Daquise Restaurant, South Kensington, London

Very good traditional Polish cuisine, affordable prices. Worth checking out!
Agata

I go to Daquise for the atmosphere as much as the food.In the 1970s when South Kensington was home to Poland’s Government in Exile Daquise was a hive of Polish political intrigue, and although you can no longer spot a film star of pre-war Polish cinema, the cafe and restaurant retains its atmosphere of faded Ritziness.
And still attracts the eccentric-older Eastern Europeans sit sipping coffee whilst slipping pieces of praline gateau to small dogs on their laps and others still argue softly as though settling questions of long forgotten international importance.
The restaurant has been little changed in decor over the years and retains a very traditional Polish feel as well as one of faded past glory.
Wonderfully atmospheric.
UPDATE DEC 2011.Alas this restaurant has now been taken over by a chain and now looks like a hundred others.It has lost its loyal clientele and iconic status.What a shame-one of the great restaurants of South Ken.

EMBARRASSING. I read this great review in the newspaper and invited a friend there but it turned out to be really embarrassing. Service was really bad.

ZENADA. Przeczytalem bardzo dobre “review” w jednej z gazet. Zachecony zaprosilem znajoma na obiad, by zaznajomic ja z Polska Kuchnia. To byla duza pomylka i na pewno nie bedzie powtorzona. Nie polecam nikomu.

Pics@Chopstix2steaknives
http://chopstix2steaknives.blogspot.com/2011/09/gessler-a...

Have you ever read someone’s dining experience and it just gets you so excited that you have to head there like almost immediately?

This was what happened when I read this on The London Foodie blog. When I was in Poland, we had a nice little lady who cooked lunch for us everyday and it was simple and delicious home cooked food. In fact, I loved her home cooked food slightly more than the restaurants that I went to. So you bet I have fond memories of Polish food.

So I was really excited to read about a Polish restaurant and I zipped down there at the earliest opportunity. So it was a group of us who settled in for dinner.

First course
Pierozki £9.5
A few of us ordered the Pierozki with some choosing meat and some going with cheese. There isn’t one that is better than the other; I think it is more a case of which filling appeals to you more. I preferred the cheese version more but it was a mixed vote on the choice of fillings.

The dumplings did not have a thick or doughy skin which allowed the flavours of the fillings to shine through. Clean and tasty.

Barszcz £6
S ordered the Barszcz and this was well received. Mildly sweet and hearty.

Second course

Kura w rosole – £13

Kaczka pieczona £19
The Kura w rosole is tender cuts of chicken on the bone, served in a slow cooked broth. Dished with home made noodles, lemon sauce and broth vegetables. The Kaczka Pieczona is a roast duck that has been stuffed with apples and served with boiled potatoes, cranberries and red cabbage stewed in red wine with fried fruits

It’s quite a refreshing change when you get a bunch of waiters coming out to slice, plate and serve you in front of your eyes. I love the theatrical part of it. Like this order of beef tartare and it was made right in front of you. It really adds an element of understated charm.

Eating here brought back fond memories of my visit to Poland. This is not fine dining but serves unpretentious honest food.

I love this place! Today I had the 9-pound lunch set which includes barley soup and stuffed cabbage with mashed potatoes. I finished every drop of the barley soup. I like when the chef comes out and serves food. Definitely go back! :)

I visited this restaurant last Sunday and I still cannot decide if I loved it or hated…
Ok, the previous deco had more charm, the menu was much better and let`s not forget the prices were lower!!
Today`s Daquise is more spacious and it feels like being in a fine dining restaurant. I lowed the concept of chef coming to my table and serving dishes himself. My boyfriend ordered a tartar and this was made from the scratch right in front of us. The food was very tasty however I could find only few traditional polish dishes, the rest was some sort of innovation which just did not work…They made their own bread rolls but this is something you can get elsewhere and for polish person like me it has to be polish bread! We also ordered a pancake which was made with creamy cheese, not traditional way either.
When you look around you see few bits and pieces left from the previous deco and they just don`t fit in the new one. Chefs were serving food to the guests in dirty uniforms. The floor was dirty and I will not even mention the toilet: it looked like it has not been wiped for at least 2 years. The service was very slow…..
The menu is much overpriced, the starter is around 6-7£ ,the main course costs 17£! For this money go to the Baltic restaurant in Southwark, it has similar prices, great food, great service and is at least clean…

Nana

A beautiful food in a great place. I truly loved the attentive and polite service. Also, my Golabki alongside with mashed potatoes were great, it was too pricey though. I was not too happy to hear there was no proper Polish dessert, I mean baked one. We were offered a Sacher cake, pankcakes or a sweet - fruity - version of dumplings...hm, no thank you.

However, I will be definitely coming back to see if the pastry chef is back.

I'm sorry to say that I share in the disappointment of these other reviews. I live in the US and have been visiting the Daquise whenever I am London, usually twice a year, since the 1980s. It always had been a delightful experience to dine at the Daquise. It's charm stayed intact over the years and that was so reassuring. The food was wonderful and perfect for a late lunch after visiting the museums. It's a shame that the new owners didn't have the understanding to realize that they were buying a tradition and not just a shell. It was a sad experience to go there and eat overpriced food that wasn't up to the previous standard by any means, and to experience the loss of the once inviting ambiance. Needless to say, I won't be going back.

We agree with recent comments. We have visited the Daquise restaurant many times over the years and called in this week to find that with the new ownership, it has changed. It is still very nice but a shame that it has not retained the fantastic character it had. It used to feel like stepping into another time & place! And also a lot more expensive and feel that due to it being a lot more expensive than it used to be, (food was still really good) we probably won't be choosing to eat there unfortunately.

It's a shame that this London institution has changed, because it used to be so good. Now it simply typifies the general feel of restaurants in the area, serving up over priced and, frankly speaking, not up to par fair.

I still really struggle to find somewhere worthwhile to eat in SW7 and I picked this, along with my father for a brief sunday encounter. Unfortunately my forebodings were confounded and I knew we should have gone elsewhere, when half cooked dumplings came to the table. I could have done better myself at home! And when the single dessert option "Polish Pancakes" turned up it didn't get much better.

If you want a slice of Poland in London, I would visit newer places, that bring fresh blood, and if you want the smell of old, then go to Wodka in High St Ken. I wont be hurrying back here any time soon, and I wouldn't recommend you do either. Definitely a case of "it ain't what it used to be".

Sometime between my last visit to Daquise and this weekend, it has been purchased by a new company and changed.
Potential visitors should be aware that the reviews below refer to the original Daquise restaurant, not to the new Gessler at Daquise now at that location.
Star Rating above had to be given, so I gave five stars for the Original Daquise, as I've not been to the new one.

Excellent east European restaurant at a decent price near South Kensington tube station. Been there lots of times in last 2 years or so for Saturday lunch and post Prom meals. Don’t expect luxurious interior - it’s clean and functional but very acceptable. Services is good. Menu is unchangkng and varied. Not been disappointed by anything yet. As you might expect, there is little by way of vegetarian - though the option they do have is good. For an affordable interesting meal in the area it’s a good choice.

Although this restaurant was closed a little while back following a fire, the subsequent refurbishment hasn’t changed the atmosphere. The decor is old-fashioned in a relaxed, evolved-over-the-years way, comforting and not at all fancy. In fact, that would be a fair description of the food too: it’s substantial, tasty and traditional. I love the vegetarian platter, a mixture of cabbage, mushroom and potato-based dishes which is somehow deeply satisfying.

You can drop in for tea and pastries, or settle down to work your way through the vodka menu over dinner. Service is pleasant and prices are reasonable. A good place to relax after visiting the nearby museums.