Nicholas (1954)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR RESTAURANT GO TO:WWW.NICHOLASRESTAURANT.COM LIKE US ON:

In keeping with our long standing tradition of serving the best quality foods, the Nicholas Restaurant Family offers our customers the best organic, sustainable entrées with ingredients served from local organic farms to the

extent possible.

Portland’s First Family Owned Lebanese & Mediterranean Restaurant Serving 3 Locations in Portland since 1986 (SE Grand, NE Broadway, Gresham)

Portland’s First Family Owned Lebanese & Mediterranean Restaurant Serving 3 Locations in Portland since 1986 (SE Grand, NE Broadway, Gresham)

THE UNIQUE CATERING EXPERIENCE

Call our Catering Line for more info or reservationsdirect: (503) 780-2645 office: (503) 512-7488

Good for• Birthdays, Bah Mitzvahs, Bar Mitzvahs• Banquets, Socials & Mixers• Large Private Parties (seats 20-45 people)• $18/person (minimum 20 people)

Choose any 6 items for your buffet!!!

(Limited to 2 meat items). Call for more info: (503) 512-7488

Private Spacious

Covered with Fire Pits

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS TODAY! (503) 512-7488

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS TODAY! (503) 512-7488

LOCATED AT OUR NE BROADWAY LOCATION

SPECIALTY DRINKS& Non-alcoholic

Beverages

StrawberryLemonade

Cinnamon Mint TeaHouse brewed tea with

cinamon stick & fresh mint

Try one of our popular,non-alcoholic specialty drinks.

Not feeling so adventurous? Then we also offer a selection

of other classic soft drinks.

Try one of our popular,non-alcoholic specialty drinks.

Not feeling so adventurous? Then we also offer a selection

of other classic soft drinks.

Pepsi or Diet Pepsi Mist Twist

Strawberry LemonadeHot or Iced house brewed

Cinnamon Mint Tea

Classic Turkish CoffeeIced Turkish Coffee

Blended Mango Lassi

$3.25

$4.75

$4.25

Iced Turkish Coffee

Blended Mango Lassi

Mango organic yogurt lassi

WidmerHefeweizen

A golden,unfiltered wheatbeer that is truly

cloudy andclearly superb.Great with ourGrape Leaves.

Almaza 4.1%

Our mostpopular beer

imported fromLebanon in the

spirit of aclassic German

pilsner. Pairsperfectly with

our Kafta Kababs.

CoronaExtra

Mexico’smost popularand refreshing

beers. Goesgreat with our

signaturehumus or

toumappetizer.

WidmerUpheaval IPA

Full bodiedwith a great

finish, perfectwith any ofour lambentrées.

Beer Lao Dark6.5%

From Laos, asmooth, rich beer

with chocolateovertones and

hints of chestnut. A must with our

smoky babaghanouj.

Hayward 5000 7%

India’s mostdesired beerswith a hoppy

flavor and subtlesweetness.

Surprisingly,try it with

a slice of ourbaklava.

Omission (GF)

A smoothand creamypale ale with

maltedbarley andhops. Andit’s totally

Gluten Free!

House Red

2013 Cooper Hill Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR) Clean elegance with intensity on the palate. This wine offers layers of cherry, spice and mineral. Made with Organic & Biodynamic Grapes.

MASSAYA RED (Le colombier Beqaa Valley Lebanon) grapes grown on the hillsides of the Beqaa Valley at 1,200-900 metres above sea level. AREA: 37 acres. SOIL AND SUBSOIL: chalky clay. GRAPE VARIETIES: cinsault %35, %35, grenache noir

2016 Ernesto Padrillos Malbec Violet, floral, plum, cherries, dried berriesWhite pepper. Soft palate

2015 Independent Producers Cabernet Dark, Smoke, clove, Peppermint, BlackberryPlum, Rustic, full body

2014 Delas Ventoux Red Rhone Ripe berry peppery noseJucy red current and bitter cherry flavors

REDS

WINE LIST

BEER LIST$5.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$5.25$18.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$10.25$38.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$13.25$38.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$7.25$26.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$9.25$34.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$7.25$26.25

House White

2013 Cooper Hill Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, OR) Bright and aromatic. Peach and tropical notes coat the ripe and round palate. Made with Organic & Biodynamic Grapes.

2012 Wild Horse Chardonnay (Central Coast, CA) Delicious aromas of lemon and a hint of pineapple. Flavors of green apple and vanilla unfold on the palate with a crisp refreshing finish.

2013 Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino, CA) Intense aromas of grapefruit, citrus, kiwi and fresh cut grass greet the nose. It closes with flavors of melon and a nice tart finish. Made with Organic Grapes.

2013 Chateau St. Michelle Riesling (Columbia Valley, WA) This wine offers crisp apple aromas and flavors with subtle mineral notes. A great pair with our chicken kabab or chicken platter.

2016 Elk Cove Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley,OR) Aromas of Asian pear, honey dew melon. Hints of lemon Thyme and ginger

2016 Marques de caceres Rose (Rioja, Spain) Tempranillo based. Red current Fleshy and lush and very fresh flavors

WHITESGLASS BOTTLE

$5.25$18.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$8.25 $30.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$8.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$7.25$26.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$6.25$22.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$11.25$39.25

GLASS BOTTLE

$6.25$22.25

$30.25

Our Local Farm List:

Fried CauliflowerSpanakopita

Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Humus

• Balcom & Moe• Cal Farms• Gardner Farms• Hilltop Produce• Bill Case Farms• Dickey Farms• Golden West Farms• Howard Calcagno• Jack Siri• Siri and Sons• Tualatin Valley• White Forest Mushroom• Borton Farms• Doug Muse• Herbco• Inaba Farms• Liepold• Top Hat• Walchli Farms• Yamhill Country Mushroom

Tabouli Salad

Fried Cauliflower Plate Served with tahini

Tabouli Salad Tomato, parsley, olive oil, quinoa, onion, mint, lemon juice

Spanakopita Served with tzatziki

18% Gratuity will be added to parties 7 or more

ENOUGH FOR 1 PERSONHumus Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Humus Baba Ghanouj Roasted eggpland, tahini, lemon juice

Tahini Sesame seed paste, garlic, lemon juice

Tahziki Toum Lebanese garlic aioli

Falafel Plate Four falafel balls served with tahziki. For vegan ask for tahini.

kibbah balls (2) Served with tzatziki. Sweetly spiced ground lamb, onions, and pine nuts, stuffed in a cracked wheat bulgur dough.

Zahtar Fries Served with our garlic harrisa sauce

Veggie Stuffed Grape Leaves Rice, gabanzo, parsely, onions, served with tzatziki. For vegan ask for tahini. Comes with 4 dolmas

Meat Stuffed Grape Leaves Rice, ground beef spiced dolmas, served with tzatziki. Comes with 4 dolmas

STARTERS

$5.25EACH

$9.00EACHStarters come with Pita. ASK FOR GLUTEN FREE PITA: $3.25

Lebanese Salad Organic mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and our signature house dressing. Make it vegan without cheese

Tabouli Salad Tomato, parsley, olive oil, quinoa, onion, mint, lemon juice

Lentil Soup Cup

Kabab Salads (All kababs are made wiith locally sourced meat) Chicken (Thigh Meat), Chicken Breast, Kafta Beef, Salmon or Lamb*Organic mixed greens, tomato, onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, our signature house dressing, comes with tzatziki and toum. Lamb cooked medium well. *Consuming raw or undercooked lamb may increase your risk of food borne illness.

Lamb* (halal) Salmon Kafta Beef Chicken Thigh or Chicken Breast

$13.00

$9.00

$18.75 $18.75 $16.00 $15.00

SALADS & SOUP

Chicken Kabab Salad*Tabouli Salad

$4.25

Falafel Garbanzo beans, garlic, cilantro, onions,

and Lebanese spices

GyrosClassic Greek style lamb gyro with feta

Beef KaftaGround top sirloin, diced onion, parsley,

and Lebanese spices

Chicken or Lamb (halal) Shawarma Sandwich Thinly sliced chicken or lamb shawarma,

marinated with onions in Lebanese spices

Breaded Chicken Breast SandwichSliced breaded chicken breast

All of our sandwich wraps are hand crafted and loaded with fresh Romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, red onions, pickled turnip and finished with either tzatziki or tahini, all served in pita bread. ASK FOR GLUTEN FREE PITA (+$3.50)

Chicken Shawarma Sandwich - background

$11.00 $13.25SANDWICHWRAPS

WITH HUMUS AND A LEBANESE SALAD

Zahtar Salmon Kabab Salmon, red onion, yellow zucchini, bell pepper, roasted garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, zahtar, and tahini.

Lamb* Kabab (halal) Tender lamb, mint, onion, bell pepper. Lamb cooked medium well. *Consuming raw or undercooked lamb may increase your risk of food borne illness.

Beef Kafta Kabab Ground top sirloin, onion, parsley, Lebanese spices.

Chicken Kabab (Thigh Meat) or Chicken Breast Kabab (please ask) Marinated chicken thigh or chicken breast, red onion, bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice.

Our signature kababs are made using the best local and organic ingredients and marinated for at least 24 hours for maximum flavor. All of our kabab dinners are served on a bed of Jasmine Saffron Rice and with our house salad with tzatziki and toum. Upgrade to our tabouli salad for $2

Nicholas’ Big Fat Lamb* Burger (halal) - (Beef Burger Available)Grass fed ground lamb, secret spices, onion, parsley, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion, tzatziki, and feta cheese, topped with fresh spinach leaves. An extraordinarily perfect burger experience! Served with zahtar fries and our garlic harrisa sauce. Lamb cooked medium well. *Consuming raw or undercooked lamb may increase your risk of food borne illness.

Lamb* Platter (Ghanam) (halal) Lamb, bell pepper, onion, olive oil, and mint. Served with jasmine saffron rice. Lamb cooked medium well. *Consuming raw or undercooked lamb may increase your risk of food borne illness.

Shawarma Plate (Chicken or Lamb [halal]) Substitute humus for rice.Thinly sliced chicken or lamb shawarma, marinated with onions in our signature Lebanese spices. Served with jasmine saffron rice and tzatziki.

Stephen’s ChickenInspired from a loyal customer; seasoned, pan seared, breaded chicken breast, tomato, and parsley. Served with jasmine saffron rice, and tzatziki.

M’Jadra Brown lentils, jasmine rice, caramelized onions, olive oil, cracked cumin.

Humus with Tender Seasoned Lamb*

Humus with Tender Seasoned Chicken*

SPECIALTY DISHES

$16.00

$14.25

$15.00

$12.00

$19.00

$15.00

$19.00

Nicholas’ Big Fat Lamb Burger (halal)

KABABS

Salmon Kabab

Lamb Kabab

$18.75

$18.75

$15.00

$16.00

All specialty dishes are served with Lebanese salad. Upgrade tabouli instead of Lebanese salad for $2

MEZZASsampling plate

Arabian Breeze Mezza Fried Cauliflower, falafel balls, tahini, roasted red pepper walnut humus, m’jadra, humus, caramelized onion, tahini.

$17.00

Meat MezzaHumus, tzatziki, falafel, tabouli salad, beef kafta skewer, chicken kabab pizza.

Vegetarian Mezza Humus, tzatziki, falafel, tabouli salad, spinach cheese pie, manakish pizza. Make it vegan with tahini and no cheese!

A combination plate of traditional Lebanese foods. You choose the option of either our Meat, Vegetarian, or even Vegan selections.

ONLY 1 SUBSTITUTION ON MEZZA DISHES

All of our mezza platters come with pita bread. ASK FOR GLUTEN FREE PITA (+$3.50)

Add baba ghanouj or a kibbah ball for $2.

Meat Mezza

Vegetarian Mezza

$17.00

$15.00

LEBANESE PIZZAS

ADD $3.50 FOR GLUTEN FREE PIZZA

THESE PIZZAS ARE 7 INCHES WIDE

THESE PIZZAS ARE 10 INCHES WIDE

Our pizzas have been making us famous in Portland since 1986 and we continue to carry the same tradition in

making the best pizza to this day. Our pizzas are made to order from the same recipe we use for our signature pita

bread. We also use the best in locally available ingredients.

Lebanese Sesame Cheese PizzaMozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, toasted sesame seeds, and garnished with parsley.

Manakish Pizza Our signature spice blend of aleppo za’atar, cherry tomato, mint, cucumber, green olives, labne cheese. extra virgin olive oil. Make it vegan without cheese.

Manakish Pizza

Spinach Cheese Pie

Lebanese Sesame Cheese Pizza

Chicken Kabab Pizza

Lamb Kabab Pizza

$9.50

Chicken Kabab Pizza Chicken kabab, mozzarella cheese, garlic aioli (toum), basil, parsley, roasted red pepper

Lamb Kabab Pizza (halal) Lamb kabab, mozzarella cheese, garlic aioli (toum), basil, parsley, roasted red pepper

Spinach Cheese Pie Spinach, mozzarella cheese, olive oil, onions, lemon juice, Lebanese spices. Garnished with parsley and tomatoes. Make it vegan without cheese.

$11.50

$11.50

$10.50

Nicholas Restaurant: The Story of Our First 30 Years of Business!Nicholas Restaurant was established in June of 1986 by Nicholas and Linda Dibe, my mother and father.

Nicholas Searches for a New Life — 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 Nicholas to take a leave of absence to seek refuge and 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 achieve financial survival. Linda had to take a full time job doing carpet alteration at Atiyeh Carpet Cleaning just to put food on the table at home. Since her small amount of pay was our family’s only income, Nicholas decided to return to the tragedies in Beirut in order to provide more income for us. Two years passed. We missed our Dad and his holiday visits became tedious and they reminded us of how lonesome we were living apart. My parents had to find a solid source of income and a stable family living situation in the United States. After 37 years of dedicated service to Air France Airlines, Dad decided to take his retirement and use his pension to invest in the authenticity that is today the one and only Nicholas Restaurant. Running a restaurant — an “undefined journey” — Driven by compliments they received from numerous acquaintances about their cooking Mom and Dad started a “mom and pop store” selling pizza and calzones 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, Linda quit her job and joined her husband on this undefined journey. In what was once a run down tavern that had lain vacant for many years they started Nicholas Restaurant. The pizzas and calzones were good and Nicholas Restaurant developed a following. To introduce our already loyal customers to more traditional “home cooking” Lebanese cuisine was added to the menu. Word-of-mouth advertising then brought more folks hungry for flavors of the Middle East to Nicholas. It all 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 over 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 imperative for real Lebanese cooking.

We have been at our Grand location since 1986 providing delicious meals made with the freshest and best quality ingredients. Since then we have also purchased a location on 32th and NE Broadway, and N. Main Street in Gresham. We insist on everything being made from scratch with no shortcuts. No canned garbanzos or 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 right is part of our culture. We really love making good food. Others may allude to being part of the Nicholas Restaurant heritage. We assure you that, while we welcome the implied compliment, Nicholas Restaurant has never strayed from its original commitment to excellence at this one and only location. Since 1996 I have been trying my best to continue to build my parents’ legacy. Their story shows that work is not a curse or a misfortune, as some people think, but rather, if it comes from the heart it is love made visible. With all the events currently happening around the world and in the Middle East along with whatever circumstance may be befalling us all, a family gathering at a table enjoying a fresh cooked meal is the highlight of the day. To us, whenever you eat at Nicholas Restaurant, you are enjoying the pleasure of family time and togetherness and are blessed with God’s gifts and food. Check out our website for downloadable to-go menus, party platter & catering menus, many photos, banquet room and back patio information, and our 3 convenient locations: www.nicholasrestaurant.com

We would like to extend our gratitude for the reviews we receive in local publications, on the news and on the Internet. And, of course, we thank each one of you who tells your friends and family where to get the best Lebanese food in town, right here at Nicholas Restaurant.

Thank you for reading our story. We look forward to serving you again and again... Story by: Hilda Dibe

Linda Dibe Nicholas Dibe (12.8.34 - 11.11.09)

Hilda Dibe