My wife and I arrived and were promptly seated. Our waiter came by to introduce himself and provided us with menus. We ordered the fried calamari as an appetizer. From the first bite to the last, the calamari were delectable. As an entree, my wife ordered the vegetarian platter - spaghetti squash, eggplant meatless meatballs, and Italian broccoli. My wife requested that the broccoli be separate so only the eggplant and squash came in the marinara. I ordered the veal parmigiana and spaghetti. Simply stated, both meals were excellent. As a desert, my wife and I split a fresh fruit crisp. We both ordered regular coffee. Cappuccino did not appear on the menu. Our coffee was, hot, bold, and very flavorful. The crisp was delicious. Takeaways 1. Make reservations 2. Parking is adequate 3. Very little room near the entrance door 4. Service is excellent 5. Excellent appetizer/entree portions to price 6. Saratoga or Pellegrino served in 16 or 32 oz. 7. Definitely $$$ but worth every penny I will be returning when in the area!

Food and service are always excellent here! They also do an amazing job of catering events. I have eaten at the restaurant many times and never been disappointed in anything I ordered.

My family and I came in from out of town on a Friday night. We couldn't find a restaurant with availability, so we stumbled upon Nicole's. The four of us sat at the bar and Katie the bar tender was also our waitress. Really, she was so much more. She was absolutely fantastic, we talked to her for the entirety of our meal. She is super outgoing and very knowledgeable about everything drinks. Katie and the hostess (Meghan i believe was her name) recommend the Grilled Salmon and the Short Rib Ragu. We also got the Chicken Marsala and the Penne Alla Vodka with shrimp. The Short Rib Ragu was amazing, probably the best thing on the menu. The grilled salmon and chicken Marsala were also amazing. The penne was nothing special. Since we got shrimp, the sauce was fishy which was expected, so if you don't like fishy flavors I don't recommend the shrimp. The desserts were also great. The best was either the key-lime pie (not super limey) or the warm berry tart with vanilla ice cream. The creme brûlée was nothing special. Overall the experience was great and I would recommend this place to anyone in the Albany area. If Katie is working I highly recommend sitting at the bar.

We made our first visit to Nicole's on Sat 1/06/2024 5:15pm. After visiting the Schuyler Mansion's Twelfth Night celebration we decide to go to nearby Nicole's on Delaware Ave in Albany, NY. It was quiet when we first arrived but quickly filled up with many diners & the big party upstairs. Nicole's is larger than it appears. A 10 seat bar with about a dozen table in the adjoining dining room. There is also a cosy dining area with a fireplace through a doorway on the first floor. The reserved party room upstairs holds 25-35 people. Plenty of wait staff on deck. We sat at the bar where we were greeted by Katie V. We ordered a Glenlivet neat ($13) & a house pinot grigio ($10) while we looked over the menu. Katie told us the specials. She was very busy as the restaurant was filling up quickly. Reservations are a must on Fri & Sat. She was quickly & deftly making many fancy cocktails & pouring wines for the bar, both dining rooms, & the party upstairs. A true professional and kept up an entertaining banter with patrons & staff. We shared three appetizers from the specials menu. The unique crispy artichokes hearts w/ an aioli dip ($10) was a perfectly prepared & served. My bride had the Italian onion soup ($10) - Fontina | Mozzarella | Short Rib | Italian Bread | Thyme Rosemary- deep rich flavor & piping hot. I had the Gnudi & veal ($18) - Gnudi are gnocchi made w/ ricotta cheese, not pasta, served w/ the braised short ribs. Another unique, & excellent dish. Check out their inspired menu. No room for desserts but they all looked sized for sharing. A friendly neighborhood restaurant with flair and a loyal clientele. Thank you to Katie V. for excellent & entertaining service. Nice trick with the cocktail shaker. LOL. Dinners range from $19 for pappardelle & meatballs to $38 for Zuppa di Pesce. Monday: 5pm-9pm, Tue: closed, Wed-Thu 5-9pm, Fri-Sat 5-10pm, Sun 4-9pm. Plenty of parking in their side lot & some on the street parking. A great first experience. Highly recommended. Thank you again to Katie V & a big thanks to the kitchen staff - a great job tonight. We certainly will be back frequently in the future. Nicola & Liz, Albany, NY USA

Went to Nicole's for a rehearsal dinner last night and it was excellent! Unfortunately didn't get many photos! I had the grilled salmon which was some of the best salmon I've ever had! Loved the dressing on the salmon. My fiancé had the chicken parmiagiana which was excellent as well. For dessert we had the cannolis which were excellent. It was such a great spot, intimate and cozy for this event. It would be a great date night or small party location. The servers and staff were amazing and incredibly kind. Such a great experience! We're from out of town but will suggest this to our family in the capital region!

Nicole's is a great spot. Everyone is kind, helpful, and you can tell they love their job. The drinks crafted very well and delicious. It's the same story with the food. It is classic dishes made from fresh, high quality ingredients with generous portions. What's not to love?

Review for their brunch: Nicole's serves such delicious brunch items. I ordered the lobster benedict and it was cooked to perfection. The lobster was tender, the hollandaise sauce was the perfect amount, and the biscuit was soft but crisp. They also have a basket full of warm pastries which I highly recommend to share. Service is friendly. There is a nice outdoor patio area as well in the back of the restaurant.

- good for catering - everything was ready on time and packaged - they did not include plates and utensils - sausage and peppers got rave reviews it was the first to go - penne a la vodka got reviews - 'small' dishes are quite large - chicken fingers got rave reviews

I am so happy with my whole experience at Nicoles! My friend and I both got dark espresso martinis- I love how they gave us the options of light or dark espresso martinis. We has Caesar salad to start which was a large portion and was so good. We were also given bread with three different types of toppings. Our entrees were also so yummy. The portion sizes were HUGE and we were happy that we got to bring left overs home. Excited to go back again!