Syrena Bakery

Arrive early on Tłusty Czwartek, or “Fat Thursday” at Syrena Bakery and you’ll be greeted by the sight of rows upon rows of powdered sugar-dusted pillows. In Polish tradition, the six days leading up to Lent are a time of revelry and fried dough. Pączki—pronounced “pownch-key”—the plush, yeast-raised doughnuts filled with prune jam or rose jelly served in anticipation of the fast, have become a particular point of pride among Polish diasporic communities across the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard.

In Chicago, parts of New York State, and Hamtramck, Michigan, the final day of zapusty (carnival season) is officially known as Pączki Day. And in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, home to the second largest Polish population in the nation, the bakeries do not disappoint. Expect to see custard-oozing pączki at Old Poland Bakery, along with more diminutive glazed specimens at Polka Dot. At Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, the pre-Lenten festivities draw the longest lines of the year. 

At Syrena Bakery, the pączki come with an airy, egg-rich crumb around a gooey dollop of jam. Both dough and filling have a restrained sweetness, the better to compliment the flurry of powdered sugar or glaze with candied orange zest. As part of a fritter feast, they pair well with chrusciki, or “angel wings”—strips of fried dough with more powdered sugar. 

Along with these holiday specialties, the bakery offers an extensive selection of Eastern European breads and sweets. Syrena Bakery has been catering to the local community since 1993 and has picked up a loyal following for its sernik (cheesecake made with farmer’s cheese), pijak (the Polish answer to tiramisu), cheese babkas, and poppyseed and walnut strudels. According to the owners, even customers who’ve left Little Poland still return here, sometimes from thousands of miles away, for a taste of home.