Charles-Ten Restaurant

Hometown, place where they know your name feel. saw other reviews about the wait for food but we went on a Friday night and the service was great. Friendly staff, good cocktails, great food! Wish they had some polish desserts but we tried the cabbage soup, pirogies, golbabki, and kielbasa and sauerkraut.

Call first, i think this place is closed, «correction «maybe it is not closed due to recent reviews

This is the type of place I look to Unilocal for.
I was staying near the airport and looked for something different — a Polish bar that is quirky and unique. The menu and reviews warn of long waits … but on a Wednesday evening with two people we had no issues. The food was good and I take their word for it that it is genuine Polish — I think this is my first Polish restaurant. The interior is jammed with stuff on the walls and the waitress was very friendly and we went with her recommendations. The other people in the bar area seemed to be regulars and seemed to be a nice group.
I will definitely return and recommend to friends

Type of order: sit down dinner
Food Quality: best Polish food I’ve ever had. Suck it Mrs. T. This shit is legit.
Beer Selection: Zywiec and water
Service: A guy randomly checks on you, and serves your food on styrofoam plates. But you’re not here for that. He’ll be back… So you hope.
Atmosphere: My grandmother’s smelly craft room
Prices: VERY reasonable. Surprised how reasonable for great quality food
Entertainment: The table Betting on how long it takes to get your order (although it’s more than half the fun)
Overall Experience: Killer local place. Amazing ethnic food. The service is actually very welcoming, and great, but they do brazenly advertise «Eat before you come,» since everything is hand made, and made with love. Totally worth every minute of the wait.
Recommend Rating: Absolute bucket list check out if you like Polish food.

I have been here numerous times for cocktails with friends over the years but never tried out the food. I knew all about the «wait time» everyone remarks on yet we were hanging out, so it didn’t matter at all. I got the golobki… This was the best golobki I have ever had in my life. That is a bold statement, yes, but true. Although I do find it difficult to give anything 5 stars, this was pretty damn close. I absolutely recommend you try this entrée at Stella’s.

Best place in Windsor Locks for a cheap beer and a home cooked meal. The pizza is also phenomenal, but it can take up to 2 hours as everything including the dough is made when the pizza is ordered. It’s always worth the wait though.

Stella’s is an awesome place to meet up have a drink or grab a bite to eat! The golobki and cabbage soup are awesome! The waitstaff treats you like you are a true guest. And the charm of the original building they’ve been in for years really adds to the whole experience. Well worth the stop right off of I91

If your looking for home cooking and a great time, this is the place to go! Yes, everyone knows your name, even if you’ve never been there before.
The atmosphere is charming and warm, the bar and the dining room are filled with all sorts of novelties and decorations.
As one other reviewer posted earlier, the restaraunt is closed on Saturdays, it has been closed on Saturday ever since Charles died on a Saturday. His wife Stella kept it closed on Saturday’s ever since and their daughter Ann has kept up the family tradition keeping the place closed every Saturday.
I’ve been going to the C-​Ten since I was 16 years old, my dad went there, his dad went there and I hope Ann stays there forever so my daughter can go there too.
Her menu is pure homestyle cooking. She serves homefries and a cheeseburger plate wich is my fav, her pizza is delicious and yes, can take quite a while sometimes and, although I have not tried any of her Polish specialties, I would imagine they are all good.
I highly recommend anyone stop in for a drink and a meal and I’ll bet you’ll go back again.

Loved the cozy neighborhood feel of the bar, lots of interesting random items around and hanging up, dark wood, comfy bar chairs with backs, obviously a lot of regulars, bartender was lovely — friendly and attentive. We were immediately at home here. We both had farmer’s cheese pierogies, gf had boiled, I had fried (skip the mushrooms which were obviously canned but get the onions) — they were so delicious, I had never had them with farmer’s cheese before, I would come back just for these. We ordered the kielbasa dinner and the galubkis. Kielbasa was good, served with nice sauerkraut and a potato, very traditional and we enjoyed it. The galubkis (if you don’t know this is cabbage stuffed with ground beef and rice with sauce on top) were excellent, cabbage was tender, the filling was flavorful and the sauce on top was very tasty — not totally traditional in my book in that usually I have had it with a thin slightly sweet sauce and this was a chunkier, almost more italian-​style sauce but we both loved it and can’t wait to eat again. I’m really happy to have tried this spot and will definitely be making repeat visits.

Where everybody knows your name.
Good bar, with restaurant area. Clean and food is feel-​good.

Basic old-​school Polish food, friendly service, and a quiet, inexpensive bar make Charles-​Ten a standout in the food desert of Windsor Locks. As others have mentioned, the menu warns that the wait for your meal could be lengthy– anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours– and it contains the suggestion «Eat before you come.» Now, don’t get me wrong, that’s totally insane. But this place has been in business since 1942 and by all accounts they’re pretty committed to the whole «only owning one oven» thing. (Also, they’re not open on Saturdays– go figure.) So pack a sleeve of Saltines, order some Polish beer, and settle in.

My cousin and I stopped in not knowing what to expect… and we were pleasantly surprised! My only complaint… the service was a bit slow. However, if you’re looking for a casual place to eat with friendly people and great food, this is it! The pierogis and golumpkis are fantastic — you must try them! I’ll definitely be back!

Cabbage soup, polish items and chili are great. Always friendly service and great value.

I have been going to this restaurant since I was in diapers and I have never left feeling unsatisfied. This is where I go to get food that tantalizes the taste buds and fills my stomach like food from home. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ if you like food, order the pizza, glumkis, our perrogi. Wait can be long but worth it, BY FAR.

I have eaten at this restaurant many times and tried most of the menu. Order the cabbage soup and polish specific items. The service is always great.

We stumbled across Stella’s place when we took a hungry turn off I-​91 on a Sunday evening. The service was great, the clientele was friendly, the food was traditional — tasty and great value, worth the diversion for sure!

Lets get one thing clear — you don’t go here for a great dining experience (even though the perogies were fantastic). You go here to have a beer to three with your friends in a cozy local establishment with lots of history.

I did not ride my scooter there. In addition, I was with company worth talking to rather than reading the paper. Since it’s the oldest restaurant in Windsor Locks there is a lot of cool shit in the place as well as those around you to get the history as well as a nice helping of BS to tide you over. I got to see the kitchen. It has one stove/​burner area. That explains the wait. When the food came I wished I’d ordered double. The Golumpki was amazing as well as the Pierogi. I can’t wait to visit again! Go. Bring good friends and make more friends over beers and whiskey. Play some tunes on the jukebox and eat D-​LISH Polish/​Italian goodness.
You’re welcome.

I have been there twice within a week’s period. First time I was out on a scooter ride with another guy and this looked like an interesting little place. It is. It is the oldest restaurant in Windsor Locks, dating back to 1942, I think. They specialize in Polish American food. It has a bar on one side with a dining room on the other side. It has a great atmosphere with knotty pine walls covered with old menus, newspaper articles, pictures and memorabilia from the original owners. It has a homey atmosphere and you will enjoy it if you are not too hungry when you go in, and if you have a lot of time on your hands.
There are two main problems that I see with the place. The first is that the bartender is also the «waiter». He can’t be in two places at the same time. The second problem is that they have only one small stove and everything is cooked to order so it takes a long time for the food to be prepared.
Interestingly, their menu says it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours to prepare. In fairness, they tell you if you are concerned about time to ask about the prep time before you order.
The first time our order probably took about 30 minutes which wasn’t too bad. When I went back a few days later to share the ambiance with my wife, we didn’t fare so well. We ordered a pasta dish with hot sausage. It took at least an hour and a half and maybe longer for the food to get there. Fortunately we had the newspaper in the car which I retrieved and we read the whole paper while waiting.
What makes the wait even worse is that they give you nothing to munch on while waiting. Popcorn, bread, peanuts, anything to keep you occupied and to prevent you from clock watching would be helpful.
The menu does tell you about a possible long wait so you can’t hold that against them. But I have decided that 1 ½+ hours is too long, and I won’t be going back.
If you have a lot of time on your hands and want to drink while waiting for your food, this might be your kind of place.
The Polish food we had on the first trip was pretty good. The pasta dish was not worth waiting for. The people are nice but it is just too long to wait for food to be served.