Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House

Awesome place. Very professional. Held one of the workshop their and the food was really good.

Great authentic food, friendly service. Free art gallery on the 3rd floor

Great restaurant, art gallery and events

Great place for screening short and independent films.

Good food ambiance and inexpensive

Came here for an evening event in their space on the second floor. Service was great and they provide a lot of flexibility in terms of venue setup and decorations. Catering provided by the Scandinavian restaurant was simple but good.

The best place in the city to get holiday gifts and ornaments. They have dala horses and hand painted ornaments as well as nordic wool scarves, hats, & blankets. They also do a great julbord / smörgåsbord for the holidays with the classics, salmon, meatballs…etc.

This is my go to lunch meeting spot. It is always quiet and never packed. The ambiance is calling sit next to the tree is you can. I have always been seated quickly and served promptly. The food is good, on brand, and the portions are just right. The bonus is the candy store upfront. Not your run of the mill sweets either. Some really cool northern European candy.

Great for kids! They have a really good playroom upstairs and a fine restaurant serving Swedish meatballs. We went there to see a film as part of the international children film festival. They also have a nice auditorium and wonderful programs. Check their schedule and listings and you will not be disappointed!

Saw a movie, lovely facility

AWESOME food. We loved it. And the service was great. They also have an interesting and cool museum you can visit for free. The interior was neat and nice. Museum is clean and small with beautiful art and photography. We would definitely go again.

What a delightful meal! Choose just a few appetizers and you will feel completely satisfied. Everything has it's own distinct flavor. It's refreshingly tasty! From the Scandinavia House salmon, egg and salad to their delicious soup! I chose the beet salad this time. Next time have some herring with sour cream.Their meatballs and potatoes are mouthwatering!

Really cool spot. I tried a few of the open faces sandwiches and the meatball one was insane. I highly suggest trying at least one of their dessert items.

Great spot. Especially if you have young kids. The playroom is amazing.

Nice little exhibit. Small but free, so can't complain at all. Definitely with the stop-in if after a meal and drinks at the excellent Bjork cafe downstairs in lobby

We love this place. The children’s center is FANTASTIC and if you’re a member, they even do crafts for the kids twice per week. There is a Scandinavian restaurant and shop with items from Scandinavia that my Swedish husband was excited to find. There’s also lots of art programming like film festivals and showings, and they even have language classes. I was taking a Swedish language course here until the teacher went her separate way. And finally they have special events like for Lucia Day in December, where there is a candlelight choir procession. Didn’t expect everything they had to offer until we became members, but especially want to emphasize how much we love the children’s center.

Great place with wonderful food and a cute gift shop. Movie theater and performance space is nice, and although the restrooms are two levels down, there’s an elevator.

Fantastic. The freshness is unmatched. Lovely food. Just a nice quiet and quaint place. Everything is 5 star here. The gentleman open sandwich was perfect. I highly recommend this place to anyone with a palate for fine dining. Scandinavian food at its best. Very friendly and attentive customer service. They constantly refill you fresh lemon water and make sure you have everything you need. The dinning area has plenty of seating and there’s also gifts and a museum. It’s a top notch place!

What? Scandinavia House. A learning and play center on the fourth floor of the cultural center based in Murray Hill, Manhattan. Throughout the week, bookings are only available to members of Scandinavia House. However, on Saturdays it’s open to the public. There’s tons of toys and activities here to keep the little ones occupied. There’s always staff on hand too which makes the whole experience much more safer, and enjoyable. Where? 58 Park Avenue, which is on Park between 37th and 38th Street. A few blocks south of Grand Central, which makes it very accessible via the subway. Tons of bus stops nearby too. This shouldn’t be too hard to get to no matter where you’re coming from! When? During the week, play sessions are only available to members. On Saturdays, the sessions are open to the public. There’s two sessions, being 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm. A total of 12 children are allowed for each session, and your space must be booked in advance online. It does tend to get booked up quickly so don’t leave it super last minute! Cost? $25 for the session on Saturdays. I think this is amazing value considering it’s two hours, and the fact it’s a lovely space, and that it’s staffed. Our Rating - 9/10. We’ve been twice now and thoroughly enjoyed it. We’ll definitely keep visiting. It truly is a welcoming spot, and one that your little one will be occupied in with the various toys that they have. I just wish it was open to the public during the week as that option would be great to have. Anything else? The main restriction here is that your child must be walking independently. I remember finding out about this place when Darcy wasn’t yet walking, and wished I could’ve visited then, but honestly it puts my mind at rest now knowing she’s not going to accidentally be falling over crawlers. There’s restrooms with changing tables. Also, this whole center has so much to offer. They have a restaurant downstairs that looks great, although not sure how kid-friendly it is. There’s also a gift shop with Scandinavian gifts and food. I also know they regular host events here. Definitely check out their website to be in the know! (Review originally posted on the @playinnyc Instagram account in May 2023)

Wonderful food, artwork, and gifts to buy.

Always happy to dine at Bjork Cafe & Bistro at Scandinavia House. Delicious food, nicely curated wine list, clean airy room, good service, calm but not dull atmosphere. Prices are reasonable for the quality, and though the portions aren't huge, the food is always satisfying and I leave too full for dessert, which is a pity - they look really nice. Try the smorgasbord platter to get a little taste of the menu highlights.

Great venue, amazing food. Service was outstanding with many suggestions. Staff was very accommodating.

The best indoor play space for kids in NYC!!!

I've spent more money here than I care to admit. You'll discover flavors beyond your previous knowledge. This restaurant delivers pure satisfaction. The staff was remarkable! The high praise is properly given.

Fantastic spot behind the Morgan Library Gorgeous gift shop with all things nordic and cafe with delicious food. A must stop when in NYC.

The first floor has a gift shop and cafe. Each are inviting and the food from the cafe smelled glorious. The library wasn't available to visit, did get to go to the gallery and the items on exhibit were fascinating and it was an enjoyable experience.

I'm thankful I checked this place out. The food had just-made quality and excellent flavor. The employees balanced quick assistance with proper manners. The convenient location of Scandinavia House matters, but its friendly service matters more. Without question, I'll visit this place again.

We like the small but interesting gift shop here. There’s also a cafe on the ground floor.

It's so cool to be able to access Scandinavian culture in NYC! With my culture pass, I was able to attend a film event about climate change. The auditorium in the basement level was spacious and comfortable. After viewing some thought-provoking short films, the filmmakers talked about their projects on a panel. Afterwards, the audience was welcomed to a reception on the second level for a reception that included some hors d'oeuvres. I adore the aesthetics of the store when you first walk in as well as the café. I would like to return someday to try the food there! Hoping to check out the gallery on the other floors too.

Great service. Lovely food. Can't wait to come back.

Helpful, friendly place where you can pick up some Scandinavian treats and indulge in regional art. When I lived in Minneapolis I regularly frequented the American Swedish Institute there, this is nowhere near as large or well equipped as that institute. Give the Park Avenue address and the compact space, it is extremely good. Unfortunately on my visit, the Bjork cafe was closed.

It’s a tranquil dinner place to have some conversations with friends. We went for dinner at a busy Friday night and we never regretted. Good Swedish food (not unexpectedly amazing) but the vibe did make it even better.

Nice to see SH apparently thriving in this post-Covid period. In the past, enjoyed the restaurant & rich cultural events in their gallery & theater. Today enjoyed a limited exhibit of contemporary art of Faroe Island artists . . .

Excellent value in the midtown east area. Menu has traditional Nordic items such as herring and meatballs and creamy buns. Small but decent wine list. Warm friendly service in an intimate setting. Combine with a Scandinavian film noir!

It’s an amazing place I’m german so I have a connection, however one thing is needed. Lately I went into the shop to order house shoes, I never got them and it has been 2 years, one tip is to be more organized and the other is to be loyal to the costumers. Lately workers have been rude so yeah. But in general everything is great. The food is amazing and the shop too.

Nice place - food was ok - it’s a shop and restaurant. Staff were awesome

I have enjoyed going to the Scandinavia House over the years. Food and service in Bjork continue to be excellent. However, today the sales person in the gift shop was surprisingly rude saying "I don't have all day" when literally I hesitated for no more than 3 minutes to make a decision on a gift I was buying. Did not represent the wonderful service and friendly demeanor of all my previous experiences here.

I’m honestly baffled by the glowing reviews for this place. The food was mediocre at best—I’ve had better pre-packed, frozen meatballs. The lox and other dishes were flat and uninspired. Drinks? Also disappointing. To make matters worse, there were fruit flies everywhere—it was absolutely disgusting. My partner and I tried to make light of it by turning the fly situation into a game, but it didn’t save the experience. Our waitress, though sporting a cute hairstyle (which I complimented. Cute little buns and bangs), was condescending. She repeatedly asked me if it was my *first time* trying Scandinavian food, yet didn’t direct the same line of questioning to my date. Perhaps because he’s Asian and I’m Black, she assumed he was more well-traveled than I am—which couldn’t be further from the truth. Also, let’s be honest: Scandinavian food isn’t some unattainable, high-class fare. They sell the same gravlax with cheap couches in Red Hook, Brooklyn (and honestly, the food at Ikea is better than what I had here). As someone who has lived in Manhattan for 22 years and has been fortunate to travel extensively, I was not impressed by this place at all.

Very bad shopping experience here. I bought a pair of small candles for $8. The woman at the checkout counter didn’t know the price, so I told her it was $8 for the pair. She didn’t trust me, went to check, and came back saying, ‘Wow, you got a good deal,’ as if two small candles should be at a much higher price... I felt extremely uncomfortable with her unprofessional attitude and terrible service. I told her that I used to live in Sweden, and this is definitely not ‘a good deal.’

Galleries are not open on Sunday,but Google says they are open.