Authentic and really good. We have been to Poland several times, and this stacks up writing against…read morethe best food we've had over there.

Came by here for dinner one night and it was absolutely delicious! The inside is very comfortable…read moreand definitely big enough to accommodate a good sized group of people. We started off with the complimentary appetizer, which was bread served with what I think was a meat and potato stuffing--I'm not exactly sure what it was, but it was amazing. We also ordered the potato pancakes, but unfortunately, we weren't big fans of them. They just weren't crispy enough, so the texture of the potato wasn't great. Luckily, the rest of the meal completely made up for it! For our mains, we got the chicken Alfredo (okay, but wouldn't get again!), the beef stroganoff, and the Polish plate. The stuffed cabbage on the Polish plate was absolutely insane, a total highlight of the night. I would 10/10 recommend getting that plate! The only slight critique for the mains is that I wish the beef in the stroganoff had been just a little bit more tender. The dumplings on this plate were just okay. We also ordered two different types of pierogies, both meat and potato, and both were delicious. The beet side dish was also delicious. Outside of those minor details, everything was so incredibly delicious. I would definitely come back here again!

We had Easter Brunch and everything was amazing. Excellent waitress that made sure we were well…read moretaken care of. The food was amazing and we will definitely be back. Probably the best service and food in the region!

First visit since the move to Franklin St. Started with the beet salad. Very, very good. Not…read moredrowning in dressing just right. The mushroom soup was very good and the bread basket is excellent. Main course was the the Taste of Poland. It came with sausage, stuffed cabbage, breaded pork cutlet, 2 perogis (potato was my choice) served w mashed potatoes, saur kraut, & green beans. A really great entree! This is is a great choice if you're not sure what to order. Highly recommend Kolasa's Polish Peasant for great food and EXCELLENT SERVICE.

Truly one of the best meals I've had in a very long time in a beautiful, clean restaurant…read more The Polish Plate is worth every dollar. The pierogi were some of the softest, most flavorful ones I've ever had. The gołabki was incredibly tender. The kapusta was sweet and tart in the best way. The pickles with bread were incredible- a hint of spice and garlic. The food came out quickly, and service was great.

Opolska is another fine addition to the excellent Polish restaurants in the suburban area. I have…read moreeaten here four or five times and have not been disappointed. On this visit, I went with the Wednesday special which is the Polish plate. Besides the traditional cutting board with pate, bread, and pickles, the special includes soup and a soda. The red borscht soup was excellent. I especially enjoyed the stuffed cabbage, potato pancakes, and pierogi as well.

The food was really good. It hit the spot. Both types of sausage really resonated with me. The…read morestuffed cabbage rolls were really good. Mashed potatoes, gravy. I didn't really have much of the salad bar with coleslaw and whatnot. It looked decent. The bread is on the top of one of the sections. A couple of people I was with missed those pieces of bread, but I'm glad they said something because we were able to point them to it. The chicken, the sauerkraut, the pierogies were all good. We had the lunch menu, so it's a little bit different than the dinner menu, but everything was tasty and tasted fresh. The desserts were absolutely out of this world. I didn't know what everything was. I asked my waitress or server, who was picking up our plates and whatnot, and she told me. I have to say it was a revelation to know that they actually make all of their desserts as well. Absolutely fantastic. Good flavor. Our server was really excellent. I'm sorry I didn't get her name. She gave us some good information about meat pierogies being available or other types of pierogies if they're not on the lunch bar, which was really cool. For a lot of people, the place may be a little difficult to get into with a walk and whatnot. I wasn't really aware of all the entrances, but one thing to note is it is on the more dimly lit side. Not so much so as to be annoying, it actually sets a nice vibe. I absolutely love that the staff has a sign up there to discourage unattended children from running rampant by the food bar, which I think is very fair and nicely stated. That made me feel good, too, that we had quality control in effect versus other cafes that I've been to where I know the places try, but they don't do a really good job of monitoring the situation. No such issue with Sawa. They did a great job on that front. One issue I did have was with the bathroom. It seemed like a stall. The door opens up really wide into the area where we've been washing our hands, but everything was well maintained and well kept. That made me feel good. Overall, I will say I enjoyed the experience, and I'm looking forward to going back. I specifically want to check out the dinner options because I really enjoyed the lunch, but I want to try out a few other things that they have for the dinner menu. My pictures did not turn out with the lighting, so I'm not going to post them, but needless to say, the food was very good, and I'm definitely looking forward to going back, as I mentioned. The service was excellent, and I think the price was pretty fair for all the food I just ate, so I was definitely pleased.

17th and Cermak Rd has been part of my extended neighborhood for over 70 years, and I've driven…read morepast Sawa's here for all that time. Never stopped in. My dumb ass. Then again, the place is in a magnificent sort of decay (on the outside). Remove the cars in the lot, the steady stream of patrons, and the electricity to the signs and you'd swear the joint had been closed for awhile. Zero curb appeal. Yeah, that's what I'm blaming it on. Step inside, and as they say, it's a different bowl of Czarnina. It's OLD old school for sure, and, at least for me, that's a rousing and quite affirmative sign that good eats may be in store. And they were. The nearby Berwyn/Cicero neighborhoods were heavily Czech, and we all grew up eating that hearty, stick-to-your-ribs, pork-laden cuisine. A similar thread runs through German and Polish menus. Swap out the recipes for side dishes, and you're still in the same universe. My ancestry has Polish and German (along with the Italian and Jewish) components, so a lot of this food is familiar, much of it cooked by my Grandmothers; so I went in with a basic knowledge and expectation of the cuisine. Sawa's bills itself as a "Smorgasbord", which was a term still in wide use 60 or so years ago when Sawa's was established; it's a Danish word for "buffet". Back in the day, a resto yclept as such was considered "exotic", even when the fare presented therein was anything but. That Sawa's kept that describer is further evidence of OLD OLD school. (See my words about "old school" above.) Still, Never stopped in. My dumb ass. Inside, it's a bustling, warm and inviting room, if it were German, one would describe it as "gemutlich"-meaning very "home-like". The staff is very personable and cheerful. Some of the tables and chairs have seen better days, but they're all clean. The "Smorgasbord" doesn't have a HUGE selection, but what's there is very good. There's a salad station, de rigueur; which I passed over in favor of the selection of Polish Zakuski: cold appetizing bits like bean salad, pasta salad, cucumbers, etc.. I took a little bit of everything, all great! There were a few soups, but I made a beeline for the Mushroom Soup. I could have had 3 bowls of that with a few of the zakuski, a beer and call it a day! I can't remember what the other soups were- I wasn't interested once I saw "mushroom". Main course offerings included 2 types of Polish sausage-smoked and fresh. You KNOW those were yum! Gołąbki (pronounced go-WUUM-kee) or: Stuffed Cabbage in tomatoe sauce were proper. Pierogis of several different types, all, again delicious. Blintzes, Pork ribs, GREAT kraut, and Haluski, a cabbage/noodle dish my Polish grandmother used to make, which I have not had in almost 50 years. Almost got misty-eyed for this one. There were two anomalies: Fried chicken, which was terrific, And the only sort-of miss on the carte: roast beef which reminded me of Italian Beef, but not quite as highly spiced. Not bad, but not exactly something I'd order (or expect) in a Polish resto. I was there at the end of the Lunch service and saw the stuff they were bringing out for Dinner, including a rockin' big hunk of Roast Pork and a beautiful Whole Ham. The desserts offered were Polish-style Kolackys, very good! And a selection of petit-four type things. There was a ring-shaped dark cookie that was interesting. Close to a gingerbread, but not so ginger-y. Know going into it, Polish baked desserts are apparently not extremely sweet. Decent with coffee, but if you're looking for a sugar punch at the end of your meal, see if they have some non-savory blintzes on the board. There IS soft-serve ice cream available for a more traditional finale. The onliest disappointment was the bread, perched on top of the trad salad cart. It seemed like an afterthought. Even shmeared with butter, it tasted a bit stale and tired. A shame, 'cos good Polish Rye is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. An altogether gentle and most satisfying feed. I wish I had ordered a beer, which would have complimented the cuisine admirably; but didn't 'cos its a long drive home to Stately Breakwind Manor from deepest Broadview. Got to stay in the lane, you know. A Solid 4 stars. I'll be back for Dinner shortly, where I expect that 5th star will be added. Even sweeter 'cos the price is so reasonable. Why did I wait so long to dine at this EXCELLENT Smorgasbord? My dumb ass...

Best fresh kielbasa in the south burbs! Excellent selection of frozen pierogi. My go to for 10…read moreyears now.

I ordered stuffed cabbage; there was no meat just rice with no flavor…read moreworst I ever had.

Maggie was wonderful, bright, cheery and so very welcoming. It was our first time there and will be…read moregoing back. The woodwork with the tables are sturdy and was fun that the resin pour there were lil sharks in the table. So fun. Now the food. Very reminiscent of the Polish restaurants I remembered going to as a child with family on the South side of Chicago. Their house made bread with butter was very good. My husband got a beer and liked it so much he got bottles to go. He had gotten the breaded pork chop stuffed with cheese. I got pierogi and sides of fried cabbage and the sweet and sour beets. Would recommend all of it and would get it all again! Looking forward to our next visit.

The food as absolutely awesome!!! The family that runs this place is so warm and inviting.read more

This was a very interesting dining experience. The restaurant is huge and feels like much more than…read morejust a restaurant, with a bar area, karaoke rooms, and colorful club-style lighting throughout the space. It definitely has a lively atmosphere, and I could hear Polish being spoken at many of the tables, which made the experience feel authentic. There were also plenty of non-Polish guests enjoying themselves as well. The service was excellent from start to finish. The staff were friendly, attentive, and kept everything running smoothly despite how large and busy the restaurant was. The restaurant was also very clean and well maintained. The food was fresh and satisfying. Portions were enormous, and many dishes are easily large enough to share between two people. The flavors were mild and balanced, which I appreciated since nothing was overly salty or heavy. The sauerkraut was good, although I personally would have preferred it to be a bit more sour. Overall, the food was enjoyable, the atmosphere was unique, and it's a fun place to experience Polish cuisine while enjoying a lively social setting.

You know, hubby and I have known about this restaurant since we moved to Schaumburg 2 1/2 years…read moreago, but besides pierogies, we really had no idea what Polish food was all about. It was time to try. We expected a bit of a hole in the wall and that's not what we found - we found a very nicely decorated and maintained restaurant with a lot of dark wood overtones - we were seated immediately and given an extensive menu. I ordered a Polish beer, and we ordered a Polish plate - kind of a combination sampler plate if you will - and a ground pork cutlet dinner. Now before we could say anything? Some bread showed up with a lovely but lightly flavored hummus type spread- we enjoyed it because it also came with a nice big half sized pickle. When the Polish plate came? OMG we had sauerkraut - we had sausage - we had some pierogies, and when the pork cutlet came out? It literally covered the entire plate and was resting on a bed of freshly mashed potatoes. We shared the Polish plate and we shared the extremely large pork cutlet. Now to be fair? We loved the Polish plate immensely - while the cutlet was nicely breaded, and the mashed potatoes were great? I'm not certain I could say that about the pork cutlet. There was nothing wrong with it. I think the flavor was fine, but it was not something that I would order again. It just wasn't my taste that's all. So would we come again? Yes. Yes we would!

The food was amazing. I got the European plate and my mom got the perogis. All very delicious…read more Wonderful service, fast and helpful. We went on Sunday evening, there was a live and fun polish band. Can't wait to go back!

Came here for Mother's Day and it was busy! Parking is a bit difficult but we were lucky to get…read morestreet parking. We were seated pretty quickly in the main area but the servers let us know that food takes awhile since everything is made to order so it's best to place the whole order asap. Overall the vibes were good. I enjoyed the rosol and the homemade pierogi (we had the potato cheese and kraut and mushroom). Everyone was also a fan of the potato pancakes, they had a nice crispy edge to them. I split the golonko (pork shank) with my brother, it had great flavor and the meat was super tender and juicy. Also it was a very large portion. The Divoli was also juicy but I feel like could have used more seasoning on that as well as on the kluski. My sister's fiancée got the ribs and really enjoyed them.