Paul Zakopane Harnas Restaurant

This was bar-​none the absolute best polish food in the city. a part of me dired when they closed. i’m not even kidding a little.

I’ve eaten a decent amount of polish food over the years and I was impressed about two things about this restaurant.
1. The size of the portion
2. Just how flavorful everything was.
U hungry, eat here, no hungry no more. And it all was very good.

I absolutely loved (note the tense) Paul Zakopane. No nonsense, no frills, huge portions, cheap prices, and absolutely delicious. We would leave spending very little, have tons of leftovers, and incredibly full bellies. It doesn’t hurt that every meal ended with a complimentary shot of cherry brandy and cake with the owner.
I emailed the restaurant after seeing the last review and was told by the owner’s son that his father has decided to go into retirement. Huge loss for my stomach and for polish food in Chicago!

CLOSED.
As of early November 2011. I have emailed the restaurant to ask, and sadly, they are closed.
A true shame. I lived in E Europe for a year, and it didn’t get more authentic than Paul Zakopane Harnas. The food, décor, atmosphere, table settings, and menu. It was about 100%.
Just down the street, Staropolska is a good alternative, and while I’d give them five stars as well, this place, if you ask me, was slightly more authentic.
A SHAME!
Thank you for the lovely food and good times, Paul Zakopane Harnas.

I stopped by yesterday (11−1−11) for some cabbage rolls and was greeted by a sign that says «Closed Until Further Notice» and all the daily special signs and menus were removed from the windows. Bummer! Hopefully this great little restaurant will reopen in the near future. If you’re planning on going there in the near future you may want to call first to make sure it has reopened. Thanks for all the great food Paul and hopefully you’re just enjoying a well deserved vacation!

We came for a sunnday dinner and walked into a completely empty restaurant. We were skeptical because there was no one there for dinner on a sunday. We ordered
pork shank — ok, need salt but do fall off the bone
veal cutlet — ok could be more crisp
stuffed cabbage — ok, needed more seasoning
pierogis — ok, needed more stuffing.
duck — ok, very dry but better with jelly that came with
polish sausage — VERY good, smoky and slightly spicy
What i love about this establishment is that the entrée comes with soup, salad, dessert and coffee! this deal can’t be beat! I especially loved the mini pierogis that came in the beet soup. Perfect for winter!
Best deal in town!

This was the worst dining experience I have ever had. The owner was rude and seemed arrogant. The food was all served burnt dried out and drowned in gravy.
After we saw the negative reaction from the owner after the first complant no one else said anything. The prices were really high considering the quality or the lack there of. 90% of everyones food was left un eaten. The owner never asked how anything was. If i did not have my 90 year old father with me we would have gotten up and walked out ½ way through the meal. Stay away people

I don’t understand how this restaurant is never busy? The food is still awesome. I’ve returned for the stuff cabbage rolls many times. The Polish Plate is great — comes with stuffed cabbage roll, polish sausage, mixed dumplings, meatball, sauerkraut and potato pancake… served with soup and salad all for under $ 10.

I’ve been eyeing this place for a while now as I take spanish classes across the street. I can never resist a hole-​in-​the wall looking place as my belief is that they have the best food. And I was right! For being as much of a foodie as I am, I’m not well-​versed with Polish food. My friend introduced me to Peaches and Pears on 6435 W Archer Ave, and that was my first time I had traditional Polish food.
So when I saw this place, I had to go in and get some Polish carryout as I’m usually hungry after my spanish class. Got a takeout order of cabbage rolls. I got charged $ 5.10 and eagerly opened my steaming box of food when I got home. I couldn’t believe it. There were 2 colossal cabbage rolls stuffed with beef with tomato sauce over it, 4 baked potatoes with sprinkled parsley on it, a huge, generous scoop of sauerkraut, and 2 small pieces of a cake thing. And I told them to hold the bread rolls, which would have come with it! Wow, that’s more food than they’d ever give you at a any drivethru, and this is homemade, so even better. The box must have weighed at least 2 lbs. For only $ 5.10! The cabbage rolls really delicious, the potatoes, sauerkraut and cake very good. The décor in here is definitely outdated and not inspiring, but the staff is so nice and the food is great.

Thanks to my friend Kelsey, I knew to eat here. It took some time to actually get our butts in the place but last Friday we decided we needed comfort food with all the snow and cold weather. What else but Polish food could fulfill that desire?
We found the place to be taking us back to the 1950s. The plastic over the tablecloth, the fake wood paneling on one wall with fake stone on the other, the old time bar and the old man serving us made it all very homey. We sat next to the stone wall and was greeted by the old gentleman. He was the only server and there was only one other table besides us. The menu is extensive. Sandwiches, burgers, polish plates with all sorts of deliciousness and more. I ordered the polish plate (cabbage roll, meatball, dumplings, polish sausage, potato pancake, pierogi and sauerkraut) and the hubs got the roast duck. I tried some of that duck and I believe I will be ordering that the next time. With our main entrée, we got soup, salad and dessert. The cream of mushroom warmed me up but the salad had too much dressing.
The food was phenomenal and honestly, it looked as if we hardly made a dent. Dessert was served afterward and I ordered Neopolitan ice cream while hubby got chocolate. We got a bite of a delicious fig pastry on the plate as well. Coffee and tea is included but we didn’t have room for that. To round off our meal, we were given a cherry liquor, gratis, to wash everything down.
I was laughing and had a great time at dinner. We were the only ones dining for most of the meal and it was nice to have it all to our selves. The best part after all the delicious food was it cost $ 24 for two full meals and an Okocim. I thought the bill was a mistake. We ate like kings and paid hardly anything for our meal. But honestly, doesn’t that make a delicious meal that much sweeter?

If you are poor and hungry– come here. This place serves complete meals. Order one entrée and get soup, drink, sides, and dessert. My bf and I stopped in one day after buying all our polish groceries from up the street, and had to go back the next week because we’d felt like we’d discovered something amazing and old. This feels like an old school dinner, or like going over to your grandparents house for lunch. The decorations inside are very cute and classroom like. The waiters hands shook so much you’d think he would spill the soup, but he was 100% pro.
Seriously, for those who don’t have any dietary restrictions, but like to stretch out meals, this is how they say… The joint.

This used to be a frequent breakfast spot for us, but it has been a while since we visited.
The owners are very nice and often chatted with us while we waited for our food.
Prices were reasonable at first, but then started going up steadily. The décor is outdated and the crowd is generally older.
Omlettes were good, but a little greasy. Definitely not worth the drive if it is out of your way.

My friend and I were transfixed by the old school banquet hall style atmosphere (despite the fact nobody, and I mean no diners, were inside).
Our orders were taken by a somewhat intimidating, succinct woman. I really just wanted to order my meal, it is an option on the menu, but our hostess was not having it. I had to order whatever dinner special it was and was too nervous to demand otherwise.
I had a salad which was a normal salad, but I didn’t want it in the first place so I kept pretending to eat it; a dish of barley soup which was pedestrian and like 2 things I ordered had flies kamikaze themselves into, and a plate of fries which were fine, normal fries.
My friend ordered a beautiful chicken, in appearance as well as in taste apparently. I ordered roasted pork which I did not expect to be slovenly soaked in gravy, though I probably should’ve expected it considering what I remember from friend’s traditionally Polish mothers. It was rather bland and found the soft, slimy texture rather unpleasant.
I kept munching on fries, hoping despite no other customers that I my lack of digested food would not be questioned. I was wrong, I was forced to have the meat in a to go bag. I felt like my mother was telling me I was bring rude for not eating a meal at someone else’s house. Except I paid for it in a restaurant so I don’t think I should have to explain anything to anyone.
Then came dessert, we thoughtfully declined but again were forced to have it because apparently it was part of the packaged meal. We felt guilty and nodded. Basically freezer burned Breyer’s. And my friend is lactose intolerant so he had to try to ration what he could stomach in order to not get sick.
The food, really cheap and affordable. Maybe if I ordered a burger or something more to my taste, I would’ve had a different review. Between you and me, I don’t really want to try again.

Noting that I didn’t eat my fill of stereotypical polish fare, e.g. pirogies, sausage, etc. I plan on coming back one of these days, especially since I think my experience was marred by ordering too much and filling up on free bread before my meal actually hit the table. Not many people around me knew anything about polish food, so we navigated the menu like it was one of those Magic Eye pictures that you needed to stare at for a while before you could see the sailboat. When the guy came around to take our order, I felt pressured to finally pick something without doing much thinking.
It was almost like eating at a friend’s elderly grandparents house. The servers didn’t hesitate to inform us that we were eating the food incorrectly, for example the steak tartare, and at the end they insisted that we fill up on dessert as if eating a ton of pork and potatoes would leave room for anything. Interesting experience all around.
I ordered the pork cutlet with boiled potatoes and sauerkraut. It was pretty basic. A patty of chopped pork breaded and fried. I only got about one third through the cutlet before I decided to call it a night and took the rest home. I tried the potato pancakes, which were pretty good, kind of a hash brown made of mashed potatoes.
Tip: you need to mix the tartare ingredients together before spreading it on bread. Also, if you have leftovers, you can take it home and cook it the next day. It makes a nice hamburger steak.

I’d like to title this review «Things I Learned at Paul Zakopane Harnas Restaurant.»
You will get scolded at Paul Zakopane Harnas Restaurant if the staff doesn’t like the way you eat their food. Staffed by a small army of crotchety, old and heavily accented men and women, the crew is not afraid to tell you exactly what you should and shouldn’t be eating… and how to do it properly. Case in point: When you order steak tartar, you’re supposed to mix it all up and THEN spread it on the bread. When Mama Warsaw saw us eating it in a method not to her liking, she promptly whisked our plate away with a gruff, «I do it for you!» and came back with a plate of properly mixed tartar.
You will get scolded at Paul Zakopane Harnas Restaurant if you don’t finish your meal. After seriously over ordering both potato pancakes and farmers cheese and custard filled crepes, there was no way on God’s green Earth I was going to finish my dinner. When Papa Warsaw noticed I left the majority of my meal uneaten, even after my Herculean effort to muscle it down, he was like, «What? You no like? You no finish!?» I politely told him that it was just too much food and he responded with what I can only describe as a snarfle and unhappily brought me a doggie bag. Sorry Gramps. This girl’s tummy can only hold so many carbs before it hits the limit.
There is apparently some sort of Eastern European public restroom etiquette that I clearly don’t understand. True story: An elderly patron, meaning NON employee, actually came up to me after I had used the restroom while I was sitting at my table and asked if I had just come out of the restroom. Thrown for a loop (and if I’m being honest, freaking out because I KNOW I didn’t pee on the seat or anything) I responded that yes, I had just used the restroom. She proceeded to tell me that there’s some kind of Polish custom where you’re supposed to replace the toilet paper that most folks throw down on the seat with a fresh set-​up for the next user. Say what??? Granted, I could have misconstrued her tip. There seemed to be a bit of a language barrier. But really? That’s pretty ballsy to approach another patron in a restaurant and lecture them on Polish toilet etiquette. I’m still shaking me head at that one.
You might not want to wear your fanciest clothes to Paul Zakopane Harnas Restaurant. This is going to sound mean and please don’t think I’m a total bitch, but Papa Warsaw had a serious case of the shakes and I feared someone at our table was going to end up wearing their soup since he was shaking so badly when he set them down in front of us. Just a little tip from me to you.
I don’t really like Polish food. Seriously. I don’t like borscht. I don’t like pierogis. Huge sausages and lamb shanks scare me. Not gonna lie… I’m just not into the cuisine. It’s too heavy, too bland and too blah to be of any interest. I prefer my fare with some zing. Polish food seems to be kind of lackluster in general. However it is incredibly cheap, so if you’re down with Polish grub, you can fill your belly for well under $ 10 and have leftovers for at least 2 days.
Yeah…Not sure I’ll be back to visit Mama and Papa Warsaw anytime soon, but I will say my visit to Paul Zakopane Harnas Restaurant was definitely interesting.

For some reason I chose the day I’m going out to get Polish food in ‘generous portions’ be the day I have a full breakfast and a big lunch, so when dinnertime came, my stomach was already crying for a break. I was going to cancel but since I knew a few Polski words, I figured I could fit a few more spoonfuls in there…
Dzien Dobry Pan Pawel…
On the menu, they had pierogis which were good but not the best I’ve ever had, I ordered the assorted plate and it was A LOT for a mere $ 4.75 and a big plate of bigos $ 3.95. At those prices I was expecting a half order, but I got super size plates, whoa! I ate as much as I could without busting but I came close. The owner was this cute old man who was very attentive and even brought the whole table free dessert, a slice of apple cake (which I couldn’t try because I was one spoonful away from bust!)
Oh the stomach pains… it took about 2 hours for me to feel less full and I think I’m still digesting some of those carbs… next time, I will starve for 40 days and 40 nights before I attempt this feast again.
Dzienkuje Dobranoc

My favorite pierogis on the planet come from a little nameless restaurant (mostly because I forgot it’s name and I don’t actually speak Polish to look it up) in the Old Town of Warsaw. Smothered in butter and filled with savory potatoes that make your average mash feel inadequate in the flavor department, they are a heart attack waiting to happen. But one where the joy gathered up through years of eating them kills the pain of the attack.
And the ones at Paul Harnas tasted and were made *exactly* the same.
Recently, however, I was informed that the little guys (real pierogis are small and shriveled, not the gargantuan ones in food porn movies) I had in Poland might not have been authentic. In fact, the words «touristy» and «Chinese from P.F. Chang’s» were mentioned due to the area they came from.
However, since:
a) everything felt authentic at Paul Harnas *and*
b) the pierogis tasted the same at my Warsaw digs and Paul Harnas,
By transitive property, I feel vindicated and…
c) therefore my favorite pierogis in Poland were the real deal!
To back up my contention, here’s some proof of Paul Zakopane Harnas’ authenticity:
— The servers make sure the food is consumed in an authentic Polish way. In fact, I even got scolded for picking the dumplings out of my simple but hearty borscht (they were filled with mushrooms, I hate mushrooms), just like grandma used to do. This treatment might be off-​putting for some, but the wood paneled walls and the aging staff pestering and mothering (don’t the two sometimes go hand in hand?) made it feel like home to me. I just wish they would have done something about the gnats. That made it feel a little too much like a house and not a restaurant.
— There is no Americanizing the health content here — it was pure «jolly» old Polish peep food all the way. My blintz was not only filled with farmer’s cheese, as advertised on the menu, but also contained yellow custard and was deep fried in oil. It was so sweet and unhealthy, it made my eyes cross. And all of the portions were giant! There were doggie bags all around at the end of the meal.
— It felt like I was paying in zloty and not dollars! The borscht was under $ 2.00! All of the Polish specialties were less than $ 5.00. And a can of MGD is $ 1.50 all the time (not Polish, but who cares, it’s $ 1.50)!
In conclusion, I would contend my taste in pierogis is awesome and anyone who doubts that can suck on them. The pierogis I mean.

Last time I reviewed this place, I lived across the street from it. Every now and then, I end up going to the old neighborhood for some delicious polish food. Tonight was one of those nights, and for the first time in the history of me eating Paul Zakopane Harnas, I ate IN the restaurant.
I have to say, the owner is on the ball. I went there with someone who had celiac’s disease. Polish food is right up his alley due to the lack of starches in most of the main courses. He ordered the mushroom soup, which unfortunately had noodles in it. A quick «Do you have any soups without noodles?» brought on an «I’ll make you mushroom soup without noodles,» which was as delicious as it was virtually gluten-​free. If he’s making mushroom soup on the day you happen to be there (weekend days only), I would highly suggest ordering it.
I’ve had dreams about their pierogies (with butter AND bacon, of course), and their portions are HUGE. By the time you’re done with the soup course, you’re already full. I honestly can’t say enough about the value. Put it this way: $ 8.95 for two days worth of delicious food.
The veal is very good. As is the chateaubriand and the polish sampler is tons of bang for your buck.
And if you’re over 21, the man may give you some shots after your meal. Tasted like amaretto. Can’t argue with that. Seriously. Every dinner comes with soup, salad, and dessert.
Eat there. You won’t be displeased.

From the outside, this place is not promising. It was a Friday night around 8pm and it was deserted. Luckily all three of us were starving and I wanted borscht soup. Badly.
Yes, the amount of food they serve you for the dollar amount is spectacular. I think my plate weighed fifteen pounds and I felt like a big fat happy English king with all the sausages and schnitzel in front of me. Of course I couldn’t choose one thing, so I had to get the fatty multiple extreme: Polish Food Assortment. Easily could have fed three people. Was definitely amazing. I blacked out and don’t remember everything, but it’s a «Greatest Hits» of classic Polish dishes.
Also…pierogis are one dollar. ONE DOLLAR. That alone is awesome.
Try the mushroom soup if you can. Sounds boring, but out of everything, it was the winner at our table. Buttery, savory, surprisingly unique and delicious. Pretty sure Paul was serving us which added to the local-​ness of the place. Pretty drab settings, bunch of his family members were coming in and out. I can’t imagine there’s anything more enticing than a mountain of hot, heavy, Polish food in the dead of Chicago winter… and we were loving this on a hot night in July.

I finally decided to try Paul Zakopane’s last night; I live right behind the place and pass by it every day when I walk my dog but for some reason it’s taken me until now to actually go in.
I decided to go for the Polish platter since I couldn’t decide on just one thing. I know other people on here have said that they serve you enough to feed an army… they are not kidding! For $ 9.16 I walked away with: salad, four slices of bread (and butter), the entrée itself (which includes: sausage, sauerkraut, stuffed cabbage, two potato pancakes, meat pierogies sprinkled with bacon, dumplings and a meatball in gravy), and dessert, too. I know my eyes are much bigger than my stomach, but even attempting to eat half of JUST the entrée proved bigger than anything I’ve ever attempted before. I’m pretty positive the leftovers will keep me fed for not just today but tomorrow too! Oh, and everything is absolutely delicious.
If I balloon to 250lbs+ in the next few months we know who’s to blame since I can’t even «walk it off» on my way home… I live 300ft away.