Karczma
“The white borscht soup is amazing, as was everything else we tried – smoked and unsmoked kielbasa, hunter's stew, and stuffed cabbage.”
“We had the white borscht in a bread bowl, side of pierogis(assorted), and a plate of Polish specialties.”
“I was very happy to have eaten the Polish Specialty Plate with 3 cheese and potato, 2 medium sized latkes, hunter's stew, and kapusta.”
Karczma
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Lunch at Karczma is a treat. You walk into an old-fashioned Polish tavern (it feels like) particularly as you're greeted by beautiful maidens in classic garb (or what I assume is classic garb, as I have no idea what Polish people of yore wore). In any case, in addition to the kitschy but quaint costumes, the service was top notch. My friend and I each got soup, and then we split the plate of Polish classics. The soup was definitely the best thing I had – I went with the white borscht (as per Peter D's suggestion) and it was so filling and delicious. I wasn't planning to eat the whole thing so I could save room for our fried and meaty delicacies to come, but unfortunately it was too good and so it vanished pretty fast. Round two, the Polish classics, was great but if I were to come again, I'd just order latkes and/or perogis, since those were my favorites by far. Still, the Hunters Stew and sausages were very tasty, and my soup came with a side of bacon mashed potatoes. Not sure if this is how the Poles do it, but I ate that by dipping each spoonful into my soup, like it was gravy, and I highly recommend you do the same.
I have Polish friends. I've been to Greenpoint several times over the years. But why I have never had Polish food (a homemade salad, if you count that), I don't know. But I'm totally hooked and will never refuse if offered any food in a Polish household again.
Polish food is amazing. The inside resembles a Medieval household where you can come home to enjoy a homemade comfort meal after a long day of labor work–even the waiters are dressed in traditional Polish folk costumes that'll take you away from the modern world.
What can I say…almost everything here is delicious, guaranteed. Even if it's "bad," it's not worse than any bad meal I've ever had. Since it is a family-style restaurant, the portions are huge. You can easily be semi-bloated from the Potato Pancakes–the mushroom sauce that comes with them is running-for-the-hills AMAZING. After killing two of these, you may want to reconsider your need for an entree.
If you plan on getting the White Borscht, try not to get an entree, unless you can really work up an appetite. This is pretty much a meal itself since it is creamy and heavy and served with mashed potatoes. I had ordered the Chicken Kebab plate (which comes in two massive skewers with fries and a whole plate of salad), totally underestimating the huge portions of the food, and wanted nothing of it after the Borscht and some appetizers. I didn't think the Borscht was anything special but soup in a bread bowl isn't common in New York, so that might easily attract people. I've also tried their Hunter's Stew, which might be heavy for some people; it is cooked with red wine and has a strong tomato taste to it.
If you've never had Polish food, this is the probably the best place to start. It's very homely and the staff members are such warm, friendly people.
When your former Polish co workers tell you were to go in Greenpoint for the best pierogies….You go! And you are not disappointed!
Tip: Go at off times! Avoid popular dinner time. This is the late night snack kinda place.
I came here at like 9:45. I was amazed not to be greeted by a horde of people. The popularity of this place is clearly visible with the amount of people waiting for a table. I was able to pop a squat at the bar. At the bar you mainly just heard Polish and some English. It didn't bother me at all. I felt like I was on a little vacation to Poland. I knew I wanted pierogies. A mixture of mushroom and cabbage pierogies would do the trick. I ordered a small beer while I waited for my fried polish dumplings to be prepared.
It took some time for the locals to start talking to me… But I knew it would happen. The bartender was having her last day since, she was very obviously very pregnant. I felt lucky she didn't have the baby right then an there. She has two more weeks to go. One of the regulars told me she was one of the three bartenders who was having a baby in the last couple months. There are only 7 bartenders! I thought.. I'm glad I was having the beer and not drinking the water.
When my pierogies arrived my eyes were definitely larger than my stomach. They were tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Just the way I love them. My co workers were right. The food here is authentic, decadent and delicious! I have to come back and try more of the menu.
One of the regulars said that it wasn't the water to watch out for but the pierogies… grrrreat! Too late for that. I am happy report this is a myth and you can order the pierogies with no worries but the food baby that comes after.
I met another one of the former bartenders and she was so nice and from Poland. There is a definite family environment with the staff and the regulars. They had also embraced a Japanese rock star who treks from Bed-Stuy just to come specifically to this bar.
This is a must stuff-your-face in Greenpoint!
Pleasantly satisfied with our experience here, plus it was our first time at a Polish restaurant! I highly recommend the plate of Polish specialties with potatoe pancakes, pierogies of different flavors (potatoe, mushroom), Hunter's stew, stuffed cabbage, etc. It did not come with sour cream but I suggest you ask for it on the side (great with the potatoe pancakes and pierogies!
For appetizers, we ordered the blood sausage (generous portion size) and the white Borscht soup (was my favorite part of the meal). The soup was supposed to come in a bread bowl but they ran out. The soup also came with the most creamy, yummy, mashed potatoes with chunky bacon bits!
Order any beer because they are brewed to perfection and served in a large glass. Suits well with the Polish village-themed decorations, bartenders/waitresses in cultural dress and the savory, homey food. I also tried the honey wine which was an interesting, little bit sweet taste.
When we first arrived for dinner on a Saturday night, it would take at least a one hour but it was definitely worth the wait! The waitresses are super friendly and the host was very professional, direct and organized. At the end, if you pay with card, they will ask for the tip written before they swipe the cards (but feel free to leave a cash tip)!
Had dinner here with the extended NY family. Since we were 7 deep, we decided to share the following dishes and desserts to try a little bit of everything.
-Pierogi with cheese and potatoes
-Pierogi with meat
-Pierogi with Mushrooms
-Potato Pancakes
-Village Fried Potatoes
-Polish specialties plate
-Grilled Kielbasa
-Crepes with Fruits
-Apple Pie
Do you think we got a bit much for 7 people? Yup, we sure did. But all of the plates were traditional, big, and delicious. The meat pierogi and stuffed cabbage were my favorites. I was also pleasantly surprised by the tasty desserts.
I would come back again.
Karczma is an amazing restaurant in Greenpoint and a well kept secret in NYC! When you walk in, you are greeted by young ladies wearing traditional Polish folk costumes and led to a table.
The menu is simple and features a large selection of Polish specialties–pierogies, white borsch, pickle soup (rossol) kielbasa, beef stew, potatoes, stewed cabbage, stuffed cabbage rolls, and more.
We really enjoy the grilled meat platter for two (it's actually enough for three people, maybe four !), which comes with several different types of meat (chicken, pork, kielbasa, etc) and stewed cabbage roasted potatoes. I really enjoyed the blood sausage and the cabbage was delicious! It is sweet and sour with apples, prunes, mushrooms and some vinegar, I think. Tasty! The food was very fresh and tasted homemade and I cannot recommend this place enough. It's SO GOOD!
Karczma is located in the heart of Greenpoint, Brooklyn (aka the home of the traditional polish people) so you've come to the right place for authentic Polska food. Inside you'll find an array of people, but best believe Polish people come here because the food is legit. Received a menu with nothing but Polish inside? Nie rozumiem po polsku? Do not fear, they have an English menu. The waitresses wear traditional folk dresses and the decor is rustic with a farmhouse feel.
Before ordering anything, you MUST order the zurek. (On the menu as barszcz biały / white borscht). This soup is probably one of my favorite things in the world. It comes with potatoes with bacon; put the potatoes and bacon in the soup. It's a must! Order the cheese and/or meat perogis and make sure they're pan fried, as well as traditional kielbasa. Once you get these major staples down, I would recommend trying other things such as the hunters bacon, the stuffed cabbage, or the spicy beef goulash over potato pancake.
The prices are beyond reasonable, the food is delicious, and the portions are large. Be prepared to wait at least 15 mins+ if you're coming in during dinner time. Order a beer at the bar, Zywiec recommended, to pass time – na zdrowie!
This was my first time having Polish food and Karczma left me with a really great first impression of the cuisine. The decor and furniture are very rustic and make diners feel like they're at a restaurant in Poland, especially since the servers are dressed in Polish wear as well. I came here on a Thursday at around noon with my boyfriend and we were seated promptly since the restaurant had just opened for the day.
We both opted for the lunch special which includes a soup and entree of your choice ($10.50, such a steal). I ordered the white borscht soup and the Polish kielbasa with hunter's stew. My boyfriend ordered the same soup and the stuffed cabbage with three pierogis. The soup came with mashed potatoes and both were amazing as promised — this was the highlight of my meal! It's kind of like a chowder and the kielbasa added a nice smoky flavor to the sourness. The bacon chunks in the mashed potatoes were delicious and raised the bar for all bacon I'll ever eat in my life. The entrees came with bread and were great as well. The tomato-based hunter's stew was tangy and hearty with sauerkraut, mushrooms, onions, and meat. The stuffed cabbage was kind of like a pork meatball wrapped in cabbage. The fried pierogis were crispy and flavorful too.
The portions here are so generous and hearty that we were both already full from just the soup and potatoes alone. The staff is very sweet and friendly too. Such an amazing spot for Polish food! I'll definitely be back.