It comes from humble roots. The building originally housed a garment store before it became a restaurant. We suspect the building was built almost a century ago during the boom for freight shipping, dock workers and manufacturing. When we opened the restaurant we realized that there were no restaurants close by that served traditional home cooked meals. We wanted to create a place that reminded the working class families of Greenpoint of home. A place where they could always stop by for a bowl of warm soup and get a full dinner, freshly made. With heaps of mashed potatoes and salads on the side. A place where the Pierogis always tasted like Grandma had just made them.
Greenpoint is famous all-over the world as the traditional heart of the Polish American immigration story. That story would be woefully incomplete without Polish food. When we opened our doors over 20 years ago, the street was mostly Polish. And as Greenpoint has grown, relax has become not just a home away from home, but a place for everyone to discover our amazing Polish cuisine.
Photo from NYC Municipal Archives.
Circa 1940
