Although Milwaukee’s Polish-American population remains large, Polish restaurants have dwindled. The one with the nicest setting, Polonez (4016 S. Packard Ave.), is located in a quiet residential neighborhood of St. Francis. There you will find Polish standards like pierogies, stuffed cabbage and bigos. The bar is perhaps even nicer than the dining room. There is a broad selection of Polish beers and vodka made from potatoes, not grains. The Sunday brunch buffet ($14.95) offers the expected breakfast fare with extras like shrimp and smoked salmon, plus items such as dill pickle soup, pierogies and bigos. Bigos, also called Hunter’s stew, is a mixture of meats with sauerkraut (the saltiness of the kraut is properly tamed here). Be sure to save room for a crepe.
Polonez | Photo by Kate Engbring