Elisabeth Magiera and Teresa Chajec, owners of Copernicus European Delicatessen
Breaking News... Ann Arbor has a new European grocery!
Thanks to a tip from a friend, Tuesday night we swung by the South Main Market to stop in at Copernicus European Delicatessen. We'd heard that they had paczki -- the real deal and not those jelly doughnuts pretending to be paczki -- from a bakery in Hamtramck (a Detroit-area city with a large Polish community). Coming from Hamtramck they had better be the real thing...
And they do have paczki. And the paczki are the real deal. And they have a whole lot more. Pierogi, breads, Polish meats (a truly dizzying array of Polish meats), canned goods, sweets... the place isn't huge, but the shelves are well-stocked.
And, as it happens, Tuesday was their first day open. We went back Wednesday for pictures and to try some bread and sausages. The meats are made by a Polish butcher (as in, by people who came over from Poland themselves) in Chicago. The pazcki and some of the other pastries come from Hamtramck. Chajec and Magiera bake their own bread from dinner rolls to multi-grain loaves on premises. Click on the photo to see a larger image.
In addition to a paczek, we tried a bread stuffed with a poppy seed filling (yum), an egg bread (also yum), and some small ciabatta bread rolls made on the premises (very nice, especially with butter). They are still experimenting with what breads their customers like best, and they're considering adding Russian black bread.
Joe sampled a number of the sausages and meats. They're good, and different from what you usually see around. He says more exploration is required.
The shelves are stocked with tinned fish and meats, pickled vegetables, seasonings and spices, pasta, and Polish chocolates and candies. Click on the photo to see a larger image.
We picked up some pierogis, stuffed cabbage rolls, and a bottle of pickled vegetables as a side salad and had a quick Polish dinner. We'll do Copernicus in more detail once they've been open for a while, but we had to let you know!
Copernicus European Delicatessen
617 S. Main St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-222-9633
Monday through Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm
thanks! i heard about hamtramck or however you spell it and i have always wanted to try pierogis. i'm into other dumplings but have never tried the polish version.
Posted by: RobynT | January 11, 2007 at 11:51 PM
Whoo hooo! A place to tide me over between Hamtramck pilgrimages.
Posted by: Kate | January 12, 2007 at 08:39 AM
Excellent! We go to Hamtramck all the time, but to have an option closer to Ypsi is great indeed. Thanks for the heads-up.
Posted by: brian cors | January 12, 2007 at 11:16 AM
If you really want to blow them away--one paczek, two (or more) paczki.
Posted by: Guy romancing Polish woman | January 12, 2007 at 03:55 PM
Guy: thanks for the Polish language lesson.
RobynT: you can also order a pierogi dinner at Amadeus.
Kate & Brian: I'm thinking it might be a good idea to talk to them about Fat Tuesday orders. So what are your favorite bakeries in Hamtramck?
Posted by: Kitchen Chick | January 12, 2007 at 08:46 PM
I was in By The Pound on Monday, and the owner of BTP had just gone over to check them out. I didn't realize they weren't actually open at the time. My dad is half Polish, I'll have to check it out next time I'm there just to be true to my roots! :^) [even if the closest thing we ever got to Polish food was mass market grocery store kielbasa... maybe this can make up for it!]
Posted by: Tricia | January 12, 2007 at 09:26 PM
Managed to check out the deli yesterday. I loved the different sausages, and really feel like I have only scratched the surface. There is a real subtlety in Polish sausage and they do well to represent many different approaches. Still don't know what to do with all the prepackaged food -- some translations for the packaging might be nice. Still, looking forward to exploring...
Posted by: JMC | January 13, 2007 at 05:24 PM
Ahhh, but of course it would open after I leave A2... *sigh*
Thanks for the update!
Posted by: the ulterior epicure | January 15, 2007 at 12:29 AM
Witam! Chcialabym pogratulowac dobrze prosperujacego interesu :)
Znalazlam ta strone przez przypadek, poniewaz szukam swoich przodkow :) Pochodze z Lubina (80km od Legnicy),a obecnie mieszkam w Irlandii i doskonale zdaje sobie sprawe co oznacza tesknota za polska kuchnia (zwlaszcza za paczkami). Pozdrawiam serdecznie i zycze sukcesow.
Posted by: Magdalena Chajec | February 12, 2007 at 08:01 AM
I'm so glad I saw you writing about this on Arbor Food yahoo group. I called my grandmother up (Polish) and we made a morning out of shopping. Hit Randazzo's for produce and then stopped here on our way home. Such NICE people. Teresa was there this morning and was so nice to my almost 4 year old and 19 month old. Let us sample some things as well. My grandmother was tickled pink at the stuff they had there and bought a few different items from the deli case as well as some farmer's cheese she wanted to try. Some Polish dark rye bread (with caraway seeds) as well. She was SO excited. We will definitely be back!
Posted by: Stefanie | February 27, 2007 at 05:29 PM
"In addition to a paczek, we tried a bread stuffed with a poppy seed filling (yum),"
!!! If this is what I'm picturing, this is at *every* family Christmas. I don't remember what it's called, but I love the stuff. It's a roll, right? If you cut it cross-wise, there's a spiral poppy-seed central filling, yes?
Definitely need to check this place out now. Thanks, Kitchen Chick!
Posted by: Patrick | March 02, 2007 at 12:38 PM
I am gonna try this place out this week. I moved to AA from Chicago about 7 years ago, and haven't found any good Polish restaurants / delis since then.
Hamtramack places are so-so.(under the eagle is the best)
I suppose nothing is as good as homemade though...
Posted by: tadziu | March 18, 2007 at 09:27 PM
You have to visit this place! I have been a regular since they opened. The cold cuts and cheeses are out of this world and not expensive. The breads are great. Elisabeth and Teresa make you feel at home and will gladly help with the Polish pronunciations. Be adventurous when you visit the deli. Lots of meats that are not familiar but are outstanding. Try some!
Posted by: Jim | June 09, 2007 at 01:32 PM
Great food! It's great to have some good polish food close to home!
Posted by: Pam | December 16, 2007 at 10:08 AM
This is the only place in the area that offers authentic Polish food!! I'm very happy there's somewhere closer than Hamtramck to go to! The store is always clean and staff is very friendly and helpful. :)
Posted by: Trae | January 29, 2008 at 08:04 PM
Polish Village Cafe in Hamtramck is great. I can't wait to come out to Copernicus.
Posted by: Lynn | July 03, 2009 at 10:32 AM
"bread stuffed with a poppy seed filling" is called makowiec :)
Posted by: U | March 03, 2011 at 08:19 AM