So throughout my journey through Florida the one type of food I have yet to experience is that of the Polish. From what I’ve been told and from what I’ve seen, it’s a very meat-and-potatoes type of cuisine. And, being a fan of both I decided to finally try a strongly recommended Polish restaurant in Longwood, located just off the outskirts of Orlando. Polonia Polish Restaurant, after bouncing around through Key West and Winter Park, has emerged as one of the highest-rated restaurants in the area.
From the outside, the restaurant doesn’t look like much. A tall sign, a building with one dominating color, and a small parking lot. Not much more than that. However, inside the atmosphere immediately changes as you have music in the background, people dancing, different European accents bouncing around, and a very simplistic theme accompanied by a home-friendly feeling. The menu isn’t big, but quite varied—and the only difference between the lunch and dinner options is price and most likely the serving size. For lunch I decided to tackle the potato pancakes for my appetizer, and then attempt the Polish Trio for the entrée. The Polish Trio consists of three typical Polish foods: stuffed cabbage, pierogi, and kielbasa.
With a brief wait, the potato pancakes arrive with some apple sauce on the side. Picture a thicker hash brown with more flavor and a crispier texture. These round cakes of awesomeness hit the spot and are surprisingly more filling than meets the eye. The apple sauce had the texture of almost like a creamy shredded cheese, but still had that nice kick of apple that complimented the pancakes quite well. If you are a fan of potatoes, then these are a must-have. Thick, fresh, and tasty, it was a nice way to kick off the lunch.
And then came the Trio. Like a wonderful cinematic trilogy, each item was great in their own special way, but altogether created a nearly flawless lunch. I started with the kielbasa (it can come fresh or cooked—I picked cooked) and they were two large pieces of thick sausage. They were very good, very hearty and with a side item alone it can constitute as a meal. I personally thought I was going to enjoy the pierogi the most since my mindset had decided that it’s basically ravioli made out of potato. The texture of the pierogi was very similar to that of a ravioli, but has less stuffing than your typical pasta dish. Nonetheless, they were good, and worked well with the sauce it was swimming on.
Lastly is the stuffed cabbage. I was much more skeptical with this dish because a) I don’t like cabbage and b) I don’t like cabbage. This almost made me a converter however because it was a pure delight from start to finish. You have the cabbage engulfing a nice bundle of meat and rice while tomato sauce (Or mushroom sauce, depending on what you choose) covers the whole thing. The cabbage on the outside nearly melts like butter while the cluster of meat and rice inside is soft, tasty, and mixes well with the sauce. It is very unique to what I usually eat, but it’s the good kind of unique.
Feeling good about the place I decided to attempt a dessert to finish off the lunch. Lemon mascarpone became the dessert of choice. This work of art is a very tall lemon pound cake with a sweet cheese filling in between the layers. In a small bit of cheating, this dessert is more Italian than Polish but they make the cake inside the restaurant from scratch. Like I said before, this is less a dessert and more a work of art as it was tasty heaven from the first bite to the last. You have a very tasty pound cake that wreaks of tasty lemon messing around with a cheese that is so sweet and so creamy I label it as one of the five best frostings/toppings I’ve ever had on a dessert. Seriously. It was my favorite part of the meal, and this is after having such a delightful lunch. And at less than $25 for this lunch, I definitely got my money’s worth.
Bottom Line: If all Polish food tastes this good, it is no wonder why Fredrick Chopin was able to write such beautiful music---he was always pleased with his meal. Ridiculously out-of-nowhere reference aside, Polonia is a wonderful cuisine experience that is essentially taking homestyle cooking of Poland and serving it to satisfied locals year-round. With great food, great service, and great prices, I have no reason to ever deter you away from this delightful place. From top to bottom, Polonia stands as one of the better Central Florida restaurants out there.
Final Verdict: Highly Recommend
P.S. You can take some of their food to go. Score one for the customer.
Polonia Polish Restaurant
750 South US Highway 17/92
Longwood, FL 32750
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