Nicola's Ristorante in Sefton

We came here tonight for my daughter’s 18th as it’s her favourite local restaurant and it did not disappoint. Incredible service, delicious food and she was made a fuss of by the staff for her birthday with cake and a sing song. Thank you so much and see you soon xx

For a Sunday afternoon it was busy, the food was great and the portions were plentiful. I had the calamari and they were some of the best Ive had, so big juicy and the batter was so light and nice. I had the meat feast pizza for main and it was lovely. We got the make your own pizza for the kids, where they went up to the kitchen and put the cheese and toppings on Thier own pizza and watched it go in the oven. It was a great touch, as it occupied my toddlers and gave them excitement, with the pizza arriving 5 minutes later, meant my kids weren't restless. It was a great meal around and very very well priced for the early bird menu

Thank you for our lovely dinner for my daughters birthday! Amazing food and lovely atmosphere, good prices Will be back again soon.

Lovely place to eat, been a few times, always been good food and lovely staff and would definitely recommend

The food is not great, low quality pub food, Wetherspoons over the road is much better quality. Service is very slow, had to keep waving people down for orders. Bit too pricey for what it is.

Always delicious food served by lovely staff. This restaurant is terrific, the early bird menu is also amazing.

Wonderful meal - best cheesy garlic bread in Liverpool. Never fails - very reasonable prices. Lovely manager and very friendly and efficient staff - highly recommend 🍕👍

Staff member Hayley made our night out totally awful. Horrible attitude. Rude, spoke to use in a hostile way. She needs training in customer service as well as other staff. Asked for managers email address was given a false 1. Lady in charge that night didn't want to know. 3 times food was sent back 3 times they hot it wrong. Also asked to use the same glass fresh straw due to covid. Was given a totally different glass. After coming here for years . When Franco had this restaurant it certainly wasn't like this. Staff and food needs to be better as its no longer busy. Double Birthday night out ruined by incompetent Staff.

Great tasting food, loved the fish and chips I had. Wife loved her pizza. Fast service and nice atmosphere wasn’t very busy when we went on a Sunday afternoon. Would definitely go again.

(Disclaimer, this is a courier review and NOT a customer review) I can't attest to the taste of the food in here, nor the atmosphere, although I'd imagine both are sufficient for customers. What I can attest to however, is the absolute travesty that is their packaging for delivery orders, which seems to take no account whatsoever for the sheer amount of grease that pours from whatever they're putting in the round/circular aluminium foil packages. All five deliveries that I have done for them over the last year have included something in this foil packaging which they also wrap in white plastic bags, and 4 out of those 5 deliveries have resulted in a major spillage of grease and/or sauce. This has caused me each time to have to spend time going to local places to clean my bag, or even having to cycle 30 minutes home to spend a considerable amount of time cleaning my bag, this is time that I should be spending doing other orders, no courier should have to spend up to an hour away from their job just to amend a problem caused by their inability or aversion to properly packaging the food that a restaurant sells. After the second time, I got fed up and emailed JustEat going into great detail on how improperly their food was being packaged and asking them to potentially reach out to thesnager to amend it in future but nothing got done, The third time, I actually travelled straight back to the restaurant after completing the order and told someone physically (face to face) about the packaging problem and they said they'd see what they could do about it. The fourth order I did for them actually had no spillages but that was only because it was a single pizza The fifth order I did for them was earlier today and it's the very reason I'm writing this review, both JustEat & the restaurant directly have done nothing to avert spillages for orders from this restaurant despite both being made aware of the issue. If you're a courier, this place goes right up there with McDonalds as being somewhere to avoid doing deliveries for like it's the plague. If you're a courier and are having the same problem as me, just flat-out stop accepting order from here. Yes, you'll indeed lose 10% of your order acceptance rate but it's the far more ethical/moral choice.

We just left after having the most amazing food.. 26 of us to celebrate my mums 90th birthday... of us all got our meals together and the service couldn't be faulted.. the portions were huge and only compliments were sent back.. cant thank the staff all round for a fabulous afternoon.. very well done xxx

My pate tasted sour didnt get a sorry just money refunded. Cheesecake was so bland couldn't eat it

Ate there before always lovely there

Starters were okay... Mains woeful fish was a soggy mess. Service was flat. Atmosphere resembles a buffet star. Would not recommend.

We have just been to Nicolas restaurant to celebrate my birthday . The food was lovely and the service very good. There were 13 of us and everyone enjoyed the whole experience

We went here in a big group for a friends birthday My salmon tagliatelle was mainly consisting of cream , swimming in garlic , could hardly find any salmon . My friends chicken was frozen in the middle ( a proper restaurant should be cooked from fresh , absolutely vile .. No staff asked if our meal was ok, they were too busy by the bar area chatting , when a lady did come up to us she had a scowl on her face . Never again will I go back

Sorry to say that I will not go back to Nicolas anytime soon, if ever. We visited mid-week; Wednesday and the place was practically empty. We were sat at a table in the window. Drinks, expensive. Small glass of wine £5.90. Pint £5.80. I had meatballs to start. Seriously my young 3 year old grandson’s shop bought spaghetti and meatballs were nearly double the size. You get 3 very small balls. My Husband’s rib were ‘ok’ plenty of green peppers and inion but not a lot of flavour to the meat. We also ordered a garlic bread to share. Service extremely slow. Beef stroganoff tagliatelle tasted nothing like how stroganoff should no rich creamy flavour at all. The peppercorn sauce was far too overpowering with actual pepper like the lid had fell off and couldn’t really taste the meat. Very very small portions. Oh and ordered a side of chips which came out late and were a very cheap shop frozen chip that was still hard in the middle. No I didn’t complain because to be honest we were never asked if everything was ok and to be honest what would theyhave done. It seems every restaurant has gone down hill, so not just this place. Sorry guys but shocking .

We visit here each Christmas Eve, lovely venue, lovely food, always really good, lovely staff, very friendly atmosphere. Highly recommend if you like Italian food, plenty of variety. Parking can be tricky as it's on road side. But we've always found somewhere withing a minute or two walk.

Went for Christmas dinner and did not have a vegetarian options

Went new years eve when booked didnt get told there was a set menu £40 for a 3 course meal not much to choose from and not alot of food bare minimum chips about 20 French fries steak was decent size but the pasta meal were not very good and lamb cutlets were not cooked properly they were stil pink inside and very fatty so no wouldn't go again cost us £282+ odds kids running around screaming while parents just getting drink and no staff saying anything to the parents to tell them to behave some one could have been hurt as hot food on platters were getting bought out to our table and child got wrapped around her with his balloon could have been hurt the staff I couldn't fault very attentive and hard working

Been a while since I've visited but we had a fantastic meal and the service was excellent and friendly.

A nice Italian restaurant with a good choice of food. We chose from the early bird menu where you choose a starter & main course for £16.95 We ordered various starters, mushrooms, pate, ribs & mains including lasagna, tagliatelle stroganoff, chicken & broccoli bake. Food was nice but definitely had better Service was good but and a nice clean restaurant

The most wonderful welcoming restaurant. Beautiful setting and the best food.

Everything was OK but it was to hot in there needed aircon on or fan's

Went to Nicolas restaurant greeted by a lovely woman called Hayley, she was extremely attentive caring just nice. The food was fantastic as usual, will definitely be back Thank you ☺️ Tina & Jen

Ate here yesterday 3rd September, nice place service good but unfortunately i was let down by the food quality. I ordered the special kebab, consisting of lamb chops and lamb and chicken kebab. The lamb was very fatty, i told them half way thru the meal and was offered replacement, I'm sure you can understand i wasn't about to wait 15/20 minutes for a replacement. The meat represented about 80 % of the meal which was inedible, At the end of the meal i told them again i was unhappy with the food, we paid the bill, there was no reduction and no apology, won't be returning.

I ordered butterfly chicken breast, the menu said covered in sauce and melted cheese! The melted cheese was a slice of cheese, I mean a processed cheese slice, I would be embarrassed to serve this if it was my restaurant, the staff didn't even ask if I enjoyed the food, they probably know it looked awful

Lamb chops were so tough took me 30 minutes to cut them up and eat them, gave fries not proper chips, pizza were amazing for my guests, but meat products were poor quality.

First visit, welcome by F.O.H. and shown to pre booked seating with full menu made available. The ordered drinks and when all guests present food ordered Fist slight disappointment was no butter with warm bread and tomato soup, otherwise service at that point satisfactory. One follow up during meal with there being a small number of guests meaning staff were not that busy felt that to wait to get invoice involving going in search of F.O.H. staff was disappointing. In spite of this, prices were excellent and food/drink quality equally as good.

My partner and myself decided to try Nicolas again after not going for a number of years. I opted for the 2 course early bird menu and my partner ordered pollo caprino, which on the menu was described as chicken in sauce with "melted cheese". Whilst mine was fine my partners chicken arrived in a sauce and though there was melted cheese on top it was a cheese single! We have been to many Italian restaurants and often had chicken with melted cheese but never has it been topped with a cheese single. Even though the staff were pleasant, no one asked how our meals were during it or when our plates were cleared, otherwise we would have told them. At £15.50 and for a restaurant which says on its website " we pride ourselves on good food " we found that shocking.

Great atmosphere as per usual, we love it in Nicolas. Perfect for kids and making pizza, the chefs were great. Only thing was the fajitas came with only one wrap which we could have done with some more and should have asked for but staff were busy as it was chocker with parties/ other tables- will note for next time. Overall, staff so lovely as always, food was lovely and fab experience.

Two course early bird menu to die for, great value for money, very attentive staff.

Very noisy with a couple of large parties in. Nice food, service OK.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Food and service was top notch.

Good service ,friendly staff overall good place for get together and enjoy decent food.

Absolutely loved the food the service was excellent so friendly and attentive would definitely recommend this restaurant to people , it's such a shame we don't live near by , we will just have to settle for visiting when we go to visit our daughter who lives near by .

I love this restaurant, the staff are brilliant always a nice welcome and service with a smile. Aberdin is a top guy, he's also a great chef when he steps up to the (hot) plate.

Really nice food staff really nice to

I've been here twice now and I love it! The food and service are both excellent and it has a great atmosphere. I'd definitely go again

Thank you for a lovely evening of great food and great service.

First and foremost, the food was delicious - perfect portion sizes, and just incredibly tasty! The only reason this isn't 5 stars is the service was, in my opinion, a bit lacking - the staff didn't speak particularly clearly and it wasn't clear whether or not they'd actually understood our order. Also, the restaurant was incredibly quiet - only two other tables were taken during my visit.

Oh my god! I felt like I go to heaven, the best Italian restaurant in all UK (and I was in many before). Food was even better than in Italy. So flavored and delicious. I can FULLY recommend this place. I'll go back here many times even if I leave far from there.

Absolute gorgeous food. Got the early bird & cocktail hour deal. Super reasonable price but the service & food was exceptional. Thank you ❤️

They're lovely , and the owner very helpful 😊 My kids and me our best food there is , ribs , mussels I creamy white sauce , carbonara and steak 😋👌

Love this place. Love the staff. Peroni on draft bounds. Make your own pizza great for the kids. See you soon

I ordered a crepe pollo to start, when it came it looked lovely, the sauce was bubbling at the edge of the dish, tasted ok until I cut into the middle, frozen chicken!! A restaurant that can’t cook from fresh a pancake! That is not only disgusting but downright dangerous. My main course was tagliatelle salmon, the salmon was 20 minutes overcooked and the pasta was mush and was so hot it was obviously microwaved. Never again! I wondered why the place was empty

Just had to wait a while for food due to new staff being trained

Lovely, happy staff. Always made to feel welcome. Food amazing

Lots of restaurants fully booked but Nicolas could fit us in within the hour . Friday night for 2 people 7pm . Place was very clean and welcoming. Menu very good … varied . Food was lovely but expensive. Lamb was delicious. Fresh crunch veg to go with it . Only complaint was …. Restaurant was very empty therefore staff extremely attentive. To the point where I felt watched whilst eating . As soon as I had finished my meal the plate was whisked away. Felt very rushed . Staff stood by our table chatting which was unsettling . Lovely food but very poor atmosphere and expensive . Possibly worth a visit .

Took my 3 and a half year old daughter for an early bird dinner tonight as mum was out with friends for the evening. From the moment we walked in the staff were fantastic and complimented her on her new dress and shoes she was proudly wearing and made her feel ever so special. We had the early bird menu of 2 courses plus a dessert and two drinks each and the bill was £45. Food was excellent. We had the starters of chicken goujons and hummus and chorizo with flatbread. Great portion size and delicious. We had a pizza and a carbonara for our main and invited my daughter up to the kitchen so she could make her own pizza. They were fantastic in showing her what to do and put it in the pizza oven right in front of us so we could see it cooking. Ice cream to finish with our leftovers boxed up. There was a large table of 15ish, and 5 or 6 other tables of 4 in whilst we were in and even though we were right in the far corner of the restaurant (our choice) there was always someone nearby when needed. Will be returning again as I couldn't have asked for anything more. Thank you for the special evening!

Came here for a Mothers Day meal, with my mum + my 2x girls.. Good: • The quality of the food was pretty nice, although the kids meals said "Chicken Nuggets" + they were actually goujons. To a parent of fussy child, you'll know this can be awkward. Bad: • As this was a Mothers Day occasion, Set Menu was in place for £25 per head, the menu had a small selection of the starters + Mains, ALL available choices worked out cheaper on the Main Menu if ordered separately, but you were not allowed to order from this menu! So we were being ripped off from the minute we walked in!! Even the only Steak on the Set-Menu wanted a £5 supplement, for what?? It's meant to be a set-priced-menu!! • The menu states kids (Under 12) can order from the kids menu, at usual price. Well my 14yr old, autistic daughter would not eat anything from the set menu, therefore I asked for 1x kids meal instead. The staff member was so rude in communicating with me, and said "She's 14, she needs to order from the Set-menu" At £25pp for a teenager? To which I replied "She's not going to eat anything from the set-menu, she's fussy, she doesn't like anything from there, what's the problem?" What difference does it make how old a person is when ordering from Kids menu??? • We were left sitting with drinks only for nearly 20mins before ordering food. Overall, will not be returning here!! Much better places / environments to go on South Road...

I'm really disappointed. My sister called a week or so ago to arrange a delivery to my housebound mum who lives near Formby and spoke at length to the guys. They were really really helpful on the phone at the time and agreed to sort it out as a mother's day thing even though it's further than normal for deliveries. I just called back to place the actual order and now they won't do it and were dismissive of the fact it had been agreed. We both live some distance away and mum was looking forward to this a lot.

Food was tasty but cold. We were informed that our mains and starters had to come out together which 1 had to be left to go cold. My starter of bbq ribs didn't arrive and when I asked for them I received a pot bbq sauce eventually getting my ribs after asking for them again

The food is lovely and so are the staff.

Lovely place food great staff very helpfull

Have been here previously and was ok but but how so many people think this is a great restaurant is beyond me, too much cheese and grease in the food, when your calamari comes to the table looking like onion rings then you know it’s a dive chicken wings were anaemic, sizzling platter cold and anything but sizzling, regretting not getting a kfc earlier today as didn’t want to spoil the meal was very disappointing and would avoid at all costs.

Lovely decor and warm welcome Parking outside Amazing food Table service great Good value for money

Myself and my Husband came here on Sunday I had a roast my Husband had the steak . He asked for medium rare it was burnt . Our meals never come at the same time either . This once lovely Restaurant is just not the same . I was shocked to see it now has a two star rating .

DO NOT EAT HERE! Save ur money and go to many of the other nice reastersunts along south road! Food is not fresh more like Frozen! Staff are not helpful and so rude.

Following the resturaunts comments I thought it woul be best to add more context to my review. When we visited the resturaunt we were one of several large parties that were in that night. I am not sure if it was by design or the kitchen could not cope but it took around 1:45 hours for our food to be served. I had the stuffed chicken and I also tried the carbonara, and Garlic Bread with cheese. Unfortunetly my wife and I both found the food bland in taste, and the garlic bread was on the greasy side. For the first time in my life I even put salt on my food to try and get some taste out of it. I am not sure if this was a one off, due to how busy the resturaunt was, but I do not think this was due to my taste (as the resturaunt has commented). Service was ok - we chose to get our drinks. Server tried to insist that we had garlic bread as as a starter, when we wanted it as a main. The resturaunt did a large birthday celebration for all the birthdays that were happening - which was nice.

I've been coming here for years and loved it. The place is nice the staff are nice but the past 2-3 occasions I have been here something has changed. The food in the past is amazing but for some reason it is heavily laden with garlic, it's too much. The starters, especially the ribs are amazing but the mains are saturated with it. I want to love it again but can't. Am not saying don't come , just be prepared for a garlicky meal.

8 people in our party all with differing requirements but we were all catered for. We had great food in lovely surroundings served by friendly staff who were really helpful. I would recommend Nicolas restaurant to anyone who wants good food and a lovely night out.

Really lovely family experience ❤

We were there for are grandsons 21st birthday food was excellent staff very helpful and friendly

Lovely evening for my son's 21st birthday,thank you x

Not been here for a long time, went with my partner, staff were very quick to get drinks and take orders, had early bird menu, lots of choice, food was lovely, hot and very tasty, highly recommended

Ate at Nicholas mid-week for the early bird special with friends – Very good value and plenty of choice for starters and mains -Starters we had the Salt & Pepper ribs – BBQ ribs – Mussels – Chicken goujons. All tasted fab and good portion sizes too. Mains – 2 of our party had the beef stroganoff pasta – husbands favourite here, I had the chicken in peppercorn sauce and other had the sizzling chicken - again great portions. Everywhere very clean and you can see into the kitchen. Service is friendly and with a smile. Great choice of wines too. 5 minutes stroll from Waterloo Station.

Had a lovely meal, food was excellent. Will definitely be going back. Great place and 1st class service.

Went here last week, the food & service were great, I recommend visiting.

I've been a fan of Nicolas for 20 odd years. Last night wasn't the best. Food was avargage. Didn't justify the price. Unfortunately the wallpaper is peeling off the wall and the toilet seat was on the floor. Slowly going down hill since my last visit. Hope it picks up again to the standard it always was. Its risky letting a restaurant decline considering the competition on South Road

Never had a bad meal here been a regular for years very friendly staff

No functioning AC and poor ventilation. The pasta was overcooked in Penne Arabiata. The food they serve is not Italian food.

Came here for a random Monday evening date with my partner and we adored it! The food was delicious and the portions were so big in comparison to Italian restaurants in the city centre! We ordered from the early bird menu which was an absolute steal considering. Beautiful decor, good location (a two minute walk from Waterloo station) and friendly staff. We will definitely be visiting again.

Lovely family birthday meal here, great food, great service and great atmosphere!! 🥰👍

Brilliant for a decent meal early on with the kids

Visited Nicolas again mid week - husband had the early bird special great chocie of this menu too. He had the chicken coujons and said best ever as proper pieces of chicken breast - he had Steak tagliatelle which he loves here, I had off the main menu Ribs in BBQ sauce - amazing taste and meat fell off the bone and mains I had prawn and salmon pasta -fabulous. We both had desserts - i had wran fudge cake with cream and husband had sticky toffee pudding - great portion sizes and tasted great. Husband had white house wine and a bargain at under £16 a bottle - I ordered off the wine list and had the merlot/sauvignon and was really good. Service was excellent and with a smile. Restaurant and toilets all very clean and early bird menu through week is a bargain,

Always good family food reliable and tasty. Lovely friendly service. A good place to go with people who have varied tastes and preferences cos there something for everyone on the menu.

This place just gets better and better. You will not be disappointed at all. The food is fantastic and the staff ensure your visit is a memorable one.

Visited Nicolas with family visiting from the Midlands. Have to say I was pretty shocked at the quality of the food, considering the price! Several of us ordered calamari. We received 4 pieces of cheap, over-fried, stringy squid, served with a pinch of browning lettuce...

Food was nice but waited nearly 1 hour for mains after starter. Noy good at anytime but more so when u have kids with ye

Beautiful meal as usual. Polite staff and superb food.

The food was alright not too expensive nothing to shout about though. The service from one servers in particular was just plain poor. She didn't crack a smile. Kept leaning over us and was rude in my opinion.

We have been a few times now and the service could never be better. They are helpful, courteous and authentic and they smile. They must fry fed up of listening to the happy birthday songs but they make their guests feel like it’s the first...

Always amazing best bbq ribs in the city

Lovely place, great atmosphere friendly staff.Great choice on menu including early bird deal which is a bargain! All food spot on.

I shall be as honest as I can. Just had dinner in Nicolas and the food was average at best. The service was OK. The food was average at best. I have flame grilled chicken wings to start and they at no point saw a grill! Neither did the salt and pepper ribs. Everyone at my end of our table said the food was salty with no real flavour. Except one, she said hers was lovely. We are a group of ladies who want to support our local restaurants as well as having a good time. As The Crosby Ladies Dinner Club we will be going to all our local restaurants. I spoke to the staff and she said that the manager had left for the evening. I told her the general consensus was , sadly we wouldn't return. One of the ladies meals didn't come until we were half way through ours. The manager after a phone call did give us 20% off the bill. Which was the right thing for them to do. Sadly the majority of us will not return.

Been going this place for years, and the food is lovely, but on our last visit one thing was not as good as it used to be, the pate was bought in not home made, they used to make it themselves but not anymore, it was like the stuff you can get from Asda, a shame really because everything else was very nice !

Went to Nicolas for the early bird menu – on Wednesday – wow and wow- such good value served Monday – Wednesday & Thursday for £13.95. We went with friends who live in the area who have never eaten here and they are already planning...

Regular customers which should tell you all you need to know

The Italian food "carbonara & calamari" are delicious. Service was quick and it was nice.

We weren’t really impressed with the food to be honest, found it just a bit bland and expensive for what it was, and it was a little bit slow too. You can get nicer places to eat in for the same price range on that road for sure. One of the waitresses was also really odd with us, wasn’t very pleasant in general but at one point came to take our order then just walked off without saying anything 😂 🤷🏼‍♀️ I can see the appeal of the place for families who want something casual, and the menu probably caters to a lot of people as it’s got a fairly big offering but I personally wouldn’t go back unfortunately.

Booked a table for 5.30pm for a four year old birthday meal with the family and was left very frustrated by the restaurant. The food was very slow in coming out and not once did the staff come over to apologise. The mains arrived at 7pm which is pathetic for a 5.30pm booking. We dare not order deserts because we didn't want to be locked in beyond closing time, but we still had to chase the staff twice for the candles to come out on our daughters birthday cheesecake. The food was quite average, portions hit and miss depending on what item you ordered and a few of us agreed even the plates were cold and the food just better than luke warm. We finally left at 8pm. If it was an all adult party having a meal, maybe not so bad but if there's children there please consider why we booked as early as 5.30pm. About time the staff upped their game and the kitchen expanded to cope properly with orders.

Booked a table for 5.30pm for a four year old birthday meal with the family and was left very frustrated by the restaurant. The food was very slow in coming out and not once did the staff come over to apologise. The mains arrived at...

Loved it as usual great food and lovely staff

Tasty food great staff I love this place very good atmosphere 5 ⭐

I visited this restaurant on Saturday 5th February for the 1st time, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The restaurant is tastfully decorated, clean, spacious with a very helpful team of staff. My husband had mussels then risotto, I had pate then salmon and King prawn pasta, the food was beautiful, so tasty. I will definitely be going back.

Great food, lovely staff, one waitress was really funny. You can always rely on good service & hot food. Well worth a visit.

Food was perfectly delicious, service was excellent, the night was perfect. We were the last to leave and not once did staff try and rush us off our table! Five stars 🌟 thanks Nicolas Restaurant for such a lovely rare night out with our family xx

Food excellent and staff are wonderful, cheerful and so friendly. Such a pleasure to visit again and again.

Went there last night 19.1.22 for a birthday meal. Firstly the staff were great, absolutely no issues with any of them they were a pleasure to meet. However the same can't be said for my meal, I guess they specialise in Italian but that's no excuse for getting a simple steak so badly wrong. Asked for medium but got very well done, it was tough and in truth very fatty, got chips as part of the meal but everything else was extra. A few mushrooms fried tomato would have been nice but just an overdone steak and a few chips doesn't look appetising on the plate but the biggest and worst problem was the time it took to get our meal together, yes there were quite a few in our party but it frustrates when you watch at least 3 other parties come long after us but are served long before ours. For the record we waited 1 hour 20 minutes for sub standard food. My wife's wasn't any better, her medium steak came as rare and much to bloody. All in all I'll not be going back anytime soon. Shame because like I said the staff are brilliant. Sorry Nicolas but that's the truth of it.