MenuPages

I have eaten brunch here on several occasions, thinking that it will improve, but it never does. It's such a shame because the location is perfect & I love the fact that they are open 24 hours. The home fries are always excessively greasy and undercooked. Today I tried substituting with french fries but they were almost still frozen inside (barely warm). Even when I specifically ask for my bacon to be crispy, it arrives limp and barely cooked at all (which is kinda scary). I feel as if the cook is just trying to hurry things off the grill and out to the table. The bread always seems stale and the ice tea rancid. This review is being made without regard to price. This quality of food is not acceptable even in the cheapest diner!

If you want great Ukrainian food, go next door to the East Village Ukranian Restauraunt (yum). If you want a nice meal that is consistently decent, just a bit more exciting than standard diner fare, in a place with lovely ambiance... go to Veselka, an East Village stalwart.

Open 24 hours. they have authentic Ukrainian food. But my favorite meal here is Brunch. Dessert can be stale late at night. - Noga Delshad

If this place wasn't open 24 hours, I probably wouldn't have eaten here yet. The times I have been here have averaged around 2am, and I've always found myself really enjoying some hot red borscht soup and some pierogi. I didn't think the prices were bad at all, and service was good. They always seem very busy but we've never waited long for food or even a refill of water.

I will get right to the point. This place is awful. Every two years we forget how awful it is and go back for some strange reason and then remember. It's non-authentic, the portions are small, the quality is poor, the food is bland, and everything is a few dollars more than it should be. When we were there yesterday, we had to get up to get our waiter for just about anything, and there were fruit flies circling our food. Our chicken plate (zero taste or seasoning, and dry) came with two sides: 1- About 4 leafs of wilted lettuce. 2- Mashed potatoes that tasted like sand. We ordered potato pancakes too. Dry and inedible. Look, I've eaten at every joint in the East Village over the last 10 years, and enough restaurants from 4-star places like Jean-George to every little dive and dinner downtown, so I think I have a good base to judge from. Velselka, though always busy for some reason, is awful. I'd rather go to any basic diner like Odessa. We stopped in because we were very hungry and on our way in that direction, but a MUCH better alternative is Little Poland on 2nd Ave. just above 12th St. Amazing prices, tasty food, huge portions, and most of the food is made by little old ladies from Poland in the back. Can't beat that with a bat. Don't say I didn't warn you.

i really enjoyed this restaurant. the food was good and filling, and the environment is comfortable and fun. i thot it was really a bargain, as you get a big plate of food for under $10! with dessert, our bill came to $25 with tax! thats pretty amazing for nyc.

If you've never had Ukrainian food and come here to try it, you will never have had Ukrainian food. The restaurant is more than anything a typical American diner that happens to serve food with a similar name and semblance to Eastern European cuisine. Good for breakfast bacon and eggs.