Odessa Restaurant

08/16/09

Rude cashier/phone person on the north side

by CorinneMary

this is only a complaint about the right side of odessa, the left cozier side is good by me. HOWEVER this goes out to the guy who was answering the phones and took my delivery order on August 16th and 2pm. I told you the correct number, you could have resent the food but instead you choose to be overwhelmingly rude. I would have re-ordered and given you money for the food that was already prepared, but you choose to be even MORE rude and just felt like venting your crappy mood. I just ordered from Remedy diner on houston. I suggest others do the same. The south side is always fine in person, but the other is just getting worse by the year, I dont think any of the waitresses know what they are doing either.

• Pros: south side
• Cons: waitresses and cashier on the north side

Ukrainian In Name Only

by Josh Ozersky

While still a bastion of boozy East Village night life, Odessa has long given up its formerly Ukrainian character. While you can still get a creditable plate of pierogies there, this is otherwise unexceptionable Greek diner fare, down to the giant menu ranging from chicken fingers to breast of veal.

04/23/08

One of the cheapest restaurants with good service in the city.

by rm1776

Great pirogies, latkes. Skip the matzo ball soup. Can't beat a place where you can fill your belly with potatoes and then drink some good vodka afterwards for not much more than 10 bucks.

LOVE this place, feel like I'm doing my eastern european grandparents proud by supporting such an institution.

09/22/07

Great diner. Consistently good food

by kamsantos

This is my favorite after-hours diner. It's also my default place when Sushi Lounge (on the corner) is too busy. Consistently good food, from breakfast to dinner meals. Their pierogies are yummy, the belgian waffles just right, the pasta dinners hearty, and omelettes yummy. Good stuff.

• Pros: Consistently good food.
• Cons: Ambiance. But hey, it's a diner!

11/13/06

The Good Old Standby

by ghoulfiend

There is the bar side which has dimmer lighting and a warmer atmosphere and there is the diner side which is brightly lit and noisy. I usually get to Odessa late at night after a night of clubbing. Great comfort food. Pierogies, potato pancakes, kielbasa, stuffed cabbage. It is what it is, and for what it is it is pretty darn good. Nothing beats ordering their french toast and sausage for delivery after a tough night out, either!

• Pros: Good comfort food, all-night dining

03/13/06

Late Night Popularity

by b00pi3flak3s

Mad Russian waitresses up in this house -- with some of the most rude service I've encountered. The food wasn't even that great, but at least the prices didn't break the bank. It can be pretty crowded especially a weekend night.

• Pros: Prices, Food
• Cons: Service

01/27/06

Tale of 2 Restaurants

by eat_club

Actually there are TWO Odessas, next door neighbors. One is the original from the

60s(?). It's run down, divey looking and not crowded. The other is more modern with bright lighting and more of a roadside diner feel. The specialty food (NOT Russian, more Jewish/Polish) is good and plentiful. You'll take some home. The service is NY style friendly. with enough joking rudeness and "try the Kielbasa, but what do I know I'm Greek" to please the fussiest out-of-towner. Our group had a ball. --Eat Club is a roving NYC group of gluttons.

• Pros: Good filling food, Great service

05/19/05

oldie but goodie

by cdobbelaere

They really have the best food. I feel the need to stick up for Odessa since everyone always passes it by because it looks like a diner, with a bunch of old men hanging at the counter drinking coffee. The service is excellent, the food is great and the price is cheap. I ate borscht as my entire meal, since it is so good there, simple yet delicious. Drink some of their wine and it tastes even better. My friend had the beef and egg noodles, which even to a non-meaty like myself, I had to admit was good. And I think they bake their own sweet bread, it was quite tasty with the soup. The portions are huge, though. Save room for all those tasty cakes behind the counter.

04/22/05

Late nite eats

by jackryan

Odessa is open 24/7, so it's a good place to swing in at 3/4am to get some breakfast foods. You will have a mix of B&T, villagers, and low lifes....the food is alright, not that hard to make an omlete. I would stay away from any food that isn't easy to make.

On the plus side, you can have one more beer with that toast of yours. They serve booze.

This place gets crowded once the bars start to close.

• Pros: 24/7

A taste of Eastern Europe, seasoned with a liberal dash of downtown Manhattan.

by Contributor

In Short
This East Village 24-hour eatery is equal parts diner dive, hipster hangout and old-style Russian staple. Not glitzy, but generous, it remains a warm, inexpensive oasis on the continuously gentrifying Avenue A. The menu reads like a diner in Odessa: kasha varnishkes, blintzes, borscht and more cabbage incarnations than you can count.