Pierogi Pilgrimage: East Village's Veselka (as seen on Gossip Girl)

Hello Fellow Foodies,

Veselka Assorted Pierogi

We hope the start of summer is finding everyone in good health. If you've been keeping up with the Nightly Noms' Twitter, you would know that I spent a weekend in New York mid-May. Of course I had to do some foodie exploring between my meetings, which resulted in  multiple walks throughout the various neighborhoods of Manhattan, my longest being from Grand Central to SoHo (a grand total of 5 hours of exploration when factoring the tasting breaks). My first New York post is a restaurant review for a Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village!

Veselka, a quirky restaurant made more famous by Gossip Girl, definitely delivered on their dining experience. Originally I had planned to make the pilgrimage to "pierogi paradise" by myself, but after finding some fellow friends that were in search of good shopping and food, I offered for them to make the long walk downtown with a detour at Veselka before going to SoHo. With two people who had little knowledge of pierogi and Eastern Euro food, I was taking two more sets of tastebuds into my hands and hoped that Veselka was as good as Dan and Vanessa boast on Gossip Girl.

Located on the corner of 2nd Ave. and 9th St., the medium-sized restaurant was clearly popular. With people packed in Veselka's outdoor area, we opted for a small window table inside to sample the pierogi. Veselka, described as "Ukranian Soul Food in the Heart of East Village, offers an array of Ukrainian noms, such as Borcht (a chilled beet soup), Veal Goulash (a veal stew served with mashed potatoes), Ukrainian Kielbasa (a type of sausage), and a wide variety of sandwiches. Along side the traditional Ukrainian fare, Veselka serves up a very tasty looking breakfast menu featuring Raspberry Pancakes, Challah French Toast, and Potato Pancakes served with sour cream and apple sauce. Download the complete menu on their website here!

Blueberry Seasonal Pierogi

The main focus of our visit was to sample Veselka's pierogi, which are dumplings stuffed with different ingredients. Veselka offers "Big Plate" and "Small Plate" options and allows the patron to individually select each pierogi, which really allows for you to taste each type if desired. We ordered a large plate with Meat, Goat Cheese & Arugula, Sweet Potato, Spinach & Cheese, and Sauerkraut & Mushroom (pan-fried); we also ordered a small plate of the seasonal pierogi, which were Blueberry (boiled). Both the savory and sweet dumplings highlighted the traditional flavors used, and the small sides of apple sauce, sour cream, and caramelized onions definitely added to the flavor. I would definitely recommend the Sauerkraut & Mushroom pierogi if you're a vegetarian, and the meat if you are not. Although I enjoyed the pan-friend texture, compared to that of what I had as a child, Veselka's pierogi were a bit to fried for my taste. In addition, the blueberry were very delicious; however, they could have used a few more berries. When eating the sweet pierogi, use any of the condiments desired, but I would definitely recommend a combination of sour cream and sprinkled sugar. Other than my prior comments, and a bias for my childhood nanny's homemade pierogi, Veselka's pierogi were pretty tasty and are a good option for dining, especially if you're a college student looking for some tasty late-night noms without having the time to explore some smaller neighborhood restaurants.

Next time I'm in New York it's definitely going to be tough to decide between going for breakfast or dinner. All in all I guess Dan and Vanessa were right to spend evenings watching movies and ordering in from Veselka, besides having a Eastern Euro deli next door or a family friend that makes homemade pierogi, you can't get much better than Veselka if you're looking for a gateway into Eastern European tastes. 

In addition to a sit down dining experience, Veselka offers a wide variety of pastries and to go orders.

Veselka
144 2nd Avenue & 9th Street, New York, NY 10003
Facebook
Ukrainian, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Late-night
$5-$18

xo,
-georgetown foodie
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