Smakosz Restaurant

The food here is delicious!! Poland has some of the best soups in the world and this place did not disappoint. We had the chicken noodle soup and it was great, also the zapiekanka was on fire (sorry I ate it before I took a photo). Try this restaurant, you won’t be disappointed!

The food is very fresh and yummy here. Polish food is so comforting and homemade. It’s nice and quiet here so you can come relax and chat. I enjoyed the hot borscht, breaded chicken and potato pierogi plus a side beet salad. I will be back :)

I am Polish and their meals are authentic and delicious. Their menu provides an extensive selection of dishes. Even though there was only one waitress, the service was excellent. The decor is lovely and handicap friendly. Street parking. Reservations recommended.

We go out of our way to stop by this restaurant as it’s the best Polish food in the city. Everything is made by hand from scratch. The dumplings and soups are amazing. Highly recommend!

Amazing food and great service. Will definitely continue to come back since the food is truly authentic.

The first word that comes to mind is authentic. I lived in Poland for 2 months and can say the food here is really authentic. I got a sampler and loved the meat pierogis, stuffed cabbage, etc. My favorite is the potato pancakes with mushrooms gravy. My only disappointment is that i wish they had variety such as hunter stew, and their bread wasn't very good. Other than that the food was amazing. The ambiance was nice too feels very cozy. The server was patient, kind, and attentive.

Last night my family and I enjoyed authentic and delicious Polish food at Smakosz. We ordered various dishes and all of them were so tasty and well served. We will definitely be going back for more. The hospitality a service was excellent too.

Amazing food from Poland. Excellent.

Food is heavy, delicious and comforting just like Grandma's cooking! The Sour soup, pierogi and potato pancakes were amazing. Very cozy and clean inside. Highly recommend for old school Polish food!

Happy to return after they had a sort period off close while they did renovations. The restaurant is beautifully refreshed, and the food is as delicious as ever. We're so glad to have this thriving authentic restaurant and its wonderful crew so close to home.

$$: 2 ppl for about $50 Food: As a first time visitor, of course have to try the polish food assortment and traditional sour soup. It turns out not bad. I like the pork chop and cabbage roll. The pork chop tastes like tonkatsu, crispy and light breaded. Sour soup well solved my nauseous from long drive. Service: they only have 1 server, so kind of slow, and you have to ask for the bread and water, otherwise she might assume you don't need it... Ambiance: small and cozy, nice place to grab a quick lunch.

I am Polish and these meals are authentic & delicious. The decor is lively and the service was excellent, even though one waitress did everything but the cooking. This really reminded me of my Mother's cooking. Limited hours, so reservations are recommended. Street parking & handicap friendly.

Just had the most DELICIOUS meal here. The glass of wine was generous. We all started with a soup and I had a side of cabbage - the dill on top was a great addition and the cabbage was filled with lots of flavor. I had the white fish that came with a side salad and potatoes. The potatoes were probably the best I ever had. The woman who served us was a hard worker but so sweet. You can tell she loves this place and it's a true homemade experience. Food does take a little while to come out but do not fear - it is because it is made with love. The wait was not an issue at all. No preservatives. All natural food. Family business. It was not that busy on a Sunday evening and the ambiance was very warm and welcome. 5/5. Could not recommend more...PLEASE GO! You will never regret.

Ordered catering for our parent's anniversary party and Smakosz did not disappoint! Kasia was so helpful and prompt with delivery. The food was so beautifully prepared and tasted even better! Everything was very fairly priced and I know our family will be ordering this again and again! Very authentic and delicious

Was there with my BFF Agnieska, (yes, she's Polish). I have wanted to go there for a LOOONG time, I was just intimidated by the very low key setting and location. LET ME TELL YOU! This place is LEGIT! - Approved by AGA. We ordered A BUNCH of stuff. I don't know what all I know it's... I was a happy man! We shared a bunch of dishes and they all received the AGA thumbs up for Authenticity, flavor, quality and size. Service was nice and intimate, it's a small place and only one waitress was there but she was nice and made solid suggestions. I just asked for more beer. It's was nice not making decisions for once! Again, this is a small neighborhood spot that has been here for AT LEAST 20 years! And it keeps going... Yes. I will go back. Once I have another Polish person to go with.... P.S. See?!? It's not all Tacos All The Time!

Love, love, love this authentic Polish restaurant. From the retro warm polish atmosphere to their excellent and so very fresh food. This is home style cooking, just like Babcia's house.

My friend recommended this place for an authentic Polish food and she was right. We ordered pyzy with meat, Polish food assortment plate, meat pierogi and Hungarian pancakes. All dishes were delicious and reminded me of my mom's and grandma's cooking. We will definitely return when we visit Chicago again.

Excellent food and service. Authentic polish dishes that have fantastic flavor! We are very planning to return soon!

PYCHOTA!!! My boyfriend & I accidentally stumbled upon this Polish restaurant when we were craving soup and I am so glad we did! The service was phenomenal, our server was so sweet & cracked jokes with my boyfriend about his meal because he's not Polish, but I am. The ambiance of the restaurant is very intimate and made me feel like I was in Poland for dinner. The rosół was just like my babcia makes, the Polish combo plate was phenomenal, and the pierogi were even better fried with onions!! Definitely would come back & would recommend if you're looking to try a new cuisine type!!

From the outside, it looks like it would be a restaurant with big portions and fairly priced meals. However, it's quite pricey and the portions are not as big as the price. When I got there, I was the only there and I was super impressed by how clean and nice it was inside. I ordered the spiced wine and they barely filled the cup. I couldn't believe that it was $8.99 for such a small cup. I ordered the polish assortment meal and it was $19.99... I thought the plate would've been more full for that price... The waitress was very serious and straight to the point. I'm glad I tried it, but I think if I want polish food I'd rather go to starpolska...

This place is just going downhill evertime we try it. Portions getting smaller, prices increasing. Took carry out, no sour cream for the 2 orders of pierogies. Stale white bread, no butter. Chicken noodle soup with no chicken. Just some broth with a couple of carrots and noodles that weren't cooked with the soup, but added in later. They were all stuck together in a pile. Whoever packed the food just didn't care. So disappointed as we used to love this place.

Our party of 7 ate here at 2:30 pm. There were a few items not available when we ordered. It didn't matter because there were plenty of other items on the menu. We ordered appetizers, soups, pierogies, entrees, and apple strudel. We ate family-style so each person got to try a little of everything. Service was excellent. The waitress was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. There was practically no wait for food. Everything was delicious. The potato pancakes were crispy and a little oily. The sausage was yummy. We had sour, chicken noodle, and red borscht soups. I was surprised the borscht broth was thin; the dumplings in it were tasty. We shared 2 platters of assorted foods including stuffed cabbages, pork chops, sausage, pierogies, and potatoes. We ate Smakosz style, meat, and sauerkraut & mushrooms pierogies. Other foods we partaked in were finger dumplings, goulash, and a Hungarian pancake. We shared warm apple strudels. We left well fed and satiated. Food: 5/5 | Service: 5/5 | Atmosphere: 5/5 Recommended dishes Goulash with Potato Pancake, Grilled Sausage & Pierogi with Sauteed Onion, Kielbasa, Meat Pierogies, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffed Cabbage, Polish Plate Assortment

Cute little restaurant. Food is very good. We ordered the veal cutlet with a side of beet and blueberry pierogi. The veal cutlet was lightly breaded and it was a large portion. It was very good. It came with a mashed potatoes sprinkled with Dill and mushrooms. The mushrooms were tasty. The mashed potatoe was good. The beet salad is shredded and is good as well. The blueberry pierogi you can order as your main meal or share as a desert. It's plentiful. It was a dumpling with real blueberries inside. It comes with sour cream. This dish was surprisingly very good.

Smakosz was good back in the day. Recently went there with frie ds. The 4 of us all ordered the same, Polish Platter. Since I was the one who suggested this place and the meal. I was quite embarrassed. The waitress was quite rude. One of the friends asked if they can substitute all the salads and get an extra scoop of mashed. Waitress said yes. When the food arrived the portions were extremely small. I mean smaller than they normally are. Everything we added was a pain for the waitress. A little cup of gravy for the dry cutlet. More butter, bread. The rolling of the eyes was too much. Prices went up but the amount and quality of the food

When I went there were not many people inside so we had fast service. When you dine in they give you rye bread and butter. I had the beef tartar which was delicious. The roast beef with mushroom sauce always tastes amazing.

We arrived at about 25 Minutes to 8 and they close at 8 o'clock. The waitress was very accommodating and came out of the kitchen and said that they would be able to serve us. Boy were we lucky! Food was incredible. We got the Polish plate and everything was perfect. We also ordered a Borsh with dumplings to go for lunch the next day and we thoroughly enjoyed it. A great dining experience.

For some reason, my sister and I had a craving for pierogi and after doing a quick search settled on Smakosz as the place to go to. The reviews looked good and we wanted some place authentic. Came for a later lunch to find a pretty quiet place on a weekday. We were the only two in there and it kind of reminded me of old school supper clubs, wood paneling, old school bar. Once we sat down my sister wanted something else besides pierogi so I ended up ordering the pork cutlet. An egg on top? Why have I been missing out on this for so long?! The salad and bread basket? Basically gone, I liked the different textures of each salad and when my main course came it definitely helped even out the richness of the cutlet. I was basically on the verge of a food coma but I wanted to try the apple strudel, and I did. You ever see staff nod at our choice? Our server did and I thought it was a good sign. The strudel was decent sized, but the whipped cream was fluffy and thick, I thought it was a scoop of ice cream at first. I still haven't scratched that pierogi itch yet so I might go back soon.

Great Polish food. We do take out. Nice menu selection but a bit pricey. Service is also a bit slow.

You should try this authentic homemade Polish food. Delicious and such nice people. Give them a try and support this neighborhood restaurant.

I hosted a memorial service as my father wanted to celebrate his life over good food, family, and friends, in Smakosz Restaurant, an authentic Polish restaurant. Smakosz may not look like much from the outside, but once you get inside, the food and service were unbelievable! It reminded me of visiting my grandmother's house! From potato pancakes, perogies, chicken breast stuffed with spinach, red borscht, potato dumplings, cucumber salad, etc., the food was amazing. Several friends that have never experienced authentic Polish cooking loved everything and shared that verbally with me several times since! The private room is new and decorated very nice, a small intimate gathering place for events. It was perfect for the memorial service, as it fits all of us well, including the video screen to share pictures and videos of my father. The lighting, candles, decorations, brick walls, etc., are very warm and welcoming! Renee (Owner) and Kasha (Server) were so nice and pleasant to work with. Both were so accommodating to help us prior to the event, and the day of the event, as we had to fly into Chicago for the memorial service. In Polish, Smakosz is "gourmet," or a person who enjoys and knows a lot about good food and wines. In the future, every time I travel home to Chicago, I'll make a stop in Smakosz for a great authentic meal that reminds me of my childhood!

We had ordered catering for 14 people for my sons birthday party. First off let me say that the staff was very helpful and polite. We have tried other polish restaurants for catering in the past and none came close to Smakosz. The food was amazing to say the least! Generous portions, high quality ingredients, everything was phenomenal. Everyone enjoyed themselves. We will definitely be ordering catering for family parties from now on! Thank you Smakosz!

I was really happy with this place. No wait, good food, seems like a real mom and pop type place, reasonably priced, and the $7 .5L beer doesn't hurt. I don't think they're especially trying to appeal to vegetarians but we were plenty happy with the potato pancakes and pierogis.

Was invited to dinner by friends, and my only request was good Polish food. Smakosz was suggested, since all I could talk about was stuffed cabbage. None of my friends had tried this place yet, so we gave it a whirl. Easily accessible by the EL; Blue line via the Jefferson Park stop, with a short easy walk; you will wander upon this cute place off of Lawrence and Central. The food offerings are amazing, and as close to authentic Polish food without the travel there. The restaurant itself is clean, staff is friendly, cozy with tables and booths with a small bar area. The menu is a little overwhelming...not in a bad way. I just wanted it ALL! Our table ordered the Stuffed cabbage (Golabki w sosie pomidorowym lub grzybowym) with tomato sauce, potatoes, and a slaw plate that make salads fun again. We also ordered the Polish Food Assortment: stuffed cabbage, pork chop, baked pork, sausage, pierogi, and mashed potatoes with the slaw plate. The portions are big....but not a bite was left to waste! This was such a great meal, that my friends will be going back, and I can't wait until next year when I visit again! Who needs a passport when you have Smakosz Restaurant??? I recommend to give this little place a chance, you will not regret it.

I was raised in a Polish neighborhood and I heard about this restaurant over social media. This was, by far, one of the worst dining experiences of my life. I entered the restaurant a half hour after it opened and the owner was behind the bar w/some paperwork. There were no other patrons present but the owner did not even greet us. We sat down and, after ten minutes I inquired if the restaurant was open and she replied yes but she was busy w/a delivery order. We were astonished but she finally finished her order and brought us water and a menu and walked away. We still waited but then another service man entered and they began to talk LOUDLY about the day. They made it known how much they disliked the influx of immigrants to this country. How rude! I am Hispanic; born and raised in Chicago w/a paternal family of nine in which seven of us, including myself, have college degrees. What is ironic is the owner is an immigrant herself! What nerve. You have the right to your opinion but I felt this type of behavior is outrageous and extremely impolite. We still waited for the food which did not look fresh and was served in extremely small portions especially for their high price point. Needless to say I replied to her w/my disdain and we immediately left w/o tasting the food or paying for it. I don't know if this is what she wanted but I can only advise their are other restaurants w/much better customer service. BTW I purposely turned down my rhetoric because I refuse to waste anymore of my energy on this experience.

Took friends here & all they could talk about later was how great the food & service were. It is a small but adorable place. Clean & the staff is friendly and super nice. If you go you have to order a Cup of Red Borsch. It is to die for. So good. The lovely waitress brought an extra one for the table to sample. Everyone was amazed how good it was. The pierogi are homemade & your tummy will be happy you ordered them. The portions are big....but not a bite was left to waste! This was such a great meal, that my friends will be going back. I recommend to give this little place a chance, you will not regret it.

Best Polish food I have EVER had!!! Felt like I was in my grandfathers house with the decor lol for sure an old school Polish vibe. Will definitely be back next time I'm in Chicago!

Very nice service, tasted authentic. Clean and quiet, very pleasant. Food was very delicious and hearty, especially good for cold, snowy and rainy days in chi.

We had Smakosz cater our luncheon today and it got rave reviews. The cucumber salad was refreshing, with just the right amount of dill. The beet and horseradish salad had that perfect balance of sweet and hot that made you want more. Several coworkers commented on the perogies being better than grandmas! But by far, the blintzes and potato pancakes had people closing their eyes and wishing for more! The cabbage rolls were stuffed with plenty of filling and so, so tasty. The chicken tenderloin were just right - a thin coating of seasoned breading with very little oil absorbed. Nice and crunchy. People could not stop talking about how good it all was. Not one item that was a "miss". If you need a catered meal, Renee is easy to work with and your guests will be very pleased! Highly, highly recommend!

Authentic hearty fare with some surprisingly nuanced tastes. I always loved to eat here throughout the winter for the big portions that stick to your ribs but I'm finding several dishes that are lighter and great year round. Some are even better the next day at lunch!

I recently dined at Smakosz with my Polish bud, as he had a hankering for some home-style food. I had not even known about this restaurant on Lawrence just west of Central until he mentioned it to me, but I do enjoy Polish food so I was all in. He said Smakosz loosely translates to one who appreciates gourmet food. My bud says the interior was reminiscent of a basement pool hall, though I'd say the booths here were way cozier than a pool hall. Perhaps he was influenced by the jazzy music that was piped in while The Voice was on TV but with the sound down. The place was relatively quiet on a Saturday evening, with only a few other customers besides us. Our server was very prompt and courteous, and she seemed semi-impressed when I could sort of pronounce the Okocim beer. We received a basket of bread with butter, and starter plates of salads (looked like cole slaw, sauerkraut and beet salad). The menu listed many interesting Polish food selections. I ordered the Hungarian style pancakes, with two potato pancakes smothered with mozzarella cheese and covering a bed of pork goulash-like stew. I opted out of the sour cream. This was a hearty meal, and the potato pancakes were good but not great. My bud enjoyed his veal cutlet, though our meals were filling and therefore we skipped dessert.

Cozy booths and wooden tables, plus fast and friendly service makes Smakosz a great place for a hearty Polish meal. Their kotlet de vollaille (Chicken Kiev) is an excellent dish, and did wonders for this tired traveler from New York. Dziękuję bardzo!

Great food and great service. We have gone back here multiple times and have brought other people. The food is just delicious.

Nice staff, good ambiance, great food... what more could you ask for? Borscht is awesome and I am usually very picky about my borscht.

Amazing food. Warmed my spirit. Pierogis, kielbasa, stuffed cabbage all hit the spot and the staff couldn't have been more accommodating.

With a new chef, cheerful waitstaff and the owner glowing with hospitality Smakosz will amaze you every time. We've been coming to Smakosz for years but this now is its Renaissance. The place is full of anticipating crowds, ready for the adventure of a lifetime. We started with soups:red borszcz and sour kraut soups were both excellent , then we had golabki (stuffed cabbage) with tomato sauce, and they were so good, "the mother would take them away from her child's mouth". Russian pierogi, which we liked fried , and served with sour cream were better than we remembered...also please try compot,a drink made of dried fruit.

I love the authentic feel of the inside of this restaurant. There's not a lot of seating - the wait time can jump up quickly. The pirogies were my favorite, and I definitely recommend the assorted platters to get a taste of everything. All of the meat dishes dissolve on your tongue - they're cooked so perfectly.

What a lovely find! We had a large group so we stopped by here early and were able to snag a large table in the still empty restaurant. It felt like being at a family dinner at your Eastern European grandmothers house, complete with fresh flowers and actual place mats. It was hard to pick what to try from the expansive menu, so most of us went with the sampler platter to try everything. A cup of borscht and a glass of kompot were a must, and didn't disappoint. Everything was hot and flavorful and the service was friendly and attentive. More people came in as we dined and the place was full by the time we left, though the volume never got too loud. We had a kid with us too and she was game to try everything and loved all the dishes. She even said the kompot was better than the cranberry juice she was thinking of getting. Will definitely be back!

We just ordering catering for a party about 30 people over Memorial Day weekend. The food was AMAZING! We had pork cutlets, chicken with spinach, beef with mushrooms, dumplings, pierogi, borscht, krokiety, and a variety of cold salads. Everything was great and there was more than enough food for 30 people! Everyone took food home as well. Also- the level of professionalism and generosity of the people! I had about 5 boxes worth of food and they were more than happy to help me carry it out to my car. We will definitely be coming back for dinner and for catering! This Polish food is as good (maybe even better) than home cooked food that I have had all my life!!

Delicious Polish food. I have been coming here with family for a long time. I usually get the pancakes with goulash.

We just celebrated a family birthday and had the private room. We were a party of 20 for a Saturday luncheon. The room was great and all of the food was really fantastic. We had Beef Stroganoff and Breaded Pork Cutlets, Mashed Potatoes, potato dumplings, cucumber salad, carrot salad with apple and horseradish, Borscht and Croquets. Every thing we ate was delicious, the biggest hit with our guests was the carrot salad. Great service, a good time was had by all.

Please, don't send Check Please here! Keep it to yourselves. This gem makes me want to move into the neighborhood. The only problem is, there is no problem! Start with the Polish plate with an assortment of delicious items. Share, because you will want to save room for dessert. When the server said that the apple slice was "So Big," she wasn't kidding. FREE street parking is a plus.

It wasn't our intentions to go to this restaurant; actually we were already driving to another restaurant. But the polish name made us want to give this place a try. When we arrived there was a nice crowd but not too crowded. We sat down and was greeted by Kasia. My partner ordered the blueberry perogies and I got the Gulash. Honestly the best gulash I have ever had. The flavor was delicious and the meat was very tender and melted in my mouth. I finished the entire plate and so did my partner. His perogies has fresh fruit and was very tender. The portions were also great, leaving us both satisfied and full after. Kasia was a great waitress and the setting created a relaxing mood. Such a hidden gem this place is! If you are in the area you should definitely give this authentic polish spot a try!

We dined here recently, on a Monday, before seeing Nick Cave at the nearby Copernicus Center. I'm quite certain the restaurant was unaware that they'd be slammed, as there was only one server & the place was packed. Our waitress (the owner?) was friendly despite being overwhelmed. I am Polish & grew up with Polish speaking grandparents & great-grandparents. This is some of the best Polish food I've ever had. Excellent!

Great, clean place. The food and the service was amazing, brought so many memories back, real Polish taste.

My boyfriend and I live right down the street. We have passed this place so many times, but never thought to try it out. We were trying to pick a place for dinner and he suggested Polish food. We looked it up and this place had great reviews. The photos looked scrumptious! We called and ordered. They were so nice, able to deliver to us (even during this crazy pandemic) and it was within 30 minutes! The food was still hot and SO good! It was definitely homemade and tasted like "mom's cooking." We will be ordering food again!

The best pancakes ever ! With white farmer chees and berries my absolute favorite ! and love their soups and chicken with "oriental" sauce... heaven ! Highly recommended Teresa Stephen P.S Kudos to the chef and all staff

Delicious flaczki and knedle with plums. Wow, I mean this takes me right back home. They get very busy so order in advance. Also, order compote you won't regret it. The staff is also super nice.