Polonia Bakery & Deli is one of those great little places that offer you items you can't get anywhere else--breads, jams, types of flour and crackers, canned goods, bakery items...I don't think there is a Polish person in the lower mainland who doesn't know about Polonia Bakery. It has been in the same location for just about forever. When we went in this morning 'round about 11:30 the place was packed. Four people were running around behind the counters filling orders and processing purchases. You have to take a number (up to your left at the main counter) and wait for them to call you; a vigilant attitude is necessary here because if they call your number and you don't respond they wait only a few minutes before calling the next. They have to; it's crazy busy in there in the mornings. You can go in the afternoons, of course, but if you want to buy a certain loaf of bread or certain dessert from the pastry case you are likely to be disappointed. The stuff sells quick.
Their sausages are nice though not spectacular; likewise the breads. What you do get is variety. My sister and I spent close to an hour there the first time we went, just browsing the food shelves.
They have ready-made meals in the freezers at the far left of the front of the store when you go in: beef stew, cabbage rolls, beans in tomato sauce, croquettes stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms, borsche, tripe soup and more.
Should you wish to, you can get lunch at the back--soup of the day, sandwiches, perogies.
Canned goods boast everything from sprats and mackeral to sour cherry jam. Buckwheat groats, noodles, flours and grains jostle for position. Everywhere you look there is something
tasty to try.
We bought a Bavarian bread loaf, some incredible-looking apple/cranberry tarts, a few jelly donuts--which actually taste like donuts should, not like the stuff they sell in donut shops--and the sauerkraut/mushroom croquettes (plus some baked turkey because it was on sale). When our number was called (and we made sure we didn't take a number until we were ready to purchase, keeping an eye on the number ahead of us just in case), the server, who seemed to speak little English, was careful to ask whether we wanted our meat sliced. This was repeated for the bread we asked for. Her attitude might be construed as unfriendly if one was in a poor mood to begin with, but a smile given was a smile returned, especially once the order was filled--we suspect from sheer relief. It's somewhat of a chore to try and serve a customer who doesn't speak your language when you don't have a fluent grasp of theirs. When such communication is successful, you're happy, right?
We felt a little awkward at first as there is no Polish at all in our linguistic family tree, and most of the staff and customers were all ordering in Polish. My sister asked for the apple tarts and when our server grabbed the wrong pastry and was corrected, we were quickly informed that what we were pointing at were not apple tarts, but apple-cranberry, as if the entire store had been watching and thought the server had been in error. It wasn't said in an offensive way, however, so my sister and I minded not at all. We simply acknowledged our mistake with a smile and ordered them.
By the time we were done we felt comfortable enough with how the store was run to know that we would be back to buy more stuff. And that's a priority anywhere there's food.
 |
| You gain weight looking at the pastry case |
They have ready-made meals in the freezers at the far left of the front of the store when you go in: beef stew, cabbage rolls, beans in tomato sauce, croquettes stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms, borsche, tripe soup and more.
Should you wish to, you can get lunch at the back--soup of the day, sandwiches, perogies.
Canned goods boast everything from sprats and mackeral to sour cherry jam. Buckwheat groats, noodles, flours and grains jostle for position. Everywhere you look there is something
tasty to try.
We bought a Bavarian bread loaf, some incredible-looking apple/cranberry tarts, a few jelly donuts--which actually taste like donuts should, not like the stuff they sell in donut shops--and the sauerkraut/mushroom croquettes (plus some baked turkey because it was on sale). When our number was called (and we made sure we didn't take a number until we were ready to purchase, keeping an eye on the number ahead of us just in case), the server, who seemed to speak little English, was careful to ask whether we wanted our meat sliced. This was repeated for the bread we asked for. Her attitude might be construed as unfriendly if one was in a poor mood to begin with, but a smile given was a smile returned, especially once the order was filled--we suspect from sheer relief. It's somewhat of a chore to try and serve a customer who doesn't speak your language when you don't have a fluent grasp of theirs. When such communication is successful, you're happy, right?
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| Not spectacular but good |
By the time we were done we felt comfortable enough with how the store was run to know that we would be back to buy more stuff. And that's a priority anywhere there's food.
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