There Are Not Enough Pierogi in Boston, but at Least Jaju Is Popping Up a Lot

Sisters Casey and Vanessa White’s pierogi — handmade based on their grandfather’s traditional recipe — can be found at various pop-ups and farmers markets around the Greater Boston area, and coming up in April, they’ll make regular Monday night appearances at Sillari’s Pizza in Malden, which is usually closed on Mondays.

Try the plump Polish dumplings between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Mondays from April 10 through May 1 at the Malden pizzeria (97 Medford St.) The sisters will be featuring their core flavors ready to eat, priced at three for $6: butternut squash; apple and sage; sweet potato and caramelized onion; cabbage and mushroom; kielbasa and red pepper; and potato and cheese. (Keep an eye out for special flavors, too.) There will also be frozen pierogi packages available, as well as ready-to-eat combo plates featuring three pierogi, a kielbasa link, and sauerkraut ($10).

Other upcoming appearances are listed on the duo’s website and include pop-ups at Jack’s Abby and Idle Hands, as well as Lowell and Brookline farmers markets.

Aside from Jaju’s offerings, pierogi aren’t very plentiful in the Boston area. Traditional Polish restaurant Cafe Polonia, located in Southie’s Andrew Square, serves a few varieties: cheese-filled, boiled, and topped with caramelized onions; filled with potato and cheese or cabbage and mushroom, boiled or fried, and topped with caramelized onions; or meat-filled and topped with caramelized onions and bacon bits.

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Other restaurants serve up less traditional versions. Somerville’s Bronwyn, for example, has a general focus on the cuisines of Central and Eastern Europe, and there are currently pierogi on the menu that are stuffed with confit pork rib and kale and served with potato salad, grilled chicory, and dill yogurt sauce.

Townsman used to list pierogi on the menu, and fillings would rotate seasonally; one summer, for example, there were pork rillette pierogi with sunflower, honey, and pea tendrils. These days, the menu just lists them as “fried dumplings,” and the current version includes cultured cream, spinach, and horseradish.

Rachel Leah Blumenthal for Eater

And at Mei Mei, Polish pierogi meet Asian dumplings in the form of “pierogi dumplings” that are stuffed with potato, fried, and served with applesauce and sour cream.

Rachel Leah Blumenthal for Eater

• Jaju Pierogi [Official Site]