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

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 fan 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.