Veselka Information

Veselka, which means rainbow in Ukrainian, was founded by Volodymyr and Olha Darmochwal in 1954. Volodymyr and his wife were Ukrainian refugees in the late 1940s and found a home in the Little Ukraine neighborhood of the East Village of Manhattan. Ever since then, Veselka has grown from a small newsstand into a 24-hour gathering place, serving up Ukrainian soul food with traditional dishes like pierogi/varenyky, stuffed cabbage, potato pancakes, blintzes and goulash to the delight of locals and visitors alike. The restaurant, now owned and operated by Volodymyr’s grandson, Jason Birchard, was owned and operated by Tom Birchard for many years, the son-in-law of the original founders. Throughout the restaurant’s 70-year history, it has been expanded several times, been featured in many prominent films (such as Ocean’s 8, Trainwreck and Juno) along with numerous features in local and national publications. Veselka is, put simply, an institution of New York City. Beyond the acclaim and popularity amongst its customers, Veselka continues to be a pillar in the local Ukrainian community. Ukrainians mostly comprise its staff and the owners. Veselka remains very active in the local community, supporting the Ukrainian National Institute, Razom for Ukraine, and local St. George’s Church via food and monetary donations on a regular basis.