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Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House Reviews List
Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Smörgås Chef Restaurant serves up super fresh seafood and prime meats based on centuries of Scandinavian & European culinary traditions. Zagat Survey says Smörgås Chef is "a refreshing change of pace", and Village Voice claims the food is "Damn Good."
Smörgås Chef's authentic Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberries have become famous. The New York Post calls Smörgås Chef the "Swedish Meatball Mecca" of New York. Smörgås Chef has also become known for its roasted rack of lamb with a goat cheese Sherry sauce, and its oven-baked Cod from the Kenai Peninsula.
For lunch, you will find a smorgasbord of open-face Scandinavian sandwiches like Cold water Shrimp, Smoked Salmon with Egg & Chives, and Chicken Caramel with Norwegian goat cheese and asparagus. For weekend brunch, enjoy Scandinavian Baked Eggs with a chanterelle hollandaise, Eggs Benedict, Burgers, and Vanilla Waffles. The New York Times calls Smörgås Chef "a little treasure Downtown."
See more Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House details
Smörgås Chef's authentic Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberries have become famous. The New York Post calls Smörgås Chef the "Swedish Meatball Mecca" of New York. Smörgås Chef has also become known for its roasted rack of lamb with a goat cheese Sherry sauce, and its oven-baked Cod from the Kenai Peninsula.
For lunch, you will find a smorgasbord of open-face Scandinavian sandwiches like Cold water Shrimp, Smoked Salmon with Egg & Chives, and Chicken Caramel with Norwegian goat cheese and asparagus. For weekend brunch, enjoy Scandinavian Baked Eggs with a chanterelle hollandaise, Eggs Benedict, Burgers, and Vanilla Waffles. The New York Times calls Smörgås Chef "a little treasure Downtown."
62 Current Reviews
Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews
Overall
(Very Good)
3.8
/
5
Rating Breakdown 62 reviews
5 stars
(13)
4 stars
(27)
3 stars
(19)
2 stars
(2)
1 star
(1)
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
3.7
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
Filter Reviews By:
Diners classify this restaurant as:
- neighborhood gem(23)
- fit for foodies(14)
- great for lunch(14)
- great for brunch(11)
- good for groups(5)
- kid-friendly(4)
Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House Reviews List
Review 1 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Only problem was the lack of air conditioning- rather uncomfortable on a muggy day."
Dined on 5/22/2013
Special Features: great for lunch
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Review 2 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Smorgasbord Chef
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"This is a pretty room with a large tree in the center. While the food was very good, service was fair. They had a fixed price menu but waiter couldn't find a copy of it. Website had menu and fixed price menu but was out of date. Once we were there awhile service improved from poor to fair. Don't go with expectations too high."
Dined on 5/07/2013
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Review 3 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"This was my first visit to Smorgas Chef and what a pleasant surprise. Food was fresh and delicious and service was very attentive. Will definitely return, and soon."
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Review 4 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Always a pleasant meal
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"A small unpretentious place, with wonderful Scandinavian food. Not huge portions, but what's wrong with that? Leaves room for delicious dessert!"
Dined on 5/03/2013
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Review 5 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Good food, but poor service,
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"I had lunch here at 2.30pm on a Sat afternoon. I was dining alone, and there were at most four other parties in the restaurant. After being seated, I was offered a beverage, ordered and had bread delivered to the table. After 15 minutes or so, my entree was delivered. I ordered the Gravlaks platter which was excellent. However, from the time the food arrived, no one stopped by the table until more than 20 minutes after I had finished eating. After inquiring about dessert, another 20 minutes passed before I had to wave the waitress down for the check (which she then delivered without a word of thanks). Meanwhile, staff cleaned other tables and chatted with each other. The good food will be forgotten due to the poor service."
Dined on 4/27/2013
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Review 6 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Good value especially given
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Good value especially given Park Ave location. Relaxed, spacious with tables comfortably apart. Herring excellent, mussles good. Meatballs boring."
Dined on 04/24/2013
2012
Special Features: kid-friendly, great for lunch
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Review 7 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
We had original plate thing
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"We had original plate thing and sarmon . Chef really knows how to cook fish .Also the floor man reccmmend good wine . Next time I want try local beer and meet ball ."
Dined on 04/20/2013
2012
Special Features: great for brunch, romantic, hot spot
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Review 8 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Went for Sunday Brunch. Menu
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Went for Sunday Brunch. Menu was diverse enough and food was very good. Service was not great, though the place was relatively empty. Staff seemed more intent on cleaning empty counters than attending to requests for more coffee."
Dined on 04/21/2013
2013
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Review 9 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Nice, quiet place to get a
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Nice, quiet place to get a good, light meal."
Dined on 04/11/2013
2009
Special Features: great for lunch
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Review 10 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
even the pickled herring taste good
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Scandinavian food is, I think fairly universally, not highly regarded and with its emphasis on pickled fishes it's not hard to see why. However, Smorgas Chef manages to actually make Scandinavian food really tasty, providing bold flavors in classic Scandinavian dishes. It's definitely worth a try. You may even learn to like it as much as I do!"
Dined on 04/04/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 11 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Rich Flavors, Diverse Foods
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"The food was fantastic. Flavors were rich and varied, from the creamed herring, to the beets and goat cheese, to the parsnip soup. The food was expertly prepared. I would highly recommend this restaurant."
Dined on 03/29/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies
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Review 12 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Comsistently enjoyable lunch
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Comsistently enjoyable lunch with friendly staff and delicious food"
Dined on 03/28/2013
2010
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Review 13 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
delicious food, and lovely
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"delicious food, and lovely environment"
Dined on 03/27/2013
2012
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Review 14 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
The food was very well prepared
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"The food was very well prepared except for a salad dressing that was far too salty. The service was attentive and friendly. The decor was simple but tasteful. I will got back for future meals."
Dined on 03/23/2013
2010
Special Features: great for brunch, neighborhood gem
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Review 15 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
How nice it was to find a
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"How nice it was to find a quiet restaurant with friendly (not in your face I"m so & so etc)service with very good food. Portions are good without being greedy. Appetizers can be shared and everyone feels feed and NOT stuffed. Good reasonable wine list. You can actually have a conversation with your tablemates and not yell. Best part after 7p its so easy to park.
We had herring appetizer served with a cold crepe which was very good. Swedish meatballs (shared) beet/goat cheese salad. Salmon, cod & fish stew as mains-all excellent. Fish was cooked perfectly. Rice pudding and flourless chocloate cake(shared).
Will return
CLWP"
We had herring appetizer served with a cold crepe which was very good. Swedish meatballs (shared) beet/goat cheese salad. Salmon, cod & fish stew as mains-all excellent. Fish was cooked perfectly. Rice pudding and flourless chocloate cake(shared).
Will return
CLWP"
Dined on 03/01/2013
2009
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem
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Review 16 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Great food and flawless service!
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Great food and flawless service!"
Dined on 02/22/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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Review 17 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Went here for dinner and had
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Went here for dinner and had a good experience but it seems that the restaurant is not looking for a dinner crowd. They close at 9. The manager used a table to do her work. The staff ordered a pizza. Weird all-round."
Dined on 02/21/2013
2004
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Review 18 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
A happy Valentines day.
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We were looking for a sustainable foods type of restaurant and also somewhere delicious. Everything on their Valentines day menu looked good and everything that we ordered tasted great. Highlights were probably the sea scallops dish and also the rice pudding dessert, it definitely wasn't typical. The staff was friendly and helpful. We really love that there is a real tree in the center of the restaurant right next to the tables. I would definitely come again and I already have recommended it to a friend."
Dined on 02/14/2013
2013
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Review 19 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Food presentation was lovely
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Food presentation was lovely yet my entree was lukearm in temperature - seemed to be sitting getting cold while all other orders for my table were completed. Server was attentive and friendly if slow at times. Lovely room yet quite noisy when full, as it was during lunch the day we were there."
Dined on 02/07/2013
2012
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Review 20 for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
I would have never thought
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Poor)
1
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"I would have never thought Smorgas chef would be this bad of an experience. I've been to the west village location and I like it, so I had the same expectations for here too. However the waitress was clearly not paying attention to us, she was barely sliding in food and not showing up whenever I was asking for more water. The food was tipid. I couldn't believe how cold of a dish I was getting. The waffles were soggy and the overall quality of food was not good."
Dined on 01/26/2013
2010
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Ratings-Only Reviews for Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
Based on the average of (42) ratings-only reviews
Overall
(Very Good)
3.9
/
5
5 out of 5 recommend this product
Food
(Outstanding)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
3.7
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate