Veselka

All photos courtesy of Veselka

June 10, 2024

Veselka opens first Brooklyn location

Brooklyn residents no longer need to trek to the East Village for their pierogi fix. Veselka, the beloved Ukrainian diner serving New Yorkers for seven decades, opened its highly-anticipated Williamsburg location last week. Veselka's first location in the borough, the 4,000-square-foot restaurant is located at 646 Lorimer Street. In addition to its famous Ukrainian soul food, the business will sell Veselka-branded merchandise.
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Food & Dining

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft. See more here.

March 7, 2024

Veselka to resume 24-hour service

By Devin Gannon

A surefire sign New York City is back? The resumption of 24-hour service at Veselka in the East Village. One of the few spots in the city that served diners all night, the iconic Ukrainian restaurant on Second Avenue stopped the service amid pandemic struggles. But, as first reported by neighborhood expert EV Grieve, the restaurant is looking to bring back around-the-clock hours on weekends.
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Food & Dining

Veselka opens new outpost in Grand Central Terminal

Photo courtesy of Bradley Skaggs

September 26, 2023

Veselka opens new outpost in Grand Central Terminal

By Aaron Ginsburg

The East Village's legendary Veselka restaurant is now serving up its signature Ukrainian delicacies in Grand Central Terminal. Located in the dining concourse in the historic terminal, the kiosk offers Veselka classics to-go, like borscht, cabbage rolls, and, of course, pierogi. Perfect for the commuter crowd, the outpost also sells coffee and breakfast items, including bacon, egg, and cheese pierogi, a fried egg sandwich on a challah knot, bagels, and muffins.
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Food & Dining

East Village icon Veselka opening a second location in Williamsburg

Photo courtesy of Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

March 16, 2023

East Village icon Veselka opening a second location in Williamsburg

By Aaron Ginsburg

Veselka, a staple of the East Village for nearly seven decades, is headed to Brooklyn. As first reported by the New York Post, the 69-year-old Ukrainian diner known for authentic dishes like pierogi and borscht will open a new 5,000-square-foot location in Williamsburg. While the lease isn't finalized yet, Jason Birchard, co-owner of Veselka, expects to announce the location of the new eatery soon. Once the new restaurant opens, owners will temporarily close the Second Avenue location for renovations.
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Food & Dining

August 22, 2022

11 best college hangouts in New York City

By Rebecca Fishbein

New York is too big to feel like a college town. But, in many ways, it is one, serving as home to New York University, the New School, the CUNY schools, Columbia University, Fordham University, and Manhattan College, to name a few. These students can be found all over the city, but they throng thicker in some spots—ones that sit closer to their respective campuses and also charge way less for drinks than some of this city’s definitively non-student-friendly expensive cocktail bars. Here are some of our favorites.
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Events & Things To Do

East Village Ukrainian restaurant Veselka is expanding with a pierogi bar

Photo by James and Karla Murray for 6sqft. See more here >>

December 11, 2020

East Village Ukrainian restaurant Veselka is expanding with a pierogi bar

By Dana Schulz

When Veselka first opened on the corner of 2nd Avenue and East 9th Street in 1954, the business was a small candy shop and newspaper stand. Sixty-years later, and the Ukrainian restaurant serves up 21,000 pierogis, 2,500 latkes, and 110 gallons of borscht each week. That is until the pandemic hit. In September, owner Tom Birchard spoke about how the restaurant was struggling. But thanks to a dedicated customer base filling its heated sidewalk seating and indoor tables, as well as a growing delivery and national shipping arm, Veselka is expanding to the space next door, as was first reported by EV Grieve. The addition will be complete with a new "sushi bar-style counter that will showcase the restaurant’s pierogi-making process," according to the New York Times.
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Food & Dining

66-year-old East Village restaurant Veselka shares its COVID struggles

Photo of Veselka by James and Karla Murray for 6sqft. See more here >>

September 1, 2020

66-year-old East Village restaurant Veselka shares its COVID struggles

By Dana Schulz

After closing in March, Veselka reopened for takeout and delivery at the end of April, and both their main location and their secondary spot in the Market Line food hall are open for outdoor dining. But like so many others across the city, the 66-year-old Ukrainian restaurant is struggling without indoor dining. In a video interview with photographers James and Karla Murray, second-generation co-owner Tom Birchard said, "We need to have more tables than we have right now to survive long-term."
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Food & Dining

East Village icons Veniero’s and Veselka will reopen this Friday for takeout and delivery

Photo of Veniero’s by James and Karla Murray for 6sqft. See more here >>

April 28, 2020

East Village icons Veniero’s and Veselka will reopen this Friday for takeout and delivery

By Dana Schulz

Treat yourself this Friday to a meal of pierogis followed by cheesecake. East Village icons Veselka and Veniero's Pasticceria & Caffe, the Ukrainian restaurant that started in 1954 and the Italian bakery that opened in 1894 respectively, will both reopen for takeout and delivery on May 1. Eater spotted the news on Veniero's Instagram that the bakery will reopen for takeout, delivery, and curbside pickup. Likewise, Veselka posted on their Instagram that they will open for takeout and delivery.
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Food & Dining

Pierogis, borscht, and Ukrainian history: Behind the scenes at East Village restaurant Veselka

All photos taken by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

February 13, 2020

Pierogis, borscht, and Ukrainian history: Behind the scenes at East Village restaurant Veselka

By Dana Schulz

21,000 pierogis, 2,500 latkes, and 110 gallons of borscht--that's how much Veselka is serving up each week. But it's impossible to quantify how many memories have been made at the famous East Village Ukrainian restaurant, which has been in operation since 1954. Whether it's grandparents who remember going to what was then a small candy shop and newspaper stand at a time when the East Village was a thriving Eastern European community, or counter-culture icons of the 1970s, or club kids of the '90s, or the NYU students of today, you can bet that nearly every New Yorker has some story of enjoying a meal at Veselka. 6sqft recently got a behind-the-scenes tour of Veselka's kitchen to see how the magic happens, in addition to chatting with third-generation owner Jason Birchard. Ahead, check out all the photos and learn about the history of Veselka.
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May 3, 2017

EVENT: Two food-centric tours explore the history and culture of the East Village

By 6sqft

When we point the finger at gentrifying neighborhoods, the East Village often gets a lot of heat thanks to its quickly climbing rents, shift from a more diverse population (today, roughly 40 percent of the ‘hood is between the ages of 20 and 34), and loss of small businesses. And though this final fact is certainly true, especially as it pertains to eateries (just this past year we said goodbye to Angelica Kitchen, The Redhead, and Lanza's), the East Vill still has a wealth of independent restaurants that pay homage to its rich immigrant history as well as a crop of new establishments that are sensitive to the community and represent the new wave of foodie culture. This weekend, two events will explore the past and future of the East Village through its food establishments--a walking tour led by 6sqft's Senior Editor Dana Schulz for GVSHP will take you through the Italian, Ukrainian/Eastern European, and Indian history and A Taste of 7th Street will offer a self-guided chance to taste samplings from 10 local favorites.
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A New York Minute With Veselka Restaurant Owner Tom Birchard

By Dana Schulz

In 6sqft's fun new series A New York Minute we ask influential New Yorkers spitfire (and sometimes very random) questions about their life in the big city. Want to nominate yourself or someone you know? Get in touch! In 1965, Tom Birchard was busy studying business administration at Rutgers University when he met Marta, daughter of Wolodymyr Darmochwal, at a fraternity party. Her father owned the Ukrainian restaurant Veselka at Second Avenue and Ninth Street in what was then a largely Easter European community. Tom and Marta married the following year, and ever since then Tom started working at the restaurant part time, helping it grow into the iconic establishment it is today, famous for its 24-hour pierogis and borscht. Though he and Marta eventually separated (Tom is now married to Dr. Sally Haddock who owns St. Marks Veterinary Hospital), Tom took ownership of the business in 1975, and has since been at the helm, living in the East Village, which he describes as "young, funky, artsy." Not only does he keep the Ukrainian spirit alive, but he's active in the community, serving on the board of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and actively sponsoring local performance artists.
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