly to a table.

My expectations were low. Yes, this is an offensive statement, but it is Kentucky and when I think Kentucky (or even my home state, for that matter), I certainly don't think Italian. The menu seemed pretty standard with the exception of some really nice specials.

When we received our food, I'd love to have had a hidden camera reaction from all our five faces. Yes, it's Italian, but nothing like I've ever tasted in a Southern state. You can tell there was a freshness difference and a prep difference.

My oldest son had the salmon special with the crab topping. My other son, spaghetti and meatballs. Spouse...chicken parmesan. Daughter...cheese pizza. Me....a baked ziti dish. Yes, all sound common, but there was nothing common about them. My daughter decided to dive into mine, and it was plenty for us both. That left her with three left over pizza slices. Not to let food waste, I had to try one. The BEST cheese pizza I've ever had. Seriously.

As we left, we all went to the kitchen window, yelled "Niko," and applauded him and his team. Don't miss this place. We may just drive back there JUST to eat for a...

What a delightful surprise! A group of friends spent the day at Holidayworld and a few of us decided to stop for food on the way back to Nashville. We looked for restaurants in the Owensboro area and found an incredible array to choose from. Settling on Italian for the evening, we chose Niko's. It's by a set of health buildings (which I'm sure the people in those offices appreciate!). But I must say I wasn't expecting the casual elegance that awaited us inside. The maitre d' found a place for us during the peak dinner hour on a Friday evening. Our server, Caitlyn, was fabulous. I observed 2-3 servers in the restaurant, so keeping pace with everyone is a skill, and one she pulled off well. We shared two appetizers: fried ravioli and Greek mushrooms. Both were excellent. The mushrooms came in a creamy sauce that was beautifully seasoned. Next, we all optioned for side salads. The vinaigrettes were all delicious! For our entrees, we chose the eggplant parmesan, a rigatoni dish with vegetables, and a margharita pizza. The eggplant parmesan in particular was a table favorite. Though fried, the eggplant is tender and succulent. It was served over a bed of capellini pasta that was perfectly sauced. All the while, they have an open kitchen so you can watch the process from beginning to end. I would hands down dine here again. Thank you for a most excellent visit! I will be sure to stop by on my next trip...

We’ve eaten at Niko’s several times over a few years and have had good food. Last evening however was a disappointment. My husband and I both had a Caesar Salad and the dressing appeared to be some sort of a vinaigrette instead of a typical Caesar dressing. There was a sprinkling of pre shredded Parmesan from a bag. I ate a few bites and stopped. My husband had the Filet Mignon, Creamy Mushroom pasta dish which was in need of seasoning. I had the Sicilian Rigatoni which quite simply tasted like tomato juice and I couldn’t detect any seasoning; no oregano, thyme, chili flakes, garlic powder, basil. We shared a tiramisu, which from the time we ordered until brought to the table had begun to melt however, the flavor was still excellent. The bread they serve is excellent. I realize waitstaff is overworked almost everywhere but I think our Server could have done a much better job. We had to flag him down for everything. I’m posting this for the simple reason that I’d like to go back again and hope they might perhaps address some of their shortcomings. Food cost have gone up and they, like most other places, are passing those cost on and I don’t mind paying for good food. This...