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With over ten sites across the UK and a schedule of a new six-course tasting menu every six weeks, Six by Nico is probably the most high profile brand offering tasting menus in 2024. This, coupled with a price point which is actually affordable for a date night treat, might make some people wary of an offer which could feel mass-produced or underwhelming, especially with the constant pursuit of novelty that an ever-changing menu demands. 

Luckily, Six by Nico dodges these pitfalls with a commitment to quality and horizons so broad that no country’s cuisine is safe. The latest collection of tiny dishes and deconstructed concepts focuses on New York and takes in everything the city entails. Pizza, bagels, New York cheesecake; it’s all here, and it’s all delicious. Not content to just take the caricatured classics of The Big Apple, Six by Nico specifically namechecks the establishments that inspired each dish, so coalfish, celeriac and a brown butter foam becomes ‘The Everything Bagel’, dreamed up after a visit to Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side.

It’s a fun twist on the idea of a themed menu, and the novelty of eating a course inspired by Katz Deli which includes a tempura gherkin and pickled kohlrabi is pretty unique. More importantly, it really does remind you of a deli meat sandwich pushed through the lens of fine dining – it isn’t often you get served something which looks like haute cuisine but still manages to keep its link to the lunchtime fast food from whence it came.

Adding to the vibe of a foodie’s walk through New York, the waiting staff are on hand to describe what you’re about to eat and tell a (presumably fictionalised, unless Nico was very hungry) tale of how each dish was tried during one long day in the city. Again, it’s an enjoyable spin on the usual tasting menu formula and one which really leans into the decision to theme the menu around one geographic location.

Food-wise, the six courses on offer don’t disappoint. The Bacon, Egg & Cheese comes with a soft confit egg yolk and thick cut of smoked bacon, all complemented by the slight tingle of hot sauce, just spicy enough to avoid overwhelming the rest of the plate. We’d also recommend everyone try the chicken parm, nestled away in the ‘snacks’ section rather than on the tasting menu itself. A savoury doughnut which feels like an entire pizza condensed into a delicious, squidgy ball, it’s the kind of thing we’ll be dreaming about for a long, long time.

Dessert ties things up with a bang, choosing to please everyone by mixing inspiration from cheesecake, apple pie, and cookies and cream. It’s somehow incredibly rich without being sickly, no mean feat considering the amount of flavours competing on one plate. We left Six by Nico with a full stomach, having had a great evening, and even feeling just a little bit like we’d been to New York without having to leave central London. What more could you want?

For further information on Six by Nico, see here.

Six By Nico is located in Canary Wharf (Chancellor Passage, London E14 5EA) and Fitzrovia (41 Charlotte St., London W1T 1RR)