If you ever find yourself passing through the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia, you better include a stop at Czerw's (pronounced 'CHEVZ'). If you don't ever find yourself passing through Port Richmond, then you absolutely should, because Czerw's is the kind of local spot that puts us on the map. No, seriously! I spoke to the owner and he told me that he has people come from all over the country just to bring back some authentic Polish food with them. It's THAT good. I find myself stopping at Czerw's from time to time because it's about a 3-4 minute walk from our house here in Port Richmond. This week I had a coworker (who lives in south Philadelphia) who asked that I stop in and pick up a few packages of pierogies for her.
Czerw's has a deep seated history here in Philadelphia that dates back to 1938. The image below hangs right next to the front door when you walk into Czerw's. Jan Czerw is the fellow in the top hat, standing next to the horse-drawn carriage. When you visit Czerw's in person, you'll quickly realize that there probably hasn't been too much that has changed since grandfather Czerw owned and operated the joint. There's no fancy bells and whistles or frills, just a well-stocked meat case, a refrigerator filled with fresh, handmade pierogies and a small selection of jarred tomatoes, pickles and sauces. I can totally understand why the family has decided to keep the place mainly in it's original condition, after all - why should you bothering fixing something that's working when it's not broken?
You enter Czerw's through an unassuming aluminum door (to the left of the picture above) that more times than not has a paper sign attached to it with the store's hours. When I showed up on Monday, there was a sign that said that they were sold out because of the Easter holiday. When I came back later in the week, everything was pretty much stocked back up. My favorite things to order are the smoked kielbasa, Polish slim jims, smoked bacon and of course...the handmade pierogies which come in a variety of delicious flavors. After you have some authentic Polish food like this, it's really hard to go back to the store-brought stuff. It's pretty much all amazing - I haven't had anything I haven't liked so far. That open door to the right is where they do the meat smoking. The owner (who is legitimately the nicest person I have ever met in Philadelphia) took me into the back to check out where the magic is made. Vegetarians beware though...I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Czerw's has a deep seated history here in Philadelphia that dates back to 1938. The image below hangs right next to the front door when you walk into Czerw's. Jan Czerw is the fellow in the top hat, standing next to the horse-drawn carriage. When you visit Czerw's in person, you'll quickly realize that there probably hasn't been too much that has changed since grandfather Czerw owned and operated the joint. There's no fancy bells and whistles or frills, just a well-stocked meat case, a refrigerator filled with fresh, handmade pierogies and a small selection of jarred tomatoes, pickles and sauces. I can totally understand why the family has decided to keep the place mainly in it's original condition, after all - why should you bothering fixing something that's working when it's not broken?
This was a slightly different visit for me since I had some time to take a few photos and chat with the owner, a living relative of Jan Czerw. One of the things I noticed on this visit was the small selection of pig tchotchkes on top of the meat case. Cute, right?
You enter Czerw's through an unassuming aluminum door (to the left of the picture above) that more times than not has a paper sign attached to it with the store's hours. When I showed up on Monday, there was a sign that said that they were sold out because of the Easter holiday. When I came back later in the week, everything was pretty much stocked back up. My favorite things to order are the smoked kielbasa, Polish slim jims, smoked bacon and of course...the handmade pierogies which come in a variety of delicious flavors. After you have some authentic Polish food like this, it's really hard to go back to the store-brought stuff. It's pretty much all amazing - I haven't had anything I haven't liked so far. That open door to the right is where they do the meat smoking. The owner (who is legitimately the nicest person I have ever met in Philadelphia) took me into the back to check out where the magic is made. Vegetarians beware though...I'll let the pictures do the talking.
