By CHANTAL DE LA RIONDA
The Unity News Online

“Who are you? What are you selling?”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you selling anything? We aren’t interested.”

“Uh, no. We just want to eat some pierogies.”

“Alright, take a seat.”

Thus was the entrance to Podhalanka, the authentic Polish café at 1549 W. Division St., not far from the Polish Museum in Bucktown, Chicago. Since the closing of the popular Pierogi Factory on 1034 W. Belmont Ave., I was told this was the next best place for authentic Polish food.

Chicago is a place that knows its pierogies. With a sizable Polish population that rivals Warsaw, walking through Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood you’ll hear Polish spoken by locals enjoying borsht, galumpkis and sausages.

I sat at a table near Podhalanka’s bar, while our server dashed behind the kitchen’s swinging doors, reemerging with a pitcher of kompote, a berry iced tea which is popular in his native Krakow.

He introduced himself as Greg, a Polish immigrant who runs the café while another family member serves up dumplings with stuffings like ruskie (potato and cheese), kupusta (cabbage), and lub z miesem (meat).

Looking around the place, it occurred to me that the grandmotherly doily and figurine affinity must be a universal phenomenon, undiscriminating of location and nationality. As I sat there I was transported to every old ladies’ plastic covered couch I’ve awkwardly rested, staring into rows and rows of ceramic roosters.

Here’s a clip by UNITY documentary videographer Jessica Barnthouse, which may give you a better sense of Podhalanka.

 

 Flash Video [1:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Takeaway:
Pierogies at Podhalanka are handmade and without a phyllo crust, characterized only by a texture similar to the steamed dumplings you’d get from your local Chinese food joint.

The potato and cheese pierogi was my favorite, followed by the cabbage pierogi with a bit of sour cream — and I’m not even a “sour cream person”.

Again, the potato pancakes with applesauce made an appearance, which was lucky because you’ll crave a little crunch in your meal.

Podhalanka also offers blueberry and plum pierogis, but I’d skip those. The desert-y dumplings, although swimming in butter, still managed to taste very bland. Even a side of sour cream or a teaspoon of sugar couldn’t save those suckers.

I give Podhalanka a 2.0 out of 5. While the food was quite good, there was a lot of pierogi post-seasoning necessary for an edible outcome. Fortunately, there were a host of condiments supplied, but sour cream and sugar seemed to be the most liberally applied (yes, occasionally at the same time). But Podhalanka’s atmosphere- the surly wait staff, blue collar regulars and knickknacks make for great story-telling potential. Nevertheless, the café is still riding out its popularity from iron-curtain immigrants, and I sense that I could have found better tasting pierogies elsewhere.

Just remember that if you are in Bucktown and decide to visit Podhalanka, leave your Girl Scout cookies and Greenpeace clipboards at home.

Chantal de la Rionda works at National Public Radio and is a mentor in the online unit of The UNITY News.