Even with the crushing loss to Sweden that eliminated Poland from this summer’s FIFA World Cup, the national team has White and Red fans in metro Atlanta who serve up some of the country’s culinary staples.
Ania Górczyńska and Paweł Bekasz came to the U.S. from Poland in the early 2000s, settling in Roswell. A trip to Chicago a few years ago inspired the couple to bring some of their Polish culture and cuisine back to Roswell, where they opened Baltic Deli in 2024 at Holcomb Place shopping center on Old Alabama Road.
Located less than a mile southwest of Big Creek Park, Baltic Deli caters to a diverse customer base that includes people with and without ties to Eastern European nations like Poland. The market stocks numerous Polish grocery and pantry items, as well as other foods like German chocolates. But customers also come for the couple’s homemade dishes served at the deli during breakfast and lunch.
Chicken schnitzel, stuffed cabbage, pierogi, and grilled kielbasa are some of the most popular dishes at Baltic Deli.
“We cook ourselves, we make our own handmade, home-style pierogi and golabki,” Górczyńska said. “These are well-known things also in other countries like Ukraine, Belarus, or Czechia. They may have slightly different names, but [these dishes] are very similar”
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Chicago-inspired
Górczyńska said the idea behind their Polish market and restaurant started becoming a reality during a trip to Chicago. The city and its metropolitan area features nearly 900,000 people of Polish descent.
“[In Chicago], it seems like people were more packed in one place,” she said. “Here, people seem to be spread out more. I think it’s just also due to how the city is organized, so there’s a lot of Polish people and other Eastern European people [in metro Atlanta], but we are more spread out.”
Many of Baltic Deli’s regulars speak Polish, while others speak with a Southern twang. The staff includes family members, like Górczyńska’s sister, and non-Polish employees trained in traditional cooking.
“The store was my husband’s idea; he wanted to have a second business,” Górczyńska said. “He has always loved cooking, and his mom has been a chef her whole life, so he’s been around the kitchen cooking and serving food.”
On an early Friday afternoon, Baltic Deli patrons were a mixed bag of retirees, a young family, two Polish gentlemen, and table of area mothers.
“People from different countries, different backgrounds, come here and they say, ‘Oh, I’ve missed it, I’ve missed my grandmother’s stuffed cabbage.’” Górczyńska added.
Making it work in Atlanta
Opening Baltic Deli did come with challenges. The couple faced permitting issues to convert the original space into a functioning restaurant with a kitchen and then bringing everything else up to code.
“There are big wholesalers up in Chicago and New York … they bring stuff from Poland on those big ships,” Górczyńska explained. “We are too small to have a big container shipped just for us.”
Keeping Baltic Deli stocked with authentic ingredients and market items involves coordinating transportation from wholesalers for weekly deliveries.
Górczyńska said it can be hard to run the business because Polish cuisine and shelved groceries are such a niche market in metro Atlanta, which is why Baltic Deli’s stellar Google reviews mean a lot to the couple.
“People are happy when they come here, and that makes us happy,” she said. “In the background, it’s a lot of hard work, a lot of effort to put everything together and make it work.”
And while Górczyńska said Bekasz is the “real” soccer fan, they’re still watching a lot of World Cup matches together this summer.
“We’re thinking about going to Colombia versus Portugal [on June 27] at Centennial Olympic Park with our friends,” Górczyńska said. “Since Poland doesn’t play, our Colombian friends are going there, so we’re going to cheer with them.”
Baltic Deli, 1530 Old Alabama Road, Roswell.
