Nico's Pier 38

I ordered the Shrimp Scampi which was delicious. Loved the truffle fries...super ono and had a cocktail called "Sweet Okole" very tasty.

Food was delicious, servers had a pleasant attitude. The ambience changes and now you order your food at the front and pick up. Where as before it was an actual done in service. But food is very tasty, I had the encrusted ahi and my date had the ahi belly. Both was delicious and great portion size

Solid food and sort of a perfect Hawaii vibe with a semi-enclosed dining room open to the outdoors, a large covered patio, and live music starting early. Parking gets busy but is decent enough.

Honestly the live music so early was a bit much, but the vibe very much makes sense, down to the fact that Pier 38 is a working part of the harbor and you can see fisherman hard at work out the window.

Service is basic, grab a menu and a table, order at the reception and get a buzzer, then when buzzed, walk over to a separate area for pick-up.

Crab cake burger is a friends' favorite, the clam chowder is very good, and the seared ahi salad is pretty tasty too, even if the ahi is a bit too-seared.

I've been coming to Nico's over the years and feel that the quality of the food has diminished. I return because the location is convenient for business/work meetings and the ambience is nice.

On my most recent visit, we had a party of 10+ (work celebration). Four of us ordered the furikake ahi (which I believe is one of the signature dishes) and the quality of the ahi for all four of us was poor (filled with tsuji/connective tissue) so we were all 'sawing' our steaks with the plastic butter knife. Those in the group that had fried foods and non-seafood items were happy. Going forward, I'll stick with that strategy which is disappointing since it is a 'fish market'.

Aside from the poor quality of the ahi, everything else was good (friendly staff, ambience, good drinks).

Well that was crap-tastic.
It's been a few years since we visited Nico's so I was not aware that they had turned themselves into the service equivalent of a New Jersey Turnpike truck-stop.
It's confusing at the entrance with no one greeting or explaining how things work.
Table service has been replaced by counter service. Plates have been replaced with to go boxes.
Long lines at the bar.
Lines at the counter.
It's a free-for-all on seating. We grabbed the only available table only to discover that it was under a persistent water drip from the ceiling.
The live music is set at a decibel level to drown out the cacophony of the crowd which just adds to the frenetic nature of the barn like atmosphere.
I had the blackened fish sandwich with a salad. The sandwich was decent but under-seasoned. Hubby had the crab cake sandwich which was...meh...at best and overcooked. He also ordered his sando with a salad but they gave him fries by mistake. He decided to roll with it, but the fries were terrible. Soggy. Greasy. Cold. He didn't finish them.
Clearly they are appealing to the masses because it was overrun by people.
On my way back from rest room I spied the Guy Fieri "Diner's Drive Inn's and Dives" poster indicating that Nico's had been featured on an episode at some point. While a Triple D feature isn't an instant downvote for me (I've eaten at places from the show that I loved) it's definitely a hint at the caliber of what you're about to experience.

Nico at Pier 38 is a fun and casual place. I've been here twice for lunch for fresh fish and it's always been delicious. Fish cooked perfectly not overcooked.

Once you enter Nico, you're able to order at the cash register and then you can seat yourself for lunch. They give you a buzzer, and when your buzzer goes off your food is ready. You pick up your food at the counter. Drinks are self serve from the soda fountain.

They had live music last time I was there for lunch, which was really nice.

The downstairs area is Nico's is spacious, covered, yet, open-air environment. There was live music playing to accompany the ambiance, which I love.

I ordered the Shrimp Scampi. The pasta was well cooked with good flavor to it. I'm not a fan of capers but I was able to tolerate the saltiness it added to the dish. I also had the crème brulee cheesecake for dessert and that was enjoyable, too. Not overwhelmingly sweet at all. It's best to bring good company to dine-in at a place like this. It seemed that many people come to casually enjoy good conversation and the live music. I was told that there's a more "formal" type of Nico's dining upstairs from this location, although I've never been yet.

I would love to come back to try out the other fresh fish options they have on the menu! Definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys seafood and live music.

Had Nico's on my list to try while in Hawaii and it did not disappoint! Rolled in for dinner just after 6pm, and even though it was busy, we were seated immediately with a great view of the harbor and fishing boats. We ordered the Furikake Ahi Tuna, the Dijon Roasted Salmon salad, Crab cake Sandwich and Keiki pasta. Dinner arrived shortly after, it was all delicious and no one left hungry. Prices were fair and the seafood was literally fresh off the boat. There was also live music! Would definitely try them for lunch too.

Nico's is about 3 miles from Waikiki, but easy to get to if you have a vehicle or hire a ride. What was really nice was that we were enjoying a delicious dinner, with great service and a view instead of standing in line for mediocre experience at some restaurant in Waikiki.

If you're looking for great seafood, do yourself a favor and head to Nico's. You won't go wrong.

We continued on with the food bonanza and followed a recommendation to stop by Nico's Pier 38 for seafood. And if I'm being honest, I'm all for the intrigue of fresh seafood caught daily and hacked up for me to selfishly chow down.

THE FOOD ELABORATION.

- Fried Ahi Belly | Parts of the ahi belly were really soft and other parts quite firm. And having perfectly crispy deep fried anything sitting in something saucy like spicy lomi tomato salsa is no bueno. I would recommend asking for the salsa on the side. Speaking of sides, the macaroni salad was wonderfully creamy and flavorful. The rice was perfectly sticky and paired well with the fried ahi belly's oceanic flavors.

THE DRINKS DRUNK.

- Hawaiian Mule | Yessss. The liliko'i puree was sweet and made this mule so enjoyable to drink. Highly recommend.

- Maui Brew Co. Big Swell IPA | Not an overpowering IPA. Refreshing.

THE VIBE EVOCATION.

Modern beach vibes. Huge bar centrally located and a boat suspended above where lighting fixtures hang from it. The staff were pretty diligent in making sure tables were cleared and cleaned quickly. And the best part? Sitting near the all the fishing boats.

THE PARKING AFFAIR.

Free parking is adjacent to the fish market. The area is a gravel/dirt lot. I'm sure there are other areas to park, but found this to be closest to the entrance.

THE RETURN QUANDARY.

I'd come back because maybe I didn't get the right dish for me.

My friend Lisa took me here because we like to eat outdoors. What are the drawbacks is that it was very windy and there's a good breeze going through so you have to weigh everything down lol including your drink.Food was very tasty and drinks were good.
Parking is across the street in a dirt lot so be careful if it's raining could get muddy
Will definitely come back again.