Smorgas Chef West Village

We went to Smorgas Chef West Village with a couple friends because we were looking a new taste, away to the typical restaurants.
My husband and I ordered «Smorgas Burguer» and «Dill Cucumber». Here below my reviews about the following entreés:
SMÖRGÅS BURGER:
I asked for a «Well Done» burguer and they brought me medium rare. It was too late to ask again because I realized after two bites I did, it was not really bad, but I am a fusspot with this because see the blood in mixed with my food seems to me disgusting. French fries were extremely oily and seemed they were hot up again from leftovers from the day. Bread was oily too (probably for the butter). Overpriced for the quality.
DILL CUCUMBER SALAD
Taste was strong and unfortunately, it was not fresh and with a weird vinegary flavor.
My friends weren´t more luckies than us, they ordered a «SWEDISH MEATBALLS» and «BLUE SHELL MUSSELS & FRIES», they said IKEA´s meatballs were more good that these, and it was not homemade at all. Mussels looks that was ok. Also, they forgot bring the wine that my friend ordered and they table was full empty plates and nobody was paying attention to our table.
To end, I have a Norwegian friend and he told me that is not a good example of Scandinavian restaurant, but it was okay try something new (apparently).
P.S: Nice decoration.

The day after Christmas was spent wandering around the West Village, enjoying the day and walking off the food and booze of Christmas and the preceding weeks.
Unsure of where to eat lunch, we settled on Smorgas, as it seemed to be a perfect compliment to a chilly winter day.
Due to the time of day, the place was empty aside from another duo seated in the window. The bright airy atmosphere and oversized Christmas tree gave a clean, modern but homey ambiance to enjoy a lunch of swedish meatballs and share the smörgåsbord while sipping on some aquavit. As my first foray into Scandanavian cuisine, I have no basis of comparison here (unless you count those Ikea meatballs that one time). The standout was a tie between the gravlax, herring and meatballs. What I loved is that in sharing, we didn’t feel totally sluggishly full but pleasantly satisfied which never seems to happen whenever I dine out.
What is knocking off a star here was unfortunately the service. It just wasn’t… enthusiastic? genuine? Perhaps a tad bit uninterested in guests during the quiet afternoon lull? It did not fit the atmosphere at all.
Otherwise, I would definitely return!

Great date place, especially for brunch. Make sure to go to the one in West Village, the other ones are not as good. This one is quiet and tuck in the corner of west village, and food is pretty good. They used to have the lobster eggs benedict, but no longer on the menu, though the benedict trio is fun. Swedish meatballs are also a stable if seafood is not your thing. Like the other reviewer, meatballs seems higher quality than Ikea but I can’t really tell.
Why is this such a great date place? It’s quiet but at a great location, and the restaurant vibe is very relaxed so it’s easy to talk to people. Afterward it’s nice to walk around west village, or hit up a bar, or karaōke, or fat cat for a game of ping pong, or take the stroll by the river etc. Can’t help but have a good time.

This is tough. The restaurant has a fun vibe, although not captivating. The décor is quite cool and the staff is very friendly. The tables are smaller which I like because it makes for a more intimate meal with friends. The menu boasts a few interesting dishes (mostly starters) such as a herring quartet, smörgåsbord and swedish meatballs. We tried the later, the best part was the sauce which saved an otherwise good but not fantastic meatball. For our main course we tried the salmon, cod and mussels. All the dishes were very well prepared and tasteful. Once more, their respective sauce is really what made it. The mussels were excellent, not one grain of sand (sounds odd, but trust me. it’s happened). A nice bottle of Sancerre helped the meal along as well, but didn’t make up for the boring Scandinavian waffle.
Again, this is a difficult call. Everything was good, the service, the food and the wine but I’ve got to say that overall I wasn’t blown away. I found the menu to be somewhat banal. perhaps we just didn’t make the right selections.

Being from Scandinavia, there is nothing I like better than having a plate of Swedish Meatballs. It is like a little bit of home away from home and a lot better than the meatballs you get at Ikea.
The atmosphere is nice, the staff friendly and everything we tried on the menu so far have been great. Nothing better than the meatballs of course, but I might have a Scandinavian bias, because it reminds me of my family.
Definitely recommend, especially to Scandinavians that are a little homesick.

Pricey, local, organic, and sexy.
There is outdoor seating, but I think the table by the window is awesome as well. The lighting at that table during brunch/​lunch is perfect. 10/​10, would sit there again.
Our waiter was a very tall and handsome Scandinavian dude. Extra points for Scandinavian staff.
Food!
Appetizer:
Herring Quartet — Four kinds of herring and some sort of potato wrap to wrap them in. The arrangement is very, very attractive, and the herring was very flavorful. My only complaint is that the number of wraps was not enough for the number of pieces of herring. Would eat again!
Brunch:
Classic Eggs Benedict — Can’t go wrong with this one.
Classic Smörgåsbord — A little bit of everything. Get this if it is your first time having this kind of food and you have no idea what you like.
Overall, pretty expensive! However, the variety and foreign appeal will definitely have me coming back. It’s also a short walk from the High Line. Will definitely impress your date.

This is my first Scandinavian restaurant experience (IKEA does NOT count!) and it’s been intriguing me to want to visit Scandinavian countries.
We shared a smörgåsbord and a meatball entrée seated outside patio — great for ppl and dog watching.
The smörgåsbord came with many items and each item was enjoyable, for 19 $ it’s very worth it to try many different things. Perhaps i only had one large piece, but it’s the best smoked salmon i’ve had! Herring was amazing, so was the beet salad and cucumber salad. Potatoes and meatballs came in their own palm size iron skillet and it’s super adorbs.
Despite tasting meatballs already from the smorgabord, our meatball entrée was very much a good part of our meal. It was very hearty and every component on the plate was delicious. Meatballs, sauce, purple slaw, and creamy and hot marsh potatoes!
Fast service, very reasonable price — 50 $ for two tips and tax included. Will go back for sure! Or to real Denmark /​Sweden /​Iceland /​etc

I was a big fan of Smorgas Chef– that is after two great meals in the past couple years. However my most recent visit left me quite underwhelmed and I don’t think I would go back again. The 72-​hour gravlaks were okay, nothing to write home about. The expresso chocolate cake was mediocre at best. I recommended their waffle to the Boyfriend but we were both disappointed when it arrived. It was nothing like what I had before. No strawberries, no chocolate topping. Just a plain waffle (and a poorly made one) with some whipped cream on top. I could do a better job myself. Service was meh. The friendly blonde hostess was not there. The only saving grace of the meal was the meatballs. Yes they were yummy just like I remembered, but given the underwhelming experience overall, I wouldn’t bother coming back.

Smorgas would be a fantastic date restaurant in the winter. Hearty, scandanavian food beautifully served and well-​prepared make for good preparation for a cozy night in.
As a casual dinner spot with friends on a sweltering summer night, it was not quite what I needed. I had the meatballs and lingonberry sauce – absolutely delicious, and exactly what it sounds like. It was simply a bit too heavy a meal, and a bit too romantic an atmosphere, for what I needed.
Also not cheap at all!
That said, definitely go for the 72-​hour Aquavit Cured Gravlaks as an appetizer; they’re really delicious as a true appetizer.

This is a wonderful restaurant! The food is delicious! Cold cucumber, avocado soup is the perfect starter for a warm summer day. Swedish meatballs w mushrooms & mash potatoes are unbelievably lite. Gravlax over potato croquettes w horseradish cream to accompany is also lite & fresh. Their specialty cocktails… I had one w rum & muddled berries that was a delightful mix of sweet & sour; balanced flavors that were refreshing.
The only negative was the chocolate cake; it was dry & tasteless… waitress was insistent that we were wrong & staff had agreed nothing was ‘wrong’ w it. It was stale. She acted as if we had no idea what we were talking about. If she had been more proactive about understanding we didn’t like it I would have given more stars.
One an up note; BEST latte ever!!!
Overall a dining experience of excellent food w a lovely cosy atmosphere.

I’ve been to Smorgas Chef in the Financial District for brunch a few times and have always been happy with my my meal, so when waiting for over 45 minutes to be seated (with a reservation) at The Place across the street got annoying, we walked over to Smorgas Chef.
The atmosphere has a cute little bistro feel and can be a little romantic in the evening with some nice mood lighting. The food is nothing outstanding, but I do think that everything coming together make this place a solid choice for a meal. The service is great and attentive, which is something that many restaurants in NYC lack because they just rely on heavy traffic and high turnover of tables.
The menu consists of many Nordic food choices and they even give you a complimentary herring starter while waiting for your meal. I had a white fish entrée, which I found to be full of flavor and enjoyable and my man had the burger. which was really good (even though he is British and likes to murder his mea

Much better than I expected. I went a couple years ago for the famous meatballs but was disappointed. Better experience this time around.
We started off with the smörgåsbord, a sampling of Smorgas Chef’s specialties. I especially liked the potato pancake. The herring wasn’t as good as Aquavit’s, but it was still tasty.
My fiancé ordered the mussels and fries. HUGE dish for only $ 17. He was very pleased. I ordered the meatballs again since the dish I wanted got a surreptitious «don’t get that’ from the waiter. Not a dish I would rave about, but it was better than I remembered — the mashed potatoes with the lingonberry sauce complemented the meatballs very well. Felt like a Swedish Thanksgiving.
Dessert was the vanilla waffles and the lingonberry torte. Excellent. Probably my favorite part of the meal!

This is my second visit to the Smorgas Chef, the first time was by design, this time was happenstance.
I made plans with some friends to go to The Spotted Pig for dinner, and knowing that they don’t take reservations, we figured we’d be well before the insanity that place turns into by meeting at 6:30. Who goes out to dinner in NYC at 6:30 on a Saturday night except some «Early Bird Special» type folks? WHO? So the logic went, anyway, but NO. Every other restaurant around was pretty much empty, but not The Spotted Pig. TWO HOUR WAIT at 6:30pm on a SATURDAY in NYC. Kill yourself rather than wait that long for a table. It’ll be less painful if you do it right.
This news led my me and my trusty compatriots to wander the streets, looking for somewhere to eat, and there it was, like a beacon in the night, Smorgas Chef. I’d eaten there with my (mostly) monthly dinner group several years ago, and my main memory was of what seems like the Swedish version of Thanksgiving (and I LOVE me some Thanksgiving); Swedish Meatballs and Lingonberries with hive mashed potatoes, carrots, zucchini, squash, grädd sauce. Fannntastic. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
We began with a bunch of appetizers, including the Gravlax Croquettes, which were also extremely tasty, and an apple beet salad that had just the right blend of both. Highly recommended.
So, rather than find going to The Spotted Pig, putting your name on a TWO HOUR waiting list and then being forced to find a painless way of offing yourself rather than enduring the wait, do yourself a big favor, walk down the street to Smorgas Chef. You won’t miss The Spotted Pig at all.

Get to the Chase:
Pros:
1) Used a $ 90 Gilt City Coupon + $ 40 tip and tax = $ 130 for 4 course meal for 2 people + cocktail + 3 half glasses of wine + 1 dessert drink… definitely got crunked and stuffed with delicious food! SO WORTH IT
2) Did I mention they have amazing food? NO? WELL AGAIN THEY HAVE AMAZING FOOD (popped my cherry for Scandinavian food)
3) Excellent service, always refilled my water, always asked if everything was to satisfaction with every new dish, and thank the Goodliness that they have a clean bathroom (pet peeve is piss-​ridden graffiti bathrooms… with no toilet paper)
4) Very interesting décor, posh meets down-​to-​earth
5) Nice romantic mood lighting bow chica bow-​bow in a classy way
WILL DEFINITELY REVISIT THIS GEM
Cons:
1) had it not been for the $ 90 Groupon deal… personally for me $ 100/​person is not sustainable… definitely a delicious treat when you can throw down
2) Was empty on a Sunday at 6:30 PM when it was advised to get a reservation… perhaps on other nights it is, but Sunday wasn’t as busting as they proclaimed

We were in the mood to try something very different — their parsnip soup and beet salad were good. Their entrée of ricotta gnocchi with cauliflower was not too bad, but their dessert (mascarpone cheesecake) wasn’t great.
Ambiance and concept are cool! Vegetarian-​friendly and even gluten-​free options!

Great little restaurant, with excellent service and a good ambience.
I would recommend the Smorga Board for any first timers like me. A great sampler. Especially the gravlaks and herrings — with sauces that burst into delightful flavors in the mouth. However an appetizer and/​or dessert must be added not to feel hungry after your meal.
I did see that those who ordered steak struggle to finish it, they are generous with the steak portions.

Good
Design
And service.
Best for groups
Of 4 and less who want meat but not lots.

Great prix fixe deals all the time. We went there with an amazing gilt city coupon, but when we got there we discovered that it was only slightly better than some of their regular specials. Nonetheless, you get several courses of amazing food for a very reasonable price here.
Prior to smorgas chef, I didn’t know what Swedish food was outside of ikea. My boyfriend and I may not have known what we were getting into, but we are definitely glad we decided to give them a try. The specialty cocktails were fun and each course was delicious. I especially liked all the salmon. No need for a reservation, there were plenty of seats even on a saturday.
Great place for a date or after work drink. Would definitely go back someday.

Gutes Preis-​Leistungs-​Verhältnis, lecker, solide, Menü incl. Weinbegleitung für zwei für ca. 100 Dollar. Für NYC prima…

On a Sunday morning (well, noonish…), there was a wait for brunch seemingly everywhere around West Village — not surprising, sine we were a group of ten. But then, there was Smorgas, with a table ready to be cleared off for us! I don’t know if this is typical here, but it had me mildly concerned. As it turned out, however, the food was solid! In fact, it probably would’ve been a 5-​star experience if the service had been faster. Unfortunately, everything seemed to take forever, and there were several occasions that people poured water from their own glasses into the long-​empty ones of their hungover neighbors.
Still, it was a pleasant place for a longish brunch, with a number of omelettes, benedicts, and waffles on the menu, plus more lunchy items and Scandinavian dishes like Swedish meatballs or herring. My smoked salmon sandwich (salmon locks on loaded scrambled eggs) hit the spot, and everyone else seemed happy with their dishes as well. The iced coffee tasted fresh, and if I’d been up for a cocktail, the $ 19 entrée, coffee & cocktail deal would’ve allowed me a Bloody Mary for just another couple bucks.
It’s very cute inside, and all the sundresses and such seated around our table were quite appropriate. Next time I’m in the area, I’ll definitely check here first in hopes of avoiding a wait elsewhere.

Asides from the gloriously gorgeous specimen that is Alexander Skarsgard, the practical and sleek design of IKEA, and certain gummy fish shaped treats, I had very little exposure to the wonders Sweden (as well as other regions of Scandinavia) has to offer. It was a pleasure for me to embark on my first encounter with Nordic cuisine in the charming and simply darling restaurant that is Smorgas Chef of the West Village.
Nestled against a quaint cobblestone road, Smorgas is visually appealing from it’s playful bright yellow exterior to the whimsical design of the dining area, complete with the twisted trunk of a birch tree stretching its arms to the ceiling. The place is elegant, beautiful, and magical. Dining in a dimly lit setting with the glow of a candle on the marble topped table provided for a romantic and intimate evening.
My bf and I came here an early Valentine’s day dinner. We were greeted warmly and we were served by an attentive and amicable waiter. It was an enchanting night filled with great food and drinks.
VIKING BURIAL $ 12
With Vodka, lingonberries, peach apricot tea, and red wine. I chose this drink mostly because of the name and I was pleased to see how delicious and strong it was. If I had more of these I would probably resemble someone in heir eternal slumber (i.e. black out drunk)
WATER OF LIFE $ 12
Aquavit, crushed pears, lime, basil, Sencha tea. My bf enjoyed this drink thoroughly.
MUSSELS WITH SPICY MUSTARD SAUCE $$?
The mussels were part of the specials of that evening. It was succulent, briny, and spicy. Very delicious. Don’t hesitate to order this if you see it on the specials.
CLASSIC SMORGASBORD $ 19
gravlaks, jansson’s potato, swedish meatballs, herring, traditional accompaniments
In one platter I had the opportunity to taste the different nuances of Nordic cuisine. This smörgåsbord of food is not only a huge dish of delicious eats, it’s also an insightful offering of a people’s culture. This smörgåsbord is not for people who doesn’t like fish. Scandinavians love fish.
SALMON BURGER $ 14
atlantic salmon, sambal mayo, butter lettuce, cornichons
My bf opted for the salmon burger. The fish was well cooked and the burger as a whole was tasty. Yummy crisp fries.
SCANDINAVIAN SOFT VANILLA WAFFLES $ 7
Queen’s Blend preserve, chantilly cream
My bf takes huge bites and basically swallow things whole so I had to fight to get more of this crisp and sweet waffle.
For a romantic night with your loved one, a charming evening with friends, or for an introduction of a new cuisine, come to Smorgas.