Big Nicks Burger Joint and Pizza Joint, Owner Nick Imirziades in the Upper West Side - Closed After 50 Years

[DaveO]

"Big Nick's Restaurant On Upper West Side Closes After 51 Years" on newyork.cbslocal.com.

The rent numbers don't make sense to me for a burger/pizza joint.  But so what.  Another old line place can't afford higher rents.

[DonRocks]

Wow. My Big Nick's story dates back to 1986 when I was working in the World Trade Center. One Saturday, I was determined to find *the best* hamburger in all of New York City. Researching restaurants wasn't an easy affair back then: there were no computers, there wasn't any internet, and you had to rely on local City Paper-type publications, or whatever else you could find.

Well, after about two hours of research, I set out on the subway for Big Nick's Burger Joint (I don't think it was called "Burger Joint and Pizza Joint" back then, but I may be wrong). And I remember loving my hamburger, but that's about all I remember - it wasn't a transformational experience or anything.

Still, I'll always have that memory - I remember seeing it a couple of years ago, and being shocked that it was still open, but I didn't realize what a legendary institution Big Nick's really was.