Pierogi in the U.S.A.

The pierogi, a meat-, potato- or cheese-filled dumpling served boiled or fried, is arguably Poland’s most vaunted dish. So it should come as no surprise that the restaurants of Greenpoint—still an enclave of the Polish despite the best efforts of recent graduates and Williamsburg expatriates— offer the dumplings en masse. Growing up in a Polish community in Massachusetts, I was exposed to the dumplings before I could walk, but it wasn’t until I moved to New York that I realized how good or bad they could be. I visited the dozen or so Polish eateries dotting Greenpoint and sampled their various offerings to find the best, the worst and the weirdest.

Relax Restaurant

68 Newel St. (betw. Nassau & Driggs Aves.), Brooklyn, 718-389-1665

Relax looks like a Soviet hospital. On my visit, the service was alienating and the chef refused an interview. However, none of that mattered once the food arrived. The golumpki (stuffed cabbage) bested my deceased babcia’s (grandmother) recipe. Sure, the pierogies were heavier than most, but perhaps that’s why I found them excellent. At $5.75, all three variations (cheese and potato, sauerkraut and mushrooms and, uh, “meat”) were tasty, and the sour cream was like some magical fusion of cream, butter and delicious fat. Somehow, the $5.25 cherry blintzes were even better.

Lomzynianka

646 Manhattan Ave. (at Bedford Ave.), Brooklyn, 718-389-9439 Lomzynianka looks more like a studio apartment than a restaurant. Beyond the tables, the Christmas lights dangling in the windows and a very New Brooklyn deer head, there is little décor. However, efficient service and lovely food mask the weaknesses. The $2.75 white borscht was hearty and perfect for the season. The farmer’s cheese pierogies and the meat pierogies (both $5.50 for a large order) were solid, if not mind melting. For those new to Polish cuisine, Lomzynianka is worth a visit for the $5.50 Polish Platter, which consists of three pierogies, kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, bigos (pork and cabbage stew) and potatoes.

Cinamoon

664 Manhattan Ave. (betw. Norman & Nassau Aves.), Brooklyn, 718-383-1393

Despite its unusual name, the flashing open sign in the window and gazebo-meets hotel decor, Cinamoon proved to be one of the most qualified Polish eateries in Greenpoint. The fried cheese-and-potato pierogies ($6) were moist, but not soggy, and well seasoned. The chicken soup was filling, especially considering the $2.25 price. Owner Bogdan Czerniak, who left the banking industry before founding the restaurant in 2009, said he is proud of his pierogies: “They remind me of grandma’s kitchen. We always talk about grandmas— we have nothing to do with grandmas—but you’re trying to get that taste from the past.”

Krolewskie Jadlo

694 Manhattan Ave. (betw. Norman & Nassau Aves.), Brooklyn, 718-383-8993

The first thing I noticed about Krolewskie Jadlo was the rusty knight guarding the entrance. The second was the swords adorning the walls. The third: Wham’s “Last Christmas” rapturously blaring. It was just like Warsaw. The covers of the menus feature Polish heroes: on mine appeared Stefan Batory, who won the 1577 Siege of Danzig. Despite the focus on tradition, Chef Krzysztof Drzewiecki, formerly of Nobu and Sushi Samba, was debuting a new menu less obsessed with the classics. “I want to show people that Polish food is not only pierogies and kielbasa,” he said. New items include $13 venison meatballs and stuffed wild boar (also $13), but despite the new approach, Drzewiecki’s $5.50 meat pierogies, made up of what seemed to be mostly pork, were delicious and unique, with a clove-seasoned bite.

Polish-Slavic Center Cafeteria

177 Kent St. (betw. Manhattan Ave. & McGuinness Blvd.), Brooklyn, 718-349-1033

If the deliciousness of a pierogi is determined by the number of elderly Polish men eating one at any moment, then the Polish-Slavic Center (PSC for short) boasts the best in town. A plate of eight bacondrenched pierogies and a mug of compot (fruit punch) run $5.50. I had an excellent kartacze (oversized pork-potato dumpling) for $6. The PSC is a cafeteria in the classic sense, so it’s a terrible place for a date, but if you’re an elderly Polish man or anyone else who needs a worthy fix, it’s a great place to be.