For artists of all sorts New York is the city of dreams. You come here to hone your form, work day and night, make it big. That was no different for Nick Imirziades, who arrived from Athens in 1961. He didn’t speak a word of English, but as he learned the language he worked as a dishwasher, then a cook, at the snack bar of a bowling alley in New Jersey. There he discovered his art form, the passion that would guide his life. Burgers.

The following year he made it to New York as a cook at a coffee shop on Broadway at 76th Street. Those were the bad old days of the Upper West Side, its “Needle Park” phase. The demoralized owner was ready to sell, and Mr. Imirziades bought him out in 1963 with money he borrowed from a relative. In 1965 he purchased the New Yorker coffee shop down the block and renamed it Burger Joint. Last year he celebrated 50 years on Broadway — through the years he has owned 15 restaurants in the city — at his remaining place, Big Nick’s Burger & Pizza Joint, a neighborhood institution that serves 24/7. In addition to the eponymous specials, there is everything from tofu omelets to moussaka on the 27-page menu.