Veselka Grand Central Terminal — Restaurant in New York

5 stars for delicious Ukrainian comfort food 5 stars for hospitable service consistently 5 stars for a warm-welcoming authentic Ukrainian diner atmosphere (2nd Ave) without gate-keeping; they truly want to share the experience with anyone like you’re in someone’s home and that you belong. Extra 5 stars for the desserts- you’ll come for the pierogi, borsht, stuffed cabbage, bigos, breakfast platters with latkes and blintz, even the Ukrainian beers, but don’t forget their chocolate custard and apple crumb cake (2nd Ave) is an extra letter worth writing home about.

I have dined in 2nd Ave countless occasions, take out several times from Grand Central, and delivery from 2nd Ave several times with great results and good consistency. When I delivered my 2nd child in October 2024 , the only thing I was craving to eat after the 18 hour labor was Veselkas and it was the first thing I had delivered to the hospital on Upper East Side. Food still came hot all the way to 68th St 14th flr! Thank you for the years of great food, 2nd Ave!

Grand Central Terminal has a small and quaint counter service with a fast kitchen and a kind counter service staff who is well versed in their product and very helpful. The menu is smaller than the main diner showcasing their best sellers. A young lady helped me last week and went out of her way with hospitality to help us when some of the menu items I like at 2nd Ave weren’t available at GCT. She helped point me in the right direction and helped me discover other items to like. The food came out quickly from the kitchen and fresh. The staff appeared clean and friendly. I would make a point to stop here every time I am at GCT and bring...

Grand Central Station has so much to look at. From the history to the ceilings, to the food options and stores. They have something for everyone. I didn’t realize the Vanderbilt connection until this trip that they helped build the facility thanks to a family friend who is an architect. It’s now connected to the One Summit Vanderbilt building next door. The building itself in the inner aspects is set up like Roman Bath Houses. When you go down to the lower level, you find the dining concourse. This is a wonderful hodge podge of different cuisine. There’s tacos, there’s baked goods at Magnolia Bakery. There’s ice cream from Van Leehauwen. There’s the stuff you can’t easily find elsewhere though. That’s how I found Veselka. Established in the 1950s, they serve Ukrainian food. I was impressed with their vegetarian options! There’s a vegetarian borscht, combo plate, beet and goat cheese salad, a veggie burger or a grilled cheese sandwich. I wanted to get pierogis on this trip and Veselka delivered. I got the goat cheese & arugula boiled. It came with sautéed onions and sour cream. The onions are optional. The sour cream added a great flavor to the pierogis. This was a great experience. Definitely worth...

Chicken Paprikash, the chicken thigh is very juicy and tender. The sauce is delicious. The egg noodles are soft and brings the whole dish together.

Kielbasa sausage, very flavorful. This should be the minimum standard for all sausages.

Meat combo (choice of borscht soup, bread, vareniki (dumpling), meat wrapped in cabbage, mushroom gravy, caramelized onions), very delicious and filling meal. If you're planning on taking a long train ride and are worried about getting hungry then order this meal. Tip: the sour cream goes in the soup and the hren (beet / horseradish) goes with your vareniki.

Overall, this place is the closest to getting a hearty, homemade meal in Grand Central Terminal that isn't a burger, sandwich, taco, gyro, burrito, or bakery. It's also uncommon to find a Ukrainian restaurant in NYC unless you come to Brighton Beach, so definitely give it a taste! Will definitely be one of my go-to's whenever I'm traveling from...