Wow, dinner was great and their drinks presentations are unbelievable. We had a blast but Mae reservations to Make sure u get a table.
Laura
Beautiful ambience and thoughtful presentation. We enjoyed our food and drinks. Service was a bit slow, seems more staff are needed to keep up when restaurant is full.
Sue
The restaurant is so beautifully decorated. The presentation of drinks and food is exceptional. The staff is very lovely.
christa
An incredible experience from start to finish. We had a 10 year-old with us with two adults, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it equally. It was magical and whimsical and the best way.  the food was phenomenal and taste was not compromised at all.
Julia
We had a great experience. The Christmas decorations are the best and we really loved our food!
Jiajia
I visited Sveta on Christmas Eve with my family, hoping for a cozy and enjoyable Christmas dinner. While the restaurant had some Christmas decorations, the festive atmosphere was completely missing when it came to the staff. We arrived early and asked if it was possible to start dinner a bit earlier. This was allowed, but only if we sat at the table near the entrance. Even then, we were told we could only stay for 90 minutes because it was Christmas Eve. This was very disappointing, especially since we were not informed about this time limit in advance. If we had known, we might have chosen a different place. What was meant to be a warm and pleasant Christmas evening for our family was completely ruined. The food and drinks were average at best, and the price–quality ratio was poor. To make matters worse, a 20% gratuity was automatically added to the bill, which felt excessive given the mediocre food and disappointing service. Overall, this was not the Christmas experience we were hoping for, and I would not recommend Sveta for a special occasion like Christmas also not in general, there are many more restaurants in New York with the right ambience and food.
MARCELA
Teníamos reserva a las 21 horas, desde que llegamos nos decían 2 minutos y pasado las 10 no dieron una mesa, en la publicidad decía hasta las 1 pm, y a las 22.30 nos tomaron el pedido apurado por que indicaron que la cocina iba a cerrar y a las 23.30 levantaron todo para cerrar el local. Ante todos los malos ratos nosotros decidimos que no pagaríamos la propina. Y la Sra que estaba se volvio como loca diciendo que ella estaba trabajando y que era obligatorio pagarla. Entiendo que esten trabajando pero deben prestan un buen servicio, mas de una hora en un patio sin sillas al aire libre, luego el administrador dijo les regalare Champañe por el mal rato, lo que tampoco hizo, la comida la sirvieron rapido y casi estaban mirando de que comieramos rapido para levantar todo. Muy incomodo y desagradable como cena de navidad.
Linda
A very cozy place, you can go with your family. The food is a bit expensive, but it's worth it for the taste. They also have some very creative cocktails...
Michael
It was a magical experiment. The atmosphere was amazing and on top of that, it wasn't just a gimmick, the food and drinks were great. Eastern European cuisine done with care.. the manager was attentive and gave us free shots at the end. It was a lovely Christmas Eve and made it special.
Petrice
It was good. Food and drinks were good. One take away was how small the restaurant was. Other service was great!
Visiting Sveta is always a pleasure. Elaborate decorations are a treat. The drinks are served in a cool manner. The food is outstanding. Service is great and the whole experience is very personable.
Noirin
Unless you're a pack rat who is easily distracted by shiny objects, no amount of Christmas decor could make me step foot in this establishment again. Wish I could give negative stars as this was by far the worst restaurant experience l've had in years. We made a reservation for lunch as we figured it would be less busy than dinner time and we walked into a nearly empty restaurant but got seated at the corner table by the door. A little annoying but not a biggie. It took a while to order despite being nearly empty and while waiting for our food my husband discovered gum in his napkin. The server didn't apologize or anything just commented that it was a "hidden surprise" and took it away. Normally at a restaurant at this price point they would comp you a drink at the minimum to make up for a mistake like this, nope. This restaurant clearly doesn't have to try. We waited over 90 min for our food that was mediocre at best. The beef stroganoff that gets great reviews was watery and tasteless, the filet mignon had a cheesy flavor like they cooked it on a dirty pan. My son wouldn't eat it. The hot cocoa was greasy. Finally after 2 hours and my family dying to get as far away from this establishment as possible, we ask for the check and had to actually find the server to get said check. Be prepared for a 18% gratuity and 5% operation fee for a whopping 23% additional cost for your sub par meal. They claim it's because of the holiday rush but the place was empty and their service was dismal. They clearly DO NOT care about their guests and are capitalizing on the Christmas gimmicks. They don't need to try since they can screw you over on the required 23% gratuity. This place is a scam to say the least. The gimmicky holiday drinks aren't worth the cost no matter how many influencers tell you so. STAY AWAY!!!
Kathleen
Great and festive place! The extra artistic flair to drinks, decor and dessert was a lot of fun! The service was excellent and super friendly!! Food was delicious!
imani
My friends and I had a 5:15 reservation. We arrived there at 5:28 and was greeted with confusion as if we didnt belong in this restaurant. After telling the host we had a reservation he quickly scanned the room and put us directly near the door. A couple walks in a few minutes later and is seated immediately. 10 minutes go by and this same host greets the same couple and starts to take their drink order. 18 minutes go by (28 minutes in total) and still no one approaches our table. Finally this same host walks past our table and makes eye contact with us comes back sets water on the table and leaves. We immediately realize we werent welcomed and decided to leave but to speak with the manager first. We spoke with the manager and she was very lackadaisical and can tell she really didnt care about what we were saying she offered us a free desert and kept it pushing. We decided to leave. I have been to Sveta multiple times before this and I have never experienced this disgusting service before. I will not return to this establishment and I am deeply saddened about my experience.
Eshita Nandini
Agree with one of the reviews here - this place charges $25 per holiday drink, which is fine EXCEPT — service is poor, we had to wait a while before we were addressed and sat down - little excuse given the restaurant was pretty empty.
Once greeted, we were told we had a 30 minute limit to the bar (which was empty btw) and we were paying an arm and a leg for the holiday drinks and we also wanted food but decided against it given the time limit. The drinks were okay - it tasted plastic-y given the types of item/novelty that is every drink. It felt a bit unsafe.
Wow, dinner was great and their drinks presentations are unbelievable. We had a blast but Mae reservations to Make sure u get a table.
Beautiful ambience and thoughtful presentation. We enjoyed our food and drinks. Service was a bit slow, seems more staff are needed to keep up when restaurant is full.
The restaurant is so beautifully decorated. The presentation of drinks and food is exceptional. The staff is very lovely.
An incredible experience from start to finish. We had a 10 year-old with us with two adults, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it equally. It was magical and whimsical and the best way.  the food was phenomenal and taste was not compromised at all.
We had a great experience. The Christmas decorations are the best and we really loved our food!
I visited Sveta on Christmas Eve with my family, hoping for a cozy and enjoyable Christmas dinner. While the restaurant had some Christmas decorations, the festive atmosphere was completely missing when it came to the staff. We arrived early and asked if it was possible to start dinner a bit earlier. This was allowed, but only if we sat at the table near the entrance. Even then, we were told we could only stay for 90 minutes because it was Christmas Eve. This was very disappointing, especially since we were not informed about this time limit in advance. If we had known, we might have chosen a different place. What was meant to be a warm and pleasant Christmas evening for our family was completely ruined. The food and drinks were average at best, and the price–quality ratio was poor. To make matters worse, a 20% gratuity was automatically added to the bill, which felt excessive given the mediocre food and disappointing service. Overall, this was not the Christmas experience we were hoping for, and I would not recommend Sveta for a special occasion like Christmas also not in general, there are many more restaurants in New York with the right ambience and food.
Teníamos reserva a las 21 horas, desde que llegamos nos decían 2 minutos y pasado las 10 no dieron una mesa, en la publicidad decía hasta las 1 pm, y a las 22.30 nos tomaron el pedido apurado por que indicaron que la cocina iba a cerrar y a las 23.30 levantaron todo para cerrar el local. Ante todos los malos ratos nosotros decidimos que no pagaríamos la propina. Y la Sra que estaba se volvio como loca diciendo que ella estaba trabajando y que era obligatorio pagarla. Entiendo que esten trabajando pero deben prestan un buen servicio, mas de una hora en un patio sin sillas al aire libre, luego el administrador dijo les regalare Champañe por el mal rato, lo que tampoco hizo, la comida la sirvieron rapido y casi estaban mirando de que comieramos rapido para levantar todo. Muy incomodo y desagradable como cena de navidad.
A very cozy place, you can go with your family. The food is a bit expensive, but it's worth it for the taste. They also have some very creative cocktails...
It was a magical experiment. The atmosphere was amazing and on top of that, it wasn't just a gimmick, the food and drinks were great. Eastern European cuisine done with care.. the manager was attentive and gave us free shots at the end. It was a lovely Christmas Eve and made it special.
It was good. Food and drinks were good. One take away was how small the restaurant was. Other service was great!
Restaurantji Recommends
Visiting Sveta is always a pleasure. Elaborate decorations are a treat. The drinks are served in a cool manner. The food is outstanding. Service is great and the whole experience is very personable.
Unless you're a pack rat who is easily distracted by shiny objects, no amount of Christmas decor could make me step foot in this establishment again. Wish I could give negative stars as this was by far the worst restaurant experience l've had in years. We made a reservation for lunch as we figured it would be less busy than dinner time and we walked into a nearly empty restaurant but got seated at the corner table by the door. A little annoying but not a biggie. It took a while to order despite being nearly empty and while waiting for our food my husband discovered gum in his napkin. The server didn't apologize or anything just commented that it was a "hidden surprise" and took it away. Normally at a restaurant at this price point they would comp you a drink at the minimum to make up for a mistake like this, nope. This restaurant clearly doesn't have to try. We waited over 90 min for our food that was mediocre at best. The beef stroganoff that gets great reviews was watery and tasteless, the filet mignon had a cheesy flavor like they cooked it on a dirty pan. My son wouldn't eat it. The hot cocoa was greasy. Finally after 2 hours and my family dying to get as far away from this establishment as possible, we ask for the check and had to actually find the server to get said check. Be prepared for a 18% gratuity and 5% operation fee for a whopping 23% additional cost for your sub par meal. They claim it's because of the holiday rush but the place was empty and their service was dismal. They clearly DO NOT care about their guests and are capitalizing on the Christmas gimmicks. They don't need to try since they can screw you over on the required 23% gratuity. This place is a scam to say the least. The gimmicky holiday drinks aren't worth the cost no matter how many influencers tell you so. STAY AWAY!!!
Great and festive place! The extra artistic flair to drinks, decor and dessert was a lot of fun! The service was excellent and super friendly!! Food was delicious!
My friends and I had a 5:15 reservation. We arrived there at 5:28 and was greeted with confusion as if we didnt belong in this restaurant. After telling the host we had a reservation he quickly scanned the room and put us directly near the door. A couple walks in a few minutes later and is seated immediately. 10 minutes go by and this same host greets the same couple and starts to take their drink order. 18 minutes go by (28 minutes in total) and still no one approaches our table. Finally this same host walks past our table and makes eye contact with us comes back sets water on the table and leaves. We immediately realize we werent welcomed and decided to leave but to speak with the manager first. We spoke with the manager and she was very lackadaisical and can tell she really didnt care about what we were saying she offered us a free desert and kept it pushing. We decided to leave. I have been to Sveta multiple times before this and I have never experienced this disgusting service before. I will not return to this establishment and I am deeply saddened about my experience.
Agree with one of the reviews here - this place charges $25 per holiday drink, which is fine EXCEPT — service is poor, we had to wait a while before we were addressed and sat down - little excuse given the restaurant was pretty empty.
Once greeted, we were told we had a 30 minute limit to the bar (which was empty btw) and we were paying an arm and a leg for the holiday drinks and we also wanted food but decided against it given the time limit. The drinks were okay - it tasted plastic-y given the types of item/novelty that is every drink. It felt a bit unsafe.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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