After nearly a decade serving Polish comfort food along North Central Expressway, Taste of Poland has become Chicago’s Deli, a redesigned European specialty market and grocery store at 2301 N. Central Expressway, Ste. 155 in Plano. The deli and grocery counter opened on August 21, with a bistro, café, and Chicago-style street food area still to come.
The transition keeps the business in the same family, according to a June Facebook announcement from the owners describing the shift from the sit-down Polish restaurant to its new identity. As reported by Community Impact, Chicago’s Deli now occupies the former Taste of Poland restaurant space and offers specialty groceries, premium European meats, cheeses, sausages, and pierogi. Community Impact reported the store’s offerings according to a company social media post detailing the new lineup.
For longtime regulars, the shift caps years of uncertainty about the location’s future. Taste of Poland had operated in Plano for nearly 10 years, building a following for dishes that, per archived Postmates delivery listings, once included White Borscht, tripe soup, kishka, and pierogi platters served out of a small sit-down dining room with a secondary freezer aisle. The space also served as a community gathering spot; Hoodline reported that the venue hosted the Carpatho-Rusyn Society’s Christmas party in 2018, featuring pierogies, kielbasa, and cabbage rolls.
A Sign of Transition, Literally
Visitors driving past the shopping center this week may notice something odd: the old Taste of Poland exterior signage is still up. Polonia of Dallas, a local Polish-American community page, noted in an August update that Chicago’s Deli is temporarily keeping the original sign while its new storefront signage is produced, a detail meant to prevent confusion for customers looking for the address. The grand opening itself was pushed back about a week from an initial mid-August target so the team could finish interior work, per the same Facebook update…