Polish Food

[Callie]

Is it very popular where you live?
I grew up in a city that had a very large polish population. Lots of weddings and events the meal was polish buffets. Restaurants served polish buffets, etc.

Now I moved two hours south and I cannot find anywhere that serves polish food! When I ask around, I get asked what a polish buffet even is.

I don't even dare ask them if they know what a paczki is, haha.

 

[RedAngie]

I grew up in a Polish neighborhood, but I don't recall ever seeing a Polish buffet at a restaurant. Sure, plenty of individual Polish dishes, but not a buffet. Some weddings and funeral repasts at the Polish-American Citizens Club had a Polish buffet, but an equal amount featured American foods. Christmas at Babcia's house was always good to get your fill of pierogis, golabki, (gowumpkey, stuffed cabbage rolls), kielbasa & kraut, babka, etc. And she usually had a few things I wouldn't touch: sledzie (herring in sour cream), salcesson (head cheese), and worst of all, czarnina (duck's blood soup ).

There is a Polish deli/luncheonette not too far from me. I stop in a few times a year. They have about 20 varieties of frozen pierogis. Kiszka, krakowska, and other sausages, etc.

How can any civilized person not know what a punchkey is????!!!!

 

[sonnyjane]

There's nowhere even remotely near me that has Polish food. I only know about it because I grew near Pittsburgh which has a big community.

 

[kimblebee]

Big Polish community here so it's not hard to find cabbage rolls and perogys.

 

[smokeyblue]

My boyfriend is polish and he likes getting his polish food. There really isn't anywhere here that specifically serves it except for paczskis for Fat Tuesday. There is the coolest place down near Petoskey, MI on Lake Michigan called the Legs Inn that has a beautiful patio and they serve great polish food and drink. The servers are young adults from Poland. Other than that we usually have to stop in Hamtramck at the polish market when we are in Detroit.

 

[Turn the Page]

Yes, we have Polish food here. There is one local restaurant, with two locations, that exclusively serves Polish food. I love that place. The food is so good. We also have many other restaurants that serve Polish items though that is not their focus. Heck, we have such a large Polish population here we even have a festival every year.

I dearly love paczkis. But only certain kinds. I like the custard filled paczkis with no frosting. Glaze is ok but no frosting. It's just too much.

 

[Turn the Page]

My boyfriend is polish and he likes getting his polish food. There really isn't anywhere here that specifically serves it except for paczskis for Fat Tuesday. There is the coolest place down near Petoskey, MI on Lake Michigan called the Legs Inn that has a beautiful patio and they serve great polish food and drink. The servers are young adults from Poland. Other than that we usually have to stop in Hamtramck at the polish market when we are in Detroit.

Next time you are in the area try the Polish Kitchen. Really great food, doesn't take 45 minutes to get there, and not so many unsavory labor violations.

 

[Chocolate Cake]

Taste of Europe right outside of Charlotte has delicious Polish cuisine.

 

[Callie]

Yeah, the big thing back home catering wise is polish food. Tons of places serve it up for events. Only a handful of restaurants to visit to eat it without a part of being an event.

 

[meliss8599]

Chicago, I believe, has the second highest Polish population after Warsaw so there are a decent amount of Polish restaurants and buffets in the area.

 

[smokeyblue]

Next time you are in the area try the Polish Kitchen. Really great food, doesn't take 45 minutes to get there, and not so many unsavory labor violations.

Oh jeez. Well we haven't been there for years, it's a beautiful spot though. I think I know where the Polish Kitchen is. We had the worst luck ever and had a Sheriff's deputy follow us all the way from Hwy 31 across to the Legs Inn. I thought at some point he would pass us or turn off or around but he followed us the whole way.

 

[Turn the Page]

Oh jeez. Well we haven't been there for years, it's a beautiful spot though. I think I know where the Polish Kitchen is. We had the worst luck ever and had a Sheriff's deputy follow us all the way from Hwy 31 across to the Legs Inn. I thought at some point he would pass us or turn off or around but he followed us the whole way.

That's because there is no where to pass on that road lol. Once you get through Harbor Springs the whole road is all of 1 1/2 lanes wide. You are right, it is a gorgeous spot. I like to pack a picnic and drive up to Sturgeon Bay to watch the sunset.

 

[Poohforyou]

There are a few polish neighborhoods around with markets and restaurants. Dh is 100% polish so I get kielbasa, sauerkraut and pierogies every once in a while. I don't care for any of it but dh and dd love it. I treat myself to sushi on polish night.

I don't know about catering or buffet places but like I said I'm not a fan of polish food.

 

[Neesy228]

I grew up in Pittsburgh which, as PP noted, has a large Polish population. My grandma was a first rate cook where Polish dishes were involved, and I grew up eating most of the food she made. But now, we live about 3 hours outside of Pittsburgh and there isn't any Polish food in sight.

 

[ronandannette]

Big Polish community here so it's not hard to find cabbage rolls and perogys.

Lucky! There's lots of Pols and Ukrainians in Edmonton and northern Alberta too, but hardly any Eastern Europeans settled in Calgary or southern Alberta. I'm not from that background but where I grew up tons of families were - I totally miss the church potlucks.

 

[aprilchem]

I'm in central VA, so not many Polish people here. But my DH is Polish and grew up in Pittsburgh so I learned to make all of the traditional food from his Grandma. Before she passed away I got many of her recipes and I inherited her recipe box when she died. So even though I'm not Polish I'm a fairly good Polish cook!

The one thing we can get here is Paczki, just before Lent. They sell them in the grocery store but only in a few flavors. We always eat them in memory of Grandma!

 

[Minnesota!]

I think there is a Polish neighborhood in Mpls, but not near me. Love the food, though.

 

[Patch'sD]

Nothing like real Polish kielbasa from the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on the Grill with Barbeque sauce. We have several Polish areas where you can pick up some Polish food.

 

[bellanotte10]

There used to be one restaurant with two locations near me with good food. The one that was more convenient with better parking and a larger location closed, and only left the one in Boston, where there is no parking and no seating. which makes me sad because besides that, I really can't think of anywhere else in Boston to get Polish food from a restaurant. I know bakeries, but they're mostly German with some Polish dishes. If anyone could help me in my quest, that would be great!

 

[cabanafrau]

You can get some great Polish food in our area, but it's not as commonly served at weddings anymore like it was 30-plus years ago. I also make a variety of dishes myself.