Like Baba used to make: Vancouver pierogi places
Every culture has their version of a dumpling: smooth, pillowy dough stuffed with regional ingredients that combine to make a package that equates to comfort for the nation’s people. Ukraine is no different — and pierogi have come to be a Canadian comfort food as well. They’re on cozy offer at the places below.
Ukrainian Village Restaurant
815 Denman St, Vancouver, BC V6G 2L7If a traditional Ukrainian meal is what you’re after, look no further than long-time Denman resident Ukrainian Village. Alongside classic dishes like schnitzel, stroganoff and borscht, comforting little dumplings stuffed with potatoes and fried onions, potatoes and cheddar cheese, sauerkraut or cottage cheese are on offer in nine- or 12-piece plates. Served with sour cream, they are perfectly tender and pillowy and will fulfill all your comfort-food cravings. Order an Obolon beer and take in all the kitschy, down-home décor.
Holy Perogy (Food Truck)
A simple dough of flour and water, wrapped around potatoes or cheese with a little onion creates the perfect canvas for culinary and ethnic creativity. That’s what the guys behind Holy Perogy, the only pierogi food truck in town, have mastered. After boiling and frying the not-so-little pockets, they’re then finished with your choice of topping: Mexican, Italian, smoked salmon, even poutine pierogies. Of course you can opt for the traditional bacon, green onions and sour cream, too. Either way, this is a filling midday meal bursting with flavour.
Maple Leaf Delicatessen
1233 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Z5This little deli on a nondescript strip of Burrard south of Davie has a bit of a cult following when it comes to their pierogies. Known primarily as an event caterer, they also do quick eat-in or take-out orders from a deceptively large menu of eastern European favourites. Handmade pierogies are lovingly prepared by the female half of the Ukrainian couple who owns it, and are plump, large and topped generously with bacon. Stop in for your specialty groceries, too.
Polonia Sausage & Deli
11828 103 St Nw, Edmonton, AB T5G 2J2Another deli, this one located across the city in Hastings-Sunrise, the Polonia Sausage House clearly specializes in Polish sausages. But their perogy offerings are nothing to sneeze at. Available in their freezer section, traditional pierogies are stuffed with cheddar, onion and potato, ready for a quick boil and fry on your stovetop to be finished with bacon and a dollop of sour cream. Try their sweet flavours, too: cherry- or sweet-cheese-stuffed, and you’re set for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral
154 10th Ave E, Vancouver, BC V5T 1Z4Pierogi lovers: mark your calendars for the first Friday of every month when the friendly parishioners from the Ukrainian church ladle out heaping portions of homemade Ukrainian fare at the church buffet. Cheap and plentiful, you can choose from any of their five dinners, featuring cabbage rolls or sausage, and all accompanied by pierogies, sauerkraut and salad. Grab a pop and settle in at long tables to be regaled with stories from the old country. This is a wholesome and delicious Friday night.
Polonia Sausage House Ltd
Another deli, this one located across the city in Hastings-Sunrise, the Polonia Sausage House clearly specializes in Polish sausages. But their pierogi offerings are nothing to sneeze at. Available in their freezer section, traditional pierogies are stuffed with cheddar, onion and potato, ready for a quick boil and fry on your stovetop to be finished with bacon and a dollop of sour cream. Try their sweet flavours, too: cherry- or sweet-cheese-stuffed, and you’re set for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
Prairie Cottage Perogies
1704 Charles St, Vancouver, BC V5L 2T5A destination for pierogi-lovers across the Lower Mainland, the Langley outpost of Prairie Cottage Perogies has been doing a booming dumpling business for years. Considered some of the best Ukrainian food around, now devotees don’t have to head to the valley to enjoy these little pockets of comfort. In April 2015, a retail outlet opened on Charles Street just off Commercial Drive and sells both frozen and wholesale products. Pop in for your monthly supply of the potato and cheese stuffed little pillows and take a piece of Langley (and the Ukraine!) home.
My Twitter
