Paul Zakopane Harnas Restaurant

Photo: Melissa Dawn Keith

Do Paul Zakopane Harnas Restaurant right, and your meal will end with a shot of cherry schnapps, three doggie bags and an invitation to the owner’s house in Zakopane, Poland. But first, you’ll have to ignore the fact that the room feels like your grandparents’ basement, and the cooking has a homeyness to match. Still, compared with the city’s other aging Polish restaurants, Harnas has some life to it, whether in the form of fresh hydrangeas on the tables or the youthful server who occasionally assists the owner to serve omelettes to the weekend morning crowd. It’s the Polish section of the exhaustive menu (and the prices that seem not to have increased since Poland was part of the Soviet Bloc) that has kept the restaurant in business since 1991, though. Hot borscht with heavy meat-filled dumplings, crisp potato pancakes, juicy sausages and crêpes filled with light farmer’s cheese are the best bets. Entrées like whitefish “Zakopane”-style (breaded and pan-fried) and a Polish sampler of stuffed cabbage, pierogi and more are impressive more for their sheer mass than quality: Not only is the main dish accompanied by potatoes and sauerkraut, but afterward you’re offered a scoop of ice cream or Jell-O (“It’s included!”) and the complimentary post-prandial shot. Strike up a conversation with the owner, and you might have a new vacation spot, too. 2943 N Milwaukee Ave, 773-342-1464

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