With luck you’ll arrive at Café Polonia just as someone is leaving, because otherwise it’s a long wait outside in the cold. There’s not much standing room inside this Southie spot, and people here like to take their time. But that’s the charm: long, drawn-out meals in cozy tavern kitsch. Café Polonia is as good as it gets outside your babcia’s Polish kitchen: deep-red beet borscht, herring, juicy kielbasa sausages, pierogies (meat- or potato-filled dumplings), tangy bigos (sauerkraut stew with pork), and golumpki (stuffed cabbage). Try it all on the Polish Plate, a reasonably priced platter that provides a hearty sampling of traditional Polish dishes, served with plenty of sour cream. Be sure to pop a few extra quarters in the parking meter, because afterall that food, you’re not going to be moving any time soon.

Available for $12 at Café Polonia, 611 Dorchester Avenue, South Boston | 617.269.0110.