Nicky's Coal Fired

We just had our reception in the Maxwell room Sunday night and I cannot say enough. Katie the event coordinator and her team went above and beyond anything we ever imagined. From handling table and plating setups, cake cutting, dinner service, handling all clean up, and sharing our last dance with us it was nothing short of perfection. We heard incredible feedback from guest on how filling, delicious, and beautiful the food was! And personally it was some of the best food I’ve ever had, especially the focaccia- I need that recipe haha. The bartender for our event was incredible and remembered both mine and my husbands drink order, and the guests said the bartender was incredibly great to them as well. All in all, if I could stand on a roof and shout how incredible the team here is I would. If you take nothing else from this review just book it - we booked it sight unseen and couldn’t have been happier!

I feel so lucky to live in the same neighborhood with this incredible restaurant. It’s the perfect place for a date, or to take the kids or happy hour with friends. The food is fresh and delicious and I have always had excellent service here.

Just got back from New York, and I’m telling you—this is as close as it gets without hopping a flight or arguing with some guy named Vinny about who invented the fold. Nicky’s Coal Fired nails that blistered-crust, coal-oven punch that usually only comes from a kitchen with a century-old chip on its shoulder. Walk in and the place already feels dialed in. The waitress clocks you before you even settle, gives you that half-smirk like she’s seen your kind before, and your drink hits the bar with a pour generous enough to make you believe in customer service again. The pizza? Absolute heat. Edges crisped to perfection, smoky char, chewy center—exactly how a coal-fired pie is supposed to fight back just a little. Toppings taste fresh and balanced, zero shortcuts, zero laziness. The homemade pasta? Yeah, that’s legit too. The vibe lands in that sweet spot: lively but not chaotic, local but with city flavor, the kind of place where you finish your meal and genuinely consider ordering another one “just to compare.” If you’re chasing that New York coal-fired hit without leaving Nashville, this is the closest you’re getting—no subway, no pigeons, no Vinny.

Nicky’s Coal Fired is a true neighborhood gem in an area that’s clearly on the rise. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the staff is consistently friendly and welcoming—you feel like a regular even on your first visit. Tony is an excellent chef, and it shows. I’ve been here numerous times, and the food is always outstanding. Consistency like that is hard to find, and Nicky’s delivers every single time—from the perfectly cooked coal-fired dishes to the overall quality and care that comes through in each meal. If you’re looking for great food, great people, and a place you’ll want to come back to again and again, this is it. Highly recommended.

Pizza is great—quality ingredients and so fresh. The coal fire adds another dimension to the taste. Staff is wonderful and the space is beautiful. Can’t recommend it enough.

First time here. Stopped off on the way to an event at The Fisher Center at Belmont University. Even though they didn’t open until 5p, service was fast, and we had plenty of time. We had the marinated olives and the Aces High pizza. The meatball pizza was different and very good. Italian Margarita was very good.

Service was amazing. Super nice and attentive. They were so busy but handled it with a smile. Food was okay. We had the foccacia, pizza, and itailian salad. The foccacia was not great. Unfortuntely the worst thing we ate there. We ended up exchanging it for the garlic bread. 100% improvement. We got the big italian and it was very pickle which they warned us. I like it but my husband didnt. The pizza is amazing. If u go just order a bunch of pizzas. They pizza was GOOD. They have really good dough.

Well known pizza joint in the Nations. They have counter service and large open garage area for sitting with couple of small TVs. Food wise the pizza was ok. The mushroom was soupy and overpowered. Pepperoni was better but lacked punch. I'd not recommend the kale salad. The Italian beef was actually really good if you don't mind some mild spice I'd stick with that. Service was really poor. Everyone was friendly but uncoordinated, tables arriving later got food first, orders not taken, drinks not filled. After waiting half an hour for a salad we were finally advised the kitchen was backed up. The pizza took even longer so it was disappointing when upon arrival it wasn't anything groundbreaking. The prices are not exactly cheap for what you get but inline for the area. Good pizza nice place I'd drop by if in the area but wouldn't make a trip out of my way is best I can say.

We had the garlic bread and a pepperoni pizza. The garlic bread was enjoyable - pictures represent it well. The pizza was much worse. It was soupy immediately with nothing standing out in a positive way. The pepperoni cupped up and added even more unwelcome moisture to the pizza, all the while not adding the type of flavor I want out of pepperoni.

As an Italian, I used to really appreciate this place. It once felt authentic, welcoming, and the pizza had real flavor. Unfortunately, something has changed. Rude doesn’t even begin to describe the kind of service we experienced. My wife and I went there to celebrate our 30th anniversary, hoping for a special evening. Instead, from the very beginning, we felt neglected and mistreated. The staff was inattentive, unfriendly, and at times openly impolite. The wait for our pizza was astronomical, and when it finally arrived, it was a huge disappointment. The flavor that once made this place stand out is gone. The pizza tasted bland, more like something from a generic chain than an authentic pizzeria. It’s truly sad to see how much this restaurant has declined. What used to be a place we enjoyed and recommended to others is now somewhere we won’t be returning to.