Baba's Pierogies — Restaurant in New York

~ Specializes in pierogies with classic, and non traditional fillings. ~ My favorite one is the Pan Fried Jalapeño. ~ Counter service. ~ Ample amount of Seating. ~ Clean and modern look. ~ Bathroom available. ~ No Wi-Fi. ~ It wasn't hard for me to find parking.

I reckon slavic people aren't as bad as they are portrayed in the movies, nor the food as boring as its reputation would suggest.

Proof: Baba pierogis! from their friendly and helpful service, to their version of the National dish in many slavic countries; pierogies! I was impressed.

Before trying to explain my blissful bite here, a quick note first. For me, a dish made to perfection is the hardest to describe. It is one of my withdrawal symptoms of an "Euphoric Experience" in a restaurant. So when I took the time later that day to write a review, I was obviously still under the influence, so bare with me, as I'm trying my best here...

From a peasant food in the olden times to a national dish in Poland, slovakia, & Ukraine, the pierogi made it's way through thick and thin only to end up in a freezer near you. Not bad for its legacy one might say! Hey, it even has a race named after it, The Great Pierogi Mascot Race. Not to mention a monument in Alberta, Canada. But being such a popular dish doesn't really mean it's easy to find a juicy - freshly made on the spot- Pierogi in the city. So that's why "Baba pierogies" is a game changer! Armed With their secret baba's (grandmother) recipe, they churn out one of the best pierogis I've ever had.

The benefits of walking in to an empty restaurant, with an empty stomach was three fold. Not only was the service really fast - it really comes in handy, when you are hangry -. Or the picture snapping of the place, easy and fun. NBut you also have a chance to talk to one of the family members about their Baba's recipe, and get some tips on local Eateries.

Less than five minutes after ordering my pan fried jalapeño pierogies, the basket came out with nine pieces ($11) a side of bacon bits ($1.25), warm sauerkraut ($1), and Helen's dip ($0.50). The combination was just pure joy. It hit all the right spots, Texture taste wise. I was happy that I decided to go with the pan fried over Boiled; that extra crisp added so much to the filling of the potato, cheddar, and jalapeño, that I had an epiphany of sorts when it comes to the latest sophistication of street food around the world. Especially when the fillings of the pierogi worked so well together, when it's not even the traditional version of it.

But let's not forget the star of the night, the one that worked tirelessly to put all of these flavors under a shining light, and highlight the harmonious flavor profile of the pierogi, the one and only: Helen's dip! Although the ingredients of this dip were simple, Sriracha, lime juice, and mayo. It didn't take away my delight of how perfect the dip / condiment was.

Pro Tip: You don't have to be Polish to become a regular here

Ps. I can only wish they'll one day bottle the Helen's dip, & sell it on its own. I'll be their...

I was so excited upon finding this spot because I'd been craving Polish food for some time. I walked 25 minutes to get there because I was in the area. But I wish I would've read the lower rated reviews prior to placing an order. No clue how it's so highly rated (as others have mentioned). Would've likely saved myself 50 bucks had I did some reading before letting my excitement take over.

I do feel badly rating so poorly but the one star is seemingly appropriate for the food quality and pricing.

I don't think I've ever had pierogies this bad, anywhere. The fried traditional ones were incredibly dry and all you could taste was straight potato. Thankful I purchased a side of sour cream because they seriously needed it. Forced myself to eat half of them so not to waste the money. The sauerkraut pierogies tasted quite awful extremely peppery and like someone else mentioned tasted as if it was out of a jar. I forced myself to finish one of the 5, absolutely couldn't eat any more of these.

Tried handing them off to coworkers so not to waste them but they took a bite of theirs and eventually decided to throw theirs out.

One of the people mentioned frozen pierogies tasting better and lol, unfortunately it is so true!!

The kiełbasa was unlike any kiełbasa I've eaten from these types of cuisines. It was the only thing that tasted fairly good out of my entire order. But it was SO much smaller than I was anticipating and than I'd gotten at pretty much all other Polish or Slavic restaurants.

Place is cute! But is seriously over priced. This is the most I'd ever spent on pierogies and they're the worst ones...

The flavor can be summed up in two words: salt and grease.

The Keilbasa in the sliders were hard to bite into and not juicy as one should expect. They look nothing like the sliders on their website, and suffice it to say, they tasted like overcooked / overheated hockey pucks. There was no mustard on it. Maybe I should have paid extra to get mustard on this?

One of my sauerkraut pierogi’s were COLD inside. I left three behind.

The bowl of sliced cucumbers was good.

Paying extra for things like bacon bits and carmelized onions or mustard is just cost-gouging your patron. You don’t pay for condiments! This is the only place I’ve been to that charges you more than the cost of a whole onion for a garnish you should expect already on your pierogi.

It’s been a while since I’ve patronized this tiny pierogi shop, and I remembered it much better than this.

Potato pancakes were overly salty and heavy I guess due to drowning in grease while frying? They were hard on outside, soft inside..But greasy crust and salty filling. I make these at home.

We waited a really long time for the order to even arrive to our table - only for it to arrive all at once, and some of it cold.

In the end, I appreciate my culture’s food- this just isn’t it for me.

It’s also expensive for what you get served in a plastic basket with a piece of wax paper (and plastic dishware). We left most of the food behind, sadly. And it’s rated the #1 place in all 5 boroughs? That leaves me shocked...