Smorgas Chef West Village

The warm Glogg was just the thing while waiting to start off the night. Mykel, again, was lucky enough to be the only Yank in the group! This time we had the unusual situation of having 4 French folks, 1 Japanese, and one Yank! The bartendress was Albanian. (This is a Scandinavian place, right?) And friendlier than a puppy.

Was the food authentic? I donno. I sure never had shrimp brulee (delicious, though) in Copenhagen. It was also a bit on the pricey side: 3 small glasses of Aquavit: $27!! I think that's a whole bottle in Aalborg. The average appetizer is around $12 and very small, though nicely presented. Everything was good. The crab-cakes, and gravlacks were excellent. The place was hugelig, with a very efficient and effervescent waitress.
--Eat Club is a roving group of NYC gluttons

Pros: great food, perfect glogg for the cold weather, great service

Cons: expensive, small portions

Posted 12/28/08

Great food! I had lunch there and can't wait to go back to try their dinner. The desserts were interesting but not as tasty as I expected them to be. The service was good and the bar seemed like a cool place to hang out, so I'll check that out the next time I go there.

Posted 12/04/08

I was really wanting to like this place. I recently moved into the neighborhood and live only a few minutes away. Unfortunately, I wont be going back. Firstly, we had to wait a long time for our food. If the food had been good we could have overlooked this point. Sadly, that was not the case. Both my friend and I had the veggie burger-urgh! The bun, tomato, pickles etc were good however, the patty was not good at all. It resembled (and tasted) like baby food. I hate when us veggies are shortchanged, and overlooked. The mixed green which accompanied the burger was not fresh and had slimy bits. Gross! I do hope the manager/chef takes note.

Pros: Nice location.

Cons: The food: slimy mixed greens, veggie burger, long wait for food

Posted 11/24/08

I have a special spot for this place. The food never disappointed me. It is in a really nice area and the atmosphere is great. The crowd is an older more sophisticated crowd. The food is great, everything from the appetizers to the desert menu. Love the taste and presentation of all the dishes. Service is great, but getting a table can be hard on occasions. S.C.W.V. gets 5 stars from me. Always a pleasant visit.

Pros: food presantation,service,food

Cons: none

Posted 11/03/08

On a freezing sunday afternoon where countless other "overrated" brunch spots are boasting 45-minute waits, lies this unexpectedly fantastic brunch spot! You must order their brunch specialty: Baked eggs! served casserole style in a cast iron skillet accompanied with potatoes au gratin. As a frequent brunch goer in both villages, this is hands down one of my favorites. for $16.99, your meal comes with a cocktail and tea/or coffee. With extremely attentive and elegant waitstaff, you shall experience scandinavian food at its best!

Pros: Delicious food, attentive and courteous service, comfortable non snooty environment

Posted 12/22/07

It was my best friend's birthday and she insisted I pick a restaurant where
we can sit outside so I chose Smorgas Chef. I have never been there but
always am passing it so knew it would be a nice new place to try out. Glad
I chose right place! my friends and I all ordered a bunch of different
dishes to share. We got Swedish Meatballs, Mussels, Gravlaxs and the Pepper
Steak. For dessert, we shared one of each on the menu. The Waffles, Apple
Tart and Chocolate Mousse were all so yummy! The drinks took a little long
to make but probably because we ordered their house special drinks with
freshly muddled fruits. But they were refreshing in taste and beautiful to
look at and definitely worth the wait. I will recommend Smorgas Chef to all
my other friends, and will be making another reservation there for myself
soon, maybe next time for brunch!

Posted 08/27/07

Last week my sister and I ate at here for dinner. We wanted someplace to eat good food and drinks after work! Our waitress was so nice and the food she recommended was really good. I had the the meatball entree and she had the Zucchini entree. It was a hot day so we both got the Swedish Spider cocktail - think we had one to many lol! Next time though we definitely need to sit outside but this time it was full and we didn't feel like waiting .

Posted 07/25/07

Smorgas Chef has so many rave reviews and I truly did not expect it to live up to the very high expectations that were set. I was shocked when it did. Not only was the food of knock-out quality, but the portions were a nice size and the service excellent. Brooke, Phillipe, Elina and Raimundo were such an attentive team. They made sure every detail was taken care of and not even a water glass had the chance to stay empty for longer than a moment.

We enjoyed the herring salad, which not at all fishy and so huge that we couldn't finish it, as well as the meatball appetizer. Covered in mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce, it could have been a main course. And when I tasted it, my mouth did a little dance. We also sampled the lamb which came with great sides, and the raspberry cocotte, which was not overly sweet and better than a creme brulee.

It's really nice when you discover a place that has such pretty decor, great service and, of course, excellent food. Smorgas Chef is such a tasty little secret. And one that I plan to share with everyone I know.

Posted 05/22/07

My bf and I were walking around and happened to walk by this place. We looked at the menu and were about to walk away when one of the patrons stopped us and told us that we had to try it. We are so glad that we did! Smorgas Chef is a cozy restaurant with wonderful service but the best part was definitely the amazing meatballs! The meatballs are worth a visit by itself!! We also had the mussels, which were pretty good and my bf had the pepercorn steak, which he seemed to enjoy. Highly recommended!

Pros: swedish meatballs, nice ambience, friendly service

Posted 05/06/07

Last night (Tuesday) we went to this restaurant having only made this decision that afternoon. I got us on the VIP wine list to receive a complimentary bottle of wine to help celebrate Smorgas' 3rd anniversary! As we looked over the menu there were just too many things we wanted to try so we decided to order a handful of small plates to share instead of an entree each. We started off with the Lobster Bisque which was made with sherry. This proved to be a wonderful touch. We also had the Red Beet salad served with goat cheese and queens blend dressing. I generally don't like sweeter dressings, but it complimented the beets and cheese so well we both finished everything out of the bowl. Since we got a complimentary bottle of wine we decided a red wine and it was really good - 2006 Argentinian wine. It was perfect. We also shared the Swedish Meatballs and Lingonberries which this place is known for. The appetizer portion was perfect for us to share. Gravlaks was perfectly put together and beautifully presented. the cucumber salad was a good stubtle compliment to the stronger salmon flavor. We finished off our meal with the chocolate mousse (white, milk and dark chocolate layers!). We both barely looked at the dessert menu after our waitress told us about it. She was also a great waitress. Service was very attentive, the food was served quickly and timely (we didn't feel rushed at all). We actually were the last ones to leave but the folks closing the place were just as friendly to us leaving as they were when we entered. We very much appreciated that. The atmosphere is wonderfully decorated, cozy, and comfortable. I would definitely come back for another meal any night of the week.

Pros: yummy food, personable service, uniquely decorated cozy atmosphere

Cons: none

Posted 04/03/07

such good reviews here! A little misleading, I think.
It was fine, I'm not complaining, but it wasn't that great.
the service was a little funky...we had one waitress, then she said she was taken off our table and someone else would take care of us, but she ended up being the waitress anyway...service ended up being quite slow.
The meatballs were good. Carrot mash was tasteless. lobster bisque was good.
staff was friendly.
nice neighborhood (ask for the table in front by the window), atmosphere was good.
I don't know, it just wasn't as great as others are saying. It was fine, but I would not rush back, nor would I tell my friends that they need to go there.

Posted 01/27/07

We just moved into the neighborhood, and what a nice discovery to came across this wonderful place. The decor was dazzling, and warm and homy at the same time. We were first seated in the bar because there was no available table at the time. The Bartender muddled freshfruits and herbs with wooden sticks, and mixed them into gorgeous and refreshing cocktails! We were moved into an intimate and cozy booth for dinner. Food was quite an adventure and exceptionally flavorful. We tried a bit of everything - herring, egg and carviar, swedish meatballs and the baked glacier cod, and waffles for dessert. We had a very knowledgeable and attentative waitress, which really helped. Everything was lovely. Can't wait to go back! Next time we'll try their prix-fixe brunch on weekends...

Pros: Great Ambiance, Friendly Service and Delicious food

Posted 11/30/06

This resaurant was so refreshing from the "normal"... Excellent menu and wine choice from New Zealand. Fabulous atmosphere and the service was top notch. The smoked salmon and egg sandwich was by far the greatest sandwich I have ever had. I have found my new lunch spot!

Pros: great value, excellent food

Posted 05/07/06

What a lovely restuarant! I was pleasantly surprised by my experience here! I was wondering through the West Village with my friends looking for a place to eat and randomly picked this place. The service was incredibly friendly and attentive. Everyone liked what they ordered, and the interior space is spacious and beautiful. I will definitly be coming back with friends.

Pros: Great Service, Beautiful Space, Great Meatballs

Cons: Can't think of any.

Posted 04/30/06

I was hesitant to enter the land of herring and...herring?

Smorgas Chef is a charming restaurant, with pleasant and attentive service, and amazing food. The open-faced sandwich I tried had fluffy scrambled eggs and the silkiest smoked salmon I've ever had, and I've eated a lot of lox over the years!

If you can get the window seat, it's fantastic. The cozy booths and tables in the back are generously spaced.

Our cream of mushroom soup was yummy, the beet salad was delish, and the mains were great. There are chicken, lamb and beef along with the expected herring on the menu, and the special cocktails were yummy, althogh they could've stood in for dessert. Wines by the glass are reasonable and varied. Lots of special deals, as well. Tuesdays, take a friend and one entree is free - value of 22-28 dollars! Happy hours/two for one drinks as well.

Pros: Food, Pleasant Atmosphere, Service

Cons: Can't Think of One

Posted 04/23/06

This place is great--drinks are beyond good, food is very well flavored and atmosphere is true west village charm. Cocktails are inexpensive and creative--a great addition to the area. Bartender and wait staff were friendly and super accommodating.
I especially appreciate the drink / wine specials during the week! DEFINITELY will be coming back!

Pros: Fairly Priced, Great Cocktails, Great Location

Posted 04/22/06