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    Bacowka

    4.4 (482 reviews)
    ModeratePolish, Salad, Soup
    Open 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Bacowka Takeout or Delivery

    Bacowka Photos

    BACOWKA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Bacowka

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    Kasia was absolutely fantastic and the food will take your breath away! We love coming here and making it a staple in our week thank you Bacowka for the amazing service, food, and ambiance.

    Kadee D.

    This place was absolutely awesome!!!! The food was absolutely incredible. The service was super friendly. They had karaoke night so that was def entertaining! Had the sampler plate - just to get a taste of everything! Such a great variety, such a nice place to have in a strip mall. Can't wait to come back soon!

    Delicious mixology
    Alex K.

    We love polish food! Everything looked so good online and we're so surprised by the atmosphere here. We came on a Friday to live music and loved that they were open later than other places in the area. The staff were all so nice and welcoming. It feels great to be welcome with a smile! Natalia helped us with hard decisions across such a vast menu. All the options looked so good. After receiving our sampler plate and perogies, we knew we'd have to come back! Only problem is do we order the dish we know is so good or try something else that looks amazing. What a great evening! Thank you for fantastic food and vibes for our evening!

    Polish Plate
    Jessica S.

    Amazing! Beautiful restaurant down to every detail. The design of the restaurant - even the bathroom was one of the most beautiful bathrooms I've seen. I took some coworkers there as they've never had Polish food. But when in Illinois, I feel like it's a must! We found this place because it's one of the few places that opens late. Service was quick and our server was really friendly. Food was absolutely amazing! The four of us all got the Polish Plate. There was so much food that I had to take it back to my hotel. We got the house made fruit punch and it was very fresh - I liked that it wasn't too sweet! Thanks for a wonderful experience!

    Tradycyjny Schabowy - It was huge I could only eat a small portion and took the rest with me to go.
    Joley B.

    I thought long and hard about what Polish restaurant I was going to visit while recently in the Chicago area. I was very pleased with my choice. I came early and was seated in the front area near the door. The woman waiting on me - Agnieszka - was fantastic. She was attentive but not too much, and she was very friendly. The world is small and it turns out that I know someone she's related to - it turned into a fun conversation. I haven't been to Poland for a while, so I was looking for something traditional to bring me back to those days. I ordered Kwasnica (the sauerkraut soup) and it was delicious and served it a beautiful little hanging soup bowl. For my main I went with the Kotlet Schabowy, because what is more Polish than that? The surowki accompaniments were delicious, and I took my left overs with me. That was probably the biggest kotlet I've ever seen in my life, and it immediately reminded me of my downstairs neighbor when I lived in warsaw who would pound kotlets every sunday morning!!! My only regret is that I didn't try the oscypek! The restaurant is beautifully decorated, and I felt really comfortable here. Even with my poor Polish language skills I felt at home here.

    Donald M.

    A wonderful restaurant with unforgettable Polish cuisine and a very creative presentation of the dishes.

    Pork cutlet, dinner sample and the side salads. All flavorful and delicious!
    Debbie G.

    I like the old decor better. I understand the remodel is trendy but the old decor was neat. I felt like I was in the mountains of Europe. Plus the furniture was way more comfortable. The menus are black and you cannot read them without your phone flashlight. The food is always consistently delicious. Maybe add something new to the menu or specials other than soup? I went on a Tuesday night and the restaurant and bar were empty. The bar always had a constant crowd. I hope the restaurant is still successful. I'll be back because the food is so good, I just wish things hadn't changed. Maybe I am old...ha!

    Placek po wgiersku / Hungarian goulash w/pancake
    Neal H.

    Bacowka is a cool place. Well decorated and hosted by pleasant people. The food was pretty good; meat and potatoes. My wife ordered the Hungarian goulash with a potato pancake and I ordered sizzling pork shoulder with fries. Let me be clear, the food was delicious. We finished everything......eventually ;-) The portions are pretty big, especially the pork shoulder dish. I wish I had a shoulder (or shoulders?) as big as the pig that helped me with my nutrient intake. There were three-ish well seasoned pork steaks. The goulash dish was a reasonably/"regular" sized dish. We took some home, but that is normally expected. In the end, we're going to go back and I recommend that you check them out. Just understand that you will leave with a full belly and lunch for the next day. The only, subtle issue is that the pork shoulder was not sizzling when it arrived. Peace!

    Mark G.

    The atmosphere is great. The food is great. The service is not good. I was ignored for 20 minutes before my order was taken. Plus all of the "regulars" received bread where I was treated as a unworthy. The place is fine. The servers tend to ignore you unless you speak Polish Not fun

    They charge $12 for the regular potato pancakes in person
    Nick P.

    This was our first time coming here. I'm no stranger to Polish food, so I wanted to try this place out since they close a lot later than other places. We went this past Saturday, it was someone's party so it was pretty busy. I'm not sure if they're normally that busy on the weekends. We got seated right away. You can tell it's authentic since most of the customers plus the staff speak Polish. Pro tip: if there is a language barrier, pull out that smart phone you always have and look up Google translate. Should not take that long to pull up. It did take some time for us to receive our food because of the ongoing event, that's understandable. They're also severely understaffed, so they didn't expect a multitude of people coming in after 8 pm. For every table that left, it seemed like 5 groups of people would come. We ordered a variety of food to try. Food portions were very generous and huge. Prices were very fair for what you get, but what they charge in person is different from their website prices. Be aware of that. Service was lacking, we had to keep flagging down someone. However, it could be different if it was on another day. FYI, there is a 12% sales tax in addition to the 3% surcharge. Not sure why the sales tax is so high since I've eaten at other restaurants in that area. Unfortunately, I'll have to give them a 3 out of 5 due to the price disparities (in person from online), high sales tax, and mediocre service. -hot tea 3 - good tea and they offer you a nice selection of different flavors. However, $5 is so much for just hot water and a tea packet. -red borscht with dumplings 5 - traditional Polish soup. It's red beet soup with meat dumplings. Dumplings were very good. Meat wasn't dry. -potato pancakes 5 - crispy and moist. Good flavor. -pork hock 5 - ridiculously tender and juicy. Cuts off the bone easily. Star of the show. -pork shoulder 3.5 - it was sizzling when I received it but the meat seemed to be kind of tough. I usually like my meat tender but this one seemed a little overcooked. I just took some screen shots to show their official website prices are $2 cheaper than what they charge in person.

    Piotr S.

    The best Polish restaurant in the City! The food? Incredible. The pierogi were soft, flavorful, and clearly handmade--especially the potato and cheese ones, which melted in my mouth. The bigos (hunter's stew) was hearty and rich, with just the right balance of tang and spice. What really stood out, though, was the attention to detail. Every dish was beautifully presented, and you could tell the chefs take real pride in their craft. The portions were really BIG, and everything tasted fresh and well prepared. The staff were incredibly friendly, warm, and attentive--something that made the entire dining experience even more memorable. You can tell they truly care about their guests.

    Zapiekanka
    Kristena R.

    Really nice restaurant- the interior and decor is absolutely beautiful. Service was awesome! The food was really good and prices are very reasonable. We came on Wednesday and we had no idea until we got the check that they do crazy Wednesdays and it's $10 off the bill! I ordered pierogis and they were decent! Especially liked the potato and cheese ones. The Zapiekanka was delicious! We plan on returning!

    Pork cutlet with eggs, cheese, and mushrooms and potatoes.
    Joshua M.

    This place is in the middle of a large Polish community and you could tell with all the people speaking Eastern European languages. I felt like the only person who only spoke English there. I was alone and I sat at the bar, they have two there and the look very nice. The decor in this place is pretty nice for a restaurant in a strip mall. The food was really good too. Besides the pork cutlet, I also tried the smalec that is served with bread and pickles (if this is your first dance with authentic Polish cuisine, like me let me tell you about it). It translates as lard because it is pork fat and spices that is traditionally spread on a crusty bread and often topped with pickles. It was very good, I'd definitely look for that again. In addition to my main course, they brought the three traditional salads. Cole slaw, beets, and cucumber salad. All of them were good, but I liked the cucumbers the best. Some smalec, rye bread, and cucumber salad; now that would be a good meal, I might be ready to summer in Warsaw now.

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    1 month ago

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    Najlpesze polskie jedzenie w okolicy. Agnieszka bardzo miła sympatyczna i pomocna. polecam

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    1 year ago

    Authentic Polish food with excellent service from Ilona. We will definitely be back and enjoyed our meals. Huge portions!

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    Page 1 of 13

    Bacowka Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Bacowka

    Do they take reservations?

    Hello Yes, we are taking reservations;)

    Do they offer catering?

    Yes

    View All 3 Questions

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    We decided to come here as 2 of my sons wanted to try this place. We invited my in-laws and my…read morebrother-in-law and his family. Since there was a total of 11 and the seating is first come first serve, we decided to call to see if they had reservations. They did take our name and reserved a table. When we arrived we noticed a table was reserved and we were informed that it was our table. We sat and looked over the menus. When we were ready my 2 boys and I went up to place our order. My one son has major allergies so we spoke to the chef and he came back out to recommend the dishes he can have. It was great that he did so and gave us confidence that my son would be able to eat without worrying too much about the ingredients. I ordered the Shrimp Kalamakia with a side of the Greek Rice. My son with the allergies ordered the Pork Kalamakia with Greek Rice and no pita, my other son ordered the Traditional Pork Gyro with Greek Rice. The sides we ordered: Saganaki Fritters and Spanakopitakia. My son that ordered the Pork Kalamakia devoured it. He said it was tender and juicy and probably could have eaten 4 skewers. My Shrimp Kalamakia was nicely charred and seasoned, I squeezed some lemon and it provided a nice tang over the seasoning. The Lemon rice pilaf was soft and cook just right and was nicely balanced. I had one Saganaki Ball and it was delicious. My son had the Pork Gyros said it was really good and the Tzatziki sauce was creamy and rich with flavors. My in-laws bought the table desserts and I got the Baklava and my wife got Loukoumades (Greek Donuts with Nutella) and both did not disappoint. I really loved the citrus honey syrup in the Baklava. The Loukoumades had a crispy shell and nice a fluffy on the inside and the Nutella amount was perfect. This place is very good and well worth the price in my opinion. I loved the fact that they took the time to make sure my son with allergies was safe.

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    Beautiful and spacious

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    Phat Phat - Wok Fired Hong Kong
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    4.2(534 reviews)
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    The Din Tai Fung of Illinois is finally here!…read more My family and I have been chasing the high of Din Tai Fung's soup dumplings for years, but there has always seemed to be an absence of restaurants like this in the Midwest. Thankfully, Phat Phat stepped in to fill that gap. We drove 30 miles for a late lunch around 2:30 p.m. to hopefully beat the crowds. There's a huge parking lot in the back, the building itself is incredibly unique, and the interior is absolutely beautiful. It feels modern while still being warm and inviting. We wanted to try a variety of dishes, so we ordered two baskets of the Shanghai Soup Dumplings, the Enoki Mushroom appetizer, Chicken Fried Rice, Phat Phat Chicken, Nasi Campur, and finished the meal with the Mango Sago. Everything was incredible. The soup dumplings definitely filled the void that Din Tai Fung left behind. Every dish was fresh, perfectly seasoned, and served piping hot. The Mango Sago was the perfect palate cleanser and a refreshing way to end the meal on a hot summer day. The standout for me was the Enoki Mushroom appetizer. That will be a must-order every time we come back. We also have Indonesian family and have visited Bali, so we were excited to try the Nasi Campur. It was spot on. The satay is another must-order in my opinion. Our waiter was kind and attentive, and the rest of the staff were just as welcoming and pleasant. Overall, this was a fantastic experience, and we'll absolutely be back.

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    Corner Bakery Cafe - Maple Pecan Bar

    Corner Bakery Cafe

    3.3(98 reviews)
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    My husband and I had a coupon for choose two for $5.99. any pasta, any salad, any sandwich, any…read moresoup many choose to combos after 4:00 p.m. must present or mention coupon when ordering. My husband ordered the chicken pesto sandwich with chicken noodle soup and it came with a side bag of kettle cooked original chips. I ordered the pesto chicken pasta with broccoli cheddar soup it also came with a bag of kettle cooked original chips. I added a maple pecan bar and my husband and I split it. The food was nice and piping hot! All the items we orderered tasted great! We will definitely be back again! The restaurant is very clean there was one little section that they kept closed but there was still plenty of seating available at night. There are lots of different soda fountain beverages, you fill your cup yourself. They also have fill your own coffee and iced tea. There are also lots of desserts, salads, soups, sandwiches, and pasta items on the menu. Look forward to coming here again soon! Highly recommend! We received service with a smile too!

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    Kai Mom's K Food Togo

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    4.6(62 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    I enjoyed a short yet warm time at Kai Mom's K Food Togo! I stopped by to eat and it happened to be…read morea quieter time in the restaurant where no one was dining in (there were some people who came in to pick up orders). I enjoyed my jjampong! The broth was delicious and as expected to be. The guy at the cashier was warm and hospitable, and the food was very filling. Would recommend! Next time I'll try their doppoki, as it looks really yummy.

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    Bacowka - polish - Updated August 2026

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