a branch of the iconic Ukrainian restaurant Veselka opened on Grand Central

A kiosk with Ukrainian cuisine from the legendary Veselka restaurant has been opened at New York’s Grand Central Station. This is stated on the establishment’s Instagram page.

The menu traditionally includes borscht, cabbage rolls, dumplings and other Ukrainian dishes.

This is the first stage of the promised expansion of the establishment.

The Veselka restaurant in New York was founded in 1954 by two Ukrainian refugees, Vladimir and Olga Darmokhvala, who fled the oppression of Soviet power and found refuge on the East Side.

Since then, Veselka has grown from a small kiosk into a 24-hour meeting place, serving Ukrainian cuisine with traditional dishes: pies and dumplings, cabbage rolls, potato pancakes, pancakes and goulash – to the delight of locals and guests alike. And, of course, Ukrainian borscht. It is still a family restaurant, run by their grandson, Jason Birchard, an active member of the Ukrainian diaspora and a patriot, like his ancestors.

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By the end of 2023, they plan to open another Veselka location in Williamsburg with a larger kitchen. It is planned that the area of ​​the new restaurant will be 460 square meters. After the opening of the new establishment, the restaurant in the East Village, which opened back in 1954, will be closed by the owners for renovation work, including expanding the kitchen.

In 2023, the restaurant was awarded the Outstanding Restaurant category in the annual James Beard Awards for its “food, atmosphere and hospitality, and positive contributions to the community.”