Ukrainian East Village Restaurant

07/03/2008 Posted by nycrichard

I loved this place, I have been eating here for quite a long time. There are so many options in Manhattan that some times you stop going to a place for a while with no reason. Last Friday we went to this hidden restaurant again. I found the same good food: the stuffed cabadge, goulash, borsht, apple cakes, I was happily surprised with 2 secrets about this place: 1) Amazing Beer form East Europe and so cheap. 2) On Fridays they open a big party space in the back with classes of Argentine Tango and dancing with Live Musicians. We stayed with my girlfriend until 2 am! The people running the Friday nights here are the same that had the great "Belle Epoque" with Tango and Cuban Music on Broadway years ago. By the way, something is wrong in the city when we allowed a beautiful landmark of the nightlife and private events like "La Belle Epoque" to closed down and be transformed into a Real Estate office? It was, without doubt the best little club to take a date for dining and dancing in the city. Now that there is Entertainment in the back room we will be here quite often. What is better that pirogues, Tango and great beer?. I hope they also bring back the legendary Cuban music nights as well

Pros: Great prices, good food, great entertainment on Fridays

Cons: Sometimes the smell of the kitchen invades the room

05/15/2008 Posted by vladsky

I've been coming here since I was 6, when we escaped to America back in 1969, after the Russians came and invaded in the Prague Spring of '68. Ukrainian PLAST at the Ukrainian National Home upstairs after Ukrainian School at St. George's around the corner, my father used to play chess and my mother recited Taras Shevchenko (and a myriad of other Ukrainian Poets) here and we always had the best, true Ukrainian food made by Ukrainian chefs from Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Those that say that its not as good as Brighton Beach should go back to Brooklyn and eat their Russian (or Russified Ukrainian Food) there! The combination platter is the best selection of meat, saurkraut, cheese, or potatoe Varenyky (Pierogies), Holubci (Stuffed Cabbage), and Kolbasa with Saurkraut; Borscht is just like my late mother's, Barley Mushroom soup to die for, Potato Pancakes, Letcho, Cheese Blintzes, Blinchiki, Bread, and then some ... all for very reasonable prices. The Tango dancing on friday nights brings an added flair and introduces non-Ukies to Ukrainian culture and dance ... yes Ukrainians can dance Tango too. My sister and I used to dance the Hopak and other Ukrainian dances here taught by our own prima ballerina, Roma Pryma-Bohachevska, who mentored two generations of Ukrainian children and young adults and am sure she appreciates that dance to this day is an integral part of the hall below the restaurant!. The owner, Josef, is fantastic and if you want salo, venegret or olivier, Joseph will get it for you or you can go back to Russia's Little Odessa in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach and keep your Russified opinions to yourself! This is in response to eynatcitychick, kb21, and yekaterina101 opinions which are completely ridiculous and unfounded and if you don't believe me come and see for yourself while I have the Klitchko brothers visit the non-believing Russified propagandists!

Pros: Eveything!

Cons: Nothing!

02/04/2008 Posted by alice2112

I eat in this restaurant almost every day. Very good food: the stuffed cabadge, borsht, apple cake is delicious. Fruit drink is great. One think is not good : restrooms in basement. I liove this place!!

10/25/2007 Posted by eynatcitychick

As a Ukrainian I can give this place a fair evaluation. The bread wasn't fresh, and Ukrainian food goes hand and hand with fresh Ukrainian bread. What bothered me the most is that amount of dishes that had nothing to do with Ukraine. The restaurants' credit card machine broke earlier this morning which they did not inform us about before we set down for dinner. In this day and age people do not carry much cash around especially not enough to cover a dinner for three. The waitress informed us about this problem only after we tried to give her the credit card. I gave this restaurant 3 stars due to inadequate serves and the fact that there were more foreign then ethnic dishes. If you do decide to visit this restaurant I would highly recommend the cheese vareniki as well as nalisniki(crapes). Overall this place is the only one outside Brighton Beach that offers a good amount of true to taste Ukrainian food.

Pros: inadequate serves, more foreign then ethnic dishes

Cons: good Ukrainian food outside of Brighton Beach

04/07/2007 Posted by kb21

I agree with the previous review. Its not authentic Ukrainian, much like Veselka. Whats up with these places claiming to be Ukrainian authentic when most of their menu is American cuisine? I was definitely dissapointed in the menu (which is not cheap either) but the borscht is good (even through my grandma makes better). This is the only place outside of Brighton Beach in Brooklyn that serves free (delicious) Ukrainian bread. They try too hard with the decor, and there are tango lessons in a room next door so its loud and people keep going through the restaurant all the time.

Pros: good bread

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/27/2006 Posted by yekaterina101

What restaurant can claim to be Ukrainian if salo, venegret or olivier do not appear on the menu? With the exception of vareniki, bline, borsht, and golubtsi (stuffed cabage leaves) the "Ukrainian East Village Restaurant" was nothing more than your average New York deli/diner. But even those dishes, just like the restaurant, were Ukrainian in name only- the borsht was sweet and the bline (blitzes) were fried, southern style.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful