At Jukebox, chef Chris Palton heads an assembly line each week to roll out 350 to 500 pierogies by hand with a rolling pin. It’s a process that’s been five years in the making, ever since Alex Budin opened his restaurant in Hingetown.
To develop the menu, Budin picked the brains behind other successful businesses in the area, such as vegan-friendly Beet Jar Juice Bar, to create pierogies that were outside of the norm. In all, they’ve developed more than 40 recipes, many of which are vegan, such as the mushroom kraut, the sweet potato black bean or our personal fave, the Buffalo chickpea pierogi ($7 for three).
Whole chickpeas are cooked down and roughly mashed, then tossed in a vegan mayo, tahini and Sriracha sauce. Stuffed inside a pierogi made with flaxseed-based dough that’s boiled and pan-fried to order, the dish has a wet, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth kick that pairs well with a vegan ranch made with vegan mayo, parsley, dill, chives and other spices.
“The spirit behind this would be to mimic a Buffalo chicken dip,” says Budin. “But we’re not trying to create a false texture. We just want something that’s good and enjoyable.” 1404 W. 29th St., Cleveland, 216-206-7699, jukeboxcle.com
Click to read our Cleveland Pierogi Guide, a taste of 25 of Cleveland's best pierogies.
