Having been born and raised in Northern Germany, I’m constantly looking for German food here in NYC, but there really aren’t many options. The closest I come to the food that I grew up on, are Eastern European restaurants. Their cuisine oftentimes very much resembles the food my mother used to cook, so it feels a little bit like home, and I love it. Here are three restaurants that were total standouts to me, and I think you might want to try them, if you’re in the mood for homey, wholesome food!
Chama Mama
I found this restaurant by accident, looking for a restaurant that serves carnivores, yet has plenty of vegan options. And oh boy, do they ever. We went in a group of girlfriends with one vegan, and she couldn’t even decide what to order, because so, so many dishes were naturally vegan. What a treat! All of us found something we were really in the mood for, there were so many options. Chama Mama has several locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and we ate at the 14th Street location. It is a Georgian restaurant, and while Georgia isn’t always considered Eastern European, It’s “Eastern European-leaning”. And that’s good enough for me.
Obviously we HAD to order Adjaruli Khachapuri (some of us refer to it as the cheese boat). It’s open faced Georgian bread filled with cheese, topped off with a raw egg and butter, which will be stirred right in front of you, and it will be the best thing you ever ate. 1000% delicious. Khinkali are Georgian dumplings filled with beef and pork, I hogged the whole order, there was no way I was sharing that. So good. I myself then had the Saperavi and Pomegranate Beef Stew. Pomegranate you say? Yes. Lots of their dishes contained it, and omg, what a surprising and delicious addition! I loved the beef stew, loved the pomegranates, loved everything, and so did everyone else!
Veselka
Veselka is a staple of New York in my opinion. It was one of the first restaurants I visited when I landed in New York City. The food is Ukrainian, and it is rich and traditional and yummy. They do have three locations, the original one being in the East Village. The other two locations are by Grand Central Terminal, and one in Williamsburg. I obviously chose the East Village location, because that was my stomping ground back then.
What should you eat? Go traditional. Pierogis are a must. Have a sampler. Have it all. You won’t regret it. They’re all good. Make sure you dip them in sour cream. It’s heaven. Then Blintzes. They are little pancakes, filled with cheese, or mushrooms, or potatoes, served with sour cream and compote. They are an absolute treat. I also ordered the Chicken Paprikash, which is something that was a very common meal in my home growing up. It consists of boneless chunks of chicken, braised with red peppers and paprika in an herb cream sauce, served over egg noodles. An absolute show stopper. Get there early if you don’t have a reservation, the lines are long.
Bohemian Spirit
Bohemian Spirit calls the Upper Eastside its home. It is a specious restaurant, very much resembling the restaurants I grew up in, eating with my family. The beer is on tap, and the sunny day shining into the big windows made me feel very warm and at home. The food here is Czech, very authentic. Everything about this place is very authentic. When I dine alone, which I often do, I usually order three dishes, and then take some home for later consumption. Little did I know that the portions are so big, I was eating for two days from the leftovers. I had the soup of the day, which was a Chilled Cucumber Soup, and it was so, so good. Next, I ordered a “snack” of Beef Goulash. I don’t know about the snack portions size in the Czech Republic, but this was a full size plate. A very delicious one. Loved it. Of course I was not going to leave without having some authentic Kielbasa. I had it with Bread Dumplings, and it was outstanding. Loved this place.
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