Nicholsons in Portsmouth

Really tasty and reasonably priced. Friendly service.

Four of us had tapas for dinner and it was delicious. Food arrived quickly and was piping hot, the staff were very friendly and welcoming and the desserts were also wonderful. A great experience.

This place is amazing. The staff are so attentive and so accommodating. A big shout out to Alfie who sorted out our booking and for Alina who looked after us at the bar.

Really great tasty food Rachel waited on us and was wonderful

Paella Palooza on social media. Visiting the restaurant a few weeks ago, I still feel that the vibe is very good and full of charm. However, the food... Ah, that's a whole different story. I ordered patatas bravas (roasted potatoes with sauce), albóndigas (meat balls), paella with chorizo, gambas al ajillo (King prwams with garlic) and croquetas (croquettes). Definitely, the worst were the croquettes. They were not home made as I was expecting. They were exactly the same ones you can get from the supermarket. The patatas bravas were just ok, same as the paella, very tasteless. The albóndigas were decent but still you can tell that artificial punch of industrial tomatoe flavour, not home made like i do. It is very clear to me that they don't cook with olive oil at all, which is ESSENTIAL if you want to cook proper Spanish food. At this point, not sure if I will ever return as I can definitely cook much better food at home.

Lovely atmosphere. Nice and small giving excellent privacy and intimacy with extremely friendly staff.

What a gem in Portsmouth! We were recommended to eat here by the hotel we stayed in and we ate here two nights in the row (that alone should speak volumes...). The trio of dips is to die for, so flavoursome. Everything else was equally good, fresh ingredients cooked to perfection. The service we received from Nelson was amazing, top marks! Thank you and we already look forward to our next visit in Nicholsons.

We went for the Wednesday Paella deal, which is a tapas selection, paella valenciana & drink of your choice for £25/person,which is excellent value. The meatball tapas was superb, the ham & cheese croquettes also superb. The paella was the best I've had for years, anywhere in the world. Very tasty chorizo combined with delicious flavours made for something very special. Service was first class throughout, even after they made a mistake with my paella timings. Recommended.

Such a lovely place, the food is amazing. Really buzzing place with people of all ages. The staff are chatty and helpful if you aren't sure what to order. Great choice of dishes. The aioli that comes with some of the dishes is so good but I will smell for days. Don't care though, totally worth it!!

Always enjoy Nicholsons, we’ve been coming for years and the food is consistently great 👍🏻

A nice restaurant with high-quality food, slightly pricey but good portion sizes

Lovely bar with some great cocktails, friendly service and relaxed atmosphere.

1st visit, saw board outside 5 tapas for the price of 4. Once inside the waiter recommended their offer of a selection of tapas for two with olives, breads and soft drinks for £20. Amazing selection and alot of it. Very filling, very tasty, well worth the money.

Lovely tapas restaurant on Albert Road Southsea excellent food and good quality wine

Excellent, great food and drinks, nice atmosphere, fantastic service, very good value

Amazing food, super tasty. Excellent drinks too!

Delicious food, very attentive and friendly service by Alfie. Can't fault anything!

Really nice place to visit for food and drinks staff really friendly but not over attentive highly recommend for tapas

Great food and fantastic service

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

Good as gold as per usual. A Southsea classic 🍷

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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

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

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!!

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.

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

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.

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 ..

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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!

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 !