Nina’s Argentine Pizza Restaurant

Really sad to find out that Nina’s Argentine Pizza Restaurant is closed for business. I had such a wonderful experience here. Every single food served here was truly delicious! Their pizzas, pastas, appetizers, and sangria were so delicious! I will miss their eggplant dip!
Service was wonderful, and I never felt rushed. I will always remember how great you were. Maybe one day in the near future, Nina’s will be reopened again. Until then, I will mourn for the loss of another great restaurant.

I’m an Argentine living in the US, and when I used to live in Manhattan I visited, looking for an affordable Argentinian restaurant.
The hostess (whom I guess is the owner), the background music, the food… just makes you feel like you’re in an Argentine Confiteria. The food tastes exactly like at any place back home, and every small detail goes into their food. I noticed the empanadas had Queso Mantecoso, which I never found in the US.
AMAZING restaurant and I’d definitely go back any other day. Try it out everyone!

We wanted to try a new pizza place today, and saw the good reviews here on Unilocal — so we decided to give it try. SO so glad we did!
First — there might be some confusion about what is Argentinian pizza. It is pizza — cooked by an Argentinian. However, they do have some creative toppings and flavors and the sauce is more of an olive oil type sauce, not a thick red tomato sauce. So, it does have some unique characteristics at least compared to your average cheap NYC pizzeria
We tried the «Bochinche» pizza — which is arugula, prosciutto, sauce and cheese. The simple flavors mix together perfectly to make a pizza with explosively good taste! We got the largest size, which is definitely enough to feed 2 people for lunch and probably dinner too. We ate about half the pizza and brought the rest home. I’d recommend doing this because the largest size is only a couple bucks more than the 12″.
We’ll definitely be back to try more pizzas and pastas in the near future.

Nice casual spot… I always get a good meal here.
My staples are the eggplant dip with the soft bread that they always bring out, empanadas, and pizza. But when they have it, I opt to have the goat cheese ravioli special with pink sauce. And somehow I always find a way to stuff the flan in my belly too. It makes me do my happy dance… or roll… on my way home.
And by the way, for those who like to question the whole idea of an Argentine pizza… Well, this is an Argentine guy that makes a good pizza. He’s cooking what he knows and what’s true to his background. What else is there to it? And I’ve never had a problem with service here. I think it’s on par with most other casual places in the city. Remember where you’re at. Maybe you get back a little of what you dish out? Just sayin…

Terrific casual date spot on the UES, with the emphasis on casual.
We started with the empanadas: the corn and the goat cheese. While on the small side, they’re perfect little savory packages. Our house salad was severely underdressed, and I wouldn’t bother with the whole category in the future.
Even if you think you’re not into thick-​crust pizza, you’re in for a happy surprise. If you can stand the embarrassment, order the Pupi (combo of chicken, spinach, and cheese). A 12-​inch pie was more than enough for two of us. I can also recommend the Argentine beer, whose name escapes me, but it starts with a Q.
The service is inept to the point of slapstick, but the servers all seem very nice. They’re just about right for this unpretentious neighborhood spot.

It was decent, but it didn’t blow me away. What makes it an Argentine pizza? I don’t know. It just tasted like a pizza. We had an appetizer, but the only thing I can recall about it is how small it was.
Standard UES fare. Nice little joint, sort of cute to walk into, but won’t blow you away.

The only reason I’m not giving 1 star is because they have BYOB, and that automatically up’s its status. But let’s see how the dinner went…
Had the stuffed mushrooms. Very mediocre and nothing to write home about. They were small and barely stuffed. My two friends order pizzas, which looked decent. They were brought out, but my Bolognese and my other friend’s empanadas did not come out. I waited patiently and it never came. My friends were finishing their pizza and so I mentioned it to the waiter. He said the pasta and empanadas would come out right away.
He was sort of right. My bolognese came out, but the empanadas never did. Oh and the bolognese had almost no meat in it. It was an incredibly mediocre dish overall.
Of course they charged us for the empanadas, despite them never being served. The owner offered a free dessert, but I had no interest in it. Who knows if they’d bring it out.
Honestly, I’ve sadly had better food at the Olive Garden. This place is the definition of mediocrity. Nice setting. Weak food. Really poor service. Will not being going back.

Had a wonderful dinner here last night. As compared with some of the previous reviews we had no problem with service. In fact, the guys who worked our table were very attentive. That being said, our food here was terrific.
As a start they give you a basket of soft bread with an eggplant and olive oil mix to dip it in. Wowie!
We ordered some empanadas — beef and corn. Both were made in a crusty outside shell and inside were filled with steaming hot morsels of goodness. The beef one was tasty, but the corn was even better as it was filled with gooey cheese. I could have eaten ten of these — ha ha!
The pizza was amazing! We went with one of the specials of the day — chicken, brie, garlic, and spinach. Wow! I made the mistake of ordering a large pie and it was huge. Full of wonderful flavor and very filling. The crust was kind of thick, chewy, and fluffy. The pie was topped with a ton of ingredients, and we had to actually eat some of it with a knife and fork. Yes, I know this is a no-​no but it had to be done. You get your money’s worth here!
Had to actually box what we could not finish to take it home. As we live around the block this was no problem, and now I have lunch for the next day!
Small and candle lit this place has only around ten tables. Makes for a nice date spot. Their menu is chock full of options for appetizers, pies, pastas, and meats. Wine and beer too. Reasonable prices. Nice staff. I am just kicking myself for never coming here before since we live so close by. Can’t wait to eat our leftover pizza for lunch now!

Love Nina’s!
I’ve been going here regularly for a few years and it was quickly a favorite place. I love the pizzas; tatas with eggplant is heaven, the original, the flaca, really anything they make is fresh and delicious and their brunch is fantastic! It’s so satisfying, french toast, omelettes, and comes with a mimosa and coffee. I think their key is consistency. The food is always good, the atmosphere is always relaxed and friendly.

I’ve frequented Nina’s quite a bit in the last couple of months and each time was awesome! I’ve only gone for the pizza which tastes really fresh and you have the option of having your topping cooked with your pizza or having them placed on your pizza after the pizza itself has been cooked. I tried both ways and prefer the latter.
The eggplant dip that is served with the bread it absolutely tasty! I’m not a beer connoisseur by any means but the Argentinean beer, Quilmes, goes really well with the pizza. The prices are also pretty reasonable and a 12′ inch pizza serves 2 considerably hungry people.

I was a little surprised after dining here that this place had an overall rating of a 4. The restaurany is cute inside, but the service was weird. We sat ourselves, no one said anything to us, we picked up a few menus from the table next to us and after we decided on our order and put our menu aside, we were passed multiple times without recognition at all, until finally we were able to receive service.
We ordered a whole wheat spinach ricotta pizza. The bread was reallly thick, which I dont prefer. I like to taste more pizza than bread. It was good, but nothing to write home about. We ended up taking some home, and it was really good cold.

I am currently BOYCOTTING Nina’s because of their absolute lack of customer service or human decency:
1) Last Saturday, I sat down with 3 family members for dinner at Nina’s. After we placed our order, an employee returned with a bowl of chimichurri (olive oil & spices) and bread for the table. The person SPILLED THE ENTIRE BOWL ON MY LAP, ruining my dress and sending me home in tears. The employee felt awful, and I told him not to worry. But I was covered from forehead to lap in olive oil and spices. My dress was green. Everything showed. I walked home in tears, comforted by my sister. My sister’s boyfriend got the food to go, and they gave me an extra coke for my troubles. Ooh, an extra soda! I must be special.
2) I left a phone message on Sunday explaining who I was, what happened and left my phone number hoping to get a call back with an apology and an offer to take care of dry cleaning or provide a free meal. No call back.
3) I return on Wednesday after Memorial Day, fresh from work at 9:00 pm. I explained to the owner’s father (the owner was in Paris, pardon moi, asshole) what happened, and explained politely that I had to throw away my cotton dress because it could not be salvaged since it was drenched in oil. He told me his son would be back tomorrow, that I should come back to the restaurant tomorrow for an answer from his son. I explained that the dress was not expensive, and all I wanted was a free meal. No. Come back tomorrow. The waiter who served me Saturday looked horrified as the owner’s father kept denying me.
4) Well, I WILL NEVER RETURN to Nina’s after this bullshit show. For a shop on 2d Avenue, a street covered in subway construction, you would think they would show the customer more courtesy. Not so. I encourage you to boycott as well.
If you do decide to eat here, bring a poncho and a sense of irony.

Ordered the Spaghetti Puttanesca with some hesitation since I was in the mood for something comfortable and familiar but was delighted and surprised by this dish. Spaghetti with red sauce, anchovies, capers and black olives provided just the right amount of saltiness and flavor without being overwhelmingly fishy. The bf ordered the spinach canneloni with a side salad and was over-​the-​moon ecstatic with his selection. Shared a plate of potato croquettes, Italian and Argentinian beer and 2 entrees, very reasonably priced. Would have liked to try the pizza since that appears to be their specialty, and this place has definitely earned a second visit from me so that will be my next order.
Went on a saturday night around 7:30 expecting a crowd but they had a few empty tables. Small dining area but bright, waiters were very hands-​off and very little muss and fuss but just attentive enough.

This place is a gem of the UES. The tiny dining room feels more cozy than cramped, though you may not be able to get a table at brunch time. And brunch, though excellent, is not the main draw of this place.
Everything is delicious and well-​made, though it is the pizza I always went back for. Delicious sauce, crust with great texture. And surprisingly cheap for a pizza-​for-​one.
Okay, let’s also talk about brunch. Omelets are fluffy and tasty and there’s something just magical about their French toast.
This place is great, and affordable enough to be a staple.

Prosciutto and arugula pizza? I honestly thought it sounded so weird yet interesting. And it does taste weird and interesting, in a good way.
I agree with Canny F that the pizza is a bit salty but pretty enjoyable nonetheless. I could use a little more prosciutto and less arugula though, I find the strong taste of the arugula is a little too overwhelming. But then again, I’m not a fan of arugula at all so that may be the reason why.
Although it’s not one of the tastiest pizza I’ve eaten, I was pleasantly surprised with the unique flavor. I probably won’t come back for more but I really do think it’s worth the try if you’ve never had Argentinian pizza before.

Argentinians eat more pizza and pasta per capita than any other country in the world, save Italy. Many Argentianians are of Italian ancestory, resulting in a saying that «…Argentianians are really Italians speaking Spanish.»
Nina’s pays homage to that heritage. The pizzas are perfection. slightly more doughy than a thin crust, topped with both Italian choices — like Pepproni — and more unorthodox choices — like chorizo or spinach and blue cheese. Whatever you choose, whatever size you choose, you can be sure that the edges will be crisp and the pizza will be piping hot. I must remember to ask for mine «extra crispy» next time so that I can have the cheese a bit more toasted.
Speaking of toasted cheese, there is an appetizer at Nina’s called Proveletta. A thick slice of Provolone cheese, marinated with organo and garlic and seared on the flat-​top grill until it is crusted on both sized and meltingly welcoming on the inside, this may be the perfect calming food for the end of a long day of travel or hard work.
There are pastas and other entrees, and on Sunday, they have a delightful bruch. Be aware that there are only about 10 tables in the entire place so you will probably wait. However, it moves quickly and they are super sweet. There is no beer and wine here, so you can bring your own for a fee; a special on Thursday night is BYOB without corkage.
My mouth is watering so much that I had better quit writing or I am going to have to find something to eat… and I am not near Nina’s so that I can scratch that itch right now. Damn.

Nina’s is bit of a hidden gem, due to the 2^nd Ave subway construction going on right in front of it. I hang out around the area by Nina’s and never saw it till my gf mentioned the place to me.
Nina’s is straight money for a moderately priced, super tasty Sunday brunch. They have a prix fixe menu of different omelets, eggs, etc. that all come with a coffee or tea and a glass of OJ or a mimosa. I opted for the western omelet with prosciutto, which was one of the better omelets I’ve had in recent memory. Plus a small salad, some OJ and coffee, all for around $ 10?! Count me in EVERY Sunday then!

Really, what’s not to like here? A tiny romantic little pizza place with reasonable prices and good food FTW! Four of us split two medium pies and one small one, plus the awesome complementary starter of bread and garlicky eggplant spread. Altogether, this was more food than we knew what to do with and came to only $ 13 bucks apiece. Definitely a great spot for a date on a budget.
I am not sure what qualifies it as an Argentine restaurant, but my friend who lived there for six months assures me that most Argentine food is basically either Italian or Spanish. Based on what we experienced here, that seems pretty accurate, but regardless, the pizza was good by any cultural standard. Not too thin or too thick, too chewy or too crunchy, we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The plain pie was a little boring, but the spinach and ricotta cheta was tasty and then red pepper ricotta el che was absolutely delicious. I also felt very sneaky because it was a Friday in Lent and I was able to steer our selections to avoid meat, haha, and I mention it to give vegetarians the heads up.
Definitely keep this in mind for a quiet little dinner, especially if you find yourself nearby.

I came here on a Thursday night with a friend and it was definitely full. The wait for a table was short and the wait service was fast and friendly. The place is cozy (read: small) and seating is a little tight.
We ordered the medium size prosciutto and arugula pizza along with the small portobello mushroom salad. The salad was good, though it came undressed. They provide you with olive and balsamic vinegar, but I generally do prefer a little dressing on my salads. The pizza was good and I’m not as familiar with how argentine pizza should be but I felt like the crust was a little bit thick. The toppings combo was really good though. Arugula on pizza is delish.
I’d check it out again as a regular night out meal, but it’s not anything that I thought was amazing.

When you sit down at Nina’s, the delightful, attentive staff provides you with delicious soft, chewy bread with this WONDERFUL eggplant and olive oil concoction. I suppose it’s like baba ghanoush, but chunkier. I could eat this stuff all day every day.
I loved it.
Oh right, the rest of the meal. The part we paid for. To start, we had a spinach salad that was solid, but nothing really set it apart. We ordered a large pie with chorizo, which turned out to be WAY more food than two people need. Argentine pizza is apparently very thick and doughy, and although I prefer thin crust, I actually enjoyed it. The sauce and cheese both out-​shined the chorizo, surprisingly.
I don’t know if I’ll ever crave the pizza, but I might come back just for the eggplant dip, bread, and their ½ priced bottles of wine on Thursday nights.