During the entire 20 years that restaurateur Michael Lo has lived in Atlanta he’s been craving the food and sports culture of his native Philadelphia.
Lo’s friend and former co-worker, Walt Gebelein, who grew up South Jersey, encouraged him to open a restaurant that served fare like cheesesteaks and water ice while serving as a home base for Philly sports fans.
The pair finally turned their dream of bringing a taste of the northeast with last week’s opening of Nicky’s Undefeated. Located at 2316 Main St. in the former Hot Betty’s Breakfast Bar space, Nicky’s offers a menu stacked with the dishes that the friends and business partners make a beeline for every time they visit their hometowns.
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
While Gebelein is new to the restaurant business, Lo is a seasoned operator, with metro Atlanta restaurants including Ramen Station, Salaryman and Suzy Siu’s Baos under his belt as part of his Korean Wives Restaurant Group.
Nicky’s is a culinary departure for him, but developing the menu came as naturally to him as his other concepts. The star is the cheesesteak, with protein options of whole muscle ribeye, grilled chicken breast and Impossible meat.
The meat is sourced from a butcher in the Delaware Valley, while the bread, which Lo describes as “crusty on the outside and soft on the inside” comes from Liscio’s, an Italian bakery with locations in the Philadelphia tri-state area (a gluten-free version is also available).
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
While sandwiches can be topped with melted “whiz,” provolone or a vegan cheese, Lo is excited about offering Cooper, a brand of sharp white American cheese “that’s extremely creamy and much more flavorful,” he said.
“It’s an evolution of cheesesteaks,” Lo said. “Your dad’s cheesesteaks were served on Amoroso rolls with provolone. Ours is an authentic Italian-American, but less greasy and less chopped.”
Topping options include roasted Italian long hots, hot cherry peppers, pickled jalapenos and raw onions. Two toppings guests wont’ find: mushrooms and bell peppers, which Lo calls “blasphemous” when it comes to authentic cheesesteaks.
“It’s just filler,” he said. “We decided we weren’t going to add things to the menu that have proliferated from outside. Our big thing is authenticity and true Philly culture.”
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
When in doubt, Lo suggests ordering the Founders Special, which sees beef topped with fried diced sweet onions and Cooper sharp cheddar on a seeded roll.
The rest of the Nicky’s Undefeated menu is also an ode to all things Philly and northeast Italian, including hoagies with Dietz & Watson meats made the “Philly Philly” way with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salt and pepper, oregano, oil and red wine vinegar; fried chicken cutlet sandwiches, including one named for former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles; “crab” fries sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning; and Philly-style pizza by the slice, which Lo said is similar to New York-style, “very large and very thin.”
“In Philly, it’s common for people to have a slice, then a cheesesteak and a water ice to finish, as a sort of three-course meal,” Lo said.
Rounding out the offerings are a handful of vegetarian side salads, chicken wings and mozzarella squares, as well as six flavor of water ice from Via Veneto in Norristown, Pennsylvania and eight flavors of ice cream from Bassetts, a fifth-generation Philadelphia creamery.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The full bar features Pennsylvania-brewed beers and modern riffs on Italian cocktails, including the Goodfellas, an Italian old-fashioned, and a margarita made with Italian ice.
Even the name of the restaurant is a nod to Lo’s hometown.
“It’s an homage to all of our Italian buddies back home,” he said. “Everybody knows a guy named Nicky. And ‘undefeated’ is a reference to boxing and sports.”
Credit: Courtesy of Michael Lo
Credit: Courtesy of Michael Lo
The Philly love is extended to the Nicky’s Undefeated space, which seats 50 in the main dining room and 10 at the bar. The walls are painted with logos of Philadelphia food businesses, and seven TV are tuned to Philly sports.
“We really want to be a headquarters for people from the Delaware Valley,” Lo said. “Not only just with the food, but also celebrating sports.”
Nicky’s Undefeated’s opening hours are 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
2316 Main St., Tucker. 404-736-1407, nickysundefeated.com
Scroll down to see the full menu for Nicky’s Undefeated:
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
Credit: Courtesy of Nicky's Undefeated
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