An Honest Review of Nicosi: San Antonio’s NEWEST All-Dessert Restaurant

How often do you come across a restaurant that is so totally different from anything you’ve ever had you simply can’t compare it to something else AT ALL? Not very often for me. But with the opening of the brand new, all-dessert concept restaurant, Nicosi San Antonio, that is exactly what I experienced.

The Pearl-4

ABOUT US

Kelsey Kennedy headshot-3

We’re Kelsey and Sara, two local foodies with a combined 29 years of eating in San Antonio, two travel books, and millions of blog readers. We adore local spots, rarely visit chain restaurants, and we aren't afraid to tell you the truth. After spending thousands of our own $$$ at hundreds of local hot spots, we're sharing the best with you.

An Honest Review of Nicosi

What is Nicosi?

Nicosi 1

Nicosi, the brainchild of Austin’s own Emmer and Rye Hospitality Group, is a brand new restaurant in San Antonio that is exclusively devoted to all things dessert.

A visit to Nicosi San Antonio includes 8 courses that showcase the mad talents of chefs Karla Espinosa and Tavel Bristol-Joseph who have created a menu that isn’t just meant to be tasted, but really experienced with all the senses. 

Where is Nicosi located?

Pullman Market-4

Nicosi is located at the new Pullman Market at the Historic Pearl Brewery in San Antonio, TX. The entrance to Nicosi is located on the east side of the Market off of Karnes Street, which is the opposite side of the building from the Pullman Market parking lot.

What is Nicosi’s menu like?

The restaurant offers an 8 course tasting menu with four flavor profiles that are highlighted:

1. Acid

2. Umami

3. Bitter

4. Sweet

Two courses are presented for each flavor profile and are paired with either a cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage offering.

Does Nicosi have a dress code?

Yes, though it isn’t super strict. In keeping with the restaurant’s upscale atmosphere, they simply ask patrons to avoid athletic apparel and flip-flops. You will likely see everything from jeans to sport coats.

How is the restaurant arranged?

The Pearl-3

Nicosi seats up to 20 people at a large table that is shaped like three sides of a square. The chefs work inside the square giving guests front row seats to the food preparation as well as direct and personal conversation with those doing the cooking. 

Consequently, this was one of my absolute favorite things about the experience – it was personal, professional, and cozy. We could ask any questions and simply felt like we were spending an evening with a good friend, albeit one who had some serious skills in the kitchen.

Okay…but I’m still having a hard time picturing this! What was the evening ACTUALLY like?

With the exception of offering a tasting menu, which I have done a number of times, Nicosi San Antonio was unlike any restaurant I have ever been to!

Nicosi is open Wednesday – Sunday evenings and offers two seating times at 5:30pm and 8:00pm. I opted to go on a Wednesday at 5:30pm in hopes that there would be fewer guests so I would have more of an opportunity to talk with the chef.

Reservations are required (you can find these on Open Table), and your meal must be prepaid online. You can opt for the $100 tasting menu with alcohol-free beverage pairings or pay an additional $20 for wine and cocktail pairings.

Pre-Meal

I arrived at 5:20pm to the Pullman Market and parked in their designated lot. (*Keep your parking ticket because Nicosi will validate it and give you free parking for up to three hours!)

Nicosi’s door was closed and the windows covered, but a sign was posted directing me to sit down at one of the many outdoor tables and I would be met at opening time. In the event that it is super-hot outside, there are also many tables inside the Market near the Mezcaleria bar where you can wait, just be outside a minute or two before opening.

Pullman Market - Tequila Bar

The hostess came outside promptly at 5:30, verified my reservation and handed me my first beverage – a homemade ginger beer palette cleanser. She then stepped back into the restaurant and gave me a few minutes to enjoy my drink.

Inside the Restaurant - No Phones Allowed!

Nicosi 2

The hostess then returned a bit later and summoned me inside. There was only one other guest there the night I dined (which I loved because it made the whole experience that much more personal). But even with a full complement of 20 guests, the restaurant is so small and the seating area so snug, it still wouldn’t feel overwhelming or busy. 

Once inside, we were instructed to either put away our phones or cover the cameras with a provided sticker. As a food writer who has takes pictures of EVERYTHING I eat and has dined at dozens of San Antonio restaurants, this was a frustrating ask, but an understandable one.

Prohibiting photos serves the dual purpose of protecting the restaurant’s mystique while forcing guests to be present throughout the whole process. 

That presentness adds immensely to the personal and conversational feel that Nicosi is going for. And admittedly, I really enjoyed chatting with my fellow guest as we experienced the evening together. A restaurant like Nicosi is best enjoyed with people and requiring that our phones be put away freed us up to wholly live in the moment of each dish.

With logistics out of the way, the evening began. Nicosi’s entire interior is done in black with dark curtains keeping out all natural light. This gave the whole experience a real dramatic sense like being in a theater black box. Central lights were eventually turned on and illuminated the food prep area much like a center stage, making the meal so much more than food, but a performance.

Here's What I Ate During My Four Dessert Courses At Nicosi

While Nicosi does tout itself as a dessert restaurant, what I discovered is that they utilize many of the same techniques and ingredients used in pastry prep to create a meal that isn’t exactly all dessert. Each dish had some kind of dessert-like elements, but most were far from sweet.

Additionally, Emmer and Rye place a heavy emphasis on utilizing local and seasonal ingredients. To accommodate this, Nicosi’s menu will be rotating every 3-4 months and the chefs have to get very creative in their menu prep.

We asked how the menu concepts were developed and the chef said they begin with the ingredients they have available, and then they play. They experiment. They create, rule out, and try again. And by the end of the meal, I could see exactly what she meant by this.

A Few Weird Dishes

Dishes at Nicosi San Antonio were beyond unusual. (Black garlic ice cream, anyone?) Read on to know exactly what I tried!

Each contained elements I had never had or even seen, and a few were so out there I had a difficult time imagining how they even managed to come up with them.

But therein lies the fun! Fun for the chefs who get to flex their creative muscles, and fun for the guests who are absolutely guaranteed to try something they have never had before. Not everything will be a win, it certainly wasn’t for me, but there were way more winners than losers.

Course 1: Acidic

Pearl farmers market

Again, I have no photos of my dishes because photos are not allowed at Nicosi. But you can check out their instagram account to get an idea of what these dishes look like.

Our first course highlighting acidic flavors came out and slightly resembled a bruschetta. The base was a sourdough cracker (that looked more like candy than an actual cracker) and was topped with tomato and a butter jam foam. 

The second dish had a ceviche-like, citrusy taste, sans the fish, with a pickled tomato mixed with starfruit, grapefruit powder, and freeze-dried passionfruit. While the flavors of both dishes were excellently balanced, the mix of textures made the second dish a stellar standout. The course was perfectly paired with a French Riesling that accented and magnified the flavors of the food.

Course 2: Umami

The second course highlighted umami flavors and was paired with a savory dirty martini cocktail. Dish one was playfully called liquid smoke, because when the dish was opened, the smoke escaped, and we were instructed to lick one of the ingredients from the top of the lid. Umm, okay? In for a penny, I guess. 🤷‍♀️

Whatever I licked was good, but it was what was inside the bowl that blew my mind - a delicious concoction of pecan milk and vegan caviar – which I absolutely didn’t know was a thing, but was absolute fire🔥🔥!

I asked the chef about this and she gave me a lengthy description of the process used to make it which somehow involves freeze-drying a gelatin mixture of seaweed, mushrooms, and ginger. It sounded complicated and tedious, but it was a lovely discovery and tasted amazing. Overall, this was my favorite dish of the evening.

Umami dish 2 came out and we were told it was a take on traditional ramen, though I really didn’t really see the connection myself. It was a savory sponge cake over a bed of caramelized onion and topped with a scoop of black garlic ice cream. 

If you find yourself right now wrinkling your nose and thinking “ewww, gross,” you’re in good company. However, the dish was nowhere near as vile as it sounded. In fact, it tasted all right.

The mix of textures for this was on point. And I discovered I apparently like black garlic ice cream. That’s probably because it didn’t taste at all of garlic, but more like a not-so-sweet chocolate ice cream. That said, it was at the bottom of my preferred dishes for the evening as there were others that were just so much better.

Course 3: Bitter

Nicosi’s next course highlighted bitter flavors and utilized a lot of chocolate and coffee. It was paired with a spicy and richly bodied red vermouth, which I have clearly been missing out on my whole life. Chocolate, coffee, and red vermouth - off to a good start. 

The first dish was coffee and chocolate fried dough that had been seasoned with burnt tortillas and filled with a beef gel. It was absolutely top-notch in both flavor and texture.

Dish two was beautiful in its presentation as it was served in a glass bowl filled with brightly colored fresh flowers (you can catch a glimpse of this on Nicosi’s website!). Inside the dish was a chocolate and avocado mousse, sprinkled with cocoa nibs and pop rocks (for real!), and covered in burnt milk that had a mauby spice infusion.

I loved the added texture and crackle of the pop rocks, but didn’t care for the flavor of mauby – a Caribbean drink that uses the bark of the Mauby tree.

Course 4: Sweet

Finally. Something sweet. And what I had been looking forward to the whole evening.

The last course began with a foamy carrot colada (kind of like a piña colada) with a light sprinkling of carrot dust. And the final dish to cap off the evening was a delightful and refreshing sugarcane sorbet.

After the Meal – Was Nicosi San Antonio Worth It?

A meal at Nicosi lasts approximately 90 minutes and then guests are escorted out and given a parting gift. The box contained a homemade fortune cookie with a handwritten fortune and an invitation to return again.

Nicosi 3

So, was the $100 dessert tasting menu worth it?

Yes! But not in the sense of a traditional restaurant being worth it. When I eat out, I want great ambiance, personal service, and a good meal that is filling and hopefully doesn’t break the bank. And I think most people are after something similar. Nicosi, on the other hand, felt more like a performance or immersive culinary experience than a traditional restaurant. As such, you can’t really compare the two. 

Perhaps the two things Nicosi San Antonio really has going for it are the creativity of the food and the intimacy of the setting. Rarely do I go out and experience something so wild as the food Nicosi put in front of me, and that gave the whole evening such a sense of adventure! Couple that with the access to the chef, and it felt like an hour and a half of hanging out with some really talented friends and trying some amazing new things. And in the end, I did leave full.

But given how totally niche Nicosi is, they may struggle to maintain traction after operating for a few months. Those interested in a food experience such as this will likely gleefully sign up and totally enjoy their evening. 

Will Guests Come Back, Though?

Tough to say. Typically, people don’t return over and over again to see the same stage performance they’ve already enjoyed. They go once, and then wait for a new show to debut. Nicosi is trying to combat this by keeping it fresh and changing up their menu every few months, but they may have an uphill battle to climb in this. Time will tell. 

In the meantime, Nicosi is absolutely worth splurging for an evening of entertainment and discovery. Don’t expect a traditional restaurant, but do expect to be utterly surprised and delighted.

WEBSITE | 221 Newell Ave., San Antonio, TX 78215

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