Port Richmond eats: Donna’s Bar
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Donna's is the kind of neighborhood bar you didn't know you needed until your first visit. Lunchtime on a Friday, the place was half full with regulars nursing bottles of Zywiec beer. The faint hum of Polish daytime TV on a flat screen and a thin veil of cigarette smoke gave the room a welcome, back-in-time vibe. The chatty bartender was quick to pop open a few bottles of Zywiec and explain that the owner, Sophie (Donna's daughter), makes everything on the menu, and it's all very, very good.
She talks up the pierogis (potato, cheese, sauerkraut, meat and cheesesteak) and tells us that sometimes, when the cabbage heads come in too small, Sophie doesn't make the golabki because who wants an anemic stuffed cabbage? A regular, with shot-and-beer and cigarette in hand, informs us that Donna's was recently renovated top to bottom (though we later find out that "recent" was actually about 15 years ago).
The bartender's not kidding about Sophie's food. Half a dozen delicate meat pierogies arrive boiled, along with a soufflé cup of sour cream. Delicate as the best dumplings in Chinatown, the pierogies are filled with perfectly spiced meat that doesn't really need that swipe of sour cream (although it doesn't detract). The burrito-sized golabki comes in a pool of vibrant, sweet-tart tomato sauce. The tender cabbage leaves are filled with a fine ground mix of meats which are more like a rustic pate than crumbly meatloaf.
Recommended dishes: Pierogis, stuffed cabbage
2732 E. Allegheny Ave. • 215-426-7618 hours: Daily 8 a.m.-2 a.m.
