I have been a fan of Nicholas Restaurant for a long time and I’m probably not the only one – this family restaurant has been in business in Portland for more then 35 years. It all started when the original Nicholas, “Dad” to the current owner and daughter Hilda, and grandfather to the Nicholas I met during my recent visit (Hilda’s son), took a risk using his retirement and pension to found Nicholas Restaurant after immigrating from Beirut, Lebanon. Despite this being their first time running a restaurant, Hilda’s parents found their pizzas and calzones were a hit and they were able to expand to the larger Lebanese homey menu you see today. I was sad to see them close up their hole in the wall Grand location, but also thrilled to see Nicholas Restaurant’s new location on SE Madison which now has room for a patio with heaters and umbrellas, plus more space (4x as much square feet) for distancing tables, and a medical grade air filtration system. And look at those cute booths and new bar. The second floor has a section perfect for a larger party of family and friends.

During the pandemic I was thankful and incredibly impressed by Nicholas Restaurant‘s quick pivot to their “Flatten the Curve Healthy Menu” to serve the community. This was one of the fastest reactions to the times – they closed the dining rooms on March 16 2020 and started offering this menu right then. The menu at the time still had the same generous portions, but at a reduced price of $10 or less (with entrees still including salad and rice) to help those suffering financially and enhance their diet from unhealthy or processed food that might be what they think could afford. And, they were taking care of their team and their family with food. I ordered multiple times, and then when I heard they would be closing the SE Grand even stopped for takeout just to see it one more time.

As much as I enjoy the takeout, and especially eating that garlicky toum without subjecting anyone else to my aromatic breath as I eat it by the spoonful, I was excited to check out the patio immediately. There is nothing like having that fresh pita bread hot from the oven presented to your table with the zaatar and oil dip. We love the hummus so added that on as well even though we knew we would also be ordering a Mezza that had more hummus because well, we love hummus. F has a regular order that he doesn’t even look at the menu: the Arabian Breeze Mezza which gives highlights of multiple dishes: Hummus, hamara, caramelized onions mixed with tahini, majadra, fried cauliflower, and falafel.