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All Reader Reviews of...

Veselka

144 Second Ave., New York, NY, 10003
at 9th St.
212-228-9682

Avg. Rating

6
Food: 7
Service: 6
Décor: 6
"Mixed Reviews"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

50% would go back.

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Look elsewhere for good Ukrainian food

By mainecoast59 on 9/9/2012

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 3
  • Service: 3
  • Décor: 2
  • No, I would not go back!

As the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, I looked forward to enjoying some good, authentic Ukrainian food at Veselka. Aside from the varenyky (pierogies), which were basically acceptable, everything else I tried there was close to inedible. The service was also rather poor. The waitress got several things wrong with our order; one dish was forgotten, and when reminded, she delivered the wrong dish and had to correct it again. The cost was also quite high, considering what we ordered and the poor quality. The atmosphere is so noisy that it's hard to carry on a conversation. I don't see how anyone who has had real, well-prepared Ukrainian food would ever choose to go back.

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5 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

Carpathian Delight

By luciagiorgino on 9/6/2011

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 10
  • Yes, I would go back!

The pierogies and stuffed cabbage are heaven.

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26 out of 49 people found this review helpful.

Veselka ROCKS

By nudnikjeff on 4/25/2011

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 10
  • Yes, I would go back!

We went mid-week mid-morning for breakfast. Crowded, but we were seated right away. Our gorgeous waiter was highly attentive, always refilling coffee, etc. Food was outstanding. I had eggs and kasha with a bagel on the side, my partner had buttermilk pancakes, sausage, and eggs. The atmosphere was lower manhattan, very affable. Customers enjoyed being there. Snippets of animated conversation were all around. Totally awesome breakfast.Oh, did I mention the gorgeous waiter?

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44 out of 88 people found this review helpful.

Meh.

By haunt_fox on 1/25/2011

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 10
  • No, I would not go back!

The food used to be better. Now I suspect that the varenyky are put together via machine as there is no "lip" to them anymore. The filling is chunkier now and the dough is thicker. Ukrainian National Home (right next door) has much better varenyky and is not as hectic. I also do NOT understand why there is always such a long line for Veselka. It's good folks, but it's not that good.

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40 out of 92 people found this review helpful.

Poor Service

By 32jfk on 12/25/2009

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 6
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 4
  • No, I would not go back!

We went there the first time and found a neat place, with decent food! However, the service was very poor. A heasty waitress more or less urged us to leave right after we have finished off.

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100 out of 194 people found this review helpful.

Greasy Diner

By spoonfeed on 12/13/2009

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 3
  • Décor: 3
  • No, I would not go back!

This restaurant only vaguely resembles Eastern European home cooking. The dough in the pirogi is too thick, and the fillings are too bland. The "blintzes" are not even rolled into form, and are comprised of oily crepes stuffed with 2 inches of sweet cream topped with powdered sugar to absorb the oil. The service is rude and the hostess attempted to steer us into a door like a herd of cows. The interior reveals what other parts of this establishment try to hide... its a quasi-american diner.

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107 out of 204 people found this review helpful.

The pierogis are heavenly, but try the burger!

By TheForestEnds on 3/3/2009

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

Yes, their pierogis are some of the best I've had, but their burger, thick, juicy and delicious, keeps me coming back. I know burgers, and they've got it goin' on.

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103 out of 205 people found this review helpful.

Poor Service at a Mediocre Restaurant

By apfeifer on 2/1/2009

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 2
  • No, I would not go back!

We considered ourselves fairly regular customers at Veselka, until recently, when their service became so terrible. We were actually kicked out of the restaurant on Sunday after "we stayed too long." I've been to many restaurants in New York, Europe, and the US and so far I've never been told to leave after finishing my meal. We were appalled and plan never to go back to this place. What a way to treat customers! Their food is not nearly good enough to offset their treatment of customers.

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113 out of 228 people found this review helpful.

Shevchenko would be proud

By jamesviola79 on 10/25/2007

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

My first experience of Veselka was at 5AM the morning after I moved to New York. I can see the place from my bedroom window so it seemed an obvious choice, and ever since I've had a sort of affinity for the place. The staff are friendly, chatty and make you feel like a local regular immediately. The coffee has a strange taste I haven't found anywhere else. At first I thought it was the jet-lag, but it hasn't prevented me going back for breakfast. There was a fight on 2nd Ave a couple of Saturdays ago in which Veselka's outdoor chairs and tables were knocked over. This hurt me deeply, but fortunately no permanent damage was done.

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215 out of 444 people found this review helpful.

Ukraine Diner

By OTORO on 3/15/2004

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 3
  • Décor: 3
  • Yes, I would go back!

If Hearty be thy want, then by all means Veselka will warm your heart. Warm it on regional specialties such as Hunters Stew, Goulash, & Pierogis, or simple fare as in mediocre Waffles, Burgers, and Soup. It's true magic lies within it's heart: 24 Hours, and catering to a mix like you'll find in very few places in the world. They all come here, because they know...it's open.

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424 out of 806 people found this review helpful.

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