521 NE Third Street
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Feeding Oregon's Wine Country Since 1977 Wood-Fired Oven | Authentic Recipes | Local Ingredients Extensive Oregon Wine List
Located
in historic downtown McMinnville, Nick's Italian Café is
a more than 30-year-old legend...
an Oregon wine-country institution championed by winemakers and travelers
alike. In fact, Nick's Café grew up
Built on a reputation for its five-course, price- and menu-fixed dinner, Nick's Café borrowed its initial dinner format from that of many fine restaurants in the North Beach section of San Francisco where Nick Peirano a third generation Italian-American and his family often dined. When Nick started his own restaurant in McMinnville in 1977, his father Raymond and mother Georgia were on hand to help. Many of the recipes used were remembered from feasts and celebrations of Nick's youth; his grandmother's minestrone is one such delight. Today,
Nick's
daughters Carmen and Tomiko (4th generation Italian American) continue the tradition of family involvement,
with Carmen and her husband Eric handling chef responsibilities following
Nick's "retirement" in 2007. On the heels of their cooking experiences at
Quince in San Francisco (among the best restaurants the Bay Area has to
offer), Eric and Carmen spent six months cooking in Italy to prepare
for taking on the culinary challenges of their family's now renowned Nick's
The younger generation of the Peirano
family continues the
tradition
of the Café's multi-course dinners (if
requested at the time of a reservations), while it has added a creative
variety of a la carte
items for lunch, The Wine Whatever the menu item chosen, you can be sure it was designed and prepared with delicious wine-pairing in mind. As a founding director and chef for Oregon's world-renowned International Pinot Noir Celebration, Nick Peirano used his extensive knowledge and familiarity with local wines and winemakers to build what became the notorious wine list of Nick's Italian Café. The near-celebrity status of both Nick and the restaurant's wine-program manager Jim Biddle insures the ongoing respect commanded by this iconic wine-country restaurant's list. Jim Biddle's fame began with his award-winning wine program at the legendary Atwaters restaurant, formerly located on the 30th-floor of downtown Portland's Bancorp Tower. Happily for diners at Nick's - legendary in its own right - the wines now are selected by both Nick and Jim who employ not only their extensive wine knowledge to maintain their list, but a keen understanding of the importance of distinctive soil types and terroir in premium wines. Pinot noir lovers will have a hard time finding a restaurant with a better selection... by the glass, by the bottle and many from older vintages. Some of the Oregon producers on Nick's wine list include:
Banquet and Catering Services Nick's offers both on-premise banquet facilities and off-premise catering services. The warmth of the restaurant's banquet room, with its one-hundred-year-old brick walls with wainscoting, also hosts evenings of live music (usually drawing from Portland's strong jazz scene) and occasional winemaker dinners. The Banquet Room comfortably seats 45 people for a served multi-course dinner, but buffet and lighter meals are also available. While specializing in catering service for groups of 20 to 200, Nick's also caters in private homes, at beautiful wineries throughout the Willamette Valley, and at a variety of other feasible sites. "We'll gladly work with you to tailor a menu that suits the needs of your group." What They're Saying About Nick's
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with
the wine industry, quickly becoming a favorite gathering place for many of
the area's winemakers. The wine list at this wine-country hot spot
reflects that relationship. 
dinner and The Back Room. Menu changes throughout the week are made
according to culinary whims and
seasonal availability of fresh Pacific Northwest goods and produce. Recipes used show the
inventiveness
of the restaurant's kitchen in creating dishes suggestive of
Northern Italy; the tradition of hand-made pasta
continues, reminiscent of Nick's experiences with his father making
fettuccine and ravioli. 
