Polonza Bistro

I ate here for the first time after going to the Palafox Market. First we were going to try Ruby Slipper but the line was too long. Boy were we happy it was because my breakfast was so delicious. I had the Grilled salmon with potato hash along with sautéed spinach, and grilled tomatoes. I hate every last bite. Some of the best salmon I’ve had. The atmosphere was young, fresh and comfortable. The prices were good especially since the food was good. Can’t wait to go again! My 2^nd visit today… Yummy breakfast. Toad in a Hole. Homemade sourdough bread with 2 fried eggs topped with arugula, bacon, onion, tomatoe and parm cheese tosses in a vinaigrette.

Maybe I just went on a bad day, but I went for an office Christmas party and when I left I had to find something else to eat.
I ordered blackened shrimp with gouda mac-​n-​cheese. My shrimp weren’t blackened, but dipped in crab boil seasoning instead. My mac-​n-​cheese had no flavor and had shredded cheese sprinkled on top of it.
As for the service, the server told my guest that she could not bring her disposable coffee cup in their establishment because they were a coffee bar. OK. But the lady sitting at the table next to us was mixing her own drinks with liquor from her purse in bright green cup that was obviously not from the restaurant. Somehow our server overlooked that.
Overall, the food is lacking in flavor and is not what is described. However, it seems to by BYOB so enjoy!

This is a great friendly environment, service is great, almost all on the menu is good with robust flavor on the fritatta’s. Mimosa are pretty good.

I had the grilled shrimp which was delicious. Unfortunately the macaroni and cheese was underwhelming. The food took a really long time. I’m glad we weren’t starving.

Great brunch!
Loved the Waffles and the Cervantes Frittata. Food came out fast and was hot. My server recommended the Peppermint Mocha, and it did not disappoint.
This is a great place for family and friends. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good brunch spot in Pensacola.
I am giving 4 stars because there is room for improvement with some of the items we ordered:
First, the Hollandaise sauce on the Gulf Coast Benedict had far too much lemon in it. The overall quality of the dish was spot-​on except for the sauce.
Secondly, when offered a jelly to go along with the house-​baked biscuit, they used pre-​packaged Smuckers jelly. I was hoping for more of a homemade jelly or even a honey butter. The biscuit needed a sweet element and the jelly factor was a big whomp-​whomp. Otherwise, still good effort!
We will be returning for sure!

Came here for brunch on a rainy morning. Somewhat small place for how busy it was. We were seated at a table right behind the hostess stand which was awkward because I felt like the hostess was a part of our conversation with how close we were. People sitting behind us had to squeeze by to get to/​from their table as well. It was distracting. The food: I enjoyed the coffee and the Gulf Coast Eggs Benedict! However my meal came with a side of cheese grits which were more than a little disappointing. They were soupy with a layer of cheese melted over the top, not much seasoning (if any). The service was wonderful. May consider coming back another time when it isn’t so crowded.

Their coffee was great! Also had a Reuben, that was good too; pretty much as expected. Worth a trip over for lunch or breakfast.

One of the best brunch spots in town. First mimosa free? Uh, yes please. Crab cake eggs benedict? Give me that too. Espresso bean milkshake? Kill me now so I can stay in heaven, AKA this place.

I came for Sunday brunch and it did not disappoint! One of the main reasons for no disappointment was that they will serve you a mimosa for free! Every subsequent mimosa you order, if you do, will be on your bill. The service was great, the atmosphere was very family friendly, it’s good for groups, and the location is conveniently in downtown near other points of interests.
Regarding the food, what I wanted to get initially was the Gulf Coast Benedict (~$ 15) but because the Toad in the Hole (~$ 9) was recommend I went with that instead. The Toad was mediocre with expected flavors but nothing to salivate over. It was a small to medium sized portion of food and had lots arugula on top which I don’t really like at baseline. I was hungry so I easily devoured it but I do wish I had gone with the Benedict instead. I may be back here and will go with my first gut instinct next time.
Overall, great brunch joint!

Really great place to get elevated American fare!
My co-​workers and I ended up getting lunch at this place before a meeting in the area. We were not disappointed after our 6hr drive from Tampa!
It is located in historic Pensacola, with a cool warehouse to restaurant restoration décor and atmosphere. The staff were very friendly and very prompt. Also, the prices were reasonable for the quality of food.
We shared fried green tomatoes as an appetizer, and they were super flavorful and had a really unique kick. The sauces were really good too. I ordered the chicken salad sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. The chicken salad was made well and had the right amount of mayo. I’ve had better, but still pretty good and would recommend it. The sourdough bread it was on was amazing though. You can definitely tell it was made fresh that day. Also, the sweet potato fries were cooked to perfection and I was sad when they were gone from my plate.

Excellent breakfast/​brunch and lunch. We have been here several times and haven’t had anything that wasn’t great.

Busy for Sunday brunch. Sat at the bar and enjoyed the food, service and casual atmosphere. Would definitely return again.

I can summarize this review in three words. STUFFED. FRENCH. TOAST. It was so good, and probably the best french toast I’ve ever had. If you like french toast especially with fruit then you need to try this!
Everything else was just ok, the coffee was very bitter and wasn’t very hot. The service was good and everything came out pretty quick. We went on Mardi Gras morning and there were only a few people eating inside. We were sat by a big window which was nice to bask in the natural light pouring in through the windows.

Me and the ladies from the office decided to pick up lunch from here today. I must say it was pretty tasty. We all ordered something different and we all enjoyed every bite! The atmosphere seemed nice just from walking in and picking up our food. I will be eating here again and getting something even more delecious next time. I ordered the pita bites with the greek salad and it was amazing. This is a great place for lunch with a variey of entrée’s!

Great place for lunch or brunch or both. We decided to stop in here after church. The rumor was that they offer complimentary Mimosas. The rumor is true!
We had to wait a bit for our table. This is a popular Sunday brunch place. Once seated we inquired about the mimosas and they were quickly delivered to the table. They offer some nice appetizers. I opted for a cup of the Brunswick stew which was a special soup of the day. Probably the best Brunswick stew I have had.
My wife ordered the stuffed French Toast and I got the Gulf Coast Eggs Benedict. This nice twist of of Eggs Benedict swaps out the Canadian Bacon with a delicious fresh made crab cake. My wife and each split our dishes and had a nice sample. The stuffed French Toast was perfect and not too sweet. They make their own English Muffins. They just ran out of home made English Muffins but suggested that I could have it in a homemade biscuit. Great option! It was delicious.
The service was prompt, professional and courteous. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.

Great food, definitely a great place to take someone who wants to try a local restaurant or wanting good food/​coffee combination, lot of good options or breakfast and lunch and the time between. I have had some bad experiences with the service there but most of the time it’s been great, I would recommend to others

*had to update to 4 stars. It’s very hard to find take out food that is decent. let alone GOOD. Got the Reuben w/​sweet potato fries today to go (on a busy sunday brunch day), and it is FANTASTIC. What a giant mound of food for 9.99. It really could be two meals, but I think I’ll just suffer and inhale all of it at once. Real meat! HOORAY! Homemade rye bread! HOORAY! Thank you Polonza. You out do yourself every time.
**Update: Iced Honey Latte. Just DO IT.****
I am a corned beef hash fiend. The real stuff… not the mush out of a can that most places in the south serve. I was SO HAPPY that Polonza has corned beef hash for breakfast! It was tender but could use a little more seasoning (easily remedied!). Fruit was fresh and tasty and the egg cooked perfectly. Vanilla latte was awesome too. not very sweet at all which is just how I like it.

We tried this place based on the recommendation of a friend. I must admit, I was not sure what to expect when going Saturday morning. I debated whether to use 3 or 4 stars. Walking inside, the place seemed a little small.
The decore was nice but plain. Nice dark, wooden floors and tables looked good. Being right next to Palafox made the experience a little less attractive, but that may have just been because it was the morning.
Service was average, especially given that it was not that busy. Workers were friendly and nice. Coffee was kept filled and definitely had a unique flavor. We both had the stuffed French toast, which was quite flavorful. It really did not need syrup. The bacon was fine, and the link sausage was more like kielbasa sausage than breakfast sausage.
Prices were a little steeper than expected, especially given the feel. The atmosphere just didn’t seem quite right based on the location and interior, but I would certainly return.

A day trip to Pensacola and a coworker suggested we all go to eat at Polonza. I had no idea what to expect, but I was totally down for anything. The staff was really nice and they constantly refilled drinks and asked if we needed anything. Very patient and quick service. There are daily specials, but also other dishes that they serve all the time. I ordered a crab cake sandwich with a side of the macaroni and cheese. The crab was tasty with a nice sauce and flavor. Most definitely loved their Smoked Gouda & Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese as well. It was so flavorful I wish I could have had a larger bowl. Apparently the coffee shake is good here and maybe the coffee, but I just drank a soda. The atmosphere here is also very coffee house cozy with a side or after work bar style. A nice little place that I would like to come to visit again whenever I am in the area.

..Decided to venture further North on Palafox St. for lunch today as I’ve been meaning to try this place for quite some time. Glad I did. Cute spot on the corner. It was pretty packed during noon lunch hour so we decided since it was such a nice Florida day to sit outside and enjoy the breeze. This place stayed busy but service was nice and attentive. I had the Smoked Club with gouda mac & cheese as my side, the BF had the Salmon BLT with fries, both equally good and tons of meat. I’m a mac & cheese fanatic, so I’ll say this was a decent attempt. Not great, but I did finish the bowl. I’m not a coffee drinker but my boyfriend was really impressed with their espresso, so impressed he had two of them on a hot summers day. Go figure. I look forward to trying other items listed on their menu since the array is so big which is pretty cool for just a lunch spot.