Cracovia

Like taking a step back in time. The food was pretty good — ordered a sampler like plate to try a little of everything which was nice but I think I’d just stick with the perogies next time. This place def reminds you of grandmas house.

This place is ok but not totally impressed. It’s a bit run down and the customer service is not the best. All in all I think you have better options in this area for authentic polish food. I had the pork cutlet and while it wasn’t bad it was not as good and authentic tasting as other polish restaurants on the same street. I would not return not because it wasn’t good, but because there are better options near by. Might be more of a personal preference on taste …

Stopped in for breakfast since I was in town for the day. It’s a small family restaurant with Polish music playing and the décor reminded me of being in Europe.
The breakfast was standard fare, with an option of Polish sausage, which I had, and it was tasty.
It has the feeling of a neighborhood diner where regulars come all the time. The waiter was very pleasant and personable. If I’m in the area again, I’d stop by for lunch.

Very simplistic menu with daily soup and meal specials with a small section dedicated to polish classics. My dad and I went for lunch when he came to visit and split a galobki meal and a polish mixed plate. We will definitely be returning. Prices were very reasonable.

This is a small-​ish mom-​n-​pop kind of restaurant where everything is cooked to order… and delicious. I had the Polish platter and it could easily have fed two people. I would definitely come back the next time I am in the area.

Because Cracovia was so good that I came back for seconds the next day, I’m going to combine the two visits into one review.
Cracovia serves large portions of authentic homestyle Polish food and is some of the best food of any variety that I have had the pleasure of eating. As an out-​of-​towner, I did not feel that the location was bad, and considering that the neighborhood is a historically Polish area, I thought the restaurant fit quite well there. Other reviews have referred to Cracovia as a «dive,» but I find that description a bit unfair as well. The setting is simple and the restaurant is clean, if dated, just like the kitchen staff, which on both visits was comprised of three elderly women who have obviously honed their skills to perfection. The servers were both attentive and friendly, and I was not left wanting for anything on either visit.
As for the food, on the first visit I went with the Polish Plate: a wise choice, indeed. The platter arrived with stuffed cabbage in tomato sauce, pan-​fried kielbasa smothered in onions, sauerkraut with chunks of roast beef, and two scoops of mashed potatoes sprinkled with dill. A side plate with three pierogies — one meat, one sauerkraut, and one potato and cheese — accompanied the platter. The stuffed cabbage, my personal favorite, was filled with a mixture of ground beef and rice, the outer leaf tender and succulent with the interior contents moist with just a slight resistance when cutting it into slices, which I rolled in the tomato sauce before eating. The kielbasa was divided longways with slices running down the length of each half, making it easy to cut into and increasing the surface area, which allowed for more of a crispy sear to develop in the pan. The smothered onions atop the kielbasa were deeply caramelized and also went quite well with the potatoes, which were a little dry on their own but when mixed with sauce from the kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, and sauerkraut, reached an excellent texture and intensity of flavor. The sauerkraut, as other reviews have stated, was not «like other sauerkraut,» which I attribute to less vinegar — this sauerkraut did not have as much of an acidic bite as most sauerkraut I have eaten, and also absorbed the meaty flavor of the roast beef. Very tender. The variety of the accompanying pierogies was quite nice, with the sauerkraut-​filled pierogie being my favorite, followed by the potato and cheese, though the meat-​filled pierogie was still quite tasty. Uncomfortably full, I took half of the kielbasa home for a late-​night snack. This discomfort is no fault of Cracovia, rather it was because of my overindulgence in a variety of food which could only be faulted for tasting too good.
I spent the evening and the next day dreaming about my dinner and returned this evening. This time, I ordered the stuffed cabbage meal (two stuffed cabbage leaves, each roughly the size of a medium Idaho potato), three pierogies — two sauerkraut, one potato and cheese, available a la carte — and the beet soup. The stuffed cabbage and pierogies were every bit as impressive as they had been the night before. The «cup» of «clear» beet soup, was actually a medium-​sized bowl of red-​beet-​colored broth with three beef-​filled tortellini within. The broth was rich and slightly sweet, as one should expect from a beet-​based soup, and the tortellini with beef paired nicely with the broth. I divided each tortellino in half in order to make a reasonably-​sized bite of food, and would gladly order this soup again.
If I ever find myself within an hour’s drive of this restaurant, I’m quite positive that I will return.

My mom, daughter and I went to Cracovia for lunch and had a wonderful experience. We are from out of town and wanted an authentic Polish experience. We were so pleased and certainly want other to know about this little gem.
The waitress was so kind and efficient, and the value was excellent, but the food was the reason for five stars. It was superb. I began with the white borsht soup, which was full of flavor. Rye bread, already buttered for us, was served along with it. We ordered the Polish Plate which is a sampler of stuffed cabbage in tomato sauce, kielbasa, sauerkraut cooked with meat and kielbasa, three pierogies (each with a different filling), and mashed potatoes. Everything was delicious and cooked expertly. The portions were generous, so I enjoyed my leftovers the next day.
The restaurant itself is charming, providing a sense of being in the kitchen of a good friend… not at all pretentious. It should be featured on DDD. I’m looking forward to going back soon.

Very authentic Polish food — the potato pancakes were very fresh and tasty… crisp, not greasy at all. They even made some «Hungarian sauce» for my mother to go with her pancakes. The soda cans are written in Polish too. There was a constant stream of Polish people coming in, which made it a really fun experience for us. Friendly people, good service, reasonable prices and large portions — all good stuff. And parking right out front!

I’m not one to go overboard with reviews one way or the other. That said everything and especially the food at Cracovia made me very happy. This place is the defenition of what an authentic mom n pop restaurant should be like. Only problem is its 150 miles from home, but if I find myself within 50 miles I’m there.

Fabulous polish food! Don’t let the outdated décor fool you. Simple polish cooking at its best. We went on Friday for a late lunch when they have the white borscht soup. The soup was amazing. And the potato pancakes were great too. And we tried a few of the pierogi too. Simply delicious. Definitely try the polish beer too. We will be back the next time we are in town.

I had heard a lot of good about this old school New Britain diner with an authentic Polish flair so I thought I would try it for breakfast last Sunday. It was my first time here. The place itself is very casual, and like stepping back into a New Britain diner in the 1950s. That was kind of cool. Place was neat and clean. But the rest of my experience was somewhat like an old Clint Eastwood movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Well, first the good: Breakfast was a nice portion and was very good; 3 eggs done perfectly «over easy» crispy Bacon, and very good sliced (not chunked) home fries done slightly crisp on the outside but still tender inside. The Kielbasa was excellent, tasty and not salty at all. I also ordered a side of sliced tomatoes. Now for the bad: Coffee was weak and the Rye bread toast was tuff, yep, tuff; had to really work the jaw hard to chew it. Also not warm when it came out either. And now, the ugly; The place was not overly crowded and there was only one waitress on the floor who was working the dining area and diner counter area as well. She was busy but not so that she could not have provided better service (heck, any service) to those sitting at the counter. She was obviously catering to the table folks. I sat for at least 15mins while the waitress set up plates, and cups, etc. in front me before I finally asked her for a menu, then she told me I would have to wait! All she had to do was turn around and a put a menu on the counter. Then I sat for another, maybe 20mins waiting again. I finally got a menu and I asked for a coffee and water. I had to wait yet again. The coffee pot was also about 4 feet from where I was sitting, then, there was no milk or cream anywhere in view for the coffee, of course. I never did get the water. I had to wait some more to place my order. When I was finally able to order my breakfast it did come out rather quickly at least. That took be about 10mins to eat. The price for all the good food and, well, ahhh, service was just $ 6.95. That was very good. But from the time I sat down until I was walking out after eating, 90mins had gone by! Maybe it was just a bad day there but that was way too long an experience. I may try it again, one more time. I want to see just how good the authentic Polish food is next time.

Had the pierogi with cheese and onions. I also got the sour cream and Apple sauce on the side. These were the pierogi I have ever eaten. Cooked to perfection. My god.
The place is a total dive, but all the other food I saw come out looked pretty good as well. It’s a tad pricey, but worth it. Give it a try if nearby. I would definitely order here again.

I once lived in New Britain, so I am very familiar with all the Polish restaurants in the city and nearby towns. For some very nostalgic cultural reason, I have always been drawn back to this restaurant to satisfy my desire for Polish food. Over the years I have tried almost everything on the menu from soups, meats, stuffed cabbage, chicken dishes, potato pancakes, sauerkraut and blintz’s and have found the quality, authenticity, taste and consistency to be exemplary. This is a comfortable unpretentious, very affordable place with very good food, prepared by a well seasoned staff of delightful Polish grandmothers bustling in the kitchen, really what could be better than that!

I wanted to get some authentic polish food since I was visiting New Britain and came here because of all the reviews. I’m so glad I did! THIS is what polish food should taste like! Seriously the best polish food I have ever had. I ordered the polish plate so that I could try a little bit of everything and everything was delicious!

This is my kind of restaurant. Genuine food with an unassuming atmosphere. The well-​worn grandma’s kitchen feel only adds to the charm. Perfect blintzes, perogies and stuffed cabbage. Even the sour cream is better here :)

No frills. Generous portions. Delicious food. Great people. Down to earth. Feels like mom or grandmas kitchen.
Back for our second time… they served us after they were closed!

We stopped here last night about 40 minutes before closing. It’s a very simple space that I found out also serves breakfast. I ordered the polish plate which consisted of a polish stew made of either pork or kielbasa with sauerkraut, I’m not a big sauerkraut fan but this was absolutely delicious, did not tatse like sauerkraut at all, it was very sweet, next was dilled mashed potatoes, a nice piece of mild kielbasa with sauteed onions, stuffed cabbage with a tomato sauce and pierogis consisting of 1 meat and 2 cheese and potato with sauteed onions. Overall the meal was really delicious but could have been served a bit hotter. This is pure Polish comfort food at it’s best and I would like to go back someday. Oh ya, when I peaked into the kitchen there were 3 lovely ladies doing all of the cooking.

(Note: this would be 3.5 stars if the rating was possible).
I try not to rate restaurants based on one dish. It seems unfair and doesn’t show a whole lot of creativity on my part. If you want to know the true character of a restaurant, you have to try multiple dishes, right?
That’s generally true, unless there is one dish that is just plain awesome. Here, it’s the schnitzel platter.
I could talk about the issues with parking, or the reasonably-​friendly staff, or the inexpensive prices. However, it would keep coming back to that perfectly-​fried cut of meat, topped with an egg, and accompanied by mashed potatoes.
So good…

Cracovia has five-​star food, no doubt. You’ll defininitely get the New Britain Polish Food experience you came for. The blintzes are very large, sweet, and tasty. The stuffed cabbage is professionally prepared, and doesn’t come with that putrid cabbage aftertaste that tends to pervade many Eastern European foods. And don’t leave without having pierogies!
But Cracovia isn’t quite a five-​star experience. Waitstaff is nice, and the food is cheap, but man is this just a sad place to have a meal. It reminds you of your grandparents’ living room… old plastic wrapped furniture, poor lighting, an eerie silence from the general lack of customers… I feel terrible for saying all this, because you go for the food first. But you need to know this ahead of time… this isn’t exactly the Rainforest Café from a décor standpoint.
Still, give Cracovia a try at least once in your life. They’re an indelible part of the Little Poland culture, and they need the business!

And I actually thought frozen polish food was the real thing! 3 of us enjoyed lunch there on 12/​17/​2011. You go there for the food, not the ambiance. It is an older restaurant for certain but then again, that was a part of the charm for us. We wanted the REAL THING. Not another Applebee’s or Chili’s stamped out restaurant. Cracovia is the real thing. We all orderdd different items and also shared to sample the food. All 3 of us concur the food was nothing less than outstanding. It was one of the very best luncheons we’ve had in quite some time. Try the red cabbage salad and the perogies will send your taste buds into a frenzy. If you order the large Polish platter, two can share the one. Now Im looking forward to testing Polish restaurants in the Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Florida area.
Cracovia = superb food flavor, great value and good portions.