Steve E.
Yelp
For my 1500th Yelp review, I wanted to spotlight a small, family-owned and operated business which really impressed me with their delicious food and outstanding customer service.
Janik's Pierogi Café & Juice Bar is a small Mother & Daughter-owned Polish restaurant located in downtown Westfield, MA, near the main square at the intersection of Main and Elm Streets. The café has been open since late 2015, and it has quickly become one of my very favorite restaurants whenever I'm in Westfield on business.
Polish food was new to me the first time I walked through their door, and the daughter, who works behind the front counter, took the time to explain the menu to me and answered a lot of my questions. To start, they feature pierogis which are the national dish of Poland, although it's not clear which culture actually originated the dish. Regardless, these tasty little dumplings are prepared as you order them, and then boiled or fried. They have about a dozen different styles, and they are prepared according to her grandmother's original recipe.
The popular stuffings include potato & cheddar; meat; sauerkraut with mushrooms; spinach; and several different combinations. They also offer a buffalo chicken pierogi; and various fruit-stuffed pierogis for dessert. The pierogis are served with sour cream, caramelized onions, bacon bits, or all three. These little dumplings are about three bites each, and seriously yummy!
When you're ready to explore the menu and try some different Polish food, Janik's has 4 or 5 homemade soup specials each day, including the traditional borsch (red beet broth) with meat dumplings, cabbage & vegetable stew, various bean stews, and a sauerkraut and meat stew. All are very hearty, and the lady behind the counter was super helpful in answering all of my questions about this new cuisine.
The menu has an entire section of Polish classics which include pan-seared croquettes (crepes stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms), and served with a cup of borsch; pierogis and kielbasa sausage; zapiekanka (open-faced cheese sandwich with mushrooms and spices); and golabki which are two-stuffed cabbage rolls filled with a rice and meat mixture, and topped with a homemade tomato soup sauce. They also offer panini sandwiches and 3-egg omelets.
On my first visit I ordered three of the pierogis (sauerkraut & mushroom, potato & cheddar, and a meat pierogi), and combined that with a grilled Polish Kielbasa sausage. I added a cup of their white bean stew that was on special, and waddled out of the restaurant, very full and happy. On my second visit, I tried the golabki stuffed cabbage rolls, and really enjoyed the mixture of textures and spices. Both of these visits were fantastic, and I look forward to my next trip to town.
For a small ethnic restaurant, Janik's is doing the basics exactly the way they should. The food is homemade and cooked to order, and made with love from their family recipes. They take the time to explain their menu to those who have never tried Polish food, and they offer very helpful suggestions for new visitors. They have a freshly-blended juice and smoothies bar, homemade desserts, and they offer their customers free Wifi while encouraging you to sit and enjoy your meal while catching up on emails.
These folks deserve my highest-possible endorsement, and I strongly encourage you to stop in the next time that you're in Western Massachusetts. I know that I'll be back soon, and I'm looking forward to trying something new off their menu.