Stage Restaurant

Sean’s comment is inaccurate. The explosion was entirely unrelated. The building Stage was in had faulty gas piping but it was the landlord’s responsibility to take care of which they never did. Authorities in this city are unwilling to go after landlord’s even when buildings explode here every few years now…
Stage was one of the finest vestige’s of an older New York and East Village, where working men and women could enjoy the homestyle cooking of their homelands for an affordable price. Stage was the best place in the city to get Ukrainian and Polish food, and one of the last places in the East Village with that genuine and humble character that attracted so many people to this city in the past.
It is a tragedy it is gone, but it was nearly inevitable. This is now a city where all good things must come to die and Stage was a casualty of that.

They closed down for syphoning gas from the line that caused the Pomme Frite explosion:

Yes, looks like has been closed for more than a year. So sad, one of the best restaurants in downtown Manhattan. The food was AAA the soups wow, like mushroom soup, beast soup, potato soup, barley soup and few others. The portions always constant alone with the fantastic flavor. I guess rent made this restaurant closed, very sad.
Cons: no bathroom but who cares when this place was so small but the food was a giant.

Why are all my fave places closing? Getting a little sick of it. This is actually why I Unilocal (for the most part), to try and help in some tiny way to prevent this happening.
Please sign this petition to the landlord to help Stage re-​open
This review is a Goulash-​infused translation of a William Shakespeare poem. You can read the original, to compare the two, here:
All the world’s a Stage,
And all the meals and dishes merely Goulash;
They have their portion sizes and their prices,
And one man in his time eats many bowls,
His tummy becoming seven times larger. At first, the appetite,
Growling and rumbling in the middle of work.
Then the whining co-​workers, with their lunch plans
And run-​down morning face, creeping like snails
Behind you when you’re on the office computer. And then it’s lunch time,
Smiling like a child, with a whopping hunger
Straight to Stage you go with your mistress. Like a soldier,
Full of strange thirsts and bearded like a hipster,
Jealous of others, sudden to receive their lunch before you,
Seeking the bringing of your Goulash
Putting the spoon into your mouth. And then the juicy meat,
Into your fair round belly with good veggies lined,
With eyes glistening and beard of ZZ-​Top cut,
Mouth is wide, slaws and modern toppings not needed;
And so you eat your Goulash. The sixth bite shifts
Onto the lean and tender cubes of meat,
With scrumptious spices under nose and lovehandles on side;
Your youthful hoe, well fed, a tad too wide
And your shrunk shank, and his big manly sausage,
Are useless today because you are stuffed full of Goulash, full
And bloated in the chair. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful lunch date,
Is passing out slowly and mere oblivion,
Sans hunger, sans appetite, sans a care in the world.
What to get: Goulash
Why: It’s so perfectly spiced and flavoured and delicious
Really?: Yes the meet is so tender and it’s both filling & satisfying
Is it as good as Balkan Dining: It’s up there. One of the best Goulashes I’ve had
Name another good one: Corky & Lenny’s in Cleveland
What else: Service is absolutely wonderful, lovely people
And why are you talking to yourself?: Idk, why are you talking to yourself? You don’t throw stones in glass Shakespearian theatres.
Don’t forget to sign the petition.
Any final thoughts: Yes, if William Shakes A Spear at you, will you run away, or will you fight him? I mean he has a spear. I would hope that you’d run away. Srsly.

If you’re as big a fan of this place as I am, consider signing the petition to reopen it:
I am so sad thinking that my next trip to NY may be one without their delicious pierogies and white borscht…

Noooio!!! Why stage? Why??? Why did you siphon gas!!! I love this place and the whole experience!!! Food here is great and the people that worked there were very friendly!
Well I hope they find a new location to setup shop — even a food truck would be good!

One of my absolute favorite spots to eat in all of NYC. Great owners, delicious and consistent food. Loved coming here for coffee, fried pierogis, and borscht on weekends.
Shocked to hear about the eviction notice they’ve been served by [the notoriously unscrupulous/​evil] Icon Realty.

Walking in here was like walking back in time in a good way I mean just a good old-​fashioned NYC diner. Well my Friends have been coming here since 25 Years that should say a lot everything is homemade fresh and delicious literally from soup to nuts Tuesday is a must go day they have the most incredible Chicken Cordon Bleu with mashed potatoes and corn must add the brown gravy they also have A variety of different homemade soups you’ll find them having split pea on this day ask for a side of challah bread with butter. Make sure bring an appetite as the portions here are huge thanks again Andre for a wonderful NYC Old fashioned experience

This place might be as basic and no-​frills as you can get, but they concentrate on what’s important: the food.
I went for a typical diner breakfast: eggs, ham, toast and home fries. We have the same definition of «over medium,» which impressed me immediately. The serving size of ham was more than generous. Whole-​wheat toast — check. Home fries: simply the best in town. Most diners consider home fries to be an artless starch serving the sole purpose of taking up room on the plate. But Stage actually takes some pride in their home fries, which are flavorful enough to shine in their own right.
The restaurant itself is bare-​bones. There are no tables, only counter stools. Don’t ask for non-​sugar sweeteners or low-​fat milk; you’ll be pegged immediately as a suburbanite or, worse, an uptowner. This is the East Village. It’s low-​rent, so pay cash.
But it was the best $ 6.50 + tip I ever spent on breakfast. I’ll be back and I’ll be bringing friends.

Diner style seating, mom and pop Ukrainian shop, fast and efficient service. try the pierogie sampler, I liked the potato and mushroom ones. It is very cheap which is a nice change of pace, and I also liked the bread and butter that came with the food, I’d not be getting on a scale though any time soon after eating here :).

We had prompt and warm welcomes from everyone behind the counter as soon as we walked in. Space was super tight, since there’s only one long bar to sit along — and beware, no restrooms! Fortunately we came after the lunch rush, but all of the food was still fresh and happily cooked to order. I wanted to try everything, but since it’s heavier food, my friends and I shared twelve pierogies and our own side dishes. We had one or two of every kind; all were delicious, but the standouts were the meat and mushroom/​onion ones. You can have them boiled or fried, and the sour cream they give you is enough to use on blintzes later. The tuna sandwich was also massive, and two of my friends couldn’t finish it. I was glad I saved room for the blintzes: piping hot, and positively bursting with blueberries. One blintz is enough per person.
Truly a comforting neighborhood gem.

Food 3 stars
Service 3 stars
atmosphere 2 stars
Value 3 stars
Will I be back? No.
Needed a place to meet a college friend who was in town. Searched Unilocal and picked this place bc of the reviews. I wasn’t impressed.
Food:
meh. went for breakfast. It was breakfast food. Not good not bad. I was underwhelmed, quite frankly.
Service:
took a while to get attention of someone to take our order.
Atmosphere:
you’re not going here for décor or atmosphere. But it is crowded. Definitely not good for groups. more like singles at the bar for a quick bite.
Value:
my impression is based on long island diners. Maybe Manhattan places are more expensive, but i thought the prices were more than I expected.
Will I be back?
No. Will find somewhere else to go.

Awesome hole in the wall! If you’re the type of person that prioritize décor and ambiance, this might not be the place for you.
Don’t let the décor scare you. The food here is mom & pop style awesome. We had the borscht and it was really good. We also ordered the combo which had the kielbasa, stuffed cabbage and the pierogi. Everything was really good and the price was not bad at all!
Not sure if this place is kid-​friendly or you can bring a throng of people. I would say that this place can fit max. 10 people as the seating is just one long bar style seating.

Timeless classic!
One of the last vestiges of East Villageness… weep, weep…
Great, friendly service (yes, that includes always spilled soup),
amazing, home cooked food and unforgettable atmosphere of the time gone by… weep, weep… again…
You should definitely have their eggs benedict (ask for feta cheese add on), sorrel and tripe soups, meatloaf… mmmm
Hope this lasts forever.

Thank you Unilocalers for pointing the way! This teeny tiny hole in the wall joint met & surpassed all expectations, and I couldn’t get enough of their sinfully fried potato pierogi (with caramelized onions)! And loads of sour cream on the side, of course. Also had the kielbasy omelette with cheese, which was delicious & went perfectly with the side of oh-​so-​bacony home fried potatoes.
All of the staff were super nice, & working non-​stop the entire time we were there…& if you can get the right seats, it’s cool to watch the cook at work right in front of you! Even cooler was listening to all of the staff & most of the customers speaking in a foreign language… somehow that just made the food taste that much better!

This is the type of place I don’t want review simply because everything is amazing and they have limited seating.
Excellent breakfast, pancakes are on of my favorite in town.
I go here for there borsch which is vegetarian and better then the neighbors.
Everything is made fresh to order. The chicken cutlet sandwich is my favorite.
Their perigees are to die for #drool

I have never eaten something here that isn’t amazing. Every time the food is perfect. I love getting the Kielbasy omelette with cheese, home fries and challah toast. With a coffee it’s still well under $ 10.
Their chicken soup could heal anyone from anything. A 3-​quart to-​go portion is barely $ 10!
Don’t even get me started on the meat loaf and mashed potatoes. It’s breaded and fried… It beats your moms, grandma’s, dad… Whoever!
The service is great. You forget you are in the city.
Don’t be fooled by the outside. This place is a gem.

Classic dinner time-​machine vibe, in some East European /​Soviet language (sorry for ignorance).
Perfect when you’re craving tasty and filling (and mostly vegetarian) food like they know about in Eastern European cuisine. All those soups, stuffed cabbage, pierogies, etc. They also have standard diner plates and breakfast all day :) so pick your favorite omelette with home fries.
There’ll be not much smiling but the service is prompt and efficient.

When I feel homesick for my mama’s cooking, I walk over to Stage. There’s usually no place to sit, so I give my takeout order to the friendly white-​bearded man, and then I lean on the counter to watch the cooks work the grill in front of me and the other customers. I don’t carry a single drop of Eastern European blood in me, but something about this diner — from the unassuming interior, the cooks serving food from the grill right on to the counter with one swift turnaround, and all of them chattering in their native tongue — kinda makes me feel at home.
I’ve had the Friday’s special pork roast with beets and sauerkraut. The veggies were hot and delicious and felt like they were melting in my mouth. The pork was drenched in savory mushroom gravy, and I just devoured that thing. I was so stuffed, but I still wanted more!
I also tried the full order of pierogi (7 pieces) and wanted to try different fillings like a greedy little kid: spinach, meat, potato and sauerkraut (I think mushroom and cheese are the other choices). I guess my taste buds aren’t as enthusiastic about pierogi, but I liked the sauerkraut filling the most. The fried onion topping, a heap of butter and caramelized diced onions, added a pool of oil to my plate but made the pierogi taste even heartier.
Can’t wait to go back again and try their borscht and stuffed cabbage, or whatever the white beard guy says is cooking!

Awake at an unholy hour in the morning, wanted to try a new breakfast spot in the city that didn’t involve eggs and bacon for a change.
Stage is a (very) small restaurant, with limited seating, and a menu strewn about against the wall. It had a very homely diner feel to it.
Got seven fried potato pierogies (apparently they come out as such) and two blintzes. My server recommended the caramelized onions on the pierogies, and blueberries with my cheese blintzes. Both amazing decisions. The food was delicious, but would have been bland without those additions. Needed hot sauce for the pierogies to give them more of a kick.
Meal came out to $ 18 and change (a little more than I was expecting, but it was a lot of food). Really liked the service and authentic (I think) food, although the space could be better.