Polka Deli is an absolute gem! Walking in immediately transports you with the smells of authentic…read moreEastern European comfort food--it's like being welcomed into a European kitchen. The service here is truly wonderful, always friendly, patient, and happy to offer recommendations. Everything I've tried is excellent, from the pierogies to the borscht, but you simply must try their sausage. Whether you get it to take home or on one of their fantastic sandwiches, the quality and flavor of their house-made sausage is out of this world. It's savory, perfectly spiced, and the highlight of any visit. If you are looking for real, hearty comfort food and a fantastic, old-school deli experience, Polka Deli is the place! Highly, highly recommend.

Came here with my Polish friend and it was really wonderful to see her light up with all the…read moreclassics she saw eating as a kid in her family home. A lot of these foods are really familiar, and the selection is just so far and wide. I especially love how everything here is true to the ingredients and the pure authenticity of what the food is. Everyone we saw were delighted to greet the folks behind the counter cutting cold cuts, or just to show the sheer amount of pierogi they were stocking up on. At the counter, we ordered from their menu which had a very delicious borsht. It came pipping hot with some dill, and the veggies were nice and cooked down. The sampler is a must try if you want to get a good sense of the foods they offer, really enjoyed the varity of kielbasa and the hot mustard it comes with to dip. Gołąbki was generously filled and pan fried served with stove top potatos. A lot of their pastries are either imported or made in house, and it came in a good variety like poppyseed flavor. We enjoyed the food in their eating nook and enjoyed the really peaceful views of the strip mall. Really here for the homey vibes, something for just about anyone who is missing these nostalgic flavors. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

The owner here is always kind, courteous and willing to assist if you have questions.read more

I love this store! It's a hidden gem. Everyone is friendly and knowledgeable. The food is fresh and…read morethe store is clean, always.

Wonderful store - they have everything! The staff is friendly, welcoming, and always smiling,…read moresometimes even offering treats. You can always find what you need here, and everything is fresh, clean, and pleasant. Highly recommend - I keep coming back!

A fine selection of Eastern European foods is to be found here. Frozen and refrigerated, fresh at…read morethe deli, and canned in the shelves - you name it. We found the lamb khinkali we were searching for (Georgian-style dumplings), and many other types of pelmeni too. There is a wide selection of smoked herrings and salmon. The home-smoked salmon pieces we took home were delicious! Smoky and salty and oily as they should be. Lots of varieties of smetana too, though I resisted this time due to its high fat content (higher even than standard American sour cream, AI informed me). A great resource for those craving foods from the region, and larger than Matreshka's down the road.

I really want to give this place 5 stars but have to be honest. I give this place 5 stars for…read morequality of product: Other than one other place, I don't know of any other store that has the ethnic Russian and Ukrainian food I grew up around. But the customer service leaves much to be desired. My mother and I walked in at 7:10pm on a day they closed at 8pm. The owner and employees looked at us but didnt smile when we walked in. The whole time we were there, I felt like they wanted us to leave. One of the employees went out of their way to walk up to me at 7:45pm to tell me they "closed in 5 minutes". Again I feel really badly leaving a 4-star review but I can't in honesty give this place 5 stars. Owner: Whatever your name is, please please improve your customer service. Be nice to people when they arrive. Smile. You have a great product and great location. All you need to do is make people feel welcome. I spent over $200 in groceries in half an hour. Even if I walked in at 7:59pm to buy a pack of gum, I deserve to be treated with respect. Update: I visited this place again and had a totally different (better experience). They were nice! So I'm changing to 5 stars :). Thank you International Food Market.

Made a stop in this international market for some Russian treats. They had loads of breads,…read morechocolates, ice cream and more. I came for the fresh pickled cucumbers. Crunchy, salty, and oh so fresh! Also bought some of their deli items. The fried fish was delicious, light and flaky and the air fryer made it crunchy again. Also had the rice and chicken and chicken kbobs. All around, a scrumptious dinner for 3 under $50. This place is worth a trip to explore all they have. Dust off your Russian.

I don't get out to the Sauson International Grocery as often as I used to, but I still make the…read moretrip 1-2 times a month for mainly one thing: some of the freshest and tastiest bread in all of the DMV. Every culture has their own interpretation of taking the basic ingredients of flour, yeast, salt and water and transforming it via various baking methods into their version of "bread." There is a long history of using circular oval shaped ovens in Asia and the Middle East as a way of both conserving space and to efficiently cook foods with even heat distribution and small footprints in otherwise cramped kitchens. In India these ovens are called tandoors while in Japan they are referenced as kamados. Sauson International Grocery has been in operation since 2011, and the owner, who everyone knows as "Mr. Rashid," is of Persian descent having emigrated from Iran. He is always super friendly and willing to answer questions I may have about the wide variety of Middle Eastern spices and foods this place stocks. Don't be surprised if you strike up a conversation with him, and he offers you a cup of wonderfully spiced tea and a cookie or pastry from the delectable dessert case. As some of the reviews have noted, parking is tricky. There is a small covered garage under the building. But you may have to park at the nearby church or on the street and then walk over to the store. This place is well known for their bread, which is being made throughout the day. I came a bit later today, so they had just finished making a few batches. But it's not uncommon to witness skilled bakers kneading and rolling, and then slapping the dough onto the circular metallic oven for a few minutes, before piping hot fresh bread emerges. The bread is amazing. It is pliable, without being overly chewy. It is slightly salty, with a great smoky almost charred flavor. I've had it cut into pieces and then dipped with hummus or rolled into gyros or used to sandwich kabob meat. And believe it or not, it's even pretty good as a PB&J. Everyone, and I mean everyone, I've introduced this product to usually asks: (1). What type of bread is this? and (2). Where can I buy it? Note: As of this review, the current price is $8.05 for FOUR large round pieces of bread. Apart from the bread, there is also a small butcher shop in the back, and a kitchen where hot foods like kabob platters are made. There is also a small seating area in front of the store, where folks can sip tea and relax while enjoying sweets from the display case. Sauson is a really cool place and while I usually go with the intention of only buying bread, it's not uncommon for me to walk out with a few bags of unique Middle Eastern groceries.

Impressive variety of selection and wonderful hospitality. Can't wait to go back soon.read more

Don't walk in and order "kielbasa." The first time I went in, I made this error. "They are all…read morekielbasa." No, I didn't know that kielbasa just means sausage. Amazing sausages and Polish sauerkraut. What makes the sauerkraut Polish? Well, it contains just cabbage and salt, and is made, of course, in Poland. The Polonaise brand is thinner sliced, and the Krakus brand is thicker sliced. Also available with cabbage. For grilling, absolutely the best kielbasa around. "Hunter" is smokier and larger, and "Grill" is smaller and juicy. Both are fantastic with the right coarseness of meat (not like hotdogs), and spiced and salted to perfection. Wish they sold Martin's potato long rolls, as that requires an extra trip.

Excellent!! What a wonderful place. The best kielbasa I have had in a loooong time (since leaving…read moreChicago in 1978!). The young lady recommended the cherry kielbasa and my only regret is I did not buy more. Wife and I ate up a full link in an afternoon just snacking! If you have had regular grocery store bought polish sausage... forget it!! Go here and try, you'll never buy kielbasa at a regular store again!! It's an hour drive for an old man... but I will make it up there as often as I am able. P.S. The stuffed cabbage is to DIE for! I just heated it up with a can of tomato sauce and BAM!! Memories of grandma and the family came flooding back!

It's a nice place with a very wide selection of foods. Their chocolate is very nice. It's clean,…read morethough the times I've been there there was the same woman, and I had more help from the customers I came across than from her. -- Okay, I recently came back, and there was a gentleman who helped me out in choosing the right salmon roe. He even gave me some free chocolate--he was so helpful and very nice! I'm definitely making this place where I get my caviar.

Friendly service. Lately encountered expired products which is too bad. Prices are exorbitant.read more

This charming fruit & vegetable stand is inside Eastern Market. Every item is neat and tidy. There…read moreare unique jams, nuts, and homemade items that include soup. It is worth a visit.

I've lived in San Diego for twenty years, but in my youth, in the '80's, I lived and worked near…read moreDC's Eastern Market. I'd walk there most Sundays, buying breakfast from the man who made fried chicken and biscuits. Then I'd stop and visit with Mrs. Calomiris. I called her, "Mrs." because it wouldn't have occurred to me to call her "Maria," and "Mamma" never seemed to offer the respect I wished to convey. She was smart and funny, and entertaining to watch as she gently promoted her customers into buying her beautiful produce. But most notably, Mrs. Calomiris was kind. On more than one occasion, she held overripe tomatoes for me until she had a good basketful, then called me to pick them up. I'd blanch, peel and seed them, then make sauce. A cook herself, Mrs. Calomiris approved of this old-school approach, and so was happy to help. As she did for everyone, when I came to get my basket, she always handed me a banana or a nice apple, something for lagniappe. And once, as I stood in front of Mrs. Calomiris' stall eating an apple she'd just sold me, she asked how it was; I said it wasn't bad, but that it wasn't quite ready, and that tiny woman reached up and took the apple from my hand as I was biting into it, in order to swap it for one that I'd like more. My family is Arab, immigrants to the DC area in the late '50's, so the enthusiastic hospitality I always received from Mrs. Calomiris was familiar. Except for her accent, she might have been one of my aunts. Maria Calomiris died of cancer in 2015, working at the Market until a few weeks before her death, having seen her husband, Chris, pass, just a few years earlier. The community and the City are the worse for these losses. But even several thousand miles away, Mrs. Calomiris' memory endures.

I came across Il Bastone at the Smart Markets Farmers Market in Gainesville, VA. They are a small…read morefamily-owned business with no official physical store location. You'll find them vending at Farmers Markets in Gainesville, Oakton, Reston, and Fairfax. The Smart Markets Farmers Market in Gainesville, VA is located in the parking lot of Virginia Gateway and is held every Sunday. Il Bastone specializes in artisanal sausages, empanadas, chimichurri and baked pastries. I had a Beef Empanada - very tasty, my only criticism is that I wish the pastry were hotter. I guess it is hard to keep them hot in a booth at a Farmers Market. I also tasted their home made Chorizo sausage. Outstanding! I will be back to buy some of that sausage!

I had the Choripan sandwich at the Smark Market in Manassas. It didn't look like much, just a…read moresmall baguette & the sausage wrapped in tin foil, but it was extremely tasty. I wanted to get the empandas also, but I'm trying to watch my calories, so next time for them. I can't remember exactly what they put in the Choripan, beef, pork, wine, spices, but it was flavorful without being overpowering.