Swiacki Meats

3623 Salmon Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134
215-634-0820
215-634-5456
Website

I was recently contacted by the much loved Swiacki meats about an article I had written a couple of years ago. They wanted me to try some new products, and invited me up for a visit. I was obviously flattered and got there as soon as schedules permitted.

This place is tucked away in Polish-centric Port Richmond and is, without doubt, a true Philadelphia treasure.

If you want any sort of Polish meat product, don't fear, you've come to the right place. Old school and friendly, it's the kind of place I hope is around for perpetuity.

One thing to note is the difference between fresh sausage and smoked sausage. The fresh should be boiled for about 10-15 minutes then grilled, while the smoked version can be kept whole or (preferably) sliced up the middle to create a flap and thrown on a (charcoal) grill.

The "hot and cheesy" are a new item, and they were my absolute favorites. I mean, spicy, smokey, cheesy sausage is impossible to beat.

This is Eddie, who contacted me with the invite. He said that some readers told them about my initial review, and it drove them there. That makes me about as happy as I can possibly get, truthfully. Eddie is an amazing guy, who took the time to show me where the magic happens, while slicing off tasting samples of meat right out of the smoker. The fact that it was around 10am was irrelevant, and my hangover was (almost) instantly cured.

Below are the smoking racks with freshly smoked kielbasa ropes just hanging around. It's a good thing Eddie was there because I would have been mighty embarrassed to be caught trying to smuggle these out to my car.

This is the meat grinder. It is from another time, that has long since past, and they have to get an old school machinist do the maintenance and repairs. This thing is literally irreplaceable and so majestic. Simply amazing.

What do you use to mix ungodly amounts of freshly ground meat? Answer: this thing. Just awesome. It means so much that the rich history of Swiacki's authenticity is present in everything that they do - from the equipment all the way through to the personal interaction.

Here is Eddie giving instructions as to how things should be reheated, including the insanely good pierogies (available with fillings from farmers cheese to cheesesteak) and the ready-to-bake frozen golumpkis.

They even have lunch meats like fresh smoked ham and freaking kielbasa loaf. Yes.

From left, smoked kielbasa, skinny spicy cheese, and regular spicy cheese.

I can't say enough about this place. It is truly Polish heaven. Many thanks to Eddie and the staff for an amazing visit and for the generous sampling of products. Please, go here and see for yourself.

Syrenka Restaurant

Polish Luncheonette
3173 Richmond Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134
(215) 634-3954


A Polish cafeteria in the heart of Philly's own "little Poland" up in Port Richmond. I have been slowly making the rounds of Kielbasa town (see here, here, and here) to get down on some of the foods my ancestors (some of them) ate. Syrenka is the place I should have started with.

This place is not fancy, it's literally cafeteria-style, so you grab a try and pick your meat item and sides. It's magical.

Staffed by a lovely Polish woman, she gave a quick rundown of each item when prodded (FYI the meat patty is basically Salisbury steak). They offered simple items, and some questionable steamed vegetables, but you are not going there for the corn or broccoli. Unless you were one of the two women who came in and asked if there was chicken stock in the tomato soup (there obviously is not), and ordered two tomato soups, two sides of sad corn, and two of mixed vegetables. In 90+ temperatures, at a Polish place. So many things wrong there.

One kielbasa, beet, and pork/kielbasa saurkraut plate, and one stuffed cabbage, mashed potato with meat patty (brown) gravy, and some more kraut later, the $12 meal was served.

The kraut was wonderful. Bursting with flavor, and littered with rich pieces of pork, it was perfect. The beets were also pretty tasty, and I really am not a huge fan of beets. It was nice not having beets and goat cheese shoved in my face for the first time on a menu in a while. The bassy was also mighty nice, with a great snap to the casing, and a rich delicious encased meat interior.

The other platter had the same great kraut, decent mashed potatoes with a homey brown gravy, and a perfect stuffed cabbage. No new-school tricks, just good old fashioned flavors, done the right way.

The interior of the cabbage was marked by a particularly nice meat and rice mixture, and the tomato sauce was tangy and slightly sweet. Delicious.

Also, Robin Williams was there in 1998. Which is one of the most random things I have seen in a while. It's not near anywhere he should have been, he is from Chicago, and not of Polish ancestry. Anyway, its an interesting tidbit.

For an authentic Polish lunch line experience, look no further than Syrenka. Also don't forget the pierogies and cheese blintzes. This is some comfort food, to be sure, and the winter will make it all the more inviting.

Swiacki Meats

3623 Salmon Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134-5510
(215) 634-0820
Website

Remember when I told you about the place in Port Richmond that has the best Polish meats and pierogies? Well, I am afraid their throne has been compromised. A couple blocks away stands Swiacki Meats, and they have won my increasingly hard working heart. There isn't a whole lot for me to say that the pictures don't say for themselves, besides . . . damn. They will (probably) offer you a sample, which you should take. I mean you are there for food right? I went before Easter and there was a long line. Totally worth it. Smoked kielbasa, spicy slim jims, chocolate babka – the whole deal. They were out of the flavored pierogies, so I will return for them at a more reasonable time. As in, not Good Friday.

Kielbasa is house smoked, and absolutely incredible.

They also offer unsmoked kielbasa and a variety of sausages. They average about $4.29 a lb.

AMAZING signage. I love being Polish some (all) times.

Twisted to order.

They have the meat case stocked.

Also, you can get horseradish, rolls, kraut, everything you need for a solid meal. This is probably the best kielbasa I have ever come across.

Cajun snack sticks below.

Amazing Tweetie Bird leather jacket reminded me I was in Port Richmond.

What's that? You want a classy Easter? How about a lamb shaped butter to round it out. I wanted to eat one of these melted over an entire babka. The babka is serious.

New Wave Cafe

2620 E Allegheny Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19134
(215) 634-3224

There is an area of Port Richmond that is basically a little slice of Poland. In the center of this mini world, is a restaurant/bar called New Wave Cafe. Not to be mistaken with The New Wave, which is a bar in Queen Village. So although I have been to the New Wave Cafe a couple of times, I had never eaten a full meal there. I merely tasted other peoples food and vowed that I would make it up there at some point to try some of the Polish delights offered. Well I finally had the opportunity to head up and so I did.


The Cafe is a strange place. I have been there at night intending to eat, yet the kitchen was closed because it really is a disco as well. A full on laser light show and an Eastern European fashion show ensued. But I digress. The inside is about what you would expect. A bit drab, but it is endearing because half of the signage is in Polish, and they have a great selection of Polish beers (try the Zywiec).


The pickle soup (yes, pickle soup) was one of the items I had tried before, but I wanted to try a full bowl. They use a warm thin broth, I believe it is chicken based, with chopped pickles, potatoes, and shredded carrots. It is quite good.


The real star of the soups, however was the white borscht. I have never had the white version only the traditional beet based soup. I absolutely loved this soup. This soup had a base of sausage water which made the broth oily, comforting and delicious (I believe there was also sour cream in there). In the soup was thin sliced kielbasa (so good), sliced hard boiled eggs, and some onion, as well as a hint of vinegar. I could eat this soup all the time, and will be making my own version in the near future. This was the high point of the meal.


No Polish meal is complete without pierogies and kielbasa. I partook in both. The potato and cheese pierogies, unfortunately, were not great. They offered fried or steamed, so I obviously went with fried, but they were not the well done, crispy pouches I love so much. The outside was pretty oily and the stuffing really didn't have much flavor. They were edible, but forgettable.


The kielbasa, on the other hand, was really crispy. It WAS fried hard. It had a good smokey flavor, and the mustard on the side was a great accompaniment. I got a side of sauerkraut, which was cooked in apple cider vinegar, I believe. It was pretty tasty. Overall, I liked the food, and I will certainly be back. The white borscht, however, stole the show.