Four months after opening its third NYC location in Grand Central Terminal, beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka has officially shut its doors at its Lower East Side location in Market Line food hall.
Veselka was founded by Ukrainian refugees Volodymyr and Olha Darmochwal in 1954. Since opening, they’ve become an iconic institution of NYC serving up traditional Ukrainian dishes.
Owner Jason Birchard, who took over Veselka from his father, reportedly wrote in an email to Eater:
We have made the decision to close our outpost at the Market Line as we turn our attention to our new restaurant in Williamsburg.
Set to open this spring at 646 Lorimer Street, Veselka’s new Williamsburg location will occupy a 5,000-square-foot space–500 square feet larger than the original East Village venue–and serve as a commissary kitchen for mail order and the Grand Central location, says Eater. A 1,000-square-foot retail section will also accommodate 40 diners.
The new Williamsburg location isn’t the only big plan in store for the restaurant, however.
Veselka will also be the subject of a documentary dubbed Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World, directed by Michael Fiore. The documentary will premiere at the Village East by Angelika on February 23rd.