detroit polish yacht club

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Detroit Digest: The Polish Yacht Club, a Hidden Treasure Still Sailing After More than 100 Years

Before downtown and Midtown gave birth to a cluster of new restaurants and bars, some of Detroit's best destinations were hidden gems off the beaten path.

After more than a century, the Polish Yacht Club, aka The Ivanhoe, is still one of those gems. Drive past empty fields and worn homes on a residential stretch of Joseph Campau in Detroit, about six blocks south of I-94, and you’ll stumble upon the restaurant-bar housed in a big red-brick structure with a flat roof -- almost like a little home on the prairie. Despite its name, it's landlocked, with no yachts to be seen.

Inside, there’s a hand-carved marble bar with a dark wood top, and dining rooms with little lamps on the tables and a menu full of comfort food: Kielbasa, pierogi, potato pancakes, fried shrimp, frog legs, creamy cole slaw and the house favorite, fish and chips, with a choice of walleye, perch or catfish. 

Detroit DIgest host Carlos Parisi recently stopped by and worked his way through the tasty menu.

►  Polish Yacht Club , 5249 Jos. Campau, ( 313) 925-5335 . Limited Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

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Step Back in time for some great Food - Ivanhoe's cafe

• United States    
• Michigan (MI)    
• Detroit    
• Detroit Restaurants    

“Step Back in time for some great Food” Review of Ivanhoe's cafe

Also known as the Polish Yacht Club, this place is located n a dilapidated neighborhood (to put it kindly). Generally only o[en from about 11 to 3 on Monday through Thursday and 11 to 7 on Friday. Great Polish food, perch dinners and lots of it. Pickles and a soup of the day generally come along with every full lunch. Definitely call ahead to make sure they are open as they sometimes close for vacations. You'll nver go home hungry.

• Excellent 6
• Very good 3
• All languages
• English  (12)
• English (12)

2 - 6 of 12 reviews

It's definitely located in a sketchy part of town; ok, the ghetto but the history is amazing. Give the doorman a few dollars to watch your car and it will be safe and sound. This is the only building on the block. Once inside, it's a throwback to the days of yesterday. The food is solid and plenty of it. They are known for their perch dinners and I recommend it. You also get a nice plate of pickled items and cole slaw. If you ask, any of the staff can tell you stories about the place. It's been around for 100 years. The hours are very limited with dinner only being served on Friday nights. If you love history, this is the place.

My husband brought me to the Ivanhoe having had fond memories from years before. Though not the best neighborhood the bar has the charm of a neighborhood Institution serving a wonderful Polish food from the area. From the menus that have been in place forever, to the autographs and pictures on the wall. This place is the real deal Polish neighborhood bar. The we arrived just after the traditional lunch hour. The place was still emptying out and we waited a long time for our food. The Ambiance, the complimentary coleslaw and pickle plate kept us occupied while we waited. I ordered the slim jim sandwich for $8.95 and it was one of the best I've ever had. It was loaded with Dearborn ham and just the right amount of cheese, tomato, lettuce and sauce. My husband was craving the perch so he ordered the light perch dinner which included a cup of wonderful chicken noodle soup, fries, and 5 very sweet small perch fillets that were cooked just right. We ended up both being very happy with our meal.

We met there with friends for lunch (about noon). From the outside, the building appears as a non-descript corner bar, where it’s been since the early 1900’s. Go there to read more of the history. There are few external windows. The former Eastern European and Polish neighborhood is mostly grass today. The side entrance has a sign overhead that tells you it is the Polish Yacht Club (PYC), also called the Ivanhoe Café. They have a short dining schedule - from 11 AM to about 3 PM. There is a gentleman outside. He watches the cars and opens the door for you and group. Our purpose in visiting the PYC was manifold; to return to the area where we grew up, have a meal with friends, and to enjoy the ambience of a real Polish style bar/restaurant. And in this regard, the PYC met the requirement. We were seated quickly, a member of the wait staff brought a large plate of Cole-slaw and pepperoncini to snack on before ordering. All of it was fresh and tasty. We also ordered drinks. We had Żywiec beer, though there are other Polish beers available. As part of the meal, all of us had a cup of chicken rice soup; homemade and very meaty and satisfying, We had three orders of fresh perch with fries, one was substituted with pierogi, and one order of Kielbasa w/kraut and fries. As an extra, you can order potato pancakes. The perch are pan-fired, and were tasty, very close to being more than enough. The tartar sauce provided with the fish was good. They mentioned that the perch were good and we would be coming back again. The smoked Kielbasa was cut into slices and also pan-fried. It was tasty, if a bit salty, and provided with spicy horseradish as a condiment. The sauerkraut had a bit of caraway flavor and was not overcooked. Pierogi (potato filled) appeared to have been not home-made though they were first boiled, then fried, like my grandmother did. No fried onions however. The potato pancakes also seem to be commercial, not homemade. Both pierogi and potato pancakes were served with sour cream. The commercial made items were not expected to taste like homemade, but overall the meals were filling, as we took some home with us. The menu is Polish based and adequate. The food was good. Service was good too.

Glad to be introduced to this historic restaurant. Everything was excellent, from the friendly security man at the door, great food, polish beer and friendly attentive staff. The fish was amazing, kolbassa, perogies, coleslaw and polish beer. You will not be disappointed to venture off the I-94 for this meal. Be sure to check their hours of operation, although limited it is worth planning your day around their schedule. Only open Friday nights for dinner until 7.

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Polish Yacht Club

This longstanding cafe, owned and operated with the Detroit landmark venue the Polish Yacht Club, serves up traditional, Eastern European bar fare. Nibble on kielbasa and pierogis inside the homey, nautical setting, which largely hasn't changed since its opening in 1909. Open weekdays only, slide into a wooden booth and chat with the locals who have been patronizing this establishment from the get go.

5249 Joseph Campau St

Detroit, MI 48211

ivanhoecafe-pyc.com

(313) 925-5335

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Our History

Founded in 1909

The Ivanhoe Cafe was founded in 1909 by Stanislaus Grendzinski who had eight children, one who was named Agnes.  Agnes married Stanley Sienkiewicz in 1927 and ran the bar for 60 years. Big John Sobczak took over the helm in 1987 and is now owned by his wife, Lucille and is managed by their daughter, Patti Galen.  Still in the original building on Jos Campau and Frederick The building bears the Grendzinski name. In what remains of the old Poletown neighborhood, this small working class bar with great food prepared with all fresh ingredients, modest prices and excellent service is a Detroit institution that has defied the odds.

You’ll always find fresh flowers on the tables and a wonderful old time neighborhood atmosphere.  Some photos of recognizable people hang on the walls of the Ivanhoe include Sonny Eliot the weatherman, Phyliss Diller, Dick Purtan, Ray Lane, Xavier Hollander and others.  Have they been there?  Maybe!

The Polish Yacht Club, which is part of the Ivanhoe’s heritage, was founded in 1961. “Big John” Sobczak who passed away in 1994, was the force behind the Polish Yacht Club, which was formed to provide some of the “regulars” with a reason to attend monthly meetings at the bar.  You don’t need a boat to be a member, though.  At one time during its existence members once asked the Detroit City Council to dig a canal from the Detroit River to the Ivanhoe so they could have dockage space near the bar.

The tongue in cheek group is  “dedicated to clear sailing for good deeds”  and conducts fund raisers for local charities.

©  2024 Ivanhoe Cafe. Built using WordPress and the Mesmerize Theme

Bill Galen passed away suddenly Monday, December 12th.

The restaurant will be open this tuesday dec 20th through friday, dec 23rd.,   then closed until january 10th.    please check back for further updated hours..

• Detroit, Michigan /

Ivanhoe Cafe

Among other Polish cuisune places to eat at, this cafe can be one of the greatest. You can have nicely cooked chicken noodle soup , coleslaw and walleye at Ivanhoe Cafe . It's a pleasant experience to order good pancakes . Here you may drink delicious draft beer . It might be nice to enjoy great coffee .

This place is famous for its great service and friendly staff, that is always ready to help you. Also, visitors recommend this spot because of average prices. When you enter this place, you notice the spectacular atmosphere. This cafe has received Google 4.7 according to the guests' opinions.

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• Ivanhoe Cafe - Polish Yacht Club

• San Francisco, CA
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The perch and coleslaw were very good. However, the pierogis tasted and looked like frozen and store bought. The potato pancakes were overcooked on the outside and raw and mushy in the middle.  The kielbasa was overcooked too.  The soup was very salty. We went with a group and they would only charge by the number of plates of food they brought to each table.  So, our $17 perch dinner ended up costing each of us $28.   The outside of the building had bare plywood over the windows and the inside was very rough looking. I don't know how it passes inspection. Definitely not worth going! I don't know why Yelp has me living in California. I am from Michigan!

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• Livonia, MI
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Dan and I finally made it to Ivanhoe's!! Kielbasa ,  pierogie, potato pancakes, cole slaw, perch, pickles, peppers and polish beer. Happy, happy Good Friday to us!

• 272 reviews
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I was just recently introduced to the fact that this place exists.  I was shocked as to where it is.  It's the ghetto people.  It's a mecca inside the ghetto.  It's well lit, and there's parking.  The area directly around it isn't that bad.  It's getting cleaned up.  So it's worth a little trip just to experience this gem. It's an old building that normally you'd probably ignore.  One you get inside you realize, this place is ancient and a taste of old Detroit for sure.   The service is old school.  Very pleasant and nice, not uppity....just quaint.   The building is decrepit in many ways.  The ceiling is peeling.  The pain is old.  The carpet is old.  The tables are old and rickety, and the chairs are old and rickety.  It's wonderful.  It has SO MUCH CHARM!     The food?  Well, it's not the best ever.  But it's dang good.  I ordered the perch.  Have I had better?  Yes.  There's a few places around that may have better perch.  But not many.  It's quite good and decent.   You get served a huge bowl of cole slaw with your meal along with some pickles and peppers.   What a unique touch that is.   The slaw is pretty good too. My girl ordered some polish stuff.  She had pierogis (limited choices of flavors), and some kielbasa .  The pierogis did not taste homemade, and the kielbasa tasted like packaged.   However, it was ok.  It wasn't terrible or anything.     At the end we got some cute little tea cakes as desert.   It was nice evening dinner and a cool experience.   For polish food, I'd always opt for Hamtramck to get authentic polish.  This was not.   That's my worst complaint.   We may go back....you never know.   I wouldn't say no to this place.  We left full and the food tasted good.

• Royal Oak, MI
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This place is only open for dinner on Friday and you better get there by 7.  A study in century old architecture - if you look closely you'll notice the triangle shaped outlets in the wall that went out about 80 years ago.  You can't help but root for an old school classic like the PYC.  The food and service are superb.  On the wall are some outstanding photographs of local and national celebrities who've been there.  I've had perch, walleye and kielbasa - all terrific.  If I had lunch there - i wouldn't go back to work!  :)

• Ann Arbor, MI
• 2017 friends
• 626 reviews
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The City of Detroit continues to amaze me with unique gems standing proudly amid areas of massive destruction and desolation. The Ivanhoe Cafe, known locally as the "Polish Yacht Club" or "PYC", is one of those gems that has served hearty Polish food and fresh Lake Perch on the same corner for more than a CENTURY!  Think about it...In 1909, the last year the US government minted Indian pennies, PYC opened its doors on this very corner in what was a working class neighborhood of Polish and other ethnic immigrants on the City's near East side.   Today, this neighborhood  is in shambles with countless vacant lots where houses once stood but have gone through the sad progression of being abandoned, condemned and subsequently razed in an effort to erase the blight.  To be completely honest, PYC sits in one of the roughest parts of the Motor City rivaled only by the Brightmoor section of the City's West side. However, once inside this 2-story red brick structure, you've remarkably entered another world.  Frequented by white-collared regulars from downtown office buildings just a mile and a half away, lunching in this restaurant/bar feels more like dining in someone's home.  Pictures of many of Detroit's famous adorn the walls and the array of table lamps give the dining room a soft glow. You gotta love the complimentary tomatoes, peppers and delicious creamy cole slaw that were promptly delivered to our table. We also enjoyed a coffee cup full of hearty Chicken Vegetable Soup and an appetizer of locally made pan-fried Kielbasa ...a fantastic start! For lunch, I chose the house specialty...the fresh Lake Perch Sandwich served on a lightly grilled bun with lettuce, tomato and rough-cut fries.  No frozen fish here Jack. This is the real thing...an outstanding sandwich with the freshest and tastiest small Lake Erie perch fillets that I've had in Motown. By the way, remember to toss the door man a few bucks to watch your ride while you are inside enjoying lunch.  You don't want to be worrying about losing your wheels while you are dining on Pierogis. Highly recommended!  5 big stars for the overall experience.

• South Windsor, CT
• 186 friends
• 174 reviews
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First off,  a guy watches the cars outside so that feels good.  This place is a treasure that has stood the test of time.  The pierogi and kielbasa were wonderful.  The staff and patrons were extremely friendly and easy to talk to.  I know the schedule is difficult,  but try to make it over here and give this place a shot.  Also,  they take credit cards unlike some of these types of places.

• 734 friends
• 457 reviews
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I tried to go to this place once before, but when I got there it was closed for no apparent reason. (It was lunchtime on a Thursday.) I recently tried again, and made sure to call ahead to confirm they'd be open. So glad I did!! Yep, the neighborhood is, shall we say, less than optimal. In fact, "particularly desolate" is not an understatement. So what? They've managed to survive over 100 years in the same location. You have to respect that. Besides, once you step inside, you forget that you're surrounded by empty lots and burned out buildings. You feel like you're at grandma's house, complete with a zillion pictures on the walls and Detroit memorabilia. Every table gets a large bowl of coleslaw and a plate of pickles and peppers. We also had chicken noodle soup. It was clearly "clear out the pasta bin day," because the soup had 5 or 6 different shapes of pasta in it, as well as healthy bits of chicken and vegetables. Loved, loved, loved it. I could have eaten soup, coleslaw and pickles and left happy. But (of course) I kept going. I ordered the polish sliders -- kielbasa , sauerkraut and cheese on slider buns with fries. The kraut was delicious. I don't know if they make their kielbasa , but if they don't they buy it from someone who does. I also played "swap bites" with my other two dining companions. One had pierogi and kielbasa (very good), and the other had a reuben sandwich. The corned beef on the reuben had a different taste.   It was quite good, just not what you usually get. I suspect that  they brine their own beef brisket. This place is DEFINITELY worth the trip. The true gems in Detroit are few, and this is one of them. Make sure you tip the guy  who watches your car!

• Royal Oak Charter Township, MI
• 126 reviews
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I stumbled upon this place randomly while searching for Polish restaurants outside of the Hamtramck area. They have extremely limited hours (which is a bummer) but I was finally able to make it on a Friday with a group of 5. After reading the reviews, I was pretty excited to try the food. As many reviewers mentioned, the look and feel of the restaurant was pretty unique. Basically, you feel like you're going to eat with a big family at your grandmother's house. It's an old building filled with pictures of members and random beer signs. All signs for common/readily available "domestics" (lame). They have a bunch of sides served prior to eating including cole slaw and pickles. Most of the dinner entrees were priced mid-range with a few dishes less than $10. I ended up getting the kielbasa and pierogies. I also had a chance to try the perch. I've...had better at many other places. Nothing really stood out about the food on any level. Bland, mediocre, and uninspired are all things that come to mind. Tipping for the guy standing around outside was taken care of by one of the guys in our group. Most of the area was pretty run down so it seemed like it would be a good idea.

• Birmingham, MI
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• First to Review

There are no reviews because the people who go here do not want you to know this place is on the planet.    Hundreds of celeb photos on the walls from the last 50 or 60 years and most signed by the visiting celeb.  Basic Polish with a great kielbasa starter, great fish either lunch or dinner, and good drinks.   A bar so old you can see a drain trough at the base of the bar for snowy boots or your imagination.....Remember...you only rent beer, you never own it.....This place is tough to find for a reason.   And when you leave, give the guy watching your car a few bucks and your thanks....Very limited hours and days...........great story....best part..they call it the Polish Yacht Club

Menu may not be up to date. Submit corrections.

Ivanhoe Cafe - Polish Yacht Club Menu

Classic Burger

Liversausage

Stacked ham, polish reuben, ivanhoe reuben, fajita pita.

Grilled Cheese

Gr. ham & swiss, gr. chicken breast, chicken club.

Turkey Reuben

Turkey burger.

Grilled Kielbasa

Chicken strips, house french fries, seasoned french fries, home fries (home made), seasoned fries, onion rings, cup of soup, bowl of soup, chicken greek.

Rainbow Trout