I had been wanting to try this place for awhile and a Groupon brought us in on a busy weekend night. The place was packed to the gills, the several outdoor "patio" tables also full. We were told 10 minutes wait. 20 minutes later we were still standing (no available chairs to wait in) against the wall. (If the Groupon wasn't expiring, we would have left.) Servers were desparately trying to navigate the tables and the crowded entrance to serve the patio area. I admired the fact that most still continued to smile in the face of such a crowd. Finally we were seated in a high traffic area, our chairs were continually bumped with each passing waiter or guest. This was not fun or relaxing.
About the food. Definitely not worth the wait. We both had salads (because the pasta dishes do not come with any sides). The wedge salad was covered with bleu cheese dressing, w/ sliced tomatoes and onions on the side. House salad had a very nice balsamic dressing but the salad was 1 kind of lettuce & a couple cuke & tomato slices - we were not impressed, esp. for the price. Penne Alla Campagna sounded good w/ spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms & chicken - but it was somewhat bland, chicken was tough. Lasagna didn't fare much better on our table.
I wonder if the experience might have been different on a less busy night. If they are always this busy, then I guess they won't miss our business. With all the many choices in Italian, we won't be returning to Nick's.