If you’re not from an urban area, then good ethnic food can be hard to find. Fortunately that isn’t the case in Chicago. The Windy City is full of delicious finds in every possible cuisine.
One of my favorite restaurants is Czerwone Jablunszko (Red Apple) Restaurant located on Chicago’s north side. Czerwone Jablunszko is one of Chicago’s best known Polish restaurants and is extremely popular among the locals and tourists alike, and it is easy to see why. This restaurant offers great good for low prices. It’s also perfect if you want good, ethnic, home-style Polish food.
The Buffet and Food:
First off, if you go this restaurant, go starving, not hungry. Czerwone Jablunszko is a two room buffet filled with meats, salads, pastries, and all the Polish sides you can think of.
You could practically eat your entire meal from the salad bar. This part of the buffet offers a basic romaine salad bowl with 6 types of dressing. For your salad there are several fixings including cucumbers and fresh green peas. In addition there is potato salad, cottage cheese, and two other types of mayo-based salads. If you move to your left, there is a wide variety of fruits. Everything from pineapple, to watermelon, to whole apples. To summarize it, the salad bar is a vegetarian’s dream and is perfect for the start to a huge meal.
The main buffet offers the best of the best in Polish food. There are stuffed cabbages, polish sausages, mashed potatoes and gravy, schnitzel, blintzes, potato pancakes, two types of pierogis, and much more. The best part are the two “carve your own” meat dishes. Depending on when you go there is ham and turkey, or ham and roast beef. The roast beef is delicious with a splash of the beef gravy on the side.
Something good, but quite odd for an ethnic Polish restaurant, is their small variety of “American” food. While many might think this isn’t right, it is perfect if you’re bringing kids, especially picky ones. Czerwone Jablunszko offers fried chicken and pizza, but don’t worry, it is not the main focus of the buffet at all. The fried chicken is exceptional, so adults will love it too. However, adults will probably avoid the pizza, as there is much better food lining the buffet.
After dinner there is a large variety of yummy pastries, cookies, sweet bars, slices of cake, rice and chocolate pudding. It is pretty rare that anyone has enough room for desert, but if you do, the desert bar should be your last stop.
Czerwone Jablunszko also offers a small bar with a wide variety of domestic and foreign beer and high-quality hard liquor. This part of the restaurant tends to be more relaxed, especially with a TV in the corner.
Drinks, soup, and ice cream are not available at the buffet, but must be ordered by a waitress. A waitress takes plates off the table and keeps the table for customers.
The Seating and Parking:
The best time to eat there may not be the best time for parking. The restaurant offers parking in the back and on the street. Since Czerwone Jablunszko is located on busy Milwaukee Ave, it can be extremely hard to park on the street during rush hour and it can also be hard to find a spot in back since the restaurant is popular for a reason. The best time to go for food and parking is around 5 pm during the week and around 6 on the weekends.
Seating at Czerwone Jablunszko is generally good. It has booth and tables and even a large and private banquet hall in the back that can seat around 35-50 people. Most people sit in the front at tables that can seat up to 6. There are also booster seats and high-chairs available for children.
Prices:
The prices are perfect for families or anyone looking for a great restaurant at an excellent price. During the week, the price is $7.99 a person. On weekends it is $8.99. The price difference is generally because the restaurant tends to offer more food on the weekends, especially on Sundays. Children under ten are charged two dollars less, a great price for families with kids.
Pros vs. Cons:
Pros of Czerwone Jabluszko outnumber the cons by a lot. The food, the service, the atmosphere, the prices, and the variety are all pros, which is why the restaurant is one of the best in Chicago. The cons include the parking during rush hour and the the calorie count. It is obvious to tell the food isn’t for those watching their calorie intake, but if you feel like pigging-out, then you won’t mind.
If you don’t have time to sit and eat:
You can always get take out. Czerwone Jabluszko has a stocked fridge at the front full of pierogis and blintzes that can be heated up and eaten at home. You can always take a doggie-bag and container and browse the buffet to select food to take home with you. These prices depend on the weight of the container.
Information:
Czerwone Jabluszko (Red Apple) Restaurant
3121 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-588-5781
Fax: 773-588-3875
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week
Reservations: Yes
Smoking: Designated section
Outdoor Seating: No
Wheelchair Access: Yes
Transportation CTA bus (53-Pulaski, 56-Milwaukee, 77-Belmont), Blue Line train (Belmont).
