Where to Eat Handmade Tortillas and Mole on the Upper West Side

Nina's Great Burrito Bar at 522 Columbus Ave is the Upper West Side address for tortillas pressed and cooked to order, and for the mole that carries founder Adelina "Nina" Guzman's name. The family opened the room in 1994 as The Great Burrito before reopening with restaurateur Jeremy Wladis, and the kitchen still builds its line on those longstanding recipes, then widens it with street food and cocktails. It holds 4.4 out of 5 across 729 reviews in a $ price range. Doors open at 11:30 AM Monday to Friday, 11 AM on weekends, and the dining room runs to midnight most nights.

Address: 522 Columbus Ave, Upper West Side, Manhattan
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11:30 AM-12:00 AM · Friday 11:30 AM-2:00 AM · Saturday 11:00 AM-2:00 AM · Sunday 11:00 AM-12:00 AM
Kitchen closes: 10:00 PM Monday-Thursday · 11:00 PM Friday-Sunday
Known for: handmade tortillas · founder Nina Guzman's mole · street food and cocktails
Rating: 4.4 of 5 from 729 reviews
Price range: $
Phone: (212) 724-5151
Website: ninasgreatburrito.com

The tortillas are the through-line: the kitchen is built around them rather than around a Tex-Mex combo plate, and the mole that anchors the menu is named for the founder who started the room in 1994. That history survived the later reopening with restaurateur Jeremy Wladis, so the recipes came with it. Around those two constants the kitchen adds specialty street food and classic pairings, which is why a table can order tacos, a mole plate and a cocktail without the meal feeling scattered. The mole is the dish the house is known for, so it is the one thing worth ordering before anything else on a first visit.

The room and the kitchen close at different times, and that gap is the thing to plan around. Monday to Thursday the bar runs to midnight while the kitchen stops at 10 PM; Friday and Saturday push both later, with the kitchen to 11 PM and the bar to 2 AM; Sunday lands at 11 PM for food and midnight for drinks. A 9:30 PM arrival on a weekday still gets fed, a 10:15 PM one does not. Weekend brunch timing starts earlier too, at 11 AM instead of 11:30 AM, which makes a late-morning table the easier booking on Saturday or Sunday.

Both, in sequence. The asset gives this room a $ price range with a bar programme of cocktails and classic pairings, and its labels cover brunch, everyday eating, cheap eats and late-night dining, so the same address serves an early family meal and a later drink. Groups are the natural fit: plates are built to share across a table and the kitchen keeps serving long after most Upper West Side dining rooms have closed. Come before 10 PM on a weeknight if food is the point, and treat the last two hours as the drinks half of the night.

Where is Nina's Great Burrito Bar?
522 Columbus Ave on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

What are the opening hours?
Monday to Thursday 11:30 AM to 12:00 AM, Friday 11:30 AM to 2:00 AM, Saturday 11:00 AM to 2:00 AM, Sunday 11:00 AM to 12:00 AM.

When does the kitchen close?
10:00 PM Monday to Thursday, and 11:00 PM Friday to Sunday.

What is the kitchen known for?
Handmade tortillas and founder Nina Guzman's mole, alongside specialty street food and cocktails.

When did it open?
The family opened it in 1994 as The Great Burrito, then reopened it with restaurateur Jeremy Wladis.

How is it rated?
4.4 out of 5 from 729 reviews.

What is the price range?
The asset lists it as $.

Is there a phone number?
Yes, (212) 724-5151.

Sidewalk Taco Tables Under a Green Awning on Amsterdam Avenue is the closest second stop, and Southwestern Dining With a Covered Patio on the Upper West Side adds an outdoor table. Birria Tacos And Mexican Staples In Manhattan keeps the run inside the borough, Mole Enchiladas, Late Dinner, Washington Heights takes the same mole order uptown after dark, and Baja Fish Tacos And California Burritos In Midtown swaps it for a California burrito and fish tacos.