Smorgas Chef
“It was pretty cold out and the Swedish Meatballs and Lingonberries really hit the spot.”
“I would recommend the gravlax the mussels, or if you're feeling adventurous, the herring tasting plate.”
“On a cozy cobbled street in the financial district, Smorgas Chef is an cute restaurant with delicious food.”
Smorgas Chef
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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One of our neighborhood staples in fidi. I always head here for brunch or a lunch meeting. I enjoy their duck, although it is a tad on the salty side. I also love their appetizer portion of meatballs. Mostly because it does not include their red cabbage. Not to say it isn't good cabbage…I'm just more into the taste of their Lingon berries in that gravy!
I often come and meet friends here in order to have a nice quiet place to talk. The staff are always nice and the food is consistently good and the ambience of the restaurant is nice and relaxed. The best part is, both the crepes du nord menu and the smorges menu is available here! Everyone should always have room for dessert!
Top Scandinavian restaurant. Sorry IKEA but your meatballs are just shit compared to Smorgas Chef. Let's say your meatballs are as good as your furniture.
The meatballs are so tender and juicy that melts in your mouth. They come with a perfect gravy that kicks up all the flavors. The chutney or whatever you call that cranberry sauce is extraordinary.
The salmon toast was as good as the meatballs and I don't even bother to review the awesome dessert they have… just order it: Dulce de leche crepe!
Stone Street is a landmark already and having the opportunity to dine in a place in the center of the fun is just great.
Just go there and have real Scandinavian meatballs in a great street. I recommend having brunch outside. They have a nice outdoor seating
I came here to get a preview of what I am going to eat for an upcoming trip to the Scandinavia region, and even met some new people as a couple of new friends were coordinating an event. I thought my experience here was fairly average, not great nor excellent.
The Swedish meatballs were pretty good, I ordered the appetizer size, and it's large enough for a light meal before going on a moderate food tour of New York. Really liked the flavor of the gravy and the texture of the mashed potatoes had a nice softness.
As for service, when you're sitting outside, it was kind of difficult to get a server's attention, maybe they were busy serving the people inside, but the inside was not really that busy. One thing that was understandable but extremely irritating and uncomfortable was the demeanor and mannerisms of the manager on duty at that time. Someone in our party brought some outside food from one of the restaurants next door and sat down with us to continue eating. The manager came over to our table and was being very hostile and rude, saying that we can't bring outside food and lectured to us that he has to make money to upkeep the outside tables and pretty much how life is not really easy. I understand the frustrations, but I don't think it justifies rudeness and borderline hostility to the paying guests at this place. If he really is so passionate about not having outside food, my recommendation would be that he post a sign and be more considerate and tactful. The place is located next to a lot of other restaurants with outdoor seating, making the street look like an outdoor food court.
Overall, if you are looking for some decently good Scandinavian influenced food in this part of New York, this is not a bad choice. If the manager on duty changes his demeanor very significantly, I might even come back to this place, but the likelihood of me coming to this place is very minimal.
There are a few Smorgas Chefs around the City now, although the most important is located in the Scandinavia House just south of Grand Central. If a cultural institution devoted to the Nordic countries is allowing this food to be served, who, as the Pope would say, are we to judge?
The somewhat lighter food of the far north is a welcome change from the heavy Mexican, barbecue, buger and German options scattered on this half of Stone Street. All of these places do have some sort of sad salad, but other than that it's typically meat and cheese on top of meat.
The gravlax came in a solid portion, with mustard and a cream dill on the side and a hard dark cracker for texture. The potato salad and crunch of the cucumber helped mix alternate the sour and savory bites in a pleasant way. My co-worker got the meatballs, which I suppose aren't light, but I've had in the past and do pass muster.
This isn't the absolutely high point of Nordic dining in the city, it's a bit too workaday and affordable to dive into the eccentricities of New Nordic cuisine, but it is a reliable and dependable option for when you want to eat outside not munch on a salad.
I've been to the West Village location and loved it there. This location is just as good! The lingonberry soda was amazing, the chocolate & raspberry crepe was sheer heaven and my entree? It was more like brunch — salmon over eggs and toast. OH, and the mushroom soup special was not to be missed. Man was I full. But every bite was worth it!
Great little restaurant for lunch! Nice wines and the food was very tasty. I had the burger with Gruyere and bacon and it was cooked perfect and SO delicious – not to mention huge! My friend had the smorgasbord and really enjoyed the fresh salmon and Swedish meatballs.
The food here is consistently awesome. It's a great way to feel like you're escaping to a Nordic country while staying right in NYC. The setting is perfect for dates too! I highly recommend it.
Solid place to check out on a summer evening because of the communal seating on Stone St. It's cute.
I tried the Swedish meatballs appetizer which was very good – served with a tiny bit of mashed potatoes and sauce; the flavors were well balanced and delicious. The fries were seasoned nicely as well and the dipping sauces that accompanied them were unique thus making this usual, basic side dish much more worth it.
The service was extremely attentive which I did not expect given the fact that we were outside and the seating was very crammed. Our food and drinks came out quickly. My knife fell on the ground and seconds after I picked it up, someone brought another one. How they even noticed was beyond me…but very much appreciated.
To have an idea of pricing: 2 orders of the Swedish meatballs appetizer, a side of fries, and 2 cocktails came to about $80 with tip….steep for what you get but if you must, you must.
I would rate Smorgas Chef 3.5 stars.