I am so excited to have found this terrific place. I love that it's not changed since it opened 50 years ago. Don't even think about coming here and reviewing this place if you're going to nitpick like some of the negative reviews about the price or service !!! Please. These places are disappearing and are our culture here in Chicago. If you want some solid home cooking made with love then this is the place for you. I can't understand why anyone thinks the buffet isn't big enough. Insane. I tried to try everything and couldn't do it after 3 plates. You know nothing about food service and how small the margin is. It's very hard to charge just $15 and offer hundreds of items. This is a problem with Yelp. Allowing uneducated people to trash businesses they know nothing about. Here's what I thought was stellar: fried chicken, pork goulash, pickles, potato pancakes with apple sauce, pork cutlets, beets and pierogis. The fried chicken was some of the best I've had. What's good: both sausages, salad bar, sauerkraut. It's a buffet. It's buffet food. Rate it and compare it as such ok? I thought the service was great. Treat these nice ladies with respect and they will take care of you. I really liked them. I can't wait to return. read more

I admit to having a soft spot for restaurants that inspire a feeling of nostalgia in me, such as Sawa's does. I'm comforted and charmed by the decor that hasn't changed in decades, and grateful for a staff and ownership that's been doing what they do for years with such dedication and commitment. It's admirable, surviving so long in an industry that's so challenging. It says something about their food, which I thought was excellent. The buffet features many of the traditional standards of the cuisine; pierogis, stuffed cabbage, fried pork cutlets, potato pancakes and sausage. Daily specials and sides round out the hot buffet. I appreciate the generous salad bar, and thought their picked beets and potato salad were great. They had two soups available on the buffet, and the homey chicken noodle hit the spot. Everything I tried was delicious, and the fried chicken alone would bring me back. Seriously, if Sawa's was a restaurant that only served fried chicken, I'd go. Service was friendly and efficient. It was obvious that many of the customers were regulars and well known to the staff. I really like that vibe, and plan on being one of those regulars. What better goal for 2022 than to enjoy great food in such an atmosphere of hospitality and connection? read more

Sawa's Old Warsaw Restaurant - Great signage - Polish Near Me - Broadview, Illinois

Well I am glad that they opened up the buffet again. It's been since 2019 since I've been here until write a review for post-covid era it looks like everything is back to normalcy. Last year I called an inquired and they were saying in 2021 that they were trying to just do it more of a sit down read a menu in a restaurant which I didn't like. I came for the buffet or smorgasbord as they call it. I just found out from a postcard that they opened up the buffet again. Surprisingly nothing has changed in regards of the ambience still got the 1970s dining tables and chairs and some paintings so I would have thought they would have updated if that's fine what can you expect from a traditional smorgasbord that's Polish? If you can pay cash you'll save the 3.99% versus using your credit card which they'll charge a service charge. Other than that if you're in Broadview which I was here by chance please give sawa polish smorgasbord. Their signature chocolate phosphate which is Old fashioned back in the days is their best non-alcoholic beverage. A little disappointed on the Polish chicken noodle soup it was a little bland. Most of the Polish restaurants are polish buffets I know in the north side such as jolly inn and red apple which sour makes their polish cabbage more similar since they used tomato sauce as a garnish is much better but this is good too polish stuffed cabbage. They have a full wine and beer list almost I think it's a full bar so you could also order alcoholic beverages instead of just juices and carbonated regular Coca-Cola drinks. That is the latest as of 2022 the last I wrote a real review read more

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If you have taste buds, this restaurant is not for you. If you enjoy restaurants with one or more windows, this restaurant is not for you. If you've driven by, or heard of, this restaurant for decades and want to try it as a goof, THIS IS YOUR PLACE! And be sure to bring your friends! Try everything in the buffet! Be surprised at how much you're paying for your goof! It'll all make a great story to tell your loved ones over the holidays! There's jello! read more

Food is good, friendly just take what you are going to eat or they charger you. Very clean.

This place is a true throwback to a much earlier time... you can even smell it (literally) when you walk in! Smell = welcome to Grandma's house = incredible food awaiting with a hint of cigarette smoke from an era gone by. Pink walls, hotel-style artwork and red vinyl booths remain. I'd be willing to bet this place looks much like it did when it first opened decades ago. Friendly Polish folks working as the servers. The buffet is the only option for ordering... so if you can get beyond the whole "I'm leery of buffets" thing (it's clean here) you're in for some great food. Many delicious and authentic offerings abound... potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, carving table with prime rib, some tasty homemade soup options, Polish sausage, sauerkraut, a full garnish tray (cottage cheese, pickled beets, cucumber salad, etc), and a great dessert table with a soft serve ice cream machine. Some great Polish beer options top it all off. We used to go here frequently when I was much younger as a family with my parents...it was fun to return twenty-some years later, and it was just about exactly as I remembered. Terrific meal! read more

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When reviewing a restaurant, I look at it from two perspectives. One is from a culinary/aesthetic perspective - how does this place feed me, physically and emotionally? Are they trying to redefine food? Or are they accepting current understandings and attempting to perfect them? Or are they just pushing factory food, chemically designed to provoke a neural response and call it "taste"? The other perspective is from the perspective of a business. How are their items priced; what portions are they giving; what state are the furnishings in? How are the staff dressed? How much of the process is streamlined for maximum profitability? Yesterday I drove 250 miles to dine at Sawa's Old Warsaw Polish Smorgasbord. I recognized how this restaurant was holding on to an idea and a time that is fast fading away. An idea about people and Chicago and the United States that is rapidly changing. Whether for good or bad, I cannot say. But extinction events are never pretty or painless. So I endeavor to always drink one last time for the spring of yesteryear. Not for nostalgia for nostalgia's sake. But to pay tribute to those people and that time that are no longer here. We pulled up and parked and immediately recognized that this place has seen the better part of the 20th century and has had countless thousands of families grace it's portal. The two signs on the building were large, neon and ringed with lights, reminiscent of the mid 20th century. The entry door had the coat of arms of half a dozen Polish Aristocracy painstakingly painted coupled with your standard hours of operation printed on white paper and taped on. This contrast between past and present, between a value system that valued quality and skill vs. convenience and cost would be echoed throughout my visit. Once inside, guests are met with newspaper articles about the business and its namesake and a variety of memorabilia ranging from Polish war medals to novelty items. Two portraits greet guests once inside: Pope John Paul 2 adorned with Polish flags and Mr Sawa himself. The decor is pink with blue accents and large crystal lighting fixtures and looks like it hasn't been changed since the turn of the cent Judging from the name, Sawa's is a buffet and it's offering are straight from Eastern-European immigrants from the mid-20th century. Pierogis, blintzes, stuffed cabbage rolls and much more is offered on the hot side, while the salad bar was well stocked and fresh with an assortment of cold salads (three bean salad, beets and onions, potato salads, etc.). In addition, their beer selection has domestic, German, Czech and Polish beers. The food is well done, hitting all the expected notes of Eastern European cooking without innovation. If you want to know how great grandmas stuffed cabbage tasted, look no further than Sawa's. Speaking of grandma, dining at Sawa's is very much like dining at grandma's house. The quality and care put into the dishes is apparent but comes from another time. The atmosphere is dated, but so is grandma's house. This is not a bad thing; as we head into a new century, let's not forget what we are leaving behind, for what is passing away is worth remembering, if not preserving. My advice: have dinner at Sawa's and have dinner with your grandma. For you may not have the opportunity to do so tomorrow. read more

Food is great waitresses are very friendly good atmosphere I've been going there for years. Nice place to bring your family your parents. Or a date. read more

Great traditional Polish. Where else can you find this. Pierogi Golabki Keilbasa I am happy to find out they are still atound

Wonderful. The red booths are still there, and so is the yummy food. Chicken soup was fabulous, so was the fresh sausage and kraut. Cabbage bundles had a little zing that was awesome. Of course there were pierogi, blintzes, and awesome potatoe pancakes. Great dessert too. The hostess was a hoot. read more

Sawa's Old Warsaw Restaurant - Desets - Polish Near Me - Broadview, Illinois

My family has been coming here for years. The buffet is great deal. They offer a good variety. Can't go wrong with the pierogis. Service is always friendly. Probably one of the most authentic polish restaurants in Chicagoland. read more

My sister and I went both had a taste for Polish food and decided to try Sana'a. The food was really tasteless. Pierogi s were ok but the stuffed cabbage and polish sausage was completely tasteless. We were so very disappointed. read more

Great food, always fresh. I'm been coming here for years!!! Love the buffet Waitresses are very nice and accommodating read more

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If your old school Eastern European and want a variety of home made favorites this is your place lots and lots of choices at very reasonable prices and huge servings read more

Wonderful Polish food. The ham is fantastic! Not too salty or too sweet. The mushroom soup was so hearty and flavorful! Small deserts were spot on delicious! read more

Did I tell you that I can be the most "old-souled" 29-year-old you will ever meet? Yes, there is no exaggerating. Just look at what kind of restaurant I visit. Tonight's adventure was no exception to the rule, either. I totally forgot that March 17th. is the St. Patrick's Day. I love green but holidays don't mean a thing to me because I'm in retail. I also have an unexplainable obsession to Polish food, so we headed to Sawa's Old Warsaw Polish buffet and spent some quality time with the "older" generations and young children. It was super packed, but the hostess (who was very upbeat and friendly) had a system to sit people who were in the waiting area. Thus, the wait wasn't awfully long. They had the St. Patrick's Day dinner special: $13 per adult (yes, that would be ME even though I can be a child-in-disguise without my professional work outfit). The choices of buffet items were not as massive and eclectic in comparison to the Red Apple Buffet (another one in the city), yet the actual hot-food items had better tastes and flavors. They had delicious cabage rolls and fried cod fish. Hubby liked the savory blintz. They also had decent pea and chicken soup. Hubby appreciated that he could eat the majority of food with his vegetarian diet. He was glad that the cabage pierogi were offered so that he didn't have break his dietary restriction (well, he still did, because the pea soup had ham in there)! There wasn't too much excitement on the dessert. They had cookies, raisin crumb cakes, and soft-serve ice cream. I didn't see kolaczki and other Polish speciality treats. I guess that was alright with me, since I had enough food in my stomach at that point. If you don't mind the "ultra-vintage" style dining room and decors, you probably would enjoy this place. Some yelpers have mentioned the filth and dirtiness, but I didn't really detect any major sanitation problem. I know the furniture, carpet, utensils, silverware, and facilities were antiquated. In my opinion it didn't necessarily constitute as unsanitary. I just wanted to make it clear. They have decent prices for buffets: $11 on weekday evenings; $17 on Fridays (featuring shrimps); $13 on Saturdays; $14 on Sundays. See one of my photos below for complete details on pricing, as of 03/17/2015. read more

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Coming here on & off most of my life. The buffet's wonderful, plentiful and tastes of old world flavors. Need to bring my children here and have them enjoy our heritage delicacies. Smacznego & Cheers! read more

Sawa's Old Warsaw Restaurant - Polish Near Me - Broadview, Illinois

Good food good service nice old place to eat. Found this place outside of Chicago. Any time in the area, I will stop in to eat.

Old Warsaw has been around for a really long time and has really good Polish food the stuffed cabbage is great both of fresh and smoked polish Is great and even their fried chicken is outstanding! Always a favorite with my family read more

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We stumbled upon this place on our way to Wisconsin after landing at Midway. All they had was the buffet - no menu items - but that turned out to be great! Everything was deliciously fresh. My favorite was the broasted cod. It was absolutely scrumptious. The servers were always smiling and right there to refill our drinks and take away used plates. We will make an effort to stop here again before we fly back out of Midway next week! read more

Sawa's Old Warsaw Restaurant - Polish Near Me - Broadview, Illinois

Love sawa's! It's an old school smorgashbord. Food is tasty and always a fresh batch being brought out. The waitstaff is very nice. Lots of seating which is helpful because there was a large group of us. So glad we came here! read more

Excellent food and great service. very relaxing atmospher. our server never pushed us along.

This restaurant is amazing it's a must try for everybody. The workers are so nice there, and the food is so fresh.

Our go to Polish restaurant and a bonus that it's a buffet. Love the golabki (cabbage rolls) and the pierogi are yummy as well!

A roadhouse from the 50s smorgasbord, not Buffay. Healthy foods... Salads, fruit or fresh and, red beets, potato pancakes, applesauce, and sour cream I recommend this place to anybody. read more

Went to Old Warsaw for Thanksgiving dinner. Food was wonderful. Apple filled blintzes and crisp potato pancakes were the best I've ever had; and even the most mundane looking pastries were out of this world. Service by Anna was what one might hope for from a top rated restaurant, not a very busy buffet. Most impressed when an elderly lady with a walker came in. Anna treated her as if she were her own grandmother, bringing her what she could, and holding her plate when she wanted to select her favorite items from the buffet, but needed to hang onto her walker. An overall delightful experience, rekindling my faith that there are still some selfless and caring people out there. read more

"It's just a lot of really good food that you're really going to like." That is a direct quote from it waitress, and she wasn't wrong! I had a great meal here. Best potato pancakes I've ever had (ate them with sour cream and applesauce together and the request of my friend). Great salad bar (bonus: French dressing, which is harder to come by these days). I loved the little desserts too! Great experience. read more

Sawa's Old Warsaw Restaurant - Fried chicken, pork ribs, potato pancakes - Polish Near Me - Broadview, Illinois

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Stopped in today for the first time since the pandemic, and they are back to the normal amazing place that so many love!! The food and staff was fantastic as usual and I can't wait to return!! read more

This place was great experience. We came from New York and had really hard time finding good place to eat. We were heading to some other place that was reviewed excellent, but under wrong category. There was no customers and stuff was weird rolling their ayes when we entered. So since we noticed Sawa's on our way, we came back and it was just great. Food is delicious, stuff very friendly, Polish beer tastes great. Price was good, we spent much less than expected. Very nice atmosphere in general. If you in Chicago, don't miss Sawa's! read more

I haven't been here in a very long time. Honestly everything was better than I remembered it. They even had potato pierogi which I always preferred to kraut. But while on the subject of kraut their's is really excellent. Is it fu of butter if meat drippings? Perhaps both. The apple Nagasaki ( crepes for you non Poles) are likecmy grandmother's. They had noodles and ham.. which are great but my family did noodles and chicken livers. I wonder if they yver do that. Tbe chicken was fresh and very tasty. Theykept me supplied with water and coffee and they do not rush you out. There are so e decent Polish desserts and soft serve for dessert. read more

For the price you can't beat this place. It's all buffett - no menu to order from. Good for big groups. Waitstaff very nice and attentive. I knew the Yelpers were right about the "you've walked into the 1950's" when I walked past the fake flowers, opened the door, and got a waft of that dive-bar smell. It was 5pm on a Saturday and we were the youngest paying customers in there. I'm ok with that. Great people watching. The parking lot had a new Porsche Cayenne parked next to a hoarder van (really - filled to the brim with bags of crap). Very Chicago. The Buffett originally seemed small, and I was a bit leery. But the ladies were hustling, continually bringing out new stuff, so I trusted that things were fresh and were handmade. On Saturdays they have ham and prime rib. The hunk of beef was huuuuge - they were carving it fresh. I thought it was delicious but hubby thought a bit bland -- be sure to get the 'juice'. The cold salads included pickled herring :) Classic. The jello was very jello jiggly. The potato pierogi is so good! Potato pancake is amazing. Try the desserts. I put a pic up -- there is one especially that is like a pie and a biscuit got together and had a jam-filled baby: yayyyyyy! So good. read more

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Have not been here in 25 years. Nothing has changed. LOL. Great Polish food, like the stuff my mom used to make. No pictures today because there are tons here already, all the same stuff. The decor has never changed, the chairs, tables and rug are still the same. It's a throwback to a byegone era. Visit the past and check out the food. It's awesome read more

My aunt ordered for a family event years ago and the food was fantastic. We visited recently. Everything was amazing. The building is so old school it made me smile. The ladies working there were so sweet. The beer is cold and the Zywiec glasses were the coolest ever. As we were leaving one of the ladies said "see you Tuesday." I wish. We are back home in California. read more

We tried this place with friends last night, which was a Friday in Lent. First, the restaurant is very old school looking but clean and well maintained. They had a good selection of alcohol and other drinks. This is a buffet and everything is one price. The food selection was great - lots of options, even for me, observing Lent, and my friend who has a seafood allergy. They keep the buffet neat and orderly and everything looked fresh. They had two types of soup, a big salad bar, jumbo breaded shrimp and fried fish along with fried chicken and roast beef. Lots of dessert options, too, including soft serve. It was a bit expensive - we're not sure we ate our money's worth, but that may be because I only went up twice, not counting dessert. Service was friendly and attentive, quickly clearing our plates. I'm not sure I would rush to go back because of the price, but I would recommend it for someone who wanted authentic Polish food. read more

Sawa's Old Warsaw Restaurant - Potato soup and salad - Polish Near Me - Broadview, Illinois

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Delicious food! Favorites amongst our order were the Polish Sausage, Meat Pierogies, and the broasted chicken. We ordered carry out and the service was quick and all done curbside with great regard to social distancing. Will definitely be ordering again! read more

Sawa's Old Warsaw Restaurant - Carry out Menu - Polish Near Me - Broadview, Illinois

The food is great all ways we love coming here.the buffet is allways full of good food hot foods hot cold food cold.We love it so much we had Sawa's Cater our wedding reception everyone loved the food. The owner Stuart knows how to do food right. read more

Sorry, I have to compare Sawa's to Red Apple--there is no comparison. Very mediocre selections. I went to Sawa's after a 10 year or so gap. Now I know why I haven't been here in so long. Atmosphere: Yikes! Old, dismal red everywhere. Looks the same from my last visit 10 years ago. The outside is falling apart. A good paint job would work wonders. Call in someone to fix the burnt out bulbs! Food is not good. So limited. Potato pancakes not refilled during the time I was there. And one of my hygiene pet peeves--handles of serving tongs laying on the food. Do you know how many hands have held these tongs and are now laying/touching the food? Gross! Other reviews have mentioned good service. Not for me--had to flag down my server for additional water and the check. If you want a Polish buffet with great variety, fresh food, and a clean and inviting atmosphere--go to Red Apple. read more

First off: great place to try polish food! You can see my pictures, their price is reasonably cheap with the food selection they have. Some don't like the limited selection, but I'd say that the quality of the food is quite good. They cook real good stuff not just trying to rush things through. I went their several times and my favorite items are their roasted duck, on Sundays, and their daily homemade soup. You must must try their duck if you love eating duck. It's not easy to find duck but this place is so good at cooking it. So fresh too! I feel like whenever they bring it out, it's right from their grill. Amazing! Not everyone is a big fan for soup, but their soups are very fresh as well. As you can see in the pictures, great variety of food. They consistently bring food out from the kitchen. Potato pancakes are very good!!! Sauerkraut is definitely homemade with nice quality. However their dessert isn't the best for me and the ice cream could be richer. It doesn't really bother me though because by the time I finish my dinner/lunch, I'm always full and satisfied:) read more

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A old timey warm welcoming Polish buffet Broasted Chicken - super moist fried chicken, they really know how to cook chicken at this place. Baked chicken - super moist baked chicken Roast Beef - moist as well, and good flavor Goulash - better than straganoff on top of the noodles Ham and Noodles - the special for Saturday lunch, I grew up on this as a kid so I just tossed some Goulash on top of it and it made it great Sausage - there's 2 types, the red one has a casing and is a bit more tightly packed, the gray one is softer and looser and has a bit more flavor. Stuffed Cabbage - it was worth trying, it has a bunch of ground beef in it, it's ok. Perogi - traditional potato stuff, not a fan of them in general but these were pretty good tasting. I think I don't like the texture of potatoes in the fluffy form Potato pancakes - very nice crispy outside, nice bit of salt without being too much Apple Blintz - I really don't like the crepe that is on it, it's wayy to mushy They also have a make your own sundae bar with lots of various stuff like apple crumbles and brownies to be your base. read more

This place is a throw back, but the food and service are awesome !!! Everything is spot on, from the cabbage, rolls, pierogies, potato pancakes, and fried pork cutlets. The salad bar is fresh, and the soup is always different. I wish I lived closer so I could eat there more often. read more