Ostrowski Homemade Polish Sausage

I’ve visited the other Polish delis in the area, so I figured I might as well try this one out since it had spectacular reviews. Unfortunately I was completely disappointed. Upon walking in, I only noticed one type of kielbasa and a couple packaged side dishes. I figured that meant their kielbasa was so good that they only needed to make one kind. Turns out I wasted $ 18 on sausage that was over salted and tasted horribly fishy. I will probably never go back again. If you want a decent variety of sausage that actually tastes like sausage, go to Krakus deli. Their kielbasa is phenomenal. I make it a point to go out of my way once a week to visit them.

When I visit Baltimore, and I do do regularly, I always tuck a cooler in the back of the car to take the treasures of Maryland home to Pittsburgh with me. What might that cooler contain?
Ostrowski’s kielbasa, Sriracha sauerkraut, and whatever specialty sausages, pierogies, and jerky catch my eye on that particular trip. (Of course, jumbo lump crab and scores from the JFX farmer’s market are tucked into that cooler, too!)
First, the kielbasa. The fresh kielbasa is the best I’ve ever had. Period. I’ll poach links in beer and finish them on the grill for football parties or make an unstuffed stuffed cabbage casserole with big pieces of the sausage layered with sliced potatoes and Sriracha sauerkraut. And I gild the lily by studding the whole thing with slices of Ostrowski’s smoked gypsy kielbasa.
What’s the gypsy sausage? His regular smoked kielbasa pumped up to the max in flavor with a hefty amount of cracked black peppercorns. Fantastic!
And the Sriracha sauerkraut (among many other fresh made varieties available)? Amazing! Sour heat that can’t be beat! (Be sure to try saving some of the juice for a pickleback… SO good!)
SO happy the tradition and quality of the Ostrowski family have continued to represent the best Baltimore has to offer!

Had the Kielbasa here once and it was pretty good but I recently went back and was very disappointed because the kielbasa was shriveled and dry. Basically inedible. The original owner died a while back, and I guess quality has dropped.

I work at Johns Hopkins Bayview Med Center and on Wednesdays, Ostrowski’s joins Zadrahka Farms for farmers market afternoons. I normally only buy farm produce and local pickles, but today, I decided to get some polish gypsy smoked sausage. I only ever go to Sophia’s Deli in Fell’s Point, and I adore their service and products. I bought a pound of pre-​packaged gypsy sausage today at the market and when I got home to open it, half of it had mold on it. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I have no receipt since it was purchsed at the farmers market for cash-​only. This was SUCH a let down and a huge waste of my money. I’ll never buy from here again. I hear that they have a new owner and I’m sincerely not impressed. Please mandate a strict food safety rule and carefully check ALL products before shipping them off in direct sunlight for sale at a market.

ALL salt and smoke. Once upon a time this was the best Kielbasa in Baltimore. I finally returned since the new owner took over and alas, decent kielbasa in Baltimore is no more. I bought the traditional smoked and it was so smokey and salty (couldn’t taste the meat at all) that I actually boiled and drained it. It was still too salty. I will probably use a little in soup and throw the rest away.

This place is no longer owned or run by John Ostrowski or his family. My wife brought home sausage for Thanksgiving from here, it was terrible, a step above a slim jim in taste. This sausage was frozen and sealed in plastic. The fresh smoked kielbasa was good though.

Clarification:
There are TWO Ostrowski’s, this one and another «Ostrowski’s» on Bank Street. From what I understand, the Washington Street is the «original.» By «original, I mean that, apparently, the Ostrowskis only did kielbasa for the Polish/​Ukrainian community in Baltimore. As I understand it, the progeny of the original owners had a sort of «falling out» over future of sausage-​making and marketing. The Ostrowski of Washington Street (OW) and Ostrowski’s of Bank Street (OB) both make kielbasa, fresh (mild and spicy) and smoked. But OB also makes Bratwurst, Celery or Sage Sausage «Country» Sausage, Mild and Sweet Italian Sausages and breakfast links. The idea is, OW focused on making fresh and smoked kielbasa, with some other varieties, offered rarely, for only the local community. OB diversified his product to reach a wider audience and then sold his product to local stores to reach consumers outside Baltimore.
So which is better?
That’s like asking if someone prefers the mountain view or the ocean view…
Both get a five-​star rating. CAN YOU BEAT fresh, local sausage? I spent time around the world in UK, Hungary and France. Both Ostrowskis sausage ranks in the top 5, ever. Even the Amish in Pennsylvania haven’t made one close to this.
_​IF_​I had to choose, I would choose the original OW fresh kielbasa over OB.
But, I DON’T have have to choose, because OB’s smoked kielbasa is better, and I discovered many uses for their Sage Country sausage and Bratwurst on my grill. Thus, OB’s is my go to place for a getting sausage for a summer barbeque at my place or some brats for the game.
In the end, these are two Baltimore icons, one available in the local Safeway and Giant groceries (OB), the other exclusively sold in one location (OW). Either way, visit, buy a rope, take it home and nosh on the best sausage available East Coast, outside of New York.

Unbelievably good. I make a pilgrimage down to this place to pick up a few kielbasa on a regular basis. I have colleagues who drive up from D.C. pretty much just to stock their freezers. Their unsmoked /​white kielbasa reminds me of the stuff my grandfather used to make, except, frankly, this is more consistently good. If you grill the unsmoked stuff low and slow, it self-​bastes in it’s own juices and the resulting aroma will actually summon woodland creatures to emerge, line up, and stare at your grill. Even some herbivores. It’s that good.
Adding to this, it’s a legit local family business, so this is a win-​win. The owner is frequently working the counter and will frequently hand out some samples and shoot the breeze with you. The offer polish pickles (more dill and a bit less salty than the stuff you’re probably used to — you can actually tell it used to be a cucumber), sauerkraut, and, perhaps most importantly, home-​made pierogi. The last time I was in there they mostly had the traditional potato and potato/​cheese varieties, but the lack of filling options was more than made up for by the execution — you knew damned well these weren’t Mrs. T’s.
If you love kielbasa or if you simply want something new to throw on the grill for a cookout or a party, you are seriously missing the boat if you don’t give this place a try. There is of course another shop with the same family name around the corner, and it’s not as though that place is bad, but this place is better — all the effort here goes into the product and it shows.

This is the only authentic Polish kielbasa establishment in Baltimore. It represents pride, quality and tradition. The long lines approaching Easter are a testimony to how much customers love this shop. I love the smoked and the Lithuanian sausages. Many satisfied customers drive for many miles to savor their home made product. You can only buy the original Ostrowski kielbasa here. Call ahead for product availability. You can bang on the door even if they’re closed-​the shop is connected and they are there. I’m Polish/​Lithuanian and moved from RI 25 yrs ago. The best!