Four blocks south of StuyTown in the heart of the East Village, you'll find Little Ukraine—a small neighborhood that manages to pack several restaurants and even a museum into just a few streets.

 

 

The Ukrainian Museum

 

The Ukrainian Museum, located on 222 East 6th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues), is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. Founded in 1976 by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America, the Ukrainian Museum is the largest museum in the U.S. dedicated to Ukrainian culture and history.

The Museum's folk art collection includes more than 8,000 objects, including wedding and festive attire, ritual cloths, ceramics, and pysanky—Ukrainian Easter eggs. Its fine arts collection includes more than 2,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other creations by renowned Ukrainian artists. And its archives consist of more than 30,000 photographs, documents, playbills, flyers, letters, and other documents that chronicle the life and history of the Ukrainian people, including the history of Ukrainian immigration to the United States.

The Museum also offers gallery talks, lectures, symposiums, and popular workshops in traditional Ukrainian folk arts, including embroidery, decorating pysanky, holiday baking, and more. It also boasts a gift shop that offers books, embroidery, and more—a rare treat when the changing nature of the East Village has led to the closure of most Ukrainian specialty shops.

 

 

Little Ukraine Restaurants

 

Of course, Little Ukraine in the East Village may be best known for its restaurants. Veselka (144 Second Ave., between St. Marks Pl. and 9th St.), a 24-hour diner, has been serving traditional Ukrainian comfort food since 1954. Its menu includes Ukrainian style varenyky, or pierogi, with your choice of fillings; stuffed cabbage (including a vegetarian mushroom version); stroganoff; goulash; and more. There's a breakfast menu, including Ukrainian-style blintzes, and a variety of traditional diner sandwiches, burgers, and more.

Next door to Veselka is Ukrainian East Village (140 2nd Ave.), which boasts a similarly large menu of traditional Ukrainian fare and is open from noon until late seven days a week. In addition to the pierogi, goulash, borscht, and more, Ukrainian East Village offers vegetarian schnitzel, potato pancakes, and more.

The East Village is also home to the unpretentious Streecha (33 E. 7th St., between 2nd and 3rd avenues), a basement café that raises funds for the St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church. It's open seasonally—that is, it closes for summer break—but when it's operating, it's open 7 days a week, dishing up borscht, pierogi, and stuffed cabbage.

There's plenty to see, learn, and eat in the East Village's Little Ukraine, and it's just a few blocks south of StuyTown—so plan to stop on by and check it out.