Rosa-Ly Pierogi — Restaurant in Fairfield

3 1/2 stars

My history with pierogis is a little embarrassing - literally into adulthood, I assumed all pierogis were like the weird, rubbery concoctions from my middle school cafeteria. It was mind-blowing to me that they could actually be delicious, a noble addition to the same genre in my mind as empanadas and dumplings. I don't have a ton of experience with them, but the best I've had was from my chum's Polish mother-in-law, who made cheese ones for a backyard birthday party and I accidentally ate most of the inventory. These were good, but not to the level of the birthday pierogis.

The worst part of this experience by far is/was the location. It's on a very weird, awkward section of 46 West that's just past the Clinton Rd. intersection, so to my knowledge the only way to get back onto 46 East is to go all the way into Montville for the next U-turn, or to do what I did, which was to actually go onto 80 East in Montville back home, bypassing 46 East entirely. It's a terrible spot (but seriously - if anyone has a better idea, I'd love to hear it). There are a few parking spots right in front of Rosa-Ly's, but when I showed up at lunchtime on Friday they were all occupied so I had to drive behind the building and park there. Not a big deal but it IS a little claustrophobic on the side alley sections heading in and out of that back lot - if I had a bigger vehicle, this could have been rough.

This definitely isn't intended as an insult, but the interior reminds me a lot of a genre-specific bodega, if that makes sense. I was expecting more of a casual restaurant, but there were a lot of Polish grocery items for sale off to the sides. Thankfully there were also quite a few indoor seating options (and a table or two outside) so I was able to easily order and secure a spot nearby while I waited for my pierogis to come out.

I went with the Potato & Farmer Cheese six-piece option ($8.95), since I already had a pleasant cheese pierogi experience under my belt. They were clearly made to order/fresh, and a woman from the kitchen delivered them to my table within about five minutes or so. (Both her and the woman at the counter separately confirmed if I wanted the sour cream/sauteed onions that traditionally accompany the dish, which I declined each times - nice touch.) In hindsight, I think I would have gone with a more mainstream cheese, since the Farmer was a little tangier than I preferred (I like a standout taste, but it was a LITTLE too standout-ish). Lesson learned. Overall though it was tasty and by no means a bad pierogi. Given that you're provided with six of these, I thought the price point was legit/competitive.

The service was mostly good. My direct interactions with both woman were perfectly fine but (and this could just be me - it's entirely possible nobody else would be bothered by this) there was a customer at a nearby table who told the waitress that he hadn't gotten what he ordered. I didn't see the prior interactions to know how legitimate that claim was, but when the woman returned to the counter area, she and the other employee rolled their eyes and made a few muttered comments between themselves. It may have been an entirely deserved reaction, but it shouldn't happen in front of any other customers.

Perfectly decent experience - if this were in a more convenient location, I'd be more inclined to come back for return visits. In the meantime, I'll keep trying to hit up backyard...

When I pulled into the front parking lot of Rosaly's, it was full. I pulled around back and parked. The whole lot was/is extremely tight.

Going inside, the restaurant was extremely clean looking and pleasant. I was greeted right away and provided my pick up order. That is sort of where the good experience stopped.

I was not provided utensils, napkins or anything to eat my to-go meal with.

The sides requested, butter, onions, sour cream, were all casually thrown into my meal, and made it a soupy stew of congealed milky fat and kielbasa. Why not put the sides... on the side?

The kielbasa was fatty, huge cubes of unchewable tough fat, and extremely bland, the meat was extra fine (more like a paste), with no taste at all, the skin was like rubber and very tough.

The home made Pickle was EXTREMELY tough, biting into it took force and make liquid go everywhere like you were trying to pickle juice from it.

The pierogi were incredible and saved the.... wait a minute... (checks what I ordered) - They shorted me a pierogi.... Only got 5/6.... welp... at least the 5/6 pierogi were good.

Suggestion : stay away from the meat products here, get the pierogis. Make sure you request sides (TO BE PUT ON THE SIDE) & utensils, napkins, condiments.

Ill be back for more pierogis, but will never try the...

Just hit up Rosa-ly for the first time, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I went for the kielbasa and kraut with a side of Buffalo chicken pierogis, and it was absolutely killer. The kielbasa was perfectly smoky, and the kraut had just the right tang to balance it out. But those Buffalo chicken pierogis? Next-level. The filling was super flavorful, with just the right amount of kick, and the dough had that perfect chewy-but-not-too-thick vibe.

The best part? It didn’t break the bank. For how good everything was, the prices were surprisingly reasonable. You get that homemade quality without feeling like you’re splurging. I’m definitely coming back to try more of their pierogi combos. If you’re even thinking about checking it...