Ukrainian Diner Veselka Opens in Brooklyn Next Month
Veselka is expanding to Williamsburg in June.
The Brooklyn location of Veselka is less than a month away. Justin Birchard, a spokesperson for the family, confirms the popular Ukrainian diner will open on June 5 at 646 Lorimer Street, near Meeker Avenue, in Williamsburg. The restaurant will have a 40-seat dining area that serves Veselka’s most popular items; the rest of the space will be used as a commissary kitchen for the company’s other locations.
Veselka, which has been open in the East Village since 1954, signed a 48-year lease in Williamsburg last year. The 5,000-square-foot building was constructed as a garage in 1918 and recently operated as a car wash. The opening will mark the first time the Ukrainian restaurant has operated in Brooklyn; in addition to the original diner in the East Village, there is another location in Grand Central.
Popup Bagels opens on Upper West Side
Popup Bagels, the popular bagel shop backed by Paul Rudd and Michael Phelps, opened on Sunday at 338 Columbus Avenue and West 76th Street. This is the second location of Popup Bagels in New York City and its seventh overall; another Manhattan location is on track to open at 1457 Third Avenue, near E. 82nd Street. Founder Adam Goldberg opened the first location in 2021 in Westport, Connecticut, where he lives. He wants to have 25 locations by the end of 2025 and eventually, as many as 200 stores across the country.
Sweetgreen now serves beef
Sweetgreen announced on Tuesday that it would add steak to its menu for the first time: The fast-casual chain is looking to appeal to Americans looking for more protein and attracts customers at dinner. The New York Times questioned how serving steak would affect Sweetgreen’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2027.
A Filipino restaurant returns
At the start of the year, one of the city’s few Filipino restaurants, Bilao, closed on the Upper East Side with almost no notice. The owners hinted at the time that they would return to the area in some form, and on Tuesday they announced that their next venture, Sugba, is “coming soon.” Fans of Bilao won’t have to travel far: The new restaurant is be located a block away at 1425 York Avenue, between East 75th and 76th streets.