Nicholsons in Portsmouth

Absolutely loved it! We struggled not to make full Meg Ryan sounds throughout the meal. Food and drinks... sublime!!

Lovely food, great service. Thank you Maisie for looking after us.

Food was delicious, good size portions and really friendly team.

Food was delicious and service was amazing

Fantastic meal here. The food was outstanding and service was top notch. 12/10 would recommend! (And come back!)

Good as gold as per usual. A Southsea classic 🍷

Great food and a great night out. What more do you want. 👍

We visited on a Friday afternoon with our dog who loves a lazy lunch! We even managed to park right outside which took away all the Southsea parking stress. We took advantage of the 5 for 4 Tapas deal and very much enjoyed the amazing food. We're both quite small eaters so as usual had ordered far too much food so we took home what we couldn't manage. I really enjoyed the Prawn and Scallop Brochetas, (my husband doesn't eat fish so I am always delighted when I can get a Tapa). We also had some Chicken and some Pork Brochetas which were also delicious. Our favourite was the Mousakka which my husband said was the best he had ever had! The house Savvy B was really nice and the service was impeccable. Our waitress was really friendly and looked after us. The owner, (I'm assuming), made a fuss of our dog and made us feel really welcome. As out of towners we will certainly make the effort to visit again, (on the train next time to allow for a second glass of wine). I can't comment on the bill but the prices on the menu were very reasonable but can say the food was really authentic and a similar price to what we pay in Spain! Thanks for making us so welcome.

Excellent friendly staff. Nice ambiance.

Wanted to leave a review following a very enjoyable lunch at Nicholsons last Saturday. Firstly, the service was excellent, all the team worked well together and were so friendly, we were a table of 13 and all commented on the great service! The food is consistently excellent at Nicholsons and portion sizes are good. Many thanks, we had a great time!

The music was good, clean restaurant, nice waiters - however the food seemed like something you would get out of Iceland's frozen section. It didn't seem restaurant quality whatsoever and we were very disappointed, especially for the price. We leave this review so hopefully this can be improved.

Tasty food, great price, and excellent service! We’ll be back for sure.

We visited at 6 on a Monday night, and even though it was fairly quiet, there was a lovely atmosphere about the place. Our waiter was fantastic and the pricing was extremely good. Will definitely be back again with friends.

Excellent food lovely ambience, can't fault it, make sure you book before hand, so not to disappoint, you will love there fresh tasty tapas, by far the best

Good food, extremely friendly service! We felt very comfortable.

I have been here many times and it was my favourite restaurant. Recently the quality of service, drinks and food has really gone downhill. We often order the same dishes and drinks and of course sometimes things are a bit different because of menu changes/supplier changes etc, but yesterday's visit was so bad that we will not be returning again. We noticed a drop in service over the last several visits, but yesterday the cocktails were terrible and the quality of the food had dropped too. Overcooked tough steak kebabs, soggy paella and spinach salad that was completely swimming in oil with about 4 times more garlic and salt than usual. I asked to swap my cocktail as it was so bitter that there was definitely a missing ingredient, they did remake it but the replacement was so overpoweringly sweet. I always have the same cocktail, at Nicholsons and other places too. It's my favourite and has been for 10 years. I've never had a bad one anywhere, let alone two in a row, the second of which felt like a punishment for daring to complain about the first. I also recieved argumentative attitude when it was replaced. Honestly we just wanted to come in for a nice meal for valentines. I find it difficult to complain about anything and am not confrontational in any way so I just couldn't wait to get out of there.

Was my first time coming to the restaurant and it had such a lovely environment. From the moment we walked in everyone was so polite. The food was amazing and the drinks were made to perfection - will definitely be coming again!

Took my missus for a valentine's meal here. Lovely food . Good portions. Great service and price . Visited before and will visit again.

Beautiful restaurant with beautiful food and all at a very reasonable price. We had and recommend 5 plates between a couple and we were suitably full and all dishes were fantastic with lovely flavours and perfectly cooked. The only thing that lets is down it’s the location as it’s a bit of a dodgy area and we saw a few unsavoury things outside when leaving which maybe unnerving for some people. Feel bad marking it down as it’s not the restaurants fault as such but feel like it’s being honest.

Not Good; was bland and some cold. Hadn’t been for a few years but was really disappointed on today’s visit. Had to send two plates back as the seafood skewers were cold and undercooked. The ribs were bone dry and the goats cheese parcels were cold in the middle. Explained to the servers and wasn’t offered any form of discount, was just told there was only one person in the kitchen. Would have gone somewhere else if this was explained at the start. Never again

Visited recently with my wife & son. The food was decent very well presented and tasty

Fantastic food, great place & understated service! Only comment I could make is it was a bit chilly. Will be returning as we got a discount for another evening and I highly recommend the Nicholsons!!

Southsea's best restaurant. Love it. Food is always great.

Nicholson's has excellent staff, who are incredibly attentive, welcoming and polite. The food is reasonably priced but sadly tastes just reasonable too.

Great service great food fantastic value Left very full and content

We have dined at Nicholsons a handful of times and it has never disappointed. Everything tasted fresh and was seasoned well. We love the Pescadilla Gratinada and Gambas Al Pil Pil. Absolutely delicious food as always. Restaurant was warm inside and has a lovely interior. The service from Alfie and all the staff was excellent. Thank you for a great evening! We can’t wait to have date night here again

Went in for lunch with family. Great place. Perfectly priced, fantastic food. Highly recommended.

Very good quality food and always checking up on you highly recommend

The best restaurant in Southsea. Delicious, freshly cooked food and excellent, friendly staff. Fantastic menu. Can not recommend this restaurant more highly.

Really nice food and great service.

Lovely family meal, for mums birthday! Would definitely come again 😀

Amazing food, fast and friendly service and lovely drinks. Maisey was our server and she was great. Thank you all! Xx

Food and atmosphere is amazing, I honestly think that they do not charge enough for the quality of the food and service. Chef should have a Michelin Star. Great evening out. Thank you so much x

Incredible food, service was excellent. Highly recommend and can’t wait to go back again.

Great food and dealt with my gluten and dairy free needs.

Great service, beautiful restaurant & the food here is always amazing! I’ve been coming to this restaurant years & it’s always repeated no1 service 💖

What a great tapas bar, the service from Alina and Natasha was first class, the food and especially chicken skewers were superb, can’t wait to come back!!

Amazing service, great food and drinks. Staff very attentive, look forward to coming here again!!

Wow what an amazing dinner! All the dishes did not disappoint and lovely staff. Special occasion to celebrate my husband's 40th and it couldn't have gone any better.

Was served by alfie. The loveliest young man, happy to help and good service. Food was excellent. Nice atmosphere. Reasonable pricing

I loved the impeccable service from Natasha and Alfie. I often visit Southsea to relax and rest after a busy life. It was my first time visiting this restaurant, and I absolutely loved it. I loved the food, the atmosphere and the service. I appreciate when I see exceptional employees, and this is what I saw there. Thank you for my beautiful experience; it was perfect for a day out to steam off the stress.

We have had a amazing evening tonight at nicholson's. Food was outstanding the service was brilliant. And the natalia a nelson were amazing and the rest of the team

First time here. Was absolutely lovely. Staff were great food was delicious. I'll definitely come back with friends.

Amazing! It was my first time coming here after looking at it in passing most days. Great service, great food and great value! Plus if you keep your receipt then you get 10% off the next you come within the month. The offer of buy 5 pay for 4 is awesome and allowed me to try lots of things plus as a vegetarian there was as many options for me as meat eaters which is rare.

Wow, the food was just amazing the flavours just kept coming, the staff, Nelson and Tasha, were fantastic welcoming and super helpful. Would highly recommend and we will defo be back.

A large party of us came for Paella night and the service of Alina, Maisy and Natasha was absolutely brilliant! The food and drinks were also incredible and were excellent value for money! Will certainly be returning and will recommend to everyone! Thanks for a wonderful evening!!

Very nice waiter very enthusiastic, kind very helpful (Tall, white , blonde/brown haired guy ) Although I wish there was name tags to name him

Good food. Quick and very professional service. Not the first time we've been here and most certainly won't be the last.

Went for pre theatre tapas. Delicious food and great value. We were served by Nelson who gave us great service, advice on dishes and how much to order. Certainly will be returning.

My friend and I came to nicholsons for dinner before we went to the theatre. The food was incredible the staff were so friendly and attentive and knowledgeable about every dish. Nelson was polite chatty nothing was to much trouble for him .we had a fab time and will definitely recommend. And will be returning again ..

Highly recommend, will be back!

Wednesday night is paella night right now at Nicholsons and I strongly recommend it for mid week date night or just a good time with a friend At £25 per head you get bread olives then mixed tapas starters (we had croquettes, bravos potatoes , goats cheese in filo and tortilla, then their amazing paella to share freshly cooked and delicious this comes with a pitcher of sangria excellent value and lots of food

We popped in towards the end of the evening, we'd been celebrating my sisters Birthday. The bar staff/waiters Nelson and ALFIE in particular looked after us and made sure we had the perfect tapas and plenty of banter. It made the journey from Leeds more bearable. We'll defo come back.

Lovely relaxing atmosphere. Wonderful and generous selection of tapas. Super welcome and service. Alfie in particular was a great asset to the business - informative and good humored. First class enjoyable lunch at a very reasonable cost.

Good food, price, service. Wednesday evening and 70% full creating a lovely atmosphere.

This was the first time eating Tapas thoroughly enjoyed it the dishes. Will visit again. When I am in Portsmouth.

Good place to eat and drink. Happy hour lives up to its name. Staff very nice and helpful.

Really great service, amazing food and good price. A firm favourite of ours!

Alina makes THE best cocktails in Portsmouth by far make sure you ask her to make them

Ho here often, never been disappointed, lot's of choice and we like the sharing dessert as you get a little bit of everything.

Food was amazing and the service was excellent! They answered our questions on how much we should order for the 2 of us as we had never been before and a great atmosphere in there.

We visited in the evening of Sunday 8th September around 7-7.30, asked for a table for two - we hadn't booked - and were given a choice of where to sit, handed menus and a drinks order taken within a couple of minutes. I only mention the day and time because we didn't get the names of the two young men that served us but wanted to highlight to the owners, if they read these reviews, that the service we received was of an exceptionally high standard; professional, friendly and very efficient; a huge asset to your company and should be commended. Onto the food, we ordered a selection of tapas plates, potato braves, albondigas, a mixed leaf salad, a paella portion and calamari frito, all of which were authentic and well presented, next time we'll order a full paella. The Santiago Almond Tart was very good. The restaraunt has a nice atmosphere, everyone seemed to be having a good time but it wasn't that noisy that you couldn't have a conversation. Definitely somewhere to revisit.

Great place to eat before going to the Kings Theatre, we parked on the street not far from the restaurant. We had an excellent table in the main area and the waiter was very good but on his own for a while. So the service was a little slow until other staff arrived. We really enjoyed the authentic tapas, the meat balls were superb, and the Huevos a la Flamenca (Flamenco eggs) were excellent, we also had a sharing platter that was great. Good beer and wine too, glad we went and will be back

Great place, nothing is too much for the staff and the food is absolutely delicious that caters for all

Amazing meal and awesome service. Will come again soon! Thank you!

Food is great, authentic Spanish tapas. Sangria was very refreshing. Very reasonable prices. Service also great, friendly attentive staff. Nice atmosphere and general vibe. Tasteful decor and intimate lighting. The only thing I can think to improve would be the restroom. It kind of wobbles in there and is a little disorientating. Overall though 5 stars, one of Southsea's best for sure.

I was there on a busy weekend and did not have a reservation. Otherwise I thought the place had a great vibe great decor, and good service. I did feel like the food at least that I selected needed more flavor and seasoning. But was visually appealing and fresh.

Service was prompt. Food was great. Beer was cold. Would happily come back

I adore this place! Gorgeous cocktails, delicious food, helpful/lovely staff. Highly recommend 👌

Great meal! Really tasty food, fresh & hot! The service was amazing! The manager and the young waiter looked after us exceptionally well

Great food, lovely atmosphere, crisp service. Always a pleasure.

Very friendly and welcoming team. Fantastic food and atmosphere. Thank you for having me and my friends

Such good food, good service. My go to place

Came to Nicholsons for dinner right after witnessing a devastating loss by England in the Euro 2024 final... Wow, this place is excellent. The food was incredible and the restaurant had a great vibe. The staff also did a good job. By the time we left, we were in high spirits and had completely forgotten about football 🤣. I look forward to going here again!

Perfect for a casual Monday night get together with a friend. Food was super tasty and good quality with plenty of options for all dietary needs. The 5 4 4 tapas deal was a lovely bonus too. The service fantastic. They were super friendly, efficient and nothing was a problem. They went above and beyond when dealing with an allergy query.

Went in for lunch on a Tuesday.Quiet. Great service. Had the 5 but pay for 4 Tapas. The meatballs were special. Nice crème brûlée and almond pie pudding options as well. Reasonable prices. Would recommend and go back.

Booked online, 5.30 on a saturday and got the end of the bar which was fine for us. Had a sharing platter and 3 other dishes which was maybe 1 dish short but the food was excellent. Loved everything about the place, quality food, good service and prices were fine. Only gripe was not Guinness or decent IPA options. It was very lager dominated. We will be back!

Just popped in for coffee menu looked good,and price for coffee was 2.40 for a black coffee, nice taste.

Average food. Poorly executed. Pricey for what was offered. If I lived here I would not return.

Absolutely loved the food and a great ambience!

Amazing Food and amazing service, Felt like I was back home, thanks João for the impeccable service and cocktails. Made our night !

Wonderful meal and the atmosphere is really pleasant

Our first time visiting Nicholsons for an evening meal after popping in for drinks last time we were in Southsea. I'm glad we booked as the restaurant was very busy. The cocktails were really nice and the tapas that we had was excellent. Although the restaurant was very busy, our server was attentive, but not too much. The food was served relatively quickly and the tapas was hot and tasty. All in all well worth the visit, although it is best to book on a Friday evening. We will definitely return.

Nothing not to like here, nice decor & ambiance, great service, lovely beer and yes you guessed it, really tasty refined food and cooked perfectly and a delicious dessert to finish off a great meal out for two

Amazing tapas and great service. 10/10 would recommend!

Visited on Saturday night, my mother is disabled and the help and assistance the staff and management gave her was absolutely fabulous, as a family we are all very grateful, the food was excellent. The only negative comment that could be made but is in no way a complaint was it was very loud. Thankyou all so very much for your kindness and attention that you all gave. We will be back. Top marks!!!!

My favourite place. Great selection of Tapas that always tastes great. Good selection of drinks & staff are friendly. Relaxed atmosphere we love it here

Great food, service and atmosphere, highly recommend!

Always loved Spanish food, great food and service.

A thoroughly enjoyable meal. The food was excellent, the staff were very pleasant and helpful. The place was buzzing.

I thank the waiter and the entire restaurant, we are happy that we found this place and were able to have a very tasty meal late in the evening. Hospitality at the highest level!

Food out with a fussy 19 year old and my husband. The teenager has just described the food as ‘simply sublime’ and I can’t disagree. Super-friendly service too. Highly recommend.

Very, Very Nice! Good selection of alcohol, I recommend the white sangria, and the dark and stormy. Can’t wait to come back for more!

Amazing tapas, great staff, food came out quick and it was all delicious!! Cocktails were yummy too. Will definitely be back!

Great food, especially if you enjoy the sharing concept of tapas. Good service. Staff polite, friendly and helpful. Highly recommend.

A nice "occasion" place - good food and a nice ambience about the place. You never feel too rushed, in fact it took longer to get the bill than it did to eat anything. A very relaxed eaterie and I'd have no hesitation going back. The wine selection is good too.

Not our first visit and it won’t be our last! Love, love, love the food at Nicholsons and we are (slowly) making our way round the menu. Mia was our host again and she was as friendly and welcoming as she always has been. We booked for 7 and by 8 the restaurant was full (Thursday evening) so be sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment!

The food is incredible, I recommend the meatballs and the pil pil shrimp. The price is very good for the quality. Definitely recommend a visit have come here many times. The special of the week was pork belly and it was very good. They have so much good choice and the staff were all lovely.

On the night we went it seemed over busy with the staff struggling a bit.The food was good and overall we had a good time.

I have just left this place. We waited so long for our drinks but the main factor was the food. The tapas bits we had. The chorizo was cooked enough. But the paella well in all my 65 years that is the worst pathetic think I have had as an excuse of a paella in my life. We paid for 2x2 seafood. The whole thing when it arrived was swimming in water and topped off with olive oil. The rise was barely cooked. The water I could see was from all the frozen food from seafood to frozen peas. There was no seasoning what so ever. No salt no paper.no saffron let alone anything to give it a colour resembling paella colour. Now just waiting to see if any of us gets poisoning. This is a really bad place to eat I am really angry. We paid for drinks we hadn't ordered. The guy behind the bar like all the staff were so I need of training