Nico's at Pier 38

I've been wanting to visit Nico's ever since I was tipped off about the place by "Juliana Chaize" via e-mail back in April of this year.  At the time, her e-mail indicated that Nico's had been open just six months and that they served delicious gourmet-style plate lunches at drive inn prices.  Nico's is located in a mostly industrial area off of Nimitz Highway.  See the sign above, take the left turn and you're almost there.

Nico's is literally on the water and is across the way from United Fishing Agency.  For those of you who don't know, United Fishing Agency is the home of the Honolulu Fish Auction, the largest auction house in the state.  Therefore, if you have a chance to eat the catch-of-the-day at Nico's you know that it will be of the freshest quality.

On my way to the pier, I almost missed the sign taking me to Nico's.  You'll know you're there when you see the green awning which covers the outdoor seating area.

Inside the shop, you'll see the menu board on the left as well as a list of the daily specials.  The counter is straight ahead with the open kitchen in back.  On the right is the drink machine and the condiment stand.  After placing my order, I went to secure a table outside.  As you can see, it was a gorgeous day and there was lots of outdoor seating.  It's cleared up a bit, but when I first arrived, only 2 of the 15 or so tables were unoccupied.

Based on a recommendation from Gail over at Hawaii Diner, I decided to have the Pier 38 double cheeseburger (US$5.75) which comes with your choice of french fries or tossed greens.  I chose french fries.

The two "homemade" hamburger patties, melted cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes and red onions are all served on a sesame seed bun.  Unlike most of the other local burger places, you can really tell that this is a homemade burger just by looking at the patty -- none of that "uniformly shaped" stuff here.  Juicy and perfectly seasoned, this is one of the better burgers that I've had the pleasure of eating.  In fact, it was so tasty and juicy, I had to keep licking my fingers after every bite.

Here it comes!

Along with the burger came these crisp golden french fries.  The french fries were lightly seasoned with some sea salt (great touch!) and I think parsley flakes (?).  Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, these were also cooked just the way I like them. 

Update:  07/20/05:

OK folks.  I have to admit that I did go back and I did order the fish, the furikake pan seared ahi with ginger garlic cilantro dip (US$6.95) to be exact.  Here it is for you all to enjoy.

It was nice piece of fresh ahi that was coated with furikake then pan-fried to the specified doneness (medium).  The fish was tasty, and though I felt that a little less furikake could have been used, it was cooked exactly as I had ordered it.  The ginger garlic cilantro dip was nice, but I didn't eat it with the fish.  This plate lunch is served with one scoop of white rice and your choice of either mac salad or Nalo greens.  Other menu items that sound really tasty are the "Catch of the Day" salad, the fried calamari on Nalo greens with sweet chili dressing and the grilled ahi sandwich.  I'll definitely be back to try those.

The food here at Nico's is tasty and incredibly well priced.  The portion sizes are perfect for lunch and the burger is one of the best that I've had yet.  In fact, I enjoyed the food here so much, this might just become a regular lunchtime hangout.

Nico's at Pier 38
1133 North Nimitz Highway
Telephone:  808.540.1377

Comments

[MBS]

Well, the burger and fries look great, Reid, but did they have any good seafood!?

[Clinton]

OK Reid...how did this burger rate against Kua Aina's?

[Kirk]

Now Reid - That's a Burger! Those fries look great as well....And just under 6 bucks to boot, you sure could pack-it-on here!!!

[Kirk]

Hey Reid - One day at Mariposa the next at Nico's - guess which I would choose! :)

[MrsT]

Love the burger.. and the fries..!! yums..!!

[Jo]

You ate a burger at a fish place? Man, somebody musta hit you over the head with a "cousin stick"! You start out descibing the place & I'm thinkin' great fish & chips, or maybe something off the grill... It sure is a good looking burger though... ;o)

[babe_kl]

the price is so reasonable (well if i dont convert to RM) and the beef patties are in generous portion. wished we have similar stuff here :(

[clare eats]

Good looking burger!
but I agree.. We WANT FISH! *grin*

[nai]

Since Reid didn't have the fish, and I did, I'll share. I've been there twice--the first time, I had the salad of the day, which includes fresh fish. unfortunately, I don't remember the fish i had (it was white-fleshed), but it was cooked correctly (medium), nicely sized (possibly as big as my head, but i'm only 4'11", so use your imagination), and laid on a bed of fresh spinach. I remember there being gorgonzola cheese and possibly nuts on it. No matter; the fish took center stage. My beau had the catch of the day--grilled ahi, also done to his liking (medium rare), well seasoned, and also nicely-sized. I should mention that my beau is exceedingly picky about fish, having grown up the son of a fisherman (put it this way--he could clean fish at the age of eight). He said that he's paid twice as much for fish that was less than half as good. Our only complaint was the brown rice that came with his plate was too dry. On another day, I had the basil-pesto swordfish--equally tasty.

Nico's now has a website--www.nicospier38.com--where they list their regular menu, plus daily specials. If you like, you can sign up to have the specials emailed to you every day. They also do breakfast, which I would like to try sometime. I would definitely say that if you are ono for fish, go there. Then again, based on Reid's review, I think that if I'm ono for a burger, I'll have another excuse to go to Nico's.

[clare eats]

Thanks so much Nai!

It sounds almost to good to be true!

[Jo]

::gives Clare a HighFive of agreement::

oh my gosh Nai! WAAAA I WANT FISH!!! ::snivel:: I was only in Hawaii for a week and we didn't get to any fish places. I love California, but when it comes to decent seafood, Florida is king in comparison (I grew up in Florida). Only 2 things are better in California, salmon & crab (dungeness of course). Lobster, bass, halibut, makerel, shrimp, you name it, it's better on the East side. ::sigh:: We needed more time in Hawaii!

::returns from reading the menu:: Well Reid, maybe I can't blame you on the burger, what with it being the employee favorite and all. Everything looks so delicious! Here's a deep dark secret, I'd go for the meatloaf!

[milgwimper]

Reid,
That burger looks really good, and the fries oh the fries! *sigh* I was wondering a bit about the burger at a fish joint, but well it does look scrumptious.

Jo,

Hmmm maybe you and I have differing versions on Florida. Besides Lobster (and a couple of ther things you cant here in California waters) I have to agree to disagree. ;P

[Clinton]

Reid,

I gotta agree with the comments about having a burger at a "fish joint". I personally would have liked to have tried some oysters or some calamari if that was on the menu. Fish is offered everywhere.
Hey if you're ordering a hamburger this time, are you ordering tacos the next?

[CC]

I am hungry just looking at the yummy pics!

[santos.]

it might be me, but it looks like those hamburger patties have been dosed with lipton's onion soup mix.

[MBS]

Hey Reid,

Off topic, but since some folks are talking about seafood: Review "The Poke Stop" in Waipahu!

[Gail]

Since I'm the one guilty of encouraging eating the burger, I will mention that we also always order fish. It's uniformly outstanding - the thing about the burger is that it is truly hard to get a great burger. I've tried Kua Aina, Teddy's, Big City Diner, etc. etc. and Nico's is way better and cheaper. Go eat there yourselves and try whatever you like - you'll also find Loco Moco, Molokai Sweet Bread French Toast and good Beef Stew in addition to excellent seafood. But, that Double Cheeseburger rules!

[Julia]

Hey Reid,
Right now, I'd do anything to have the burger and fries you had. *drooling already* Posting that pic of the cross-sectioned burger was a very evil thing to do! And those fries!

[Clinton]

OK Reid,

You sold me! The next time we're back in Honolulu, Nico's it is! Let me ask you, if someone suggested to go to Big City Diner or Nico's for late lunch or dinner, which would you choose? I gotta tell you, I'm quite partial to BCD but can easily be swayed...

[milgwimper]

Clinton : Go to both?? ;P Boy I am just so helpful aren't I?

Reid: dont mind us we just have a fishy agenda...boo hiss yeah that was bad... ;P

[Lajja]

Reid - great choice! I'd go for the burger in a second. On our first visit, hubby had the awesome burger while I had fish & chips. Unfortunately, the bland batter did not do justice to the fresh fish tho its homemade tartar sauce made the best dip for them fries :)

[jupiter]

Reid,

Haha I will jump on the raggin bandwagon. Burger at a seafood themed joint?!? I don't go to a steak house and order chicken...LOL So anyhow the burger and fries do look good and this is one of the places I been wanting to visit. Hopefully I can visit soon.

[Cheryl]

man oh man... the beef patties look wicked! damn, why aren't the burgers here as good as those?! i have yet to eat a burger that big... i'm sure it must have been delicious... i can so imagine!

[Reid]

Hi MBS,

It's been a while. OK. Since I was catching some flak from everyone, I updated the post. I did have the furikake ahi and it was good.

Hi Clinton,

I have to say that I liked this burger better than Kua 'Aina, but they are prepared differently. This burger is more like homemade which is why I really enjoyed it.

Hi Kirk,

It certainly was. And I do believe you would choose the burger. Am I right?

Hi MrsT,

I'm a burger fiend so I had to have this. It was so good that I wanted another. I was so stuffed though. =P

Hi Jo,

I had the burger and I had some fish here. I thought the burger was more photogenic though. =)

They were equally tasty.

Hi babe_kl,

The price was definitely tasty and I consider it to be a bargain, especially since you can get a burger that's not as tasty for a lot more money.

Hi Clare,

OK. I want burgers! LOL! Fish is served! =)

Hi Nai,

You really do need to have the burger at Nico's, it's really delicious. I'm so glad that Gail recommended it.

That said, I did have the fish here as well. It was quite delicious! =)

Hi Jo,

You can consider the double cheeseburger meatloaf on a sesame seed bun! =)

I like meatloaf too.

Hi Milgwimper,

The burger was delicious! =P

I have to agree with you as well. I don't remember having good seafood in Florida at all. In fact, I only remember the Cuban coffee shops. Pernil. Mmmmm.

Hi Clinton,

LOL! Tacos? Maybe if they were made with fish. =P

Hi CC,

Thank you for stopping by.

I'm getting hungry looking at the pics too. LOL! I guess I need to eat dinner soon.

Hi Santos,

Hmmm. I'm not so sure about that, but then again, anything is possible. I've never had Lipton's onion soup mix in burgers before. How does it taste?

Hi MBS,

I read about that in Joan Namkoong's column last week. I'm definitely going to check it out next time I'm in the area.

Hi Gail,

Well, I did also have the fish, but the burger looked more photogenic. I have to say that I really, really enjoyed the burger. Thanks for the recommendation!

Hi Julia,

Long time no hear! =)

The fries were really good. I think using sea salt was a good thing to do. For some reason, the fries weren't as salty as they could have been.

As for the burger, I'm sorry! =(

Hi Clinton,

As much as I love the burgers at BCD, I have to say that these were better if only because of the homemade patties and the price.

BTW, Nico's is only open until 2:30 pm daily, so you would have to visit for a late lunch.

Hi Milgwimper,

I don't mind. I had the fish. I was holding it hostage. LOL!

Hi Lajja,

I'm glad you enjoyed the burger here because I certainly did. I wouldn't hestitate to eat it again either! =)

Hi Jup,

WOW! Long time no hear! Hope everything is OK with you.

The burger was good and you should definitely try it. The fish is good as well though.

Hi Cheryl,

It was so delicious that I can still taste it just by looking at the photo. I think I'm going to visit this weekend again! =)

[Jo]

::laughing:: POOR Reid! Talk about being harassed! I guess you know we love you right? I am glad to hear that you had fish though. By the way, you may have had fish in Florida, but you didn't come to my house. Trust me, we had fish frys with platters of fish and shrimp piled a foot high. Hushpuppies, grits, coleslaw, and sliced garden tomatoes... oh man. These were family gatherings. After eating till our bellies ached we would go outside and eat slices of watermelon so cold it would hurt your teeth. ::nod to RONW:: Yep, my grandmother was there with watermelon in one hand and a salt shaker in the other. By the way, Lipton tastes WAY better sweetened!

Jo <--- certified purebred Suthanuh!
P.S. Clare, about this, I might possibly be an expert ::wink::