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If you're craving a hearty straight shot of excellent Polish cuisine served cafeteria-style with a side of Cleveland Polish history and culture, there's no better place to be.
PROS:
Fun, cozy, historically and culturally rich ambiance. Read: your Polish grandma's house meets meets Heorot Hall meets your junior high cafeteria. If your junior high cafeteria also had a bar to furnish you with drinks while you waited in a line that wrapped around half the school. Sweet kitschy-bordering-on-but-gently-skirting-creepy Polish knicknacks peek out of every corner in what basically looks like the inside of a viking mead hall. A nice array of Polish beers! And of course, Polish cuisine that'll leave you dreaming of it till your next visit.
CONS:
Super limited hours! 4 hour lunch on weekdays? 4 hour dinners on the weekends? Polski, please. Sokolowski's got a good thing going and boy do they know how to pump it into elite and exclusive territory. The reservation and seating process is chaotic, at best, and with the amount of space you have to get around while you're inching your way up the cafeteria line wrapping around half the restaurant, is minimal. I've seen Hollywood nightclubs with more standing room. And with the limited hours, you ask, when is there downtime and possibly more space? Probably never (note, pure but educated conjecture).
TO DIE FOR:
Sauerkraut - euphoric blend of pure savory and piquant tartness. Who knew cabbage could taste this damn good? First time I encountered savory sauerkraut and I don't think I could have it any other way anymore.
Pierogies - because, duh, you're in Cleveland.
Schnitzel - oh lordy, I never thought fried and breaded pork could melt in your mouth but I stand corrected. Dare I say, for the lack of a better analogy--pork that reaches the tenderness and exquisite flavor of a superb filet mignon?
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