Nick’s Italian Café
1105 South Main St
Lindale 75771
903 881 9316
Nick’s is an Italian restaurant centrally located on Hwy 69 in Lindale. It is owned by the same Italian family as Little Italy in central Tyler.
Nick’s is an interesting place – it can seat up to 100 people but has different rooms and corners which makes it feel more intimate than you would expect. The atmosphere is pleasant. It is warm, the lighting is subtle (but you can still see what you are consuming) and there is Italian music playing in the background. I like the cast iron chairs and tables and the stone floor. I am especially fond of the outdoor seating area in a garden behind the restaurant.
So – the food. As a European, I am always interested in whether the food in authentic. For an Italian eatery the first thing I wanted to know is whether the pasta was fresh egg pasta. The answer from the chef –yes! However, I don’t think that all the noodles are fresh – you might want to check with your server which ones are and are not. The penne I chose, sadly was not, but the filled house pasta almost certainly is. The bread is freshly made daily on the premises. I chose the house dressing on my salad and that was delicious, some sort of herby sweet vinegarette that is unique to Nicks.
The choice on the menu is fairly wide. For appetizers there is bruschetta, garlic bread and calamari plus soups and salads. Then there are pizzas – which are baked in a stone oven for an authentic Italian taste and can be custom made with toppings to order.
The pasta dishes are divided into Nick’s specialities – some of which are vegetarian, house pasta, and then chicken, veal and seafood dishes.
The sauces are delicious, mine was a pink sauce made with tomato and herbs, brandy and cream. Others have lemon, marinara and wine sauces.
On arrival, the waitress brought us fresh bread and butter and iced water and offered us drinks. Nick’s is not licensed to serve alcohol but IF YOU ASK FOR IT – you can have a complimentary glass of red or white wine with your meal. It is just from a box but if you enjoy wine with a meal, it is better than nothing.
Our entrees included a mixed salad which came before the entrée so we could munch while we waited for our main meal. The pasta came in oversized white china bowls. The ingredients were fresh and the presentation attractive but not overdone. I was disappointed not to be served fresh parmesan. From my previous experience in Europe I also expected to have someone grind fresh black pepper on my meal from a huge wooden grinder – this would be a nice touch if Nick would have his servers do this (yes the owner/chef is actually Nick!)
I dined with 2 other ladies and about half way through eating, we were stumped. The portion sizes are huge. However, the meals were so tasty that we couldn’t bring ourselves to say goodbye to the rest of the dish. Take home boxes were duly provided for us. We did not have room for dessert but the delicious offerings we saw being presented at other tables looked good and very generous in size. I was glad to see that Tiramisu and Cannoli were on the menu. We wanted coffee but no decaff was available. That was a blow. What restaurant these days doesn’t serve decaff?
Finally a word about price. Nick’s would not be what you could call inexpensive. Most entrees are between $9-14 which is quite high for a non-licensed ‘café’ not in a downtown location. I would think that Nick makes a very good profit! Having said that, it is a nice place to go for a meal and the food is good so it gets a positive recommendation.
Oh, kids portions are $4.95 and there are $7.95 and 8.95 lunch specials.
