The remains of "Polish Broadway"

Traces of “Polish Broadway”, as this stretch of Division Street between Ashland and Damen Avenues was once called, remain, including the old-school Alliance Bakery for tasty treats, and the otherworldly “dive bar” Zakopane, which feels unchanged in decor and attitude from the 1970s.  

Across from the Nelson Algren fountain, a tiny family-owned restaurant, Podhalanka, still carries the torch, serving cheap and filling plates of specialties like pierogi, stuffed cabbage, and borscht.

The area has changed and Podhalanka now sits incongruously next to the nightclub Evil Olive, host of the city’s decadent hipster club night, “Porn & Chicken”.