The Polonia Club has been on my radar for years. I have always enjoyed Polish food during my travels to the country and I am also a huge fan of eastern European and Germanic cuisine in general. I remember being delighted when I first heard about the restaurant but for one reason or another, I never got around to visiting.
One of the main reasons for not visiting sooner was my assumption that there is no parking in the area. Chesterton Road is famous for being inhospitable to drivers but once I realised Polonia Club has its own parking around the back, I immediately set off for a visit. Now that I know this, I will be back more frequently, especially since I have just discovered that the restaurant does roasted pork knuckle – one of my favourite dishes!
The menu has a great selection, from the pre-mentioned pork knuckle, to a wide choice of dumplings, soups, sauerkraut, and traditional dishes, like gołąbki, schnitzel, and stews. See the full menu here.
Prices are very reasonable with some dishes hovering around the £10-15 mark. Sides and salads are also in the £3 category, which I feel is very competitive. Naturally, you can get Polish beers and vodka here too.
I wanted to try their “bigos” stew but it was unavailable at the time, so I settled for their traditional Polish pork schnitzel. Lunch comes accompanied with a free side portion or salad, so I decided to go with a sauerkraut salad.
The schnitzel was a good portion, though it was one of the more expensive dishes on the menu, coming at £15. The pork was very tender and the breaded coating added a succulent texture. The sauerkraut salad came with grated carrot which was equally delicious and complemented the pork schnitzel incredibly well.
After waiting so many years to visit, I decided to explore the menu a little more to see what the Polonia Club has to offer. One of our members on the Cambridge Foodies recommended that I try their spinach and feta cheese dumplings (Pierogi). The foodies are rarely wrong, so I decided to put my trust into their suggestion which was rewarded with a delicious meal I would have never tried on my own.
Polish cuisine is often associated with meat and fatty dishes but these spinach and feta dumplings (Pierogi) smashed that old stereotype. It makes a perfect vegetarian option and is versatile enough to compliment most other options. This came to £11 which was slightly more competitive than the schnitzel.
The spinach was generously packed and though the feta is not visible in the photo it was very present upon tasting. The dish was swimming in a pool of butter which added flavour and made the dish less dry.
As it was ‘Fat Thursday’ there was a selection of doughnuts available. You get one with lunch or you can order one on the website to takeaway for £2.50.
They did not specify what was in it but from the taste I got orange and marmalade. The sizes were bigger than usual doughnuts and the glaze gave it a sugary and flakey texture on the bite. This, followed by the soft centre with the filling, gave it a wonderful texture which made it an absolute pleasure to devour after my meal.
After two main courses and a side, this was certainly turning out to be a “Fat Thursday”.
After my bill, I was given a Krowka sweet, which is a Polish cream fudge. The bill was very reasonable and no service charge was left on the bill. The staff were very friendly and were able to speak both English and Polish.
I must admit, I have been really taken by the Polonia Club. It is truly a unique place in the city and offers traditional Polish cuisine at a really competitive price. I highly recommend going on Thursday to take advantage of their Fat Thursday doughnuts.
There is no doubt in my mind that I will be coming back, especially now I know that I can park at the back. The real test for them will be good whether they can do a pork knuckle!
Thanks for reading!
The Cambridge Foodies 