BY STEPHANIE AMY COLLAZO
Ukrainian East Village Restaurant
140 2nd Ave
(between 9th St & St Marks Pl)
East Village, NYC
(212) 614-3283
Hidden in the shadows of its competitors Ukrainian East Village Restaurant on Second Avenue in the Lower East side is serving up Ukrainian fare in a warm homey environment.
Bowl of Borscht at Ukrainian East Village Restaurant
It is easy to over look the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant especially when it is neighbor to long time Ukrainian hotspot Veselka. Hidden down a hallway you enter from the street you will find the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant. The décor is simple; refined wood paneling with a few paintings. From the moment you walk into the restaurant you get the feeling of walking into someone’s home, with a door bell ringing when you open the door to alert the servers of your arrival.
I visited the restaurant after a long day at work and the calm atmosphere was quite a relief after a hectic day of research.
Meat Pierogi at Ukrainian East Village Restaurant
The menu was simple and paid tribute to Ukrainian comfort foods like varenyky (pierogi), Ukrainian borscht, nalysnyky (blintzes) and mlynisi (potato pancakes). I ordered a bowl of Ukrainian borscht ($3.30) and meat pierogi while my companion ordered a cup of borscht ($2.45) and potato pancakes (9.95).
We were automatically served a complimentary basket of bread and butter, which is always a nice touch when visiting a restaurant for dinner, and the waitress was amazing when it came to refilling our glasses of water.
When the borscht arrived our waitress asked if we wanted sour cream, something we had never been offered at Veselka, so we quickly agreed. The borscht was sweeter then the borscht I am accustomed to, but regardless it was delicious. The borscht was quite hearty, after finishing the bowl I didn’t know how I was going to eat the pierogi.
The meat pierogi were a little bit bland but at $6.95 a plate I’m not complaining. I found it a bit odd that you have to pay .50 cents extra for sour cream but ordered it without making a fuss.
The potato pancakes were also delicious, big enough to share between two and they had a lovely crunch.
The entire meal cost a mere $26. I would recommend stopping in if your looking for a good home cooked meal in a comfortable, laid back atmosphere. Your stomach and pockets will thank you.
