Podhalanka

I love this place! The food tastes like my grandma’s cooking: not a bad bite to be had. Everything is fresh and delicious. The owners are friendly and remember their customers: they always ask about my family, my job, etc. (It’s cash only, FYI!)
Yes, if you don’t take control, the guy will order for you, but he never does it to me, since I’m firm about what I want. He does it to prevent confusion among those who haven’t eaten Polish food. Also, I think he likes guessing what people will enjoy, like a party trick.
Think of the menu as a listing of everything the cook makes, and think of the cook as your grandma, and it’ll make sense why all 10 different soups aren’t available every day.
I would come eat here every day, if it were feasible.

This place is a step back in time. The mixed perogie plate was really good, and filling! They make them themselves, but freeze them and defrost them as ordered, so there’s that. With some fried onion bits and good sour cream, the dish was just what I wanted and expected. Come here for a taste of the old world, and expect to be grilled by the owner on if you are Polish or not. The fresh juice was very good as well, and cheap!

This is a gem that will one day be gone. And not replaced. The cabbage soup, bursting with shredded chicken, is my medicine, whenever I feel a cold coming on. Served w a generous portion of delicious rye bread & butter. The white borscht is phenomenal — the Polish just do not know how to make bad soup — and here lies the best soup, & best kept secret, in the city. But don’t let that stop you from ordering the potato pancakes & pierogis. Enjoy it while it lasts. And I hope it lasts a very, very long time.

Located next to a Money Gram (blue sign), with only street parking available (my husband and I were able to find free street parking a few blocks down near an apartment complex).
My husband and I came here for dinner on a Monday night a little before 5:30 pm. We walked in and were eventually acknowledged by an older woman behind the counter. We sat the counter and decided to order the following:
Roast Pork dinner, $ 15.75 prior to tax– My husband originally wanted the spare ribs, but the woman who took our order said they were out of it. When my husband asked for another item, she said the same. She told us they still have roast pork and roast beef though. This entrée comes with a salad (shredded beets, picked vegetables and sliced cucumbers with yogurt sauce) and soup (my husband picked barley). We really liked the salad, especially the beets and yogurt sauce on the sliced cucumbers. The soup was warm (perfect for the cold and windy day) and tasted good.
The portion size of the entrée plate was quite generous. The mashed potato was somewhat lumpy, but I liked it. The gravy was tasty. The roast pork was moist and tasty.
Potato & Cheese Pierogi, $ 7.75 prior to tax– I thought the pierogies were pretty good. The skin was a good chew and was cooked perfectly. But I just wished the filling had just a little bit more salt to it (which is a rare thing I ever ask for from restaurant food). This entrée comes with 10 pieces which is plenty to make for 1 meal or perfect to share with another person.
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(Total= $ 26 after tax, prior to tip)
Service was not very attentive and not too friendly (but that didn’t really bother me).
A plate of latkes was originally brought out to us. But was taken away and given to a table behind us. Although we did not touch the food, I would not want to be given a plate of food that was previous dropped off at another party.
This place is a no frills, non hipster restaurant. The women’s restroom was clean upon visit.
This place is a-​okay (thus the 3 star rating) with good food and average service, but not sure if I would make a special trip to come back here again.

The food was very tasty but our waiter tried to con us into getting a «special deal» for first timers. As such, he poured my boyfriend and me each a glass of juice (which we didn’t want) and then charged us for it. We didn’t end up taking him up on his «deal» but the food was really delicious.

Thank you for authentic family recipes and no frills food. I am so happy I know where to get my polish fix!

Don’t let them pick the food for you! expensive and not worth getting. This food does not represent «polish food». This place sucks.

Lost and dying niche of diner.
I have been in twice. Once to do a drive-​by and get a to-​go menu and the next when I was in rush. Both times I had to wait about 5 min to talk to someone who could help… the sole guest gave status reports to put me at ease. I had the pierogi and was offered the Cabbage soup and a glass of juice since I had to wait, all of which I would have again. kind of underhanded to be charged for the soup thst I didn’t order but that is life in the big city — «I bet I know where you got’dem shoes.». that said I’ll go back when i am not in a hurry.

This is not going to be, nor is it intended to be, a hipster heaven. This is old world cooking with an atmosphere and presentation just like you might of had from your grandma back in the 1950’s to 1970’s. The ladies who do the cooking are a little tacturn, like my grandma and aunts. It immediately brought me back to my childhood.
You might benefit from getting a picture of the menu and looking up the names of the items as they are in polish. The english descriptions are really not descriptive of the dish, only indicating the primary ingredient.
I went with a friend on a Sunday afternoon, the place was empty as there were only three diners in the time we were there. That is not a bad thing either, we could sit anywhere we wanted. Bring cash as they do not accept credit cards or the machine was broken. It will not bankrupt you; expect your meal to go for $ 15-​$ 20 a person, the dishes come out really quick for being made to order.
Outside it looks like an old house, tucked in between two businesses. Inside it looks like a time-​warp from the 1970’s and in your spare time just look at some of the very unique cultural items that we eastern Europeans will recall from our childhoods.
We split a serving of kraut and mushroom pierogi, I had mushroom soup and a golabki (meat stuffed cabbage with a tomato sauce and a side of cubed potatoes). All were very authentic and good tasting. Maybe a little less on the cubed potatoes but I was full by the time I was ready to nibble on those.
As far as getting too much food if you allow the owner to order for you. get used to it if you are Polish/​Ukranian/​Belorussian. Grandmas always want to stuff you with food, pushing dishes in front of you while saying «.
Just have realistic expectations; think of it as your grandma’s kitchen and relax. It is a five star eat.

Great place to eat. From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall and It was a little difficult to find as we weren’t sure which door was theirs. When we finally got in we sat at the bar. We looked at the menu and i wasnt really sure what to order. The owner of the restaurant assisted us with some recommendations. We had the pierogies the cheese blintzes and potato pancakes. I’ve never had Polish food, and I will admit, it was good. I didn’t expect to spend as much as I did and the owner was nice but insistent on his suggestions. I won’t give it a five star because, I asked for a few small items and I didn’t receive it. But overall I would give it a 4-​star for the cleanliness, nice reception and engagement. Would go there again.

The food is delicious, the owner is pleasant, and the cooks (his mom and aunt?) Are adorable.
Never thought I would ever try pickle soup, let alone like it, but I found my self scraping the bottom of the bowl, it took every last ounce of class I had to not pick up the bowl and pour the last few drops into my mouth. The cheese blintzes are delicious (taste like a cheesecake wrapped in a crêpe), the perogies and potato pancakes were yummy… the sausage is okay. Overall, so glad we found this little gem, I would definitely recommend it.
As per previous Unilocal reviews, the owner will order your food (considering any dietary restrictions you may have) which for us worked out to ~$ 23 per person (2 ppl.) But, the selections he made presented a variety of delicious (FILLING), authentic, homemade Polish dishes… not sure we could have made better selections on our own…

Don’t allow the owner to order for you unless you’re prepared to pay more in the end.
That being said, everything he brought out: The borscht soup, the blintzes, the potato pancakes, the stuffed cabbage, etc… tasted fantastic. I loved basically everything I tried and felt like I was eating at a friend’s home.
And with THAT being said… I felt like I was eating at a friend’s home that was in desperate need of a decorator… or anything visually appealing. Old, confusing, and kind of funny is the way I would describe it. Even spicing up the outside look would help bring in business!
I will most likely be back, but in hopes that I don’t get my menu taken away from me again. :)

Wonderful! So much food. Had never been and the waiter knew exactly what to get us. Three bowls of soup, three polish sausages, pierogis, stuffed cabbage and potatoes, potato pancakes, and blintzes for about $ 22 a person between three of us. Definitely worth the money for how much food we got. Must try!!!

As a visitor in Chicago this was one of my favorite experiences of my entire vacation. We told the server we were from out of town and that we weren’t Polish. He took away our menus, and the next thing we knew plate after plate of traditional dishes were set in front of us. They were all delicious. I would order any of them again.
The favorites for our group was the stuffed cabbage, soups and blintzes. We also got bread, sausage, and potato pancakes. For a group of 3, this was about $ 22 a person. Come with cash and an empty stomach. Great food and hospitality. It will be well worth your time.

Absolutely amazing. It’s a «hole in the wall» place and very homey when you walk in. Everything is homemade, even down to the juice they serve you.
Our server completely suggested everything for us (which I loved considering I’ve never had polish food and this place is very authentic). I had a cabbage chicken soup and it was delicious. All the soups my friends had were wonderful too.
We had potato pancakes, stuffed cabbage, pierogis, sausage, and some crêpe-​style side stuffed with some sort of cheese. It was all absolutely amazing, possibly the best meal I’ve had in my visit to Chicago. You get a ton of food for a great price. You can see the employees (who I am assuming are also the owners) take pride in their restaurant. Loved it here and highly recommend it

I had high hopes for podhalanka but the food was pretty subpar.
I give 2 stars and not one because the food seemed fresh and was prepared by a grandma.
As stated in other reviews below, the guy will push you to order things you don’t want. For example, we didn’t order juice, he just brought it to us so we assumed it was free, but it turned out to be $ 6!
I won’t be returning to this place. As a side note, if you are looking for delicious Ukrainian food, head to Shokolad in Ukrainian village. That place is amazing!

The waiter who runs the orders here deceives you. He will push you to order everything from juice to large sized plates (of which seems like a suggestion, but he will PUSH you) and you will end up with a LARGE bill. You need to be FIRM about your orders, and understand the portions. Don’t let him decide for you!!!
All the food is delicious and tastes just like home. Just remember to understand Polish food is heavy. Don’t let the man push you over. It’s a trick. The juice isn’t free, he will bring you too many plates. This is how this places stays open, I understand. Just order what you want. If you notice he doesn’t do this to the regulars.
Like i said, food is incredible. The man is a jerk/​trying to rip you off. Just see reviews below me.

The food here was pretty good. My friend and I tried a wide variety of Polish foods, from pirogis to cabbage soup to the potato pancakes. We tried so many different foods that I don’t even remember everything that we had — but I can tell you it was all very good.
Now to the reason we tried so many things: the man behind the counter. He was deceptively nice and recommended that we try a multitude of menu items. In fact, we basically let him order for us. By the end of our meal, we racked up a bill of $ 60 and had extra food we had to take home.
After eating here, we felt that we were tricked into ordering excess food just to rack up a large bill. But I quickly dismissed that thought, and since the food was great, I decided to go again. The man behind the counter probably didn’t recognize me, and to my surprise, he pulled the exact same spiel again!
Because of this repeated experience, and because another one of my friends reported the exact same occurrence, it seems that the owner here doesn’t care about the needs or wants of the customer, but only about his paycheck. This selfish attitude and manipulation earns Podhalanka a 1 star in my book.
As a result of my experience, and the experience of others, I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

If you want to see how Poland looks and tastes 20 – 30 years ago, you must stop here. I feel like
The owner is from Krakow. She is very sweet and nice. She still works here and I think it’s just special!
I ordered a white borsch. Very yummy! I enjoyed every moment there :) makes me feel like I am 20 again… After class sitting at the bar mleczny eating a soup. Feel so good. Very homie :)

When you are in the mood for a delicious hot bowl of old school European/​Polish soup, (at least ½ dozen on menu) stuffed cabbage and a decent menu of hearty traditional home made food at reasonably prices, served quickly, this place is a solid contender for a great meal. White Borscht and Beef Barley are two of my favorites.
The cheese crepes are also delicious. The crêpe skin light, thin, but not too thin, crisp and just perfect. Never had anything here that wasn’t fresh, homemade and tasty. Check out some photos before your go so you understand the place and it’s food.