TV Restaurants

Is Nico's Still Open? Bar Rescue Update (Kingwood, TX)

Open reported

As of September 2026, Nico's is listed open on communityimpact.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Primary source
communityimpact.com ·
Secondary source
realitytvrevisited.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: A January 2025 news article on the owners' 15-year anniversary and a current Google Places listing indicate the bar is still operating, though its own website's SSL certificate has since expired.

  • Season / episode Season 9, Episode 20
  • Original air date
  • Address 22610 Loop 494, Kingwood, TX 77339

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What happened after Bar Rescue?

Bar Rescue (Paramount Network) featured Nico's, a bar owned by Greg and Emmy Lee, in Kingwood, Texas, in the season 9 episode "Lost in the Sauce," which aired July 21, 2024. According to the tracker site realitytvrevisited.com, the Lees had opened the business in 2007 without prior restaurant experience and were about $800,000 in debt at the time of filming; the same source described bartenders unable to make basic cocktails, staff unable to answer routine customer questions, and thin, flavorless pizza, along with an unwritten rule that employees could not approach the owners after 6 p.m.

Per realitytvrevisited.com, host Jon Taffer rebranded the bar as Kingwood Neapolitan Kitchen and Bar, added new signage and an upscale interior redesign, installed two additional service stations with new point-of-sale tablets, added new cocktail equipment including a standing mixer, and brought in pizza consultant Tony Gemignani to retrain the kitchen. The same source reported that six weeks after the rescue, sales were up 20 to 25 percent with the new pizza recipes becoming best sellers, and that two new managers had been hired.

The Kingwood Neapolitan Kitchen and Bar name did not stick; realitytvrevisited.com reported the business reverted to Nico's Bar and Grill. Community Impact reported on January 27, 2025, that Greg and Emmy Lee had marked 15 years since purchasing the business, describing it as a non-smoking bar and grill offering cocktails alongside sports viewing and live music at 22610 Loop 494. Google's business record for the address listed the location as operational as of this check.

In September 2026, the business's own website, nicosbarandgrill.com, could not be loaded because of an expired security certificate, a sign the site itself may not be actively maintained even if the underlying business continues to operate. No 2026-dated review or press coverage of the bar was found to confirm current-year operation, so this assessment relies primarily on the January 2025 anniversary coverage and Google's listing rather than more recent, 2026-specific evidence.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 9, Episode 20
Original air date
Episode title
Lost in the Sauce
What was featured
Nico's, a struggling neighborhood bar in Bar Rescue S9E20 'Lost in the Sauce'
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Nico's

Frequently asked questions

Is Nico's still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Nico's is listed open on communityimpact.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What happened to Nico's after Bar Rescue?

Bar Rescue (Paramount Network) featured Nico's, a bar owned by Greg and Emmy Lee, in Kingwood, Texas, in the season 9 episode "Lost in the Sauce," which aired July 21, 2024. As of September 2026, Nico's is listed open on communityimpact.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Where is Nico's located?

22610 Loop 494, Kingwood, TX 77339. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured Nico's?

Season 9, Episode 20 of Bar Rescue, first aired July 21, 2024. The episode is titled “Lost in the Sauce”.

Did the makeover last at Nico's?

The episode first aired July 21, 2024. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 2 years later —: As of September 2026, Nico's is listed open on communityimpact.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What do reviews say since Bar Rescue?

No 2026-dated review or press coverage of the bar was found to confirm current-year operation, so this assessment relies primarily on the January 2025 anniversary coverage and Google's listing rather than more recent, 2026-specific evidence. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Is Nico's still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?

Per realitytvrevisited.com, host Jon Taffer rebranded the bar as Kingwood Neapolitan Kitchen and Bar, added new signage and an upscale interior redesign, installed two additional service stations with new point-of-sale tablets, added new cocktail equipment including a standing mixer, and brought in pizza consultant Tony Gemignani to retrain the kitchen. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
22610 Loop 494, Kingwood, TX 77339
Venue type
bar
Official website
nicosbarandgrill.com

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • communityimpact.com — https://communityimpact.com/lake-houston-humble-kingwood/dining/nicos-bar-and-grill-marks-15-years-of-cocktails-live-music-in-kingwood/
  • realitytvrevisited.com — https://www.realitytvrevisited.com/2025/11/nicos-bar-and-grill-bar-rescue.html

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