Veselka

An East Villlage mainstay, for over 50 years, Veselka has been a favorite of the brunch crowd and the late-night partiers alike.  With the all the hip decor of a village spot, it still has old Polish ladies folding perogies in the basement, Russian rock-singer wannabes at the grill and fresh-off-the-boat Ukranians waiting tables.  This place serves up the best Eastern European comfort food on this continent--borscht (get with the sour cream!), kashi and gravy, grilled kielbasa--but don't think the vegetarians get left behind.  For the vegi's there's stuffed cabbage, perogies of all sorts and potato pancakes.  Of course, there's always brunch.  Be prepared to wait an hour on the weekends, but the raspberry blintzes and whole wheat pancakes are worth it. 

Veselka is full of contradictions. It's an East Village staple, and it's been around for a really long time, but it also looks a little too new ever since they did renovations.  Their new mural is not as nice as the old one (it feels a little cold), and it's gotten more crowded, especially on the weekends (at night and during brunch time).  Brunch on weekends is PACKED and you'll probably have to wait a long time to get a table. In warmer months people are spilling over onto the sidewalk.  Sometimes on weekend night it also feels like it's overrun by out-of-towners, but if you go on weekdays, especially at weird hours, like midnight on a Tuesday, it still feels like the old Veselka; still full of energy late into the night and full of all different kinds of people. It can still be the kind of place where "diner memories" are made; if you're with someone late at night and have the munchies, you can go and eat pancakes and talk all night long till the sun rises and no one bothers you.
It has a little of bit of everything to eat (pancakes, sandwiches, soups, and of course, Eastern European food) so it's a good place to go to if you're with a group.  Their borscht is one of the reddest and best I've ever had; it's not as heavy as some other places and there's a little bit of tanginess to it. It might be hard to imagine a "light borscht" but they manage it here, and you can get just a small cup if you aren't sure you'll like it. 

Cooking just like your Baba makes... beautiful authentic food with some Western thrown into the mix. Reasonably priced for piping hot fresh food that made me long for my Baba's kitchen back home. Friendly staff with great service. Meal was quick and VERY tasty.

A must visit with a cool atmosphere. Great for people watching, catching up with a mate over Borsch, or a date. Definitely something for everyone