Daquise
Polish restaurant · South Kensington
20 Thurloe St, South Kensington, London SW7 2LT, United Kingdom
Highlights
Traditional Polish fare served with tableside preparation and vodka
Traditional Polish fare served with tableside preparation and vodka
"They don’t make them like they used to, and certainly not in the case of Daquise. This Polish spot near South Ken station feels like it hasn’t changed in half a century or so—and that’s a good thing. Fading pictures hang on the wood-panelled walls and its homely tiled dining room is full of faces who hug the staff like old friends. The menu has everything you would expect: crispy schnitzel, piquant herring, and borscht expertly ladled to the peril of every white tablecloth." - rianne shlebak, jake missing, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley
"Daquise has been around for donkey’s years. It’s London’s oldest Polish restaurant and a certified classic for South Kensington locals and anyone with an interest in The Spectator and slabs of schnitzel. More recently it’s been co-opted by the Tabis and doily crew, 35mm boyfriends, and those with a semi-ironic interest in discovering their authentic selves via ladles of luminous borscht and shots of vodka at the end of a four-hour Thursday lunch. Retired locals and i-D magazine readers" - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna
"This South Ken Polish institution is about as old-school as they come. You can tell by the chandeliers, but also by the way house rye bread is sliced at the big, wooden server’s station, before it’s brought over in a basket to your table. Best heavily buttered and given a pinch of salt, this bread won’t be knocking on Paul Hollywood’s door demanding recognition. But it does line the stomach for a shot of vodka later." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna
"Daquise’s goulash is objectively fine. It’s not the most sumptuous version of the dish you might have had, or even imagined. But that’s more than OK. Chandeliers hang in this Polish time warp in South Kensington, and borscht is ladled into your bowl tableside. Sitting in Daquise’s grand, semi-distressed dining room makes us wonder why this traditional ideal of a restaurant is no longer in vogue. Romanticism aside, the schnitzel is pretty good and a shot of ice-cold vodka helps." - jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, daisy meager
"Chandeliers hang and borscht is ladled into your bowl tableside at this wonderful Polish institution in South Kensington. Sitting in Daquise’s gracefully aged dining room—part tiled, part distressed, but wholly elegant—makes us wonder why this traditional ideal of a restaurant is no longer in vogue. The fur-clad clientele decompress at being served in the most thorough but familiar of fashions. Yes, the goulash is overcooked, and no the pierogies aren’t the finest, but a fail-safe schnitzel rarely goes amiss." - rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, jake missing, heidi lauth beasley
