East Village Favorite Veselka Returns for Pierogi Delivery and Takeout on Friday

East Village Ukranian restaurant Veselka is back with pierogies this week

Bustling East Village Ukranian restaurant Veselka has confirmed that it will indeed be reopening for business this week.

After a week of “reopening soon” signs and “stay tuned” Instagram posts, the 24-hour diner has announced that it will return for delivery and takeout service beginning this Friday, May 1. Veselka’s delivery and takeout hours may not go all night, but owners Tom and Jason Birchard tell EVGrieve that the restaurant will be bringing back a “limited menu of all-time favorites” — which may include pierogies, borscht, blintzes, and matzo ball soup, if the hashtags on the restaurant’s reopening announcement are any indication. Veselka will be available for delivery through Caviar and Grubhub on weekends from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekdays from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The 66-year-old restaurant had previously closed on March 18 after trying to keep things going as a delivery-only spot. “Rest assured that we’ll be back,” the owners wrote on Instagram at the time. “We may be suspending operations before some other places, but we’ll start boiling the borscht as soon as the scientists and regulators give us the all-clear.” With an opening date set for Friday, May 1, Veselka now joins neighboring Italian bakery Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffe on a growing list of restaurants that have opted to partially reopen ahead of May 15, when New York state may begin to lift some coronavirus restrictions, though it’s not yet clear how that will apply to NYC restaurants.

In other news:

— East Village pastry stop Red Gate Bakery is back for one-day only this weekend. The bakeshop’s burnt chocolate cookies, brown butter carrot loaves, and coconut banana cake are available for pre-order until 11:59 p.m. this Thursday, April 30. Orders can be picked up at the bakery this Saturday between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.

— There’s a new online marketplace where chefs, bartenders, and restaurateurs can sell their recipes to the public to raise funds for their businesses and staff. 100 percent of each sale on Recipes for Relief goes back to the respective chef or the non-profit organization they are supporting, according to a spokesperson for the company.

— The founders behind boozy ice cream maker Tipsy Scoop are releasing their first cookbook, called Tipsy Scoop Latest and Greatest Recipes, available for pre-order now. In it, founder Melissa Tavss and director of marketing Rachel Chitwood share 40 new recipes for ice cream and sorbet, in addition to a few fan-requested favorites.

— Wendy MacNaughton, Times journalist and illustrator behind Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, is partnering with Make The Road NY to bring art supplies to underserved children in Queens and Brooklyn. The relief effort, called #DrawTogether is raising money through GoFundMe.

— New Mexico-style breakfast burrito spot the Awkward Scone is teaming up with streetwear company Flan on a new line of merch. 100 percent of the profits from the clothing sales will be donated back to the Bushwick restaurant.

— Popular ice cream chain Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices and Ice Cream is headed to the East Village with a new location, EV Grieve reports.

— An act of bravery: