Krakus Restaurant and Bar

I am literally addicted to Polish food. No lie, I used to eat it at least twice a week at the local spot in my town. Unfortunately, it closed up last year due to the owner's declining health and now it's a sports bar. Instead of griping about not being able to get my Polish fix, I decided to Google around to see what I could find when I stumbled upon this place. I will be honest when I say that while the name sounded familiar, I had never heard of it.

Regardless, I decided to head Krakus with my girlfriend after seeing a Tiger's game one weekend. Upon walking in, the one feature I love about this place is the "feel." You feel like you've transported yourself to the mid-1970s. It just feels so cozy and old-fashioned. From previous experiences at these types of places, I know that they usually offer up the best food.

Anyways...I chose to order a plate of potato pancakes for my girlfriend and I to share. I also grabbed myself a pierogi with bacon and some Ukrainian soup. What can I say? I was a hungry guy! The one thing I thought was interesting is that there is one older woman who is around cooking up all the food. And everything is made from scratch. I was in heaven. The Ukrainian soup was amazing, as was the pierogi and potato pancakes.

The only thing I was bummed about is the fact that they take cash only. Regardless, there is parking right near the restaurant, the waitress was friendly, there is live music on Saturdays, and the meal was only around $20 for two people. Not bad at all.

I'll be back to Krakus again soon with some of my Polish friends to try out more of the delicious food that this place has to offer. If you're in Detroit, stop by this place!

My step-mom used to frequent Krakus when she moved to Michigan from Poland - and many new immigrants from Poland enjoy the music/dances held there on weekends...plus they pour a strong cocktail :O)

Krakus is located in a rather sketchy-looking part of The D but there is parking right next to the restaurant where you can safely leave your car, and usually parking right on the street outside.

On to the food!

Great, homey, well-prepared, stick-to-your-ribs Polish fair. Extremely reasonable in price. You'll get friendly, but no-nonsense service from the owners or staff.

My favorites:

Kraut & Mushroom Pierogi with fried onion and bacon. Not mushy or overdone. Get 'em fried for a truely-toothsome supper.

Polish-Plate. A bit of everything, good, thin, homemade gravy. Real potatoes with some chunks, pierogi, Golumpki was well-flavored, satisfying, and big garlicky smoked Polish sausage.

Fried porkchops - had an excellent coating/crust and nicely salty and porky.

I didn't like the beet side-dish at all - so sweet it was nauseating, other side veg was fine - standard boiled frozen veggies with a bit of bacon fat.

Soups were good - I thought the Pickles Soup was a bit too rich (not used to a cream/egg base) but in a small cup it's tasty. Great chicken noodle and hammy pea soup.

All meals come with a bread-basket of rye slices and butter. Definitely recommend having a beer with the food, makes it taste Just Right.

I have finally gotten around to reviewing the delicious food!  We stopped in on a Friday night while the restaurant was still open and were astounded by the quality and execution of the food.  The three soups we ordered were served piping hot and were very fresh.  The tomato dumpling soup was very rich and delicious, as was the dill pickle soup.  I believe I tasted a bit of celery in the dill pickle, which was a nice, homey touch.  After the soup course came the entrees: two Polish plates and an order of meat pierogi with onions and bacon.  The Polish plate was very high quality; it had excellent kielbasa, a delicious potato pierogi, mashed potatoes, stuffed cabbage, etc.  The food truly tasted like my grandmother made it.  It is so obvious that these dishes are prepared with the same care as in the finest Polish-American home.  Now, on to the reason I would give this restaurant more than five stars if I could: the meat pierogi with onions and bacon.  They were so fresh, crispy, hot and tasty that I could not resist sneaking bites off my daughter's plate.  If Polish-American cuisine had invented the slider (burger), this would be it, in the most savory way.  Don't let the neighborhood phase you...and if you want, you can watch your car through the CCTV, but I live around the corner and it's not as scary as some reviews would lead you to believe.  Give this place a try...it is well worth it and reasonably priced.  Smacznego!