NYCReview
Included In
At Hav & Mar, you won’t end up grinding on a Buddha statue like you might at Tao. You probably won’t text your ex at midnight—a dangerous consequence of the unlimited sake at Sushi On Me. But make no mistake, this Chelsea spot, inspired by chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Swedish and Ethiopian backgrounds, is a party restaurant.
To be clear, Hav & Mar closes at 10pm. But partying means something different to us these days. Being at the club just reminds us we’re no longer on our parent’s health insurance, and our “after-parties” consist of a nightcap and watching Fallon doing karaoke with Ric Flair. Which is why we like the fact that no matter how early we arrive at Hav & Mar, we end up staying much longer than planned. This place isn’t just the buzzy restaurant you go to before the function. It’s the pre-game, the party, and the after-party.
photo credit: Kate Previte
If you’ve been to Samuelsson’s other New York restaurant, the perpetually mobbed Red Rooster, you’ll know that he prioritizes a good time. But while that Harlem spot is all about gospel brunches, soul food and fried chicken towers, Hav & Mar is a seafood-focused restaurant, with spacious blonde interiors that look like they came from IKEA’s most competent designer. Black mermaids with patchwork-patterned tails swim across the walls, and on livelier nights, it feels like the grinning sirens are hosting a big rave.
People file in around Happy Hour, fleeing Midtown office buildings for somewhere with a discernible pulse. A big, circular bar in the center is the restaurant’s beating heart, where patrons down enough Bunna Martinis to keep conversation swirling around the room. Pretty soon, the rest of the place fills out, with people wearing outfits straight off the runway, and speaking in more accents than there are countries on the menu.
photo credit: Kate Previte
For the most part, the menu's transcontinental experiments work well. You’ll find a lot of Scandinavian-inspired seafood dishes, lit up with Ethiopian flavor from awaze, dawadawa, and berbere. But Thai basil, salsa verde, and andouille sausage also make appearances. This kitchen has wide open borders.
Hav & Mar’s proof-of-concept is a dish called the “Swediopian,” but don’t feel like you have to order the forgettable slabs of salmon, cured with barely perceptible berbere. Instead, get the Addis York, doro wot-stuffed rolls of injera, served with fried drumstick in a sweet, sticky sauce. Even if you’ve had the chicken stew before, switching up textures adds a whole new dimension to the dish.
Bring a friend who’s up for exploring the world through fish tacos with berebere crema, drinking a couple extra cocktails, and still getting to bed before tonight becomes tomorrow. As the Ethiopian folk music transitions to house, and the room registers a higher bpm, you’ll swear the mermaid’s tails are moving.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Kate Previte
Hav Bread Basket
photo credit: Kate Previte
Addis York
photo credit: Kate Previte
Swediopian
photo credit: Kate Previte
Banana Leaf Snapper
photo credit: Kate Previte
Roasted Halibut
photo credit: Kate Previte
Havatini
photo credit: Kate Previte
Seaside Waffle
photo credit: Kate Previte