New York City Restaurants

Veselka

#5 of 1880 things to do in New York City

#2 of 5237 restaurants in USA

8 reviews | Write a review

Good for: atmosphere, food, Budget Travellers, Groups, Solo Travellers

Not good for: large groups, service

  • Address
    • 144 Second Ave at 9th St
  • Transport
    • 6 to Astor Pl, L to 3rd Ave
  • Website
  • Phone
    • 212-228-9682
  • Hours
    • 24hr

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Lonely Planet review for Veselka

Here lies the epitome of what’s beautiful in New York’s dining scene – mind-blowing variety, which can cover several continents as well as the whole gamut of budgets in just a single city block. The East Village's roots lie with Ukrainian traditions, and you can still find some low-key pierogi (dumpling) palaces hanging on, like the classic and uberpopular Veselka.

 

Traveller reviews for Veselka (8)

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    Delicious food.

    eler6 recommends this,

    Besides the food, the best part is that it's opened 24 hours. Is there anything better than fried pierogies at 3am?

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    meh

    clinton82 does not recommend this,

    there are thousands of places to eat in nyc that offer as good or better food. why is this number 3?

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    Flavorsational - the ultimate comfort food.

    apollak recommends this,

    From the best bacon cheeseburger in Manhattan to out of this world mini-meatballs and unrivaled pirogies to breakfasts that are simply a de facto standard in East Village fare. Did I mention the lamb burgers???

    Good for: Burgers, comfort food, Ukrainian Food

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    Fantastic, Amazing and Delicious food. 5 stars all the way!!

    llbvl recommends this,

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    My favorite East Village restaurant.

    remelila recommends this,

    I've been going to Veselka since the early '90s, and I still fantasize about their pierogi (Ukrainian dumplings) whenever I'm on the plane home. Open 24 hours, they have a fantastic menu full of diner classics and Ukrainian and other Eastern European dishes. (Plenty of vegetarian options, too.) The stuffed cabbage with kashka varnishkes and the cold borscht are both great, and of course the potato pierogi (served with applesauce and fried onion) is to die for. They're also the only place south of 96th St that I know of where you can get a Lime Rickey (lime-cherry soda).

    Good for: coffee, diner food, Eastern European food, desserts, late-night meals

    Not good for: large groups

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    Eastern (Bloc) Comfort Food

    lindymegan recommends this,

    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.

    Good for: atmosphere, food, Budget Travellers, Groups, Solo Travellers

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    You have to try it at least once

    joomi615 recommends this,

    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.

    Not good for: service

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    Just like Baba's

    sebba82 recommends this,

    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

    Good for: Romance, atmosphere, food, Budget Travellers, Groups, Solo Travellers, service, Families

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