Beaver Choice

The words «exciting and unique» are not ones I would often use in relation to cuisine in Mesa, AZ., but that doesn’t hold for Beaver Choice. In a town not known for it’s inventive restaurant experience this restaurant stands out by a mile. The key to their culinary success is a simple one — cook from scratch with prime quality ingredients, and add a heaping portion of passion. The style reflects the life experience of owner of the restaurant and is a mixture of Polish, Swedish, and Canadian influences that will leave your needing a big nap, then wanting more, more, more. The food is simple in form but complex in taste. The French Canadian favorite poutine made for a great starter. There was lashings of gravy and curds atop tasty fries. It was rich and satisfying. For main course I had the pork schnitzel cordon blue. I highly recommend it. The meat was tender, the batter delicate, and the use of brie instead of the traditional emmentaler, delicious. The award-​winning chocolate meringue desert was heavenly and reminded me of the delights European dining. Fresh cream makes everything better and coupled with the gooey meringue… divine! I could go on about the food for hours, particularly the signature Pierogis.
Staff were very friendly (even bringing out an unsolicited sample of Pierogis for us to taste), and knowledgeable, and service was highly efficient. Prices of the dishes were extremely reasonable, with main courses generally in the range of $ 15 — $ 16, and portions are ample. One thing to note however, this is a restaurant about the experience. It means that a great deal of attention goes into all they do and everything is made to order, not partially precooked. If you go there expecting the typical dining experience of assembly line cooking then this is not a place for you. Great food takes a little longer to prepare but only a short one and it’s worth the wait. If you want the same old same old, go to a restaurant chain. Mesa is full of them. If you want to relish your food and the company you’re with, this is for you. I will be back for sure and I will be bringing friends. This is a treasure that’s too good not to share.

I love this place! Schnitzel is amazing, as well as the poutine. Yesterday’s visit was my first since they moved. It’s gorgeous. I especially like that everything is made to order. As such be prepared to wait a bit its is so worth it. Have drinks with your friends and family while you wait.

The pierogies are almost as good as my grandma’s! I had the chicken schnitzel and it was very tasty. I loved the dumplings! I went with a group of people and everyone enjoyed their food. We shared the custard and the rhubarb crumble. The only complaint is that my sister made reservations and they had no record of it. Thankfully they were not busy. I would return to this restaurant.

This is what real food should taste like.
We went on a Friday evening and enjoyed a free sample of pierogis, the stuffed mushroom appetizer, one schnitzel platter and the shoemaker’s box. The schnitzel was amazing. The shoemaker’s box was also very tasty but came with way too big of a serving of mashed potatoes (would have preferred a second side instead).
The service was on-​par and our waiter helped answer all questions we had. The desserts looked awesome but we didn’t imbibe in them this time, maybe next.

Seemed a little pricey at first, but ended up taking half of it home! Quality and quantity totally make it worth it. I got the chicken schnitzel cordon bleu with polish potato dumpling and it was great! The sides were home made and delicious as well. Customer service was fine — other waiters/​waitresses seemed more talkative than ours, but ours was still quick and offered good recommendation. Wish I could’ve saved room for dessert!

On Thursdays they have a all you can eat soup, salad and pierogis. The soup was a wonderful vegetable soup with Brussel sprouts and carrots. The salad was a Swedish coleslaw and my choice of pierogi flavor. My friend enjoyed the Swedish sampler plate, but could only eat half of it.

We had a delicious dinner at Beaver Choice tonight. Our server was lovely, efficient and welcoming. The restaurant was clean and comfortable. We had Jagerschnitzel and Viking Schnitzel. The flavors were wonderful. The breading had a subtle spice that added to the flavor of the mushrooms. We also had the Garlic, Leek Smashed Potatoes. That combination was a great addition to the pork of the Jagerschnitzel. The beet salad with horseradish is a must try. We finished with the Lemon Fluff which was a refreshing finish. We thanked the owner and his son on our way out. We will be back the next time we are in Phoenix.

This restaurant has home cooked meals, original polish and Scandinavian kitchen. They also offer great choice of polish beer.
We had pierogi with meat, home made potato dumplings –one of the best I ever had — and gravlax, which tasted absolutely awesome. I also orderd delicious sage chicken.
We met owners and we had long conversation with them, they are super nice and very helpful. Our waiter was also on top of it. We also bought 3 dozen of frozen pierogi to go which I will make for dinner one day.
If you want experience original European kitchen, home made food and nice atmosphere this is the place to go. Do not expect bill to be brought to your table after you done with eating, its european place and they will not bring it to you unless you ask for it. In Europe dining out it is a celebration, a social event which can take up to 3 hours :-), they want you to feel welcome and don’t rushed off the table after you done. So please take your time, relax, have a dessert and enjoy!

Just had the worst experience here. A two hour meal with only half the food served. Surly waiter, no drink refills, lost tickets, two desserts delivered and 15 minutes later no sign of the third. No explanation, no apology and no eye contact. We asked to see the owner and she came over and said they lost our order and these things happen. Basically, tough. Save your money and don’t waste time. This is like Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale. A total train wreck from start to finish. We will never go back.

Although the wait is a bit long to get your food … the servers have been super nice, and the food is TOTALLY worth the wait! It’s our first time here, but our son and his wife have been here a few times. I had the Holsteiner Schnitzel and my husband the elk stew — both were DELICIOUS! Our son had the gravalax and his wife the pork schnitzel, and both of those were delicious as well. The sides are very authentic. We’re waiting for our dessert, which I’m sure will also be great. Absolutely will return on one of our next trips to visit the new grandson!

Loved the food!!! The owner was very attentive and visited with us. Staff was great and friendly. Super clean and attractive. Tried four dishes, one appetizer, two desserts. Will definitely be back for more.
I had the CHICKEN VLADIMIR. The chicken was moist, the sauce tangy with some spice. The salad was fresh and roasted potatoes, couldn’t get enough.

Strange name but absolutely awesome food! First time since I left Germany that I’ve had Snitzel this amazing. Definitely sole food level.

First timer — great place to eat if you want to try something different. I had the Vladimir chicken and it was delicious. Dessert is also amazing

Chicken schnitzel is amazing. More words need to be written. more words 5 stars words words words. Galaxy quest rules. Schnitzel for the win

Outstanding food and options unlike any other restaurants in the area. The stuffed schnitzel was amazing and so was the Potato pancake. The fresh salads with your. Walk are nothing short of amazing. Love the atmosphere and choices on the menu some of. The desserts are exceptional and can only be found here and in Europe. I will be back soon.

Outstanding selection and variety. Menu has influences from Germany, Italy, Nordic countries, Poland etc… Very Attentive service by Sam. Had the pork Schnitzel and it was scrumptious. A bit of a drive but well worth it. Prices are very reasonable. Owners are super sweet. I was too full to order dessert. Highly recommended.

This place has crazy hours and the staff is rude. Don’t come. It is not worth your time, your drive, and your money, unless you like to be treated bad by low class people.

What an amazing place, incredible food, wonderful atmosphere. Highly recommend for an evening out or date night. If you are looking for something new and different this is definitely a place to try.

We were searching for comfort food and a quiet spot to visit with friends. The menu the menu reminded us of our Canadian (prairie) cultural roots, and it did not disappoint. The owner was there eating with ‘her very first customers’ and, everyone was friendly and server was attentive.
Will meet up with friends and eat there again when in city!

I kept driving by this place wanting to try it, but finally went last night for my Dad’s birthday. We had a dark haired chipper waitress who even though very busy, tried to make our stay pleasant. The owner’s son who is Swedish (accent and all) was very helpful and took a moment to discuss the language with us as my grandmother was Swedish.
We ordered Elk served over potatoes, chicken with a pineapple/​chili sauce and Swedish meatballs and schnitzel. All of it came in nicely sized portions and was super tasty. Be ready to pay for these lovely dishes though. Not too spendy, but higher prices.
Why I didn’t give a 5 star: We sat in the corner booth, which has wooden seats, that started to cut into our legs. I would suggest you sit at a table with cushioned chairs. I also thought they needed to maybe have one more employee to take up the slack.

I have to agree with some of the other reviewers on here, about how it seems to be going downhill.
On Thursday «all you can eat» perogie night, it seems like a chore to get them to keep fresh perogies in the steam table. And they only have like 3 different flavors… one steamed and one pan fried. And the flavors don’t differ much.
–Potato and cheese
–potato cheese w. jalapeño
–Farmer potato
–oh yeah, and some mushroom one. nasty.
The only bright side is the schnitzel is really good. The only reason I came back a second time was I love the Honey beer from Poland.
But the last time I was there, the nice server found out where they get if from locally, so now I can go get some!
If they decide to make the all u can eat, actually worth eating. i will be back.
otherwise…I wont choose beaver choice.

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. Hannah is a complete bitch. I’ve worked in the food industry for YEARS and I know to NEVER treat a customer let alone another person the way that she treated me and everyone else in that place. She’s rude to her staff and customers. And the family doesn’t care how they look to the customers because they all back each other up and make sure you feel real stupid. The food comes out cold and for the price and time you wait it’s NOT worth it. They need Chef Ramsey to go in and show them how to make real food. This place is pathetic and a disgrace to Scandinavia food I’m surprised it’s still up and running. I think the guy that helped after the bitchy owner was Chris and he mentioned he was the son and he’s just a dick and doesn’t care. The blond girl was our server and the poor girl just puts up with it. I don’t care how much money you make in a night, it is not worth putting up with such horrible bosses. The food, the waiting, the overpriced menu and the service sucks. Do yourself a favor a save the money for a restaurant that knows what they’re doing. Hannah you’re a pathetic rude bitch. Learn respect

Good eats. I got the Polish sampler with couscous and green salad. The pierogi were nicely crisp and perfectly seasoned, the cabbage roll delicious, and the sausage thick and chewy. Plenty of couscous for leftovers and the salad was crisp and lightly dressed. The takeout service was decently quick and there’s plenty of parking. Definitely a winner.

Miserable.
Our attempts at ordering were thwarted by a server with no knowledge of the menu. In his defense he was a hipster who had *only* been working there two months and apparently doesn’t care about *anything* especially being able to do his job.
Our attempts at ordering were further thwarted by a chef/​cook who was either unwilling or unable to create the first four items we tried to order. The fifth item ordered was the $ 22 polish sampler — which had 1 Gołbaki, 3 Pierogies and 1 Polish Sausage. We were informed the Pierogies would all be of the same type (flavor/​filling) and would be the cook’s choice, additionally the type of sausage was unknown. Not very reassuring if your polish place can’t tell you the difference between kielbasa and kabanos.
We finally settled on a pierogi appetizer, an order of gołbaki, and the Jäger Schnitzel. Regarding the pierogi — the menu says «We have different types of flavors everyday so please ask our friendly staff!» — we tried but were unable to find the friendly staff, so we asked our server (who didn’t have a clue).
The pierogi selections were all potato filled, including the cheese one.
The pierogi aren’t any better than the frozen Mrs. T brand at every grocer.
The gołbaki was an unspecified ground meat wrapped in cabbage with plain tomato paste covering it. The Jäger Schnitzel might have been good, had it *any* seasoning — even just a little salt.
In summary, if you’re seeking a good authentic Polish food restaurant — keep looking, this ain’t it.

Beavers Choice is a bad choice. I had wanted to try this place for ages. I finally got the chance to go tonight and WILL NEVER GO AGAIN. It started OK the complimentary perogies they brought out were crisp and hot. I got the all you could eat perogies and the soup was great the Swedish coleslaw was OK the perogies were cold and nasty. My friend ordered flying Johnny. It is the nastiest mess of chicken, bananas, one lone peanut and a nasty sweet tomato sauce the kindest comparison is the sauce on canned ravioli. The only high light was the side of beet salad. The waiter never checked back on us and we had to have another waiter take away the flying Johnny. It was not removed from the bill and my friend was not offered to order something else. Over all a very disappointing experience. Inattentive service, cold or yuck tasting food. Don’t bother going.

I’ve never had Scandinavian food before but I will definitely have it again! Wonderful restaurant, great food made from scratch and the owner is such a joy to be around. I had the Swedish Meatball entrée and you get 4 sides. I had the tomato basil, marinated green beans, Swedish coleslaw and the «smashed potato» which is like a bake potato that has been slightly mashed and covered in leeks. Utterly fantastic! Not sure what the meatballs had as a spice in them but I devoured them! And the gravy was good enough to suck through a straw! They gave us free samples of the pierogies and by far the best I e ever had! Definitely going to try the Thursday night special if all you can eat pierogies, soup and salad!!!

My husband and I went to this place on New Year’s Eve, we called ahead because we did not have a reservation and they assured us that they would be able to squeeze us in at the bar. Upon arrival we were greeted by very friendly staff and seated right away at the bar. (We enjoy sitting at the bar, we could have waited for a table.) After reviewing the menu, we already decided to return even before trying the food because the menu looked so great. When the food came out, it was delicious. I had the laxpudding which was similar to a salmon frittata and it was amazing. My husband went with their signature dish, the schnitzel. Overall, the food was fresh and really great. I would definitely go back and recommend others try!

We tried Beaver Choice for the first time today and it was excellent! The pierogies were delicious and reminded me of my family’s cooking from back home. We also had the Viking schnitzel with dill potatoes and it was so good as well. Everything was very fresh and flavorful. For dessert the Beaver Supreme was one of the best things I’ve had in a long time, and very unique. We’ll definitely be back again.

This place has gone down hill since the last time I was here. I came here for the pierogi buffet on Thursday and it was not good. A lot of the pierogi was sticking to the pans and ripping open. And every time I come in I wonder why they don’t have sauerkraut pierogi or mushroom, and I over hear them say it every time someone asks «that they just haven’t figured out how to make it not soggy» but that basically leaves you only eating potato pierogi… Broken apart pierogi at that.
Also you’re supposed to get soup and a salad, the salad was left out without ice underneath it, and the huge soup crockpot was empty.
Service was basically non existent, and there were literally 5 tables, and they don’t take Amex now. I don’t think I’ll be back again.

I always like trying different food which is what led us to Beaver Choice. While the food worth trying I can’t say I’ll be retuning any time soon as the service is slow and the food is over priced. Lunch was $ 20 without any drinks.

This place is very simple in all aspects. There is no décor or style. Food is bland and overpriced. We ordered the crab cake as an appetizer, chicken schnitzel and scallops. The waiter brought 2 deep fried pirogies. I burned my tongue tasting it. Chicken schnitzel was simply just fried chicken with no flavor with a weird sauce. Scallops were good but there only 3 pieces ($ 25!). The sides were sour cabbage and mashed potatoes ($ 16). Every immigrant from Eastern Europe knows how easy and no cost to make this cabbage. My relatives would be shocked to know how much I paid to eat this cabbage. I don’t think we will go back again and will not recommend it to my fellows from Eastern Europe. Authentic foods in Poland, Ukraine and Russia tastes much better.

I have been wanting to try this place for years and finally had a chance to get here. Being from the Midwest, I grew up with all sorts of Northern European dishes and Beaver Choice did not disappoint!
We were greeted by a wonderfully pleasant woman who is the owner. She is the type of lady who is so sweet and positive, you just want to hug her. We spent a little time at the bar, the wine menu is a little limited and the pours small, but the beer selection was awesome, a lot of imports from all over Europe.
​We were seated and had issues with the service throughout the night. Our server was slow, slow to take our order, slow to come check on us, and seemed to avoid our table in general. We also had issue with our entrees coming out and missing some items, or just missing entrees entirely. We ordered some appetizers and received a plate of complimentary perogis to share.
I ordered the Scandinavian Sampler (Swedish Meatballs, Gravlax, and a Mini Shoemaker’s Box) while the boy ordered the Polish Sampler. Our server did not ask anyone what kind of Perogis they wanted or tell us what flavors were available that day. All the food was great and reminded me of all the comfort food I ate growing up. Each dish came with 1 large side and 3 smaller sides. I loved their potato salad and their horseradish and beets were awesome!​The Boy shared some of his Polish Sausage with me (get your mind out of the gutter) and it was a must order as well. Crisp snap of the casing and good flavor for the meat.
Will definitely be back, I suggest making a reservation as the place is on the medium small side. I really want to come back on Thursday for their unlimited Soup, Salad, and Perogi special for $ 11.95. I hope they iron out the serving situation, it was the only thing keeping them for 5 stars with this review.

Second visit here and now I know why it took us over a year to return. At first owner was pleasant and nice showing off their pirogi machine to my family. Appetizers meat pirogi with mushroom sauce and stuffed mushrooms came out very quickly and were very good. Our server seemed to have his mind else where as every time he came to our table to get drink orders or check on us he was busy looking everywhere else which made us wonder if he heard what we said. We ordered our entrees, Famous Seared Scallops, Jäger Schnitzel, Ghoulash, Stuffed Chicken. All were good until we came to the Seared Scallops they were cold inside. When we finally got the server’s attention he took the plate for it to only be returned with the owner. She was very very argumentative and kept insisting they were cooked properly and that is what seared means. She kept touching them and showing me look they are cooked, I touched them and said yes they may be cooked but they are cold. Well that’s how we serve them was what she kept stating over and over again. She did say they were cooking some more well done ones for me and at that point I told her no thank you. I didn’t want them.
My family finished with the other items they were okay but nothing that was very impressive or that had us saying we must return soon. We didn’t even stay for desert nor want desert as she had ruined our Friday family dinner night with her attitude. When we got the bill my husband stated that the scallop dinner was on the bill still. Her response YOU ORDERED IT
WOW! You charge your customers for a meal that they were not pleased with and immediately sent back and did not order anything else to replace it with. I had 2 bites of a (1) scallop and returned it.
VERY VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE! Also to overhear another table order the scallops and she made it a point to tell him how they are seared and that she just wanted to make sure he knew they aren’t hot looking at me the entire time. RUDE
OVER PRICED DINER FOOD! AWFUL DECOR! OLD DINER PLASTIC STYLE BOOTHS

If your a foodie this place is going to disappoint you.
On the surface everything appears OK … interesting, clean & spartan. Friday night, nobody meets you at the door, you awkwardly wait for a table in a half full restaurant with no bus boys or hostess. The bar area is strangely uninviting … nobody sits there. Wander over to the dessert chiller, nothing special, should have left right then and there. The owner/​bartender finally seats us, we order a bottle of wine, decent service. A nice selection of wine & unique European beers. The menu looks interesting, Scandinavian, Polish, German.
The disaster starts when the food arrives. Crab cake, tiny boring. canned. Schnitzel pounded to thin with horrible gravy. The sides all canned food with salads made from this same canned food. Awkward potato ensembles, bland dumplings & sauerkraut. If you want German food head over to Zur Kate, this place is a disaster.
On the Polish front the Kielbasa was perhaps the highlight, perhaps locally made … perhaps not! Cabbage roll & Pierogies no doubt previously frozen small & bland, sauce was OK nothing special. Still hungry I would have dipped my foot into Scandinavian waters but I suspect it’s only ankle deep. I grew up in Wisconsin with these same ethnic foods, if this is what Canadian Food is all about, I’ll pass!
I don’t know what’s up with this area of the East Valley … India Oven, Angry Crab Shack, Golden Gate, & now the Beaver Choice. All the worst examples of their ethnic specialties … yet highly rated on Unilocal.
The only explanation … It’s A Dead Zone.

I just had a fantastic experience here. We came on Wednesday, which is all you can eat Pierogi! Then our friend had a birthday and they sang to her in Swedish! Great place, wonderful food, exceptional people. Try some Scandinavian here.

«It’s not a party until the perogies come out.»
I agree, and on Thursday nights, it’s all you can eat perogies here at Beaver Choice. For one small price, you can scoop up as many pan fried and steamed perogies as you can eat.
Of course, you’re not limited to the perogi feast. They also have their regular menu – a selection of Scandanavian, Polish, and Canadian dishes, with a sprinkling of other tastes as well. Everything is very fresh! I recommend the schnitzel.
You don’t see food like this very often. Rest assured, when you have it here, it will be of the highest quality and served up by an ultra-​friendly staff. The owner loves what she does, and it really shows. My wife and I are glad that we decided to start coming here. Beaver Choice is the right choice when we are looking for a taste that’s just a little different, and yet very delicious. I think you’ll agree.

From the moment you walk in the owner is there to greet you like family. You feel instantly welcomed as the staff is friendly and wants you to try everything!
From the beginning they let you sample a free pierogi or two. Just to get you ready for the home made meal to come. While you’re waiting for your food, the owner might come by and invite you into the kitchen to see what she’s coming up with behind the scenes.
But this kind of friendly service it’s just the tip of good things here. The food is like your mama’s kitchen. Simple but really really good. There are a great number of interesting things from all over the world. The owner has brought a little bit of every home she’s had to this restaurant, and it really shines through the menu.
That being said, the star of this place is the pierogi. No matter how you get them cooked, they’re perfect every time and taste better than any dumpling you’ve ever had.
Don’t let the naysayers who review this place poorly fool you. This is a gem of a restaurant. Small in size but huge in heart. Expect a wait when you get here though. The place can get a little crowded, and the food is made from scratch so it takes time to cook. But it’s worth the wait every time.

This was one of those dining experiences for me where I was just wowed. I immediately wanted to come back again and my partner decided it’s his new favorite Mesa restaurant.
We started with the pan fried perogies (a mix of the jalapeño and the bacon ones). They were extremely delicious & the homemade sour cream was perfect on the side.
For dinner my partner order the Viking schnitzel (pork). It was a burst of flavor to the taste buds. Everything was seasoned perfectly and the schnitzel crispy. The sides: tomato mozzarella salad and arugula salad very tasty. The marinated green beans were good, but probably not a future choice. The potato pancake was essentially crispy hashbrowns. I ordered the scallops. They were divine. Cooked perfectly and the little potato dumplings they sat upon. I wanted more.
For dessert we shared their special dessert… Meringue with fresh whipped cream, mandarin oranges and walnuts. The perfect sweet light end up the meal.
This is definitely somewhere I will return.

Good, hearty food! Warm customer service! Bottomless iced green tea! And you gotta try the Werewolf.
We were greeted with two free sample pierogies and they were delicious! I think they definitely want you to order them because the profit margin must be ridiculously high since they’re so expensive to eat in. It would be cheaper to get a dozen of them frozen and take them home so that’s what we planned on doing.
For our stay though we tried the blue cheese stuffed mushrooms, a small poutine, and the swedish sampler plate. Everything was good! But our favorite was the salmon, and of course the delicious dill sauce for it.
The biggest downside is that their prices are entirely too steep really for what you get. Also, they really emphasize their pierogies but don’t have every flavor all the time? I really wanted to take home a dozen of the cheesecake ones since they got such rave reviews on yep but was told they didn’t have any that day and that their types rotate. What a major let down! For that being their only dessert flavor, it really should not be in a rotation.
I wouldn’t go again, but they definitely earned at least 4 stars.

Wait– I thought that I’d already reviewed them? Maybe not, but anyways…
This place is not only fantastic, it’s completely unique. You’re just not going to find food or service like this anywhere nearby. We stopped here for lunch and enjoyed two different schnitzel dishes. Not only that, but the people who work here are *REALLY* friendly. The young man who took our orders brought our coffee out, and he was obviously really proud of it. The coffee was excellent, and I told him so, and beaming with pride he told me how he made it and how he liked to take his time making the coffee properly. It was a small little touch, but it went a long way.
The selections on their menu will make you want to come back and try something completely different next time. I know we will!!!

So this place is kinda advertised as Scandinavian but I’d say it’s really more international as they also have German, Polish and even French-​Canadian food on the menu.
My boyfriend and I started our dinner with poutine. If you don’t know, poutine is French-​Canadian and is fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It was delicious! We quickly inhaled every gravy-​covered bite.
For our entrees I went with the Shoe Maker’s Box, which is basically pork loin with mashed potatoes topped with bacon, mushrooms and gravy. It was quite rich and very filling. They give you lots of potatoes! Overall it had a good flavor and the pork was cooked well.
My boyfriend went for the elk stew which is more like a stroganoff than a soup-​like stew. Lots of meat served a top egg noodles. He really enjoyed it. The elk was a bit gamey for me. It was good but I don’t know if I could have eaten more than a few bites.
For dessert we had the Beaver Supreme. It’s an attractive desert and tasted good but the meringue made for a mess at the table. One cut in and crumbs flew everywhere. Glad we got it for the experience but next time I would probably order something else.
The service was good and the atmosphere is comfortable. I definitely want to go back to try their Swedish meatballs.