Chicago: Podhalanka

This might be hard to believe, but toward the end of my time in Chicago, I really didn't have much motivation to look up new restaurants to eat at.  Maybe I was burned out by finals combined with BARBRI, but whenever my friends asked me to think of a place to eat at, I always drew a blank.  

One of the last restaurants on my list was Podhalanka:

CK, JS, and I arrived about an hour before the restaurant closed, so the place was pretty empty:

The fact that such a traditional Polish restaurant was playing "The Bachelorette" on its single TV screen really tickled my funny bone.  Like watching a train wreck, I couldn't look away.  Until the food arrived, that is.  

We started with some bread:

Because we knew next to nothing about Polish cuisine, we asked the little Polish lady (probably the owner) for help.  She recommended that we start off with some soup:

There were only a few soups available that day.  We went with the navy bean soup.

She also recommended the stuffed cabbage:

A pierogi combo plate:

Which included potato and cheese:

Meat:

And cabbage:

Finally, the potato pancakes:

The pierogies reminded me a lot of Chinese dumplings except with sour cream instead of soy sauce.  Love the thick skin.  The stuffed cabbage wasn't incredibly memorable, but the potato pancakes were awesome.

The food did such a great job of distracting me that sometime during our meal, "The Bachelorette" gave way to some Polish soap opera without my noticing.  All of a sudden we were the last people in the restaurant and though it wasn't officially closing time yet, the front door was gated off.

Loved the homey feel of Podhalanka.  I still know very little about Polish cuisine, but I think it's safe to say that if you like potatoes and sour cream, Polish food is definitely for you.


Podhalanka
1549 W Division St
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 486-6655