Nikki's

Saturday night 11pm:

Good news: Lively crowd, dancing and we walked right in

Bad news: When did this place turn into the Jersey Shore?

Nikki's has a very welcoming feel.  It begins with the exterior, with lots of glass that allows walk-by patrons to see everything going on inside.  The decor is subdued yet modern, so it should appeal to anyone.

In the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I came here to redeem a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> certificate. In addition, we were looking for a place to eat before a show in Santa Monica, so our time was limited (in fact, we were about to abort eating here until a free parking space opened up right in front, as if fate was intervening). Even individually, these factors can have an adverse affect on one's experience.  I had expected that when combined they would cause problems.

Fortunately, the staff was friendly, experienced, and knowledgable.  Our server obviously knew enough to tell us that we would not be able to get the reduced happy hour prices if we used the certificate.  Thanks to this advance knowledge, my wife and I decided to avail ourselves of happy hour pricing for house chardonnay and stick to full prices on the food - an excellent choice, because the house chardonnay was exceptional. Our server also advised us on which dishes could be prepared quickly.

As I looked around, everyone was having a good time. The PA system played a very eclectic mix of music (including, of all things, Bauhaus), and it looked like a DJ was getting ready to start later in the evening.  This is certainly a great venue for people-watching - if you can get past the televisions, that is. There were three televisions mounted above the bar, and almost every available space had screens attached. I'm not a sports bar person when I'm going on a date with my wife, so this was a bit oft-putting for me, but I won't hold it against them.

We ordered two appetizers - an open-face chicken quesadilla and sliders - along with a barbecue chicken salad and fries, which appears to be one of their signature dishes. Unfortunately, because the online menus seem to be out-of-date, I cannot be more specific about the dishes. However, I can say that this is where Nikki's fell a little short. The presentation was fine and their kitchen team is definitely trying to mix it up with unique ingredients, but for some reason, the flavor profile was not as bold as the attempt.  The sliders were cold - perhaps they were trying for a sashimi? The spices, peppers, and even the chicken in the quesadilla were overwhelmed by the cheese, The chicken salad has curiously cold onion rings on top, although this was the best of the dishes that we tried.  The fries did live up to their focus in the menu.  They were tasty and came with a choice of two dipping sauces, although for some reason we were given ranch when we asked for aioli.

To be completely fair, we tried only one main dish. Being a sports bar, it's possible that they put more effort into their main courses, which are many, varied, and inexpensive, happy hour notwithstanding. Because the online menus don't have all the items we ordered, there is also the possibility that they have recently re-vamped their offerings and are still getting the hang of their new recipes. The place is fun and inexpensive enough for me to return under less stressful circumstances and give their cuisine another try.

To encapsulate, Nikki's is an inviting place with lots of televisions for the sports enthusiast, a good atmosphere for meeting and mingling, and a very professional wait staff.  Food is competitively priced for a bar that is steps away from Venice beach as long as you don't expect something to write home about. My advice is to go anticipating a good time, and you will probably not be disappointed.

Very poor customer service on a Saturday lunch and over priced average food and drinks! Not going back!