Nico's Recovery Room
If you're in Pittsburgh and craving a spot that combines great food with a lively atmosphere, Nico's Recovery Room is the place to be. Located at 178 Pearl St, Pittsburgh, PA, this vibrant dive bar offers a unique blend of karaoke, loud music, and outdoor seating, making it perfect for groups looking to enjoy a fun, casual night out.
One of the standout features of Nico's Recovery Room is its menu. Whether you're in the mood for a hearty pizza, a satisfying sandwich, or something more adventurous, you'll find something that hits the spot. The Recovery Room Pizza is a fan favorite, known for its crispy crust and fresh, flavorful toppings. If you're in the mood for something more savory, try the Gyros or the Fish Sandwich – both are packed with taste and sure to keep you coming back for more.
The restaurant has a laid-back, divey vibe that gives it an authentic Pittsburgh feel. It's the kind of place where the energy is always high, whether you're enjoying a round of karaoke with friends or just soaking in the lively atmosphere. The outdoor seating area is also perfect for those warm evenings when you want to enjoy your meal while soaking up the city’s vibe.
Whether you’re in the mood for a chill dinner with friends or you're ready to belt out some karaoke tunes, Nico's Recovery Room has something for everyone. With great food, good vibes, and a setting that’s ideal for groups, it's no wonder this place is a local favorite. If you haven’t already checked it out, make sure to add it to your list of must-visit spots in Pittsburgh.
Reviews
Part dive bar, part family diner. Feels like a place you might find as the social anchor of a small town with very few other businesses to hang out in, your typical village corner pub. Reasonably eclectic food menu (including spinach-based breakfast plates, gyros, and pizzas), decent cocktail list including numerous variations on an Aperol Spritz. Green flags: Younger, punk-ish types and transplants are just as comfortable hanging out here as grumpy old-time yinzers. Red flags: Best avoided on football game days if you're not a huge sport-o.
Nico's is one of my favorite places to go out to! You can always count on a crazy and fun night there. You walk in through the bar where there are Bloomfield locals of all ages hanging out. The dining room on the other side gets transformed into a karaoke bar every Saturday night. Unfortunately karaoke hasn't started back up yet since 2020, but I can't wait for them to bring it back! Karaoke is so fun and the drinks are cheap. I love going here because there are so many different types of people! Warning - do not go here with fresh hair or a fur coat - you leave smelling like cigarette smoke. That is the only downfall about Nico's....it's SO smoky. It really does affect me, but we only go every once in a while. I had my birthday party here in February 2020 before everything shut down, and it was definitely my most memorable birthday. If you call ahead you can rent the "stage". It is the section that is a step up from the rest of the dining room. We all dressed in 80's outfits and sang only 80's songs! It was so fun and the rest of the people at Nico's were not even phased by our group of 30 people in costumes and mullets! Lol! A few months ago my friend suggested I meet her at Nico's for brunch. She has always raved about it. I agreed and expected to be in for a super greasy, hangover breakfast. The food was SO good! I got the "healthy omelette" that had veggies and egg whites in it. The potatoes were crunchy and a little greasy, and perfectly crisp. I also added a pancake on the side since she always gets them. It tasted like a mix between dense cake and a funnel cake. I never order pancakes so it was a treat. An omelette, homefries, toast, a huge pancake, and a bloody mary cost only about $20. I will definitely be back for brunch, and you can catch me singing Alanis Morissette as soon as karaoke returns!
Pretty decent Order came in about 45 minutes Paid $18 and some change for 12 garlic parm wings wings and fresh cut fries with a order of 6 potatoe skins. Skins were a bit too done for my taste but still really good. I will be ordering again
Nico's is one of my favorite Yinzer bars. I've been going here off and on since I turned 21, even if it was just to stop in for fries at lunch, and it's one of the finest dives around. We typically stop in here for a fish sandwich and some drinks after the Unblurred gallery crawl in Garfield. Jason bartends on Friday nights, and he's the best. He's one of those bartenders that remembers you after your first visit, and remembers what you drink and keeps the refills coming. Their food is excellent. The fish sandwich is church-fish-fry good, and the coleslaw is crispy and mayonnaise-d to perfection. But the real treat of this place is the fries. There's something about these fries that I just love. I think they remind me of the homemade fries my grandpa used to make me in his deep fryer when I was a kid. They're kind of like a thinner, jucy-er version of Potato Patch fries. Seriously. Go get some now. And like other dive bars in Pittsburgh, the prices are cheap. This is the perfect place to sit around with your fellow Yinzers and watch the Buccos or the Pens (or both, if it's that glorious time of year when both seasons are going - they have multiple TVs). The only thing I don't like about Nico's is that it's one of the few smoking-permitted bars left in town (they, like Thunderbird and the Cage, keep the food prices low to skirt that smoking ban loophole). I've gotten kind of spoiled lately by smoke-free establishments, and I hate coming home stinking like cigarettes. But the dives in Pittsburgh are all pretty much maintaining the smoking thing, so I can't complain when comparing. All that said, there's no bar I'd rather hang out at than Nico's. :)
Fantastic Sunday brunch- great for grandkids too. Food well prepared excellent service.