While sharing an adventure on Amherst Street today with Sue (French teacher), we ducked out of the rain into a small (or so we thought) dineresque type of an eatery called Nick's Place. Sue had heard that the food was rockin' and we were both cold and hungry. If there were ever a place to warm your heart and feed your soul, Nick's Place would have to be it. First of all, Nick's looks small from the outside, but when you walk in the space keeps on going.
The kitchen is up front with a few diner-style spots to eat at and then there are a couple of booths. Just past the booths the eatery opens up and customers can grab a seat in an informal dining room. This morning the place was packed! There were college kids and families... you name it and they were eating at Nick's today. As Joan would say, "Who knew?i Sue and I looked at each other and smiled because we both knew that we had struck pay dirt.
The first thing that I thought of when I sat down was, "This is how Pano's used to be when they were in their original location". It turns out that Nick's Place started on Elmwood Avenue and relocated onto Amherst Street six years ago. The crowd was an ethnic mix from the neighborhood with a splash of collegiate life. The dress code is hooded college sweatshirts and jeans, which compliments the food well on a rainy Saturday morning.
The service is quick, as it should be at this type of eatery, and the menu is an extensive mix of breakfast and lunch fare complimented by about 15 delicious specials. You can create your own omelets, taste-test subs, try some of their Greek specials, go for their egg plates or burgers, or simply munch on some toast. There is a kid's menu so you can save on money for a babysitter, and for the health conscious there are salads and wraps. Service with a smile might as well be their motto, and the food is about as good as diner-style food gets in Buffalo. Nick's is a family run restaurant... photo: Nick (left), Racquel and Peter - it's the type of place that any neighborhood would be proud to have and eating there is the perfect way to fuel up before spending a day on Amherst Street.
Nick's is located at 504 Amherst Street between Elmwood and Grant. You can eat in or take out Monday through Sunday 7am to 3pm. 716-871-1772