Pork cubes skewered on a stick, breaded and pan-fried; a Polish-American Depression-era dish that mimics chicken using cheaper cuts. A Slavic Village family-table staple.
City chicken emerged in Polish-American kitchens in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit during the Depression of the 1930s, when chicken was more expensive than pork. The recipe stuck through the 1950s and remains a fixture at Slavic Village family tables and church festivals. Sokolowski's University Inn ran a weekly version until its 2020 close; Rudy's Strudel and Seven Roses in Slavic Village still rotate it through the cafeteria board, and the dish appears on every Polish parish fish-fry and pierogi-festival lineup.
2 editor picks for City chicken in Cleveland, ranked by editorial score. All Cleveland signature dishes · City chicken across every city.
Also in: Pittsburgh.
West Side Market food stalls ★ 4.8
ohio-city · 1979 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
The West Side Market on West 25th Street since 1912, the 60-vendor public market in the Hubbel and Benes Hall, runs cheap-eat lunches from bratwurst, pierogi.
Prosperity Social Club ★ 4.1
tremont · 1109 Starkweather Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
Prosperity Social Club on Starkweather Avenue in Tremont, an Eastern European tavern open since 1938, runs pierogi, cabbage and craft beer with karaoke.