Nick’s Fishmarket Grill & Bar

Me and my companion went during restaurant week and were impressed with the selection being offered. We both started with the lobster bisque. It was delish! I completely agree with the other reviewers.
The other entries we had; crab crusted tilapia and shrimp /​lobster risotto were fair. The taste was okay but I would not get either again.

Food is exceptionable, abundant and reasonable. Service always great!

My husband and I went for dinner on a Wednesday night and were pleasantly surprised. The entrance to the building is unattractive so I was worried about the quality of the restaurant, but I am glad that I decided to still give the restaurant a try! The interior is rustic and the dimmed lighting makes a peaceful and calming ambience. I ordered the pan seared salmon with spinach and fingerling potatoes. The salmon was cooked perfectly and paired well with the spinach and potatoes. My husband had the grouper, which had a nice crusting of nuts and sauce. Both dishes were well-​plated and delicious. For desert, I had the molten lava cake which was served warm with a raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream with white chocolate chips. My husband had the strawberry cheesecake. Both dishes were a perfect ending to a wonderful dining experience. I would definitely recommend giving Nick’s a try while you are in Chicago.

Can’t say enough good things about this place. Awesome happy hour specials and bar light bites, great friendly bartenders, drinks that are NEVER lacking the proper punch, awesome mangement. The food is amazing also! Chilean Sea Bass that is so tender it melts in your mouth, Lobster Bisque is perfection! and Fish and Chips is also tasty, (I could go on — its that good) Exec Chef really is on point! The servers are always friendly and attentive. i definitely recommend this place! Perfect place to have a classy private event too they have really great separated areas and the events I have seen taken place there always made me wish I was invited.

First time here, place is nice and casual. Very relaxing atmosphere.
We started off with the Lobster bisque and OMG it is to die for!!! Very creamy and flavorful, a must try if you stop by.
We ordered the Lobster and Shrimp risotto and the Vodka Pasta with shrimp both dishes were amazing. Full of flavor and great portion size for the price. It’s a little on the expensive side but very worth it.
The only eh, part was the desert it wasn’t the best. Very average.
But, I highly suggest going to eat there :)

I grew up in Chicago and took clients to the original NFM. Discovered the one in the Mart after it opened. Great food and service as usual. Shout out to Jaime for consistent service.

We went here for happy hour, so this review will be short.
Happy hour specials are on food items. Illinois state law prohibits the discounting of liquor and beer. Weird.
We had a half dozen oysters. Blue points. And a beer and a champagne.
Mostly the food was ok. Though it wasn’t amazingly fresh.
Atmosphere is nice. Service was great at the bar.

Aside from the great seafood, this place has the best lobster bisque around! Also, a little secret — ask for the bread — it’s warm and delicious and totally worth the carbs!

I came here during restaurant week a few weeks ago and had a great experience. It was pretty empty on a weeknight. The ambiance is cool casual. There is a bar right when you walk in.
I ordered the lobster bisque, lobster tail risotto and the key lime tart. Everything was absolutely delicious! The lobster bisque was creamy and filling without being overly fishy. The risotto was cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth. The full lobster tail was seasoned to perfection and was also cooked perfectly. The key lime tart was the perfect sweet to end it. The menu said the dessert was a mini dessert but after that meal I couldn’t even finish it all! They put warm bread on the table as well.
I can’t wait to go back!

Went here on Saturday for Restaurant Week. I didn’t really care for the restaurant in a hotel feel of the place, but the food and service was great. I ordered off the special menu: lobster bisque — good; blue crab & brie crusted tilapia — delicious (tasted good even the next day when I reheated the leftovers); chocolate molten cake — yum (small but just enough for me). My friend had nicks nevada salad, bourbon shrimp and grits and the cheesecake. Enjoyed the meal. I tried the shrimp and it was good.

Not milk shaking, but Nick’s Black and Blue Ahi Tuna is what brought me to their yard.
For $ 18 share plate, this is a reasonable amount of high quality, buttery Ahi Tuna and it’s great to taste that freshness come through.
It’s typical that I’d accept and use a pair of chopsticks put before me during a meal, but my great fear here is that I’d motor though these slices of savory goodness in a matter of minutes, so knife and fork is recommended.
The coating isn’t overbearing and lacks the almost full peppercorns that seem to drag down the Niçoise at nearby Centro.
And that’s too bad because Centro does a decent job with their other dishes but they need to STEAL a page from Nick’s, regarding this kind of dish.
If the super fluffy wasabi ball is made out of the traditional horse radish, I had a harder time being convinced that at least some portion of it was not made out of true wasabi root. It’s either the most delish horseradish or blended I’ve tasted.
Having to erase a horrible Niçoise lunch experience from the day before, I decided to go with my gut instinct the next day and visit my original choice, nearby Nick’s. Always go with your gut!

Absolutely amazing!!! I am a hard person to please, yet the service was to die for, food delicious, management accommodating with no prompting! EXCELLENT experience! I will return.
Location is bit obscure. Get dropped on corner of Kinzie and Wells and walk up ramp. Entrance is on ramp not directly on Kinzie. Yet, sooooo worth it! Had the Classic Mix Grill and friend had Lobster Risotto. We Split and were in heaven! The drinks… alll amazing! PLEASE try the Nevada Salad as a starter, AMAZING!!!

The food is good. The service a little over the top. Was there on a Friday night and practically had the place to ourselves. Clearly they make their nut on the expense account lunch crowd.
A couple of people in our party remembered how Nick’s used to be. This modern version is fine and there’s nothing to complain about, unless you’re feeling nostalgic.

Really great place in the busy city
I would recommend this spot any time
I will defiantly come back

I used to love the old Nicks Fishmarket so imagine my surprise when I find out that they have opened a more casual version in the Merchandisie Mart. Made me smile in anticipation.
We went on a Saturday night, early as we had theater tickets for after. Given it was in the Mart, I really wasn’t surprised that we were the only table in the place up until about 7:30. Great if you want to dine in solitude, bad if you want a little ambiance or energy. In fact– it was so quiet in the place, that everything my friend and I said was echoing through the space.
The ambiance is sparce– wood tables with the bar area bathed in bolbalt blue. There are booths along the wall (ask for one or you might feel you are in the middle of the room!)
Our server, Adam, was great. Quick with suggestions and knowledageable about the menu. We started with the fresh oysters which were quite good and the cocnut shrimp which were HUGE (and what could ever be wrong with fried food?)
Our entrees were quite good too. I went with the Sea Bass and my friend ordered the shrimp scampi which they let him also add a couple of scallops to as well. His was the winner of the night as while my fish was good, the mashed potatoes that came with it were actually cold which was odd given we were the only people in the place!
Entrees range between $ 15 and $ 35 so there are plenty of choices no matter what your price range. If you drive– there are spots right out front on the driveway where you can park for free after 6! Or there is a parking garage at the corner of Wells which will run you about $ 18.
All in all, while the food was pretty good, the ambiance just didn’t work for me. I want a lively place with an energy that is additive to your night. Afterall– dinner out is supposed to be a special time and this just didn’t feel special. But if you are in the Mart and looking for a solid meal, this is probably one of your best choices!

THIS IS MY 145^th Unilocal REVIEW!!! YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY
— — — — –RESTARAUNT WEEK 2014 — — — — — FREE PARKING after 4:30pm
My bff and I came here to jump start our fat, foodie week. We had amazing food and service from our waitress Faith. We had the lobster bisque and the chocolate molten lava cake. My entrée was the tilapia with crab and bleu cheese and my bff had the shrimp with the vodka sauce, but she did not have very much vodka sauce. Overall, our meals were delicious. I had my go to drink, a lemon drop martini and she had a pomegranate martini, nice and strong, like we like em! Great start to a week of food that we look forward to every year. Thank you

Went for Restaurant week with three of my friends. Service was solid-​our waiter was nice and timing between meals was good.
Food-​I had the bisque, risotto and chocolate molten cake. Bisque was creamy and delicious but the salad was AMAZING so that was the better option.
Risotto had good flavor but the lobster on top was pitiful. Tough and looked ugly.
Molten cake-don’t get it! Super dry and not warm. The key lime pie was DELICIOUS and the cheesecake was good too.

BLOODY BRUNCH
I was lucky enough to be invited to attend an event here for the launch of the new Absolut Vodka Chicago bottle. It was a fun event. The staff of Nick’s was extremely friendly, as they walked around with passed snacks. My personal favorite was the Oyster Shooters in tall shot glasses. Nothing goes better with Bloody’s, then some fresh Oysters.
The space was very comfortable to hang out in. There was even room for a 3 piece jazz ensemble. It made for a nice relaxing event as we all sipped on Absolut Bloody Mary’s. There was also an incredible Bloody Mary Bar complete with sweet bacon, fresh beef jerky, shrimp, cheese, peppers, olives, asparagus, summer sausage, pepperoni, etc. You name it and they probably had it. I also met a person who had never had a Bloody Mary in there life and I helped load it up with stuff. That was kind of fun as I packed it full of salty yummy snacks. Nothing brings strangers together more then this. It is like the new salad bar for weekends.
The space was also very comfortable. There were plenty of high boys to stand at and enjoy your food/​drink or you could relax in one of the many booths. The room never felt cramped at all. Drinks were limited to a choice of two different Bloody’s. The bartenders were also from other bars and each was sharing there signature drink with the attendees.
So my review is more of using Nick’s as a venue for your next event. The space was comfortable and the staff was very friendly. I kept trying to talk my waitress into trying a Glazed and Infused Donut but she said she was not allowed. That is a good team member that can resist that kind of sweet temptation. I kept telling her that she needed to do the research, so she knew what she was serving her guests. I felt like George from Seinfeld but I never got her to take a bite.
It was a great time but how can anyone have a bad time with great food, live music and a friendly staff. I can hardly wait to come back again.

My lovely wife and I stopped here for a late lunch after spending the morning touring the design studios at the Merch. We had 10:00pm dinner reservations after a show at 7:30pm, so we figured a substantial lunch was in order to hold us over.
At 3:00pm on a Thursday, the place was all but empty. But having celebrated our anniversary a «tad» too much the prior evening, we decided to go the water and Pepsi route for drinks and leave the higher octane stuff for later.
I’ve been to the Nick’s in Rosemont, but tucked into the North side of the Merch, this location is a little bit more like a sports bar, at least that’s my opinion.
We started with the Flaming Spinach and Artichoke dip, which was expertly ignited by our server, Vince. It was yummy, and a good way to start. Be wary though, because the first bite of the tasty dip is like molten lava.
My wife chose the Fish Tacos and couldn’t have loved them more. The battered cod was cooked perfectly, and the avocado crema was a great accompaniment. The coleslaw was probably some of the best we’ve ever had in a restaurant, cool and creamy with just the right amount of tang to compliment the fish.
I opted for the Blackened Tilapia sandwich. The blackening spices were just right, producing a very nice amount of heat while not overpowering the fish. Served simply on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, and a dab of remoulade (I would have been happy with some on the side as well for dipping the thin crispy fries), it was pretty darn good.
As other reviewers have said, this really isn’t a date spot but you gotta make your own romance, right?
We left happy and filled just enough to carry us through to our late night dinner reservations.

I met someone for lunch here today. I got there a few minutes early, and asked the greeter whether the person I was meeting had arrived yet. Since she hadn’t the greeter volunteered letting me wait at the bar.
The bartender was instantly receptive. I didn’t have a drink, as I was going to meet my friend minutes later; nevertheless, she was extremely friendly as I was waiting.
As for the service at the actual table, it was a little more scattered than I would have otherwise preferred. According to my dining partner, Nick’s normally isn’t as busy as it was today for a weekday lunch. However, it was restaurant week, so the restaurant was pretty much completely booked.
I had a salmon with asian bbq sauce, jasmine rice, and side of vegetables. I think it was about 20 $. The salmon was wonderful, the jasmine rice was mediocre, and the vegetables were great.