The Patio Restaurant

Homemade Polish Cuisine at its Best

A restaurant or bar becomes our favourite because we make a point to visit again, and again and again. When it comes to Shepherd’s Bush’s premier Polish experience, The Patio Restaurant, I tend to be a little more reserved.

I save The Patio only for special occasions. Birthdays, a graduation, visiting relatives, and I do it for good reason because for me, this restaurant is a special place, and so it deserves a special reason to visit. Unfortunately, you’re not likely to find this one in a London online travel guide, so pay close attention.

Located where Goldhawk Road meets Shepherd’s Bush Green, The Patio looks like any other small café front, with various bits of publicity pasted proudly in the windows to entice passers by.

The interior, however, is unlike anywhere I’ve ever frequented. At first glance, the word kitsch comes to mind, but in the most charming way possible, as if you’ve found yourself eating the best roast duck and red borsch courses of your life in the parlour of a family who has managed to save everything they’ve ever loved about their lives for the last several decades.

Perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit, as they’ve only been there, successfully serving up some of the best food in west London since 1986. A truly miserable effort….

Paintings, decorations, instruments, mirrors and flowers adorn every corner of what quite possibly may be the coziest dining experience in west London.

It is not unusual to be served by the owners of the establishment, Kazimierz and Ewa, who will happily direct you, post meal, to their house selection of infused vodka as the perfect digestive.

Honestly, just try them all if you’re not driving. The price is right, the taste is great and you’ll know exactly what to recommend to a friend the next time you come around. But, like I said, make sure it’s for a special occasion.

Cais Jurgens

TripTide User