Over the past five years, burgers, beer, cocktails, and sports are what have made Nicky Rottens a staple among sports bars in Coronado. But, under new ownership and management, the burger joint has transformed its image in the community and has become more than a local bar.
“I brought in Aaron Kahn as General Manager, who brings extensive hospitality experience and strong work ethic to our team,” says Nicky Rottens Director of Operations Bryn Butolph. “We’ve focused on consistency and building relationships with our local neighbors, while supporting our military crowd. Coronado has been in need of a consistent and strong General Manager. Bringing Aaron on board has brought stability to our team and together we are making strides towards improving every aspect of the Nicky Rottens operation.”
From community outreach programs, like the Coronado Central Beach Cleanup taking place this weekend, to honoring fallen members of the armed forces by donating some of the proceeds of menu items to foundations, Nicky Rottens is making a new name for itself.
“We are huge fans of supporting our patrons, so we’ve sponsored little league teams, [and helped] fire departments, the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Coronado Junior Woman’s Club,” says Butolph. “We’ve focused our efforts on participating in the positive influence within our community, getting involved anywhere that we can. I am a proud member of the Coronado Rotary group, so I am constantly aware of the local happenings and opportunities to help others. Nicky Rottens is a great way to help my impact be even greater.”
Recently, Nicky Rottens’ General Manager Aaron Kahn hosted me and my husband at the restaurant so that we could dine from the newly improved menu and see exactly what his team has been cooking up in the kitchen.
First of all, let me preface my review by stating that I have eaten at Nicky Rottens probably a dozen, or more, times in the past. I’ve always had a great experience. From encountering nothing but extremely friendly staff to indulging in crave-worthy Buttermilk Chicken Fritters, I know my way around the Rottens’ menu, simply from going to the burger joint several times each college football season.
Upon being greeted and seated by a hostess, I learned that I was going to be able to put my random knowledge of pop culture, history, movies, and sports to the test, as the restaurant hosts trivia night every Wednesday. Once I had my scorecard in hand, I glanced at the menu, only to discover the size of the menu has been slimmed down.
“We’ve turned our focus to increasing the quality of our burgers, and have also added some fantastic lighter options to our menu such as the Seared Ahi Tuna Sandwich. We’ve switched around our happy hour a bit to reflect the preferences of our guests, and have added a great Trivia Night on Wednesdays to provide a fun environment to enjoy dinner in.”
The restaurant’s menu used to be a few pages long. In all honestly, that’s why in the past I always ordered the same two things, the Fritters and Tots. I knew they were predictably delicious. But the paired down menu still has fan favorite dishes, and a few new menu items that, of course, I wanted to try.
We started by ordering the Warm Spinach Salad. Kahn recommended we try the salad if we hadn’t tasted it before. It didn’t disappoint. Not only was the organic spinach topped with applewood smoked bacon, egg, pine nuts, and grilled steak cooked to our liking, simply delicious, but the presentation was beautiful and thoughtful (things that I wouldn’t usually expect to see at a sports bar). My husband even mentioned that he would order the spinach salad again, on game day.
While we savored our salad, we sipped on local craft beers that Nicky Rottens has on tap. According to Kahn, the restaurant rotates the options, so foodies can enjoy an array of local craft beer that they might not be able to get at other sports bars in the area.
Next, we ordered, and split, the Seared Albacore Tuna Sandwich. Typically, my husband won’t order anything other than the Breakfast Burger, but, for the sake of trying something new, we went with another one of Kahn’s recommendations and, again, we weren’t disappointed. Resting on a small bed of crispy onions, lettuce, tomato and garlic aioli, the seared tuna was cooked to perfection. The sandwich was exactly what I was looking for. It was filling, satisfying, and a change of pace from the hamburger my husband usually gets.
While we dined, and flexed our trivia muscles, we ordered two more drinks. This time, we decided to try two signature cocktails: The Cavner Mule and Jalapeño Marg. The reason we ordered these specific drinks is twofold. First, Kahn recommended them. Second, I am a sucker for spicy cocktails, hence the reason I ordered the marg; and my husband recognized the name “Cavner” and associated it with Brad Cavner, the Navy SEAL that was killed in a training accident in 2014.
Kahn explained, “In Honor of the fallen Navy SEAL Brad Cavner, one dollar of every Cavner Mule sold goes to the Navy SEAL Foundation in Brad’s name.” It’s yet another way Nicky Rottens in Coronado is paying tribute to a loved and lost member of the community.
From the drinks to the food and atmosphere, it’s evident that recent business changes have made a positive impact on the restaurant and its diners.
The restaurant will host a Happy Hour gathering for the Coronado Rotary in January 2017, as well as spearhead several other initiatives, as it looks forward to connecting with members of the community.
Nicky Rottens Coronado is located at 100 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118 and open Monday through Sunday from 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM.
