NYCReview
photo credit: Veselka
Veselka
Included In
On our last visit to Veselka, we sat next to a couple furiously making out, who looked like they’d just left a CBGB show in 1980. When you’re there, depending on the hour, you’ll likely also see older an Eastern European woman who has probably lived in the East Village for decades, as well as a family of tourists, and a table of hungover NYU sophomores. As the light comes in through the windows and reflects off your cup of borscht, you may think to yourself, you can get a real slice of New York City life here. That’s one of the fun things about a place like Veselka that’s been around for 60 years and which is open 24 hours a day.
Veselka holds a place in a lot of people’s hearts, and I think that’s because they serve comfort food like your grandmother used to make, especially if you used to go to grandmother’s house after a night at Continental bar.
Like many of you, we are Team Veselka. Veselka has managed to keep it going for 60 years, as many of the city’s classic diners and other nearby Eastern European restaurants, have closed down, and they deserve some serious cred for that. They also serve a pleasing combination of greasy spoon staples, including a beloved burger, and Ukrainian specialties like borscht and pierogies, which are a big part of what’s kept everyone coming back.
Veselka works any time of year, but it feels particularly welcoming on a snowy winter day, which it just so happens to be as we write this, when the windows fog up. Get your parka and go get some borscht.