Big Stash’s Restaurant

Great place and good food. Too bad it’s closed now. My family and I really liked it. It will be missed.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but Big Stash’s has closed up shop after all these years. They’ll be missed. Was one of the very few reasons for anyone outside of Linden to ever go there.

We went here in a big group for Father’s day. When there the restaurant was a little run down and dark. It was very crowded though and I was very excited for the food. All I’ve heard was raving reviews about the perogies. However, when we got there, we found they were all out. I was kinda pissed too. Although that came up, we all ordered something else.
I got a rueben which was big and pretty good. Everyone else got the stuffed cabbage which had the same story. The potato and macaroni salads are a much needed try.
Not too pricy overall. But just wish they were stocked on there main food.

I’m SOOOOO sad. I’ve been hearing about the greatness of Big Stash’s for 40 years and TODAY is the first time I was able to eat their famous Kielbasa and Kraut sandwich. So WHY exactly am I sad??? Because this Sunday, 6÷28÷15, they will be closing up shop.
Places like Big Stash’s shouldn’t be allowed to close… they are an institution… there are quite literally tens of thousands of people who have eaten here and grown up on the food and sidled up to the bar for a beer and kielbasa. I’m not 100% sure of the reasons… maybe it’s the crime in the area, maybe the owner is just ready to retire, maybe the town made him an offer he couldn’t refuse… regardless it will be a sad day on Monday when the doors aren’t open.
When I found out they were closing I HAD to make my trek to Linden to feed my curiosity and it was worth the trip. GREAT kielbasa and they make a great hot dog too. My Dad, who lives in Florida now, is going to be mightily disappointed when he finds out. There aren’t any places, by name, that I remember him raving about, but Big Stash’s is SURELY high on his list.
I wish I had more memories to share than just today, but sadly a New Jersey Institution will be closing up shop.

Ordered takeout sandwiches for lunch. Made super fast and very reasonable priced. Great service.

had my hubby 50^th. here and the staff was so attentive to my needs

It’s very painful to write such a poor review but sometimes I have to. Judging from what I saw last night, I don’t think poor reviews will hurt this place.
Co-​workers had been raving about this place to me for years and I had never been. My family and I decided to try it and visited on a Saturday night. We made reservations for 3 which didn’t mean much. It’s important to know it’s cash or personal check only.
We were extremely disappointed with the previous suggestions of my co-​workers and by the reviews on Unilocal.What did I miss? We thought we were going to have some good and authentic polish food based upon all these reviews. NOT! The bread was good. We started with the chicken noodle soups which were served in a coffee cup. Soup was bland and we couldn’t find the chicken. We moved to the cucumber salad which was very soggy. The regular salad was as basic as it got. My wife and daughter each had the pierogies appetizer (6 each) and I had the bbq pork chops with a baked potato and green beans. Contrary to previous reviews, these aren’t the best pierogies ever. They aren’t even close. They were bland. I’ve had better pierogies frozen in a box and the Pierogie Palace in Rahway has outstanding pierogies that comes in different flavors. Only one pierogie flavor at this place. My bbq pork chops had been cooked hours ago, if not yesterday, and came out looking like soup because there was so much sauce on them. You couldn’t see the 3 pork chops. The baked potato and green beans were good. We never got the «obligatory» second stop for refills or corrections. We didn’t stick around for dessert. The dessert menu consisted of bread pudding, chocolate pudding, rice pudding, and jello. I might have missed one or two.
This place was packed and usually is from what I’ve been told. The prices are cheap and the quality of food is poor. The waitresses are older and busting their butts because there are no busboys or busgirls cleaning or setting the tables. They all seem to be rushed and don’t have time to relax and wait on you. The menu hasn’t changed and neither has the décor. It’s old. This is a senior citizen crowd and older.
The owner needs to hire more people to take the pressure off the waitresses. He also needs to step into the 21^st century and start taking credit and debit cards. He’s willing to have someone bounce an $ 80 check on him rather than pay a $ 2 credit card fee for each transaction.
I expected good authentic polish food and did’t get it. I didn’t see much of it on the menu. I saw French Onion Soup and countless Italian dishes. It was good to experience but I won’t be back. That’s ok because this place will still continue to thrive without me.

Went there on a Friday night around 7:00 pm. Not crowded but not empty. Got a waitress instead of self service. Everything was excellent. The prime rib was huge. Salads were fantastic. Beer was not that expensive. Pierogies were to die for. Stuffed cabbage was ALMOST like my grandmothers. We will definetly be going back. Don’t know why we waited so long to try it !!!

It is what it is and it is perfect! The banquet rooms, while dated, are spacious and allow for a true good time! Best FOOD ever!

Let me start out by saying I’ve only been here twice in the past three years.
The food is fantastic, the staff is friendly and knows their dishes, and the prices are very well placed.
Where this joint looses one star is it’s design… It is in very bad need of renovation/​updating. The place is dark, and had a very overall «dirty» type feel to it. If the owner were to put time and money into updating the place, it’d be a far better hit.
Don’t just focus on the inside, the outside could use some help too! :)

Though I’m 0% Polish, this place is authentic enough for me! Been here a few times for lunch and usually had either stuffed cabbage or kielbasa platter, plus 6 pierogies if feeling adventurous. The stuffed cabbage is probably among the best I’ve had and kielbasa is of good quality. Each comes as a lunch platter with mashed potato, veggie and rye bread. Pierogies come sauteed in butter and chopped onions, and also very, very good. They can easily be a lunch meal on its own. Yes this place is naturally retro with wood paneling and hat collection around bar area, but worth checking out if in area and dig eastern Europe food.

You can’t go wrong with this place. It’s super kitschy, super retro and super cheap. It’s amazing the amount of food you can get for ten buckeruski’s… I hope this place never changes and never closes. My family has been going here forever.

Very old school place and friendly staff. Pierogi were awesome washed down with something known as «black beer». Bigos for lunch basically some meat on a plate (kielbasa, pork, bacon) with kraut but it was good. They Give you fresh rye bread and a bowl of pickles and peppers on the house. No frills cash only can you handle Big Stash?! Bartender let us try polish vodka almost melted my face off… Great Friday lunch. If you like to complain avoid this place if you like pastrami and kielbasa get in your car now. (Potato salad, slaw, etc, is good and fresh + cheap;$$)

Stashes is a Linden landmark and just a fun bar. The pierogies, kielbasa and cole slaw are among the best ever

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! BEST PIEROGIES EVER!!! I have been going here since I was a kid and still go about once a month. Still super cheap and have unfortunately dined there at times when they ran out of my pierogies… BUT, there are so many other delicious polish entrees to choose from.
*****HUGE HUGE TIP*****
They make their pierogies on THURSDAY. So, If you’re going there for them, do not go on a Wednesday, because most likely… they will be sold out.
I Love stuffed cabbage, but sadly… not theirs.
If you’re expecting a 5 star, upscale, fancy shwancy place… go elsewhere. If you’re looking for authentic polish food and like to socialize with regulars, get your butt here.
My father worked at the GM plant in Linden for a long time when I was a child and always came here during his lunch, along with the rest of the workers. After being absent from Jersey for about 15 years, this was at the top of his list of places he had to visit. Low and behold, the bartender remembered him and he ran into old co workers that night. Gotta love local restaurants :)
If you haven’t been here, make sure you put it on your bucket list… along with Spirito’s in Elizabeth.

I’ve been here numerous times. I am a pastrami on rye with mustard and mayo and yellow cheese. To me Katz in NYC is the best but I have to say Big Stash was very good. If I can’t get to the city I will continue to come here. I haven’t tried anything else on the menu but I probably will.
The price is good and the service is good.

Three things to order are Stuffed Cabbage, Stuffed Cabbage, and Stuffed Cabbage. Also their sides are really good rye bread, peppers, potato n Mac salads. The booze is good, I never left that place feeling like I was robbed and the bartender are nice even bought me a drink.
This placers good for large family gatherings like a repass or other family events.

Ever seen Deerhunter?
You gotta see this place. The bar on a Saturday afternoon is packed full of Union County’s working class, these guys are your plumbers, your locksmiths, your bricklayers. There are Teamster and various union stickers all over the bar, these are the good folks keeping family businesses like this alive. This is what Jersey is all about.
None of that franchised, tofu bullshit. This is home cooking like my grandmas used to make. You can get a burger and fries and other American fare here, but why would you? There’s a good selection of Polish dishes. So when in Rome…
I had the Veal Paprikash and it was great, although nothing like the paprikash (with sour cream) that I’m used to. My fiancé had the bigos, which was aight. The sauerkraut was delicious, I’m just not a huge fan of kielbasa. There was another meat in there as well, looked like pork. He also had a side of breaded cauliflower. Nice sized portions. Before our meals came out, we were each served 2 slices of rye bread and butter, as well as a nice assorted bowl of cherry peppers and pickles. 2 Zywiecs each to wash it down. Authentic. $ 35 total including the beers, not too shabby. We ate at the bar and the service was great.
We joked on our way out that we should have our wedding reception here (there’s a banquet hall downstairs). Just kidding, but next time I’m in Linden, I know where to go.

Welcome to the Lindens Finest list.
I’ve been here two times prior, but never to eat. I’ve lived in Linden for about 17 years now and I always knew about this place, but never went TO EAT.
DAMN IT’S GOOD EATIN’.
I got the stuffed shells… a special… I never order specials… I usually just get a sandwich, but I felt compelled to go HAM.
And man… so good. And what about those pirogi? B-​b-​b-​bangin’.
In my next life I need to come back Polish so I can walk in here without gettin’ the ‘What’s Donald Glover doin’ in here’ eye.
On the way out, I noticed that it’s cash only.
Luckily, I always walk around with $ 500.
My point is, if you can be around for as long as this place has been and not take any sorta plastic, you doin’ things right.
You’re a boss.

You need to give this place 5 stars (and quit the critique of cranberry juice) because it’s a throwback. Soon the places like this are going to be gone, and that sucks. Generations of families have eaten here together, and lifelong relationships have been maintained at this epic bar. Let the generations of happy people with full stomachs sink in.
It’s an old school Polish/​Ukraine/​Euro type of place that cooks foods in abundance, and people come in and eat them. Think porks, and stews and goulash and meats of all kinds. Potato/​Macaroni Salads, Cole Slaw (the only place I’ll eat cole slaw) and everything on the menu is really great. You cannot go wrong.
Leave the foodie critiques for the places staffed by trained and aggressive chef’s who are trying to innovate and create something spectacular. Go to Stash and just eat.