Iconic Village Ukrainian Eatery Banned All St. Nick's During SantaCon

LOWER MANHATTAN, NY — No pierogis for drunk-Santa this year.

SantaCon might have taken over Lower Manhattan on Saturday, but an iconic Ukrainian eatery in the East Village made sure no intoxicated Kris Kringles made their way into the decades-old establishment.

SantaCon is the annual spectacle of hordes of booze-sodden Santa Clauses from the Tri-state area traveling to the city to bar hop and enjoy adult merriment.

Veselka at 144 Second Ave. wanted no part of this influx of Santas.

"Ho-Ho Hold It!" read a sign posted to the Ukrainian eatery's door with a picture of Santa Claus crossed out. "No Santa's or holiday attire allowed Saturday 12/10."

veselka to the santacon crowd: no borscht for you

(shared via a pierogi-loving source, with permission) pic.twitter.com/PH0dtLvZZJ
— Rachel Holliday Smith (@rachelholliday) December 11, 2022

A picture posted by THE CITY editor Rachel Holliday Smith of Veselka's sign made the rounds on Twitter, drawing a clamoring of praise and approval.

"Pillars of the community," one person wrote.

"I was already standing with Ukraine, but now I'm standing extra hard with Ukraine," another person wrote.

Veselka opened in the heart of East Village's Little Ukraine in 1954.

Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the first months of 2022, it has been flooded with New Yorkers looking to support the restaurant.

The owners of the longtime restaurant still have family living in Ukraine.

In the end, no drunk Santas got their hands on any pierogis, borscht, goulash, stroganoff, paprikash, meatballs, bigos or potato pancakes.