BOSTON: Cafe Polonia

This marks the start of a new “chapter” for The Pierogi Experiment. While my quest for pierogi perfection continues, I’ve decided to venture outside of my own recipes and into the world of restaurant pierogi. If you haven’t noticed, pierogi have been making the rounds in the U.S. restaurant scene. I don’t think we are at a place yet where we can dub them the next “it” food, but that day may be coming. And seeing as we are starting to see pierogi joints pop up in the south and west coast (not traditional pierogi territory), that time may be sooner than we think.

I’m starting off with what I would consider to be a solid classic: Cafe Polonia in Boston.

Café Polonia feels like stepping back in time and into your grandma’s kitchen. It’s small and homey. There is Polish pottery and rooster ceramics on display. Although the decor may be a bit dated, the food is timeless and classic.

The restaurant only has six tables. The day I visited, half of those tables were filled with jovial older men who appeared to be in the midst of celebrating. They were hugging, speaking Polish and – I kid you not – they were doing shots of vodka. Na Zdrowie! I immediately knew this place was legit, and this was all before I even tried the food, which was so good I went back later that week for seconds.

The highlight for me was the potato and cheese pierogi, which I can say are some of the best I’ve had. If you live in Boston and have not made the drive this Dorchester establishment, you are missing out.

Here is what I ate:

Pierogi (Duh!) : I ordered the potato and cheese pierogi plate, but other options include meat and cabbage/mushroom. You can get them boiled or pan fried. I went with pan fried. And let me tell you, if you can only get one thing, get these. They were so good that my boyfriend said, “I think these are better than yours.” The pierogi are properly stuffed and sufficiently plump. The filling uses cottage cheese, which makes for a delicious and creamy dumpling. The dough is thin and crisped up nicely in all the right places! They are served topped with sauteed onions and sour cream on the side.

Polish plate: If you can’t decide what you want, this is the way to go. It comes with sweet cheese (boiled only), potato and cheese or cabbage and mushroom. I added a meat pierogi for an additional charge. Also on the plate is a grilled Polish sausage kielbasa, Hunters Stew, and stuffed cabbage. It was delicious. I ate the whole plate by myself. For me the highlights were the pierogi and the kielbasa.

Borsch with dumplings: This is a bit different than borsch I’ve had in the past, though I’ll admit that most borsch I’ve had has been made by my family, so perhaps my borsch palette is not as sophisticated as most. Their borsch is more broth-y. I expected there to be chucks of beets or other veggies, but there weren’t. The broth does have a good tangy flavor. The addition of the dumplings were also a nice touch.

Kielbasa Shish Kabob: It is hard to go wrong with grilled kielbasa, peppers and onions. For me, what set this apart was the way they cut and grilled the kielbasa. Each chunk of meat was sliced on both ends so that they curled up as they cooked. Dare I say its the prettiest kabob I’ve ever eaten.

Beer: Cafe Polonia prides itself on having Polish beer. I tried two different beers and really enjoyed both. My first beer was a Warka Radler Blackcurrant with Lime. I am a big fan of radlers, though this is the first one I’ve had with blackcurrant. It is an easy light and beer and has a great fruit flavor. Would be perfect for a sunny day. The second was the Lomza Miodowe. It’s a great lager made with honey, which is also something I have never had before. It is a light lager and the honey flavor subtle, but you definitely notice it. Sweet, but not too sweet in my opinion. Both beers were unique. I would recommend trying either.

Details:

Address:

611 Dorchester Ave, Boston, MA 02127

Dine in and take out

Hours:

Monday through Thursday: 11am – 9pm
Fridays: 11am – 10pm
Saturdays: 10am – 10pm
Sundays: 10am-9pm