Polish, German, Czech: in Chicago and neighboring areas?

Are there any stores around those areas where I can buy authentic Polish crafts (souvenirs)? Maybe some of those Polish wooden boxes? Also, where are the best casual Polish dining spots? Same for German and Czech.

Polish, German, Czech: in Chicago and neighboring areas?
Chicago has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw (a fact!) So it stands to reason that me have a lot of polish restaurants (http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/dinin... Most of the restaurants are loacated in heavily Polish neighborhoods, so there are probably a few Polish craft stores nearby as well. We also have a large German population and a lot of great german restaurants. One of the most popular German areas is located near Lawrence Western Ave. There is a little stretch of street that has about three or four German restaurants, a couple of German bars and some german craft stores. It%26#039;s designed to look like a little German village. In addition, the stretch of Lincoln Ave between Irving Park and Montrose has a lot of German restaurants too (Zum Deutschen Eck is the most popular) http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/dinin...





Finally, the Czech popularion is pretty large here too, though not as large as German and Polish. But there are entire streets where it seems every apartment building is filled with Czechs. There are some Czech speciality restaurants (http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/dinin... If you go to one, ask one of the waitresses where to find a good Czech craft store. Heck, they may even sell trinkets and stuff in the restaurants itself.
Reply:Check out the Chicago Reader%26#039;s Restaurant Finder


http://www.chicagoreader.com/cgi-bin/rrr...





or the Chicago Tribune%26#039;s Metromix Restaurant Guide


http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/dinin...





Both allow you to search by type of cuisine and offer capsule reviews.





For shopping, you might try The Polish Store, 3063-3069 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Reply:I live in a polish neighborhood and there is a good restaurant 52nd and archer its called szatas.



Nanny