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Nick's Spaghetti House
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
631 Commercial DrVancouver, BC V5L 3W3
Neighbourhoods: Grandview-Woodlands, The Drive
(604) 254-5633
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
15 reviews for Nick's Spaghetti House
15 reviews in English
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Review from Tara S.
Vancouver, BC
2/15/2012
This place is a classic! If you are looking for really basic spaghetti house style Italian food, you have found it here, right down to the red and white checked tablecloths, huge servings and 1970's ambiance.
The service is great, with a staff that does not turn over - like at all, it seems!! It's a no-nonsense kind of service, and that works for me.
The lasagne is amazing, and a glass of house red starts at $3.75!! Are you kidding? That's amazing, and goes perfectly with the food. You will most likely have leftovers, so if you are eco-conscious, bring a container for your midnight snack.
Also, don't forget to try the cheesecake - the light and fluffy kind with either blueberry or strawberry topping. -
Review from Herman E.
11/21/2011
The only hole in the wall Italian joint I know and have been to.
When I see a group physically handicapped senior citizens having their social night out, I know I am in for a non-pretentious dining experience.
The food here is about as down to earth as they come. Nothing fancy, no truffle oil, no lobster infused oils, no fancy wine list, etc, etc.
No frills Italian dining at it's best. -
Review from Scuba B.
Whitby, ON
Great family run spot that we found from a local. We were definitely the only tourists in the spot.
Great meatballs and pasta was cooked perfectly, only downside was I felt the price was too high for pasta and a salad should come with a $16 spaghetti entree. -
Review from John B.
Surrey, BC
1/5/2011
Amazing Italian food in little Italy. The stuffed pasta and the chicken are stupendous.
See ya there. -
Review from Dave B.
Campbell River, BC
2/1/2010 ROTD 4/18/2010
I'm going to keep this review simple.
My Italian-Canadian friend introduced me to Nick's as the place his parents and grandparents had been going to for real pasta since they were young.
As Beth C. commented, it's not fancy, and nobody's going to kiss your ass, but Nick's has history. And it's actually Italian food (I recently went to Italy so I can speak from experience).
If you want pasta, don't waste your time with Antons or the Old Spaghetti Factory -- just go to Nick's.
Nick's? Forgetaboutit. -
Review from Simon R.
BC
11/17/2008 1 photo
White sauce, red sauce, pink sauce, and steak. Nick's is the brick laden hole in the wall pasta bar on the north end of Commercial Drive that manages to incorporate its run-down feel into part of its rustic charm.
Like any true Italian restaurant, there are huge murals of Sicilian beaches on the wall, and red jarred candles illuminating the romantic ambiance of the interior. Although the pasta is unfortunately as mediocre as the location of the restaurant, it does have an extremely wide selection of noodles and sauces, all of which are made entirely from scratch.
Quiet and quaint, with extremely pleasant service, it's perfect for families looking to relax and experience an authentic evening of bread, wine, pasta, and servers who say a couple of things in Italian just for effect.
Legend has it that this is where Vancouver's hockey team The Canucks go after home games, supposedly right before they go to Vancouver's sluttiest bar, The Roxy. -
Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
3/2/2010
Take me to Europe.. or at least back to the small BC town where I grew up and where most restaurants were family run and authentic like this one.
It wasn't busy when I went so I guess it's quiet earlier in the day. Try the cheesecake if you want to die happy.Listed in: Alive on the Drive, date night late night
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Review from Emily S.
Vancouver, BC
11/13/2009
Another place near me that I didn't even know about until recently. It was packed on a Sunday night. Usually I don't like enormous food, but when the menu encourages you to take it home because "it tastes better the next day", you gotta love it.
I would rate this place as a good ol' Italian-American home cooking. Comfort food for any rainy day, and inexpensive imported Italian wine. -
Review from Paul G.
Coquitlam, BC
1/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
An institution on the drive. Good food. I had very slow service last time I was in (2 servers during dinner would help) and the garlic toast almost didn't show up at all. But the server was courteous and did her best with a full house to serve.
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Review from Tim L.
8/17/2008
There's something special about Nick's. Not much has been updated during the many years it has been open and this is what gives this place such amazing charm.
It's traditional home style Italian cooking where all the food tastes like it's been prepared by the Italian mother I never had.
Spaghetti and meatballs are certainly very popular here and for good reason. The meat tastes incredible and the texture is just perfect. All the pasta I've ever had here is perfectly prepared al dente. -
Review from Beth C.
Victoria, BC
2/1/2010
This isn't blow-your-mind fantastic, and it isn't fancy. Nobody's going to kiss your ass, or offer you an amuse bouche or pull your chair out for you.
What it IS is good, solid, traditional Italian-American cooking, aimed to satisfy. It's a bit of a hole-in the wall, all done in wood with the requisite red and white checked tablecloths. It's a good place for families, seems it would be good for groups.
We went on a Saturday night around 8, and while it was busy/bustling, we didn't have to wait for a table at all, and were seated right away.
The menu has all the basic pasta fare you could want, plus steak and other meat options, and I'm sure veal and chicken parm, though I wanted pasta so I didn't stray too far. My date had the spinach and cheese agnolotti with white sauce, and was happy with it. It wasn't anything to write home about, but it was good. I had the spaghetti with meatballs, and the pasta was average and a teensy bit overcooked (I like it al dente), the sauce was decent and flavourful, and the meatballs were giant (you get two) and delicious. The meatballs were easily the best part of the meal. Oh MAN I liked those meatballs. I wish I had some riiiiiight now.
They have four wines available by the glass - imported house white, domestic house white, imported house red, domestic house red. I had the domestic house red, which at $3.95 a glass is a steal. It tasted a lot like the price though, heh. But it was fine with food. The waitress was good to us and good at her job, filling water glasses, checking on us frequently, getting stuff done. We shared a piece of (totally unnecessary) cheesecake for dessert, sighed happily and relaxed.
Again, if you're looking for a special, fancy occasion, Nick's might not be the place. But if you want a solid choice for a night out with a date, friends or family, for some good, hearty pasta in a comfortable, low-key atmosphere, it's a good bet.
I do think the prices were a little steep for the fare, but we left so happy it's hard to complain. -
Review from Sarah O.
9/2/2009
This is a hole in the wall Italian restaurant I was excited to try. The atmosphere is cozy and the tables are close to each other. Seems like many families frequent this place for quality dining time together. They have very strange meal combinations; slabs of baby back ribs with a side of spaghetti. I ordered my usual penne with their signature meatball. My pasta was overcooked and wasn't anything special. On the other hand, their meatballs tasted pretty good and was the size of my palm. Overall, its not terrible but the prices were too steep for the quality you receive here. But seems like this place has faithful regulars, so, more power to them. Just not for me.
Listed in: The Drive
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Review from Rachel W.
Burnaby, BC
9/26/2010
Ok, the decor is nothing special. It's not in "the cool section" of The Drive (just down the block). Service can be slow. A bit pricey.
BUT. If you want a place that is long-time family owned (54 odd years) , homemade, huge portions, great taste and tastes even better the next day - you've found a good pasta place.
I'll make a special trip down here, have taken friends and brought out of town guests - they are all impressed with how "fresh" everything tastes - no Ragu sauce used here!
I'm a big fan of the Cheese Spinach Tortellini, Cannelloni and the Roast Chicken (which is Thursday lunch only). Dessert portions are huge too. Now, I'm not a big fan of tiramisu - but this one gets 2 thumbs up from friends. I love the cheesecake!
Open 7 days a week, Mon-Thursday 11:30am to 10pm, Friday from 11:30am to 11pm, Saturday from 4pm-11pm and Sundays from 4pm to 10pm. Parking is on residential side streets. -
Review from Bob D.
Vancouver, BC
8/21/2010
Forgot to serve our table. Sat there for sometime without even water. Waitress ignored us. Though it wasn't that busy the lady cleaning the tables wouldn't even say a word to us not even when she knocked a chair into mine startling me. Food was okay though pasta was overcooked and tasted like it had been preboiled. Customer service was not very good and with all the places to eat in the city why would you go back if you're ignored? Not with those prices.
-
Review from Rick H.
Vancouver, BC
10/15/2010
I tried to eat here once with a friend after hearing so much about this "classic" just a hop, skip and a jump from my home. Yes it has a certain old skool charm but the prices for pasta are ridiculous and the service was so terrible that we left without being acknowledged (about 15 minutes after having been seated).
