Monday, April 20, 2026

Around the clock again: Veselka’s weekend overnight service is back

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Friday marked the first time in years that Veselka was open around the clock again — and the East Village institution didn't ease back into it quietly. 

We stopped by overnight, where the dining room stayed busy past its usual operating hours. 

"It went really well, and the restaurant was full pretty much until 3 a.m., when things started to settle down a bit," Veselka COO Justin Birchard told us.

As we first reported, Veselka brought back around-the-clock dining on Fridays and Saturdays... so the restaurant on Ninth Street and Second Avenue will open Fridays at 9 a.m. and close again on Sundays at 11 p.m.
On the first overnight service, there was a special cake...
... and small orders of fries for those waiting for a table...
Before the pandemic, Veselka served customers 24/7 for nearly 30 years. When indoor dining resumed, the restaurant scaled back hours, with ownership previously citing staffing challenges for all the shifts.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I want this on weekdays when bridge and tunnel nonsense doesn't annoy me

cmarrtyy said...

I live facing 2nd Ave. And the night life in the EV is exploding even at 1/2/3 in the am. The drunken frat boy/girl fights are back.

Anonymous said...

now if they can carry some better wine

Patapsco Jones said...

Great News!!

Anonymous said...

Did their breakfast hours change also? 9am opening.