Polka: Polish cuisine in L.A.
Listen to this articleThe greater Los Angeles area abounds in literally thousands of eateries many of them excellent. But all too rare are restaurants that offer the amazing taste treats of Poland. There is, however, the charming and cozy restaurant “Polka” at 4112 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065 right off of the 2 Feeway (Glendale Freeway) at the intersection of York and Verdugo.
Their lunch menu has three categories they call “Daily Entrees” at $14.00, “Special Entrees” at $16.00 and “Royal Entrees” at $18.00. All of them include a delicious tomato soup and a crisp and slightly sweet salad. My wife chose the Kielbasa from the Daily Entrée menu. In addition to a generous portion of savory Polish sausage she also received fresh carrots and corn. My order of Golabki came off of the Special Entrée menu. The main item was cabbage stuffed with perfectly seasoned beef and pork and embellished with sautéed onions. It also came with carrots and corn and also two scoops of mashed potatoes.
Polka also offers several side orders, a generous selection of beverages but no alcohol and a choice of ten different herbal teas. All of their food is free of MSG, have no artificial flavors and all of their vegetables are organic.
The portions were perfect, neither excessively large nor sparse but completely satisfying. However, for the truly hungry they even offer an all you can eat special for $25.00. Each and every bite was a pure delight and the service was friendly and warm. The atmosphere is more like a very pleasant dining room in someone’s home rather than a typical restaurant. So when you add it all up, great food with nothing artificial, awesome taste, excellent service, a very comfortable setting and reasonable prices Polka restaurant is truly a five star treat. It is also one of the fairly few restaurants in Los Angeles where you may enjoy the many taste treats of Polish food. Pyszne!
Top photo via Google Maps, other photos by Ron Irwin.
Ron Irwin was born in Chicago, Illinois a long time ago. He served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, became a trial lawyer, TV and radio host, CEO of a public company and once held an Emmy. He never won an Emmy he just held one. Ron has written and published twelve books. His most important book to date is “Live, Die, Live Again” in which Ron tells of his early life and his unexpected and very temporary death in 2012. That experience dramatically refocused his life and within the pages of that book Ron reveals how he achieved a much healthier life, ridding himself of Diabetes, Cancer and Heart Failure. Now Ron enjoys writing about many things including health topics, travel [he has circled the globe several times], adventure, culinary experiences and the world of performing art. Ron’s motto is “Live better, live longer and live stronger because it feels great and annoys others.” Contact the author.