Eastern European Cafeteria and Sausage Market
Thursday, August 25, 2005
ADDENDUM: Kramarczuk's recently went through a total make over and face lift. Much of the old world meat craked white enamel and worn stainless steel deli counter has been cleaned up and newly installed to give it less workclass feel and more of a gourmet supermarket feeling.
The now offer a larger range of products in the market than in the old days and the restaurant has fresh tile on the floor (as opposed to linoeum) and new booth seating compared to the lodging house style dinning room of old.
The Ukranian sausage house, although a historic cornerstone of the neighborhood, was sadly beginning to feel a little out of place with all the booming condo developments and high buck land grabs going on here on East Heenepin.
Walking inside is a retreat into an old world of meat butchers serving up Polska, bacon, blood sausage and smoked bratwurst. The bakery serves up crusty rolls, twisted loafs, kolachis, and if you step over into the dining room that could double as a polka hall in a pinch, you'll find a buffet-styled line-up of bratwurst, Borscht, Golabki, cabbage rolls, goulash to pierogi, and imported beer fit for a construction worker or any hardscrabble laborer that the third wave information age thinks it readily disposed of or, at least, outsourced to India.
On Saturday's they have live ethnic music.
Another Minneapolis institution that should not be missed.