Daquise

Once again, Unilocal reviews come through for me.
Started with the potato pancakes (latkes) with salmon. It was plated right in front of me. Owner (?) came over and gave me some sour cream, but it didn’t really need it. It also didn’t stop me from eating the sour cream.
The pierogies showed me what they are supposed to be, light, filling and delicious.
This is a GREAT restaurant that should be on your radar if you are ever around South Kensington. Highly recommend. I don’t think it serves a wide variety of liquor, but don’t let that stop you from coming here and enjoying this restaurant.

Stopped here for a bit of a date night, and was very impressed. The place is high end without being stuffy; it was excellent for an intimate date, but would be just as good for a more rowdy group of friends!
Food is excellent. They plate the food at your table, which is a really cool touch, so you get to see the chefs and see how they create the dishes you are eating. Dumplings (pierogies) were amazing. Softly stuffed, flavorful filling — we tried the cabbage, cheese and beef, all very different, all very excellent — perfect starter. It seems as though the food is actually made from scratch as well, the potato and egg noodles were excellent — pillowy soft, and just tender enough to make it seem fresh. Very well done.
Service is good, though not overly friendly. They leave you to it, but are always around as you need them. Value was decent, really great food and atmosphere at a slightly higher price point. Was worth the trip to go there, would definitely do again.

There might be a part of you that isn’t sure about spending this much money in a place that doesn’t have a sleek look. Don’t listen to that part of yourself. I had a fabulous meal here, and wish I could go back and do it all again.
Started with honey and herb vodka. A beautiful Amber color and served in an ice cold glass, I would have gone through more than one if it hadn’t been for an early flight the next day. Had pirogies, some with cabbage and some with cheese, which the chef transfers directly from his pan onto your plate. The pirogies were very soft, and happily coated in sautéed onions. I shudder to think about how many I could have eaten.
Then the duck. It’s served along with sweet apples, which I wasn’t expecting much from, but after the first bite I was surprised by just how good they were. Same with the mashed potatoes, which tasted very fresh, and not at all buttery. Had forgotten that mashed potatoes could be more than a forgettable side dish. If the duck wasn’t the juiciest preparation I’ve ever had, it makes for one memorable combination on the plate with the apples and potatoes.
Lastly, the apple cake, which they say they make themselves, was the only appropriate end to a very hearty meal. If you have a chilly evening free and an appetite, head right to this place. After your meal you’ll walk back out into the night air feeling very content.

coming here for years. food is simple polish done very well and plated at your table. excellent choices include herrings in cream sauce, salmon with pancakes, pierogi various fillings, calves liver, polish eggs and veal main. full choice of polish vodka and beers. honey vodkas go do very easy.
service very attentive and not intrusive. highly recommended reasonable prices for high quality.

When you walk into this restaurant it feels like going back in time in the old Poland, as the décor is really spot on to create the atmosphere.
the food is good, really good. The staff is friendly and the service is impeccable. I have been here a couple of times and tried various things off the menu and have always been satisfied. In particular the venison was remarkable.
Not on the cheap side, but worth it. They also have some real polish vodka shots!

Fantastic food!
Very impressed by the food, absolutely delicious and comforting! Atmosphere is with a twist of a post-​WWII times.
Very friendly service: feels like coming for dinner to one of your good relatives. When your food is ready, it’s served on your plate by chefs themselves — a great touch!
Very highly recommended!

Daquise in Kensington after a day trip to the V&A museum is something I would heavily recommend.
The museum is my favourite in London and Daquise has so much history (spy hangout, Roman Polanski’s favourite place etc etc) and the Polish food here is the best I have tried in town, each course paired with some phenomenal vodkas.
Excellent range of Vodkas (my favourites were the hazelnut & the eggnog)
Lovely heartwarming food. The way it was served, by the Chef at our table (the pierrogi & the Roast Duck) was like dinner theater and a meal served by a loving mum /​aunt — all rolled into one.
Simple Interiors. The shabby interior just adds to its charm. Wonderful Service.
Love this place, will keep going back.

I love this little gem by the South Ken tube station. Excellent food — the pierogies are served directly from the pan, and the tender chicken in pot is served with an incredible sauce and nice chewy noodles.

I do not have a single complaint about this restaurant. My mom and I came for lunch on a Saturday. The service was on point, they were very attentive and genuinely wanted us to enjoy the food. We had dumplings for starters and then I had a veal scallops and my mother a small chicken. What can I say. One of the best meals we’ve had in London. My veal scallops sauce was wonderful I almost wanted another whole bowl. And my mother says this is the best chicken she’s had in a restaurant. Absolutely amazing meal and I will definitely be coming back.
P. S. We loved the way our food was served! Original and personal.

Alan and I first ate here 10 years ago and liked it. Characteristically, I forgot and he remembered. Even when he reminded me, it wasn’t until he mentioned its proximity to the South Kensington Underground station that I remembered. We walked over from the hotel w/​o reservations, arriving about 6:30, and were lucky to be given a table. Usually people in London eat later than that, but there was a concert in the area and at least three tables were heading to the concert.
We were given menus and the cold beetroot soup and the duck stuffed w/​apples on the specials menu appealed to me. Alan ordered an assortment of dumplings to start and the pork tenderloin as his main. Bread was offered gratis and it was delicious, dense and crusty. Butter accompanied it. My soup was brought to the table in a tureen by the chef and was ladled into the waiting bowl. It was a pale pink, probably from sour cream, and full of grated beets. It was a generous portion and it was sublime. I shared some w/​Alan, but finished the rest. Alan gave me a taste of one of his dumplings and it was very good. Our mains arrived, Alan’s pork accompanied by gnocchi-​like pillows and a grated carrot salad. My duck was accompanied by lovely mashed potatoes and red cabbage. The duck was tasty, w/​crunchy skin and moist meat which contrasted well w/​the soft apples. The cabbage was warm and nicely seasoned. Alan found his pork a bit dry. He liked my mashed potatoes and I loved the taste of his carrot salad, which was intensely fresh and sweet.
We chatted a little w/​the concert goers to our right and the two tables beyond them, also headed for the concert, chatted w/​each other and the people next to us. It was the most cross-​table talk I can remember seeing in a restaurant. Most patrons seemed to be regulars. The couple next to us certainly were. One woman at a table by the front window, as she left, promised to return sooner than 35 years. It was a very pleasant dinner.

+Great Pierrogi
+Great Borsh
+ Very friendly service
+ Historic and extremely interesting interior
In my opinion the best Polish place in London

I come here all the time. This little restaurant has a lot of history. Though the décor isn’t anything hugely exciting, this adds to the experience — you’re here for the food. And there’s something about the large mirrors and raw walls that evoke the 1930s but in a wounded way; perfect for this cuisine; and the high ceilings are beautiful. I love the location, tucked away, the last building before the underground rolls past (you can watch the trains from the window in the back bit if you’re into that haha).
It’s all about the steak tartare for me. Prepared in front of you, it’s simply a must. Love most things on the menu though… The duck is my standard delicious choice for a main but the breaded veal is excellent too. If you want something special ask for jajka faszerowane.
The vodka must be tried as well. This is something not fully appreciated in the UK; a shot usually served at room temp and usually some kind of abomination like Smirnoff. At Daquise ask the waiter for a recommendation and they will serve you a variety of proper vodkas, ice cold and in frosted shot glasses as they should be. The honey vodka is my personal favourite but take the opportunity to be a bit adventurous ;)

Awesome Polish restaurant. Excellent service. Very busy dinner crowd.
We had the summer beet soup — so good. I had the duck, which was great. My husband had the veal, which was excellent! Portions were huge.
Good wine list.
Cool décor & ambiance. It was nice and intimate until 9pm-​ish when it got insanely busy! Staff were good, though.

This place was good… but didn’t blow me away. I’m surprised by the rave reviews, but maybe that’s why I feel like it didn’t live up to expectations.
We wanted a good dinner on our first night in London and ended up here based on a reviews.
The restaurant itself nothing to look at… in fact there is one wall with extensive water damage to it. Our table was very wobbly, but the waiter put some folded paper under to stop it from rocking, so that was nice of him.
We ordered pierogis as a starter and these were excellent. We were asked which type we wanted and when we hesitated the waiter said we could try two of each kind and so we did. That was really good.
I had the «Tender chicken in pot», which was chicken boiled in broth and served with veggies and homemade noodles.
My husband ordered veal meatballs in dill sauce.
My husband’s was definitely the better of the two dishes. I found my meal lacked flavour. The chicken was nicely cooked, but not seasoned especially well. The broth was very standard chicken broth, similar to what I would make at home and the noodles were a nice texture, but lacked flavour.
Dave’s meal was considerably more flavourful.
At the end we waited to ask for the bill, as the waiter talked with a couple for fifteen minutes. We finally had to interrupt their conversation to ask for the bill.
I DID like that we coud watch as some meals were prepared fresh near the middle of the restaurant. They seemed to have a sort of hot plate station set up. They didn’t make everything there, just plated items.
I have no doubt to the freshness of the food, but the overall experience didn’t quite cut it for me. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying it again, but since I’m not in London very often, I would probably be inclined to give something else a try first.

Went on Saturday night again — we were initially supposed to be 6, but ended up at 4 sitting at a 6 man table. Table was a bit big, and the chandelier was quite bright so it sort of lost that cosy feel.
I had the famous duck which was great, but definitely preferred my beef consommé dish from the previous visit (which was stupendous).
Desert crêpe things were still excellent, as was the vodka. Love this spot.

Delicious food, awesome service and presentation and we had fun discussing who might be a spy trading secrets. Gessler is on my top 10 list of best meals EVER! I will be back whenever I’m in London.

Thank you, Unilocal,for directing me to this lovely place!
I’d just left the V&A, busted out the Unilocal app, and what do you know? Gessler at Daquise pops up with excellent reviews. And let me tell you, each good review is totally well-​deserved!
Walked in at about 7:50ish pm on Friday night. I was sat immediately, but I noticed towards 9:00, the restaurant was really booming, so if you want a later dinner, I’d definitely recommend calling ahead. My knowledge of Polish food up to this point extended to sausage and not much else, so I didn’t know quite what to expect.
I ordered faaaar too much food for one person! For starter, I ordered the pierogis, and tried a mix of the meat and the cheese/​potato/​onion. Imagine my surprise when the chef brought them over to serve tableside! (I’d only looked at the star-​ratings, so missed the others who mentioned the tableside service) The pierogis were delicious and covered in a buttery sauce with bacon.
For the main, I ordered the roast duck, stuffed with apples, and served with cranberries, mash, and cabbage. Everything was perfection. Duck, again, cut tableside. So tender and well-​cooked with just a bit of crispy skin… I was tediously picking every bit of deliciousness clean of the bone, it was so good!
Such a good find! I intend to visit several times.

The restaurant had a nice feel to it as soon as I walked in. It looks homely and comfortable. I noticed that the waiters were bringing out saucepans of food, which they dished out to the plates. You don’t often see this service in restaurants. It’s great — you almost have the feeling that you are at a dinner party and the host is serving you your dinner.
We actually chose to come here to try Polish food, which is a new experience for us. The meals were great. I got the borscht with mini dumplings and my fiancée had the dumplings. The borscht had a refreshing beetroot flavour. For our mains, my fiancée got the roasted goose stuffed with buckwheat and I chose the veal escallops sautéed with tomato, garlic, white wine and cream. I enjoyed my meal and luckily had room to try some of the goose too.
The waiter helpfully explained each of the desserts on offer. They had a selection of cakes and I asked for a slide of the chocolate tart. It came filled with layers of jam and a crisp icing, it was morish. I could have eaten another slice even though it would have put me beyond full. My fiancée got the strawberry dumplings, which had an interesting taste: sweet from the strawberries, but a subtle savory aftertaste.
After we paid the bill, we could choose a shot of liquor, which was a welcome surprise. I chose one based on hops and honey. It went down well and it was a good way to round off the meal.
It was a great dinner out. I would recommend it as something good to try and we are keen to try more Polish food now.

Definitely the best meal I have had in London. We arrived around 9:30 and they managed to squish a space for us without a reservation. The staff were super nice — so accommodating and friendly, and we had some great conversations with them. Very attentive and quick to clear plates off our table as well. Loved how they ladled the food straight from the pot or pan — it was nice. The décor — lots of character — tiled walls and I know it would be fun to have a party here.
The food — definitely the best food I’ve had in London, and most certainly the best Polish food I have ever had. Amazing ingredients and taste. The pierogies were out of this world (cheese and onion and potato) and I also had some amazing borscht. My boyfriend had the beef which was tender and who knew vegetables in broth — cabbage, carrots, leeks — could be so tasty?
I will return many many times. Yum!

Eh oui, un de mes restaurants préférés de Londres est un restaurant polonais !
Je né saurais vous expliquer pourquoi, mais ce restaurant est absolument parfait, selon mes standards: la décoration, le service, les plats…
J’aime tout ici et je vous le recommande chaudement, même si en réalité, j’aimerais bien le garder pour moi, car je compte bien y retourner à chaque séjour londonien !
Un bonus spécial pour la préparation des plats dans la salle même, et en prenant bien le temps pour que toi soit parfait. J’adore ce soin donné à la préparation. Et encore une fois, je né peux que donner mes 5 étoiles à Daquise !

Fantastic cabbage rolls and pierogies served in cast-​iron skillets directly to your plate. One of the best meals we had in London and conveniently located near the also fantastic Natural History Museum.
The only thing preventing this from being a five-​star review are the numerous fruit flies and somewhat dirty-​looking dumbwaiter the food is hauled up on which looks like it could use either a paintjob or a thorough scrubbing. The rest of the place is very posh.

Etonnant
Assez facile à trouver (avec un bon plan de Londres quand même), le service y est sympa et assez patient avec de pauvres touristes français qui né visualisent pas les explications des plats polonais. Ce restau a le mérite d’être à la portée de toutes les bourses et de se détacher du commun des établissements londoniens. Une bonne adresse…