J Nichols Kitchen is a restaurant tucked away on Glencoe Ave in Marina Del Rey. I accidentally discovered them when a nearby restaurant was unexpectedly closed and I did a GPS perimeter search for places nearby. I was immediately impressed with the attractive exterior design; in fact, J Nicols Kitchen looked like a brand new restaurant.
Like many restaurants, J Nicols Kitchen recently invested in outdoor dining. They have attractive covered dining areas bordering two sides of their restaurant. I visited them during the time that outdoor dining was prohibited and as a former business owner, I felt terrible that they couldn’t leverage their outdoor investment.
J Nichols is serious about safety and had done a very good job protecting both its employees and their customers. Since this brick and mortar has converted to full-time to-go operations, new directional signage has been put in place. Acrylic partitions have been mounted and plastic coated menus are cleaned upon use.
The menu is primarily American cuisine with a focus on breakfast and lunch dishes. Breakfast includes eggs, waffles, and pancakes. Additional items include sandwiches, wraps, chilaquiles, and huevos rancheros. Lunch includes salads, sandwiches, burgers, and various hot entrees like St. Louis Special Ribs and Center Cut Angus Filet Mignon.
The J Nichols Original Burger ($18) isn’t gimmicky and is focused on taste. Their beef is ground fresh daily which significantly adds to the taste of the burger. Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, onion, hickory bbq sauce, mustard, and mayo add to the flavor experience. The result is a juicy delicious burger.
Smoked Canadian Bacon nicely elevates the Ham and Cheese sandwich ($17.50). It is made with fontina and aged white cheddar cheeses. The Tomato Basil Soup is housemade and is sure to win the hearts of people that enjoy tomato soup.
The Reuben ($19.50) is made with housemade corned beef wrapped around toasted rye bread. It includes Swiss emmental, sauerkraut, and 1000 island dressing. The corned beef is moist and full of flavor and the toasted rye nicely adds to the taste experience.
Their wine list has quality picks from many different wine appellations and are priced well below typical restaurant pricing. A small selection of beer is available with a thoughtful pick from major types such as fruity, stout, pilsner, etc.
It’s apparent that the focus on the food is on taste and freshness. They go to extra measures by grinding their hamburger daily and smoking Niman Ranch ribs and corned beef in-house. Even their coffee is from local roaster Caffe Luxxe and the tea is from LaMill in Alhambra. I look forward to returning when outdoor service resumes.
J Nichols Kitchen, 4375 Glencoe Ave, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292; 310.823.2283
jnicholskitchen.com