Chicago has one of the largest Polish communities outside Poland, and for generations it has followed Milwaukee Avenue northwest out of the city: from the old Polish Triangle near Wicker Park, through Avondale, and on to Jefferson Park and beyond. The food followed too.
What to order
- Pierogi: dumplings filled with potato and cheese, meat, sauerkraut or fruit, boiled and often pan-fried, topped with fried onions and sour cream.
- Placki: crispy potato pancakes, sometimes topped with goulash.
- Żurek and borscht: a sour rye soup and a beet soup, the two classics.
- Zapiekanka: a toasted open-faced baguette with mushrooms and cheese, Poland's favorite street food.
The sit-down classics
- Staropolska in Avondale: the classic Polish dinner on the old Polish stretch of Milwaukee Avenue, with brick walls, wood beams and big platters. Share the Polish Plate for two.
- Smakosz in Jefferson Park: a family-run spot near the Copernicus Center since 1985. Get handmade pierogi and the baked pork knuckle.
- Polish Bistro on the Far Northwest Side: a cozy, cabin-like room with generous, affordable home cooking. Order the potato pancake topped with goulash.
Try a bit of everything
- Red Apple Buffet (Czerwone Jabłuszko) in Jefferson Park: a Polish buffet running since the 1980s. It's the easiest way to sample kartacze, blintzes and everything in between.
Pierogi to go and new-school Polish
- Kasia's Deli in Ukrainian Village: a small, mostly takeout deli whose handmade pierogi are a Chicago staple. Try the potato-jalapeño.
- Pierogi Kitchen in Wicker Park: a bright, folk-art-filled shop bringing handmade dumplings back to the old Polish Triangle.
- Spoko in Lincoln Park: Polish street food from a new generation. Get the zapiekanka.
One more Polish tradition
On Fat Tuesday, Chicago lines up for pączki, rich filled Polish donuts. Bakeries sell them by the box. Look up the rest of the local lingo in the Chicago Food Dictionary.
Also a Chicago Polish classic: the Maxwell Street Polish. New to the city? ChicagoApartmentBuildings.com is our guide to apartment buildings across Chicago.