| rev:text
| - The drink prices are a decent deal, and the bartender is fairly attentive on the refills. Though, it can get very loud in there, so make sure that when you order your vodka-soda and a water, the tender knows that those are supposed to be two separate beverages. (Ick.)
The food, I think, tops the drinks. At Niko's I had probably the freshest side salad I've ever had at a dive bar, and I had a well prepared (though, thankfully, not well-done) bunless burger that the cook did not even give me crap about when he came out to deliver it. (The cook, by the way, has a lot of pizzazz, and I like that he personally delivers your order.)
There is also a fun two-nights-a-week karaoke (Wednesdays and Sundays) that, even though it shuts down at 1:30 instead of two, is always a raucous and fun affair.
Now for the minuses: it's not necessarily a place you want to go after a Steelers loss, as evidenced by the fist-fight that broke out about 10 feet from me and my friends one evening.
Second minus: the cash-only deal. C'mon, even food trucks use Square now. This sort of thing is fine for the coffeeshop where you're spending a buck-ninety at a time, but when you're ringing up a food-and-drinks tab, I'd really prefer to use a card.
Last minus: you may or may not have to defend your date from the sleazy middle-aged clientele. Like, peel those grabby creeps away. (And this applies to both the males, who hit on my wife pretty rabidly, and some of the females, who get touchy with my other pal who joins us for karaoke.) If you're not comfortable being assertive with strangers, you might not have a great night.
I really like this place, and I've never had a problem with the staff, or even most of the patrons -- but I've had enough gross-out encounters with a chosen few that I can't give more than three stars. Go in a group.
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