Solidarity — Restaurant in Santa Monica

The place itself is really cute, nice atmosphere, gorgeous layout. Food was good! Traditional Polish. We had the duck and the Schnitzel.

However, servers made us feel very unwanted and we felt like a bother although we walked in at 9 (an hour before close) and left at 9:45. We weren’t a bother at all, ordered within a few minutes, ate fast and left a 20% tip that wasn’t deserved. When we walked in a server loudly sighed and his whole mannerism changed. I understand him wanting to go home, however if the kitchen closes at 10, the guests shouldn’t be made feel like they are a bother at 9. Both my husband and I run restaurants in Chicago and understand how difficult those last hours are when you just want to be done with the day, however I’m sure there are many places to work that close at 9 then. Taking an order which requires just asking what we want and checking in once to see if everything’s okay is a pretty simple and easy way to make $20-$50 tip and shouldn’t be frowned upon. Another server came a few minutes after we already ordered apologizing for the wait and trying to get our order. We explained we already have everything in to which she said she was on a break and noticed us late (at 9:15). At the end, we just wanted a box and to close out so we could get out of their hair. The lady was talking to some other women inside and wasn’t paying any attention at all or was there to ask if we wanted a dessert, even thought she gave us the dessert menu at 9:40 saying it’s last call. We asked a guy that was there cleaning and closing up for the check and a box and we felt bad we had to nag him for anything considering he wasn’t our server, but he was really nice. The lady came after a few minutes with the handheld and we had to choose the tip prior to putting the card in. My husband tried to just pay but she said ‘just choose a little something here first and then you can pay’. The only options were 20, 25 and 30%. If my husband let me I would definitely not tip more than 10-15%, however he just wanted to leave so he chose 20 so we could go. Usually we are very generous tippers as we have both been in the industry for 12 years +, however this experience really made us not want to spend any money on the tip considering how they were acting.

All this being said, we still recommend to try this place out! It’s a good find and affordable. This is more just something for the management to hopefully see and discuss with...

Ended up dropping by for my first time because there was a speed dating event being hosted here. If you’re driving, there is a small lot to the right side of the restaurant but it could be a hit or miss but Santa Monica has a lot of public parking lots nearby so parking shouldn’t really be a problem.

At first, you don’t really know what you’re going to expect but as soon as you walk in, you are greeted with a dimly lit outside garden vibe. Perfect for a date, dinner with friends, or an event!

I had the pleasure of meeting Matthew the host last night and he was the sweetest!

He was able to make some recommendations of the Warsaw vodka mule, stuffed cabbage, side of Mizeria, and the small plate taster! Ended up getting all three.

The mule was similar to a Moscow mule but a bit sweeter, they embellish it with fresh rosemary which made it pleasantly fragrant!

To my surprise, I really ended up liking the stuffed cabbage because it was very juicy, but also hearty. If you are vegan or vegetarian, they do have a plant-based option, which I hear to be very good as well! it came with a side of mashed potatoes and broccoli, and sat on top of what tasted like a tomato based sauce.

The side of mizeria (sliced cucumbers) was super refreshing paired with the stuffed cabbage, glad I got it as it acted as a palate cleanser.

If you’re wanting to try a variety of things, I definitely would recommend the plate taster, as it gives you a tasting of a bunch of things on the menu and is perfect for a 1 person meal.

Throughout the night, Matthew kept checking in and making sure that my friend and I were very well attended to, couldn’t ask for a better host! Thank you!

The drinks, vibes, and people were awesome and I’ll definitely be coming back with more friends!

A little hidden gem, don’t...

UPDATE: The restaurant, and in particular Assistant Manager / Head Server Kimmy, really went above & beyond on customer responsiveness and service. To my pleasant surprise, they responded to my review to let me know that they had taken steps to address my feedback (including sharper knives!) and very generously invited me to return for an improved experience. My original experience was already pretty good, and so my friend and I were quite impressed by their dedication to nevertheless improve on it. And they certainly delivered! Outstanding customer service and experience, and everything we ordered (including the duck!) was excellent. I even ordered a drink (Lingonberry Margarita) and dessert this time and both were great.

Glad to have a Polish restaurant in the neighbourhood - and a good one too! This one is somewhat of a "hidden" gem whose hole-in-the-wall façade conceals a rather large interior patio with multiple firepit tables. Cool space to hangout with friends that also happens to have great food.

Excellent Polish menu selection that includes Perogies (of course!), Potato Pancakes (nice 'n crispy =9), Bacon Wrapped Prunes (might not be Polish but I'll take it!), other Dumpling stuff, and DUCK. Half a Duck. Nice & Crispy Duck. The duck was unfortunately a bit overcooked with lots of bone and the restaurant does not have knives sharp enough to cut it. So it was quite a challenge to eat it. Tasted good but not sure it was worth all the effort. The dessert menu could use some enhancement as well, but otherwise the food was very...