Must do Polish - Help

Please help.

I've been hearing about Podhalanka for so long and have been wanting to go but have also just started hearing about Zascianek lately. This weekend I'm organizing my VERY Polish family for a memorial mass at Trojczowa, the 3 somethng Polish Church in Bucktown. Afterwards the will be expecting a great Polish meal. There will be eight of us and semi formally dressed. My intitial is Podhalanka, but I've always heard it a bit dingy? Can anyone confirm this? I figure it would be nice to stop in the old hood, Bucktown was once all Polish before the Starbuck crowd moved in you know. Either way, we have to head to NW burbs afterwards so we could shoot up Milwaukee if you think Zascianek might have the more appropriate atmosphere. For atmoshpere I'm not talking formal, but relaxed and able to have a long comfortable meal with a group. Forget Lutnia - it's good but it like putting a cheese burger on fine china (that is really outdated). Please help, Podhalanka or Zascianek.

I wish I could help more. . . but I have only been to Podhalanka. When I go to my studio, I get off the bus at that intersection and walk down Milwaukee. I stop now and again to get lunch to take to the studio (even when I already have food at the studio that I should be eating).

I love the food and I love the interior. The interior is not precisely dingy, rather like a modest Bungalow home. It's small, a little dark, with modest furnishings. Because it's small, it's also had a closed, cluttered feel. My German grandmother and Polish grandmother owned a bar and restaurant when I was a child. I think this place reminds me of that.

When I go, I often sit at what used to be a bar (I am guessing the entire space was once a bar) and wait for my food. This is also where solitary diners often choose to eat much as one would eat at a counter in a diner. I've had some nice chats as I've waited; in my experience, those eating there are often Polish and they always extol the virtues of the menu when I am undecided.

It's a modest place with modest (but delicious and authentic) food. If your relatives would appreciate that, then it's worthy of going to. If they appreciate ambiance more, then I would think there were better choices.

Kościół Najświętszej Trójcy - Church of the Holiest Trinity (that's your three something )

If your family is as Polish as mine (which, trust me, mine is very Polish), they shouldn't mind going to either of those places as the food is good and, frankly, in my opinion, stellar ambiance isn't necessary to enjoy a Polish restaurant, nor would I feel out of place at any Polish restaurant I've been to semi-formally dressed . . . and perhaps your a little confused, but Zascianek isn't really that close to Milwaukee, it's more like Central, which isn't far, by any means, but perhaps not what you had in mind as far as shooting up Milwaukee?

I found the food at Podhalanka to be merely so-so, but I have only been there twice, unlike many of the posters here, who have eaten there more often.

I'm going to give you a decor opinion based on my parents, who gravitate toward slick corporate places like the Cheesecake Factory and Maggiano's. If this does not describe your family, please ignore. My mother and father would find Podhalanka rather dingy. It is a bit careworn, albeit in a way I personally find most attractive. If I recall correctly, the interior is done up in varying shades of brown. It actually reminds me of late 1980s Poland. But, if the family is looking for a "nice" restaurant to eat in after mass, I don't think Podhalanka is the place.

BTW, I hope your screen name is not your family nickname. javascript:emoticon(':shock:')

Smak Tak? Not dingy, not Lutnia-fancy, good solid Polish food, friendly atmosphere.

http://www.smaktak.com/

David Hammond wrote:Smak Tak? Not dingy, not Lutnia-fancy, good solid Polish food, friendly atmosphere.

I'm a fan of Podhalanka, but I think Hammond has the call here with Smak Tak. Plus it's on the way to the NW burbs.

Enjoy,
Gary

Hi,

While I have never been to Smak Tak, I have been to both Podhalanka or Zascianek. Smak Tak's website is definitely a place to take semi-formally dressed relatives for a special occasion meal. If you were heading to the south side, then Sazalas would have been a suitable choice.

Both Podhalanka or Zascianek will feed you well, though their interiors are original never-updated diner and simple space, respectively. Both will feed you well and for very modest prices. Polish speaking is a plus at Zascianek.

Do let us know if your family liked your choice.

Regards,

I am not very expert in polish food, but among a few other visits, after my grandfather-in-law's funeral we had a family meal at the White Eagle.

I thought it was very good. It's perhaps better suited to people in suits than Podhalanka, and it's on Milwaukee Ave. on the way to the NW burbs. Depending on the size of your party you can eat in the restaurant or in a private room -- although on a weekday afternoon when about twenty of us ate in the restaurant it was very close to private.

White Eagle Banquets
6839 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL
(847) 647-9055