Chopin Cafe & Restaurant

Not surprised they have closed down…
Our experience here was pretty bad from the start!
Waited in our car for the «Open» sign or for someone unlocking the front door… neither had happened over 10 minutes past their stated /​posted opening time. I peek in the window, but see no one. Hmm, maybe they had a situation and won’t be opening today?
Thinking there might be another door, I poke my head around the corner of the building… what do I see??? A man wearing a server’s apron lounging outside, leg propped up on a patio table, smoking a cigarette, and chatting away on his cell phone!!! Nice. Should’ve left right then. Unfortunately, the allure of possible great food due to their high rating beat out common sense.
We ended up regretting it, such a waste of time, money, and worst of all, tummy space! Service was whack; he had a difficult time even explaining specifically what came on /​with a dish. He kept getting lost somewhere in back, and we couldn’t get water or anything refilled. When the food arrived, mine looked appetizing, but hubby’s, uhh, not so much… the egg on top looked terrible, and completely ruined it! Mine tasted greasy and old. I didn’t even bother tasting his since he said it was weak.
We weren’t planning on going back, but that’s not even an option now so, cool. Glad that someone else was spared.

The food here is terrific. My wife (Polish) and I live in France, and we’re usually not overjoyed with restaurant food in the States. When we find exceptions, we stick with them.
Cuisine is very authentic and carefully prepared. There is even a matronly woman in the kitchen hand-​folding pierogi!
I’ve read other reviews complaining of a rude waitstaff. I’d qualify that he’s not rude, but English is his second language. As is often the case in situations such as this, one with a smaller vocab can often seem gruff. He’s not super-​attentive, but he’s very consistent with the European approach to service: He serves you, and then stays out of your face. This differs greatly from the normal local approach, whereby the waiter comes by to disturb you every few minutes. Not rude, but definitely aloof.
Lastly, you should DEFINITELY call ahead, as their posted hours of operation do not match the hours during which they are actually open and serving food. This has bitten us in the tail twice. We now call beforehand. The hours posted on the Unilocal listing are also wrong. I get the impression that they wing it, especially on weekends.
We’ve dined here several times, and we go out of our way to do so whenever we’re in the Bay Area. Highly recommended, and we’re both food snobs, for what that’s worth.

Unfortunately restaurant is closed, when i called there nobody pickup the phone. so we drove the with my coworker just for the heck of it, bussiness is closed for soem reason. any more information what happened to it let me know. look like a lot of good reviews.

I just stopped by for lunch (1÷9÷14) and this place is closed for good.

***Call before coming. This place was quite the drive and when we arrived at 8:30pm, we found that they had already turned off their ‘OPEN’ sign and customers were leaving. Note that Unilocal AND their webpage state a 9pm closing. SAD FACE, we traveled so far because this was a destination restaurant for us yesterday night.
I’ll give it 3 stars in hopes that we actually get to try it one day — BUT that means that they MUST be open.

This is a Polish restaurant and since I’m from Czech Republic our dishes are very similar. I love dishes from my country. I miss that food very much.
I tried few of their dishes here and everything tasted very yummy. I love their sauerkraut dish with sausage and mushrooms.
Their décor is very «POLISH» like, I agree with other reviewers it almost feels like you walked into your grandmother’s house. I’m sure it’s on purpose.
Prices are very reasonable for you get. There is another Czech restaurant in Concord named DJ Bistro. Both places are very similar. I love potato dumplings but either place has them :-(

***This review is only for our experience finding the restaurant closed during its posted business hours***
We had looked forward to taking my dad, visiting from Ohio over the holiday weekend, to have pierogi at this restaurant for several months. Checking the hours online, we determined that the only time we could make it would be lunchtime on Tuesday (the day after Memorial Day). We set out on our drive up to Walnut Creek from Fremont and arrived at 1 o’clock only to discover that the restaurant was closed. The hours of business posted on the door matched those on the web site: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. But… not true.
Fortunately we had a great lunch at CPK instead.

We visited this restaurant on Sunday relying on good reviews and ordered Stuffed Cabbage — Goląbki ($ 13.95) and Hunter’s Stew — Bigos ($ 13.75).
Briefly: It’s a shame, not a family restaurant!
Why I dont like this restaurant:
1) Dirty kitchen and food cooked in advance.
The way to the restroom leads through the kitchen, so you can see all this mess yourself. Most of dishes are cooked in advance an are being kept in containers without any cover and with spoons and ladles in sause. I wonder how long the food (especially meat) stays there without being covered and refrigerated?
Taking into account that there are an office table, office chair, computer, phone and flies in the kitchen — hello food poison! Nobody, even a cook or whoever cooks/​warms up the food there, wear a uniform. Goodbye hygiene!
If Gordon Ramsay saw this kitchen he would explode it right away.
2) The food was served barely warm and wasn’t delicious at all. Not surprising considering how the staff attitudes to the food and kitchen.
3) The service is just terrible! The guy (I guess it was a member of restaurant owner’s family) was absolutely don’t care about the guests, though there were only a few people in the small restaurant.
We waited for our food pretty long (why warming up prepared dishes takes about 30 minutes and they are still cold?), he forgot about our drinks, he have never even looked at his guests and never asked if everything is fine or we need something else.
Though only 2 tables were occupied we were waiting for our bill about 10 minutes, because this guy was busy with his own business.
4) Overpiced for a shitty dirty place like this!
Disgusting experience!

Perogis are out of this world!
Excellent food, reasonable prices and the owner, Martin is very friendly and provides great service.

Authentic Polish restaurant that knocked my socks off with such delicious food and very cozy dining. As soon as you enter, you are greeted with bright bold colors and memorabilia everywhere.
But enough about that, let’s get to the food first. Everything else can wait!
FOOD+DRINK:
— — — — — — —
We started off with Polish beer **Zywiec**. It was super dark, just the way I like my beers. (
) Shortly after came the **Cucumber Salad** that was smothered with a dressing of sour cream and dill. Delightful and refreshing! (
)
And now…[DRUMROLL]… presenting…
The **Breaded Pork Cutlet**. (Warning: My rantings and ravings about this dish will not be able to do it justice. But I can certainly try.) The Breaded Pork Cutlet is one of the best meat dishes I have EVER had. Perfectly crispy on the outside, but juicy on the inside. Huge and hearty, these slabs of meat are so large that 2 people can share and still take home leftovers, all at the low price of $ 15.95! The pork cutlet is hefty, light, and flavorful all at once, and is a dish I won’t forget for a very long time. It is true love on a platter. (
)
And of course, my generous dining companions offered to let me sample some of their dishes. Janet’s **Stuffed Cabbage** filled with ground beef and rice was utterly delicious. While sampling Adam’s **Hunter’s Stew** I was astounded by how good sauerkraut could taste especially mixed with beef, pork, sausage bacon, and cabbage. While on the topic of sauerkraut, let me just say that Chopin has the best sauerkraut I’ve ever had. Typically I don’t really dig it. Not only did I like it here, I devoured all the sauerkraut and even took more home for leftovers.
For dessert, the **Raspberry Blintz** was a tasty treat. (
) However I had some bites of the **Rum Cake** and I’d recommend that over the blintz. It tastes and looks almost like coffee cake.
ATMOSPHERE:
— — — — — — — -
As I mentioned earlier, this place is straight up cozy. I mean, it’s practically like we visited someone’s home and shared a meal in the living room! (
) There are mementos everywhere. What –or who– is this?! (
)
Service is laid back but also polite and attentive. The original Polish owners were no longer there, so Adam didn’t get to converse in Polish that night. It was unfortunate, as he’d been looking forward to it. But the food was still just as delicious as he and Janet could recall from their last visit. Ownership changed several months ago, but thank goodness the previous chef stayed on!
It’s a long journey, but definitely worth it to me. I’ll be back.
TIP: You MUST make reservations, as Chopin is very small and a popular dinner spot.
DATE TIP: Share some amazingly tasty Polish food in a cozy spot. Success will come if you also follow the TIP above. :)

Since I’ve emigrated from Poland, my motherland cuisine is indispensable to my palate. When I lived in Chi town, Polish meals were part of my dining routine. Unfortunately, my nearest authentic Polish cuisine in the Bay Area is Chopin, a whopping day ride by horse (Polish measurement of distance), at least it seems that way. Having little attraction to the Walnut Creek area, I’m dispassionate about making the journey frequently.
Upon arrival, we were asked if we had a reservation and for how many. In Polish I replied «reservation for four,» and he returned a bewildered stare. I recalled speaking Polish during our prior visit. Evidently, the new owners are Bulgarian. Further enquiry revealed that the current chef, is in fact Bulgarian, but she has been cooking for the Polish owners for over seven years. In the end, the food is identical and remained delicious, but the Polish authentic ambiance is no longer. I was looking forward to exercising my native tongue, so a bit of a disappointment.
The relaxed family style ambiance is a result of the restaurant’s scanty size and living room style décor. The tables are small and cramped together, so it’s not conducive to private dining. This is not a place for gossip or private conversations. The service is equivalent to being served by a beloved family member, but a bill will be served after dessert. Nonetheless, the staff is super chill, friendly and polite.
The cuisine is definitely authentic and the menu includes popular Polish traditional dishes, such favorites as, Pierogi, Golabki, Bigos and Gulasz to name a few. I had an appetite for sauerkraut, so I ordered the Bigos, or Hunter’s Stew. Basically, it incorporates sauerkraut, beef, pork, sausage bacon and cabbage into a stew. Seasoning and tomato paste add to the rich flavors. It’s served with mash potatoes. Excellent dish for any deprived appetite. I recommended Golabki (stuffed cabbage) dish for Janet, which she enjoyed thoroughly. Our company shared the giant Kotlet Schabowy Panierowany (Breaded Pork Cutlet), and still brought leftovers home. For dessert, we shared the Rum Cake and Raspberry Blintz. The portions are double typical human consumption, so choose to share or expect to bring leftovers home.
In summary, if you love Polish cuisine, this is the place and may be the only place in Bay Area as authentic. Due to the restaurant’s limited seating, make sure to make a reservation. it’s well worth the drive.

It’s been two years since we ate at Chopin. It deserves an update.
The original owners have sold the place about six months ago. The good chef stayed. Hence the food kept its Polish originality. In fact everything stayed the same in the menu. Excellent down to earth dishes and good beer!
Definitely reserve a table. We witnessed the owner turn down two potential groups last night. It’s a small place with extra tables outside for some al fresco dining.
Still a fan!

What a pleasant little café this is!
This is another place that has been on my list of places to check out, so I was delighted to have lunched in with them recently. It was also my first time dining at a polish restaurant.
Chopin Café is located on the border of Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek, nestled within a little shopping center several feet away from Lenardis grocery store. Chopin Café is also completely different from what I expected. Upon entering it felt as if I stepped in to someones living room. The little café is quite dated though, with a homey, comfy grandma type feel, which made me feel quite comfortable.
The place was quite scarce with only one other couple dining in so, I was fortunate to be able to choose a nice little table next to the window.
I was greeted by a very nice young girl and handed the menu. I ordered a cup of coffee while I studied the menu. The have a small though, decent selection of lunch items to choose from (mostly consisting of polish food) with all of them being under $ 10.00. I have never really had much polish food besides a polish dog lol so, I just decided to go with something that I was familiar with. I ordered the Polish dog alone which comes with sauerkraut and fried potato’s. I asked if I could have something else other than the potato’s which she gladly said I could. She gave me the options with one of them being some sort of Beet soup with white beans, potato’s and scallions. It sounded interesting so I decided to get that.
The coffee was ok though, it gave me my much needed perk me up. While waiting for my food, I noticed that they were playing Chopin music in the back ground… Ahhh…this was so nice… My mother was a concert pianist and is and has been, a piano teacher for years, I grew up with her playing Chopin, Beethoven and all the great composers so, the music made me feel even more at home :)
Food then arrived looking decent. The Sausage was tasty though, different from others I have had and I am assuming it was home made. I’m not big on sauerkraut so, I cant say I indulged much in it though, it was not horrible. The beet soup was certainly interesting. It also came with a dollop of sour cream mixed with in. I think its something you would have to get used to, I found it a little bland but not bad.
Overall, the place is small though cozy, the service was incredible warm and sincere, I absolutely loved the fact that they played Chopin music in the back ground, I think it really adds alot of relaxation and unwinding to your dine in experience (to me). As for the food, I think it was more 3 star worthy to me, however, I don’t really have an acquired taste for Polish food, so that could be why. I do know I am curious to dine in again and possibly acquire more of a taste for there other dishes.

The Polish Porter I had was amazing with a great taste. The only thing that popped in my head to compare it to was Fat Tire. It was also almost 10% alcohol and huge. Something in me wants to say at least a liter, but the side in me that drank the thing remembers the bottle being about a gallon.
They obviously serve things other than large bottles of beer. We really enjoyed the delicious, yeasty rolls and polished the basket off fast. The best thing we had to eat was the cabbage and mushroom pierogis. The potato dumplings were bland
One super big thing bothered me. We went in later on a Sunday night, and while there were two servers working, not a single table was bused and were dirty, including the tables outside. Only three two-​person tables, right in a row, were available, and we were sat in the middle with two other couples sat on either side of us. It was super awkward to talk, since, as others have noted, the space is tight, and it was not a situation conducive to any discussion beyond the food in front of us. The servers were overall not that attentive, and it would have been helpful if they even attempted not seat the only six patrons in the establishment right on top of each other. Anything cute and potentially charming about the interior was negated by all the dirty dishes and lack of space and privacy.

the world according to noelle
~2012~
We decided to come to Chopin Café & Restaurant today for lunch because I wanted some authentic Polish food. My husband is from Chicago (of Polish decent) and we’ve had really wonderful Polish food out in the mid-​west.
Upon entering Chopin Café & Restaurant you will immediately notice that the tables are stacked very closely to each other, making it virtually impossible for a wheelchair or normal sized stroller to navigate through let alone a average sized human being.
My husband and I sat at a table for two in the corner near the front window. The first thing I noticed when we sat down was the dirty windowsill and dirty bread plate sitting in the windowsill. Looking closely at the windowsill I noticed little bugs moving around– this bothered me, but they were far enough away not to terribly disturb me.
We ordered:
Polish Sausage
Pierogies
Pork Cutlet
The Polish sausage was tasty but cutting further into the sausage it looked raw and undercooked– we brought this up to the waitress and she assured us it was fine.
The Pierogies we had were– «the mix» potato and cheese, sauerkraut and cabbage, beef. The potato and cheese was slightly on the salty side, the sauerkraut and cabbage was decent, the beef was very tasty– all were very buttery and good tasting.
The Pork Cutlet was served with potatoes and sauerkraut– this was decent tasting but the sauerkraut was very blah.
The bread they serve while you’re waiting is among the worst bread I’ve ever tasted in my life– very stale.
Service was average. Décor was minimal. Overall, the menu is very limited. Shortly after eating here I had diarrhea several times. With the bugs in the windowsill, the so-​so food and stomach issues I definitely couldn’t recommend this restaurant to anyone with a clear conscience.
Noelle’s Notes
Skip it.
Dirty windowsill with bugs
I had diarrhea several times after eating here.

Brought my family, my parents, and my brother here for my moms birthday. (my dad had asked for a suggestion for my moms birthday)
I do not quite know what to say other than everything was fantastic as before. I did miss out on the dumplings this time so I will have to order them the next time around. Food and service have been top notch every time we have gone and will continue to keep them in our rotation of restaurants to visit.
It is always nice to go places where the people take pride in what they do.
Waiting for the receipt did take awhile so I would suggest prepping it ahead of time especially when the kids are getting uptight. :)

Chopin is the first Polish food I’ve had and it left a good impression on my palate.
I tried the cucumber salad $ 4.50, served with traditional polish dill dressing as my appetizer. I had the Mushroom Crepes — Nalesniki z Pieczarkami $ 6.75 for my entrée, very delicious. It was just crêpe and mushroom and some parsley but it tasted very good. I ate it all. And for my dessert, I had one Blintzes– Nalesniki z Serem $ 3.75. Served with raspberry purée and whipped cream. It was light and just right.

I have totally overlooked this place when reviewing restaurants. It has been many months since I have eaten here, but I do remember the restaurant being a pleasant place with good, comforting Eastern European food. The food was what you would expect. I have had better, but the cabbage rolls were tasty and the prices were decent.
We were glad we finally tried it after years (I mean years!) of passing by this restaurant and always being curious.

Had dinner at Chopin with my parents and we all enjoyed our meals.
Marinated mushrooms — mild, light vinegar, nice but a little boring, and served with heavy onion
Red borscht soup — mmm, pretty tasty and I’m not particularly a beet fan
Cream of mushroom soup — also tasty (dad’s favorite of the apps), light on the cream, lots of mushroom chunks
Herring — Big pieces served with tomato and onion. Mr. M thoroughly enjoyed.
We split dinner entrees (which the kitchen was kind enough to put on separate plates), since portions are big and we’d had an afternoon cheese plate at home. That turned out to be the perfect amount for us. Hubby and I had the pirogi, which come with 8 at dinnertime. You choose your combo from cheese&potato, sauerkraut&mushroom or beef. They were out of cheese&potato, so I tried the other two kinds and thought the sauerkraut&mushroom were the standout. My P’s had the Hunter’s stew, and I have to say I liked it better (shhh) than my late Latvian uncle’s famous (in our family) sauerkraut. The stew was mild with a very light tomato base. We washed it all down with a nice Polish porter, the perfect accompaniment.
This is not the type of food I go for often, but it was a nice break from the usual. Perfect hearty meal for a chilly night. We didn’t get the warm fuzzy welcome from our waiter and the owner didn’t greet us as she did several obvious regulars, but service was fine. We talked about going here when our son did his 2^nd grade heritage report on Poland, but just never made it until now. For sure we’ll take our son back with us next time, and we’d like to try their weekend breakfasts too.
Large portion dinner entrees run btwn $ 10 – 18
Apps/​salads/​soups in the $ 4.75-$ 10 range

Chopin Café was reviewed by Manabu M. with such enthusiasm i had to check it out. though polish, the dishes had a similarity with german dishes, at half the price. décor is polish art works, plates, and lace curtains.
music: probably chopin instrumentals, barely audible.
sampling:
–cucumber salad (3.95 served with traditional dill dressing)
got this by mistake, looked like just cucumbers and white dressing.
poked the cubes a little looking for the potato salad i ordered then returned it to sender.
–breaded pork cutlet (7.95)
large sized pork fillet breaded and grilled. tender not dried. amazing deliz despite no sauce. contrast chicken fry steak (old american) and tonkatsu (japanese)
–vegetable potato salad (3.95)
very small cubed potatoesi ntemixed with celery bits. 2 small scoops of potato with a tomato slice. natural taste, «dry», no sauce. contrast this with german potaote salad which is spicer with black pepper .
–coffee (2): a little harsh and a little weak, polish style? unsure.
–home made rolls
a little sweeter and bigger than the baked dinner rolls available at safeway.
–fine dining
–chopin café is very small, 12 tables (of 2’s) inside and 4 outside.
–single server in his tees flittering around like peter pan
–service «leisurely» (seems to be slow). this can be expected by one manpower (horsepower) service.
–eatery mostly full, was told table would be ready in 10 minutes and it was. (a pleasant surprice, server rewarded later).
–very good value, fresh ingredients in food.
–traditional polish fare, not fancy but good, inexpensive dining.