Polish immigrants came to Pennsylvania by the thousands to work in coal mines, steel mills, and factories, and they brought their recipes with them. More than a century later, many of those recipes still live behind small deli counters across the state.
Some shops have been smoking sausage in the same brick ovens since the 1930s. Others were opened by newer arrivals who wanted a taste of home and decided to share it.
The best part is that none of these places are fancy. You order at a counter, you point at a case, and you leave with a bag heavy enough to need two hands.
This list covers twelve shops in big cities, mountain towns, and old mining communities. You will learn who runs them, what they are known for, and which items regulars buy every single time.
Some offer hot lunches, some sell bread and pastries, and a few ship their sausage across the country. Pack a cooler, clear some space in the freezer, and maybe skip breakfast.
The first stop has been feeding Philadelphia since before World War II.
1. Czerw’s Polish Kielbasa, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Back in 1938, a Polish butcher named Jan Czerw turned an old horse stable on Tilton Street into a sausage shop. The brick-oven smokehouses he built are still working today.
His grandsons Dennis, Jeff, and John now run the business in Port Richmond. They follow the same old-world recipes, using pork butts, fresh garlic, and no fillers or by-products.
The kielbasa is smoked over real cherry and apple wood. Choices include fresh, smoked, extra garlic, spicy Cajun, and turkey versions, so picky eaters and spice fans can both leave happy.
Handmade pierogi come with classic potato and cheese, sauerkraut, or meat fillings. Philly pride shows up too, with cheesesteak and buffalo chicken pierogi on the list.
Shelves also hold golabki, kabanosy, Krakowska, kiszka, bigos, barrel sauerkraut, horseradish, and mustards. This is a takeout shop, not a sit-down spot.
Plan around the holidays. Lines before Easter and Christmas can wrap down the block, so a weekday visit in a quiet month is the smart move.
2. S&D Polish Deli, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pierogi-making classes are part of the fun at this Strip District favorite, which tells you how seriously the staff takes its dumplings. Every pierogi is handmade on site.
Stawek and Dorota Pyszkowski opened the shop at 2204 Penn Avenue in 2008. Matt and Gretchen McDaniel bought it in 2016, and Agnieszka Sornek has managed it since 2017.
The space works as a grocery store, a deli counter, and a casual restaurant all at once. You can eat lunch, then shop for dinner.
Pierogi fillings range from potato and farmer’s cheese to spinach and mushroom, plus sweet strawberry. Buy them cooked or frozen.
Kielbasa choices include smoked, fresh, Homestyle, Black Forest, and Wedding style. Haluski comes in Pittsburgh, Polish, and Slovak versions, which might start a friendly family debate.
Save room for paczki, kolaczki, nut rolls, and chrusciki. Some regulars say prices run a bit high, but many happily drive long distances anyway.
3. Leonard’s Kielbasi Market, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
An antique cash register still sits inside this Parsons neighborhood shop at 64 Kado Street. So does the original wooden walk-in cooler, even after recent renovations.
The kielbasa tradition here dates to 1923, when Grandpa Dysleski brought his methods from Poland. Today Chet and Steven Makuch lead the business.
The process is old-school and hands-on. Workers break down fresh pork butt, grind the meat and fat separately, season it, cure it, and smoke it over cherrywood in small batches.
Classic picks include the original smoked ring, extra garlic rings, and fresh rings. Snackers should look for kielbasi sticks in original, cheddar, and jalapeno cheddar.
Smoked kielbasi brats, turkey kielbasa, porketta, and deli-style kielbasa loaves round out the sausage side. Pierogi, kolachi rolls, horseradish, and Kosciusko mustards fill in the rest of the meal.
Watch for Five Dollar Friday steak deals. Live far away?
The market ships nationwide, so homesick fans can still get their fix.
4. Tatra Polish Deli, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Polish toiletries next to the pickles might be the first clue that this Pocono shop goes all in. Tatra stocks imported canned goods, treats, and household items straight from Poland.
The building at 2583 Milford Road looks plain from outside. Inside, it works as a grocery store and a deli with a big hot menu.
Homemade pierogi can be ordered fried or boiled. Fillings include potato-cheese, sauerkraut-mushroom, sweet cheese, meat, buffalo chicken, and cheesesteak.
Hungry travelers usually go for the Polish Plate. It brings stuffed cabbage, hunter stew, and pierogi together, so nobody has to choose just one.
Grilled kielbasa comes with onions and fries or on a sandwich. Other dishes include potato pancakes with sour cream, Hungarian pancake with goulash, and sour rye soup with kielbasa.
Dessert is serious business too, with paczki, chrusciki, eclairs, and cream puffs. Tatra also caters events, which makes it handy for anyone planning a family party.
5. B&P Polish Deli, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
A sandwich called the Steel District is a fitting tribute in a city built by the steel industry. It stacks hot sopressata, Canadian bacon, smoked cheese, and pickles.
B&P sits at 99 West Broad Street in downtown Bethlehem. It calls itself a Polish bodega, and the cozy space mixes grocery shelves with a working deli.
The sandwich board is the surprise hit. The Impero piles sliced kielbasa, smoked bacon, smoked cheese, sauerkraut, and carrots, while the Turple adds sliced apples to smoked turkey.
Handmade pierogi fillings include potato and garlic, potato and onion, and sauerkraut and mushroom. The Polish plate pairs pierogi with sausage, onion, and sauerkraut stew.
Soup fans get options like mushroom, barley, cucumber, and red borscht. In warm months, look for chlodnik, a cold beet soup that is bright pink.
The staff knows the products well, so ask questions. Takeout and delivery are both available for busy days.
6. Spolem Deli, Newfoundland, Pennsylvania
Tuesday might be the best day to visit, when the hot lunch can feature pork ribs in onion gravy with mashed potatoes. Daily specials keep regulars guessing.
Spolem sits at 955 Main Street in the small Pocono town of Newfoundland. It runs as both a deli and a European grocery market.
The kitchen makes its own smoked and fresh kielbasa. Pierogi are hand-pinched with potato and cheese, sauerkraut and mushroom, or meat.
Hot food rotates often. Look for halupki, bigos, sauerkraut soup, borscht, and potato latkes, all in generous portions.
Bread and pastries are stocked fresh. The paczki come with creme or fruit filling, and Polish chocolates sit nearby for anyone still undecided.
One fun detail is the local maple syrup on the shelves next to imported pickles and sauces. Spolem also caters, so it can feed a crowd as easily as a road-tripping family of four.
7. Kowalonek’s Kielbasy Shop, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania
Joseph Kowalonek, known to the family as Dziadzi, opened a small grocery in Shenandoah in 1911. Four generations later, it has grown into a full specialty meat market at 332 South Main Street.
Cherry-wood smoked kielbasy is the headliner. The family recipe has stayed the same, but the lineup has gotten creative over the years.
Shoppers can grab kielbasy grillers, kielbasy stix, dried kielbasy, kielbasy loaf, and kielbasy burgers. Seasonal smoked turkey kielbasy shows up for part of the year.
Prepared foods give the cooler a second job. Haluskie, potato babka, bread stuffing, and Bushia’s Polish meatballs made with all pork and fried onions are popular picks.
Feeling bold? Kielbasy mac and cheese and bacon bombs are also on the list.
Pierogi come from local makers like St. Michael’s and T&L Pierogies.
Easter is the big season here. Plenty of families drive in from other counties for their yearly kielbasa run, and the staff keeps the line moving with friendly speed.
8. Polonez Polish-European Market, Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania
Opening a new business in 2020 took courage, and this family-owned market did exactly that. Polonez has since become a go-to stop on Route 940.
Find it at 3308 PA-940, Suite 103, in Mount Pocono. It is one of the younger shops on this list, but the recipes feel old.
Homemade kielbasa and pierogi built the shop’s name. The deli case also holds cold cuts, smoked meats, poultry cold cuts, and Polish cheeses.
Bread lovers get a real treat here. The bakery section offers freshly baked loaves and pastries, including paczki, which makes building a full Polish dinner much easier.
Polonez also serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Bigos and golabki often appear, so a quick grocery stop can turn into a sit-down meal.
Shelves hold imported candies, snacks, jarred goods, juices, and specialty baking ingredients. Need something special for a holiday?
Call ahead, and the staff can help set certain items aside.
9. Polish Store – Polka Deli Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Juniper, cherrywood, hunter’s, wedding, BBQ. Polka Deli stocks so many kielbasa styles that a first-timer might need a moment to read the labels.
The shop sits at 2719 E Allegheny Avenue, in the part of Port Richmond locals call Little Poland. Owner Katarzyna Kucharska sources many products directly from Poland.
Beyond the sausage lineup, kabanos, kishka, and cured meats fill the case. Pierogi come fresh or frozen with potato and cheese, meat and kraut, or sauerkraut and mushroom.
The bakery section is a big reason to linger. Fresh breads, babka, paczki, and pastries share space with Polish chocolates.
Hot food covers golabki, bigos, pork patties with onions, and meatballs in dill gravy. Dill pickle soup and lima bean soup are worth trying at least once.
The store is known for being spotless, and the staff is happy to help. Coffee fans should check the shelf of Polish coffee products before heading to the register.
10. Polmart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ask for the domowa. That one word, meaning homemade, points you to the kielbasa many regulars call the best thing in the store.
The Radzimska family opened Polmart in 2004 at 2712 E. Allegheny Avenue.
It sits almost across the street from Polka Deli, so you can easily visit both.
Shoppers often describe the place as a time machine. It serves the local Polish community first, and the shelves reflect what families actually cook at home.
The deli counter covers cold cuts, smoked fish, pate, and kiszka, a blood sausage that adventurous eaters should try. Kielbasa remains the top seller by far.
Cheese fans should pick up twarog, the farmer’s cheese used in pierogi and cheesecake. Frozen pierogi make an easy dinner later in the week.
The sweets aisle hides lesser-known Polish treats that rarely show up in chain stores. Polish pastas, jams, and pickles round out a pantry run.
11. Swiacki Meats, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Plenty of customers say the kielbasa here tastes just like their grandmother’s. That kind of praise has kept Swiacki Meats busy since 1953.
Leon Swiacki, a Polish immigrant, opened the shop at 3623 Salmon Street. Ed and Stan Swiacki and Ed’s son Eddie now run it, keeping a proud 1950s style.
Wood smoking and small batches remain the rule. Kielbasa comes fresh or smoked, in original and extra-garlic versions.
Kabanosy are thin, spicy sticks that work well as road snacks. Grab a few for the drive home.
Fresh pierogi are made in house. The PCO, short for potato, cheddar, and onion, is a classic, while apple and blueberry options handle dessert.
The golabki are famously huge, so one might feed two people. Homemade babka, especially raspberry cheese, and faworki fill the sweets side, though some babka may be frozen.
Easter brings long lines because many Port Richmond families make this a yearly tradition. Arrive early.
12. Krystyna’s Kitchen, Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading had a large Polish population and very few places to buy Polish food. Krystyna and Roman Zalewski saw that gap and filled it.
The couple came from Poland and opened their first counter at Shillington Market in 1991. In 1999, they moved to Fairgrounds Farmers Market at 2934 N 5th Street Highway.
Kielbasa is made in house in several styles. Homemade pierogi stick to the trusted trio of potato and cheese, sauerkraut and mushroom, and meat.
Hot plates make this a great lunch stop. Golumpki with tomato sauce, bigos, potato pancakes, breaded pork chops, and beef goulash are common choices.
Sweet breads and homemade cakes deliver on the fresh-baked promise. Look for makowiec, the poppy seed roll that shows up on many Polish holiday tables.
Regulars praise the fair prices and friendly staff. Because it sits inside a farmers market, you can shop other stands too, then finish the trip with a cooler full of pierogi.
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