We sat on the patio and two tables were smoking. My wife 'very' politely asked them to stop since it's not allowed in IL and we had an infant. A guy at one table insulted my wife for asking. I told the manager that the guy was smoking and that he insulted my wife and the manager went right over to that table...and comped them an appetizer saying he's sorry for the trouble!
Completely unbelievable, insulting, and stupid. We called him out on it and he showed no remorse, just trying to keep them happy he said. We got up and left before our meals came. We found the owner and he comped us a meal inside. A nice gesture but I still wanted to leave. Â My wife convinced me to take the offer. The food was terrible. My pasta was sopping with olive oil and tasted of jarred garlic. I ate only a few bites and couldn't stomach any more. My wife's burger looked like a previously frozen, plastic-looking, manufactured burger patty and wasn't appetizing in appearance at all. Â Hard to explain, it looked sterile. We will never be eating there again.
Groupon had a deal so I decided to give Niko's a shot. We went on a Monday night and were seated immediately. The lodge atmosphere was nice and had a classier feel than what I first expected. Also, based on Yelp reviews I really wasn't expecting much except for a fun s'more time for my daughter.
Our server was very prompt and informed and I would score service decently high based on a single experience. When it comes to food, the bread was nothing special but was warm and tasty. The salad  was surprisingly fresh and crisp and my opinion started to change. Also, my daughter ordered the chicken and we had it come out immediately so she could get started. I'll say the chicken is delicious and roasted in an open rotisserie located in the restaurant. Since it appears on the menu so frequently, it was good to know that Niko's could nail their signature dish. I ordered the chicken and bacon macaroni for my entree and was surprised at the giant portion that came out. I was, however, surprised at how lacking in flavor it was. I realize there are a thousand takes on how macaroni and cheese should taste with a variety of sauces, seasonings, and toppings, but this dish was just plain bland. It was highlighted by the pieces if chicken but wasn't nearly enough to make it sustainable. Also, the breadcrumbs were clearly burnt and that was very disappointing. Definitely a quantity over quality entree.
I'll say one thing about the s'mores, it is a really fun idea and they offer a few different options for roasting the marshmallows. My two complaints are, not enough trash cans to dispose of bags and sticks, and location of the wood burning fires. Both wood fires are located on the front sidewalk, right next to the parking lot. I realize they may not have had a lot of options, but basically standing in a parking lot roasting marshmallows lost its charm pretty quickly.
My wife and I went here for our second visit, the first time is when they first opened. It was ok. about 6 months later we went back. it was  about 9:00 pm. Dinner was in service and we asked if we were too late for a seat. a server walking by said not at all. she sat us in her section, she said she would be right with us..... after about 10 minutes we began to look around and we saw our server talking with her manager (not sure what it was about) we gave it a couple more minutes .... nothing..... we left.....
Review Source:Last time I went here they duped my whole table into signing up for their email promo listserv. Â BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!!! Â These clowns have emailed me almost everyday this week! Â If I want to go to your overpriced over hyped restaurant, I'll go!!!! Â Quit hounding me like I owe you money!!! Â You just lost a customer. Â Â b-bye
Review Source:I ate at Niko's with my parents and husband tonight and honestly, I enjoyed it!
I like the Wilderness Lodge-y atmosphere and the fireplaces and general cozy feeling. There was nice warm doughy bread and SAGANAKI on the appetizers menu. I cannot resist a pile of strongly flavored cheese doused in booze and set on fire and I am always happy when I see it on a menu! We also tried the chicken quesadilla, which is made with their own rotisserie chicken and was pretty tasty.
Also, there was soup! I sampled a creamy chicken soup that was really good and had a cup of the red pepper and smoked gouda bisque- yum!
My entrée, walnut chicken, was not my favorite ever. It was overly sweet and the crispy chicken breading did not hold up very well to the heavy brandy cream sauce. I would try something else next time.
We also took a slice of their GINORMOUS chocolate cake home and while I really am not a cake person, as far as chocolate cake goes, it is appropriately rich and chocolatey with a solid wall of mini chocolate chips along the outer edge. This cake is huge and was enough for at least four people to enjoy for dessert, with leftovers.
For food alone I would probably give the place 3 stars but I liked my experience overall and there was one particular gimmick that makes me bump them up a star: COMPLIMENTARY S'MORES. Yes, in a basket by the door next to the requisite mints is a giant pile of neatly packaged s'more supplies. They have fire pits outside where you can roast them yourself on your way out. This is basically the best thing ever!
We've been here several times. Food is reasonably priced and overall great service. All I've eaten was the cheeseburgers and the lasagna which is a must. My family enjoys Niko's just as much as I do. The St Charles location is a bit older but has a cozier feel somehow. Either way this place earns its five stars
Review Source:I went here recently not knowing what to expect because we had walked in on a whim. I went in the dead of winter and was warmly greeted by several fireplaces blazing in a ski lodge type of atmosphere. The decor is so impressive and inviting. A friend and mine and I walked in with no reservation on a Tuesday night around 5:30 p.m. It wasn't very busy and we got seated right away. It was a bit busier by the time we left though.
I know I will like a place when I see several things on the menu I would want to try. My problem was choosing which one! They have some decently priced sandwiches and burgers, as well as more expensive entree items. I got the Grilled Chicken Pesto sandwich...delicious! It had a unique flavor with the sauce they add to the sandwich. I would definitely get it again.
The waitress we had was attentive and nice. Although, my friend's salad came without the chicken she had added to it. The waitress fixed the issue within a few minutes. I realize mistakes happen, and when they do I focus more on how the issue is resolved. Since the waitress was apologetic and made sure to fix the problem quickly, we were both satisfied. The salad, as I'm told, was equally delicious once her chicken was added to it.
This may be weird to add in a review but I need to give 5 Stars to the women's restroom at this place! I walked in and it smelled so clean. Sometimes bathrooms can look clean but smell kind of bad... but not here. There were also beautiful fresh flowers on a little table. The stalls were new and also very clean. A last note about the restroom, they had the garbage can next to the door so you can open it with a paper towel (so you don't have to touch the door handle after you washed your hands) and promptly toss the towel in the garbage. A clean bathroom usually bodes more confidence that the kitchen is clean.
I would recommend Niko's Lodge to anyone looking for a sound variety of menu items. They also have s'mores that you can roast by a fire. We ended up just taking a s'more to go since they are individually wrapped and ready to go. This is a unique feature that would probably be great for families with kids.
2nd time there, atmosphere great
food okay
table service excellent.
2nd visit, once we got a new b tender(we were eating at bar) service excellent.
Had an incident in the ladies room: when I walked in there was a guy in a stall cursing and throwing things around. I went out and back in and said"hello" and he just yelled at me to hold on.
Then finally storms past me. I was kinda pissed.
I mentioned it to some servers and they said, well he doesnt speak english. Â I said, well he curses fine in english and thats not the point.
The same guy comes back and starts yelling at me, ya, he's yelling at me about how he had to change the t paper. hello?
I speak with young lady manager and explained, she was concerned about it and said she'd rectify it(what I wanted was for him to either be retrained or not be a round customers) she agreed.
she then tried to give us gift certificates but we declined saying we just want her to fix prob so we can come back. Â She handled it very well I thought.
We will see if she follows thru.
Again, Nice nice atmosphere, almost always good service and food, okay
Went to the bar on Friday and had a great bartender. Don't remember her name but she had a flower in her hair and was very prompt and friendly. She happily suggested food to me as well as what drinks would go best with it. She had a smile on her face all night even when the bar got really busy. Good food and great service!
Review Source:This place just opened a few months ago. My wife and I were going for lunch across the street but saw Niko's was open and decided on something new. Ordered the potato skin appetizer which was very good. I ordered the half Grecian rotisserie chicken which came with green beans and I also asked for garlic mashed potatoes. The chicken was FANTASTIC!! Garlic mashed are certainly on my top 5 list as well. This is more of a dinner place (in my opinion) but the food (at least this experience) was great!! We will definitely be back. Our server, Nick, was very nice and the rest of the staff also seemed very receptive to their patrons. The inside does have a lodge feel (by design) and is very nicely decorated. This place blows away the other two restaurants that once existed at this location.
Review Source:Pro's - They have smores, nice atmosphere
Con's - Pricey, average diner quality food
They appear to have done substantial renovations inside when they took over this location. Which is surprising because the restaurant's previous decor and layout was very nice as well.
The food is sub-par compared to the atmosphere. It is the typical diner quality food that you will find at allot of non-chain Chicago area restaurants. If you have been to Alexanders, Around the Clock or Village Squire the food here is on par with those restaurants. However Niko's Lodge costs a little more probably due to the location.
Nothing was bad but nothing was really unique or worth going back for. For the appetizer we ordered the "cheese logs" thinking it might be a unique take on cheese sticks. In reality in was just a menu gimmick. They were just frozen and fry mozzarella sticks, the same kind you will find at Rosati's. For the entree I had the onion soup, it was pretty good and a hefty portion.
They appear to really be into roasting chickens. They roast them out the open and must try to force fit them into as many dishes as possible. For the main dish I ordered Chicken Al Forno and it was a "hunk" of a roasted chicken sitting on top of spaghetti with cheese. Again, not bad just not as good is you would expect for the price and location.
The best part of this restaurant's dining experience is the smores. They provide smores pre or post meal. I think this is supposed to go with the log-cabin gimmick. They have gas "camp fires" on the patio. It is a very nice concept and kids seem to love it.
We had dinner there last night. 7:15 reservations, place was busy, but no one was waiting for a table. We thought it was very okay. And pretty loud. There wasn't anything really good, and aside from the green beans, there wasn't anything really bad. Some people here commented on them being expensive, but worth it. For the most part, we didn't feel they were terribly over-priced (except the roasted garlic app for $10.00) Â
For an appetizer we ordered the Shrimp Boom Boom (I think). It was the special for the night for $13.00. Probably their rendition of Bonefish Bang Bang Shrimp. Â We asked the server how it was being received, and she replied that every single person said it was better than Bonefish. Really. Every single person? Â It was okay. It was an order of 6 large shrimp swimming in a sauce of blue cheese. Nice flavor. Â But certainly no Bang Bang.
My husband ordered the prime rib. It appeared to be a choice cut, not very tender or much flavor, which surprised us for $25.00. I ordered the rotiserrie Greek chicken. Very good. Very nice flavor, moist. When asked about sides, our server simply asked what kind of potato would you like? No mention of coleslaw, beans or mac & cheese. And the vegetable wasn't an option. You simply get them. As mentioned previously, the green beans were horribly over cooked and mushy. Which was  fine with me, i hate them anyway.  In the course of the evening, several people sent plates back to the kitchen, which was odd.
We probably won't go back, and not because it was a bad experience. It was just not memorable, so when thinking of where to go, we won't think of it again.
Impressed by the friendly service and food. It does have lodge feeling. We were seated right in front of the fireplace. I had the 1/2 rotisserie chicken and 1/2 slab of baby back ribs, garlic mashed potatoes and veggies and house. It was a lot of food! Everything was very good. The ribs were very tender and bbq sauce tasty. The chicken was also very moist and tender. I had a ton of leftovers the next day even. Hubbie got a steak sandwich and sweet potato fries. We will definitely be back again and again! Oh and the complimentary Make Your Own S'Mores at the end were a nice touch.
We have since dined both inside and out. Great on the patio too.
This is the same place that used to be in Huntley. They moved into the building that was originally a Claddaugh, which went out of business, so the decor is the leftover from them.
If they have a different chef, I'd be willing to try it, because the food in Huntley was horrid. Chicken Marsala with some kind of orange, gross, salty mess that tasted like it was some kind of powdered mix. Average italian entrees.
Since they're on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> I may be willing to give it a whirl based on all positive reviews, but if it's the same food as what was in the Huntley location... don't think so.
We have been so sick of the same old places to go for dinner. Saturday we decided to try Nikos Lodge and we were so glad we did. The food was excellent, best meal I've had out in a long time. I got the lemon chicken with artichokes and my husband got the steak and ribs. Everything was cooked perfectly and the service was great as well. Just make sure to go early or make a reservation because it was packed and rightly so!
Review Source:Awsome.... Â My Boyfriend and I have been to Niko's Five Times now.. Â Atmosphere is Fabulous.. Â Just like a Winter Camping Lodge-Complete with Wood Burning Fireplaces. Â Classy (not cluttery) wall Hangings. Â Rustic Look. Â Lighting is perfect for Seeing as well as Looking Good in it.. Â Â We have sat in the Booths, near the Bar And at the Tables. Â There is Plenty of Room to move around. Â Â Waiting for a half hour, as most everywhere on a Saturday night, Was actually FUN! Â There are Couches to sit on, a Fire to look at, Marshmallows to Roast outside while waiting... Â AND a Guy with a Guitar.. Â After being seated, the Sound from the Jukebox and the Bar is No issue whatsoever.. Â Even when the Place is Jumpin'... Â
  I've had the Rotisserie Duck, Stuffed Flounder and Walleye...  All Were fantastic..  I am an AVID Chef and Everything Has Its' own Unique Taste..  I've also asked for an addition to a recipe and a change in one of the sauces...  Done Perfectly..  My Boyfriend and His Daughter absolutely LOVE the Ribs.. He Wasn't 'Thrilled' with the Hamburger, But The Garlic Mashed Potatoes are a MUST HAVE....  They are even better than Mine..  New England Clam Chowder is Fantastic as well and the Vegetables. They are cooked perfectly..   Don't worry about asking for a refill of Your drinks, they always seem to know when You need another one ! Â
   That leaves only the Service.... Impeccable...  All of the Wait Staff are Friendly, Fun and Professional.  There is no asking "How are We Doing Here" when Your Mouth is Full. And when paying in Cash, they know how to give change so that you can tip accordingly.. Â
   All in all,  YES...  We Will Be Dining At Niko's Lodge for The Years To Come... Â
                     Thanks, Niko....  Job Well Done.
Went there last night for a friend for dinner. Food was good atmosphere was even better. I ordered the rotisserie chicken "special" which really is not a special because the special price is the same as the regular menu price. Chicken was dry but decent the garlic mashed were awesome. The house dressing was excellent as well. I loved the do it yourself smores as you walk out the door! I will be going back!
Review Source:Went there for lunch yesterday. has a pseudo lodge ambience. very dark inside. Â Had a salad with chicken which was good but 14 bucks? Â service was ok but the waiter seemed a little robotic as he said the exact same thing to every patron that came in, LOL. the dinner prices seemed a little high for a casual restaurant. I would go there for lunch but if im going to spend over 20 bucks on an entree there are far better places to do that.
Review Source:This was a debatable 5 star, but because the place is a bit pricey (though worth it) and the music was almost too loud to talk over and they are new I give it a 4. Our waitress was super friendly and was able to answer all our questions about the food and gave us her opinion on the best food in the place (We almost always get the typical "it's all good" ). She was also totally right when she recommened the I believe its called chili chicken, the sauce tasted almost like a sweet and sour sauce but it was some of the best chicken I've ever had, unfortuately it was my husbands. I ordered a chicken garlic dish which was also very good- but I would get the roteserrie chicken or the chili sauce dish next time.
Our food came out fast and they forget to put the sauce on my husbands chicken so when our waitress asked if the sauce was good he mentioned he wasn't sure if it was on the chicken, she looked at it, told him it was not then brought out another half chicken! I was impressed they didn't just bring it in the back and add the sauce or get him a cup of it. Overall great service, quick, knowledgeable and helpful. We went on a weekday and did not have to call ahead. The menu has a decent variety and The  Lodge itself has a similar look to the last resturant that was there but it is more open and I love that you can see the chickens roasting when you walk in. Also learned they do take out or catering type stuff which I am def. going to look into.
I love the look and feel of this place, they've done a nice job making it feel like a mountain lodge. The place was quite busy for a Thursday night at 7:30, but we were seated within 5 minutes. We sat in the room in the back, it had a nice fireplace going on in there, but it made the room feel quite warm. It was also a very noisy environment when all the tables are full, I could barely carry on a conversation with my family. The food was ok, my daughter ordered the Italian beef & she commented that it lacked flavor, I tried a bite & it was bit bland. The French Onion soup was a nice portion & very good taste. The Rotisserie chicken was shared between my wife and I as the portions are huge. It was moist, but really nothing special going on there, just average taste. I've had way better rotisserie chicken from Costco. I might try this place again & go for a steak, but this was just average taste for what we ate. The Smore's afterward outside on the fire was a nice fun touch.
Review Source:Four of us went for the first time last night Saturday 3/10 and it was an excellent experience. when we first walked in there was lots of energy with all the people but not overcrowded. We had wisely made a reservation so we were seated quickly. Â There are the makings for s'mores while you wait. Couches looked comfy and fireplaces give it a warm ambience.
Niko, the Owner, took us to our table and then suggested a better seating away from a big group. He really took care of us and was genuinely attentive to us as the Owner. We had the very delicious Boom Boom Shrimp appetizer. Excellent entrees we all got were the encrusted salmon, sword fish, breaded tilapia, and double pork chops. The only complaint was too many green beans that were a little mushy. Delicious desserts we had were the tiramisu and cheese cake. We will all return again very soon.
Recommendation: make a reservation on the weekend. Â Â Thanks Niko! See you soon.
The service was just okay nothing special. Â The food was good but they messed up the order a bit. Â I had a coupon for a free appetizer with a purchase of 2 entrees and sandwiches are not entrees. Â The manager said the would give just a bit of a discount since they forgot some stuff on my sandwich that was listed on their menu. Â Overall, for a new restaurant they should have tried harder. Â You can see by other comments, I am not the only disappointed in this place.
Review Source:Very poor food and high prices.
Clam chowder was canned cream of chicken soup with a few bits of clam, no potatoes. Fish fry haddock was soggy and greasy, flavorless. Loaded baked potato was stale, reheated mess. The only thing decent was the coleslaw. Overpriced mixed drinks. Never go there again.
well, i wanted to try a different place and went here...very disappointed with my food.
They have rotisserie chicken has there big thing so I order the combo half chicken with pasta. I got a small salad with it as well which was nice and crisp. So when my main dish comes there is a kinda small half chicken and a HUGE portion of spaghetti. The chicken was decent, with lots of seasoning flavor but dry. Then I tried  the pasta with red sauce, TERRIBLE! It tastes worse then a dollar microwave dinner, and the only flavor it had was bitter.
The person I was with got the southwest salad which was huge and said it was good and ate it the next day.
I am sure this place has some good stuff and maybe I should not have gotten the pasta but, if I ever go there again I know what i am not getting.
The inside was nice, it has been 2 other restaurants which were Irtish themed ans seemed to basically keep that look, and it is dark I even said to the person I was with about how the table next to us was in all shadow.
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