A new Nico's

The fish is still as fresh as it was in the original spot, but change comes with a handful of growning pains

By Nadine Kam

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 15, 2012

~~<p>When in the course of a week, three people ask, "Hey, have you been to the new Nico's?" you know you'd better get there pronto. Naturally, a hundred other people have the same idea, so you have a clue what proprietor Nico Chaize is up against. There are high expectations and growing pains, plus quality-control issues that go with the territory when you're now feeding four times as many people.</p>
<p>Compared with Nico's humble beginnings as, essentially, a takeout lunch spot, the glossy new quarters just around the corner from his former site at Pier 38 are a dream come true, with a full central bar to accommodate pau hana whims, and plenty of seating (though still not enough to match the sizable crowd), all without losing sight of one of the reasons Nico's has always been popular: the townside, oceanfront location.</p>
~~

When in the course of a week, three people ask, "Hey, have you been to the new Nico's?" you know you'd better get there pronto. Naturally, a hundred other people have the same idea, so you have a clue what proprietor Nico Chaize is up against. There are high expectations and growing pains, plus quality-control issues that go with the territory when you're now feeding four times as many people.

Compared with Nico's humble beginnings as, essentially, a takeout lunch spot, the glossy new quarters just around the corner from his former site at Pier 38 are a dream come true, with a full central bar to accommodate pau hana whims, and plenty of seating (though still not enough to match the sizable crowd), all without losing sight of one of the reasons Nico's has always been popular: the townside, oceanfront location. Login for more...