New Wheeling deli combines comfort with quick

A restaurant with an Eastern European feel is offering buffet-style dining in Wheeling.

Longtime restaurateurs Hanna and Adam Hryniewicki recently opened Adam's Cafe & Deli at 252 McHenry Road. The husband-wife team operates two connecting spaces at the business, which features American-European cuisine.

One portion of the business is s small, cozy restaurant with a fireplace. It features all-you-can eat buffets at lunch and dinner. The other part is a small Polish delicatessen with cold cuts, cheeses and fresh bread, Hanna Hryniewicki said. In addition to the buffet, customers can order homemade sandwiches made to order.

The buffet menu changes daily. Potato pancakes, pierogies, meatballs, ribs and fresh soups made daily are part of the mix. The couple, originally from Poland, now lives in Round Lake.

"The buffet is very European with a Polish taste. There's also a salad bar, desserts and fresh fruit," Hryniewicki said.

The cost for the lunch buffet is $6.95. Dinner is $8.95 during the week and $9.95 on Saturday and Sunday. The prices are $2 less for children. The business also offers carryout service where customers can pay for their meal by the pound. Many customers have been buying a hot dinner to go, the business owners said. Catering is also available.

The couple has been in the restaurant business for years.

Adam Hryniewicki, who started working in a Polish restaurant at the age of 16, has a master culinary diploma from Poland. Hanna Hryniewicki has been in the industry for 28 years.

The couple owned the Golden Duck restaurant in Chicago until they sold it about three years ago. About seven years ago, they took over The Grove Banquets in Buffalo Grove.

A customer told them about the vacant McHenry Road location and they decided to launch the new business venture. They were a little skeptical at first opening a business in the current economic environment.

"It's a crazy time to open a business like this. But we're hard working people," Hanna Hryniewicki said. She added that business is "picking up nicely," mainly through word-of-mouth.

Getting a restaurant off the ground is the most difficult part, she said. "Getting the clientele is tough."

But she says she loves her job. "I like to be with people. I have to have contact with people. I'm a very social person," she said.

• Kim Mikus covers retail and small business. She welcomes comments at kmikus@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4567.