Veselka Grand Central Terminal

I stopped by Veselka at Grand Central and tried the cheese omelette and their sandwich. It was hearty, flavorful, and cooked just right, with a great balance of gooey melted cheese. The omelette came with a toast—which was an excellent side. The bread was warm and perfectly toasted. Service was quick and friendly, which was perfect for the busy terminal setting. The atmosphere was lively, but still comfortable enough to enjoy the meal. A great spot for a quick and satisfying breakfast in the heart of Manhattan. Must try their omelettes! One of the best I’ve had in the city.

Surprised I hadn’t noticed this spot before—tucked away on the lower level of Grand Central, right by the men’s room (not ideal, but it’s a grab-and-go stall). Tried Ukrainian food for the first time here, and the braised beef pierogi was surprisingly excellent: crisp outside, juicy and flavorful inside. Looks like dumplings, tastes completely different. Can’t wait to visit their main restaurant next. A gem for a quick, unique bite in Midtown.

I bought the “Reuben” sandwich from Veselka. They did not post on the menu board at the store or tell me in-person that this would be a ham sandwich. In NYC everyone knows a Reuben is made with Corned beef or pastrami. These frauds charged me $20 for a ham sandwich and had I known it was ham I wouldn’t have bought it. The layout of the sandwich was terrible with all the tangy sauce on the front edge and sauerkraut dropping off the back. I go into bite this sandwich and left with super tangy taste then have to scoop up sauerkraut because it all fell off. Also the saddest pickle was provided. The chips in the pic were not bought here, this ham sandwich came with no chips/drink.

Dining Concourse at Grand Central Terminal 89 E. 42nd St. New York, NY 10017 Veselka Short Rib Pierogies The fried pierogies were packed with tender, shredded meat. While the onions did not have a memorable appearance, they tasted great especially when combined with sour cream.

I stopped by Veselka at Grand Central and it was such a great experience! The food is hearty, comforting, and full of flavor — exactly what you want when you think of authentic Ukrainian dishes. The pierogies were fresh and perfectly cooked, and the borscht had that rich, home-style taste. Service was quick and friendly even though it was busy, and the location is super convenient for a quick meal before or after a train. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area!

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 Grand Central.

Very tasty Ukrainian/ Eastern European food & beer at fair prices. Glad they are open late at Grand Central Terminal. They even offered an awesome vegetarian borscht!

This is the 2nd location I've been to and an absolute staple for eastern European goodies. Go with pierogi, a blintz, or the beef stroganoff... all remind me of my grandmother's dishes. Whatever you do, add a potato pancake to your order!

I came here not expecting to get anything because it can be tough to have Gluten-free Ukrainian food. However, the customer service was phenomenal and allowed me to open my eyes up to the realm of possibilities here. I wound up getting a potato pancake, and the chicken paprikish with noodles on the side and an avocado. I'm glad that they were so accommodating to my needs and wants! I wasn't able to eat the food until about two hours after picking it up and it was still delicious. The experience made me think about what it would've been like right after receiving my food. Dare I say, this may be better than their original location.

I stopped by Veselka at Grand Central one evening and chose the chicken schnitzel entree platter, which is served over egg noodles with a mushroom gravy and a very small beet salad with a little horseradish kick. This is a very straightforward food court affair in the Grand Central basement with a number of new vendors and some others slated to open soon. There was little time waiting in line and I confirmed my support for Ukraine with the guy who took my order. The chicken schnitzel platter comes in around $17 or $18. It's a sizeable enough portion that it's a good value. It tastes good, but nothing earth shattering. The mushroom gravy compliments the crispy schnitzel and egg noodles well. Their textures and flavors work in concert with one another. The tiny beet salad has a surprising horseradish kick to it. There are plenty of other things on the menu and, from the experience with their schnitzel, you should be able to order anything off the menu with confidence. Three and a half stars

I've never had Ukrainian food before, so I definitely wanted to try while in NYC! Conveniently located in Grand Central Terminal where I was already visiting! I ordered a stuffed cabbage no meat with mushroom gravy. The gravy was quite good and without meat it still had good umami. However, I do wish the cabbage was less stringy as other stuffed cabbages I've had have been better that way. We also got two types of pierogi - beef and potato. Got both kinds fried. Both were very good!! The beef had good beef flavor, almost like beef in a Chinese beef roll, at least that is the closest flavor comparison I have. The potato is mashed well, very smooth. Definitely recommend!! The biggest downside though to this location is that there is no seating. There are only standing tables in Grand Central and considering the heat and not wanting the fried pierogi to get soggy, we stood while eating. Obviously not the restaurant's fault, but just something to consider. Food came out pretty quickly, under 10 min for a Saturday lunch. So if you had a train to catch it shouldn't be a problem. I'm really glad to have tried Veselka while I was in New York!

Been a Veselka fan for so long, surprised it took me this long to try their Grand Central location! Of course I had to try the pierogis. I got the arugula and goat cheese. Note: you can only get one flavor.

Great spot for lunch in midtown! The original location cannot be beat but this is wonderful to have in GCT. Big fan of the combos and the chicken paprikash ! Service is speedy and it is a counter only with communal seating around the dining hall.

food is solid. tried the potato and beef pierogies - they were both really good and i'd get other again, it the portions are pretty small.

Honestly, this place is overpriced for what it offers in terms of Ukrainian cuisine. The only standout dish was the pierogis--especially the fried short rib pierogi, which was packed with flavor. The potato pancake was tasty but far too oily. I also tried the stuffed cabbage, which was just average compared to others I've had. And $7 for a grilled kielbasa? Definitely not worth it. The mushroom sauce on the pasta was bland and underwhelming overall. Quite disappointing.

Delicious food, friendly employees, can't wait to comeback again. Added as a regular spot for lunch!

I like the veselka spot in the village. still serves good food but much smaller portions. convenient if you work around the area and waiting for transit.

I just spent 20$ on a burnt chicken sandwich. Not ok! This is literally just stealing 20$ from me. I want a credit! Ridiculous !

Take a break from fast food at Grand Central Station and enjoy delicious Ukrainian cuisine! I enjoyed the Meat Plate very much. Two braised beef pierogi, two potato pierogi, one meat stuffed cabbage with mushroom gravy, a side of sour cream & burachky (beets & horseradish).

This is a great place to stop for some excellent Ukrainian food. The borscht and pierogis are the absolute best in New York City! The staff are all knowledgeable about the menu and very professional, as well as friendly. They are pleasant and eager to ensure your order is accurate. I would highly recommend this location to my family and friends!

Located in the lower dining concourse of Grand Central Terminal, Veselka's newest outpost offers a range of their most well-known vegetarian and meat-based foods such as varenyky (pierogi), soups, entrées and desserts. The service is fast and friendly as usual. Like most food booths at Grand Central, Veselka doesn't offer seating/tables. Instead you take the food to go and take it to a table of your choice in the middle of the food concourse. Drinks include soft drinks, Ukranian beer, and wine. The only thing I wish they did, similar to the Essex and 2nd Ave location, is offer a combo plate (e.g. soup, potato pancake and small goulash).

Got potato and braised beef pierogi - I'd say I like potato pierogi better than braised beef pierogi as beef one is just average for taste and a bit of bland flavor itself. Potato one is more creamy and compatible with side dips (sour cream and sautéed onion). Amazing find! Service was quick with a great hospitality.

I have been a lifelong supporter of Veselka and contribute to the Ukrainian cause in my own personal time. But I feel the need to share that this location does not apply the same business model or generosity. They charged me $6 for half a kielbasa that wasn't even cooked. This review is not to discourage this great business but for travelers to seek other food establishments in Grand Central to get their money's worth.

So glad to have Veselka at Grand Central! Got the vegetarian combo plate, which was 2 cheese / 2 potato pierogis, vegetarian stuffed cabbage (choice of gravy or tomato sauce) and soup with a side of sour cream and challah. Everything was delicious!

Surprised at the quality of this stall in grand central terminal! The mushroom pierogi was delicious. We also got the beef stroganoff, latkes, and kielbasa with sauerkraut. There was plenty of beef in the stroganoff but the pasta needed a little more flavor and sauce. The kielbasa with sauerkraut was tasty. I wish it came with some beets or mustard. The latkes were nice and crispy. Overall a great spot for a fast bite in grand central and you won't need to wait on a super long line!

Absolutely awful, overpriced sandwich. You can see in the kitchen all they are doing is rushing food out and using a microwave to warm up food that's sitting around. $17 for a burnt sandwich.

Delicious food and incredibly kind service. I was having a bad day and desperately needed food. I can be fussy when I'm gingery but they were very patient and lovely to talk to. Highly recommended!

This is the lunch spot to seek out in Grand Central. I enjoyed the chicken schnitzel burrito with fresh dill, Ukrainian sauce. The potato latke was crispy and more flavorful than the other latkes I've had. I need to go back for the potato pierogis and borscht soup though. The giant Rice Krispie treat is fun, too.

Service was pleasant and friendly. Good food but very expensive! Probably better to just eat at the restaurant!

I needed to grab a quick bite before going to work and I remembered that they opened a new location of Veselka in GCS. I saw they had a Chicken Schnitzel sandwich on the menu and it was just what I was craving. I asked for no tomato on the sandwich. Also grabbed a Diet Coke from the cooler to drink. The menu is a streamlined version of what they offer at the full service restaurant but they offer their famous pierogi, borscht and blintzes. It is a little expensive but the quality of the food makes it worth the price. My sandwich came out relatively fast and I was happy to see it came with a side of coleslaw which was delicious and cut the richness of the sandwich. The chicken was hot and perfectly cooked. My only problem was there was a little too much of the sauce on my sandwich which made my roll a bit soggy. But otherwise, it was a really yummy sandwich and I would definitely order it again if I was at one of their restaurants.

Great service/customer service at cashier while ordering our food at Veselka ! Asked if i wanted to choose boiled or grilled pierogi(s) .! Thanks for giving options ! Friendly, young and polite service; thanks! Delicious food !

Excellent pierogies ....good atmosphere and nice staff..I really liked the cheese and potato pierogies

$30 for meat combo which consisted of 4 cold pierogi and one stuffed cabbage with raw meat - and they forgot my soup, so....giving 2 stars because the service was friendly. Honestly Veselka hasn't been very good for like 15 years.

My company orders lunch for us once a week and yesterday, for the first time in 3 years since the trend has started, we had Veselka. OMG, it was a feast! Usually, with other places, people come for seconds, but here, they came for thirds, fourths and containers to take home! We got several kinds of vareniki (pierogi), both boiled and fried: short rib, arugula, asparagus, sweet cheese, potato, cabbage. Also got stuffed cabbage, meatballs, chicken paprikash and beef stroganoff, and to top it off, apple pie and honey cake. The honey cake was a huge hit. There are only 3 people among 45 with the USSR background, and we knew what it was, so the rest had to trust our recommendations. The huge cake was gone towards the end of the day. I was able to load a nice plate for my husband and since we had a huge container of sour cream left over, I took it home and promised to make my own version of that cake for the office. This food is delicious, fresh and filling. I have never seen people enjoying other food as much as they enjoyed this one and I am so happy that those who tried Veselka before were excited to see it catered and those who never had Ukrainian good before were excited to try it. There was not a single person who did not like it. I hope we order again, although, this completely broke my two-week low-card diet, lol!