Polka Polish Restaurant

08/02/09

Great food horrible service bad experience

by lalique818 at Citysearch

I learned about this place from Guy Fieri on Food Network and wanted to check it out myself. My brother and I had already decided to order the same items that Guy had cuz they looked good on TV and we figured the restaurant would want to feature their best dishes. We made the mistake of not making reservations (it was a Sunday at 1:30). Upon entering the small, and tacky-looking joint, we were told it would be a 25-40 min wait. We waited for 50 minutes. Once inside, the owner immediately brought the house noodle soup (it was ok) and she didn't come to our table again for 15 min. At this time we were both thirsty from waiting outside in the heat this whole time. Finally when she came, my brother asked for the goolash. She said that they ran out and it would be another 20 min and to order something else. As he took a moment to see what else he'd want, she rudely said, "I'll be back". She didn't return to get our order for another 10 min or so and only after my brother got her attention. At this point we were both annoyed and irritated by her rudeness. No sorry to make you wait, no sorry we ran out of the most popular dish at lunch time, none of that. I ordered the potato and cheese peiurogi (sp?) and the bro ordered the chicken kotlat (cutlet), and both were equally delicious dishes. B/c we'd been there so long, we ordered the crepe dessert to go which was also very delicious. I'm still on the fence about going again just because of the rude and slow service...I'm hoping it was just a one-time thing b/c it happened to be a full house and almost everyone was asking for the goolash.

• Pros: food
• Cons: service, ran out of goolash before 2 pm, random decor

05/04/08

Down Home Comfort Food

by Trulala at Citysearch

After watching Huell Howsers "California Gold" segment on this restaurant, a friend and I decided to try Polka. We were very pleased with the food, I had the stuffed cabbage, and he had the meatballs. It reminded us both of down home comfort food. I make a mean stuffed cabbage, but I would order theirs any day. The other entrees we saw coming out of the kitchen were of good portion size. The soup that automatically comes to your table as part of the dinner was delicious, although the salad was not chilled well, but their homemade dressing made up for it. The veggies that come with the meal (fresh sliced carrots, mashed potatoes, canned corn) were a little overcooked, but perfect if you didn't have teeth. And I mean that in a good way. Dessert was a small dish of vanilla pudding with a raspberry sauce, and it too was not chilled at all. For the price of a 4 course meal, you can't beat it. Service could have been a little better, but hey, it's a small place, you can't get lost in the crowd, the server will eventually know he/she forgot to bring you something, or just a wave of the hand will get his attention. The ambiance feels like your dining in the owners' own dining room, with kitsche everywhere to keep your eyes busy. Parking, during peak hours, can be frustrating as the restaurant shares the parking lot with a tiny strip mall, then it's street parking. I will definitely be a return customer when I'm craving polish comfort food.

• Pros: Avoid coming during peak hours, unless you have a reservation
• Cons: Parking and no rsvp, prepare to wait

04/10/08

Best Polish joint outside of Warsaw

by JustMeLis at Citysearch

I moved to LA from Chicago nearly 7 years ago and have been searching for a Polish or German restaurant. Last weekend, I found one of the best Polish restaurants I have ever been to!! Polka is it!! Yes, I am Polish and yes I know good Polish food. The service was exceptional, the best I have had in LA. The food was so delicious, I was waiting for my mother to walk out of the kitchen. The Polish beer...the Porter...kinda strong for me, but good with Coke. Yes, you will have to wait, I waited nearly an hour and a half, I would wait three hours. Everything was fresh, flavorful and very cozy. I will be back so often, they will get tired of seeing me.