| Veselka | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of Veselka | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1954 (1954) |
| Owner(s) | Tom Birchard, Jason Birchard |
| Food type | Ukrainian, Eastern European, American comfort |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Location | 144 Second Avenue, New York City, New York, 10003, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°43′44.32″N73°59′13.55″W / 40.7289778°N 73.9870972°W /40.7289778; -73.9870972 |
| Reservations | Not taken |
| Other locations | Veselka Grand Central |
| Other information | Family owned and operated |
| Website | www.veselka.com |
Veselka is aUkrainian restaurant at 144Second Avenue in theEast Village neighborhood ofManhattan inNew York City.[1] It was established in 1954 by Wolodymyr Darmochwal (Ukrainian:Володимир Дармохвал) and his wife, Olha Darmochwal (Ukrainian:Ольга Дармохвал), post–World War II Ukrainian refugees.[2] Veselka is one of the last of many Slavic restaurants that once proliferated in the neighborhood.[3] A cookbook, published in October 2009 bySt. Martin's Press, highlights more than 120 of the restaurant'sEastern European recipes.[4]
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In the 1930s, the building housed what was known as the Boulevard Restaurant.
On April 10, 1937, several young thieves tried to pull off a robbery of the late-night restaurant and gambling joint and ended up killing a plain-clothes cop. The incident became celebrated as the case of “the East Side Boys” and resulted in the execution of three of the seven youths involved.
In 1954, the Darmochwals purchased a candy shop and newsstand atSecond Avenue and East9th Street in New York City in an effort to helpPlast, the Ukrainian scouting organization purchase the building that housed its headquarters. Wolodymyr Darmochwal, an activePlast member, gave this venture the moniker "Veselka", fromвеселка, theUkrainian word for "rainbow." In 1960, Darmochwal combined the candy store and newsstand with an adjacent luncheonette. The New York chapter ofPlast still uses the building to this day.
In the following years, as the East Village became known as theHaight-Ashbury of theeast coast,[5] Veselka became a social center for a cross-section of the community that included old-world tradition and new-worldcounterculture.
Veselka was nearly forced to close in the mid-1970s, when theconstruction of the Second Avenue Subway (later canceled) resulted in street closures along the adjacent section of Second Avenue.[6] By the time theNew York City fiscal crisis hit in the 1970s, Veselka was a fixture in the neighborhood. It was able to expand during the economic recovery of the 1980s, at which time the row of phone booths at the rear of the restaurant came to be used as informal office space for East Village performance artists.[7]
Veselka produces 3,000 pierogi by hand every day[8] and uses 500 pounds of beets[9] to make 5,000 gallons ofborscht every week.[10] The restaurant has attracted notable patrons including musicianRyan Adams,[11] artistSally Davies, directorBart Freundlich,[12] performance artistPenny Arcade,[13] comedianJon Stewart and actorsJulianne Moore,Chris Noth,Parker Posey,Justin Long andDebra Messing (who considers Veselka her "late-night mainstay" and her "absolute favorite place").[11][12][14][15][16][17]
Veselka remains a family-run business: as of 2020, it is owned by Darmochwal's son-in-law, Tom Birchard, who began working at Veselka in 1967, and run by the founder's grandson, Jason Birchard. The founders' son, Mykola Darmochwal, maintains a role as consultant.
Veselka continues to support the needs of neighborhood residents and Eastern European immigrants: in 1994, its kitchen staff included four doctors, three from Ukraine and one from Poland, who had recently arrived in the United States.[18] After the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Veselka's daily patronage more than doubled, from 600–700 to 1,500, as many visitors wanted to express support for Ukrainians. The restaurant was also used to coordinate donations of supplies for Ukrainian refugees.[19][20] Veselka halted 24/7 operations in the early 2020s due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then reportedly due to a labor shortage.[21] In 2024, the restaurant announced that it would resume 24-hour operation on weekends starting that July.[22]
Film and television
The restaurant was used as a location for the filmsTrust the Man (2006),Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008),Trainwreck (2015),Ocean's 8 (2018) andBillions (2018).[23][24][25][26][27]Anthony Bourdain filmed an interview with publicist Danny Fields at Veselka that appeared in the final episode ofParts Unknown onCNN in 2018.[28]
Music
Veselka was the subject in the songs "Veselka Diner" byDoctor Rokit[29] and "Veselka" byGreta Gertler, which wasNational Public Radio's "Song of the Day" on January 24, 2008.[30]
Books
Veselka is featured inCity of Fallen Angels, the fourth book inCassandra Clare'sThe Mortal Instruments series.
Documentary
The restaurant is seen inChantal Akerman's 1976 documentaryNews From Home.[31][32]
In 2024, a documentary entitled "Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World"[33][34][35][36][37] directed by Michael Fiore and narrated byDave Duchovny, had its world premiere at theSanta Barbara International Film Festival.[38][39]
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Reviews of Veselka in traditional press highlight itscomfort food menu and describe the restaurant as adestination for late-night diners.[40][41][42] After a renovation in 1995,The New York Times reassured regulars that the restaurant had not changed its menu.[43] Representative awards include:
Veselka Grand Central opened October 2023 in theGrand Central Terminal Dining Concourse.[46][47]
Little Veselka, located inFirst Park, was a concession of theNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation. It was operated by Veselka and offered a limited menu – primarily sandwiches named for famous Ukrainians and select others, including;Andy Warhol (the Andy Warhola),Leon Trotsky,Rinat Akhmetov,Milla Jovovich andLeonid Stadnik.[48] It closed in 2011.
Veselka Bowery, located on East 1st Street andBowery, was announced in February 2010[6][49] and opened in November 2011.[50][51] Veselka Bowery offered a more "upscale" version of the Ukrainian comfort food that remains a staple of the menu of the original Veselka.[52] It also offered an expansive drink menu and a selection of dozens of Eastern European vodkas.[52][53] Veselka Bowery closed in April 2013.[54]
Veselka Essex, opened in 2019, was located in The Market Line, which hosts a group of grocery stores and restaurants in commercial and residential development on theLower East Side namedEssex Crossing.[55][56] In January 2024, the Essex Crossing location closed.[57]
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