Another childhood favorite of mine! Â When I think Polish food I think Bobak! Â Best grocery store for Polish food! Â I took my son there for the first time, he really didn't want to go at first, but then I couldn't get him out!!!
I totally stocked up yesterday and will be cooking: Â from stuffed green peppers, brats, sausage, garlic butter, bacon, and I can go on! Â The deli counter is just about the whole side of the store and you can get all sorts of yummy things! Â Â Everything is freshly cut. Â Not really your place for vegetarians!
Price is pretty good for what you are getting. Â Employees are really nice and speak Polish in case you do! Â (I don't!) Â Just hope that my daughter doesn't find the pierogies!
If you want to each some good Polish food, especially the sausage this is the place to go! Everything they have here is great! The taste that the sausage has is amazing and full of flavor. I went along with one of my close friends here for the first time ever, and we both were amazed of how good it all was.
Keep up the great service!
Stopped by yesterday on our way home from Navy Pier (we live near Champaign) and I'm so glad we did. The prices are great and the quality of the Kielbasa, Golabki, Kapusta and Pierogies is wonderful as well. We also got great customer service including some tasting and a suggestion to buy the less expensive option of sausage because it taste better.
Woke up this morning and cooked the kielbasa in the kapusta, made the pierogies with sauteed onions in butter sauce and crumbled bacon and heated up their golabki in gravy for lunch. I've lost touch with my Polish heritage until today. Love Bobak's and love all the food we picked up yesterday. Can't wait to come back to Chicago and stock up.
As a person who was raised in the west 'burbs and has currently resided in Jackson, MS for the last 18 years - I've been feigning for some good ol' fashioned Chi-town grub.
We've had numerous mom and pop operations open here in Jackson and they would last for a month or two, even had one place that was open for 5 years, however they were located inside a mall and its a dying mall besides that.
So I finally broke down and went to the Internet - because I knew there had to be some people that could do mail order. After researching Flukey's, Daisy Brand (Crawfords Sausage Company), Irving's Red Hots, Bobak's had some really strong reviews and were decent on the shipping charges.
Usinger's is the most reasonable on shipping charges - but I ordered brats and Italian sausages from them and that's another review.
But I ordered 7lbs or 7 packs of polish sausages from Bobak's and there were 5 links in each pack at $8 a piece. Shipping and all I paid $84 - which is cheaper than me driving home, having to get lodging - so it all balances out.
This past Sunday, I busted open a pack - simmered them in some water in a frying pan, sauteed some onions, fired up the gas grill on medium - placed the links over the direct flame turning them so the internal juices can go back and forth - a few minutes later - you start to hear the cracking, popping sound - to me that's a good thing when a sausage has a high quality casing and good coarse ingredients on the inside.
Took'em off the grill, slathered some spicy mustard on top, then the sautes and then some good ol' kraut - simply deelish.
The only drawback was the size of the link - it was bun size (6" link), when I thought it was going to be more a 12" link.
Outside of that - the quality and flavor of the sausage makes up for the lack of size.
I'm thinking about writing to Kroger's which is the local grocery chain in Jackson and see if they can start carrying this product. The southern brands of so-called polish sausages (Bryan & John Morrell) are insults to the pallets of seasoned Chicagoans and when it comes to our sausages.
Until I can get the logistics part down of getting these products to Jackson, MS (which has deep historic relationship with the city of Chicago, due to the great migration of the 50's and 60's) - I will continue to do mail order with Bobak's and those fine polish sausages!!!!!
As a life-long Chicagoan, I had never been to Bobak until two days ago on the way back from my Southwest Side dental surgeon. Yes, the side of my mouth was full of novocaine, but I thought I might regret it if I didn't stop in.
And I was right!. I've enjoyed shopping in Eastern European deli's in Ukrainian Village and up Milwaukee Avenue, but this superstore goes one step further. It's as inexpensive as the others (a big plus!), and I loved the samples of their chorizo and Italian sausage  throughout. I don't buy much at one time, but I walked out with what I'd hoped to get--a pork loin for just $5--as well as a nice healthy bread with oats as the first ingredient.
Thumbs up!
This review is for the customer service and communication of employees.
After reading good reviews on Yelp! and reading online they sell sausage casings for making home made sausage, I call them to confirm. The operator is not sure so she transfers me to what I assume is the butcher/meat department. He confirms that they do indeed carry them.
I rent a Zipcar so I can drive down from Andersonville. When I get there I look and look and don't see casings. So after giving up I go to the meat counter and ring the buzzer for assistance. No one is there although there are probably a dozen employees taking down Christmas decorations here and there. I buzz again. Finally a woman comes out and I ask her if they had casings. She shakes her head no. I tell her I had called and was told they do. She shrugs and returns to the back.
Now, very frustrated, I go over to customer service to see if I can get some kind of answer. No one at customer service. No buzzer to get anyone. I wait and wait and finally give up.
I have a feeling that there was a language barrier at the meat counter. Perhaps the woman didn't speak English or her English was not up to par to understand my request. If that's the case, go get someone who can understand me. Don't just shrug. I have been to other Polish markets in Chicago far better in customer service than this one. It's far from me so even if this was a 5 start rating I would probably not go back often, but I will never go back. I wasted money on a rental and half of my day to come up empty handed.
Oh, and the food in the "food bar" looked old and heat-lamped. Gross.
This place is the best--like a dream come true for me. Â Tons of Polish products--cheap prices. Â Love the varieties of sausages; they always have something unique that you won't find anywhere else. Â Bobak's chorizo is the best I've ever had. Â Love the sun-dried tomato, jalepeno cheddar and the pork jerky. Â They usually have samples of a lot of different sausages so you can try before you buy.
Review Source:Yelp is the reason I even found Bobak's. Â I was visiting Chicago, trying to find good Polish food and Bobak's came up. Â They have many varieties of meats. Â I have noticed that the stock changes often though so don't expect that your favorite item will be there on your next visit. Â In the back of the store, they have several crocks. Â The one you must try is the dill baby cucumbers. Â I bought 12 on my last trip and they were gone in about 3 days. Â What was I thinking??!!! I haven't tried that buffet but it does look intriguing. Â They sell hot dogs or brats with all the fixings for $2. Â The buns were hard but the delicious hot dog and kraut made me forget all about the bun. Â I never had their kraut before and that will be on the list for the next trip.
Review Source:30+ item hot buffet and two soups of the day. I had an assortment of pork, mashed potatoes and a creamy chicken soup. My girlfriend has beef and mixed vegetables with the same soup. We were both very pleased with our meals. There are several tables next to the window for eating in. I would come back again for lunch or to shop their extensive Deli and to get some Milka chocolate!
Review Source:The World According to Noelle
Allergic Girl's Guide to Life
"Bobak's is your one
stop shop for Polish
food and groceries."
~Noelle W.
When I think of organic food I think of Whole Foods. When I think of the best Polish grocery store I think of Bobaks. From the outside it looks like a regular grocery store. Once you step inside you might feel like you've been transported to Poland. They have an excellent meat section with a plethora of sausages and freshly cut meats all done on site. There is an excellent hot foods section- where we picked up some potato pancakes and perogies. Looking for authentic baked goodies they have them here.
We purchased:
Hot Deli Foods
Makowiec (Traditional Poppy Seed Cake)
Krowki Milanowskie Milky Cream Fudge
The cream fudge was out of this world delicious! I make perogies from scratch but there is another alternative- purchasing them. If you're looking for that almost homemade taste try Alexandra pierogies- I'm sure you'll love em! I absolutely love the selection of everything at Bobaks. Bobaks is really a one stop shop for everything Polish! Not only do they have a great selection of everything they have warm and friendly customer service :)
Noelle's Notes
One of my favorite
grocery stores.
This place is polish and sausage heaven. Â Â They have every polish delicacy you could want. Â Just don't go in expecting any recommendations if you are not in the polish know. Â Big language barrier here. Â But upon checking out, the cashier threw in one of my items for free.....now that's customer service you won't get at many places.
Review Source:It's a Polish food supermarket! Â Awesome!
When the weather is cold, I crave gooey, fattening, Polish food, but have to make all of it myself now. Â Very few Polish dishes are originally meat and dairy free (so no trips to Szalas or other Polish restaurants for me). Â I have to "veganize" them. Â However, I can still buy Polish style pickles, Polish kraut, dark chocolate (Wawel dark chocolate is sooo good, among the best dark chocolate I've had so far since giving up dairy) grains, and even some of the bread for reasonable prices. Yes, they do sell bread (rye and graham comes to mind, amongst several others) that is made without any animal products.
If you're not dairy-free, I recommend the apple pancakes, potato pancakes (they're on sale a lot) and blintzes from the deli. Â Pastries are delicious of course too, but I never ate a paczki or kolacky I didn't like. Poppy seed bread is alright, but I had a better one from another local bakery (whose name escapes me, sorry).
Growing up in this neighborhood I have been going here for years. Â Everything makes more sense if you speak Polish, but you can manage fairly well if you don't. Â I have tasted just about all the meats, soups, salads that they make over the years and I have yet to have a bad one yet. Piergois, kraut, you name it, they have it and its generally homemade. Â I am not a huge fan of the bakery sweets.. just the breads. Â This place gets packed, but its well worth the wait
Review Source:A sausage fest abounds! (snicker) Literally.
You may not be entirely familiar with Bobak's but if you're a fan of Boar's Head you might enjoy a local family fare.
This place is SO big and chock full of meat, sausages hanging above, Polish cookies, European chocolates and little cakes. A wonderful selection of cakes and finger foods. You'd be surprised at how delicate some of the foods coming out of this place looks considering it's a deli/meat shop.
It's a shame it's so far from home but it's such a great selection and so amazingly cheap. I wish I was a poor college kid-I'd be in heaven.
A Polish superstore--what more could you want?
Sure, I love the varieties of sausages, meats, pierogies, and other homemade Polish goodies, but what I was *truly* amazed at with Bobak's were their prices.
I couldn't believe some of this stuff was so cheap! You go to these hipster ethnic food stores in the heart of the city and you realize 1.) how limited their inventory is, and 2.) what a total rip-off everything is.
Bobak's also has a hefty selection of German chocolate bars for a low, low price. Last time I was there, Milkas were on sale 4 for $1.00. And I know Milka is pretty  much the German equivalent of some crap American brand (Palmer, maybe?), but they taste better than any American chocolate bar I've ever had. And let's face it, the Poles suck major butt-cheeks when it comes to the dessert arena, so they need to borrow a little help from their Ottoman neighbors.
Bobak's store is incredible! I literally packed my suitcase before I jumped on my plane at Midway.
Here's what I packed it with:
POLISH SAUSAGE. Yum! This stuff was amazing. Legit Authentic real-deal Polish sausage. Don't hold back... it's worth the trip.
POPPY SEED ROLLS. oh man there were enough poppies in here to get deported on drug charges. This was incredible. Moist and delicious. MMMM...
ZUBROWKA VODKA. Yes, the bison wheatgrass vodka. Learned of it here, but when visiting Poland found that it was everyone's favorite. If you don't know Zubrowka (pronounced zoo-brove-kuh), you need to experience it for yourself. It's the Polish favorite and has an smooth taste due to the wheatgrass. That and Wyborowa are my favorites.
So, there you go. 4 stars worth of Polish goodness. Authentic, Legit, Unique, delicious.... mmmm, I need to visit again and pack up that suitcase!
BOBAK'S RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED. THE STORE IS OPEN.
And that's okay, because while their buffet was nothing special, and the food would sit like a lump at the bottom of your stomach, the grocery store is where it's at.
They serve an amazing array of sausages for cheap, and most of them are good. Lots of specialty Polish and other foreign food products. It's really fun to browse the store. The people who work there, while some may struggle with English, are extremely nice and willing to help.
If you have a layover at Midway, you can walk there in 20 minutes, max. Go now!
The restaurant has been closed for about two months now and its not coming back. It has been replaced by a carryout hot food table in the middle of the store, priced at $4.99 per pound. There are about a dozen tables in front of the store where you can sit down and eat. The food is classic Bobaks although a more limited offering. The choices included different chicken, beef and pork dishes; blintzes, pierogi and potato pancakes and salads. They also sell make-your-own hotdogs and polish sausages at $2.00 each.
The store is a typical bigger Polish supermarket. Deli and meat excel, bakery is good and the fruit and vegie selection looks to have been scaled back. The deli is probably one of the best in the city. It includes even some German lunchmeats. It looks like they no longer sell packaged alcohol - a negative for me.
Tastewise, the food in the carryout, albeit limited in choice, is still good but a definite deterioration in the atmosphere when compared with the restaurant.
Update 05/08: Upgrading a star for prices and quality. On a return visit I got Bobak's ham (similar to Krakus) for $1.69 lb and turkey breast for $2.69 lb. I got some big fresh apricot paczkis - YUM. The do-it-yourself buffet was really good today - it was a Sunday and stuff was turning over quickly so everything was fresh and tasty. They had boiled new potatoes sprinkled with dill - who needs the meat...
Are you flying into Midway? Â I will pick you up if we can swing by Bobak's. Â Â
Dinner for 2, $6.00. Â 1 pound of sausage, which was somehow only 2 links, $1.79. Â 1 pound of porterhouse steak, $3.99.
As long as you're not intimidated by the girth of their sausages, the butcher counter is where it's at.
This review is for the store only.
My plan of going vegetarian for the summer is over. Having many vegetarian co-workers and my dear fellow yelper/co-worker, Eitan S.(who recently found a light at Green Zebra BTW), Â somewhat inspired me to become one, but after a trip to Bobak's I just can't do it. CAN'T!!!
I was in search of finding a good place to take my friend's father who is in town from India for good salami and cheese because he requested that he would like to bring some goodies from the US for his wife. So few yelpers including Kathleen O. mentioned Bobak's, so I started digging their website. They seem to have specials going on every week. This week's special includes $2.49/lb baby back ribs. I just got a weber grill, and my brother loves them. So I made random a trip to the Southernland( South of where I live anyway) and ditched my date with Master Steppers at Xsports.
After 30 minutes at Bobak's, now my fridge is filled with four full slabs of ribs, two huge chunks of rib eye, half a dozen links of kielbasa, two pounds of bacon, a pound of salami, jars of herring, a pound of lorraine cheese, mozzarella, and  polish cheeses I have no idea how to pronounce the names of, jars of sauerkraut, red cabbage salad, relish, pickled red peppers, creme pastries, and a cheesecake. And I spent under 100 bucks.
By the way, the kielbasa is so cheap, yet very tasty. The cream pastries(Kremowka) might be the best dessert item I've ever purchased from a grocery store. So is the cheesecake.
I am just so blown away by the price(beats H-mart in my opinion) and the estimated number of pounds I will gain this summer.
Store Staff could move their ass a bit faster, but I don't blame them- I'd have the slowest moving ass after eating all those sausages if I worked there for few weeks.
I like the grocery store more than the restaurant.
I agree with Patty V. the cheesecake is delicious. Everything else seems a solid average to me. Nothing bad, but not outstanding. I grew up on home cooked Polish food, so maybe I'm a bit spoiled.
I will give them credit for cleanliness and food presentation. Everything on the buffet is well stocked and fresh. This is hard to do on a buffet line.
The other desserts are dry, and I wish they would stop putting out bunches of grapes without breaking them down to a manageable grab  and put on your plate size. I saw a women sneeze as she was walking up to the display, after covering her month, she used the same hand to pick up the grapes and tear off a section, leaving the rest for the next person.
Anything on a buffet, that requires the use of hands only I avoid.
Hmm...3 stars isn't saying that its a bad place, but rather an overall experience with the foods there, etc. Bobak Polish sausage is delicious, and one of the main reasons why I decided to try the buffet. My friend is always buying Polish mineral water at the Bobak Market, so we decided to stroll into the buffet. First, the decor. Decor isnt saying anything, and doesnt exactly scream Poland t me, but is quaint and non-assuming. High celings, a seating area, and a buffet line area. Saw families and a few off duty cops here.
The food is Polish. Sausages, dumplings, stuffed meats, stuffed cabbages, all very heavy and greasy. Which isnt necessarily bad, but may be overwhelming to those who cannot handle grease. Eat slowly, and take your time. Leave some room for the excellent Kolacki cookies, and make sure you grab some Kolackis to go from the supermarket next door.
Absolutely fantastic food both at the buffet and the restaurant. The polish sausage and sauerkraut will bring you back. The food plentiful and fresh. I never got to try the dessert but it is lovely display. The price is extremely reasonable and its convenient as you can do your grocery shopping after eating. I warn you though you will not be wanting to look at alot of food after eating.
Review Source:I have never made it to the dessert tables here. For a reason. The food is so hearty and rich, with the taste of Grandma's cooking, even if she wasn't Polish. try everything! Potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, polish sausage, and the great sauerkraut.
And Gentlemen, the waitresses aren't too bad to look at either.
Updated 12/20//2007: Â The restaurant is now closed, and they've replaced the middle of the store with that hot food tables that you see in "mainstream" grocery stores. Â The hot food was being talen away when we arrived to shop, so I don't know how good it is. Â However, it takes up so much floor space that they've gotten rid of so much of the grocery selection, so I'm hugely disappointed. Â I had given them 5 stars, but now the grocery store is a shadow of it's formal self. Â You can still find great stuff here - the deli, meats and prepared soups are great, but there's less of the other prepared things (no more Bobak pierogis!!!). Â Now it's just not worth the trip, so Joe and Frank's is likely my new Polish / Czech grocer. Â :(
Awesome buffet if you love Polish food. Â The quality and variety can't be beat. Â Table service is okay, not great (I always ask for a pitcher of water because the refills are never quick enough for me). Â It can be a bit pricey at dinner (especially weekend evenings), but no other place can come close when it comes to the variety and quality of the food.
If there ever was a place you wanted to go to get fat, this would be it. I cannot even begin to tell you how delicious, plentiful and (most likely) fattening the food is on this Polish buffet. Now the word buffet probably strikes an image in your mind as mediocre food being warmed by a heat lamp or a tray of hot water. Bobak's will banish that image from your head and replace it with freshness and comfort food fullness. Because it's so popular the food is never out long enough to dry out and lose its freshness. Bobak's always has a wide variety of Polish favorites such as different kinds of sausage (made there), pierogi, golabki and potato pancakes, which are all equally terrific. There's also a salad bar, which I never bother with. I wouldn't want it to get in the way of my meat consumption. If you can loosen your belt a bit and muster enough room for dessert there's assorted cakes and kolackis. If you are feeling guilty after your meal, take a few strolls around the adjacent Polish super market to work it off.
Review Source:
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