The Nice Guy

Review summary

1. m

   michael

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   The Nice Guy was anything but nice. Reservation was for 7pm. Finally sat after 725pm. I get it. It’s the holidays. It’s West Hollywood. Sat 3 in a booth designed to hold one on each side so things were rather tight. Ordered 3 simple drinks and appetizers. Drinks took about 15 minutes. Again. Holidays. West Hollywood. Appetizers were quite good, however, there was a rush and sense of urgency around 810 to remove plates as the entrees were on their way. The staff literally stood table-side and removed the plant of my dinner companion as she finished the last bit of her appetizer. We had all ordered the same entree at 8pm which was rigatoni bolognese with a side of brussel sprouts. At 845pm no entrees had been delivered after the haste of removing all plates and service items. When we asked for the manager, what I can only assume was the floor manager came over with a plate of brussel sprouts and broccolini that we did not order to appease us. From the moment we walked in I had clocked the manager, and she was not it. We asked for the actual manager who finally sauntered over at 850pm. Throughout our explanation of service his flat affect did little to show any amount of sympathy or concern. I get it, you have tables of 15 and 10 in the restaurant, so a table of 3 is meaningless to you. In the end we never got our entrees and ultimately left. The service was abysmal. The management was unsympathetic. The entire experience was tragic. We ended up going to Norms a block away and getting our food within 15 minutes.
   

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2. S

   Sam

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The service was amazing! Everyone was very attentive and the dinner ran smooth. It was beautiful inside and I’m glad we tried it, but the food wasn’t as good for how much it cost. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but compared to cheaper places? No. The drinks were strong tho!
   

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3. V

   Vikki

   New York City

   7 reviews

   2.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on December 6, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   When we arrived for our reservation, we were 25 minutes early. We had to wait outside in the cold the full 25 minutes because they don’t even open till 6 which was our reservation time. Once inside we were seated quickly. We noticed right away the restaurant is very dark inside. They have lamps and candles but the lamps all have really low lumens. I had to use my cell phone flashlight just to see the menu. I felt very conspicuous. I chose this location because they had Caccio e Pepe on the menu and I have been wanting to try it. For an appetizer we started with garlic cheese bread. It was about $17. What they brought was a single slice of bread cut into six small pieces. One slice of bread for $17?! It did come with about an ounce of marinara, but the marinara was nothing to write home about. It was ok. But way over priced. For dinner we had the Sea Bass, Caccio e Pepe, and two Chicken piccata with spaghetti sides. The sea bass was a tiny portion with no sides. The Caccio e Pepe was ok, but also quite small and didn’t even come with so much as a garnish. The chicken piccata was ok, but both the chicken and spaghetti had the marinara that is nothing special at all. Only one of us had a drink from the bar and it was quite interesting and flowery tasting. The rest of us had water, coke and lemonade. Our bill was $253, after tip $303. For a party of four and for what we got, I would say The Nice Guy does not have nice value for your money. They are charging exorbitant prices for food that isn’t even as good as Olive Garden. I was disappointed and so were the other three in our party. When we made our reservation we did mention we were celebrating a birthday. But during the entirety of our experience at The Nice Guy, there was not so much as a wish of happy birthday at all. So why do they bother asking if you are celebrating something during the reservation if they don’t care even if you are. 2/10 I do not recommend The Nice Guy.
   

   The Nice GuyResponded 2 days ago

   Vikki, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. It sounds like we missed the mark on service, portions, and timing during your visit, which is not what we strive for. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and would love to make it right if you're open to discussing it further. Please feel free to reach out at any time. Thank you, Larry Poston—Hospitality Director
   

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4. N

   Noni

   Los Angeles

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on December 2, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is one of my favorite places to go! My family and I decided to go last minute and we were able to book a table with no problem. We absolutely loved our food and the drinks were amazing. The bartender also made me an excellent whiskey sour. Surprisingly the noise level really wasn’t that bad. But I love the vibe when you walk in. It feels like you’ve almost walked into Goodfellas or madman set. But our waitress was super sweet and amazing. I highly recommend stopping by the Photo Booth before you leave. Either way I’ll definitely be back and be sure to bring more friends.
   

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5. Y

   Yadira

   Los Angeles

   13 reviews

   5.0

   13 reviews

   Dined on December 1, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It’s always an amazing experience here, my server was amazing!
   

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6. A

   Aleksandra

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 30, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 5

   Before being seated at the table, my full party hadn’t arrived, so I decided to wait at the bar. Unfortunately, the bartender was extremely rude and unhelpful. When I asked for non-sweet cocktail options, he dismissively said that everything on the menu was sweet and pre-batched. When I requested a drink with cucumber, mint, and vodka, his response was, “Is soda okay?” I then inquired about passionfruit, and he laughed, saying, “That’s very sweet,” followed by, “NO, we don’t have passionfruit.” From my experience, passionfruit can be quite tart rather than overly sweet, so this interaction felt unnecessarily condescending. It left me wondering if we had completely different perceptions or if he just didn’t want to help. Frustrated, I gave up trying to get any recommendations and settled for an espresso martini, even though I didn’t want coffee at all. When we finally got seated, the waitress initially displayed a similar attitude. Thankfully, one of my friends handled the situation diplomatically, which seemed to improve her demeanor. I usually love Nice Guy and all H.Wood Group venues, but this experience left a bad taste in my mouth. The bartender, in particular, failed to set the right tone for the evening. I wish I had caught his name.
   

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7. J

   Juan

   San Diego

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on November 25, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Delicious, great service, nice location, very pricey though.
   

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8. J

   Jose

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 15, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   It's a staple for a reason. Excellent staff, great food, good vibe.
   

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9. L

   Lisa

   VIP

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on November 3, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Fabulous, as always. Nice Guy is always consistently amazing!
   

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10. T

    Trent

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 27, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5

    Wasn’t worth it. The food was decent not worth the prices. The atmosphere was pleasant but very loud. The cocktails are extremely overpriced and barely artisan.
    

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