Bratek Deli — Restaurant in Garfield

Stopped in on a rainy Saturday at around 2 and the place was pretty poppin. This was my first experience at a Polish grocery store, so I didn’t really know what to expect. They have everything here - produce, fresh kielbasa, household items, skincare, pastries, and hot foods just to name a few. The pastries are just kind of on a shelf out in the open, which didn’t seem too sanitary (or the buffet for that matter) because the store is VERY tight and the aisles are narrow, so I could see it being easy to knock a hand into it, not to mention the conversations happening next to the cramped buffet station.

We ended up ordering hot food from behind the counter since none of the buffet items appealed to us anyway. Nothing was labeled so you have to either know what you want, or guess what the food items are. Or if you want to roll the dice and just point, that works too. It seemed there was only one person behind the counter who spoke English but she was busy helping other customers. We ended up getting the stuffed cabbage. You can order the food by weight, or a dinner portion ($9) where you get an entree, potatoes (choose from 3 different styles) and a salad. We did the roasted potatoes and beet salad and both were great, especially the beet salad. The stuff cabbage was just okay. I thought stuffed cabbage was supposed to be mostly meat, but this one was mostly rice with a few specks of meat. We dug into some of it in the parking lot and it was already cold. I wouldn’t order this again.

Maybe we just didn’t order the right thing. I do wish they had cooked kielbasa behind the hot food counter because I would have loved to try those. There’s also a packaged cold food section (i.e. various salads, stews, and pierogies) you can bring home and heat up. I ended up getting a quart of half sour pickles to take home.

I wouldn’t mind giving this spot another try - possibly some of the kielbasa to throw on the grill at home. I don’t know of many Polish grocery stores around, especially with such a variety, so I can see why...

I’m giving the lowest rating not because Bratek is a bad store—on the contrary, I really like it—but due to poor organization. For two consecutive days, I was not served at the bread and cheese counter.

On the first day, I arrived around 8:30 PM and was informed by a staff member that the machines had already been cleaned, and I was invited to come back the next day. The following day, I stood in line for bread. It’s generally understood that customers buying bread form a separate line from those purchasing cold cuts. After waiting quite a while, I was surprised to find that my turn was skipped. Another customer then told me that the line was actually forming from the opposite side.

It’s not a pleasant experience to be dismissed two days in a row. That’s not what shopping is supposed to feel like. It would be helpful if management could clearly post the time until which sliced meats and cheeses are available before closing, as well as inform customers of any changes in queue organization or...

Amazing hot food cafeteria style set up. Everything is fresh. Portions are huge and ridiculously low priced. For instance you can get a humongous ground pork stuffed cabbage piece with tasty gravy, a hot starch like potato, rice or pasta, a hot vegetable side and a cold cucumber, cole slaw or sauerkraut & carrot salad. All for just $8.00. They have a small bakery section with fresh breads, donuts, danish and eclairs. A small butcher shop in the back of the store offers an impressive selection of Polish cold cuts like head cheese, smoked kielbasa and fixings. You defenitely have to give this hidden gem Deli a try. The store isles are a bit narrow and tend to get cramped during lunch & dinner time. Also the workers speak limited english. But don't let that distract you. All of Bratek employees strive to understand and give all of their customers A-1 service. If you're patient, polite, know how to point at what you want & smile, you'll walk out a winner....