Ognisko
Polish and Eastern European restaurant and vodka bar in a Victorian club house on Exhibition Road, with pierogi, blinis, roast duck and a garden terrace open all year.
About Ognisko
Ognisko is a Polish and Eastern European restaurant and cocktail bar in the Victorian home of Ognisko Polskie, the Polish Hearth Club, on Exhibition Road. The kitchen cooks classic dishes from Central and Eastern Europe, and the bar is known for house-infused flavoured vodkas, martinis and a long wine list, with bar food served alongside.
The dated October menu reads like a tour of the region: barszcz, a clear beetroot soup with a mushroom pasztecik; zurek, a sour rye soup with sausage and egg; pierogi filled with cheese, potato and onion; pelmeni; and blinis with smoked salmon, herring or caviar. Mains run from chicken Kyiv and pork schnitzel a la Holstein to a roast duck with kasza and braised red cabbage, served whole for four or as a half for two. Order a shot of vodka with the herring, as the menu suggests.
The dining room is one of the grander in South Kensington, and the terrace overlooks communal gardens and stays open all year. It suits a long lunch after the museums, a family celebration or an evening of cocktails. Last food orders are 2.45pm at lunch and 9.45pm at dinner from Monday to Saturday, and 8.30pm on Sunday; tables can be booked online, and there is a 13.5% service charge.