Veselka, an Ukranian Brunch in the East Village!

Veselka, an Ukranian Brunch in the East Village!

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If you’ve seen “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”, then you already know Veselka. In the movie, the characters played by Kat Dennings and Michael Cera spend a crazy night in New York and meet up around 4am in this diner. Yep, Veselka is opne 24 hours, with a varied menu served all day. Their specialty is ukranian comfort food, with jewish typical recepies. By the way, there you can hear the the jewish accents of regular costumers, like Fran Fine and her family’s from “The Nanny”. Located at East Village, Manhattan by other ukranian stores, Veselka is open since 1954 and is never empty.

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Wanting to try out those typical meals, I ordered blintzes, a type of pancake common in eastern europe filled with farmer’s cheese, a a lightly sweetened cheese that looks like the middle ground between ricotta and cottage. It comes with sour cream and apple sauce, but for an extra you can add fresh raspberry sauce. It is a light and savory breakfast option!

If you’re hungry for more, they have sandwiches, borscht soups, and meat plates. We ordered a thick sandwich with cheese, salami and ham with a side of super crispy chips.

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But we couldn’t miss the opportunity of ordering the famed handmade pierogis. They are similar to chinese dumplings, made from potatoes (and therefore taste a little like gnocchi), and you can order the with different fillings. I ordered just four so I could taste them: meat, spinach & cheese, arugula & goat cheese and mushrooms. They can be fried or boiled and I chose the second option, which made them super light, I could have spent the whole morning eating them.

Veselka is not small, but can be full during the weekends, so try going on weekdays or alternative hours. Since it’s open 24 hours, you can even go there after a party or when you have midnight cravings. The price is really good (our meal, plus a limonade, was $34 before tips).

How to get there: take the subway to Astor Place or 8st-NYU station. The Veselka is located on 144 2nd Ave, New York, NY.

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For more NYC tips, don’t forget to follow me on instagram @marthasachser ! See you next time!