Smorgas Chef Village

(212) 243-7073

283 W 12th St (at 4th St.)
New York, NY 10014 40.7375 -74.0039

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Neighborhoods: West Village, Downtown

Hours:

Mon-Fri,11am-10:30pm

Sat-Sun, 11am-10pm

Price:

$$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Brunch, Lunch Spot, Date Spot, Happy Hour, Bar Scene

Cuisine:

Scandinavian, Swedish, Seafood

What People Are Saying About Smorgas Chef Village

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Scandinavian/European cuisine featuring meatballs, waffles, sandwiches is served at three locations, downtown, midtown and the West Village. Weekend brunch, delivery, happy hour.

ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “This place is great--drinks are beyond good, food is very well flavored and atmosphere is true west village charm.”
  2. “Smorgas Chef is a cozy restaurant with wonderful service but the best part was definitely the amazing meatballs!”
  3. “The atmosphere transitions with the time of day and their actual location is beyond charming.”
  4. “nice neighborhood (ask for the table in front by the window), atmosphere was good.”
  5. “It is in a really nice area and the atmosphere is great.”
  6. “Long wait for food, slimy greens, nice location however, so many other better restaurants nearby.”
  7. “It's really nice when you discover a place that has such pretty decor, great service and, of course, excellent food.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “The crab-cakes, and gravlacks were excellent.”
  2. “The food is great, everything from the appetizers to the desert menu.”
  3. “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.”
  4. “The desserts were interesting but not as tasty as I expected them to be.”
  5. “Our cream of mushroom soup was yummy, the beet salad was delish, and the mains were great.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “Unique cocktails, vegan swedish meatballs and glass bottles”
  2. “This place is great--drinks are beyond good, food is very well flavored and atmosphere is true west village charm.”
  3. “Happy hours/two for one drinks as well.”
  4. “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.”
  5. “... Excellent menu and wine choice from New Zealand.”
  6. “We wanted someplace to eat good food and drinks after work!”
  7. “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.”
food quality
93.54999542236328% positive
  1. “Our cream of mushroom soup was yummy, the beet salad was delish, and the mains were great.”
  2. “You must order their brunch specialty: Baked eggs!”
  3. “Was the food authentic?”
  4. “Love the taste and presentation of all the dishes.”
  5. “Not only was the food of knock-out quality, but the portions were a nice size and the service excellent.”
  6. “The desserts were interesting but not as tasty as I expected them to be.”
  7. “Our waitress was so nice and the food she recommended was really good.”
  8. “We wanted someplace to eat good food and drinks after work!”
  9. “We also had the mussels, which were pretty good and my bf had the pepercorn steak, which he seemed to enjoy.”
  10. “This place is great--drinks are beyond good, food is very well flavored and atmosphere is true west village charm.”
  11. “It resembled (and tasted) like baby food.”
  12. “Long wait for food, slimy greens, nice location however, so many other better restaurants nearby.”
  13. “The bun, tomato, pickles etc were good however, the patty was not good at all.”
  14. “With extremely attentive and elegant waitstaff, you shall experience scandinavian food at its best!”
  15. “The food is great, everything from the appetizers to the desert menu.”
  16. “The food never disappointed me.”
  17. “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.”
  18. “Service was very attentive, the food was served quickly and timely (we didn't feel rushed at all).”
  19. “Great food!”
  20. “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.”
  21. “The mixed green which accompanied the burger was not fresh and had slimy bits.”
  22. “The Norwegian Wood is my favorite cocktail, with white rum and a mix of berries, it has a kick, but the taste is fresh and sweet.”
  23. “The crab-cakes, and gravlacks were excellent.”
  24. “It's really nice when you discover a place that has such pretty decor, great service and, of course, excellent food.”
  25. “the cucumber salad was a good stubtle compliment to the stronger salmon flavor.”
  26. “Smorgas Chef is such a tasty little secret.”
  27. “Tart and Chocolate Mousse were all so yummy!”
  28. “Great place to sit back, relax and have a great meal.”
  29. “Smorgas Chef is a charming restaurant, with pleasant and attentive service, and amazing food.”
  30. “If the food had been good we could have overlooked this point.”
  31. “Go for the vanilla waffle and cafe latte, both a nice treat to close the meal.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “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.”
  2. “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.”
  3. “... Excellent menu and wine choice from New Zealand.”
  4. “The food is great, everything from the appetizers to the desert menu.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “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.”
  2. “We just moved into the neighborhood, and what a nice discovery to came across this wonderful place.”
  3. “always am passing it so knew it would be a nice new place to try out.”
  4. “It's really nice when you discover a place that has such pretty decor, great service and, of course, excellent food.”
service
100.0% positive
  1. “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.”
  2. “Not only was the food of knock-out quality, but the portions were a nice size and the service excellent.”
  3. “We had a very knowledgeable and attentative waitress, which really helped.”
  4. “staff was friendly.”
  5. “Smorgas Chef is a charming restaurant, with pleasant and attentive service, and amazing food.”
  6. “The service was incredibly friendly and attentive.”
  7. “Service was very attentive, the food was served quickly and timely (we didn't feel rushed at all).”
  8. “Bartender and wait staff were friendly and super accommodating.”
  9. “She was also a great waitress.”
  10. “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.”
  11. “Our waitress was so nice and the food she recommended was really good.”
  12. “It's really nice when you discover a place that has such pretty decor, great service and, of course, excellent food.”
  13. “With extremely attentive and elegant waitstaff, you shall experience scandinavian food at its best!”
  14. “Smorgas Chef is a cozy restaurant with wonderful service but the best part was definitely the amazing meatballs!”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “Not only was the food of knock-out quality, but the portions were a nice size and the service excellent.”
  2. “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.”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “On a freezing sunday afternoon where countless other "overrated" brunch spots are boasting 45-minute waits, lies this unexpectedly fantastic brunch spot!”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/19/10

Thank you for a wonderful birthday!

by melindakaplan12 at Citysearch

My boyfriend booked this restaurant for my birthday. He wanted to surprise me with a new cuisine. I'm so happy he did! We got there on saturday night 15 minutes late and the hostess kindly greeted us even if the restaurant was very busy. From the looks of it it seamed like a very neighborly place which was nice. The menu was really interesting and everything they were bringing out to the other tables looked delicious so it was hard to pick just one thing on the menu! I ended up ordering the salmon with vegetables and my boyfriend got the swedish meatballs. It looked delicious and smelled even better so I had to try a bite. Both dishes were very good. But the best part of the dinner was the yammy drinks. I can't decide if I prefered the Norweigan wood with fresh berries in it or the light and sweet white Sangria. Which I by the way have to come back for more of on a sunny brunch. The entire staff was also very friendly. They made my birthday so special with the kind manager bringing out a desert and all singing happy birthday :) I'm really glad my boyfriend choose this place! Very reasonable pricing, which just made the entire experience wonderful.

  • Pros: Amazing drinks, friendly staff, great outdoor space
4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/23/10

Unique cocktails, vegan swedish meatballs and glass bottles

by danizup at Citysearch

Smorgas is the type of place I'd never stumble upon if it weren't for my adventurous taste buds. The atmosphere transitions with the time of day and their actual location is beyond charming. The music is always at a perfect tempo and volume and the interiors are captivating and differnet than your average. With blue glass bottles acting as walls and utensils adorning the light fixtures, this eatery is one of a kind. Both indoor and outdoor seating options are available.

The Norwegian Wood is my favorite cocktail, with white rum and a mix of berries, it has a kick, but the taste is fresh and sweet. I usually start with the beet and goat cheese salad or seafood chowder. The chowder is white and creamy and loaded with multiple types of seafood; salmon, clams, mussels, shrimp and so forth. The mussels and fries is an excellent choice for a meal if you opt to have an appetizer. If not, I'd try the more traditional dishes there, hey, its what you came for! I'm vegetarian so I usually snag the vegan swedish meatballs, which never fail me.

Dessert is never a bad idea at Smorgas. Go for the vanilla waffle and cafe latte, both a nice treat to close the meal.

This is a place you can bring a group of friends and sit for a few hours to unwind with some drinks and delicious, different food. Also - the happy hour is pretty good from what I hear. If you get there before I have the opportunity please do send details this way!

  • Pros: Excellent service, good portion size, different experience
  • Cons: None
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/01/10

Great break from the city

by JW2010 at Citysearch

Love the swedish meatballs. It feels like you walked off the sidewalk in New York and ended up at a cafe in Europe. Great place to sit back, relax and have a great meal.

  • Pros: food, atmorsphere
4 Star Rating: Recommended

12/28/08

Scandinavian... maybe not REAL Scandinavian, but really good

by eat_club at Citysearch

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
4 Star Rating: Recommended

12/04/08

I can't wait to go back

by joedie at Citysearch

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.

The Details on Smorgas Chef Village

Place Categories:

  • great service
  • great baby food
  • like new place
  • sweet taste
  • very knowledgeable waitress
  • unique vegan swedish meatballs
  • nice atmosphere
  • charming restaurant
  • good drinks
  • favorite cocktail
  • nice neighborhood
  • unexpectedly fantastic brunch spot
  • friendly wait staff
  • great mains
  • excellent gravlacks
  • elegant waitstaff
  • recommend smorgas chef
  • order brunch specialty
  • all so yummy chocolate mousse
  • great meal
  • enjoyed meatball appetizer
  • interesting desserts
  • excellent crabcakes
  • just as friendly folks
  • pretty good happy hour