Karolinka Club

The bar is awesome and the service has been top notch. The food was excellent but 1/2 the menu is blacked out and some of our order was not available. WILL come back to eat and drink. Would be 5 stars if ALL the food was available especially the stuffed cabbage.

Cozy and cool interior, wood paneling and an amazing mirror wall. Came for the comedy show and the food was EXCELLENT! I couldn't have asked for a better night!

3/1/2023 - Oh my how things have changed. 3/1/2021 - This place is an absolute GEM. Best food in Cicero (not including Mexi food) and authentic Polish eats, with real Polish beer on tap. Super friendly staff. I stop here for grub every time I fly out of Midway. Prior to 2022, the staff was almost entirely made up of Polish immigrants, which interestingly changed after the 2021 elections forcing many of the workers to move back to Poland, which is very unfortunate. Bonus, they're one of the only places in the area that accept credit cards!

So this is our third time there , & every time bartender was drinking behind bar & bar was dirty personally, I didn’t want to go in there again since hardly any people there, but my son who has mild autism doesn’t like crowded places so he wanted to go there last night. Trying to teach him to socialize and get a feeling of how it’s gonna be to be on his own, so he sat next to the bar singer who was sitting @ bar & bought her a drink. I gave the bartender a 20 to pay for her drink, and I walked away to sit further away from them so my son can socialize but come to find out the next morning he was not told how much drink was and never got his change back so it’s more like he paid $20 for one friking drink and thing is there was only one customer in bar besides us & the bar singer yet the bartender failed to give him his change from the 20. For a bar that doesn’t Hardly have any customers from what we seen those three times we’ve been there the inside bar was dirty cut up lemon peels all lying around didn’t bother to clean the top of bar before we sat down & Didn’t tell us, the price of the drinks and singer would sing on & off intoxicated and sounded like she was playing the same song over and over. would’ve been better if it was a DJ or just radio music 😂😂. Not the kind of place I would want to go back to, but My Son wanted to try it out. So this is the Last time we walk in there!! Place is stuck in 70’s no food was offered & no snacks !!! Would’ve been nice if a few peanuts were offered to customers (Even if there’s a charge for them) so cuts the liquor fron hitting so quickly & can consume more liquor , guess they not aware of tricks of the trade. Also they not aware that does not look good that they drink behind bar while attending customers. They desperately need BAR RESCUE😁😁. Do Widzenia !! Karolinka!!!

So I travel alllllllllotttt…..bars are my thing. This is by far the most welcoming bar I’ve ever been in. Bar was dead when I got there at 6. 30 minutes later I’m drinking with locals and they are good people. Order the food it’s very good. I had the sampler and it’s worth every penny… you will have leftovers. I will never visit Chicago again and not visit this place.

Polish food was on the menu. The food was sold individually to try a variety of the items. The liquor was not expensive.

This bar is a hidden gem. Have a beer in this cozy neighborhood gathering spot. Terrific homemade Polish cuisine at yesterday's prices. If you don't know anyone when you go in - no problem. You'll have friends by the time you leave.

Omg this place was fricken awesome ypu did have to wait for your food but ir was well worth the wait. And what I really liked was the mamager/bartender actually let u know thT it would be awhile to get ur food. Honesty definitely helps. She was also very attentive to everyone who was there including us very entertaining also. Is you want to enjoy a friendly atmosphere with delicious pish food ease go here. You will not regret it

Was looking for a place to eat with family before dropping one off to the airport. Don't get much Polish in Rogers Park so figured to roll with Karolinka. Popped in, got potato pancakes, pierogi (half potato/cheese and kraut/mushroom), bigos (hunter's stew) and cabbage rolls. Currently they have two options for cabbage rolls: one large or two smalls. The large are pretty generously sized to share between say four people for say a side, or full servings for two people. Everything came out quickly and hot and was very good. Service was great and attentive. Noticed in the Yelp photos of past menus that there are specials for each day of the week.

Yum! The food at Karolinka is delicious! We had the pierogis, potato pancakes, and polish sausage- everything was amazing. The restaurant is tiny and is definitely a neighborhood watering-hole type spot where the bar occupies the majority footprint. The style is very much a throwback to an old polka club. The staff were super friendly, helpful, and straightforward. Highly recommend this spot for polish comfort food, a good drink, and a casual place to meet friends and neighbors.

Neighborhood spot. Not quite what we expected based on the reviews. Yelp typically is spot on. But not here. More of a bar than a restaurant. Not the cleanest and definitely not the best Perogi I have had. Could have been a cool place but was kind of weird. Will not go back.

Yummy yummy perogies!! And the chicken noodle soup tasted like homemade. Great special on the pierogies.

We stumbled upon this neighborhood bar with weekday food specials. We ordered breaded pork chop sandwiches, fries, polish platter, breaded cheesy cauliflower, potato pancakes, tall beers were all yummm.

Awww. I love this place. Bartenders are great and the food is amazing!!! I will most definitely recommend to family and friends.

If you're looking for a great spot for pierogis and laughs you should check out this gem. Our server truly made us feel like we were family. We loved the food and the polish beer, the jukebox was being well run by a regular and the atmosphere really made us feel welcome. We will definitely be back!!

Good food :) Pierogis are good. Highly recommend to try. Potato pancakes are good as well. Nice environment and a good place for drinks.

The bartender was tremendous. I got the potato pancakes and they were just okay. But the bartender was super nice. And more than efficient.

Raised in clearing (St. Symphorosa). Now in Seattle, always visit Karolinka when in Chicago. This little nondescript place has best Polish food.

The food is excellent. We had the potato pancakes and pierogi, and both were exquisite! The service was great, very kind, Polish, staff who were more than willing to help with whatever we needed. The ambiance was very nice as well, definitely a nice retro/vintage vibe, very quaint and quiet! I would definitely go back to this restaurant.

The food was a good quality but it's pretty much a bar atmosphere upstairs. I get that idea that they do a lot of catering. On the main floor it's only three tables. The people are friendly in there. If I'm near the airport I'll definitely consider this place for sure. It's really a neighborhood place with neighborhood people, not commercial or pretentious. It's good Polish food.

Owner is fabulous. My husband has played there..Band..several times. Great Polish food!! Love!

Best damn pierogies around they were so good. The dumplings were good. Everything was so good here.

The pierogies taste great and there are true Polish beers on tap. Prices are fantastic! The locals make you feel like you're at home, and Lisa the bartender is just the best!!

Very good authentic polish food with a lot of favs. It's mostly bar atmosphere with a few dining tables but the cook keeps it true to Babusia style cooking. It's a nice break from those chains. It's not served in a NY minute but it's worth the wait!!!

Amazing little bar tucked behind Midway airport. Best Polish food around! Pierogis are to die for! Goulash soup, potato pancakes,& more! They have a Polish sampler platter that has a taste of everything you could want!! Go! Eat! Enjoy!!

Lisa is unbelievable!!! This place is amazing!!!! Food and drink, so good!!! Thank you Athena and Peter for the recommendation!!! Karolinka is the spot, chill out, have a few drinks and enjoy!!!

Great food, reasonable prices. Had chicken wings plus pierogi's. Authentic Polish food, neighborhood bar. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed

This place is a hidden gem if you like Polish food. Decided to try multiple items as a takeout. I tried the chicken noodle soup as a starter and it was a hearty chicken, noodles, and carrots soup. Pierogis we're good, I tried the potato and cheese, kraut and mushroom, and blueberry. I also tried the potato pancakes and they were four large pancakes that were perfectly fried. I will definitely try them again if I'm in the area.

My friend and I stopped in after an emotionally exhausting day to unwind and grab some drinks. It's definitely off the beaten path and can be easy to miss but is visible off Central Avenue and right next to Midway. There's a small parking lot available but also lots of street parking right there. This is a sweet old dive bar - lots of regulars, TVs going, small, weathered, and unassuming. If you're at all bougie or uncomfortable around strangers, this is probably not the place for you. It's not a really warm or inviting place. It's a no-frills bar with character and people who love and care about it. It can come off a little rough but don't be scared. People are friendly and will talk with you, or they'll leave you alone. Everybody is minding their own business. It's a good spot to escape and get away from it all. Drinks are cheap and straight-forward. I drank my Blue Moons and my friend had his whiskey. The bartender was attentive and friendly. Even though we both had only one drink each, there was no pressure to leave or order more. It's a nice place to unwind, have a chat, and just chill out. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try the food, but from what's written on Yelp, it sounds like that's something to check out. I would definitely recommend this place if you're in the area and looking for a chill bar.

So this is a great local neighborhood bar that serves delicious homemade polish food. Incredibly inexpensive. Full bar, good neighborhood folks.

Small (very small) mom and pop place. Huge bar, three tables. Down to earth, reasonable prices with great food. Will definitely be back

This is a great little dive bar/restaurant next to Midway airport. They have a throwback interior from the 50s and delicious Polish food. If you're looking for a quiet uncrowded place you got to try it.

Best pork chop sandwich and chicken sandwich in the usa plus many other home made dishes made fresh daily by there 80 year old owners must try as they r getting old and recipes will not last forever love this place I can eat here every day

Authentic polish bar on the southside of Chicago. Perogis, potato pancakes, pork. Hops and goulash. Delish.

Had an even better experience than my first when I went in for lunch yesterday. Urzula, the bartender and cook, was so welcoming and wonderful. We had a dozen pierogi, 2 golabki (they are massive) and a zapiekanka along with 2 huge Zywiec drafts. Grand total: 30 bucks. She even gave us some of the pork and potatoes she had cooking in the crockpot to take home and try. If you are anywhere near Midway and need lunch or a drink, do not hesitate to stop into this gem!

Is the place ever open anymore? 2nd time we have come during what's posted as hours that they are open.....CLOSED. Sunday at 5pm???? Disappointed

Went to this restaurant after looking for a traditional Polish bar near the airport. This place did not disappoint. Great atmosphere, Lisa the bartender was friendly, set the expectation for wait time and told some funny stories to top it off. Food was excellent and extremely reasonable. Pierogi and the sausage were top notch. Oh and it actually has a parking lot which is a plus in the city!

I was staying in the area of Midway and stopped by for dinner. The food is very good. Not fancy but flavorful and fresh like your Polish mom would make. It is an absolute bargain as well. The club does earn its dive cred but the crowd is quiet and respectful. We were there after 9 pm on a Friday. We were the only people eating dinner but a there were half dozen or so quietly enjoying a beer and the ball game. Midway Airport does have some better airport food but if you have time to get out in the neighborhood, Karolinka Club is a mile and a half from the terminal.

Wow. What a find. We were in the area and used Yelp to find this place. Great food. Nancy the bartender was fabulous. Will come back again!

Heading out of the area on Southwest put us in the Midway airport locale and we found the Karolinka Club on yelp. Just Great!! We had a couple of Polish draft beers and Too Much Food! The cabbage rolls are huge - be warned. The Goulash is delicious. The potato pancakes are all they should be....yum! And our server, Nancy, was warm, friendly, and helpful - making our whole experience delightful. To top it off, I had some postcards I wanted to mail before flying home and when I asked if there was a nearby place to mail them I found out there is a regular old blue mailbox only two blocks away! Perfection.

Meat pierogis are the bomb. Beer is cheap. The regulars are welcoming. Bar tenders are good.

Haven't been these since it was the Baby Doll Polka Club. Eddie Irene Great Bar nice people

Walked into a different world! Wasn't packed, there was a man drinking boxed wine, the game was on. Sadly the kitchen had closed- but we will be back!

I fell in love with the #1 beer in Poland called Zywiec I knew the area and after years of passing it by stopped in for the delight on tap! Finally got my hands on a cold one or as i thought and was highly dissatisfied the only thing cool was hearing the airplanes landing/taking off and the glass with the dancers which was not cold or chilled either! Beer on tap was very lukewarm at best ..... didn't get any food.

I was staying at the hotel compound and looking to try something different. This place turned out to be an absolute diamond in the rough. The food was spectacular and full of flavor and the polish beer was excellent. Nancy made me feel like a regular and the regulars were all friendly. If you have the chance, stop by for a meal. You will love it!

Very good pierogies.Enjoyed the hell out of them!!!! Ordered potato pancakes with a dozen pierogies.Gotta watch out for them Polish beers tho.Them suckas are STROOOOONG.Had to go back home and lay down for a bit.I would say one polish beer is about equal to 3 American beers.At least for me.Polish food goes REALLY WELL with POLISH BEER btw.lol.My bartender was really nice and food only took like 20 minutes.Until NEXT TIME!!!! P.S recommend potoato pancakes to go along with the pierogies.Will definitely return.

Hidden find near the hotel complex next to Midway. Awesome Polish food and beer. A piece of a disappearing Polish neighborhood. Potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, pierogies, all awesome.

Great polish food love the pork chop and chicken sandwich and the pierogies so good cooked in butter and real bacon sprinkled on top with sour cream what could be better awesome potatoes pancakes love this place!

This is the BEST rolled cabbage I have ever had!!!! The Hunter Stew - meet & cabbage is very good. The cabbage is delicious but mild.

Stopped here on a whim and you should too. The food is so fresh. The pork chop sandwich is the best I've ever tasted, sausage is flavorful with a snap, and the potato pancakes melt in your mouth. Everything on the sampler was delicious. It is worth a ride over here if you are flying into midway and want a taste of real south side Chicago. Nancy is amazing. A true gem of Chicago.

Amazing authentic polish food. If you are looking for good polish food this is the place to go!!!! The owners are so adorable too.

Read my original review of the Bar, this is for the restaurant. By far the best perogi i have had, maybe it was my drunkenness, perhaps my long lost Russian friend who can consume eastern Euro food like a black hole. A paper thin pastry, wrapped so tight around the filling i was afraid to bite into it. my fears were based on those Chinese soup dumplings that explode when you sink your canines into them. These fillings were moist, rich, and homey, not homey like slapped together peasant food, homey like "I love you, don't forget to put your hat on, it is cold out there Sasha." The Potato pancake, fried to such crispyness it crunched like panko, this can only come from mixing the ingredients to order. The inside was moist, tender and tasted like fresh potato. Even good potato pancakes can seem a bit cloying after a couple of bites, not these, ethereal and satisfying. My friend nearly bit my fingers off as I reached for the last one. I yelled, "maybe if you didn't live in fucking Elgin you could eat like this more often." I followed this up by ordering more of everything. The sauerkraut perogis are the perfect balance of sweet and sour. The meat has a lingering richness that stays with you, not that too beefy ground beef funkiness, a blend of veal and pork, that balance each other out. Absolute heaven. Service is more than expected, if it is your first time there, someone will ask you why? If it is a return visit, you will be recognized and rewarded.

Step into Poland! There is NO OTHER Polish Bar like this in Midway! Just smile and nod, EVERYONE but EVERYONE speaks Polish here, they dance, they sing, they're friendly welcoming! i love it, i love it, i love it, i love it! what a GEM!!!

If you ever want to be in a dimly lit looking house that has old people doing the polka and also serves liquor, this is the place for you! Not much to say about this bar really, it has a really simple set up and has most types of alcohol available. Naturally, they also serve polish beers and liquor as well. Not only do they have the Polish dancing and drinks, but they also have food that you can order and they make somewhere downstairs where there isn't much lighting either. Haha. I'll be honest and point out that the only thing that I've tried on their menu, which I hear most things on it are good, is the deli platter. Pretty basic platter that consists of a few deli meats, cheese, tomatoes, and olives. Simple, yet very filling, so beware! I have to just quickly point out that there are no locks on (at least the men's) restroom door. I was in there once taking care of some business when a highly intoxicated individual came in, after I had made it perfectly clear there was someone inside, to use the sink. It was a pretty awkward moment for me since I couldn't really move or hide anywhere but the gentleman reassured me that it was, "Ok" and that he was going to be in and out quitter than I can yell for help. It's a funny now but extremely weird at the time. I try to go before or after I'm at this place for sure!!. Lots of locals in here so I think this is more suited for people from around the area. I wouldn't venture all the way to the South Side just to try this place out. If you are in the area and can't find a place to settle for the night, you might as well give this place a shot! Check it out...just don't use the restroom! -Papa Bear

An old-school neighborhood bar with very good Polish food and friendly service. They have a small parking lot to the side of the building.

Loved the food and the service, Pirogies were handmade. We tried 3 of the different flavors. Yummm. The homemade goulash was out of this world. Highly recommended

Looking for a place near Midway, came across this gem. It's basically a tavern with tables in the back, that used to be a more extensive restaurant back when there were more Poles in the hood. The couple who own it do a wonderful job and are gracious hosts. The food is fantastic, home made, fresh and enormous portions for the price. We had combo platters with sausage, cabbage rolls and pierogi, saurkraut and slaw. Tons of authentic polish deliciousness. The menu is pared down because the owner does all the cooking. You can't go wrong here, and the atmosphere is welcoming, neighborhoody, multicultural and low key. If you have a large party I would call ahead. Get out the word so this great place gets more business.