How many Polish restaurants does it take to charm a food critic? One. Pierogi One. This newish Sand Laker is no joke, even if its Central European brand of comfort food had me giggling with delight. Less delightful was trekking across town to enjoy its tasty takes on Polish classics, but even if I never miss an opportunity to trash I-4, nary a harsh word will be written about this inviting southside bistro.
Granted, my giggling may be due to a carb-induced serotonin rush. When you visit Pierogi One, be prepared for potatoes: potato pancakes, mashed potatoes, potato salad and potato dumplings, dumplings, dumplings. Make no mistake, Pierogi One is a testament to the tater love of owners Iwona Wawer and Pawel Redestowicz, longtime friends who set out to create what they couldn’t find locally: Polish granny food, soothing, true to its roots and clearly touched by TLC.
Both Wawer and Redestowicz are originally from Poland and when Wawer moved from New York to Orlando, she left behind a city not only chockablock with European restaurants but with the Euro-sourced goodies they rely on. At Pierogi One, she and Redestowicz hope to fill a void by serving traditional Polish cuisine made with traditional Polish products, and it’s these familiar flavors that have been drawing in diners eager for a bite of old country soul.
Soulfulness is hard to measure but easy to spot, and Pierogi One has gobs of it. Soul oozes from the intimate space, the human pace at which it moves, the counter topped by homemade apple cake, the infusion jar of strawberry kompot, the smiles of diners, the bowlful of soulful that is borscht ($8.50). Borscht is a shapeshifter of a soup, from bright magenta puree to the hearty affair at Pierogi One with onions, beans and potatoes, a version greedily slurped down before anyone could utter smacznego. Soup was followed by crisp and juicy pork schnitzel ($21.50) with dilly sour cream-based cucumber salad and pickle-laden potato salad, both fresh and excellent.
Although Polish cuisine often recalls pierogi and kielbasa, there’s nothing more taste-of-home than stuffed cabbage ($18.50) or gołąbki. That the name translates to “little pigeons” is apropos, as the tasty beef, pork and rice-stuffed Savoy-leaf parcels in tomato sauce flew off the plate. And, yes, of course, we ordered a kielbasa platter ($21) — scored and salty, its fatty goodness cut with pickles and a schmear of mustard, rounded out with a crisp potato pancake and that which brings ’em in the door: pierogi.
The pierogi at Pierogi One are varied, well-made and addictive, and although we enjoyed the classic boiled version with our kielbasa, I’ll admit to a preference for pan-seared (they can be ordered either way). Historically, searing was reserved for the leftover dumplings, but we found a bit of crisp particularly suited two favorites — an uber-traditional mushroom and sauerkraut, and less traditional spinach and feta ($11.50 for six pierogi). Savory pierogi are served with sour cream and caramelized onions, and although we didn’t dip our toe into sweet pierogi waters this time, they are on the menu; we’ve earmarked blueberry for future visits. And there will be future visits.
It’s no secret that eating dumplings is one of life’s little comforts. And the food at Pierogi One is nothing if not comforting; Wawer says the greatest compliment they receive is when guests compare the food at Pierogi One to their grandmother’s. My grandmother was a horrible cook. So if asked, I’ll pop another pierogi in my mouth and give a giant thumbs up.
Pierogi One, 8865 Commodity Circle, 407-420-0011, pierogione.com.
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This article appears in Nov. 11-17, 2026.
