Staropolska Restaurant of Belmont

My visit to this restaurant was somewhat of a letdown.  To be fair to this restaurant I should confess that tried it after I'd already tried the Staropolska Restaurant located on Milwaukee Ave and in my opinion that was a very solid 5 star experience.  So I did go into this place expecting more of the same since they both are owned by the same people (I assume so anyways based on the names being the same and the same general cuisine) which is probably not fair to go in with preconceived ideas based on another location, but I loved the other one so much I couldn't help myself.

Realistically if I hadn't tried their restaurant on Milwaukee I would probably be able to give ths place another star, but with it being a buffet style setup there's just no way it can realistically compare to made to order meals.  The service was friendly and the food ranged from ok to real good.  If I didn't know about their other restaurant on Milwaukee Ave I would return to this restaurant and enjoy it.

For anybody who is not thrilled with this particular restaurant I'd strongly encourage them to try the Milwaukee Ave one and I'll bet you'll have a great dining experience.  Don't just take my word for it check out that locations reviews on Yelp and you'll see I'm just one of MANY fans of that location.

It's a small verson of the red apple, the food was good for a polish buffet but they didn't even have pierogis until we asked for some then they brought some out. The salad and desert bar were a little weak but not bad for the price. I had about 5 plates so I might have ate them out of business but great value.

I've been a couple of times and it has been good. Because all of the food is home cooked it can be hit and miss as far as the selection. My first visit was lunch with a friend and we were in the neighborhood doing some business. Stopped in at 12:30 for a bowl of soup and found it was a buffet. It was less expensive to partake of the buffet than to head east and pay double the buffet price for parking in River North!

For lunch we roasted beets with cucumbers and sauerkraut as well as the VERY BEST ham I have ever had. In fact it was so good that for Easter I ordered ten pounds of ham from them to take to my friends home for dinner (yes, the Jewish girl volunteered to bring the pig!)

The blintzes were amazing, both apple and cheese were delish. Did not love the chicken livers, but the spinach was really great. They offer dessert but I've never tried it, therefore unable to comment.

The owner, manager and waitstaff are all lovely and pleasant. They will offer explanations when possible (not all the waitresses speak English) and are so gracious. The place is immaculately clean and always frequented by the locals from the neighborhood as well as regular customers.

The thing to remember when eating Polish food is that it is bland. Not spicy, not a lot of fancy herbs, but good, basic, rustic and earthy. Those who are seeking haute cuisine will be disappointed. This is a roasted chicken and pork place with overcooked vegetables and loads of cabbage. It is also quite good.