New York’s Veselka Opens in Lakeside Lounge

Sometimes I think about what my immigrant grandmothers would make of things in the zeitgeist. It’s hard to guess their reaction most of the time. But they definitely would’ve been surprised by the extreme excitement last week about Ukrainian pierogies coming to East Nashville. 

Pierogies are Eastern European stuffed dumplings, with sweet or savory fillings. Called varenyky in Ukraine, they have regional differences, but the basic idea is the same: half-moon-shaped unleavened dough stuffed with potato, sauerkraut, blueberries, cherries and other fillings. They’re most often served sautéed or boiled, but can also be fried. (Yes, I’ve been to a state fair. I know almost anything can be fried.) I think of pierogi as Old World comfort food, among the least glamorous, yet most delicious, things to eat. When I lived in Chicago, if I was eating pierogi at my favorite wood-paneled, hole-in-the-wall pierogi shop, it was safe to say the weather was blustery, I hadn’t had the best day, and I was looking for a pick-me-up. 

“They are 'salt of the earth' type food,” explains Justin Birchard, COO of Veselka, a New York-based, popular and time-honored pierogi place. 

When it was announced last week that Veselka was opening inside East Nashville’s Lakeside Lounge, the online response was as if something glamorous was coming to town. This was unbridled joy that was uncharacteristic in a town that, as of late, has been skeptical of culinary transplants.

Veselka has been open in New York since 1954 and is now operated by its founder’s grandson. It’s a Ukrainian restaurant, known for its sweet and savory pierogi (they use the Polish term), and other dishes, like chicken schnitzel and borscht. The restaurant has published a cookbook and was a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2023. Veselka is known for collaborations too, like one with Katz’s Delicatessen.

Veselka's kitchen inside Lakeside Lounge is open daily, like the bar. Birchard recommends diners think of the Lakeside Veselka pierogi like a boneless chicken wing: delicious bar food. The menu includes some of Veselka’s bestsellers (potato and cheese) and some seasonal flavors, plus signature dipping sauces, including a borscht barbecue sauce to provide a twist on the classic dish for the bar environment. East Nashville is Veselka’s first location outside of New York. The deal came about because the two businesses share some folks on each leadership team. 

Nashville doesn’t have the Eastern European population of New York, Chicago or Milwaukee, so there isn’t a pierogi option in every neighborhood. They are deceptively time-consuming to make, so it is worth finding someone else to do it. Fortunately, Veselka isn’t the only pierogi option in town. Upstate Pierogi Co. makes Polish-style pierogi, including a cheesy giardiniera, that are sold for pickup at the Richland Park Farmers Market on Saturdays and available at a number of stores including Cocorico French Bakery in Midtown and Hamby’s Market in Old Hickory. Aleksey’s Market stocks frozen pierogi, Russian piroshky (a similar handpie) and other dumplings in its Thompson Lane storefront.

LynnMarie Rodick and her husband Eddie have long been immersed in Slavic culture, from their upbringing to their careers as accordion players to their cooking. LynnMarie — who has been nominated for five Grammys — is known in part for her humorous song, “That’s What I Like About the North.” When the couple decided to open Uncle Lenny’s County Cafe in Fairview with her brother (the titular Uncle Lenny) and sister-in-law, they wanted a restaurant that was “a pinch to the North and a dash to the South.” The full-service restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a menu that includes sauerkraut, potato and pulled-pork pierogi, the latter being one of those North-South fusion dishes. LynnMarie makes her own sauerkraut for her pierogi (talk about time-consuming). The restaurant, of course, hosts live music, including polka.

Mamusia’s Kitchen sells an assortment of Polish comfort food — including cabbage rolls, sausage, Paczki, Polish apple cake and, of course, pierogi, including sauerkraut and mushroom — from a food truck. The weekend schedule is posted online; weekdays the truck is available for private events. Frozen and bulk orders are also available. I wonder what my grandmothers would think if I threw a party with a private pierogi truck in the driveway.