Pierozek

The MICHELIN Guide's Only Polish Restaurant in America

"Fluffy and heartwarming, this Greenpoint “Little Poland” spot serves handmade pierogi in a warm, playful room (plates from Bołeslawiec and pierogi pillows) and is built on steadfast authenticity: ingredients come from Poland (except some drinks), and the owners even brought in a team from Czestochowa with 30+ years of pierogi-making to preserve original recipes. For nearly 70% of guests it’s a first pierogi, and the dumplings are filling, flavorful, and soul-warming—“fluffy” is the word that keeps coming up—while those who grew up with them say the flavors bring back family memories. There are over 10 flavors, with the classic potato-and-cheese anchoring the fanbase alongside sauerkraut and mushroom, meat, Murray’s Cheese, and spinach; desserts include sweet cheese, strawberry, and seasonal lemon zest, and occasional local twists like a one-day jalapeño pierogi for Cinco de Mayo. The kitchen hand-makes 1,000–3,000 pierogi daily, preparing dough and fillings from scratch, and rounds things out with a hearty borscht, a crispy croquette, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa sausage, and seasonal kaszanka blood sausage. Drinks are extensive and Polish-leaning, from vodkas such as Soplica, Żubrówka Bison Grass, and potato vodkas to cocktails like a Polish old fashioned (plum vodka, lemon juice, Angostura bitters) and a czarna porzeczka (blackcurrant vodka, lime juice, orange liqueur). Festivities peak on National Pierogi Day with a Pierogi Eating Contest—the record is 88 pierogi by competitive eater Joel Hansen—and recent recognition by the MICHELIN Guide as the only Polish restaurant in America had the team in joyful tears, underscoring a mission to keep tradition alive and bring people together." - Michael He