Where to Buy Polish Foods in the States

Whether you are of Polish descent and want to enjoy the foods of your heritage, or simply are eager to try this Eastern European cuisine, having the right ingredients on hand will assure your dish is successful and will taste more authentic. Sometimes, however, traditional Polish ingredients and foods are not available at the local grocery store, so you will need to look elsewhere. Luckily, there are several Polish delis, import stores, and online grocers that sell Polish foods in the U.S.

Alexandra Foods Co.

Alexandra's is a brick-and-mortar store in Chicago that produces at least 15 different pierogi, uszka, pyzy, naleśniki, kopytka, Silesian dumplings, and more. They are authentic-tasting dumplings at supremely affordable prices. You can call ahead to place orders for pick up, but they do not ship to individuals, only businesses. The good news is that stores nationwide carry their products, making a trip to Chicago unnecessary. At your supermarket or specialty market, look for or ask your grocer if they carry Alexandra Foods.

Babcia Foods Inc.

Babcia means "grandmother" in English, so you know their products are good. This is the mother lode of Polish food, books, souvenirs, Christmas ornaments, and more, and luckily they will ship their products nationwide. Babcia Foods carries name brands like Krakus Bakery and Belmont Sausage products, as well as their own Babcia Foods brand, which includes honey, jams, condiments, and sauerkraut. Look for hard-to-find mixes, dry goods, and highly prized dried borowiki mushrooms.

Chruściki Bakery

The name of this bakery and online store is a popular Polish pastry known as "angel wings" or "bow ties" in English. The brick-and-mortar stores have three locations in the Buffalo, N.Y., area but they have a decent selection of pastries and baked goods that can be shipped. You'll find all the Polish favorites—makowiec, nut rolls, placek, to name a few—plus American-style desserts and wedding cakes.

Delightful Pastries

This "delightful" business has three locations in Chicago, offering all the traditional Polish pastries and bread you can imagine in addition to celebration cakes, holiday foods, and gourmet French pastries. Pączki are their specialty for Mardi Gras, as are Christmas Eve foods for wigilia, but don't overlook the pierogi, soups, and sandwiches. Call for possible shipping.

Lowell International Foods

Lowell probably is the best-known distributor of Polish foods and has a complete line of excellent products including cheeses, meats, fish, groceries, sweets, bakery, and dairy. They do not have a brick-and-mortar store, just a processing plant. But their products are available at many international delis and import stores as well as online at Amazon.

Paulina Meat Market

If you are in need of a true Polish sausage or ham, this is the place to go. This Chicago company has a brick-and-mortar store as well as a complete online store with shipping to the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. They offer fresh and smoked Polish sausage as well as Krakus Polish deli ham, plus wild game, goose, entrées that are flash-frozen, house-smoked pork belly, wagyu beef, and gift packages for those longing for a taste of the Old Country.

Polana

Here's another Chicago-based store but this one is online-only. Offering the full complement of Polish food, from pierogi, dumplings, naleśniki, and sausages, to bread, condiments, desserts, soups, vegetables, and jams, Polana is a one-stop-shop. You can order your entire wigilia dinner from them so you can still observe the beautiful tradition of the Star Supper.

Sweet Poland

This New York-based online company ships its huge selection of award-winning sausages, deli meats, pierogi, bread, pastries, condiments, jarred items, jams, candies, dry goods, and much more to the continental United States. Dedicated to delivering only the best Polish products, including five types of sausage, traditional cold cuts, a variety of pierogi, desserts, and sweets, Sweet Poland is your online source for all your Polish ingredient needs.

Wild Mushrooms from Poland

This online store air-ships authentic and much-loved dried Polish borowiki mushrooms and podgrzybek mushrooms anywhere in the world. The Polish mushrooms are handpicked in the forests of Western Poland, hand-dried using traditional methods, and then packaged and delivered worldwide. (Payment is through Paypal.)