Odessa Restaurant

The delivery man was terrible. He called up confused asking where my address was and started cursing at me. (the address was completely there) After giving me my order he cursed at me some more before walking away.
I deliver food as well at a different restaurant. I know how it is. I would never act like that. That is poor behavior.

Love this place. Always reliable and good food. I’ve tried the burger, matzoh ball soup and it’s great. Proper old school diner. And 24 hours!

My friend and I were just trying to find a place that was open at 3 am, but this little gem was quite the find. The food was good, and the guys working here were absolutely friendly. Great service, and I was so glad about hot coffee on such a cold night.

I have been a customer of Odessa for the past 3 decades this past Monday I went for breakfast the server (curly hair) behind the counter wast extremely rude, for questioning the bill I’ll never go back

Price: ⁴⁄₅
Quality: ⁴⁄₅
Delivery/​service: ³⁄₅
Do you love dumplings? If you do, you’ll love pierogis. This is the only thing that I order here, and they deliver late at night, so drunk you + fried Odessa pierogis = happiness.
Pierogis fillings sorted by tastiness: cheese, potato, meat, spinach, mushroom/​sauerkraut.
Their delivery time is decent. They’ve only messed up my order once. But hey, you still get pierogis at 1 am.
Pro tip: ask for caramelized onions on the side.

Ordered via seamless for delivery at 1:30am, and mind you– they close at 2!
Was a bit worried that they might’ve forgotten about our order being so close to closing time and all but impressed that food was prepared and delivered from Alphabet city to the east village by 2 on the dot. Awesome!
I was in the mood for pierogies + fries and he wanted something light– so we opted for the Mediterranean salad, disco fries, borscht soup, and pierogies.
Pierogies were ok– I’m a bigger fan of Veselka when it comes to pierogies. They weren’t delivering so late though, and we were on a time crunch with late night packing and all so decided to forego the trek out of the apt. Plus it only came with applesauce. I missed my sour cream and onions.
Disco fries totally hit the spot. I’m a fry monster but even he agreed that it was tasty :) did wish I specified to put the sauce on the side so it wouldn’t be too soggy– or at least it could’ve be saved in the toaster oven.
Mediterranean Salad was solid. Didn’t like or dislike it. He wanted his greens so there it was. Lol
borscht soup was flavorful– a bit salty for my liking but a good choice.

I was introduced to pierogi by a place called Leshko’s that is apparently no longer there. At the time I had never seen a pierog before but now every supermarket has them (at least where I live). Obviously having them made fresh is so much better though. But Odessa changed the way I ate them… served unfried like ravioli with apple sauce. This was the first time I had them that way and cant have pierogi without apple sauce now.

Odessa… what can I say about Odessa? in my heart I hold Odessa fondly… it is a palace of nonconformity, a separate plane of existence in which gender and race become obsolete… this is the David Bowie of restaurants. my life, my liege, my muse… my Odessa.
sweet, cherry-​lipped Odessa… it’s minimalistic take on Grecian post-​Reagan neo-​classical modernism is one for the books. wait staff turn this quaint café into a sultry house of irony. the chocolate milkshake is almost biblically whimsical… however, the omelet arrived devoid of cheese products, so I have to rate the establishment at a lower level.
we hosted my son’s baptism here. the whole event was overwhelming. never before had I seen a sight quite as beautiful as that of new human life.

I’m hooked on this place. I’ve been ordering delivery from here everyday. They’re breakfast is amazing. You guys should definitely try their sausage. Pancakes are really good, so is their French toast, and I’m not a fan of French toast. Their fries always arrive crispy, first place where I’ve ordered delivery from that have accomplished that. I love their coffee as well. I will be exploring the rest of the menu soon and I’ll update you guys on the rest of the menu. Enjoy!

Used to really enjoy this place, but the quality of this diner has changed. Food and service was quite good, with ample portions and cheap pricing.
I returned recently from a hiatus discovered the bar portion next door had closed, so we went to the restaurant portion. While the food wasn’t awful, it wasn’t anything special.
The service was awful however. Ordered two entrees. One was right, the other came out completely wrong: not even close. The unapologetic waiter said «it’s okay, you eat it» in broken English. No, NOT okay. He didn’t know how to correct it and just stared at us as if it really wasn’t an issue. We weren’t offered any way to correct this. They also never brought us our beverages during our 45 minute debacle.
They offered to bring our beverages for free, but after we got our check. Why? I will never be back. It’s a shame the East Village lost this icon.

This used to be my go to place for those times that I am too tired or lazy to cook when I lived around the neighborhood. It was homely, welcoming and treated you like a family to everyone.
Came back to the nabe this afternoon to go to a restaurant but was full. Unfortunately, it was one of the busiest day because of the Halloween Dog Parade at Tompkins Square Park. Because of this, almost every restaurants were at full capacity and had people waiting on line to get in. I was hungry and did not feel like waiting on line for my first choice of the restaurant. So I dodged in here to get some sustenance. Place was also crowded but managed to get a seat at the counter. In the recent past, one would’ve given me a menu and a glass of water and acknowledged my presence. Hispanic bus boy was just standing a the corner pretending not to see me when I tried to make eye contact. Same with some old lady just walking back and forth at the counter. So I took one from the register and the moment I started reading the menu, all of a sudden I was no longer invisible.
Throughout the brunch/​lunch time spent here, most of the staff were only paying or friendly to the tourists or transplants dining (translation white) at this place. They were flirting with the tourist young females; saying hello and goodbye to the other gentrifies. But with me, as soon as I took the last bite of my pierogi, the person at the counter hurriedly gave me told me how much I owe and gave my bill. He then quickly cleared the counter including the OJ I was still drinking. Mind you, the crowd was then dwindling and there are no people waiting and there were a few empty tables. So, I don’t know why he was in a rush to clear the counter where I had just eaten. He was basically shooing me away
As I was about to take the check to the cashier, he then told me to pay him there instead. He acted as if I was going to eat and run. So I paid him. No thank you or the obligatory ‘have a nice day’. Also I as I was outing on my coat, one of the bussers just shoved me without saying excuse me.
This place has succumbed to serving only the white privilege. If you ain’t white, they treat you with suspicion or act that you don’t belong there. I dislike all these trendy restaurants popping-​up in the East Village, but at least they are professional and treat their paying customers as people, whether it’s sincere or not. The Odessa Bar has closed next door. Won’t mind if this one too closed and be replaced by yet another pretentious restaurant. Odessa had its moment. The place has become old and grumpy and prejudice, much like its staff.

I have to be completely honest I mostly order from this place when I’m really craving something not too healthy at night. I usually go for the BLT with fries or the fried potato and garlic peirogis. It’s a great diner! I just haven’t really walked in there myself. I’m judging based on the food I order online from them and I can give them 5 stars just for that! Very sufficient, very fast delivery!

The importance of Odessa to the Lower East Side is difficult to describe to the new comer. In days gone by we could choose from a dozen Eastern European joints. We would eat practically every meal in one of them. Odessa is all that remains. At face value, it’s only a diner with a few Eastern European favs, like porgies and blintzes! But to those who remember the L.E.S., back when the L.E.S, was the L.E.S., it is an institution! Along with the Pyramid Club, Odessa is all that remains from a time when everyone in the area was a songwriter, painter, poet, musician or a dope fiend… lots a good times! Anyway, you can still walk in there and run into people you’ve known for a long time, and eat some solid diner grab! I love this place. Partially for the food, and partially the memories! Please don’t let it die. If one more hipster coffee shop opens up around here I’m going to scream!

Ordered from grubhub paid with my credit card. they delivered to the wrong apartment and refused to admit they delivered to the wrong place.
If it wasn’t for grubhub giving me a refund someone else would of got free food off of me
Never again

Basic atmosphere few Flys over the table but food seemed okay we had perogges mozzarella sticks and Greek Sald

Ordered from here last night. I used the new Unilocal delivery function. The delivery guy delivered my order to the wrong address despite there being no mistake on the order form. I called the restaurant and the manager said he would tell the delivery boy to come back. I waited 30 minutes and nothing happened. I called the restaurant again and the manager said that the delivery boy left it with the doorman. I let him know that this was impossible as this was a hospital and I have no doorman. I’m not really sure if there was a language barrier between the manager and me or if it was between the manager and the delivery boy. Either way, he was nice enough to remake my order and have it delivered again to the correct address.
Now onto the food. I ordered 2 appetizers: stuffed cabbage and fried mushrooms.
Meat Stuffed Cabbage with tomato sauce — this was pretty decent. I wish it came with more than one roll. $ 6 for one cabbage roll is pretty steep. The filling was meatloaf like with bits of visible rice for filler. The flavor of the meat was good when eaten with the tangy tomato sauce.
Fried Mushrooms — pretty disappointing dish. The fried mushrooms were soggy and the flavor of the batter was nonexistent, unless you count grease as a flavor. I’ve had great fried mushrooms before, but these were not it. Would not get these again.
The manager guy seemed nice so I feel bad about giving this place 2 stars but it just wasn’t that great.

Such a hidden NYC gem! This restaurant’s food makes you upset that your stomach has a capacity limit!

I’ve been to Odessa three times so far, and each time for the pierogies! Not a typical item on a menu, and it’s one of my favorite foods so of course this is my go-​to spot if I want some. I highly recommend the combination of pierogies — you can either get 5 or 8 so I get 8: 2 potato, 2 meat, 2 spinach, and 2 cheese. My favorites are the potato and meat ones. You can get apple sauce, sour cream, and onions on the side. I’m not a fan of apple sauce, but I suggest sour cream on the side since they’re a little dry without it. You can also get them fried or boiled… can’t go wrong either way. The service is eh, they took awhile to come ask if we wanted the check or to get food wrapped up. However, very spacious diner always able to get a seat, and pretty reasonable prices as well.

Love Odessa. Old school diner, huge menu, speedy service, always open, always reliable.
get the meat perogies w/​apple sauce

Odessa is a traditional diner with all the standard menus like omelets, pancakes, burgers, and sandwiches, as well as Ukrainian treats like pierogies, stuffed cabbage, and kielbasa.
I got the Chef’s Combo (4 pierogies + 1 blintz + 1 potato pancake) and have a mixed review about all three items, thus the 3 star rating reflected in this Unilocal review.
You get a choice of pierogies (potato, cheese, meat, etc.) and blintz (strawberry, blueberry, cheese, etc.). I really like the mix + match option because I love trying different types of food. I got 4 boiled pierogies of potato, sweet potato, sauerkraut + mushroom, and spinach) and opted for the cheese blintz. My boyfriend got the Lumberjack, which included three stacks of buttermilk pancakes, sausage, bacon, ham, and two eggs any style.
The food took a bit long to arrive, especially for a diner. The pierogies deserve ONE star — they were super dry, both the interior and the exterior. The skin was also very doughy and too thick… The inside was disappointing as well. There were not much filling to really taste the flavors. My least favorites were a tie between potato and sweet potato — the fillings tasted like dry sand. The spinach and the sauerkraut + mushroom were slightly better, but I still would not order pierogies from Odessa ever again.
The potato pancake/​latke was THREE stars. The exterior was nice and crispy, but maybe a bit too greasy. It tasted similar to hash brown. Nothing too exciting, but the potato pancake was definitely more edible than the pierogies.
Finally, I loved the blintz, which is definitely a five-​star treat! The blintz was filled with generous amount of sweetened cottage cheese. The crêpe also tasted either lightly deep fried or pan-​fried. It was perfectly crispy! I think one blintz is enough to satisfy my craving because it was very sweet. I would probably get a side of blintz next time I come, but skip the pierogies and the potato pancake.
My boyfriend enjoyed the Lumberjack, but the buttermilk pancakes were a little too doughy and bland. The meat selection was definitely filling.

The Odessa combination dinner is so good! When I want some stick to your ribs basic Polish/​Ukrainian food I come here. I usually make 2 meals out of it because it’s a lot of food. You get stuffed cabbage, polish kielbasa and sauerkraut, potato pancake, and 4 pierogi for $ 12.50. I like to have a cup of hot borscht with it and you must request some of their challah bread and butter to go with the soup ;) On a 19°F winter day you want this! The bf has had many of the brunch dishes, the benedict is good, eggs and omlets good standard diner fare. Generous portions and it’s pretty cheap. The one thing that knocks it down a star is for service. Once you order and your food is served you kinda get forgotten about… you will sit for a long time ignored unless you basically throw yourself at passing by staff. This place has been around for a long time (50 years), not many like it left in the east village (oh how I miss Kiev on 7^th st and 2^nd ave.)

I came in with two friends to celebrate a couple of birthdays. We were ignored for a while in favor of a large group that came in after us. When the waiter finally acknowledged our existence, he placed a dish towel that reeked of bleach in front of me for a few minutes, then vigorously wiped down the table. I had to go home without eating anything anywhere because the smell was so bad I got nauseous. My friends did not want to stay there either. How do you treat people like this? Thanks for ruining our birthday dinner. You will not be given the opportunity again.

This is proof that god loves us :”’(. I ordered here through seamless one day. The delivery time was about 15 minutes. You have to try the pancakes. They are available ²⁴⁄₇. I’ve tried the Apple, blueberry, strawberry filled pancakes. Those pancakes reign far superior than any other pancakes on earth and space and beyond.

After being an avid user for years, I finally created a Unilocal account for the express purpose of writing a review of this wonderful establishment.
I would say that Odessa is a strong representation of the Ukrainian culture, but I have been to Odessa in Ukraine, and the city has friendly people, delicious food, and a charming atmosphere. Let me put it this way — Vladimir Putin would want nothing to do with this restaurant.
It started when our party of three was shown to our table through a series of exasperated grunts and impatient pointing gestures. We only received two sets of silverware; looking back, I wish they hadn’t brought the third set so I wouldn’t have had to eat the «food» (more on that later).
After about 5 minutes of perusing the menu to see what we want, and another 40 minutes of thinking about where the server might be, the server arrived and took our order, but talking to her was kind of like talking to a cat that had been locked outside in the rain. Meow.
After another 45 minutes, we got our «food» at various different times — we were worried about things getting cold, but let’s be real, it was cold already. One item was a burnt burger on a burnt bun that may or may not have been cooked a couple of weeks ago, and limp, greasy fries that were definitely cooked a couple of weeks ago. Another item was either chocolate chip pancakes or rat pellet pancakes… it was hard to differentiate. The third item was a combination of cold eggs, dry bacon, and burnt toast. To be fair, the Orange Juice was excellent.
After we placed our order with the server, we never saw her again, so don’t think about sending food back or, god forbid, asking for refills of your water. Ration, ration, ration, because if you don’t have any water to wash down what you’re eating, you’re screwed.
We finally got the bill which was cool and cheap just like the food, paid, and fled the location, confused as to how there were so many others waiting in line to eat here.
Go to Veselka if you’re in a hurry, or Tompkins Square Bagels if you have a half hour to wait in line.

I go to Odessa frequently after darn near anything on the LES. No matter how drunk or sober you are, they are always very friendly and you can’t beat the prices, especially for that part of town.
Last night I went in with a few large groups of people and we all made our seating areas and settled in. The food came relatively quickly but I had to wait a while for a glass of water. No big deal though, my burger was good and the fries are always yummy. My waiter was very friendly and personable and he really likes the group that I come in with. Also, the waiter accidentally brought out the wrong order on my friends’ blintzes, so instead of taking them back, he let us have them for free while they were making the right order!
All in all a great experience, someone even dropped a glass at the counter and everyone shouted out «MAZEL TOV!» and had a good laugh.

It’s a standard diner but a great place if you want a casual cheap meal. The service was fast and friendly and it really felt like a neighborhood spot – lots of families and also people just drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.
My ham and cheese omelette ($ 7) was pretty good and cooked well-​done just like I like it. The home fries were nothing special though.