Hail to the Homeland!

Homeland Cafe
232 West Tennessee Ave
Oak Ridge, TN
865-483-4818

Homeland Cafe decor in the converted house

And what would that homeland be? That would be Poland! The Homeland Cafe is owned by the Kosny's, who immigrated to the USA many years ago and missed the food of their homeland. They took over an "E" floor plan house (during the WWII Manhattan Project located in Oak Ridge, TN, all houses in Oak Ridge were built by a government contract with a limited number of building plans labeled A, B, C, D, or E) near the Oak Ridge hospital, and converted it to a restaurant. The dining room, living room and bedrooms are all now dining rooms. One of the best parts of this restaurant, besides the food, is the decor. It is like stepping right into the parlor of an Eastern European grandma. Everytime I am in Oak Ridge, I have to go to the Homeland Cafe for homemade pieroghis, golabkis, saurkraut and potatoes.

golabki and pieroghi plate

On my last trip through Oak Ridge, I stopped in to the Homeland Cafe for lunch, and got a golabki and pieroghi plate. The pieroghi dough is made in-house, has the perfect bite-feel and is delicious. The pieroghi stuffings include potato, cheese, and spinach. The pieroghi toppings include butter, mushrooms and onions. It is so nice having this homemade food while sitting in a living room. It is so homey and relaxing. Actually, last time I was there, there was a grandma aged Polish woman waiting tables, and it was nearly like being catered to by Grandma! I just had a hard time moving myself out of this restaurant and on my way to my next destination because I just made myself at home at "Grandma's House".

spinach pieroghi plate

So, on the way back, I had to go through Oak Ridge again, and this time I stopped for dinner at the Homeland Cafe and got the pieroghi plate. I opted for spinach pieroghis with the onion sauce. The pieroghis are perfectly boiled and have a good mouth feel. As a matter of fact, I loved these little pieroghis so much, I got two to-go plates of pieroghis to take with me back to Nashville. Mrs Kosny was so sweet, and she said that I couldn't take the pieroghis home without a sauce to put on top. She found two little air tight jars, so they would not spill in the car, and filled one with her mushroom sauce, and the other one with her onion sauce. She gave me some directions on how to re-heat these little gems. I boiled the pieroghis in a wide pan with water. It did not take much to bring these yummies back to their glorious selves. I await the day that I must return to the Oak Ridge area, and revisit the Homeland Cafe.

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