Visited Veselka in the East Village the other day, after meaning to visit it for the longest time. “Veselka” meaning rainbow in Ukrainian, is best known as a 24-hour restaurant/diner that served traditional East European fare and featured in the 2006 movie Trust the Man and the 2008 movie Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. It’s actually in Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s original book that I first found out about Veselka.
I really liked Veselka’s atmosphere which had an classic, old-school diner feel wth a hint of nostalgia and lots of colorful, fun murals in the background and made the restaurant really warm and inviting. First impression was that Veselka definitely has a lot of character and history to it, considering it did open way back in 1954.
Though, of course I came to try the pierogi after my friend previously introduced them to me. Wanting to try a bunch of different flavors, I got the meat, cheese, sweet potato, and potato pierogi, boiled instead of deep fried. The pierogi also came with a sides of onions, applesauce, and sour cream. Ohmigod, this place definitely knows how to make its pierogi. I probably liked the potato and meat pierogi the best though. Other pierogi flavors included spanich and cheese, sauerkraut and mushroom, and argula and goat cheese. My friend got the Grilled Kielbasa [Smoked cured pork sausage] with broccoli and mashed potatos, which she heartily enjoyed as well.
Anyone, Veselka is definitely worth a visit for any Ukraninain food lovers out there. The prices were pretty affordable [most dishes ranged from $10-$20] and they seem to give generous portions here. My friend’s dish was $15.95 while my small plate of 4 piergoi was $6.95. [A big plate of 7 costs $10.95.] This is definitely my go to spot for pierogi now and I want to try the matzoh ball soup here next time.
Holy shit. I also just discovered Veselka has a take-away menu. JACKPOTTT.
