(212) 228-9682

144 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003 40.729191 -73.987238

Get Map & Directions »

Neighborhoods: East Village, Downtown

VESELKA.COM

Hours:

24/7

Price:

$$

Last updated 3.23.11

Category:

Cafes, Restaurants, Certified Green Restaurant(R), Diners

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, Diners Club, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Breakfast, Late Night Dining, Brunch, Carry Out

General Info:

Open 24 Hours

Cuisine:

Polish & Czech, Eastern European, Russian

What People Are Saying About Veselka

Featured Review

Karen Hudes

Contributor

Veselka's 24-hour kitchen is a magnet for East Village night owls looking to fill their stomachs before heading to bed. Solitary diners get comfortable at the counter, while eclectic groups fill up the tables in the large rear section, which is served by a largely Eastern European waitstaff. Bright lighting--the better to view the sprawling diner-themed mural by a longtime patron--keeps everyone awake. Polish and Ukrainian dishes such as pierogis and kielbasa share counter space with standard diner breakfast and dinner fare, including challah French toast, hearty cheddar-topped chili, a…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
The brunch crowd packs the place, so be prepared for a wait.
What to Eat:
The Veselka burger is considered one of the best in New York by the experts (drunk and sober alike).
When to Go:
Three in the morning is when Veselka is most itself.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. You don't have to make fun of fellow New Yorkers, like Eek and his Taliban buddies do, all you have to do is sit back get a great meal, look at the mural, or through the large sidewalk windows and enjoy yourself!
  2. Veselka has good diner food in a comfortable atmosphere.
  3. This place is comfortable and has a homey feeling.
  4. But the food is really good, and the location can't be beat.
  5. excellent deserts, great atmosphere - great place to stay for a while and people watch
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. The blintzes are amazing---- breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or as a snack.
  2. excellent deserts, great atmosphere - great place to stay for a while and people watch
  3. Good: old school Ukranian borscht, chicken soup, pork and beef meatloaf, potatoes, plain dip in your soup sweet bread, poppy cake, kutya, fresh lemonade.
  4. Not to mention they drop the check on the table right after you order your meal, forgetting they have a dessert menu.
  5. For dessert, both the cheese blintzes and the kutya were delightful.
  6. Save room for dessert- the baked chocolate custard is addictive.
drinks
90.0% positive
  1. Veselka is a great place to go late after a night of bar hopping.
  2. Oh, and did I forget to mention this place is awesome late-night, after the bar?
  3. Keep it simple-- order the boiled pierogi sampler, a bowl of the HOT (not the cold) borscht which has huge chunks of meat in it, a plate of Bigos (their version of sauerkraut-kielbasa hunter's stew), some wonderful blintzes, a few Uki beers, and you will
  4. Service sucks, but the coffee is good.
  5. Veselka's does offer one of the best cups of coffee in the city (when the brew is fresh).
food quality
78.22999954223633% positive
  1. the food is delicious - the mac 'n' cheese is my favorite, and i also love the pierogies, grilled cheese, burgers and fries.
  2. Service at Veselka has always been extremely slow and ridiculously inattentive, but one could rely on the good food and 24-hour convenience.
  3. Good food and normal prices
  4. Good: old school Ukranian borscht, chicken soup, pork and beef meatloaf, potatoes, plain dip in your soup sweet bread, poppy cake, kutya, fresh lemonade.
  5. The food is pretty good.
  6. The food was great.
  7. My fiance LOVES the soups, especially the cold borscht (served with great bread).
  8. The borscht was top notch, the kielbasa was lean, and the fruit was very fresh.
  9. Veselka has good diner food in a comfortable atmosphere.
  10. Went there for some good comfort food and ended up having to grab dinner elsewhere afterwards.
  11. It's simple food and the place has great history in NYC but the service is terrible.
  12. fabulous cheese blintzes with raspberry sauce
  13. Fun place with great food at a good price.
  14. yummy sweet potato fries.
  15. My hunter's stew--chicken, sausage, and saukraute were good, as was the mushroom and barley soup; my friends' pierogies were also quality.
  16. Lastly, the food was horrible.
  17. The food is incredible, and the other choices are equally large-portioned for the price.
  18. Great burgers, soups, grilled cheese and perogis (of course).
  19. Veselka is a quality diner and serves up fairly authentic Ukranian grub.
  20. The food is terrific- great variety, great flavors!
  21. You don't have to make fun of fellow New Yorkers, like Eek and his Taliban buddies do, all you have to do is sit back get a great meal, look at the mural, or through the large sidewalk windows and enjoy yourself!
  22. don't know where were the mushrooms, but it was a mere tasteless lump of boiled potato starch with water.
  23. unfortunately my friends and I rarely get the chance to enjoy all their wonderful food.
  24. But a combination plate gives you a salad, soup, unlimited (and excellent) challah bread, four pierogi, and a big stuffed cabbage.
  25. The food here is basically only good if you are on a budget.
  26. But the food is really good, and the location can't be beat.
  27. This restaurant has potential but the food was just OK and the service was bad.
  28. Keep it simple-- order the boiled pierogi sampler, a bowl of the HOT (not the cold) borscht which has huge chunks of meat in it, a plate of Bigos (their version of sauerkraut-kielbasa hunter's stew), some wonderful blintzes, a few Uki beers, and you will
  29. my boyfriend's family is ukranian (his mother is a fantastic cook), and HE loves the food.
  30. The best place for hot soup on a cold day, great pierogies and borscht.
  31. All I saw here were LESiders enjoying some great food.
  32. the only one i've had in manhattan to beat veselka's is at the corner bistro, which unfortunately has disappointing fries.
  33. Uncomfortable food
  34. great comfort food
  35. love the food here.
  36. Veselka is one of those East Village 24 hour burgs where the food is rich, and the service bites.
  37. The service is fast and the food was good.
  38. Veselka is my absolute FAVORITE place to eat late at night- the food is filling, delicious, and fresh.
  39. The bigos is by far my favorite meal but everything else that I've had I've enjoyed quite a bit.
  40. Decent food, HORRIBLE service
  41. The borscht and split pea soups were outstanding, as was Ola's veal goulash.
  42. hours later the cold food arrived.
  43. Usually spot on with food, service and prices, but our waitress was terrible!
  44. The food is only mediocre at best.
  45. Don't let the bad service discourage you from the good meal you will have here.
  46. Overall, i love their food & portions.
  47. The sandwich was good, like a sausage mcmuffin with egg, but better.
  48. Not to mention they drop the check on the table right after you order your meal, forgetting they have a dessert menu.
  49. If you're looking for great comfort food in a slightly funky, very busy setting, this is the place to go.
  50. Just because place survives long enough to boast itself as a "landmark"-does not make its food good.
  51. Everything was delicious.
  52. With a broad range of delicious breakfast options, Veselka has everything from Challah French Toast, Mediterranean Feta & Tomato Omelettes and Cheese Blintzes With Raspberry Sauce!
  53. My husband and I love the cabbage soup so much, we can't wait for cooler weather to arrive!
  54. knew Veselka is going to be bad, because i grew up in Ukraine and know how good it should taste, and in America , you get authentic food only in ghettos- those places run by first generations, speaking exotic languages to each other, fairly cheap and un
  55. good burger with everything is hard to find in this city.
  56. The food was incredibly good and the service was excellent.
  57. Lots of good food for a very reasonable price and lovely back yard seating.
  58. Veselka's does offer one of the best cups of coffee in the city (when the brew is fresh).
  59. usually come in the colder months for takeout soup (try the mushroom barley) after paying a visit to the butcher across the street for some kielbasa, but last night some friends and I hopped in a cab late night, some 40 blocks to get some cold borscht
  60. the mashed potatoes are not too good.
  61. nice space, bad mashed potatoes
  62. Good food, good time
menu variety
91.66999816894531% positive
  1. The food is terrific- great variety, great flavors!
  2. With a broad range of delicious breakfast options, Veselka has everything from Challah French Toast, Mediterranean Feta & Tomato Omelettes and Cheese Blintzes With Raspberry Sauce!
  3. Not to mention they drop the check on the table right after you order your meal, forgetting they have a dessert menu.
  4. The borsh isn't the best, but I chalk that up to being made differently than the way I like it--there are over 100 varieties of borsch and maybe theirs isn't my favorite.
  5. Good spacious eatery,lots of variety at this 24 hour resteraunt, not another boring cafe.
  6. The food is incredible, and the other choices are equally large-portioned for the price.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. having used to work at a bakery where the closing shift ended at 1:30 in the morning, i've grown to appreciate how rare it is to find a really good place to eat that's open any time of day.
  2. Maybe I'm biased, but this is a great dive-y type place to go on the LES with a couple of friends before a big night of drinking.
  3. great place
  4. excellent deserts, great atmosphere - great place to stay for a while and people watch
  5. The best place for hot soup on a cold day, great pierogies and borscht.
  6. If you're looking for great comfort food in a slightly funky, very busy setting, this is the place to go.
  7. best 24/7 place in the hood.
  8. It's a great place to go to for Sunday brunch.
  9. Veselka is a great place to go late after a night of bar hopping.
  10. The service is great, just my all around favorite place!
service
48.00000190734863% positive
  1. The food was incredibly good and the service was excellent.
  2. Veselka is one of those East Village 24 hour burgs where the food is rich, and the service bites.
  3. the service is sort of slow, but what do you expect--it's a diner.
  4. sometimes service can be slow - just pretend it's your grandma.
  5. gave this place three chances and each time a different waitress was more rude and less intelligent than I could imagine.
  6. This place was simply excelltent, with great staff, service and value.
  7. excellent deserts, great atmosphere - great place to stay for a while and people watch
  8. Decent food, HORRIBLE service
  9. This restaurant has potential but the food was just OK and the service was bad.
  10. The waitstaff is is rude and apathetic and don't seem to care about the customer at all.
  11. Don't let the bad service discourage you from the good meal you will have here.
  12. Really good pasteries and the service was fast and couteous.
  13. Don't let the bad service discourage you.
  14. no need to be so rude
  15. The service was very good though they tended to be a little slow with the check.
  16. When you need that something comforting at midnight, this is the place - yeah the service is a little slow, but sometimes I LIKE that!
  17. The service is fast and the food was good.
  18. Usually spot on with food, service and prices, but our waitress was terrible!
  19. However, the service is consistently bad.
  20. Keep that in mind so you stop losing customers due to rude service and stupid mistakes.
  21. The service is quick and the waitresses/waiters are always pleasant.
  22. The servers ARE weird, but nice.
  23. It's simple food and the place has great history in NYC but the service is terrible.
  24. The service isn't wonderful, but they get the job done, and quickly enough.
  25. The service is great, just my all around favorite place!
value
81.82000160217285% positive
  1. Overall, i love their food & portions.
  2. Usually spot on with food, service and prices, but our waitress was terrible!
  3. knew Veselka is going to be bad, because i grew up in Ukraine and know how good it should taste, and in America , you get authentic food only in ghettos- those places run by first generations, speaking exotic languages to each other, fairly cheap and un
  4. Lots of good food for a very reasonable price and lovely back yard seating.
  5. Fun place with great food at a good price.
  6. This place was simply excelltent, with great staff, service and value.
  7. The food is incredible, and the other choices are equally large-portioned for the price.
  8. Opted for the "Deluxe Meat Combo Plate" - portions weren't huge.
  9. Good food and normal prices
  10. Great value for the money.
  11. Keep it simple-- order the boiled pierogi sampler, a bowl of the HOT (not the cold) borscht which has huge chunks of meat in it, a plate of Bigos (their version of sauerkraut-kielbasa hunter's stew), some wonderful blintzes, a few Uki beers, and you will
wait time
41.66999816894531% positive
  1. the service is sort of slow, but what do you expect--it's a diner.
  2. sometimes service can be slow - just pretend it's your grandma.
  3. When you need that something comforting at midnight, this is the place - yeah the service is a little slow, but sometimes I LIKE that!
  4. Service at Veselka has always been extremely slow and ridiculously inattentive, but one could rely on the good food and 24-hour convenience.
  5. The service was very good though they tended to be a little slow with the check.
  6. Just because place survives long enough to boast itself as a "landmark"-does not make its food good.
  7. The service is quick and the waitresses/waiters are always pleasant.
  8. Service is also really slow and semi unattentive.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

08/22/11

Eastern European food needs to be in my belly

by FryeGurl at Citysearch

Seriously. This place is really good. And I mean really good at any time of the day, not just at 3AM. The deluxe meat plate is the way to go if you're not a vegetarian and sharing or if you're just really really hungry.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/29/10

Good Restaurant

by KonradNYC at Citysearch

Good food at a good price - 'nuff said.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/27/10

Great first experience!

by GoDuke at Citysearch

First time I've ever eaten Pierogis, they were delicious! The beet soup was very tasty too, yum! To top it all off, the server was very knowledgeable about the menu an very attentive.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/24/10

Veselka is love:)

by Parvin at Citysearch

Veselka is a clean, pleasant 24-hour family restaurant, and the service is usually decent. The attraction here are the prices which are very reasonable.

They are especially known for their breakfast special, called The breakfast Special, which is served 24 hours a day. For about $5 get juice, coffee or tea, 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, two slices of sausage, a short stack of pancakes, and toast if you want it (you have to request it).

Yes, the amount is correct. $5

The food is decent, and the rest of their menu is reasonably priced as well.

Note that around breakfast time and weekends you probably will find a bit of a wait, but it's worth it.

Parvin :) server at Veselka!!!!!

4 Star Rating: Recommended

06/22/10

Worth the Brunch-Time Wait (And Open 24-Hrs!)

by MeghanButler at Citysearch

Veselka is my go-to for brunch in the Lower East Side. The prices are great, the portions are perfect for the day after a night out. They're usually pretty swamped on weekend days but there are some cute shops nearby that you can wander through while you're waiting and the food is well worth it. I love that they have an outdoor seating option too. I really enjoy their pancakes and crispy bacon (it's actually crispy!). Their burgers are also delicious. And the best part is: they're open 24 hours. You can also follow them on Twitter: @veselkaNYC

  • Pros: Yummy brunch menu, pleasant service, fair prices
  • Cons: Usually a wait

Green Restaurant All Certified Green Restaurants® meet the minimum certification criteria of the science-based standards of the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a national non profit dedicated to Greening Restaurants since 1990. Certified Green Restaurants® implement transparent and verified environmental steps in seven environmental categories: Energy, Water, Chemicals, Food, Packaging, Waste, and Building. Learn more about the GRA's standards and how to Dine Green.

The Details on Veselka

Place Categories:

  • good comfort food
  • very good service
  • great divey type place
  • fabulous cheese blintzes
  • cold borscht
  • cold food
  • favorite veselka
  • great burgers
  • really good pierogies
  • really good pasteries
  • great everything
  • dynamic neighborhood
  • great value
  • better sandwich
  • enjoy wonderful original mural
  • comfortable atmosphere
  • cold stuffed cabbage
  • good diner
  • good price
  • outstanding split pea soups
  • too bad place
  • nice servers
  • rude waitstaff
  • favorite meal
  • less intelligent different waitress