14 Hidden Pennsylvania Pierogi Shops That Outsiders Rarely Discover
Pennsylvania keeps some of its tastiest secrets tucked away, and pierogi lovers know where to find them.
These hidden shops serve up soft, savory pockets of dough filled with everything from classic potato and cheese to unexpected, bold flavors that keep locals coming back for more.
Outsiders might drive right past, unaware that a pierogi paradise awaits just around the corner.
Each bite delivers comfort, tradition, and a little culinary adventure, proving that the Keystone State has more than just big-city bites to brag about.
Discover where Pennsylvania pierogi really shine and why locals guard these treasures so closely.
1. S&D Polish Deli — Pittsburgh, PA
Locals swear by this unassuming deli that’s been feeding Pittsburgh’s Polish community since the early 1990s.
The storefront looks modest from the outside, with simple signage and a no-frills entrance that keeps tourists walking right past.
Inside, the smell of fresh kielbasa and sautéed onions hits you immediately.
The pierogies here come stuffed with potato and cheese, sauerkraut and mushroom, or sweet cheese for dessert lovers.
Every batch gets hand-pinched by women who learned the craft from their grandmothers in Poland.
The building itself is a converted corner shop with vintage tile floors and wooden shelves stocked with imported Polish goods.
Grab a dozen to go or eat them hot at one of the three small tables near the window.
You’ll find S&D Polish Deli at 2204 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, nestled in the Strip District where authentic flavors reign supreme.
2. Cop Out Pierogies — Etna, PA
Run by a former police officer who traded his badge for a rolling pin, this quirky spot serves some of the best homemade pierogies in Allegheny County.
The name alone makes people smile, and the food keeps them coming back week after week.
Owner Tom started making pierogies as a retirement hobby and accidentally launched a local sensation.
His bacon cheddar pierogies have developed a cult following, with fans driving from neighboring towns just to stock their freezers.
The shop operates out of a small brick building with blue trim and police memorabilia decorating the walls inside.
You can order traditional potato and cheese or venture into creative territory with jalapeño popper or buffalo chicken varieties.
Find this hidden gem at 43 Freeport Road, Etna, PA 15223, where law enforcement meets Eastern European tradition in the most delicious way possible.
3. Polska Laska — Sharpsburg, PA
Walking into this family-run establishment feels like stepping into someone’s kitchen in Warsaw.
The owners immigrated from Poland fifteen years ago and brought their grandmother’s pierogi recipes with them, unchanged for three generations.
Everything gets made fresh daily in a tiny kitchen you can peek into from the dining area.
The potato and farmer’s cheese pierogies are the stars here, boiled until tender and then pan-fried with butter and onions until golden.
The building is a converted row house with lace curtains, wooden tables, and Polish folk art covering every available wall space.
On weekends, the owners sometimes play traditional Polish music that adds to the authentic atmosphere.
Located at 1113 Main Street, Sharpsburg, PA 15215, this spot rarely advertises but stays busy through word of mouth and loyal customers who refuse to eat pierogies anywhere else in the Pittsburgh area.
4. Forgotten Taste Pierogies — Wexford, PA
Tucked away in a suburban strip mall, this shop specializes in bringing old-world flavors to modern Pennsylvania.
The name comes from the owner’s mission to revive pierogi recipes that were nearly lost when her family stopped making them decades ago.
She spent years tracking down elderly relatives in Poland to reconstruct the exact recipes her great-grandmother used.
The prune-filled sweet pierogies are a rare find that most Americans have never tried, and they sell out almost every weekend.
The shop occupies a small corner unit with bright yellow walls and photos of Polish countryside villages hanging throughout.
You can watch the pierogi-making process through a large window that separates the kitchen from the ordering counter.
Visit them at 10500 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA 15090, where forgotten flavors get a second chance and customers discover pierogies they never knew existed but instantly love.
5. Czerw’s Kielbasa — Philadelphia, PA
Although the name emphasizes sausage, the pierogies here rival anything you’ll find in the entire state.
This Port Richmond institution has been serving Philadelphia’s Polish community since 1960, operating out of the same brick building with hand-painted signs that look unchanged for decades.
The interior features original wooden counters and a vintage cash register that still rings up orders.
Their potato and cheese pierogies come massive in size, each one practically a meal on its own.
Customers line up on Friday afternoons to buy frozen dozens to take home for the weekend.
The building’s exterior maintains its old-school charm with green awnings and a mural depicting Polish folk dancers on the side wall.
You’ll find Czerw’s at 3126 Richmond Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134, where generations of families have gathered their weekly pierogi supply and swapped recipes with neighbors in line.
6. Swiacki Stan Meats — Philadelphia, PA
Nestled in the heart of Bridesburg, this butcher shop does double duty as a pierogi paradise that locals guard fiercely.
Stan’s grandfather opened the shop in 1952, and the family still uses his original pierogi dough recipe that produces an impossibly tender wrapper.
The shop’s specialty is their sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi, made with wild mushrooms foraged from Pennsylvania forests each fall.
During mushroom season, they sell out before noon most days.
The building is a narrow storefront with white subway tiles and vintage meat hooks still hanging from the ceiling as decoration.
A small freezer case near the back holds pre-packaged pierogies ready to take home.
Stop by 4532 Richmond Street, Philadelphia, PA 19137, where the butcher counter and pierogi counter operate side by side, and everything gets made with the same dedication to quality that Stan’s grandfather insisted upon seventy years ago.
7. M & M Restaurant — Philadelphia, PA
Don’t let the generic name fool you because this South Philadelphia spot serves pierogies that have won over skeptics for nearly forty years.
The dining room feels like eating at your Polish aunt’s house, with mismatched chairs, floral tablecloths, and family photos covering the walls.
Their menu features over a dozen pierogi varieties, but the blueberry pierogies remain the most talked-about item.
Served with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of sugar, they blur the line between dinner and dessert perfectly.
The building is a converted corner home with the original residential windows still intact and lace curtains filtering the afternoon sunlight.
On Sundays, the owner’s mother still comes in to supervise the pierogi production and chat with regular customers.
Find this neighborhood treasure at 2201 S.
Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, where the M & M stands for the owners’ first names and the pierogies speak for themselves.
8. The Pierogie Place — Philadelphia, PA
Simplicity defines both the name and the approach at this Northeast Philadelphia gem that focuses exclusively on pierogi perfection.
The owners spent six months testing dough recipes before opening, determined to achieve the exact texture their customers would remember from childhood.
They succeeded spectacularly, creating a wrapper that’s both delicate and sturdy enough to hold generous fillings.
The four-cheese blend pierogi has become their signature, combining farmer’s cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, and cream cheese in one indulgent package.
The shop occupies a standalone building painted cheerful red with large windows that let you watch the entire production process.
Inside, the décor stays minimal with just a few tables and a focus on the takeout business.
Located at 8235 Bustleton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19152, this place proves that doing one thing exceptionally well beats trying to be everything to everyone, especially when that one thing is pierogies.
9. Mom & Pop’s Pierogies — Wilkes-Barre Township, PA
True to its name, this operation runs entirely as a two-person show, with Mom making the fillings and Pop rolling the dough every single morning.
They started selling pierogies from their home kitchen twenty years ago before health regulations required them to move into a commercial space.
Now they operate from a small storefront in a quiet shopping plaza, maintaining the same intimate feel as their home kitchen days.
The potato and cheddar pierogies are their bestseller, but the seasonal pumpkin pierogies in autumn create lines out the door.
The building’s interior features family photos spanning generations and a chalkboard menu that changes based on what Mom feels like making that week.
Everything gets sold frozen in bags of six or twelve, perfect for stocking up.
Visit 1000 Wyoming Avenue, Wilkes-Barre Township, PA 18702, where a real mom and pop still make every pierogi by hand and know most customers by name and favorite filling.
10. Polish Connection — Plymouth, PA
Established by three cousins who immigrated from Krakow in the late 1990s, this shop maintains direct ties to Poland through ingredients and inspiration.
They import specific types of flour and cheese from Poland because they insist American versions don’t produce the same authentic taste.
The result is pierogies that taste exactly like what you’d find in a Polish home kitchen.
Their ruskie pierogies, filled with potato, cheese, and fried onions, follow a recipe unchanged for over a century in their family.
The shop sits in a converted garage with exposed brick walls and string lights creating a cozy atmosphere.
A small retail section sells Polish pottery, candies, and pickled vegetables imported monthly.
Located at 587 Main Street, Plymouth, PA 18651, this spot offers more than just food because it provides a genuine connection to Polish culture and traditions that the cousins work hard to preserve for their American-born children and customers alike.
11. Polish Bites — Lake Ariel, PA
Hidden in the Pocono Mountains region, this lakeside spot attracts both locals and vacationers who stumble upon it by accident and return on purpose.
The owner is a third-generation pierogi maker who grew up helping her grandmother prepare hundreds of pierogies for church fundraisers.
She opened Polish Bites to share those same recipes with a wider audience.
The pierogi menu includes traditional options plus creative additions like spinach and feta that appeal to modern tastes while respecting traditional techniques.
The building is a charming cottage-style structure with window boxes full of flowers in summer and twinkling lights in winter.
A small patio overlooks the lake, making it a popular spot for eating fresh pierogies outdoors during warm months.
Find this lakeside gem at 1067 PA-191, Lake Ariel, PA 18436, where mountain air and homemade pierogies combine for an experience that feels like visiting a friend’s vacation home rather than just another restaurant.
12. Dabrowski’s Restaurant & Deli — Erie, PA
Operating since 1989, this Erie institution serves as both a full-service restaurant and a deli where you can buy pierogies to prepare at home.
The Dabrowski family emigrated from Poland in the 1980s and opened this spot to recreate the flavors they missed from home.
Their pierogi selection is impressive, featuring twelve different fillings including a unique liver and onion version that sounds unusual but tastes incredible.
The restaurant side offers pierogies served with traditional sides like Polish cucumber salad and red cabbage.
The building is a spacious converted house with separate dining and deli areas, wood paneling throughout, and vintage Polish travel posters decorating the walls.
On Friday nights, they host live accordion music that brings out Erie’s entire Polish community.
Located at 1674 West 8th Street, Erie, PA 16505, Dabrowski’s represents the kind of family establishment where recipes and hospitality pass down through generations and customers become extended family members.
13. Trawka’s Market — Erie, PA
This old-school Polish market has been an Erie fixture since 1954, and their pierogi counter remains one of the busiest sections in the entire store.
The market specializes in imported Polish goods, but locals know the real treasure is the fresh pierogi made daily in the back kitchen.
Trawka’s offers both boiled and fried pierogies ready to eat, plus frozen ones to take home.
Their meat-filled pierogies are particularly notable, stuffed with seasoned pork and beef that makes them hearty enough to serve as a main course.
The market building is a classic mid-century structure with large front windows displaying stacks of Polish products and a vintage neon sign that still lights up at dusk.
Inside, the layout hasn’t changed much in decades, with narrow aisles and friendly staff who offer samples.
Visit 2122 State Street, Erie, PA 16503, where shopping for pierogies comes with the bonus of discovering Polish chocolates, pickles, and pastries you never knew you needed until now.
14. Kowalonek’s Kielbasy Shop — Shenandoah, PA
Deep in Pennsylvania coal country, this family shop has been feeding miners and their families since 1937, making it one of the oldest continuously operating Polish food shops in the state.
While kielbasa is in the name, their pierogies deserve equal billing for quality and authenticity.
The shop still uses coal-fired ovens for some of their products, giving everything a distinctive smoky flavor you won’t find anywhere else.
Their pierogi dough gets rolled by hand using techniques passed down through four generations of the Kowalonek family.
The building is a sturdy stone structure that survived the region’s mining boom and bust, with original fixtures and a pressed tin ceiling that’s now considered historic.
A small museum section displays old mining equipment and family photos documenting Shenandoah’s Polish heritage.
Located at 520 West Centre Street, Shenandoah, PA 17976, Kowalonek’s represents living history where traditional food-making methods persist because they simply produce better results than modern shortcuts ever could.