A popular spot for East Village hipsters, Goth guys and gals, families, businesspeople, and anybody who’s ever had a deep need for cold borscht at 3am in the morning. When Veselka debuted in 1954 the area was awash in Ukrainian diners, but most have since gone belly-up (or have upgraded to the point of assimilation), leaving this crowded, tall-windowed eatery the standard-bearer for pierogis, kielbasa, and other Eastern European fare.