Restaurant Relax Blog
Polish Food, Culture & Stories
Since 1997, we’ve been serving Polish food on Newel Street and collecting a few stories along the way. Stories about Polish food, culture, and traditions that traveled across the Atlantic, the dishes generations grew up with, and the holidays that still bring people together around the table.
Here, we share a little of the history, humor, and everyday life behind Polish food. You’ll find celebrations worth remembering, local Greenpoint stories, forgotten characters, familiar flavors, and the occasional confession about pierogi.
Some stories begin in Poland. Others begin right here in Brooklyn. All of them are connected by food, memory, and the people who have walked through the doors of Restaurant Relax.
Pull up a chair.
There is always another story to tell.
Restaurant Relax Summer Vacation 2026
With great sadness, but also absolutely enormous joy, we must announce that the Restaurant Relax summer vacation has officially begun. 😎☀️ We’ll be CLOSED for two weeks while we take a very well deserved summer break. We’ll miss you. We’ll also enjoy sleeping a little...
One Last Chłodnik Before Vacation
August 8, Last Chłodnik...☀️🥣 Today is your last chance to cool down with our famous Polish chłodnik, a refreshing cold buttermilk soup. So stop by Relax today. Chłodnik and all your Polish besties are waiting for you! We’ll be CLOSED August 9 through 23 and back on...
Felix Miklaszewicz: The Polish Pirate of the American Revolution
Who was Felix Miklaszewicz?Everyone knows Pulaski and Kościuszko but have you heard of Felix Miklaszewicz? A Polish noble who fought the Russian Empire, lost, and fled into exile then joined America's fight for freedom at sea, hunting British ships with a license from...
Polish Father’s Day
Father's Day at RelaxFrom holding the bike to watching them grow up, a dad's job is a series of quiet, core memories. The hands that shaped our days in a thousand little ways. Now the practical part. American Father's Day is today, and on Sundays we are, as tradition...
The Cold Savior
Chłodnik: The Cold Polish Soup That Saves SummerMeet the absolute master of boiling hot summer days: the legendary Polish chłodnik. It is creamy, tangy, crunchy, and packed with old school Polish summertime magic. We serve it in two refreshing ways to rescue your...
Homemade Pierogi. This is how we do it!
Pierogi made fresh by hand at Restaurant RelaxAt Restaurant Relax, we make our pierogi the way they were always meant to be made: one by one, by hand. With flour, patience, and a little Polish stubbornness, every batch is shaped fresh in our Greenpoint kitchen. No...
Memorial Day Weekend
Closed for Memorial Day Weekend & a Family Graduation!Please note that restaurant Relax will be closed from Friday, May 22 through Monday, May 25. We are traveling to North Carolina this weekend to celebrate my nephew's graduation and to enjoy the holiday with...
A Mother’s Love
“All I want is mother love…”Freddie Mercury sang these words near the end of his life. And maybe that’s why they feel so true. No matter how far we travel, how old we become, or how strong we pretend to be, there’s still a part of us that longs for the warmth only a...
Sinful Indulgence
Which one is your guilty pleasure?Welcome to Sinful Indulgence at Restaurant Relax where discipline ends and pleasure begins. Be honest. Is it the deep red borscht with little dumplings? The slow cooked goulash with creamy mash? The sizzling sausage with onions and a...
Polish Food, Culture & Stories
Polish food is only part of the story. Through our blog, we want to help our Greenpoint neighbors discover Polish traditions, history and the people whose memories have shaped our community. If you have an interesting family story, a memory of old Greenpoint, a Polish tradition worth preserving or a food story that deserves to be shared, we would love to hear from you. Think of it as food for thought — with real food as our way of saying thank you. If we select your original story for publication on the Restaurant Relax blog, a meal at Relax is on us.
Story Submission Guidelines
We welcome original stories connected to Polish food, traditions, family memories, Greenpoint or the history of the Polish community.
- Please begin by sending us a short description of your story idea. You do not need to write the complete article first.
- Stories must be original and should not have been copied from another publication.
- Please make sure you have permission to share any photographs, personal memories or information about other people.
- Restaurant Relax may edit submissions for clarity, length and style while preserving the meaning of the story.
- Submission does not guarantee publication. We will contact you if we would like to develop your idea for the blog.
- Authors whose original stories are selected and published will receive a complimentary meal at Restaurant Relax as our thank-you.
- By submitting your story, you give Restaurant Relax permission to publish it on our website and promote it through our digital channels.
Have a story worth sharing? Send us your idea.
Can’t make it in?
Order online. We’ll handle the rest.
Polish homemade food, made fresh and delivered to your door
