The Story of 35 Years in Business
Nicholas Restaurant was established in June of 1985 by Nicholas and Linda, my mother and father.
My father Nicholas was a public relations officer for Air France for the 35 years preceding 1982. In that year, the tragic war in Beirut, Lebanon forced him to take a leave of absence to seek refuge and seek a better life for his wife and four children in the United States. Coming from the old country, neither Nicholas nor Linda had the language or the experience to easily achieve financial stability. My mother Linda had to take a full time job doing carpet alteration at Atiyeh Carpet Cleaning just to put food on the table for our family. Since her small amount of pay was our family’s only income, my father made the difficult decision to return to the tragedies in Beirut in order to provide more income for us.
Two years passed. We missed our dad very much, and his holiday visits only reminded us how difficult it was to live apart. My parents knew they had to find a solid source of income and a stable family life in the United States. After 37 years of dedicated service to Air France Airlines, my father decided to take his retirement and use his pension to invest in the authenticity that is today the one and only Nicholas Restaurant.
Driven by the compliments they received from numerous acquaintances about their cooking, my mom and dad started a small mom and pop shop selling pizza and calzones simply to survive. They were complete amateurs in the restaurant business, and they had their full pension tied to the future success of the restaurant. Hired help was a luxury, so when opening day came, my mother quit her job and joined my father on this uncertain journey.
In what was once a run down tavern that had been vacant for many years, they started Nicholas Restaurant. The pizzas and calzones were good, and Nicholas Restaurant slowly developed a following. Soon my parents introduced something even closer to their hearts. Traditional Lebanese home cooking was added to the menu. Word of mouth advertising then brought more people who were hungry for the flavors of the Middle East to Nicholas. All of this contributed to the slow but steady success of my parents’ dream.
To bring out the traditional taste of authentic Lebanese cooking, our black oven was imported along with various other restaurant equipment from our home thousands of miles away across land and sea. For many years this wonderful oven has warmed up every day for baking and bread making. The equipment expenditure was great, but it was necessary for real Lebanese cooking.
We served our guests on Grand Avenue for many years, beginning in 1987, providing delicious meals made with the freshest and best quality ingredients. In 2021 we moved to our new home on 11th and Madison in Southeast Portland. Our new location allows us to welcome guests in a beautiful two story space with a full patio and full bar, while continuing the traditions that built Nicholas Restaurant. In 2010, we opened our Gresham location, allowing us to share our family’s cooking with even more of the community.
We insist that everything be made from scratch with no shortcuts. No canned garbanzos and no canned eggplant for the baba. Only the freshest bread, baked from scratch. What you see coming out of our oven speaks for itself. Using high quality ingredients is very important to us, not just for flavor. Cooking properly is part of our culture. We truly love making good food. Others may allude to being part of the Nicholas Restaurant heritage. While we welcome the compliment, Nicholas Restaurant has never strayed from its original commitment to excellence.
Since 1996, I have been doing my best to continue building my parents’ legacy. Their story shows that work is not a curse or a misfortune, as some people may think. When it comes from the heart, it becomes love made visible.
With everything happening around the world and in the Middle East, and with whatever circumstances may befall us all, a family gathering around a table enjoying a freshly cooked meal remains the highlight of the day. To us, whenever you eat at Nicholas Restaurant, you are sharing in the pleasure of family time and togetherness and enjoying the blessings of good food.
We would like to extend our gratitude for the reviews we receive in local publications, on the news, and on the internet. Of course, we also thank each one of you who tells your friends and family where to find the best Lebanese food in town, right here at Nicholas Restaurant.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story. We look forward to serving you again and again.
Sincerely,
Hilda