Veselka - Ukrainian food in the East Village

The Restaurant Veselka in the East Village is open 24 hours a day and serves Ukrainian food.

Pierogies from Veselka, East Village — Pierogies

Every Friday I try to find a new food or restaurant to try in New York. I can try out some new flavors and take advantage of the wide gastronomic range that the Big Apple has to offer. This time, I decided to try authentic Ukrainian food, so I started my search online. I found that in New York’s East Village, there is an area popularly known as “Little Ukraine” where the ukrainian refugees from WWII settled. Within this area, there is also a Ukraine museum, Ukrainian house and a restaurant called Veselka. The reviews were good, and the area seemed to have a strong connection to the food I wanted to try, so I hopped on my bike and headed to Veselka.

Next to Veselka, is the Ukrainian House, which also offers a ukrainian lunch menu, and the signs caught my attention. In fact, I was about to change my mind and give it a try, but in the end, the reviews I had read convinced me to try Veselka. Veselka is a big, well lit restaurant with high ceilings and a window full of products from their own line (pure marketing!) The waiters, and there were a lot of them, are very friendly and were quick to take my order. The owner even came out to say hello and make sure that you are comfortable.

Since I wanted to try different things, and I was dining alone, I decided on a combination plate where I could try (obviously) the famous pierogies (two potato and two meat), along with a big meat ball with cabbage, mushrooms and a beet sauce, as well as a sour cream sauce. All this came with a salad and a vegetable soup. This meal along with a Cherry Lime Rickey soda cost 20 dollars with the tip included, and seemed like a good price.

We ruskommend Veselka Restaurant with 4 boquerones for the quality flavor and authentic ukrainian atmosphere that they have created. If you travel to New York or you are in the East Village, and you want to enjoy some ukrainian culture and food, this area and this restaurant are a good bet. One more thing, don’t worry about the time, as this restaurant is open 24 hours and they make more than 3,000 pierogies a day!