Nico’s Rooftop Tavern

Had an encounter with this establishment for the Schenectady Soup Stroll. They had run out of their original soup, but luckily I arrived when a new batch was ready! Great news. I headed upstairs and got in line. Not a long wait, after getting to the front I asked the server what kind of soup it was. He said, and I quote, «honestly I don’t even know». Okay. Upon tasting, I could easily figure out what it was. This soup was a creamy broth watered down about ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ to an uncomfortably milky consistency. Drifting in the were soggy oyster crackers. Now these are traditionally served alongside soups, but today a thoughtful chef got them good and squishy for me. The real gem of the soup were the mixed vegetables. They were akin to what remains in your sink strainer after washing a large sink of dirty dishes. I’ve eaten canned mixed vegetables before, and let’s just these were worse. Please, if you run out of soup, just be proud enough to say you’re out, and have some dignity.

I always have a great experience when I come here. The wings are very good and they have a variety of sauces (honey mustard and the thai are my favorite). Their famous peanut butter and jelly wings are always good too, but I only like them bone in. Also, the Black and Tan onion straws are A+. For the most part the bartenders are good. I’ve had a bad drink or two there but I don’t think that person works there anymore. The rooftop is wonderful in the warmer months.

Worst service ever. Food was cold, took forever to get to our table and slow service in general. Not worth the wait.

Let me start by saying the food is great! We came in on a Tuesday night and we practically had place to ourselves. Even with that we waited awhile for our food. It was longer than anticipated, but worth it. (Hence the ⁴⁄₅ stars). My boyfriend had the boneless wings, half peanut butter/​jelly and the other half Jack Daniels BBQ. He preferred the PBJ, but both were good. I had the Mac and cheese with Buffalo Shrimp. It was fantastic. Looking forward to a return visit for sure.

Who wouldn’t want to watch sports on an 80 inch TV. Beers always cold and the food it great.

Upstairs is where it’s at! The food is bomb! The drinks are awesome! Huge portions and affordable. Get down here now or you are a loser.

A group of girlfriends and I came here during our lunch hour. Like Nicholas Y said, this place would be the RADDEST in the area, however, they need to move the rooftop seating closer to the front of the building so you could have a view of the downtown area. But, the distressed brick, cool hanging lights, and hip music certainly make this one of my new favorite places to unwind.
Not sure if it was because of the lunchtime rush, but service was extremely slow. I noticed only one waitress for the entire rooftop area. The garlic knots were the best I have had in a very long time… I certainly recommend!

Waited 45 minutes for the food to come out at lunch… There were 3 other people at the bar. I had a chicken parm panini that was pretty bland and the fries were not very flavorful either. I only give 3 stars for the atmosphere. Pretty disappointing.

The food was okay, but it was overpriced for the quality. I got a fish and fries basket (it’s a battered piece of haddock with French fries) and the cost was $ 13.50. Seemed pricy, but I had a living social deal where I paid $ 15 to get $ 30 at nico’s so I figured «okay, why not?!». We also had potato skins to start and my husband got a cheese steak sandwich. The potato skins were okay, not terrible, but I’ve definitely had better. When my fish came it was sizable, covered almost the entire top of the basket of fries underneath. It was good, but the breading was thick and very crunchy so it made it hard to cut. Not the end of the world. The fries under it looked super crispy, but actually were really soggy. I believe the problem was that they covered them with the hot fried fish and it took away any crispness they had originally had so I only ate ¼ of them. The steak sandwich my husband had he said was not bad, but as soon as we started leaving he was complaining about his stomach and continued to have pains the rest of the night. My husband can literally eat anything and never have stomach issues so this surprised me.
As for the rooftop, it’s nice to be outside, but there is no view at all from the roof. It’s about half of their roof and it’s the half that is not near state street so you can’t see all the charm of downtown Schenectady from up there. Also, people smoke up there while you’re eating and if you’re okay with that then it’s fine, but it is not my preference.
Since we have so many amazing options in the downtown area I don’t think I would come back to Nico’s Rooftop because nothing about seemed to really thrill me. In a pinch it’s okay, but be prepared that it is not the least expensive place either.

Nice place. Great burgers and bar. Good place to watch the game. Support your local pub!

Very cool place, one of my favorite spots downtown. The tavern is nice, bar is big, and the rooftop area is awesome. Kind of wish the rooftop area was closer to the front of the building for a better street view, but it’s great nonetheless.
Food wise, great tavern food, and if you’ve ordered from Nico’s in the past, prior to the tavern addition, you know it’s some of the best pizza you can find around here. The fries dishes are awesome value and some unique options (cheap and huge portions). One of my favorites is the buffalo shrimp, I go there just for them.
They’ve always got a pretty good selection of beers as well. Bar staff is very knowledgable of their beers and liquors. Bar rarely gets too crowded or crazy, part of the reason why I like going so much.

Let me start off by saying Nicos Pizza has been in the area for years. The Upstairs «Rooftop» A few Years. This is my first experience of the «Rooftop». Absolutely Love The Décor And Atmosphere. Hardwood Floors, lighting… All exceptional.
Ordered Pizza (Thumbs Up)… However, be careful as I’m dining alone and thought the Small (6 slices) would have been about 8 inches… Not The Case… I should have brought 3 other people to enjoy it with me. It’s Huge! Also Ordered A Side Salad With Italian Dressing… Salad Ingredients Awesome… Dressing was A Bit Bland. Could Not Taste Any Seasonings.
With That Being Said 4 Stars… I’ll Be Back!

Went here the other night and it was terrible. The food was cold and hard and burnt had it sent back came back still burnt and still gross. Popcorn stale just terrible ruined my theater night.

I have Wednesdays off from work, and this was an awesome place to spend my day off. Trivia was a blast, good beer on tap, and the food was pretty darn good. I highly recommend the Black and Tan onion straws, and a burger. I got the Godfrey myself and couldn’t even think about finishing it. Great stop on a night out with friends. Came during winter so the rooftop obviously wasn’t open, but I’m looking forward to coming here more, especially during the warmer months to see what that’s all about. If you have any specific questions feel free to message me!

Great bar food, try the black and tan onion straws or a burger. Love the trivia on Wednesdays. 16 drafts including Angry Orchard. Spacious and room for midsized groups.

Decent place to grab a beer and a bite to eat.
16 beers on tap. Pretty basic selection, Sam Adams, Guinness, Blue Moon, etc. The bottled beers selection is terrible, nothing other than piss beers and a few varieties of the super sugary twisted tea.
There’s a bunch of TVs, with a giant 70″ behind the bar that has a beautiful picture. It’s worth the trip just sit in front of that and sip a beer.
I tried the reuben fries. These looked really good on the menu. (I envisioned meat-​cheese-​potato nirvana.) Corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, russian dressing, & balsamic glaze smothering crispy fries. The serving was huge, enough for 3 or 4 to enjoy and a steal at just $ 6. It was good, but sadly, not the stuff dreams are made of. Plus, the balsamic glaze was missing in action.
The two draft beers I ordered were just $ 5 each, that and the low menu prices combine to make a good value.
The young lady behind the bar was great. She was courteous, pleasantly chatty, and eager to please.

def dont need to go here. i hoped for a lot more out of this place. rooftop has a view of nothing and its a little small and out of the way for the servers to bring food and drink quickly. i ordered the mac and cheese. it was bizarre. it wasnt horrible but it wasnt good either. it was like they made ziti with no red sauce. the most bizarre version of everything we tried.

This place is above the pizza shop, and is not the same restaurant.
Went here on a whim the other night, and I really enjoyed it. They have a decent draft selection, and the menu has some great and different options.
To start, we shared Ruben fries and an order of boneless wings. The Ruben Fries were outstanding, one of the best apps I have ever had. The boneless buffalo wings were also very tasty.
For an entrée we ordered a buffalo chicken pizza, open face sandwich, and a salad. I can’t comment on the salad, but the other two options were really good, and we have plenty to take home.
This place is really under-​rated. I wish I had come sooner, as the prices are really, really, really good for what you get. The quality of food was great too. We will be coming back here again, I just wish I knew about it sooner.
Also, the portions are huge, so come hungry.