Weeks ago, my friend Henry and I were walking along the Lower East Side. We came upon The Ukrainian Museum. It is located at 222 East 6th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10003). At the same time, we were thinking of dinner. That’s when I thought to contact Sergiy. He and his family are from the Ukraine. Below is our conversation.

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Hi Sergiy, could you recommend an authentic Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village?

SERGIY

Hey Wanda, I like “Veselka” on 2nd Avenue and E. 9th Street. It is a famous Ukrainian dinner spot in the East Village. It is open 24/7 and the food is great, especially Borscht (red soup), Vereniki and Olivye (potato salad). It is the best spot to go for a burger after a long night of drinking and dancing at a club. http://www.veselka.com

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It is Holiday time in the city, what about in the summertime?

SERGIY

Another spot in the East Village is called “Cloister Café.” I usually go there in the summertime to sit outside and eat. The spot itself, my friend called it Lvivsky Dvorik due to the fact that the entrance and the outside sitting place reminds us of a city of Lviv in Ukraine. (This is where my family is from and where my mother, brother and I were born). It has a great atmosphere, and during the summer evenings, it’s perfect to sit down with your friends and have a good meal. http://www.cloistercafe.com

Another restaurant is not in the East Village, but is a great spot: “XO Creperie” in Brooklyn. In the summertime, I like sitting outside on the balcony, listening to the band. Inside, it is cozy and elegant. My favorite meals are the salmon, tuna tartare and their flavorful crepes. http://www.xocreperie.com

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Lastly, is there one other restaurant you could recommend?

SERGIY

“Otafuku.” My mother and I accidently heard about it on a NY1 review of places in the city. It is a takeout Japanese restaurant. It is small and delicious. You can basically order everything from one visit. The squid rolls/balls are very interesting and for desert, I recommend the banana with Nutella and banana “medetai”. (A medetai is similar to a waffle but is shaped like a red snapper, which means good luck.). http://www.otafukuny.com

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Thank you, Sergiy.

Catch it if you can at: http://www.veselka.com, http://www.cloistercafe.com, http://www.xocreperie.com, http://www.otafukuny.com, and www.ukrainianmuseum.org.

Happy Holidays!