Krakus Foods Polish Deli — Local services in Garfield

For Polish bakeries, few holidays are bigger than Fat Tuesday the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. The consumption of Pączkis (pronounced punch” and "key"), or traditional deep-fried doughnuts with sweet fillings like fruit jam, is believed to bring good luck. A properly made Pączki is a yellow ball of heavy cream, pasteurized egg yolks, yeast, salt, flour, and a splash of rum. Then, the balls are flung onto a tray in neat rows and dunked in oil heated to 375 degrees. After each Pączki cools, it is sprinkled with powdered sugar or slathered in glaze, leaving a smooth, rounded exterior and a tiny pocket of air between the fruit and dough. Today being my partner’s birthday, he was in the mood for these sweets. Unfortunately, our local Polish bakery was closed for vacation. Our friend has informed us that he shops at this establishment located off River Drive in Garfield. Upon arriving, there were shoppers lined up by the deli next to the bakery, and the sighting of these donuts made me smile. These came in 2 flavors: raspberry jelly, and rose hips, or thick prune-and-apple lekvar jam. We decided on three each at $1.50. These were freshly made and...

Unfortunately, while the food is genuinely good, the service — especially at the dinner station — leaves much to be desired. It noticeably detracts from the overall enjoyment of the visit. We came during lunch hours, which should be a peak time for hospitality, yet the attitude and approach felt dismissive. In my opinion, the store is likely losing customers due to this unwise handling of service. That’s why I’m giving 3 stars instead of 4. Honestly, even 3 feels like a stretch — but the food was truly excellent, so I’ll give credit where it’s due 😉. PS. I understand that serving people can be challenging. But if someone has a short fuse or feels the need to act smarter than the “next guy,” perhaps it’s time to consider a different role — even if they’re just filling in during vacation or part of management and feel “safe.” That kind of behavior affects more people than...

Been here before & was pretty happy, but not so today. Seems they only care abt Polish speaking customers. Twice was turned away. I asked flavors of donuts. Was told they dont bake them so they dont. Mind u that was translated to me. Couldnt ask abt hot food & if cheese pierogi would be out. Had to get a translater to find out an hour wait. Got translater to order cheese. I believe it was cut & packed while there, but now I see on the label that it says "packed on Feb-21-20". That was 2 wks ago. I hope that's just because nobody cared to correct it & not that its 2 wks old. Im handicapped & all this going back & forth only to be so disappointed!! I gave 3 stars only because I had prior decent dealings here. Today would have been a 1. Sadly, I wont be back even tho the food is good, but cant keep going thru this only to end up not getting what I came for & no one to...