Sveta

This is my second time coming in 3 months, and I have to give this restaurant a lot of credit. First of all, they pretty much change their atmosphere seasonally. I can only imagine how much work goes into decorating. In October, the place was covered in sunflowers, flowers and etc. and came for the Halloween cocktails and some food. I'm actually obsessed with how cute everything was. For apps, from both visits I've tried the dips, pelmeni, chicken kebab, coconut shrimp and avocado salad. All the apps were actually very good, but one downside is that the dips were super small in my opinion. Out of the entrees, I've tried the skirt steak, lamb chops, lobster rolls, and black linguine lobster shrimp. The lamb chops are superb. Skirt steak was good too. The pasta was good and tasty, but it's pretty heavy. As for the lobster rolls, I really enjoyed them, but keep in mind they are a cold lobster roll and they kind of remind me of a Russian seafood salad (something I grew up on). The fries are really good too! For dessert, we got the passion fruit and mango soufflé. I don't think I would call that a soufflé, but the presentation is so pretty and it was super delicious! Comes with 2 macarons too. Service was a bit slow, but honestly that did not bother us. The prices are a bit high, but nothing in NYC is free so I look at it as if the experience is also baked into the food prices. Thank you for creating such a lovely space to dine in. It was a wonderful time, and I love the cocktail presentations!!!

I really enjoyed the holiday decor for Sveta during our visit. The seasonal cocktails were all artfully done, however it looked to be more for show than for taste (the mojito was good though). For appetizers, the borscht was delicious and a massive portion. For entrees, the steak frites were a little over cooked but the chicken Tabaka was incredibly tasty, the sauce was fantastic and the chicken was cooked well.

Sveta was a cute brunch meetup spot for me and one of my oldest friends. It offers Ukranian fare but just by the luck of the draw none of us really got anything Ukranian to eat.It was pretty nondescript and without signage outside when we showed up looking for the place but once there we saw it was anything but non descript inside. Christmas and holiday decorations everywhere. And I do believe it changes with the season. Very much a place for the insta tiktok crowd.They also have cute holiday themed drinks. I got a matcha berry compote drink which was good, but only after really stirring it well to mix the layers. The signature Benedict I got was perfectly fine. I wouldn't say it's a foodie lovers paradise, but it was not bad by any measure. Just an ok and perfectly normal Benedict dish. I did appreciate that the eggs were not undercooked and a food hazard which can be a problem at some restaurants sometimes when it comes to an eggs benedict dish. My bf enjoyed his mushroom croque madame and my friend liked her stroganoff burger as well.All in all a 3.5 out of 5 for me.

Sveta: A Cozy Gem with a Few Growing PainsI recently visited Sveta for a belated birthday dinner with my best friend after seeing it raved about on TikTok. Let me just say, the experience didn't disappoint! When we arrived, the restaurant was already decked out in Christmas decorations, which I absolutely loved since Christmas is my favorite holiday. It added such a festive and magical touch to the atmosphere.Thankfully, we didn't have to wait for our table--something I had been worried about since I'd read reviews about long delays. The owner himself greeted us, and we learned the restaurant was named after his mom, which was such a sweet and personal detail. He even seated us, which made us feel extra special.For appetizers, we ordered the chicken shish kebab and shrimp dish. Both were flavorful, perfectly seasoned, and left us without a single complaint. For our entrées, my friend went with the black pasta linguine, and I opted for the steak with fries. My steak was cooked exactly as requested and tasted delicious, while my friend's pasta was equally satisfying.While Sveta is known for its extravagant drink presentations, we decided to keep it simple. My friend got a mojito, and I ordered a cocktail (I can't remember the name!) that came with a light-up ornament--a fun and festive touch. Both drinks were refreshing and well-made.For dessert, we shared the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream, which was absolutely to die for. It was the perfect ending to an already great meal.While the food and service were excellent, the restaurant's small size is a bit of a drawback. The space can feel tight, especially with the buzz it's getting. I think the owner could make some changes to elevate the experience--perhaps making it more exclusive and stricter with reservations, similar to how Carbone operates. This would add to its allure and also help manage the space better.Another small con was the draft from the front door. People waiting for tables kept leaving the door open, and it made everyone seated near the front, including us, a bit cold. Having someone stationed to manage this would be a big improvement.As we were leaving, the owner surprised us with complimentary shots, which was such a kind and thoughtful gesture. It left a lasting impression and capped off a wonderful evening.I'd love to return for brunch if I can snag a reservation! Overall, I highly recommend Sveta for its delicious food, warm service, and festive vibe--just be prepared for a cozy (and sometimes tight) dining experience.

Sveta is a huge no for me! Four of us made a reservation for this last Saturday night and we were all so excited for the holiday cheer and cocktails! What we got was not much cheer and a terrible experience.The reservation was at 7:15 and we showed up on time, the line was literally out the door and when we checked in for the reservation the person could not find it until we showed the confirmation email (something about the reservation moving over to Resy).Anyway the person told us to wait outside and he would bring champagne, no champagne ever arrived and we watched the person continue to seat people who came after us (along with a group of guys who were friends with the restaurant staff).We asked if we could sit at the bar and order drinks, which an exception was made... we ordered a round of drinks and the person who checked us in told us that he would comp the first round... we also ordered French fries which we never got and had to ask where they were.Anyway, I complained a few times and was told that the table in the corner was ours, however, it was only set for three people, so we marched over to the table and sat ourselves down (it was already 8:45 at this point) Finally the server came over and took our drink/appetizer order. We had a number of appetizers everything from the Burrata Mozzarella Crostini, to the savory dips.We then ordered our main courses, I had the Black Linguine Tiger Shrimp and my boyfriend had the Beef Stroganoff (all the food was really good, however, I woke up this morning with a horrible case of food poisoning from the Shrimp) We were given our bills and we noticed that we were charged for the initial round of drinks, which I pointed out to the server and she said "oh right, the Saturday special" not sure what that means but it sounds like horrible service is a common issue!I think the ambiance is cute, however, the service is atrocious! Never again will I return to Sveta.

We came here knowing places like this usually skimp out on service and food when presentation is the main focus. Boy we were not wrong. That being said, before sitting down we looked around and people seemed to be having a good time. And the food did look really good. We got there right when we had our reservation - 7pm. We let the person in the front know (seemed to be the owner of some sort, he kept telling everyone walking in that the place was named after his mom). He told us it would be 5 minutes until he could seat us- no problem. That's until 5 minutes became 30 and we were told numerous times "5 more minutes." We finally sat down, ordered drinks and our food. The drinks were drop dead gorgeous. I won't even deny that. The food also came out in a decent amount of time but every thing was so underseasoned. My friend ordered a medium steak that came well done. My steak was just screaming for some salt. At the end we got our check. We put our cards down and then it was brought back to us to sign. At this point my friends and I were taking some selfies. We took maybe 2 minutes to do so? The original guy who greeted us at the door came by to pick up what he assumed was the signed check. When we told him to give us a minute, he rolled his eyes and walked away. Completely unacceptable considering we were the ones seated half an hour late. Will not be returning.

Festive, fun, and quirky! The holiday decorations are super cute and the drinks were over the top and so fun! They do have a holiday cocktail menu and the regular drink menu looked fun too. I ordered the "Sveta Stole Christmas" and it came in a giant grinch cup/sleigh situation! It was pretty fun. You definitely need a reservation around the holidays (we made ours about a month in advance). The space was packed and a little tight, but that's to be expected! The drinks were mostly $20-25 which for NYC at a holiday themed bar is average or honestly a little less than other places I have been! We did peek at their food menu and I didn't love the options, so we just stuck with the drinks!

Located in West Village, this place is such a vibe! I had been following them on IG and glad I experienced it. The decor alone gets 5 stars easily! Made a reservation for two for dinner on a Friday night. Reservations are recommended. There were almost no available seats.We were seated right away. I had looked at the menu ahead of time so I knew what I wanted. I got the "Pretty Woman" cocktail - vodka based and delicious. The presentation itself was amazing. I want another one!For food, I got the braised short rib, and even though it's under the starters, it was filling for me. It was so good.The service was excellent, and I would be excited to visit again!

I've been a huge fan of the other Eastern European restaurants in the city and wanted to finally give this one a try! The space itself is beautiful and has fantastic decor. I came by for dinner with a group and had the following (I'm only including items without meat as I didn't try them):Crepe with salmon and caviar - this is not how it is traditionally served and I found the crepes to be too thick. It was fine but wasn't up to my standards.Potato vareniki - it was all right (hard to mess that up) but the fried onion that came out of a bag was disappointing. Borscht- I had it without meat and it was delicious!Potato salad - this is another staple which I sometimes make myself and know the taste is this well. Unfortunately it had a bit a sour taste to it that I didn't enjoy. Salmon entree - very good, however, certainly not Eastern European.Tea - delicious.Napoleon - incredibly disappointing. This isn't Eastern European standard Napoleon cake and this quality is something that I would find at an American bakery. Sirniki- pleasantly surprised, they were much better than the Napoleon.All the drinks were beautiful but not sure the taste as I typically don't drink. I probably won't be back given that there are other phenomenal restaurants with better eastern European food in the city.

Nope Overpriced $8 for bad coffee and $8 for a coffee refill?Food nothing to glow aboutBasically if you are 20 ish and only have your face planted in social media it's perfectRidiculous drinksPlus they include an Operating FeeBasically I felt like it was a total hustle