Pierozek – Greenpoint's only MICHELIN-listed Polish table

On Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, the part of Brooklyn still known as Little Poland, Pierozek has spent since 2019 doing one thing with conviction: handmade pierogi, rolled daily by a team of Polish-born cooks who talk to each other in Polish while they work. It is run by the married couple Alexandra Siwiec, who grew up a few blocks from the restaurant, and Radek Kucharski, who came from Częstochowa in southern Poland and based the kitchen on a shop from his hometown. Pierozek holds a Bib Gourmand, the MICHELIN Guide's distinction for good quality, good value cooking, and is the only Polish restaurant in America to carry a MICHELIN recognition. Behind the counter and in the basement below, up to ten women fold several thousand dumplings a day by hand, using techniques carried over from their own mothers and grandmothers back home.

01The room and the setting

Pierozek sits at 592 Manhattan Avenue, between Nassau and Driggs Avenues, in a space Radek Kucharski designed himself. The decor takes its cue from the Polish Folk Art movement of the 1960s and 70s: traditional art and Polish ceramics are set against exposed brick and white marble, with vintage Kashubian embroidered textiles on the walls. The restaurant offers both indoor seating and an outdoor patio, where pets are welcome.

02The owners

Alexandra Siwiec was born into a Polish family in Greenpoint and spent childhood summers in Poland with a grandmother who made pierogi from scratch; her family once ran the nearby brunch spot One Bedford, where she worked before opening her own restaurant. Her husband, Radowsław "Radek" Kucharski, grew up in Częstochowa in central Poland and had carried the idea for a pierogi shop for years before Pierozek opened. The couple modelled their restaurant on PierozeQ, a pierogi shop that has been running in Częstochowa since 1999, and flew in its cooks, Marzena Gęsiarz and Zofia Kuśmierska, to spend five weeks training the Greenpoint team in their exact folding and filling technique.

Insider tip

Open daily; reservations only for groups of ten or more.

03The cooking

Everything turns on the pierogi, boiled, finished with caramelized onions and served with sour cream and a garlic-dill sauce, six to a portion. The kitchen turns out roughly 2,000 pierogi a day by hand, made by a team of up to ten women from Poland who roll and fill the dough using methods learned from their own families. The menu runs from the classic Ruskie filling of potato and farmer cheese through sauerkraut and mushroom and pork shoulder meat, to contemporary additions such as jalapeño with bacon and a Murray's Cheddar version with crispy bacon and chives. Beyond the dumplings, the kitchen also serves red borscht, meat and sauerkraut croquettes, and gołąbki, cabbage leaves wrapped around meat with rice or buckwheat.

04What to order

Beyond the Ruskie classic, look for Pierogi Tatarskie, filled with potato, egg, dill and scallion and finished with sizzling bacon, or the Kaszanka Pierogi, filled with blood sausage and served with mustard and pickles. The Kielbasa Dish pairs Polish sausage with three pierogi of choice, a Polish pickle, red onion and cherry tomatoes. A seasonal collaboration with the Greenpoint pizzeria Paulie Gee's fills a pierogi with cured soppressata, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and pecorino, finished with Mike's Hot Honey. On the sweet side, the raspberry and sweet-cheese pierogi, the Nalesniki crepe and the Gofry waffles, both topped with berries and whipped cream, round out the menu.

05Wine and drinks

The bar keeps things simple and Polish, pouring a short list of Polish vodkas by the shot alongside tea, coffee and soft drinks listed on the menu, from Earl Grey and jasmine pearl green tea to a Kinder Bueno hot chocolate.

06The neighbourhood and booking

Greenpoint's Manhattan Avenue corridor has been called Little Poland for generations, lined with Polish bakeries, delis and churches that give Pierozek's food its context. Pierozek is open Monday to Saturday from midday to 10pm and Sunday from midday to 8pm, and takes reservations only for parties of ten or more; smaller tables are walk-in. Every October 8th, on National Pierogi Day, the restaurant hosts an eating contest; its record stands at 88 pierogi, set by competitive eater Joel Hansen.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.