Caesar Pierogi & Pizza Potpie — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

5 stars all around! My only complaint is at myself for living so close, and not coming in sooner. We were looking for a dog friendly restaurant on a chilly day, so we preferred to eat indoors. When we first walked in the space looked small for our large dog, and there were two other tables of people, so we almost opted out. Caesar and the other guests were very welcoming, bade us to stay, and even moved some tables around to accommodate our group of 5 people & 2 dogs.

Eating here is an entire experience! First, they have the cutest tea sets and dishes along the wall that are for sale, and the interior is super cute and cozy. We had no clue what to order, so Caesar came and explained the variety of perogies to us, so we decided to start with those. We had the Ukrainian potato & cheese, mushroom & mozzarella, bacon potato & cheese, spinach & feta, and chocolate perogies. Caesar cooks the food right in front of you behind the café counter. Each crock of perogies is served with a thick slice of butter that's left to melt for a bit before enjoying. Every single one was absolutely delicious, but my favorite were definitely the mushroom & mozzarella, full of umami goodness with the perfect amount of cheese. I was hesitant regarding the chocolate ones (my daughter was the one who requested them), but I was pleasantly surprised. They are a little smaller than your average pierogi, and I'm not 100%, but I think the dough was a little thinner. The inside was decadent, and put me in mind of a chocolate truffle... soooo good! We also tried the French onion soup, which is made in house, to order. Caesar said the soup is made with a hint of white wine, and the flavor was phenomenal, with the perfect amount of melty cheese and crusty bread. My other daughter had a raspberry pastry that was also super tasty. We finished everything off with some sipping chocolates for each of us. I thought this was just hot chocolate, but I was wrong. I had the dark chocolate, and my daughter had the milk. It is much thicker than hot chocolate, like if you dip a spoon in, the spoon will come out coated. The purveyor said that if you were to refrigerate it, then it would become a mousse. It was the perfect end to a perfect meal.

The service was very attentive, and Caesar is very welcoming, personable, and knowledgeable of all the items served. I loved that we were able to bring our dogs in the café for dine in (they enjoyed it too). Every single item we tasted was great, and I will definitely be back to try more perogies as well as the pizza pot pie. They take cash and card. Free street parking is available up & down Irving Park. Careful not to drive too fast & miss it, look for the colorful umbrellas and ice cream stand...

Different in a really good way! I really like this place! Christian was gracious in explaining how everything works to me and here’s my take.

Positives:

-Cozy Atmosphere: Good for a date or business lunch. They provide limited outdoor dining and do cater for groups too.

Unique offerings! One thing that I LOVED? The variety lunch! For under $10 you can mix and match your 6 pierogis!

-Gluten Free Pierogis! They exist! Right here!

Hours of Operation: they are open for lunch! Brgrbelly up the street opens at 5pm and these guys seem to be the only game in town in the area. There is a Hubs chicken place across the street but tbh it looks shady af and I didn’t want to go there.

Ukrainian Options! They have a Ukrainian pierogi! Go Ukraine!

Coffee!

Growth Opportunities:

Beverage selection was very limited. No diet sodas available which surprised me. I ended up with a sparkling water but I’d suggest they bring in some cans of Diet Coke.

-Boiled pierogis seemed to be the only option. I prefer mine cooked in oil on a stove top but boiling for whatever reason was the option they offered.

Just to get some greens in the diet, I would have loved if they had offered something to eat with the pierogis on the side like a salad. It’s inexpensive, healthy, filling and makes me feel better about eating dough

Overall:

Overall a good experience! I got 2 potato cheddar & bacon, 2 sauerkraut and mushroom and two pulled pork. All three are unique offerings and all three weren’t good, they were great! My favorite was the potato cheddar and bacon as it went majestically well with their fresh sour cream. Tbh these were the best tasting pierogis I have had! And that’s WITH them being boiled! So this is a huge bonus and I love supporting small businesses. I would therefore urge you give these folks a try. They are committed to being great and silly one off error aside, it was a really good...

I wanted to have sauerkraut pierogi today. I know, a lot of people don't like sauerkraut but I love it when it is prepared well. Hubby and I decided to see if there were any well-reviewed restaurants serving pierogi near where we were then. Cesar Pierogi & Cafe was the closest and it also had the best reviews. We decided to give it a try. Oh My Goodness were we glad we did! What a great little place! Ceasar Pierogi & Cafe is a small place that opened a couple of months ago. There are a few tables for dining in. The Ceasar's is decorated like a European Cafe. It is cute and cozy with a homey vibe. The pierogi are THE BEST. We tried quite a few of the combinations. They were all well-seasoned. There were expected flavors but they also had pulled pork pierogi. Hubby absolutely loved them! He said they were delicious and, although the filling was unexpected, it fit right in. Everything we had was EXCELLENT! I prefer to have my pierogi sautéed but after having these boiled pierogi, I am on-board. They also sell frozen pierogi to go. All prices are very reasonable. Ceasars also seems to specialize in unique chocolate candy creations, both milk and dark. They make the candy themselves out of high-quality chocolate. It is clear that this small shop takes everything they serve seriously. They take pride in what they do. I wish the chairs were a bit more comfortable but with everything else being as it is, who cares about the chairs! This will be our go-to pierogi place. I wish them...