The Knaypa Restaurant
our review
Knaypa is in a part of West London that has a lot of Polish shops and delis. The new locals now want to eat out and they want to do so somewhere more stylish and funky than a simple café. Knaypa meets this need with a cool, interior, and cute waitresses in branded outfits. We had a mixed crowd around us, quite a few Poles, some of whom were middle-aged and had hair-styled like Mrs Gorbachev. There was also one middle-aged diner on his own who had the look of a man who had drunk an awful lot of vodka; he was perfectly well behaved but his eyes were half closed all evening and he barely moved. The traditional look of Cold War leaders back in the 70’s.
The menu is in both languages and is certainly well priced, around the cost of an average Indian in fact, making it a reasonable place to eat out regularly. The food on it tells a lot you about Poland’s agriculture – root vegetables and pig feature strongly. Our bread came with a little pot of….? “Pig fat!” the waitress cheerfully informed us. Well it’s a change from butter, the bread was good and nutty and the pig fat tasted rather like a runny version of rillette. You could feel layers of your own fat forming as you ate it though
Borscht was a pleasant surprise, I expected something heavy and potage-like laced with sour cream, but what arrived was as bight and clear as a glass of Beaujolais, it was lightly spiced to balance the beetroot’s sweetness and in the depths lurked tasty little capalletti-like pasta parcels stuffed with veal apparently. The garlic king prawns were generous and meaty, but the rice was a little soupy and we really needed a fingerbowl or a pile of paper napkins as the garlic butter made it seriously messy to eat. It was the sort of oversight which could easily be corrected by the management, unless of course you’re supposed to get messy and I’ve just committed a cultural faux pas. Who knows? Multiculti London is a minefield for the unwary.
Then followed a lull. A hungry gap. A bloody long wait. Forty five minutes by my watch, which is about thirty minutes too long. The waitress was all apologies, large party in basement, small kitchen etc. Fair enough, but clearly they had bitten off more than they could chew on a Friday night. The dishes did finally arrive; pork stuffed with leeks and cheese with decent mash (not sauté potatoes as advertised) plus a Polish salad of beetroot and gherkins. It was okay but lacked any real taste, chef seemed scared of seasoning as evidenced by my Golabki - pork and veal mince wrapped in cabbage leaf. More salt, more pepper was needed in the mix, and the cabbage could have done with being cooked less and drained more. Drizzles of thick balsamic vinegar made pretty patterns, but were a bit dated.
A stonking great cheesecake for one was easily enough for two, but even so we couldn’t finish it. Nice though, as it had the proper sour taste and wasn’t the sweet gloop that often gets passed off as the real thing.
Is Knaypa a good Polish restaurant? You’ll have to ask a Pole that one. It’s certainly a friendly place and makes a change from the ordinary and at a price that makes it relatively risk-free. Give it a go and see for yourself.
Nick Harman - March 2008
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
This is pretty much the only restaruant I have been to where everything on the menu is amazing! the rosoo to start followed by golonka is a definate must!! The staff are very attentive and very willing to help (and even teach you a few Polish phrases) - ask for piwo and sok, well worth seeing them smile when you do.
The food is very reasonably priced and the service is quick.
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Neil
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, May 26, 2008
Visited recenlty.
Type of visit: Birthday
Who visited: Me (Polish), and a group of three friends from different countries.
(+) The food was tasty and delicious to this level, my female friends looked like in third month of pregnancy. Good.
(-) Not all the items were available on every evening, like a mix of different meals outside weekends, but...
(+) ... it's nothing a good service couldn't fix. The waitress has convinced the chef to make the above, so my friends could taste a variety of meals, including the ones not in the menu. However, would everybody be so lucky...?
(+) Pork fat and cabbage! My mates have enjoyed it.
Overall food: 9+
(+) The service was our mediator with the chef. In every bit a most successful one. Thank You. A very pleasant and polite black haired Polish girl always with a smile, without "no can do" attitude. Nearly always available and hard working. I'm giving a:
Overall Service: 10
If you keep up. I'll pop in for a pint tower, so we'll see... ;)
(+) The available floor this evening was only the modern one. Probably the restaurant is more active on weekends so the traditional is open then as well. Modern floor looking professional and nice to be in.
(-) Because of the closed traditional floor, however this should be understood because of the less busy days, the rest. was less staffed. Basement floor however always available for viewing.
(-) Music. It's selection is very good, however, hearing the great Kim Wilde's newest single (2006) along with another one from her golden age, three times in past two hours can make even a likeable single a nuisance. The music choice was absolutely fine, their numbers probably thin. Although it might've been a hi-fi shufflers one off.
Overall atmosphere: 8 (missed the traditional floor, but understandable)
Value for money: 9
Of others:
(-) For website. Made in Flash, but the gallery takes ages to download (with my slow connection), only to see... lots of flying dishes in the air. The webmaster should find another job. I was more interested in viewing the inside of the place and it's different parts, rather than artistic composition of dumplings. Photos like that cover 80-90% of gallery. Out of pure curiosity I have also visited the webmasters homepage... Or, by the looks of the contents of text, should I say: blog... Poor... Contrasts greatly with the impression of the restaurant itself.
(-) Some of the reviews, after closer examination, look as made up by either the webmaster, or owners, or their friends/relatives.
(+) The competition in the area is far behind with attractivness.
(+) Free Birthday Cake if you book for birthday. Great Idea.
Place to recommend.
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Yummy!
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The Knaypa was a really good value night out - the meals were all nice and very reasonably priced. It did take a while for the meals to come out, but we weren't in a rush so it didn't really matter. Nice atmosphere, helpful and friendly waiter and a nice menu. All in all, we would recommend it!
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Venice
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I booked over the phone for the downstairs seating area a few hours before our arrival on the Saturday evening.
Parking is a bit scarce on Kings Street, but there is usually an available space on a side street and there are no parking restrictions on a weekend.
On entering Knaypa, we are shown to a table in the center of the room; the furniture is dark, solid varnished wood. It's very substantial construction and would take the biceps of a burly Polish builder to move it. The room is decorated in warm colours, but there is not much in the way of Polish paraphernalia as one otherwise might expect in a rustic-themed setting. We're a bit overlooked in the center of the room, so a quick word with the waiter and we swap for a more private table.
We order a couple of glasses of wine from the list and my wife chooses traditional barszcz soup starter to be followed with a medium cooked steak with peppercorn sauce. I go for the prawns and the chef's chicken cutlet.
The garlic prawns arrive arranged on a small mound of rice with dill; ah, so this is the Polish influence then, since dill is ubiquitous in their cuisine. The prwans' center shell section is thoughtfully removed making for easy access with a knife and fork, which is handy since there is no finger bowl. Now I do confess to preferring my garlic prawns flavoured with chilli, but I suppose chilli's are not associated with east european food (although neither are prawns, come to think of it).
But there is a problem. Where is Iwona's soup that she ordered?
We get the attention of the waiter who is friendly and apologetic and he explains he didn't hear her order it. Anyway, he goes away and orders the soup from the kitchen.
Once the soup arrives, I've already finished my starter with some eager help from my hungry wife. We aquire another spoon and both of us dive into the barszcz.
If you've not tried barszcz and you like spicey soups then I'd recommend giving this a try. A good example of this dish has plenty of marjoram and either pasta, boiled egg or potato croquette with/in it. This one had veal pasta in it and had the distinctive sweet and spicey taste.
When the main courses eventually arrived, we discovered some more problems. Iwona's steak was overcooked and she was supplied with chips instead of potato puree. The dish is sent back to the kitchen and once again I'm eating on my own.
The kotlet is a piece of chicken breast flattened, covered with cheese and rolled in breadcrumbs. It's cut at an angle along the center with the hot cheese oozing out and is nicely presented on pureed potato with a sauce reduction drizzled around the plate. There is also an excellent side of creamed spinach, chopped and very creamy with a strong hint of nutmeg.
Once again my plate is almost finished by the time the steak reappears, this time correctly cooked and with a liberal sprinkling of green peppercorns. Now this time Iwona is eating and I'm the observer, so I order in a slice of baked cheesecake that arrives promptly. A fruit sauce drizzled on the plate with a few scattered blueberries and a physallis on top, dusted with some icing sugar, makes for a pleasant dessert.
Overall we enjoyed the food, which was simple and well presented. It is like a restaurant-grade version of the food that you would be offered in someones home in Poland, with some nice twists. The menu had a good selection of both Polish and european food. We were just a bit unlucky with the service this time since other tables didn't appear to have any problems. Also, they swiped 10% off the bill and the staff were all friendly and helpful. Atmosphere was good, I like the fact that one can choose between the chic upstairs or rustic downstairs. The restaurant was busy when we left. Value was very reasonable for the quality of the food compared to equivalent places around town.
A delightful little restaurant in Hammersmith that we can recommend, and we look forward to sampling more food there.
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Steve - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Excellent food, Great service, very friendly atmosphere. It's realy worth to go there and try those delicious dishes. Unforgettable taste.
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Sandra
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, February 29, 2008
Was really curious to try the Knaypa, as I walk past it every day and have watched the refit and opening with interest.
We went on a relatively quiet weekday night, but there were a few other tables full and the atmosphere was pleasant. Service is very friendly and competnt, and although the food took quite long in coming personally I find it pleasant to take time over a restaurant meal so it was great not to feel rushed.
Portions are on the modest side, but then so is the bill, and the cooking is very good with evident skill in the kitchen. We particularly liked the herrings and the bigos, although we could have eaten a lot more. If this is modern Polish then I like it, although I doubt it's likely to ever be a cuisine that's capable of reaching the heights and we're unlikely to visit here all that often as a result.
Couple of things we'd like to see The Knaypa do; look at portion size, put more of an emphasis on being a place to enjoy a few (excellent) beers without having to eat a full meal, and do more snack sized plates of sausages and other beer snacks. This would make a great alternative to the pub, especially in the summer.
Like a lot of local places not worth crossing town for but if you live in Hammersmith or Chiswick it's worth checking out.
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Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, January 24, 2008
I finally got around to eating in Knaypa last night and enjoyed a truly lovely meal. The ground floor is a chic dining area and entirely different from other Polish place I have been to. The staff were warm, welcoming and eager to please.
As well as including Polish classics the menu also has some interesting modern items as well. To start I had perfectly cooked king prawns on a bed of basmati rice with a hint of garlic. This size portion containing 6 prawns would pass a main course in most restaurants but here it is symbolic of the restaurant's value and generosity. My partner stayed true to her Polish roots with bowl of borscht that came with some al dente ravioli filled with veal and was again delicious.
My main course was an excellently prepared venison roulade that was served with some luxurious potato lyonnaise. The chef here certainly knows what he is doing and how to please his customers. The other main chosen was duck breast (pink as requested) with red cabbage, sauteed potatoes and a punchy cranberry sauce. Both plates of food were devoured and although a dessert seemed a bridge too far we were so pleased with the meal thus far we thought it would be folly not to at least share one. We ordered a traditional Polish baked cheesecake and it more than justified our decision.
The wine list is short but well compiled and at very reasonable prices. There is also Polish beer on draught and, naturally, a good range of vodkas. Our bill came to just over £60 for 2 with a decent bottle of wine and was money well spent. Next time, I will try the downstairs restaurant where although the serve the same menu it is in a far more rustic and traditional style.
Knaypa is now my favourite local for sure!
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Gerry
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Dinner at The Knaypa Resturant was a sublime experience. From the moment you enter the restaurant you feel welcome and then you feel pampered.
The atmosphere is peaceful and extremly friendly.
The menu has a large variety enough to please everyone. The food was absolutely amazing. We really enjoyed our tasty meals including fantastic desserts. Every single piece of food was the best example we have ever tried. DELICIOUS!!!!! ( compliments to the chef).
The service was impeccable and the attention to details was very professional !!!
Personal but not intrusive.
Overall it's a great Polish style restaurant for a reasonable money.
We wouldn't hestitate to return again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
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Agnes
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, January 17, 2008
I booked a dinner in The Knaypa Restaurant a couple of days ago as I wanted to surprise my boyfriend who loves Polish food and I must say it was my best choice I could have ever made. The place is very stylish, the atmosfere is just great, the food is delicious and the service is excellent. I have been in different Polish restaurants before and none of them left such good memories. I am glad as I think I have found best place for Polish food lovers. The only thing that disappointed me was that the basement floor of the restaurant was closed but I can recommend The Knaypa to anyone who is keen to try modern Polish dishes.
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Kristine Linsky
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
