Nicholas Restaurant

Crowded but pleasant. Fresh food. We watched pita bread being made from our table. Knowledgable server. The food came out after about 15 to 20 minutes. Considering how busy they were things came out in a timely manner. Good food presentation. The vegetarian mezza was very good.

Nicholas on Broadway in one of my faves. The servers are consistently friendly and welcoming, and the food is consistently good. One of my favorite dishes is the Salmon Kebab as well as the Arabian Breeze Mezza platter. The portions are so large that there is always leftovers for a second meal the next day, which is awesome. My only criticism is that sometimes the servers aren’t attentive about offering me a second glass of wine… otherwise this place is consistently fantastic and somewhere I go to dine on a regular basis. Highly recommended!

The food is very good, and service was good also. The décor is a bit run down and DIY. The tables are also limited and you most likely sit at a long counter going down the middle of the room. I highly recommend the gyros. They are very good and good size portions. The cleanliness could be improved as well.

Wow! This food is delicious. I had the Moroccan Chicken Bowl. Hubby enjoyed the Shawarma Beef Bowl. Mmmm, mmmm, good! The service is excellent & the lunch meal options are well-​portioned and priced just right. Hubby & I will be returning.

Ate here last tuesday! I was very worried due to the downhill ratings on Unilocal.I can happily say they are unfounded. Yeah, the new menu is a bit Spartan and awfully colorful. The venue is still tiny and your in for an experience if your waiting for a table. Admittedly the server advised they had new people so expect a longer wait. BUUUUUT… the beef schwarma was amazing! Portions reasonable if smaller. (My party exclaimed «i feel like i barely started all this bread!» At the end of the meal.) So, yeah, still great place. Don’t believe the naysayers. Expect a tiny restaurant, good food, and a unique experience.

First time I ate at their Broadway café. I’ve eaten 3x at Grand. Every time I’ve been very pleased with service and meal. True Lebanese! I had the chicken shawarma and husband had pizza and both excellent and filling. We both took home left overs as large orders.

Service — 4* — End of the night with an attentive waiter and fast production of food to table after ordering. Checked on once regarding food quality, but did allow me to enjoy my food in peace. Thumbs up
Food — 3* Lebanese fair so a slight twist to your mediterean expectations — especially the pita.
The pita itself was great — fresh baked with an olive oil dip.
Meat Mezza with baba ghanoug
Humus — good
tahziki — good — didn’t taste old
fresh falafel — couldn’t tell fresh from not fresh
tabouli salad — good — nothing special
beef kata skewer — good — not dry, but not moist either — nice portion
our signature, personal chicken kabab pizza pie — think of this as a cheese pizza w/​chicken and garlic without the tomato sauce — nice to combine with the humus and baba ghanoug
baba ghanoug — slightly more lemon then I prefer — but worth the extra two bucks
Would I return — yeah I think so. Nice authentic atmosphere, with some ethnic music playing in the background.

Warm pita fresh out of the oven.
Hummus, tabouly, zatar.
Nicholas remains the go-​to place for tasty, fresh, authentic Lebanese food. We miss the fava beans (foul mudamas) and want it to return. However, in the meantime we will still go to enjoy mezza plates and kafta kabobs.
Love this place. Be patient. Have an open mind enjoy the atmosphere and you will love it too.

WHAT HAPPENED?!?
My family and i have been going to Nicholas original location on MLK for years and EVERYTHING was always beyond expectations. Now that Nicholas has expended i feel the quality has gone way down. I do not think the owners have the same control over their kitchen staff as they used to. Our favorite lamb dish that has always been excellent, once was served on a platter and now comes out in a soup bowl half the size and is tasting more like Birria??? We are vary sad to see this great restaurant go down hill. I hope they get their staff back on recipe.

I got an order to go. The food was very good, but more expensive than it was worth. The staff was super friendly while I waited for my food.
I’d never heard of the place until I walked in, but it wasn’t until afterwords my coworker informed me it was a fancy expensive restaurant.
I may rate it 5 stars next time if I go in knowing and expecting a high priority priced meal. However the food vs cost wasn’t worth it to me.

The first thing they do it bring out this big ass pita bread that is hot out of the oven and so soft. I ordered the hummus for an appetizer and it was lemony and tasty. For my entrée I ordered the lamb skewers and it was seriously so flavorful and delicious and simply marinated. The rice was so good and and savory. I suggest sharing a plate because they’re huge!

1. Find another person who enjoys Lebanese/​Middle Eastern food.
2. Order one vegetarian mezze platter and Arabian breeze mezze platter.
3. Enjoy!
Although the rest of the menu is certainly delicious, I probably won’t venture far from the above plan any time soon.
The vegetarian mezze platter has all the hits (tabouli, falafel, taziki, spinach pie, manakish pie) and the Arabian breeze has falafel, fried cauliflower, red pepper and walnut spread, tahini, roasted garlic eggplant & caramelized onion spread), and is insanely good.
Only minor complaints is that last time we were there, the spinach pie and manakish pie (which is served separately from the vegetarian mezze) wasn’t served until we had eaten the rest of our food (and that was after I had to inquire about it). It was indeed a busy night, but it would be great if it can be better synced up.
Also, unlike a lot of places in Portland, Nicholas Restaurant, just exists. There’s no pretentiousness or style over substance.

I’ve been coming here for a while and I usually order take out and when I do, it’s always the Mezza Veggie platter and it’s pretty consistent.
I’ve been very spoiled living in LA and with all the fantastic Middle Eastern Food restaurants and so I might be a little tough on my review of Nicholas’s.
It’s better than most others in Portland, and my «Johnnie on the spot» when the mood strikes.

This is the go to place in Portland for authentic Mediterranean food and atmosphere. The food is amazing, the bread hot from the oven every time and unlimited. Schwarma plates are to die for. Hummus and falafel are so good! We take all our friends here whenever they visit.

This hidden gem is the type of restaurant that makes me miss living in a city. Every city neighborhood has its own local vibe often represented by little hole-​in-​the-​wall spots like Nicholas, a Lebanese joint. From the outside, most people would never notice this place which is precisely what defines it as a neighborhood joint– tourists don’t seek out places like this (although they SHOULD), but the locals do usually.
Walking inside, the restaurant is below ground and very dark inside with amber glass-​stained moroccan lamps dotting the ceiling and walls. The place ain’t fancy, but it’s definitely got atmosphere and is clean, two plusses in my book!
My husband and I wondered how the pita bread would be, seeing as how that’s often the litmus of good lebanese/​mediterranean cuisine. Soon after we sat down, a waiter came by with an enormous, piping hot pita bread about the size of a large pizza crust– it was fresh out of the oven and fantastic!
We ordered the vegetarian mezza plates and baba ghanoush. The food arrived quickly and was served in big bowls: tabouli salad, falafels, hummus, feta, and tzaziki. The baba ghanoush came separate but wow, what a delicious, fresh, healthy feast!
This is the first authentic Mediterranean food I have devoured since leaving Chicago 7 years ago. Hallelujah! I have missed food like this and am SO happy we took a chance and tried this place out while out walking around the neighborhood. This place is very reasonably priced, service was quick and friendly and the food was really outstanding!

This place was recommended to me by a friend that has lived in Portland for a long time, so had to assume it was wonderful. Her only forewarning was to bring an appetite because the portions were huge and Nicholas’ did not disappoint. From just about the moment I sat down I was welcomed with a pita two times the size of my head, which was complimented with a nice oil and sesame sauce to dip in. I pulled off just a piece and was awed by the steam coming out, it clearly had just been made fresh and tasted absolutely divine. Now I ventured here by myself and couldn’t possibly eat the whole thing myself, but I sure did try.
Now when it came down to ordering I found my choice to be easy, get one of the mezza platters to get a wide variety of food and the best bang for my buck. I went with the vegetarian mezza and each bite was just as delicious as the last. The hummus and tahini mixed perfectly with everything on the plate. The falafel was cooked to perfection and the spinach pie was fantastic. It’s certainly a huge amount of food and, as every review of this place says, you’ll be left with leftovers for sure, just as I did.
My only critique of this place (and why I gave it only 4 stars instead of five) was because right when I walked in I wasn’t greeted by anyone and waited for 5 minutes before someone came up to me and told me to write my name down. Then I waited another 15 minutes before anyone came to seat me, even though there was plenty of space only one of me. Despite the staff being extremely friendly and courteous, it seemed like there were only two people waiting on people and they were actually running around trying to accommodate everyone. I would say they need a bit more staff, a host, or something, to make this place perfect.

I’m damn picky about hummus having worked near the long departed Abou Karim and I must say that Nicholas’ is quite good. I had the vegetarian mezza and the tabbouleh was also fresh and super satisfying. The server was excellent, very attentive and friendly.
I love what they’ve done with the interior décor with the tile and light fixtures. So efferent than the tiny well loved spot on Grand. The only thing that was off to me was the falafel and the feta– I love feta — I spent a month in Greece eating it and this just tasted a bit off. I’m used to the strong stuff, I’m used to the French stuff, which seems more mild at times. The falafel also had an odd after taste. It’s probably just my preferences because this restaurant knows it’s food better than I do. Still, I’ll try it again.
I just remember it being a tastier experience previously…

First and foremost, Gluten free Pitas! Heck yeah. (side note: Gluten free pitas are $ 2 extra, but oh so worth it)
Went here with a bunch of friends, we all got something different and it was all amazing. The waitstaff were attentive and prices are pretty reasonable. Serving sizes are enough for a couple meals. I always have leftovers and am happy for them.

Nicholas is good, but the popularity of the place sort of ruins it for me. It’s cramped, there is a good chance of a long wait to be seated, and sometimes the table goes unattended, but the food is amazing so I’m sure we will be back again :)
I love the lamb kabab plate. The portion is so huge though (plus after you’ve eaten all that bread…). The hummus and falafel are also tasty.
My mom ordered the Arabian Breeze Mezza, and while I liked some of it I don’t think I would order it personally. Wasn’t a fan of the item on the plate that was heavily seasoned with cinnamon. Perhaps it is an acquired taste, because my mom really liked all of it.
Tell yourself not to be tempted to eat too much bread. It will be a lost cause, but you can say you tried.

Nicholas Restaurant is a classic, family restaurant. You can see it in their service, which is warm and kind, and in their food, which is like a Lebanese grandmother is serving you at home.
They place a giant, fluffy round of fresh-​out-​of-​the-​oven pita bread on the table after you order. Walking into the restaurant you can see the dough being mixed right at the entryway, so you know it’s super fresh.
WINE
Comes in large glasses with heavy pours. The house wine is a steal at $ 5, but tastes like a $ 5 glass of wine. Nicer wines are only a few dollars more and you still get a ton of it. You probably only need one glass with dinner, it’s practically a fishbowl.
TABBOULEH
They use more mint and parsley in their tabbouleh than bulgur, so it’s more like an actual salad. Very refreshing and made with high quality olive oil too. This is probably the best tabbouleh I’ve had.
TOUM
Ground up roasted garlic and tahini. Holy cow, this stuff was potent. It’s almost spicy because the garlic is so powerful. The consistency was like butter too. Spreading this onto the pita and then topping on some tabbouleh was tasty as hell.
LAMB KEBAB
Thick cube-​cuts of lamb perfectly cooked to a tender, medium-​rare with saffron rice. Comes with delicious house salad topped with garlic-​tahini house dressing. Nicholas has some serious kebab game.
LAMB KIBBEH
Basically gyro meat, only made into fluffy pancakes in a stack and topped with yogurt sauce. It was like fluffy meatloaf and also came with aforementioned delicious house salad. It wasn’t really for me, but tasted awesome as leftovers the next day.
Definitely get a kebab or mezze plate if you come here. You likely won’t have room at the end of your meal for a slice of baklava, so take one home.
The restaurant is very brightly lit with very low ceilings, so try to score a seat upstairs in the back of the restaurant if you can. Especially if you’re tall. There is a wait practically at all hours of dinner, so they have a sign-​in system when you come in the door as though you’re grabbing brunch. If you want to know how long you’ll be waiting, just grab the closest waitstaff and ask. At 8 o’clock on a Friday night we only waited for 5 minutes. Easy peasy.