Sveta Reviews

We went to Sveta to celebrating two birthdays. The restaurant exceeded our expectations on every level. The food, service, and ambiance were all fantastic and we are not an easy group to please. Very generous with drinks and dessert. The staff made our birthday celebration memorable. Highly recommend and can’t wait to go back there!

A family of 3, after walking miles, decided to stop on for a beer or two and found this restaurant to be fantastic! Clean, modem, with a friendly staff and a great atmosphere. We hope to be back soon!

The food, drinks, and atmosphere were amazing. The restaurant was so beautiful inside and out on the street seating. Let’s talk about the Mimosas! Wow. They were so cool and the food was very good as well

What a charming restaurant. The food is delicious. The ambiance and decor is beautiful but the cocktails are fantastic! Cocktails are delicious and decorated in a fun fashion. Love this restaurant!

The food was overpriced. The drinks were too sugary. The place is too tacky and kitschy for my taste. The waiters looked angry. But, the most offensive part is the lack of transparency on the bill. Beware- they add a mandatory 18% tip and a dubious 5 % "operating fee" (that's a 23% tip)! I found it deceptive that on a separate bill, they total the amount due and then ask you to put another tip of 20, 25, 30 percent! That means the unsuspecting diner is putting a minimum 40% tip. I think this is clearly a deceptive practice as no where on the second credit card bill (where you sign) does it state they already added a 23% tip. To ask for an additional tip of 20, 25, 30 % when they have already added a 23% tip is deceptive. As I was looking at the bill in disbelief, I was wondering how many diners were duped into putting another 20, 25, 30 percent on top of the 23% tip. PLEASE REVIEW YOUR CHECK CAREFULLY!! DON'T FALL FOR THIS SCAM!

My friend picked this place out from instagram & making reservations was easy. The service was great our waiter was on point & we really enjoyed our food. Highly recommend the shrimp pasta dish. The drinks were really creative & fun for a girls night out. Highly recommend for date night!

Wonderful location, all decorated for Christmas and with themed cocktails really well made and, above all, delicious! Even the food won us over, with typical dishes of the Ukrainian tradition. Definitely if we come back to NY we want to come back here to try other dishes and other cocktails!

I cannot thank enough an amazing stuff and owner of Sveta for making my Birthday SPECIAL. From the beginning to the end of the evening I and my 19-guest had a 10-star service, delicious food, amazing presentation and drinks oh gosh .... just one of the kinds ...must try must see Thank you so much!!!! Food: 5

We just had a delightful evening at Sveta. There was a delay to get seated and the owner brought us glasses of champagne while we waited-lovely and unexpected. The restaurant is a beautifully decorated, warm and inviting space. The staff is friendly and attentive. The food is delicious and the presentations are amazing, especially the cocktails. We will definitely be back-highly recommend for a fun night out. There are hundreds of restaurants in nyc, but this one stands out-give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

Visited Sveta this past Saturday with a reservation for 3 people. We arrived approximately 10 minutes late and were informed we were still within the 15-minute grace period. Due to the restaurant being busy, we were seated in the front, which was not an issue. After being seated, we received no service for about 45 minutes. I used to bartender and serve when I was younger so I know the process of serving. During this time, multiple parties seated after us were immediately attended to. Our assigned server made eye contact several times and appeared aware that we were his table, yet never approached or acknowledged us. When we requested to speak with a manager, there was no apology or accountability offered. Instead, we were offered cake in a dismissive manner, which did not address the issue. Based on the clear disparity in service, we felt we were treated differently due to our race and age. I only point out race because while we were seated our server acted as though he didn't want to service us, constantly looked at us in disgust same with the manager. Yes, we may have seemed young. However everyone at that table was 25 all with successful careers. This was especially disappointing given that we have dined here multiple times in the past (approximately two years ago), consistently had positive experiences, and typically spent around $300+ per visit. This visit reflected a serious lack of service, professionalism, and basic hospitality, and it has significantly changed our perception of the restaurant.

I wanted my dil and granddaughter to taste borscht so I ordered just one bowl for all of us. It was served in three separate bowls and each of us had a good portion for an appetizer. The borscht was delicious! I could have just eaten borscht and been completely satisfied! We also had chicken Kiev and chicken tabaka which were both very good. For dessert we had Cherry Vereniki , handmade cherry dumplings, and homemade Napoleon. They were both excellent but I liked the Cherry Verenki the best. The waiter/owner of Sveta was very personable and accommodating. He was such a nice young man who named his restaurant after his mom🥰

If you’re craving authentic Ukrainian cuisine in New York City, then Sveta is the place to go! From borscht and varenyky to golubtsi (holubtsi), there are so many warming, rich flavors to explore. One of the best things about Ukrainian food is how it combines fresh ingredients with bold, savory flavors—perfect for warming up on a cold day. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Sveta, they bring an authentic taste of Ukraine to the heart of New York City! https://sveta-nyc.com/

Place where owners put their heart in. Menu carefully created and made to satisfy everyone's taste. Dishes and Drinks are decorated individually every day is different. Must visit once to understand this warm and unique atmosphere.

Finally, after 5 months my friends and I were able meet up and enjoy great drinks and food together. Sveta is an absolute must try! The food was incredible and so was the service, but the drink special was everything. Repost your experience and receive a free refill!

Ever wanted to TRY UKRAINIAN FOOD?😋 Now you can do that AND support UKRAINE 💛💙 Sveta restaurant is partnering with Stoli vodka to donate $5 from each cocktail purchased to feed Ukrainian refugee families🙏🏻 For me being a Ukrainian, this spot definitely was a hidden gem 😍 I loved every second there and am looking forward to come back with friends! What impressed me the most: 🤍Awesome handcrafted cocktails with WOW presentation 🤍Various food option featuring European cuisine, with highlight being Ukrainian dishes - Chicken Kiev and Ukrainian sushi is Must! 🤍The place is very cozy, has great vibe and is conveniently located in West Village Alan the owner and his Mom Sveta, after whom he named the restaurant, are from my hometown KHARKIV, which made this place even more special for me! Thank you Alan and team for a lovely visit! Dear Fellow Traveler, thank you for reading all the way through this review, I hope it was helpful :) if you have questions about the restaurant, want to see more photos and videos or just want to say Hi, feel free to reach out to my Insta @daria.newyork ❤️ Cheers to good people, magnificent places and unique experiences! 🔥

Is there an option for 0 stars? Please visit this place just to see how bad of an experience you can have! Dinner from hell!!! I wish there was an option for negative star rating. I visit a lot of restaurants every month and when something is not to my liking, I never leave a bad review, but this is an experience I simply have to share and warn people from this place. I made a big mistake when I decided to go to this Ukrainian restaurant because I wanted to make my Ukrainian mother in law feel special for mother’s day. Absolutely horrible service (Russian woman that looked pissed off the whole time haha), even worse drinks (very sweet, and when i sent one back, they still charged me for it), we paid over $300 for 3 ppl that had 4 appetizers (pretty good), 3 very average burgers (they only had two kinds of burgers, and a salmon dish as their entrees), and 2 deserts. At the end the mean lady brought the check, i quickly paid it and left without saying anything, but still left 25% tip (since I used to work in the service industry). When I came back home, I realized that they had put additional 18% tip without telling me anything. 40% tip for horrible overpriced drinks, and crap food, and even worse service. You decide if you want to go there! Since I own a marketing company, I almost made it my mission to warn ppl in NYC about this place. P.S. As a bonus they offer laminated one-page menus like some road side diner. They are very classy ;) If you hate someone, recommend this place to them. GO SVETA RESTAURANT!

This is an amazing restaurant! The staff was so personable and professional. They were so accommodating for our friends. Dinner was a 6 so delicious and drinks were amazing!! the manager even gave us a complementary birthday dessert and let me tell you the dessert was the best we’ve ever had!!!

The food was fantastic. My beef stroganoff burger was great. The cherry dumplings were awesome. Super cool decor. Very convenient location. Great service.

Wonderful spot! Attention to detail was top notch. The food was delicious and service was very thoughtful. Decor was beautiful - great place for bridal or baby shower, birthday or anniversary celebration. I would definitely return.

estive, 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!

Went to Sveta last Sunday night with my family for the 1st time as i have been trying to support Ukrainian establishments and business both domestically and abroad. Aside from my personal effort, i was beyond taken with this family owned business named after the owner's mother. The environment is beyond welcoming and cozy with friendly and excellent service. But it does not end there. The menu is broad and the food is absolutely AMAZING! Although not on everyone's list, i would not only go back, but make this a regular destination.

We dined here for Mother’s Day Brunch and we had a great experience. We were a family of 10 and the service was great. The staff is very friendly. Our waiter was on point with everything. I will definitely be going back for dinner. The drinks were so delicious!!!

After an instagram post by @secretnyc publicizing this restaurant and dubbing it as a "Ukrainian Restaurant", I called to get a reservation. No one on the phone speaks Ukrainian (I do) - so that was my first indication that this is a Russian restaurant and not Ukrainian. The waiters are all young and do not speak any Ukrainian. Some speak Russian, everyone speaks English. The menu is varied - several russian dishes, other dishes, American. What I found odd is that they have an item on their menu called "Ukrainian Borscht" - first of all, that soup is called BORSCH in Ukrainian - no T. The soup was awful.. I left without trying anything else & won't return.

We wanted true Russian food on our visit to NYC and didn't want to travel all the way over to Brighton Beach. Took the subway down to check out Sveta. Definitely worth the trip! Walking in the place is super cute. Decorations are fun and welcoming. Serge was our server and bartender and excelled at both. Great service, and excellent drinks. We did the "Sveta Surprise" where you just say generally what you like and they create something for you...all of them were top notch! And the food....definitely exceeded expectations. Our surprising favorite thing was the "Russian Fur Coat Salad". We gave it a shot because it sounded authentic Russian, and while it sounded a bit unusual, it was amazing....and one of the best things we tried/ate on our trip to NYC. We are hoping to try to duplicate it at home, but somehow I doubt that is possible. Overall highly recommend Sveta for food, drinks, and excellent service. We were SO happy we visiting Sveta on our trip to NYC and would definitely visit there again.

We were looking for a fun restaurant with an eclectic menu and moderate prices for NYC and boy, did we find it in Sveta!! The decor is fanciful and fun. My only complaint was that the music was a bit loud. Drinks are not inexpensive, but a portion of the $22 cost goes to support food for Ukraine. That said, the cocktails are amazingly handcrafted and entertaining...mine came bubbling with dry ice in a light bulb (Energy), while another came in a bird shaped glass with feathers in the tail, on a cotton candy nest! Each was creative and fun, as well as delicious. The food choices are varied and also delicious. After appetizers of grilled octopus, veal dumplings, and wild mushroom barley soup, we had hanger steak with chimichurri, salmon on wild mushroom risotto, chicken, and beef stroganoff. All delicious and beautifully served. For dessert, we shared a ferris wheel of small beignets with a gooseberry compote....just enough. Service was friendly and efficient. We did not once have to ask for the water carafes to be refilled. Dinner with drinks, appetizers, mains and shared dessert came to about $80 a person, and worth every penny. We would definitely eat here again.

Great Ukrainian restaurant found totally by random. The proprietor’s family recipes; we had beef stroganoff in a pot pie, and chicken Kiev. Try the Kiev Mule!