Veselka

Veselka, at 144 Second Avenue in the East Village, has been the cultural and culinary heart of New York's Ukrainian community since Tom Birchard opened it in 1954. The name means 'rainbow' in Ukrainian, and the restaurant has provided a beacon of consistency through every era of New York City change: the postwar Ukrainian immigration, the East Village counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s, the crack epidemic, gentrification, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which brought new attention to the restaurant and its community in 2022. Open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, Veselka serves borscht, pierogies, kielbasa, blintzes, challah French toast, and a full American diner menu to every stratum of New York society — post-clubbers arriving at 4am, families celebrating Sunday brunch, writers working through the night, and neighborhood elders who have been coming for decades. The borscht — a deep, earthy beet and vegetable soup served hot or cold with a spoonful of sour cream — is one of the finest soups in New York, a dish that rewards attention even from those who assume they do not like borscht. The pierogies are boiled or fried with caramelized onions and sour cream, and the potato-and-cheddar filling is the classic choice. The menu expanded significantly during the pandemic to include additional Ukrainian dishes and a broader selection of Eastern European preparations. The restaurant's commitment to its community was demonstrated in 2022 when it raised funds and cooked meals in support of Ukrainian relief efforts.