Sweetiepie
[ 1 April 2009 ]
Last night I went on a date (ooooh!) & the place was so iCiNG that I knew I had to write about it, just in case you’re ever in New York City & want a totally fun, luxe dining experience!
Sweetiepie in the West Village is completely over-the-top. It verges on being a saccharine visual assault. It is totally ridiculous. & of course it is a combination of these factors which makes it so brilliant.
Imagine this: a restaurant with mirrored walls & ceilings, vivid pink upholstery, golden flourishes & an enormous gilded bird-cage in the front window… in which you sit & eat your meal. It is out of this world. The story goes that the owner of Sweetiepie designed it for his young daughter, who had an Alice In Wonderland obsession. I think he wins the coolest daddy award.
So what does Sweetiepie have to offer, other than gobsmacking décor? There’s a menu of charming but potent1 cocktails (I personally endorse the Sweetiepie & the Bee’s Knees), a $75 ice-cream sundae which comes in the world’s most enormous parfait glass, a selection of cupcakes on the counter, a dessert cart covered in multi-coloured beauties, & well-dressed waiters. They wear bow-ties. Cute.
I was a little unsure going in, because Sweetiepie’s reviews on Yelp are certainly a mixed bag. Claims of poor service & uninspired food are rife, & yes, I could concede that most of these complaints are realistic. The service really isn’t top-notch, but once you actually manage to get your waiter’s attention, they are quite sweet & friendly. The food is really unusual, too — miniature burgers? Tater tots?! — but it’s tasty, I think it’s done well & is totally enchanting in its own way. This is not haute cuisine, it’s a fun, surreal experience, & as long as you go into it with the right mindset, you’ll have a fabulous time.
Plus, I believe that you get out of a situation what you put into it — & let’s face it, even the most dire restaurant can become a whirl of fond memories if you go there with someone who makes you laugh.
Gala recommends… Going there with your best friends for cocktails, decadent first dates, or treating your kid sister to a dinner she will never forget.
Top secret tips: If the bird-cage is occupied when you arrive, tell your waiter that you want to sit in it next. Take a camera! Be prepared to eat with your fingers! & dress up!
[1] Please note, I am quite a lightweight at the best of times, but I had one (1) Sweetiepie & either two (2) or three (3) Bee’s Knees (I forget) & didn’t realise quite how intoxicated I was until I got back to my house. We’re talking “Oh, the room is spinning” here. Beware! Danger, danger!
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more than adorable gala! You looks so cutes with that flower in your hair !
Sam Bard — Thank you! It’s a flower headband from Forever21!
How big is that place? It’s totally deceiving because of the mirrors. When I eventually prowl NY, I will go there. Looks like a blast.
I remember their was a place in Vancouver that was called “The Rainforest Cafe.” It eventually closed down, but it had this insane jungle theme complete with fake birds that made bird-in-jungle noises! haha. From what I hear, the food was also mediocre.
Their should be more themed restaurants in the world (complete with amazing, out of this world food)!!
I’d also love to go to Medieval Times one day.
haha how funny that is very cute. and if you have 10 people the sundae is almost reasonable!
Ash — It probably had 10 or 11 tables in the main area, then down the back there’s an additional room which I think you can book for parties or whatever. So it’s not very big. Staring at the corners of the room was totally disorienting! Oh & Medieval Times is awesome! I went there when I was 7 years old. I loved it. Hahah.
amelia — The idea of it alone gives me an epic stomach-ache!
Wow, Gala, that sounds like a pretty amazing place! Did you actually have the $75 sundae, and if you did, was it worth it? :D
Glad you’re enjoying being back in the US – are you living there permanently now (working or did you marry someone or something?!!), or are you doing a 90-day visit or something?
Either way, sounds like you’re having a great time! :)
That sounds like so much fun! I totally have to go there whenever I manage to get up to NYC again. It looks awesome. Hope your date was awesome as well! :D
This place is mentioned in the April issue of Elle. Something about kid-friendly restaurants in the city. It looks enchanting…
I LOVE your Forever 21 headband – I actually recently got one like it in Chicago! Groses bises! p.s. ooh la la, Gala went on a cute little date! c:
you look supercute!
and the place looks really adorable, it’s a cool idea
Ooooo how magical! Anyplace with cupcakes and mirrors is automatically a good place to be, imho :D
...now I want a cupcake :(
Oh my GOD.
If I win the lottery, I am going to fly fifty people to New York for the week of my brithday (though I will be sure to quadruple check the travel arrangements, as Mercury Retrograde will be in full swing around that time), take everybody on a shopping spree at Betsey Johnson, Manolo Blahnik and anywhere else they want to go, and hire out the entire restaurant for the night of my birthday!!! And we will drink stupendous cocktails and we can all eat huge and amazing sundaes and flirt with the waiters in bow ties and … and … AND ... hyperventilates
yey! i love restaurant reviews, even if they are places i will probably never get to go to. i am glad you had a good date :D
Oh, how cool is THAT? I hope you had fun! Would sure like to hear about your date… but I imagine going on a date with such a well known blogger could be a risk for a guy.
Haha hoorah for boozey impressions on (first?) dates! :D
Bee’s Knees souns like an interesting cocktail do you know what’s in it?
That sounds like an amazing place! I must go there someday, when I visit New York. It sounds extraordinary. And the owner totally does with the coolest daddy award, haha.
Lots of love!
XOXO
Sugar K — No sundae for me. The idea makes me feel kind of ill. Haha.
Amy — You should make some! I would if I had the supplies necessary!
MJ Fabulous — You have style, my girl! I hope I’m invited!
Mary — I don’t know how comfortable he’d feel about me spilling the beans! But we had a great time & he is extremely cool :>
[ t a y l o r ] — It was gin, lemon & honey. Simple & amazing!
Oh yummy must try make that I love gin! usually with tonic but shall give it a go!
That restaurant looks amazing! ! I can’t wait to go there when I am in NY. You always seem to know the coolest places. Thanks
that sounds awesome! i should drag my big sister there, hahah.
How was the date?
Magical and fun. The Bees’ Knees is such a cute name for a cocktail.
You are totally adorable.
I didn’t stalk your flickr or anything.
Gin, lemon and honey sounds like the most delicious combination – I have all three ingredients in my kitchen so perhaps when I’ve finished all my work today I shall make one in celebration!
That place does look totally amazing, I LOVE the kind of finger food usually marketed to kids! Fruit wind-ups and potato smilies are almost always on my shopping list!
Wow Gala that place looks great, like the next-to-be MAC inspiration.. oooh that would be great, I can imagine great glittery gold sparkles already and mirrored little stickers for your face. Damn i have good imagination :D
Anyhows the thing i was wondering, did they have any pumping beats/music? Or was it full of talking people or (here goes my mind again) could you hear the soft sound of a phoenix singing on the background?
Enough with the restaurant, how was the date?!?!?!? :0
Oh Gala this sounds fab!
I wish they had crazy things like that here in Australia.
Damn.
Sounds like a blast though :)
OOOOOOh! Fantastic! And what a fab place for a first date? Whose idea – yours or his? Either way inspired I think!
I’m sure everyone else has noticed this but there is definately a ‘Gala is back home in NYC’ vibe to your articles/posts again! Yipee!
Definitely on my list of things to do in NY! Looks so fun (although a bit pricey!).
Wish there was something like that where I am! I’d have every birthday there. Some day I will go to New York though and have a giant list of all these places to go and things to do.
I’d love to go there! I’ll have to remember it if I ever go to New York… I wonder if any sundae is reeeally worth $75?? You look adorable!
I love you guys SO much, your comments gave me a huge smile on my face when I woke up this morning! Awwww!
Tanya — The date was fabulous, thank you!
Lucy — Hahah.
Amika — I’m pretty sure there was music playing though I can’t tell you what it was. I have absolutely no recollection! Eep!
Nelly — His idea. He gets points for that, yes? ;> & thank you! It’s so good to be back! Mega-happy!
A — There was a woman having her birthday there when we went. She was presented with an amazing little cake & all the waiters sang to her. So yes! You should come over & you should have your birthday there!
Nicole Ioma — It comes in an enorrrrrmous dish, but even for that kind of quantity, it is very expensive. I told my friend Angel www.angeliska.com we should go & eat it & she said, “Dude. It better have gold flakes and the tears of one hundred redhaired virgin mermaids drizzled on top!” Haha!
Looks gorgeous! x
Yeah, it looks like a birthday kind of place! I find that in most places the waiters are happy to sing if you ask them nicely.
Hey Gala!
Thanks so much for sharing this. The place looks spectacular! Maybe my next bday… :)
Must wear sequins to this crazy place. Also, I love tater tots, but I didn’t expect that place to serve them.
You had me at $75 sundae. Pricey? Sure. But probably guaranteed to be enormous and delicious.
I have my priorities totally in order! Rent, schment! :)
Wow! Looks like dinner in a giant birdcage!! How funny!!! :-)
Kisses from Paris!!
xoxo
www.chicsetera.com
I would love to go to a place like that, but I think I’ll pass on the $75 dollar sundae. It better come in a gilded parfait glass with gems. Like a pimp sundae or something.
It looks lovely though as do you Gala. I love that headband. :D
It was just in Elle, how random. Anyway, it was a lady owner and a 6 year old son it was supposedly made for. There’s a picture of them, with the giant ice cream of course:
www.elle.com/Living/Entertaini…
What a gorgeous place to eat! I’m definitely dragging my parents there when I go to NY this summer. I’d love to read more of your New York experience recommendations!
It sounds a little bit like heaven, what with all the gold and cupcakes :)
This place sounds amazing—a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.
That’s awesome! It looks like such a fun place. How’d your date go?
I was in New York back in December 2008 – January 2009 and we passed Sweetiepie. But if I remember correctly, it wasn’t opened yet. However, I do remember that glorious birdcage and in the window!
that’s crazy, I just read about that place in one of my magazines. “Vogue”, maybe? And then you went there! Nice!
HAHA! RE: the Bees Knees – anything with gin and that kind of sweetness is BOUND to sneak up on you! See also: the Gin, peach purée, and champagne combo (garnished with basil or mint leaves).
ommg – how did they know what the inside of my brain looks like?! ha! i am actually going up to new york next weekend with a friend, and as we are staying in the west village this is the perfect place for us to check out! i’m already dreaming up my ensemble, can’t wait.
thanks, gala! =)
That looks like a fun and quirky place. Maybe next time I’m in NYC I’ll check it out. :)
Random question, have you ever been to Boston? You’ve been to a lot of places, and I live in Boston, so I was wondering if you’ve ever been here.
OH MY! How utterly gorgeous! Thank you for posting this when you did, because my spring break starts tomorrow! Totally have to hit this place up next week (and I hope your date went well, wooop!). :]
i think it was on vogue too…I’d love to go theree!
I even cut the page out of the magazine
I first heard of Sweetiepie when Vogue advertised it. At first, it striked me as as a whimsical Alice in Wonderland fairy tale too. It sounds fun for cocktails, but I’m not sure if the menu will be fulfilling enough for a date.