Affordable Eats: This N.J. Polish deli is a true hidden gem

I’m not too familiar with Polish food, or Eastern European for that matter. I’ve had it, but never to the extent of exploring the intricacies and various aspects of the cuisine.

To redeem myself as a food and culture columnist, I stopped by Syrena Polish Deli in Linden, an authentic eatery established in 2001. Almost 7% of New Jerseyans are of Polish descent, so it’s about time I acknowledged our friends from Poland.

On to the food:

Upon walking into Syrena Polish Deli, I was overwhelmed by my surroundings. The space is also a grocery store with everything Polish, like canned sauerkraut, mustards, jellies, candy, makowiec (Poppy seed cake), canned soups and a plethora of Polish specialties.

And then, there was the hot food bar!

I stood in front of the steamy trays of goodness like a kid in a candy store. I saw authentic favorites like stuffed cabbage, kielbasa, perogies, soups, beets, meatballs, chicken cutlets, cheese blintzes, seafood and dumplings stuffed with a variety of fillings.

Where do I start?

I love beets, so I had the beets with nuts salad ($5.00). The beets were tender, flavorful and perfectly cooked, and the nuts added a crunchy texture.

Next came the stuffed cabbage, of course! That is a Polish classic. Interestingly, my mother used to make stuffed cabbage (Yakhana in Arabic) back home in Damascus, Syria. I used to go nuts over those delicious cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and tomatoes.

This cabbage ($5.00) was stuffed with pork and rice. I took a bite and savored the taste and the memories. It wasn’t hugely different from what I had back home. I also tried a cheese and potato pierogi, a must in a Polish deli.

This crescent-shaped fried dumpling was tasty with creamy potatoes and a hearty cheese. Syrena Polish Deli serves a variety of pierogis stuffed with mushroom, pork, potatoes, spinach, sweet cheese, blueberries and strawberries.

Bottom line:

The food at Syrena is delicious, authentic and more than affordable, and the market is loaded with everything you might ever need from that Eastern European country.

For Polish cuisine in North Jersey, visit Piast Meats and Provisions in Garfield. Meal combinations of a meat, potatoes and two sides run around ($8.99). Notice the potatoes are automatically included! Also affordable are the soups at ($2.99) for a bowl.

In South Jersey, you can visit Heart of Europe in East Brunswick. The pierogis are ($5.00) for six and 10 for ($10). The white borsch soup, a truly authentic treat, is ($2.00) for a small and ($4.00) for a large. Now, that’s beyond affordable!

There you have it. What’s your favorite Polish place?

Stories by Karim Shamsi-Basha

Karim Shamsi-Basha may be reached at kshamsi-basha@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter & Instagram.

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