I can understand why Red Apple is voted best buffet in Illinois. A friend and I came here on a Sunday afternoon and we were able to get a booth during a rush so we were happy with no wait. Our waitress was extremely friendly and attentive. We couldn't believe the options and most of all how good everything is. The stuffed cabbage, cheese pierogis, and potato pancakes were some of my favorites. I'll definitely be back! read more

Come hungry and expect to leave wishing you could pack a doggy bag. The diversity of primary Polish cuisine and quality of the preparation is exemplary. Not the sort of place for a hot summer day - but I could live here on a fall weekend. read more

Overall very favorable experience. Food offerings plentiful from every food group imaginable, plus fresh fruit, extensive salad bar and assortment of desserts, all very good. Someone in the kitchen knows what they're doing. Staff constantly keeps the buffet well-supplied and spotless. This place is a hidden gem if you're hungry and enjoy Polish cuisine. read more

Not for me, too expensive for such a small/limited selections. Food are just ok. It wasn't satisfying, for me.

Very clean & reasonably priced! Definitely will come again ... Look how beautiful & fresh ... deliciousness Very friendly staff:) read more

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Good quality buffet food that tastes like I'm eating in someone's home. I thought the food selection was great, although I wish the portions for the meats were smaller so I don't feel like I'm wasting food if I can't finish. Because of that, I did not get to try as many things as I would've liked, but I did enjoy most of the items I tried. I appreciated having so many pickled options on the salad bar (I love pickles!) and I especially enjoyed the pickled beets. With so much variety, there's something for everyone at Red Apple. read more

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Came by for Thanksgiving special. Service was great, ambiance cozy and the food was exceptional. From the soups, to the sides dishes and the desserts non of the categories showed negligence. The fried fish was the highlight for me. A simple dish was done so well really made an impression. The attention the staff put into replenishing and maintaining the buffet was appreciated because everything looked like it was worth a try. Certainly a repeat type of establishment. read more

Red Apple Buffet - Buffets Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Today I had gone to Red Apple Buffet. Its a polish all you can eat restaurant. The price is $30 per person. Food is fresh...There is alot of pierogi, vegetables, Napoleans....Beef, Salmon , beets which is good for your blood and liver... Green tea...Excellent place...It is always open in the weekend not week days... Parking is a little bit scarce ...They have parking in the back of the place...But you can park on the side streets and walk a block to get rid of the calories.... read more

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delicious buffet lots of variety I enjoyed it . if you love pierogi chicken cutlets Def come here! read more

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We missed their brief period of reopening in 2020, but did make the trip now. Price for the buffet now is up to $29.99 when it was previously closer to $20. It is the same price lunch or dinner, Saturday or Sunday. We figured to go to support their return and to see how it might have changed to justify the price increase. Price does not include beverages, but does include a choice of soup along with ice cream for dessert. One new dish that we saw were roasted duck legs which were tender and the dessert bar, some dark chocolate and lemon mousse cups. I don't consider our family to be big eaters, but we do enjoy trying a variety of dishes at a meal. If there was a price increase, we expected it to be more at $25. We used to go on Friday evenings, when prices were lower compared to the weekend. I think child prices for 11-14 year olds was $15 and younger, but it seemed there was some discretion exercised by servers to charge at a lower bracket if they saw how little they ate. (Wish that could apply for adults!) So $30 is probably getting past the tipping point of what I'd pay for variety vs. ordering from a menu at another nearby Polish restaurant, sample/share what each of us orders, and being able to take home leftovers. It was convenient to be able to drive further but eat right away upon entry, but maybe getting an quick prep appetizer is what we'll need at another restaurant. read more

The food was great, and the service was wonderful. Very nice folk. Felt like a family restaurant. Quiet ambiance. read more

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I love this restaurant. My mother and I would love to go once a month for a Saturday afternoon of fresh hot polish cuisine that included the well stocked salad bar and desert table. So, yesterday, I suggested to my Colombian wife, that we take a ride into the city and head over to the Red Apple. The last time we were at the restaurant was during Christmas weekend to take my brother-in law and sister in law for lunch. What changed in the four months is the cost of eating at Red Apple. $43.99 per person holiday price. I recommend to the owners to rethink their strategy of being closed all week and ramping up prices on the weekends. In December 2022 the weekend holiday price was $32.00 per person. The food is great. Prepared with care. The service is very good. The costs are ridiculous. read more

Cabbage rolls & mashed potatoes were excellent, soup was also very good. Nice selection of food. Would go back. read more

I have been to Red Apple Buffet many times in the past three decades, coming about once or twice a year during that time and this time it was way improved over all the others! All the food had a good taste, which to me if did not have before. They put a small amount of each kind of food out so that they are constantly putting out more food to make sure it is always fresh and hot. The servers are extremely quick bringing you the drinks, included soup and ice cream. Dirty dishes disappear before you realize they are gone. There is a nice balance of Polish delights with American comfort food. Many say it is expensive, but I believe the quality is way above any buffet I've been to and it is equal to other restaurants in the area. I highly recommend eating here on the Friday night or weekend, which is the only time they are open. read more

Went back recently after 20 years. Food was better than I remembered. Fresh and authentic. Buffet was clean and beautifully arranged. We were also served a phenomenal white borscht. Will be back soon. read more

Really nice selection of Polish food. Not bad pricing. Attentive service and good bar. Homey experience. Nice selection of desserts. All kinds of food to try along with pierogies. Two kinds of shrimp, carved brisket and ham, chicken done different ways, salmon, hunter stew, and many others. read more

I haven't been here in years & I can't stress enough how wonderful the food is here. They serve food in small batches & replenish as needed. The staff is extremely friendly. We can't wait to come back! read more

Food was good , decent enough atmosphere, one lady was very nice however the rest of staff could learn to much nicer to all its costumer's. Not enough parking at all . Has great potential though. The service again was okay but the attitude form some of the staff was bad . We went on Mother's Day , so in spite of that we made it a good time . We eat everywhere and like giving a fair assessment of all the effort that goes into the overall establishment. I've personally been involved in food service all my life read more

Red Apple Buffet - Buffets Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was an abnormally among my party of ten. I didn't like most of the food, such as the ham that has a strong clover flavor and the steak that was a bit chewy. But everyone else loved everything and we all had a great time. Service is attentive and very pleasant. Ambiance is homey and comfortable. I did enjoy the stuffed cabbage and the foray of dessert and fruit options. It's genuinely an amazing venue, just not something for me. read more

This is my family's favorite brunch place here in Carol Stream. We always have birthday breakfasts here. The prices are reasonable, the staff is great. It's family run business. They are very good with children. It gets very busy during weekends so try to come early. Not a huge place but very clean and perfect for friends and family to meet up. The ambiance is on par with any other brunch places. read more

Wonderful assortment of hot entrees and cold salads....but 32 dollars per person??? Is anyone actually going?

So good! Went with family for 1st time. My inlaws are polish and I'm not so they know good polish food. This was amazing! Food, service, it's top notch!! Highly recommend read more

This place is pretty good. There is a lot of variety. A lot of the food looks better than it tastes. Definitely try the potato pancakes they are exceptional. The stuffed cabbage is really good too. read more

Red Apple Buffet - Buffets Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Pretty good polish food good chicken good ribs everything pretty good just not use to it but would go again even though price is high read more

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Been wanting to go for years after seeing it on various websites and shows. Finally came back to visit and took my Dad. Wonderful! True Polish Grannys in the back bringing out the food. Love our experience. Cash only and interesting that you can also swing by and pay for the pounds which I have never seen before. So Yummy!!! read more

Great service. Tasty good. Great price. Would have eaten more if I had more room. Traditional Polish food.

Well how can I say or what should I say? It's a delight but it's also a disappointment but overall it was four stars and this is how I sum it up or why I sum it up?. Ever since since pre pandemic certain restaurants especially the small family owned ones closed down because of how it was treated. This Polish restaurant sadly I've been going here before covid had the best Polish food for buffet. Their stuffed cabbage is much better than jolly in and I haven't had this for 2 years since they closed completely since 2020. Now that I found out that they're open I just had to write a more recent review. So far so good everything was delicious including their best stuffed cabbage. They even had lamb and roasted duck which to me is much more of an upgrade for Polish cuisine very fancy then it was before. And that's where the disappointment or drawback goes about this restaurant. Despite that they upgraded some of their dishes are selection in their buffet the price now is $30 plus dollars per person. It used to be 10 or 15 dollars the last I would come here. The other drawback too is that they're only open on the weekends which is Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. they used to be open weekdays. One good thing they also is not really a drawback is that before you used to pay with cash. Now you could pay with credit card like they used to do it back in the 1990s and early 2000s I would pay credit card and then probably by 2015 and 2019 it was just cash only but they brought back credit card I guess it's because you're paying $30 per person for buffet. Anyways do come here it's really good selection of Polish food I really miss their stuffed cabbage next to some other dishes which to me is much more of an upscale eating a roasted duck and roasted lamb in a buffet read more

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Love the variety of polish cuisine served! Service is prompt and excellent.. homey, old world ambience ! Lots of dessert to chose from. I felt so full to the brim and I got my money's worth and more! read more

I STILL have to give them 5 stars for the amazing food but you should know that they are now only open on weekends (Fri-Sun) and the price per person is now $32.99. Whew. read more

Best polish food ever..fresh and very tasty the staff very friendly and welcoming never feel rushed that is greatly appreciated. The sweet table is super good with all different pastries...i just wish they would open more days... read more

YUM! This place has been on my to-try list for ages! I grew up eating eastern European food and I love me some potatoes with sour cream and meat! BF suggested coming here because I've never tried it and I absolutely loved it! Food: They have a huge selection of buffet foods! My personal favorites were the cheese blintzes and the stuffed cabbage! They also had fruits, salads, and a cute display of fun dessert! The food is filling and we left feeling super stuffed! There were a variety of different desserts but I only liked a few of the cakes. The flan didn't taste very "flan-like" but hey I'm not expecting a Vegas Buffet. Payment: I believe they are cash only but there is a sign that they take credit card (for first time buyers)- double check before you attend! Ambiance: kind of outdated and stuck in the 90s but I loved the homey feel of it. Prices: 25 per person on weekends plus tip (not including drink)! It's a bit pricey and I feel that I could get more food with a different buffet but for the blintzes and stuffed cabbage- I will be back! read more

Red Apple Buffet - Fruit and dessert! The Flan was meh but the cake was okay! - Buffets Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I loved this restaurant the food was all really good. There is a lot of options to choose from. I'd highly recommend eating here at some point read more

Went there because the reviews were very good. Top 10 buffet in the country !! WOW. Had to try it. The service was good. Our waitress was very attentive and pleasant. The food...some items were very good, some were just OK. Items I liked: Pork Cutlet, Vegetable rice, Flan, Ham Hock, brisket, sausage. Other items were just average.... like the chicken noodle soup, schnitzel, lamb, potato pancake, pierogi, chicken wing, most pastries, etc. It was a good experience, but I enjoyed some salad bars much better at half the price. read more

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So as a Polish person - I am extremely picky when it comes to traditional polish food - after reading other reviews I opted to give the Red Apple a try - seeing that I had never been at the buffet restaurant I've heard about for years. What a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT and WASTE OF MONEY!! There were 2 of us - when we arrived we were told we could sit anywhere -- when our waitress arrived at the table, we informed her that this was our first time here so we really didn't know what the protocol was. She explained that she would take our order for soup and a drink and then the buffet was at our own choosing. We both ordered a red borscht which arrived at the table promptly. Unfortunately it was not even hot it was very tepid and rather than putting some traditional Uszki (polish tortellini) in the borscht they opted to put a hard boiled egg which I found to be a bit unusual. It was "edible" but definitely needed to be served hot - it also seemed to be more sweet than sour. On to the buffet - I'm NOT a big buffet person - but then again I was anticipating what other reviewers had mentioned - that there were hot dishes consistently being brought out - so the food is always a constant fresh. HAH! Once again the FOOD was NOT HOT!!!!!!! Everything was lukewarm to room temperature - ridiculous!! I had a tepid potato pancake which was saturated in oil - Chicken Kiev which was hard and COLD and not very tasty - only took one bite Beets with horseradish - which were good because they should be served cold!! (Lol) Pork Goulash - good but COLD!! And the traditional potato and cheese pierogi which too were OKAY but cold and drenched in butter!! Additionally, they only had about six left and the waitress said they would be replenishing them soon. We waited for about 15 minutes and finally when they were replenished we were happy to see they were HOT!! HOWEVER, we weren't exactly sure what the heck kind of a pierogi we got, it certainly wasn't cheese and potato instead it was POTATO WITH DILL!! Now I'm sorry, but in my lifetime I've never had a potato and dill pierogi! I mentioned to my dinner partner that I think since they close at 8 PM, and it's around 7 o'clock, they opted to take whatever leftover potatoes they had which did have dill in them and make some pierogi from them! We had a few of the sweets for dessert - I had a honey cake which wasn't moist at all and had both cream and marmalade filling, and a tiny piece of apple cake which had no apple flavor at all!! Our waitress was nice - but NOT ONCE did anyone ask us how everything is -- To add no mentioned what the cost of this "dining experience" would be..... (We weren't told the price - nor did we see it posted - our mistake to not ask) Well we were SHOCKED when we got the check - 2 people Cold buffet which was mediocre 2 borscht 2 ice teas $80.00!!!!!!!!!!! What a waste of money - came home super disappointed and hungry!! I gave 1 star only for our waitress - she was nice. I would NOT RECOMMEND to anyone unless you are clueless to what delicious polish food should be AND you enjoy eating COLD food that should be HOT!! For the price we paid - we could have had a nice NON-BUFFET dinner elsewhere!! read more

Food was fresh and flavorful! Ham was tastey, brisket was succulent. They have the best cabbage rolls! Great service. Will definitely come back! Loved it!! read more

There're two (2) locations of "Red Apple Buffet" in the city. Both of them are located on N. Milwaukee Ave. However, one is located in Logan Square; the other one is located in Norwood Park, on the corner of Milwaukee and Imlay. Before proceeding to your enjoyment of buffet paradise, stop by an ATM first because RAB is "cash-only." An ATM is provided onsite with $1 surcharge. I was a semi-regular to RAB in the past. I would splurge whenever I felt stressed out at my last job. I could have talked to a therapist about my obstacles and difficult times. For some reason, comforting Polish food worked better than an individual with credentials. Don't equivocate RAB with some Super "some Asian country beneath Russia" buffet places because their buffet bars are organized, sanitary, and constantly re-stocked. The weekday adult dinner buffet is currently $15.99/person, as of 01/18/2016. Typically, when my stomach is in the most optimal condition, I can consume a plate of appetizers (chicken gelatins, beet salad, and herrings, if available), two (2) plates of "entree stuff" (pierogi, chicken/pork cutlets, potato pancakes, mushroom gravy, stuffed cabbage, and tilapia). I would end the meal with a small bowl of complementary ice cream (included in the dinner buffet), fruit, and perhaps kolaczki. By the way, soup of the day is also included. I believe the choices of soup have a set rotation on a daily basis. I noticed lots of customers picked up some buffet bar items to-go. I believe they do it by pounds. This RAB location offers customer parking lot in the back on Imlay. The spaces are tight, so drive with caution. If you're still able to handle public transportation after this buffet feast (more power to you), the northbound terminal stop for CTA #86 (Narragansett/Nagle) is directly across from RAB. Otherwise, PACE #270 has a stop nearby. read more

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The food is good but it's definitely not worth $33 per person they more than doubled their prices in the last two years and are only open three days a week read more

What a great experience at Red Apple!!! I'm from California visiting my boyfriend's family and had never heard of a polish buffet. The closest we get to polish is a pierogi truck, but wow I had no idea how much great food Poland has to offer! The pierogis were delicious here, as were all the salads, polish schnitzel, kielbasa, potato pancakes and blitzes. Seriously, what a great variety!! But my favorite item of the visit was... The borscht soup!! Wow wow wow you've got to try it. It's creamy, warm, dill-y and full of beer taste. Service was also very good, attentive and native polish people :) I just wish we had this buffet in San Diego, it would be our go-to spot for sure! read more

Red Apple Buffet - That borscht soup, omg amazing!!! - Buffets Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Food Service and the peoplr there was a 5-Star experience. It felt like you were at home!! Even the owner I do believe came up to greet us and made us feel so welcome. Waitresses were awesome, on-point and had besutiful smiles. thank you all read more

Stopped at my FIL's insistence on our way home from O'Hare and SO glad we did! Authentic food and atmosphere. Fantastic variety of meat, veggies, and desserts including staples like blood sausage, pierogi, and everything beet (including aspec!). Coolest part of this place is the diverse crowd and that the owner (?) will recommend dishes as she's refilling the buffet and, unless you say no, will simply put them on your plate. Feels like Grandma's! Come hungry because this cuisine is rich. Worth every penny and every calorie! read more