Great food and people. Nothing like a mom and pop bakery with better quality ingredients and service. If language is a barrier for some folks you can still point to what you want, right Mike L? Doubt they’ll miss ya though.
Verena P.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Elmwood Park, IL
Love walking here. Super close to my house and I can get almost everything I need. Great selection of breads and pastries and home cooked meals that will make your mouth drool. The lady at the deli would let me sample everything. Even the home cooked pierogies, she let me have a whole one. Super delicious. Ended up buying a cake for my friends birthday and a couple sandwich meats for the deli. I loved that this polish store didn’t treat me any different because I wasn’t polish. Everyone made me feel welcome and like a normal customer. Will be back here all the time.
Anna J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Elmwood Park, IL
The freshest and most delicious selection of baked goods and meats,
Jane c.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Elmwood Park, IL
Kolatek has terrific, fresh deli items. Homemade soups that are delicious, a good variety of baked that day European breads. If you are lucky enough pick up a just smoked trout… AMAZING! Pierogies from the deli are like Grandmas. Heres the only downside NOONE speaks a word of English, just grunt & point.(sometimes the lines are long)
Tim M.
Rating des Ortes: 1 River Forest, IL
Good food but there are only 2 tables. Couldn’t eat there because they were occupied by teenagers
Rosa J.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Chicago, IL
Thinking about you walk into Whole Food but your surrounding peeps are speaking Polish, yes that’s what Kolatek’s looks like. This entire store feels like a «mini Whole Food.» They have a strong bakery department, which features lots of Polish specialities and has an impressive presentation. However, I didn’t find the deli section as magnificent as their bakery department. I would still prefer Montrose deli for soup, appetizers, salad, and other Polish yumminess. However, what wins me over is their frozen section. It looks clean, well-stocked, and extensive. They carry Alexandria’s pierogis instead of Kasia’s. I can’t wait to try them! I don’t live nearby, but I’m on a mission to visit as many Polish deli as I can in the city because I have an unexplainable obsession to Polish food. I will be back with my hubby so that he can carry the groceries for me!
Mike L.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Chicago, IL
I’d give them 4 stars for the food, but 1 star for the service. Unless you speak Polish, good luck communicating. I won a $ 50 gift certificate from a radio station for this place, when I checked out I was told that I had to spend the total amount of $ 50 or more as they cannot give me change. I said I’m fine with that — I’ll just take the store credit. They told me that I had to use the entire $ 50 today as they don’t give credit. I call bullshit on this place especially when it says nothing about that on the coupon. I’m a single person and don’t need $ 50 worth of food at one time. I’m sure Andy’s Deli on Milwaukee, or any other place would be happy to have my business because it will be a cold day in hell I come back. If they thought by advertising their company on the radio and offering gift certificates is going to help bring in new customers, they need to learn more about attracting new customers because they didn’t win me over today. And here’s a concept, if you’re going to move to the United States and open a store, why not LEARN to speak the language,?! But of course they have mastered how to add and subtract in our currency. If I lived in Poland, or any other country, I would learn their language…
Zuza R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Roselle, IL
They bake the best bread on the world!!! My favorite is Adam & Eve — you must TRY it — it’s delicious and healthy. I drive more than 20 miles once a month to buy 10 of them. [I freeze it and eat every day as a «fresh» one after defrosting]. It’s contains spelt and rye flour, sourdough, honey, yoghurt, flax and sesame seeds. I love it!!!
Palula C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Evanston, IL
So many strange meats hanging up by the deli! I got some creamy borscht with cream that had been severely burnt, that tasted like beets mixed with cigarette ash. Also, I had a couple of chocolate pastries that were not the best. BUT it doesn’t matter, because this place has CHIASEEDKOMBUCHA in a neighborhood where that’s impossible to find. The ultimate pick-me-up, right by my favorite yoga studio in the universe.
Kamil K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Chicago, IL
Great Polish food! Deli, bakery etc. delicious.
Stan K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 St. John, IN
This is the best Polish deli and bakery I have been to in the Chicago area. All the polish deli items are great, the Sausage, Krakowska, and Kiska are great. The breads that they bake(they have a huge variety) are the best I have had in the entire Chicagoland area. And the coconut topped cheesecake I bought was to die for. I heard about the place on the Mightyhouse radio show. And my wife and I are thankful to them for leading us to this gem. We will be making our 40 mile trip to Kolateks on a regular basis to stock up on polish deli, and baked items(especially the great bread).
Ania K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Walnut Creek, CA
This place is never a disappointment. Great deli with delicious prepared foods, hands down the best for Polish stores. The owners make sure to keep a high level of quality with the prepared foods. Makes me feel like I’m eating my grandma’s potato salad and fried fish. So so yummy and 100% authentic! Mniam! Oh and let me not forget to mention the baked goods! Fantastic rolls, bread and amazing deserts!
David J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fredericksburg, VA
Excellent and courteous service even when store inundated with customers. The bakery section is, as stated, outstanding. Bought the daily special rye bread, four loafs for $ 2.00, cut in front of you at the bread slicer. Even better is the kielbasy. This time purchased the Slovenian, the smoked, and the regular, two links each. Walked out of the store having left them with well under $ 15.00. We don;t get food like this back in the central VA area. It’s a must stop every time I pay respects nearby at Elmwood and with friends elsewhere in Chitown. And, I’m a native southsider so I all the famed places down trhataway. A trip to Kolateks(and Cuputos for Italian stuff) is the must do of my regular trips back to the city.
Ioan B.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Diego, CA
Great place for polish food.
Rob P.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Bensenville, IL
MASTER Pastry Chef Bronek created a delicious chocolate cake for our Bridal Shower. The event was held at Seasons 52, who’s staff. including the Chef were in admiration of the unique masterpiece of a cake !(it was large enough for us to leave a few slices as a special treat) Thumbs up on the alternating fresh banana, light fluffy chocolate cake, and fresh raspberry fillings!
Greg F.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Oak Park, IL
a polish delicatessen to end all polish delicatessens. they have it all out there and it all looks and tastes fantastic great deals too, each day of the week a different bargain what a beautiful bakery counter off to the right in the store, sample their homemade breads parking lot in rear. tip on 1st thing upon entering — take a number, then decide what you can’t resist today
Mrunal P.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Hanover Park, IL
Friendly service and has pretty much everything I need in terms of groceries at a great price. Also the bread there is fantastic!
Kasia R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Chicago, IL
They have expanded their store in the last year. It was much smaller a year ago. Now they have a large parking lot in the back and you can enter from the back or you can try to battle Harlem and park on the street. They have a great deli section with good prices and an awesome bakery. They bake all their goods there and rye bread is always fresh. Everything always seems fresh and tastes good. I’m giving it one less star because I don’t do all my grocery shopping here and can’t comment on the rest of their products.
Tanya S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 River Forest, IL
Checked out this place for our wedding cake after receiving a tip from one of our Polish friends. All in all, I was flexible with cake and the price was very right. My husband wanted something more Polish and less Americano super sweet and typical. We met with Bart and he helped us pick out cakes and made suggestions. We had 2 layers of tiramisu w/mandarin oranges, and 1 layer of ‘Ambassador’ cake. Both cakes are delicate, have some fruit and they are GOOD! Picked up some fresh rye and it was still warm– YUMMY!!! Will be doing some grocery shopping for some fresh Polish grub. The fact that they bake their own bread on site makes them better than Bobak’s and Caputo’s.
Bialynia C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Chicago, IL
I love Polish sausage, but unfortunately my head gets puffy after I eat your run on the mill Polish sausage because of the MSG, nitrates and other chemicals they add. To my surprise they have some all natural Polish sausage at Kolatek’s that I can eat to my hearts content. Be sure to ask for it because some of the other sausages do have the usual suspect ingredients. They also have a nice variety of organic stuff, nice cheeses, and great baked goods. Sort of like a Trader Joe’s but no booze, and with a bakery and ready to eat stuff like they have at Wholefoods. This is a good place if you want some nice organic and natural products mixed in with some ethnic staples. I highly recommend the nalesniki, good stuff! It’s also nice to be able to fill up your cart and pay $ 50 instead of the $ 150 I usually blow at Wholefoods. I shop here every couple of weeks.