Nicola’s Trattoria

Nicola’s is an upscale restaurants in the Keene area. The competition isn’t stiff, granted, but Nicola’s deserves its stars. It’s a classy, comfortable establishment with a good wait staff, an appealing menu and a warm vibe in both the dining room and the bar (they are in adjacent rooms). Oddly and for whatever you might care to make of it, it’s located on the ground floor of a building that houses dermatology offices upstairs. There might be a joke there, but we’re unsure where. Feel free…
The menu is traditional Italian dishes. There are some interesting specials, but the menu sticks to the usual; happily for all, the kitchen does those dishes well. There’s nothing tired about the food, whether the Chicken Milanese or Veal, or the Caesar salad or the calamari. After four visits, we haven’t been disappointed with anything here, and we like the staff, who are friendly and efficient without being intrusive. The desserts are excellent; we love the dark chocolate Belgian mousse, as tasty and rich as it sounds. The bartender makes good drinks, although we found the wine list on the slim side. And the prices are friendly (the entrees average about $ 25). We recommend Nicola’s.

Walked in at 8pm on a Saturday night expecting good things. We were sat at the bar and told when a table opens up we could have it. The bartender gave us menus and a table opened up. I asked the waitress if they could clear the table so we could sit. She said yes and went on her way. 15 minutes went by and nobody cleared the table and the bartender never asked what we would like for drinks. I get better service at fast casual concepts. Needless to say we left with an empty stomach.
We went to the Stage Restaurant right up the street and had a great meal with great service.

Service is awful! Ran out of bread before 8pm at an Italian restaurant!!! Been waiting over an hour for our entrees and no sign of it yet! Can’t comment on how the food tastes because we haven’t had anything to eat!
Really bad service!
Never got our food. We gave up and left.
They had the nerve to charge us for our drinks.

Although the food was very good, the hostess needs to take a course in seating patrons. We arrived for our reservation and despite the restaurant being essentially empty at the time, we were seated next to a very loud family with two small unruly children (one of which needed a diaper change). If we had wanted a Denny’s experience then that would be fine. but an upscale restaurant should be cognizant of these type details.

Wonderful evening here. Sat in the lounge because we didn’t want anything too formal. Very comfortable, staff very helpful and friendly. Food was fantastic. We will definitely return.

We have had two delicious meals at Nicola’s. The atmosphere is lovely, and the service is excellent. I love the open kitchen — very interesting to see what is happening. Elegant and delightful!!!

Fantastic. Perfect portion sizes and full of flavor. Wide open, clean kitchen and friendly staff. Definitely recommend.

We dropped or daughter at Keene State to start her freshman year, and Nicholas was recommended to us. I can’t say enough about the staff and food. We had mushroom pizza and veal piccata. Borge were out of this world. The manager Meghan sat with us and talked about Keene State and the area. If you are going to Keene it is a must!!!

I always enjoy the food at Nicola’s as well as what is usually impeccable service. The service was a little disappointing on our last visit. The server seemed invested in getting us what we wanted but was obviously not as experienced as the servers I’ve had in the past. He wasn’t able to answer our wine questions or what the bread was. (The wine I can understand but something basic like the bread should not be something he has to go inquire about!) There were a couple of times when we had to request a utensil for the food. There was nothing egregious but it didn’t go as smoothly as I’m used to.
Food was great, as usual.
I will return but am hoping our nice young man will have had more experience by then.

Had a very nice business dinner. Bar is suitable for business meetings and servers make attempt to provide a very personable experience. Dishes were not the best I have had and staff was not the best I have experienced either.

Definitely one of the best eateries in the entire region. The dining room is quite formal (so formal that I’ve never sat there– I’m a bar kinda lad), and there’s a large separate bar area. GREAT food — everything is made from scratch, and they are always willing to cater to my tricky dietary restrictions where possible. The Shrimp appetizer is absolutely awesome. Generally very experienced servers and bartenders, with great cocktails. Interesting but not outstanding wine list — but NH is a little odd that way — perhaps because of state vendors. Best night? Friday nights — they have live piano jazz.

Nicola’s is by far one of the best restaurants in Keene. Their pasta dishes are fresh, flavorful and absolutely delicious. You also get a lot of food for your money so beware, you can make a meal just out of the salad! Great atmosphere and the drinks and service are great. It is pricey but worth the money. Recommend reservations on the weekends.

Very good food! Great for a night out on a date or family outing.

Fantastic place to eat, on our way to Manchester stopped in here after reading the reviews and they were right on, great food and service !

I was a server and bartender here for a couple years. I great place to indulge in a special meal. Nicola is from Italy, and it is legit family recipes that make up the menu. He was actually a lawyer in Italy, but you have to go through law school all over again. Pizza’s are super, the fungi, and sausage are my two favorites. The sausage is not to be missed, it is made in house and spectacular. Other favorites are the shrimp and scallops with salsa rosa sauce with linguine (salsa rosa is a blend of marinara and the alfredo sauces both made in house), the clams with white wine sauce, the chicken marsala, and the risotto special. Get the braised lamb shank if you are so lucky to have it as an option. The braised meat, only available on the weekend is always a choice to be considered. They are also known for the Veal saltumboca, I don’t eat veal so I cannot say for myself. But people come and order it every time. Best appetizers are the Arincinni, and the gambari de casa (the shrimp of the house). The Arincinni is the best I have ever had, and I have had this at many Italian restaurants. I love the atmosphere here, very Felini chic. I got to eat here at the John Hancock Inn’s Christmas party before I worked here. It was an impeccable experience, magical! Even if you don’t want the whole nine yards, go in and get an app or two, or a Pizza, and have Bobby make you a cocktail. I highly doubt you won’y leave super happy.
No beer on tap, many bottles to choose from. Full bar and a real made with expresso martini. No splitting checks, everything is done by hand here. Some people make a huge fuss about this. Just be like 20 on green, or 50 on red. I am talking credit cards. Also when someone treats– do not fight them. It is not classy to argue. Just get them back next time, or do something else insanely nice.
I am not just giving this 5 stars because I worked there. It is a genuine mom and pop fine dining restaurant in Keene, NH.

First night in Keene and not expecting much when I stumbled upon this gem. The pork risotto was fantastic and the staff provided just the right amount of attention. If it wasn’t closed today I would be there now.

This is a very good, authentic Italian restaurant. You will not be dissatisfied if you choose to dine at Nicola’s.
Start off with the Arancini, a delicious risotto ball fried to perfection with a perfectly spicy marinara sauce of some sort. I think they had some fresh basil involved here because it was one of the best parts of the meal.
The starter, Polenta w/​Mushrooms was surprisingly greasy but it was really tasty. Because of the grease, I wouldn’t order this dish again.
The Vitello Saltimbocca is their best dish hands down! I cannot tell you how long it’s been since I’ve had an authentic italian veal dish that tasted this delicious.
You’ll also most likely be satisfied with any of their pasta dishes.

What a find! Stopped in Keene on the way to Vermont and headed here based on what others here had to say. We were not disappointed.
The location is great — just off Main St. in downtown Keene — with lots of easy parking and plenty of other choices in easy walking distance. Just beware Nicola’s is tucked into the first floor of a newer /​modern office bldg. Don’t let that throw you.
We were in the mood for the more casual bar area. The seating at the small tables around the bar was frankly uncomfortable (tables too low, seats not comfy) but soon enough a spot opened up at the bar. We opted to move there.
The staff was friendly, if very busy, but we didn’t have many questions. We started with one of my favorite Cali. Chardonnay’s (Cakebread Cellars) and a couple appetizers. The fried calamari was very good — but I’ve had better. The anchovies were very good but I always end up comparing them to the «fresh from the dock to the plate in Sicily» I once had — hard to compete with that. But, as I say, they were very good nonetheless.
We then shared a Cesare salad which was quite good.
Next was one of the most amazing pizza’s I’ve ever had. Figs, Prosciutto, Gorgonzola, Garlic, Balsamic Reduction Sauce, Field Greens and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Wow!
The crust was excellent and cooked to perfection and this combination of toppings was simply amazing.
Everything else being served around us looked excellent as well. As hard as it will be to not order that pizza I can’t wait to return and try more of their dishes.

This is a wonderful restaurant. I went with my parents and the three of us all enjoyed it. The atmosphere is upscale but warm. I loved being able to see into the kitchen.
Hejara was our waitress and she was terrific. They were clearly busy and she was «grace under fire.» When I ordered the Alle Vongola, she said that sadly they had just run out of this popular dish. But, a minute later she returned to say that after double checking with the chef, they were able to put together one more for me :-)
Although some might be put off by the fact that they ran out of certain dishes, I know that is a sign of a restaurant that chooses their ingredients carefully and keeps a fresh inventory. I’d rather have good and fresh versus something that had been sitting in a fridge for several days.
The food was just that, good and fresh. Italian classics done well. We had seared scallops over a beet salad as an appetizer (perfectly done). I had the Alle Vongola (delicious!), my Mom had scallop and shrimp scampi (said it was one of the best she’s had) and my dad ordered the meat of the day, beef shoulder with a red wine and gorgonzola sauce, and a side of roasted brussels sprouts and other veggies, His by far was the best! I couldn’t stop stealing bites from his plate.
For dessert we shared a trio of gelato flavors and the fallen chocolate soufflé with berry sauce, soooo good!
All and all a perfect meal and I would recommend it to anyone!

One of the only fine dining Italian food locations within 150 miles in any direction. The atmoshpere is great, although a little smaller, they have been featured in a couple WMUR pieces, they are very popular and on a Friday and/​or Saturday night they get very busy. You need to make reservations and in some cases you will feel a little cramped. This place is not that big but big in heart. Definately worth the try, great for a V-​day dinner or Anniversary date.
In my opinion not great for kids or big groups given the size and type of atmosphere.