I got the Himokawa dipping udon set with tempura and it was so good! The noodles were perfectly cooked and chewy and the tempura were not greasy with a thin coating. The sauce that they gave to dip the udon was my favourite part. Loved the slight hint of yuzu! Near the end, the udon at the bottom were really difficult to separate so that’s the only thing that bothered me. We came at around 7:00pm on a Sunday and were lucky enough to get seated almost right away with around a 5 minute wait. They close a little early on Sunday at 8pm, so keep that in mind when visiting.

This place is very popular, and on weekends at lunchtime you’ll likely need to wait for a table unless you arrive right when it opens. That said, the wait usually isn’t too long. Their specialty is a variety of udon and cold noodle dishes—the noodles are springy and unique, and the toppings are well-seasoned without overwhelming the natural flavor of the noodles. The way the dishes are enjoyed also feels distinctive, making it a spot well worth visiting.

Nikko Ong

This place is so good, I love the pierogies, the borsch and everything about it. It’s a little bit pricey for what it is, but the food is filling and makes me happy. This is a good place to come after hosting a party when you don’t really wanna cook, but do you want something that feeds your soul. I loved the onions that came with the pierogies.

+1

Sweeny Youkhane

I had such a great experience at Veselka. A good friend highly recommended it to me, and I'm so glad we went. The service was super fast, and everything we tried was really delicious. We ordered the Ukrainian borscht, chicken paprikash, and the Stand With Ukraine bowl, and all of it was comforting, flavorful, and clearly made with care. The borscht was especially cozy, and the chicken paprikash was hearty and satisfying. Overall, great food, quick service, and a chill, welcoming vibe. Totally lives up to the recommendation. I'd definitely come back.

Anamaría Valencia

Great and cozy restaurant for a nice lunch. They have traditional ukrainian borscht, in the special and also as a main dish ( both different sizes). The pierogi are absolutely amazing, you can get them fried or boiled. Last, we enjoyed the honey layer cake! A place worth it visiting!

Mary Gunyuzlu

I’ve been lucky enough to eat at Veselka a couple of times. In our homogenized world, it is so nice to visit a place that sticks to cultural heritage. The food is unpretentious and expertly prepared. The menu features authentic Ukrainian dishes like pierogies, latkes, and kielbasa. The irony is that eating here is a breath of fresh air as they hold tight to traditional cuisine!

Kinga Surmiak

We had the pleasure of visiting Veselka and were very positively surprised by this Ukrainian restaurant. On our first day, we ordered bigos and pierogi for takeout, and everything was absolutely delicious. The next day, we came back to try more dishes and enjoyed bigos again, chicken noodle soup, and Ukrainian borscht. The portions are generous and definitely filling, the food is fresh, flavorful, and tastes truly homemade. Everything we tried was rich in flavor and very satisfying, especially after long days in the city. If we ever visit New York again, Veselka will definitely be on our list of places to return to. This spot exceeded our expectations, and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for comforting, authentic Eastern European cuisine.

Shane S.

Delicious food, especially for vegetarian dishes. Highly recommend the vegetarian reuben potatoe pancakes. The potato pancakes were crispy and the cheese and the sauerkraut added a savory flavor to the dish. Everything is delicious here. Highly recommend.

Stephanie

A yearly treat that is worth the wait every single time. I would hands down marry whoever makes the borscht and blintzes here—no questions asked—just to secure lifelong access to how truly delicious they are. Others in my group rave about the pierogies, stuffed cabbage, and eggs Benedict, and not one dish has ever disappointed. The interior feels like a Ukrainian work of art, and the staff are always friendly, welcoming, and wonderfully attentive. This place is a true gem and an absolute must-visit.

Daniel Sushik

Great place for some authentic Ukrainian food! They had a spicy chicken entree and the waiter warned me 3 times that it trusty is incredibly spicy and boy was she right! I do wish that the blueberry vareniki weren’t seasonal they are absolutely amazing. But great place for some Ukrainian cuisine.

Yevgeny Krymov

This is a happy eatery with authentic cuisine served in a classy way. There is limited space inside, so lunches are packed. Plenty of seating outside available. Breakfasts are fabulous.

+5

Robert Ries

Normally I will get something more authentic, and it's always really, really good. Today I wanted to get the burger, which I was very skeptical of, but it was fantastic. The meat was cooked perfectly, the bun was very soft, abs the Ukrainian dressing added a very unique flavor. Fantastic.

Melissa Juliette Mulligan

Best perogies you can find. I ate like 6 of them. I need to lie down but I’d do it all over again and likely will. Beef stroganoff was 👌👌👌 And the honey cake dessert thing was unreal. 🍰 Definitely should go. 🇺🇦💛💙

+2

Michelle Goldstein

Generous portions of a cuisine I don't get to sample very often. The stuffed cabbage were almost as good as my Mom-in-law's and I enjoyed a sweet cafe mocha. Mushroom barley soup was excellent as well. I don't feel that there are many ways to advocate for Ukraine,

Kent Borg

My wife was thrilled with her cold borsht (on a hot August day), and her pierogis were excellent, too. I had Ukrainian Mixed Grill with three different sausages. One was excellent, and the other two somehow managed to overshadow it. The sauerkraut was wonderful, even the mashed potatoes were great. And dessert…maybe even better.

Good place to grab a quick meal, either by yourself or with one other friend (bar-style seating). The udon portion doesn’t look like much, but was surprisingly filling with the tempura. Delicious, though not at Raku quality.

Came here at 5pm on a Friday alone and no wait at all. The menu is simple, focusing on Himokawa udon sets. The tempura here is well made and not overly greasy, pairing well with the dipping sauce. The only drawback was the saltiness of the hot broth - I tried drinking it alone and it was unbearable. Considering this wasn’t the cold dipping noodles, I assumed that this broth would be less concentrated and more clear. Service was great and as a solo diner, I didn’t feel rushed at all. Overall, I would recommend people to visit at least once, but would personally not rush back.

the tempura has a light, thin batter that pairs nicely with the dipping sauce, making it very refreshing. The wide udon noodles have an interesting texture, but the soup base itself is a bit underwhelming.

Overall a decent meal. The cold noodle set with the katsu is a must get. The soup noodle is very salty and mid but that comes with Japanese soup I guess. It’s a bit pricey but decent experience

Visited on a weekend afternoon after hearing about their flat udon noodles served tsukemen-style. The place has a Japanese bar vibe with only counter seating—no tables. Ordering is done by scanning a QR code at your seat, but I found it uncomfortable that you’re asked to tip before your food even arrives. My friend got the hot udon and I had the tsuke cold udon. Both came with six flat noodles and tempura. The food tasted good, but the portion felt small for the price, which was disappointing. The biggest letdown was that there’s no restroom available. It’s worth trying once for the unique noodles, but I probably won’t be back.

Udon noodle was great. But the chicken broth was salty in my taste. I liked the cold fish broth udon better. Their shrimp tempura was salty as well. It was a good shrimp tho. I would've ordered 5 myself if it wasnt salty. There can be a wait so I recommend going in a bit earlier than usual dinner time if going for dinner.

Massimo

Veselka had a nice vibe with a lot of energy. It was busy but not stressful. The pierogi were the highlight, soft and full of flavor. The borscht was also very good, fresh and comforting. The schnitzel was fine, and the potato pancake was really good, crispy outside and soft inside. I didn’t care much for the beef stroganoff, it felt too heavy and not very flavorful. The service was a bit slow but the staff were friendly. Overall, it’s a lively spot with good food and a few dishes worth coming back for.

+3

Artem Bakatov

I loved and still love Veselka after all of the years. The borscht always hits. I wish they used better Ukrainian bread and not American bread. The dumplings are always yummy and tender. Latkes or potato pancakes are so fluffy - one of the best ones I have ever had even in comparison with my grandmas and that says a lot. Today I tried beef Stroganoff for the first time and I was disappointed but wasn't fully satisfied. I like everything except the meat because of how not tender it was. Medovyk is always to die for!!!

+10

Grace Ma

A cozy, friendly atmosphere serving authentic Ukrainian food! The sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi was my favourite…and I don’t typically enjoy either of those things!! A bit of a wait on Sunday but the turnaround was decently fast. I’ll be coming back for sure!

Emily dorothy

I will say it again if it's this popular it cannot be that good. Go here with someone who has never had Ukrainian food before and they will love it, very good intro to Ukrainian food for newbie. the meats should have had more flavor. Sauerkraut was lacking fermentation taste. I enjoyed the borscht and the mushroom sauce.

the noodles were unique - we tried the signature dipping set and broth set. my favorite was the sweet potato tempura. we waited almost an hour on saturday evening.

The udon texture is great—nice and chewy but not overly so. Tempura is also solid, especially the bacon one. It’s my first time trying bacon tempura and it was surprisingly good. The dipping udon broth is flavorful, and with all the extra seasonings, you can switch up the taste, which is fun. But the hot soup version was way too salty for me. That said, the set costs around $22–23 and only comes with six noodles… I mean, seriously? I’m not even exaggerating—it was literally six noodles.

Kristine Rose Von Adler-York

The food was decent, but the prices really took away from the enjoyment. Eight dollars for a small cup of soup is a bit much. The varenyky were also overpriced. we ordered two kinds the cheese and potato, and together they came out to $22. Four dumplings for $11 just doesn’t feel worth it, especially if you’re used to getting them much cheaper at Slavic stores. At least with the toppings they were quite filling. The raspberry lemonade was quite good.I also tried an egg cream for the first time. it was definitely an experience. I was worried it would be sour (looked like kefir for a sec), but it tasted more like vanilla, with an aftertaste that reminded me of the smell of an old bookstore. Overall, the food is okay, but the pricing really isn’t. If you’re already familiar with Slavic food, you might want to skip this. If you’re there purely for the experience, then it could be worth trying once.

LABELLE Milord

It was a interesting cuisine. I loved the pierogi/ dumplings 😋 I just couldn't feel my body or enjoyed the meal after standing in line outside for more than 30 minutes in 20 degrees weather. If you planing to go dress warm and enjoy 😉

+1

New Yorker

Have given Veselka positive reviews before, but the kitchen was off today. The Bigos or Hunter’s stew was a mound of sauerkraut with two pieces of Kielbasa and minuscule occasional slivers of…something. The potato pancake was dreadful also, like fried mashed potatoes. 👎🏼. But the chicken Paprikash was delicious and plentiful