I don't know that much about Polish food... but I do know this: U Gazdy serves some of the best I've ever had, and I'm married into a Polish family, so I don't say that lightly. The place itself is incredibly inviting, all warm wood, cozy corners, very Bavarian lodge meets Polish soul. It was busy and buzzing, and Polish was the main language at nearly every table... except ours, which was happily bilingual in Spanish. It felt authentic, lively, and full of life. The service was friendly, fun, and patient, guiding us through the menu with enthusiasm. We shared a feast: pelmeni, Highlander-style pork shank, kiszka, Real Man's Meatballs (Męskie Klopsiki), and other delicious goodness that made the table groan (in the best way). Every dish was hearty, flavorful, and deeply satisfying. It was also my birthday, and just when I thought the night couldn't get better, the staff surprised me with dessert and sang Happy Birthday in Polish. I loved it. Big smiles, full heart. The food was so good that I stayed behind afterward to order takeout for my husband, stuffed cabbage (gołąbki) and pierogi, because sharing joy is important... and leftovers are sacred. U Gazdy isn't just a meal, it's an experience. One that fills your belly, warms your spirit, and makes you want to come back hungry. read more

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Best place to get authentic Polish deli items and other stuff like beer and bread. Helen's Deli is a small place full of freshly made items and shelves full of imports from Poland. It has pretty good prices on many things. Get lots of meats if you're a carnivore. They also have hot foods like soups and sandwiches. Here is where it's possible to find some of the harder to find Polish ingredients. It has lots of pretty much whatever you can think of whether it's some kind of sausage or some baked goods if you're looking for sweets. They have so much packed into this small store it's hard to believe they fit it all in there. Has a humongous selection of alcohol. There's a lot of Polish beers, and hard stuff. It's $10.59 for some bottles of liquor. They have some really good vodka. As for the food, they have lots of sweet eats. The best of these are the uszatki. It's $1.69 for a bag of iced gingerbreads. These also happen to be vegan. Bread is another popular item. It's $3.99 for a typical big loaf. They have a few including chleb zakwasie. It's like a rye bread. There's also tons of candy and goods. Counter has the meats and typical stuff that's at a deli. It also has lots of hot items. The ingredients on most items here are in English but some aren't so it helps to know Polish. read more

Helen's Deli - Inside - Delis Near Me - Wood Dale, Illinois

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My husband and I have never been here before even though we've passed it many times and talked about trying it. I was disappointed that you cannot get blintzes or pierogis during the week, but what we did try was very good: Cabbage rolls (be sure to ask for sauce) - Pretty flavorful, although if I'm being honest I think the cabbage rolls at the Polish Delicatessen in Glendale Heights are better. Vegetable soup - Soooo good and affordable too. Much better than anything you can get at the store, even in their deli departments. Potato pancakes - The single best potato pancakes we've ever had. So much flavor! I want more just thinking about them. I'm looking forward to coming back on the weekend so we can try the blintzes and pierogi. Visit date: 10/24 read more

Great authentic Polish food of all kinds and the prices are reasonable. I drive 20 minutes just to shop here because the food is so good

A small polish deli, packed with so many options of food. There is a large variety of packaged and canned polish candies and food. Almost all of the items were imported from Poland. They also had a large variety of polish beers and liquor. We purchased some polish sausage, cabbage rolls and prepared dishes. We were disappointed they did not have homemade soups. The meats all looked freshly made. They also had a large selection of breads and pastries, which all looked very good. A very good option if you are looking for authentic polish food. read more

Love this Polish deli. They have the best sausages. I have tried Deli 4 you and nothing compares to the flavor Helen's has. They have a good selection of Polish vodkas and wine. Have been coming here for years! read more

This a great local deli. They are very friendly and made an amazing sandwich at a great price. We stopped here and got a deli sandwich to bring to Church Street Brewery to enjoy with a beer. This will be a go to place when stopping in the area. read more

Helen's Deli - What a great combo. Delicious ham sandwich and a great beer. - Delis Near Me - Wood Dale, Illinois

Great Polish Deli. They make very good soup. Many different kinds. The stuffed cabbage is good as well.

My mother has been coming here since I was a young child, and now I also am a regular. We love coming into Helens Deli. the atmosphere is quaint and pleasant. We are greeted upon arrival, and are helped form beginning to end. I went in recently for the basics, rye bread, deli meats, smoked salmon, and some soup. When I got home, like usual, the flavors were amazing! Fresh, traditional polish food. Their varieties of daily fresh soups are always delicious (found on far left part of deli counter). I am intrigued to try their desserts, and will likely pick out a few for the holiday season. Whenever I find myself with a question, they are always very kind and answer politely. (I am not Polish speaking) & one time the owner even guided me into how to make a delicious meatball in gravy. Turned out delicious. HIGHLY recommend this great local deli. read more

Best ever vegetable soup. Great sandwiches! Great prices! The store smells incredible. Polish candy, sauage and rye bread. read more

The food is good. The customer service sucks. Seriously if you are not Polish they will treat you like crap. Even though I like the food, I will never go back due to the poor customer service. They have a sign that you have to spend more than $5 to use a credit card. Which is fine, I get it. I spend $6 and the lady gives me a huge attitude like I should have spent more. If you have a different minimum, then change your sign. read more

Been going to Helen's over 20 years. No other polish deli compares to service , price or quality.

I stopped in after lunch at the Polish Restaurant next door. It is not a very big deli, but they have a really nice assortment of imported chocolates and candies at very reasonable prices. I was able to stock up for the holidays. They also have a nice deli counter and I got old fashioned headcheese for my mother. She is in a nursing home and loves headcheese and this is her favorite type.I am going to fix her a sandwich and bring it with me tomorrow. They have lots of imported butter and margarine and apparently milk as well. It looks like one can buy prepared meals as well. I will be back for sure ! read more

Wow, what a place. They have so much good food crammed into a small place. When you walk through the doors, you are hit with the aroma of goodness. Excellent sausages ( so many variations) great lunch meats, breads, pierogi's, prepared foods, etc., etc. Everything is top notch. Try the prepared smoked pork butt on Saturday. It is fantastic. Potato pancakes ? Yes! Friendly, efficient, service. Fair prices. I am glad to live somewhat nearby, but I would travel to come here. A great neighborhood place. Cheers to all read more

My family has been shopping at Helen's since my parents discovered it (late eighties? early nineties?). I think I actually got Christened with one of the employee's son... anyways... We have since moved to Glen Ellyn and STILL make the thirty minute drive to Helen's every week to get our deli products and many Polish sweets. Obviously, speaking Polish is a plus, but the employees will certainly try their hardest to help you if you don't speak their native tongue. Actually, some of the ladies speak English quite well. The place is quite crowded on weekends, so plan accordingly! read more

Great Polish Deli and Store! Wonderful meats, cheese's and imported items from the mother land. There are too many items I consider favorites to mention. Kiska, krakow, fresh dill pickles and the list goes on and on. You won't be disappointed shopping here for authentic delicacies! read more

I have zero adolescent memories of Polish anything and I definitely don't understand Polish but... This place is way cool.. they sell Polish shampoo.. .and Polish spreadable cheese.. Polish magazines, Polish uhmm... rye bread. The things I'd come here for tho.. are the ham, sausages and meats. They looked so darn enticing and surely most of them are home made. I've been told (and now I have seen) Helen's has one of the better selections of "salceson"?, Polish head cheese, in the city. I like pork in every form.... I like pork in aspic even better. Toss in some pork blood, head cheese is ALMOST like Chinese food! read more

First off I'll start off by saying I'm not Polish, and not a fan of any pork products. so the 3 star is max for me since many of the fresh homemade delectable things I would love to get include pork! Helens is very small but has an incredible amount of items in that tiny store. the deli meat cooler runs the length of the store and from what my wife tells me the prices are far better than Jewel on fresh cut meats and cheese. you are at a major disadvantage if you don't speak Polish but don't sweat it you'll be fine. Weekends are very busy so plan accordingly, This place is great for picking up your deli meats rather than going to Jewel. They also make sandwiches so it may be a good place to try for lunch (carry out only) although I have not tried them personally. read more

first visit was 5/5! I was expecting poor service (by American standards) after reading other reviews.... Im not polish and I get it when it comes to spots like these.... BUT I was greated helped and checked out without any wait. food was great, prices were cheap, ill be back! BTW menu was huge and overwhelming I told the person working to suggest something she was like roll or bread? ham? turkey? everything on it? I just said sure to all that... she gave me a bomb $5.75 sammish and i grabbed a "pomidorowa" tomato soup off the deli counter. again all great and 10x better than subway my previous easy go to read more

I think this place entirely depends on what you want. There are zero vegetarian options here unless you want either a: pastries or b: potato pancakes (latkes). This is the quintessential traditional polish deli. 90% meat, everything is probably very fresh and authentic, and they even have super inexpensive lunch sandwiches (hint: order 2 for lunch). However, this isn't all that different than basically making sandwiches at home. At the same time, you have just about every polish product you'd see at a fresh market or a garden fresh or equivalent grocery store - just all boiled down to polish products. It's not like they hide this information - it's as explicit as it can get from the outside. In short, if you want polish products? You should probably live here. 5 stars from a polish perspective. If you want a vegetarian lunch? You are in the wrong place. 0 stars for veggies. Also, there is nowhere to sit. This is a deli/grocery store, and clearly not a restaurant. The staff are pretty nice, and the star is the deli itself (not the lunch sandwiches, it seems). read more

This place always smell so good when you walk in. Friendly and helpful employees. Great selection of breads and meats.

I am giving this three stars because it is nothing special in my opinion. The store is small and very crowded with product. I went on a Saturday and it was really crowded. The lady behind the counter that waited on me spoke very little English and well since I don't speak any polish it made it difficult but I must admit she was very nice. So I think it is more like 3.5 stars for the courteous service. The cabbage rolls were very good, the potato pancakes good and the pieorgi's were fair - the filling was good but it was the dough I was not excited about. . I am not sure what the other reviewer was talking about REAL Krakas ham - tasted just like the regular deli ham to me. read more

Helen I guess you don't read these posts and care whether they are happy or not. In it for the money and not for happy customers. Shame on you. read more

My review is many years old but I just want to reiterate that the food here is just as amazing and delicious. If you're in the area stop by and treat yourself to some Polish goodness. read more

I love this place! The smell reminds me of my childhood! The lunch meats are good, the potato salad is the best! I go there for lunch sometimes and have a sandwich made....I CRAVE them! They make them so good! And put a good amount of meat on it. Sometimes they are too generous, but that is no complaint! This place is a good place for polish foods! The potato pancakes are so yum and so are the stuffed cabbage rolls! Must try if you haven't! read more

Went there a few times. Once the rolls I got were hard as rock. Went back and the lady said it's impossible everything was fresh. Second time I asked for pierogi with potato and cheese. Half of them were with mushrooms. Yet, she assured me that all they made that day were pierogi with potato and cheese. I got old pierogi! My last stop was when I bought a pork cutlet and half was still raw. Place is overcharged. Some canned food they get from Aldi and then they charge customers double. Now, I prefer to drive do deli 4 you in Schaumburg- super cheap and everything is so fresh. Finally, the one of the older ladies is just plain rude and that's the one I dealt with all the times I have been there. read more

I give this place a 5+++++ star! Love this place! Awesome sandwhiches for lunch. You can choose from anything you want on the menu! Everything is always soo FRESH! Gosh there is just soo much to choose from especially when you go in on the weekend. They have such a great variety of homemade pierogies, salads, meats, breads, pastries and how can I forget the potato pancakes! I highly recommend this place for some GREAT polish food. I will definitly be back for more! The staff there is great. They work very hard and fast to serve us! All in All I totally recommend this place to everyone! read more

REALLY torn between 3 and 4 stars - how about 3-1/2? Here's why. PLUS - Great POLISH deli in the area - otherwise you have to go up to Mt. Prospect or out to Bartlett (the famous AJ's on Rt. 59 that used to be on Irving Pk in Wood Dale) so 5 stars. MINUS - LOTS of good ol "regular" delis scattered about - Helen's is average 3 stars for limited "regular" variety. PLUS - Lots of great Polish meats. 5 stars MINUS - Their pierogi dough is dry and floury but the fillings are good with many choices. Try frying in lots of butter after boiling. 2 stars PLUS - Amazing selection of Polish canned/jarred/packaged foods. 5 stars MINUS - Jampacked tiny store only allows one patron to pass at a time....literally. 1 star You will really wonder how the 75 shoppers are able to fit into the 7 cars parked in the 5 parking spaces. So, skip Saturdays and go during the week before rush hour for yummy treats. read more

Great neighborhood Polish Deli offering all of the classic Polish food/goods. The deli is well stocked with fresh homemade food and good deli meats. read more

Lived in wood dale my whole life and only just recently tried this place. Small and cozy place, warm fresh buffet at a reasonable price. Food was delicious and tasted like a "home cooked meal". Was barely able to walk out of there. Will be back again for sure read more

Has all the the ingredients I need. Plus oscypek! And best of all they have milk imported from Poland.

Helen's Deli has the best food. Their bread, meats, home made food Rocks! My father in law loves their kiska; I ship it to him in Florida. He says he cannot find anything even close to it being as authentic. His brother, here in chicago area, actually had a cook off with area sausages (he is in his low 80's and a true Polack), and Helen's won, hands down. We are just glad to have Helen's in our area. It is just too bad they do not deliver! :) read more

Pierogi just like my grandma used to make. Fresh kielbasa to die for!

Helen's is so good!! I had heard about it from my Polish friend, and I decided I had to try it. It's a small grocery store/deli. They have all sort of imported food from Poland, pretty much anything you can think of. Even Polish magazines and music.The best part is the deli. They have baked goods, potato pancakes, all kinds of meats and cheeses, anything you heard desires, I ordered some potato pancakes and meat sticks and they were wonderful! Everything is really decently priced. There was a long line but they are efficient and kept it moving. I can't wait to go back! They speak both Polish and English. read more

This is a great deli to try. Stopped in to get a sandwhich for lunch. They slice there meat when u order your sandwhich unlike places like subway where they have the meat pre sliced. Just like a homemade! Excellent and fresh! Came back after work to get some more stuff for dinner. Bought so much cause everything looked so good! And let me tell you it all was great! Best deli ever!! Tried their potato salad, potato pancakes, potato and cheese pierogi, and cabbage rolls!! Yum! I heard going on the weekend (Friday or Saturday) there was more variety and there sure is!! Fresh cooked smoked butt or bacon, meat or sauerkraut filled polish egg rolls, cooked chicken with some kinds of cheese, cheese blintzes, apple pancakes and a LARGE variety of cakes!! So delicious!!! Will be back for more!!!!! A must try family owned deli!!! read more

This is an outstanding Polish deli with the best choices, top flavored sausage, pierogi's and a great value. The customer service is questionable at best and that's what keeps it from being a 5 star+++. I expect a language barrier at an ethnocentric deli but the complete lack of effort to try to speak English (or broken English) as I try to speak broken Polish (and I am 3rd generation Polish), is a joke. I get the fact that I should be a bit more fluent but c'mon, I am the one spending the cash and I try my best without being fluent but the folks on the other side of the counter should show just a bit more patience with a bit more effort as I try my best to speak the language. This is my first choice when buying holiday meals but when I am tired and trying to put all the party shopping together, I need folks who are willing to give me a little lee-way when I am trying to give my Family an Old school Polish meal without having to feel guilty for my lack of fluency. My solution to this has been being just as rude and impatient as the folks serving me. All that being said, Helen's is a great place to put together a Polish Family meal with very fair pricing. I highly recommend Helen's but if they are giving you the medicine, give it right back to them and demand what you want without their attitude. read more

Classic and very well-run polish deli. They have everything you're looking for and well priced. Great food and the people are very nice.

I stop in for home made pork schnitzel and potato pancakes. These products alone are worth a 5 star rating. Avoid Saturday's around noon. The lines are very long. read more

Great polish food. Always come here for the holidays. Brings back memories of when I was a kid.

Best pierogi s I've ever had, sorry Gramma. Place was packed. Will go back when not so busy so I can really check it out.