Big Nick's Burger & Pizza Joint

We visited NYC and stayed in the upper west side during Christmas. It was a great trip and Big Nicks helped make it authentic. I picked up a magnet and now every time I see it it, I smile about the pizza place we went to that looks pretty much like the movies with great pizza to boot. And the prices were great, for NYC lol, It really made our last day! We will be back.

I felt like I just entered an episode of "Hoarders" when sitting down to have a burger at Big Nick's. I mean, its claustrophobic-ally cool in all it's dive-tastic griminess!!!

There is crap everywhere on the walls of this place. Old pictures of pseudo B-grade celebrities hang everywhere, ragged posters adorn the walls, signs are all over the place, along with motivational / humorous / common sense sayings plastered on every single available spot. The tables and chairs look like the 1970's threw up. The ceiling is warped and looks about to collapse on everyone. The service is NYC gruff - sit down and order dammit! The whole place looks like it needs to be sterilized with an acid bath and power wash. Holy germaphobe Batman - I don't even want to know what the cleanliness factor is in the food prep area. From the looks of the outside walking by it might even scare many people away.

And you know what. I friggin love this place, and would not change a thing!

Huge menu of greasy hole in the wall burger goodness. Plus, terrific waffle fries!

It's one of those hole in that wall places that are left over from a bygone era here in the city. Since 1962. Just a down and dirty burger joint open 24 hours a day. Sure, the menu is huge by why order anything else other than a big delicious sloppy burger on a huge fresh bun, an order of spicy waffle fries on the side, and an egg cream? Perfecto!

Yeah, the waitress lady can be a handful, but at least she calls you "honey" or "sweetheart" while snidely waiting for you to decide what you want to eat. The menu is daunting and reads like the Readers Digest and is just about as thick. It's kind of ridiculous how many food options are actually in this thing. I don't know who the heck would really order pizza, lasagna, meatloaf, soup, or steak, but the burger menu is like an encyclopedia. So many types to choose from.

When we dropped in one night this past weekend I was craving a burger, and this is an appropriate late-night spot to satisfy a bad food craving. Barbecue Burger slathered in zesty BBQ sauce, spicy and crispy waffle fries, and a chocolate egg cream. Pure old school NYC comfort food burger meal after a night out drinking. The burger was big, tasty, and filling. Sure the bun was much larger than the burger, and it still fell apart at the end, but so what? I was buzzed and hungry. Waffles fries done just right. Washed down with a NY institution - an egg cream made with Bosco chocolate syrup. Satisfaction. Ohhhhh yeahhhh!

They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

As soon as I heard "Puppy Love" play, I knew Big Nick's had character.

This Upper West Side pizzeria is open 23 hours (!) a day, and their burger/restaurant side never closes. I've enjoy their pizza; their 9-Lives pizza ($6.30/slice) is fine stuff. Big Nick's Special ($4.80/slice) comes in second place, but still hits the spot. Their slices are big, and they don't skimp on the toppings. Grab a slice and sit inside, or people-watch by the sidewalk.

Amicable service.

Love the burgers - every time we are hanging in the city or having a day in central park...this is our go to place for burgers.

I will say that..I haven't had anything else other than their burgers...so can't comment on anything else. I do love their pickles.... I would have given them five stars..but I am very picky about the buns that people use for their burgers. I a like my buns to be regular burger buns...not some fancy bread which takes away from the burger.

I also have to say that the fries sometimes are a bit too oily...but I always prefer the waffle fries. If you are adventurous...I would suggest the SUMO burger...VERY Good

What a huge menu they have! There are 27 pages and it ranges from Greek/Medditaranean food to diner and Mexican cuisine. Honestly, I felt totally distracted after 10 secs and didn't know what I should get.

I finally managed to get a veal burger deluxe for like $8! It was very juicy and good portion. Their waffle fries are crunchy and seasoned perfectly. The place is very cramped and they seem to rush clients a little bit. The manager sits at the counter too, which is a little intimidating.

Nonetheless, good diner food and I want to come back and try their pizza and probably Greek dishes since they are Greeks.

We came here after the screening of our film (www.doubleohthree.com/bps) and we were so happy cuz we got top ten in the 72 hour shoot out competition, and I got to see all my Wellesley friends (yeah!).

We were starving and wanted to drink but we wanted to be close to the UWS so we came here (I think it was pretty late and this place seemed to be the only restaurant still open). We thought it was going to suck and we were walking into a last resort type of deal but boy was I only half wrong.

I mean, we were like the only ones there but they said the kitchen was still open so we strolled in and ordered like half of everything on the menu and I shared a tahitian pizza or something like that with my bf. that pizza was amazing. Maybe it was cuz I don't really know my new york pizzas or maybe it was the mood that i was in or maybe it was just good pizza but it was GOOD. the crust was crunchy. the toppings were just cheesy enough and the tomato sauce wasn't obnoxious and anyway the pizza was gone - devoured. the pitcher of sangria was devoured also (see pic).

We also got an order of fries/onion rings combo which was meh. and my friends all ordered some sort of pasta dish which they didn't finish so i think the pizza was the best. the pizza and the sangria. and my friends and that night. awesome. 4 stars!

It might be an institution (I live 3 blocks away and have been living here for the past 11 years), but it's not a good one.

The place is funky and characteristic, but the quality of the food served is pretty low. A

I ordered a sicilian slice pizza (dry and old... tasted like Domino pizza) and a normal burger (slushy, low quality bread and meat) that made me nauseous for hours afterwards.

I have no reason to ever go back (I say this a lot about this place and, yet, I don't seem to learn the lesson).

Furthermore: rushed service (they want you out of there within minutes), dirty floor (open 23 hrs... what do you expect?) and your clothes will smell for days after you get out.

They're short order cooks. They're very good short order cooks, but they are short order cooks. If you go expecting diner quality food, you will be pleasantly surprised. If you go expecting the quality of food that you get at a true sit-down restaurant, you may be a bit disappointed.

I had chicken noodle soup and the Monte Cristo. The soup was much better than typical diner fare. It had a good taste and some vegetables that you don't generally see in chicken noodle soup, e.g. broccoli, zucchini, etc.

The Monte Cristo was prepared very well for what it was, but what it was was what I consider to be the lazy man's Monte Cristo (open-faced, made with French toast instead of egg-battering and frying the sandwich). The waffle fries on the side were very good, but when are waffle fries bad.

To sum it all up, I think that this is either a 3 star restaurant, or a 4 star diner. Since they have about a million items, are open almost around the clock, and charge next to nothing; I figured if it walks like a diner and talks like a diner; I'll grade it on the diner scale.

Unfortunately, the relationship between me and Big Nick's is close to being done. I was extremely disappointed with overcooked burgers topped with canned diced pineapples the last two times I was there. The burger isn't juicy anymore and they've started doing Living Social and Groupon, which makes it even worse!

I'm always still hopeful and maybe one day I'll go back and they'll win my burger heart again.

I can kinda see why people like this place. It's been around for nearly 50 years, it's got all the comfort foods everyone enjoys, it's open 24/7, and it's ramshackle appearance is very charming and cool.

But when you get down to the nuts and bolts, it's really not that amazing of a place. We stopped by for breakfast today and while we were happy with the greasy spoon feel, we were not that thrilled with the food. My girl got french toast with strawberries and a side of scrambled eggs, and I went with a blue cheese and bacon omelette. My chick thought the toast was boring and undercooked, while the syrup was synthetic and thin. She barely had a third and gave up out of utter boredom and focused on the scramble, which was fine. As for my omelette, it was OK, properly cooked, and decent sized, but there wasn't much in the way of filling. Most diners in the area give you omelettes oozing with cheese, meats, and veggies. This pathetic specimen had a few tiny slivers of bacon and a few crumbs of cheese. That's it.

As for the service, our waitress was genuinely friendly and helpful, and a perfect fit for this type of place. However, she forgot a portion of our order, didn't offer us any water or drinks, and never came by with the coffee for a refill. These are pretty typical things in a diner, and it was an obvious omission when we didn't get them. It wasn't even busy or anything, it just wasn't on her mind.

In the end, I definitely like the idea and premises of Big Nick's. It's one of those places that are becoming few and far between as the years go by. But the bottom line is that the food just wasn't that good, and the service was spotty. Two and a half stars, rounded up to three because: a) I'm a sucker for an old timey establishment and b) they have an autographed photograph of Daneille Brisebois circa 1979 on the wall. Love it!