Sonya Restaurant — Restaurant in The Hague

So.

Two things can be true at the same time.

1. This is a wonderful initiative: Ukrainian refugees who start a business, share their culture and their stories, while making a living and supporting their families. This should be supported and is the reason why we wanted to try out the restaurant, especially after reading the reviews.
2. We were deeply disappointed in the our meal there on NYE '23.

Long story short: set, two course menu without any choice, was less than great and felt like a total rip-off at 100€/person.

We booked through the Fork after having read all the great reviews — which in hindsight, seem to be suspicious.

We arrived at the restaurant — nice atmosphere with nicely set tables with candles and Xmas classics playing. Welcoming staff.

We were told that there was only a set Xmas menu. Something we had not seen on the social media pages of the restaurant but what made sense, and seemed ok for us.

We were brought a bottle of prosecco and home made lemonade. The prosecco was 'included in the menu'. That should have rang a bell. We hadn't ask for the price, since I had seen the menu online and figured we would be in for 40-50€ tops.

The set menu turned out to be just two courses. A first, with a collection small dishes. Some good, some so-so, some really not to our taste ("beef and chicken ("I think") in "clean collagen") Red cabbage with cheese and fish, a sort of potato salad, toast with sardines but with (too much) margarine, wrapped pancakes with fish egg and cream. All in all we were curious for trying out new foods, but what was served was far removed from the borsch and other things I had seen on the menu.

The second course was quite good. Roasted/grilled chicken with good mashed patatoes. Basic, but nice.

That was it. No dessert.

All in all, ok-ish, but then we asked for the bill and it' was 210€... (With 10€ extra for tea.) That turned the whole thing from a 'folklore, haha it wasn't what we expected' feeling.to a feeling of being ripped off. We didn't argue it because... NYE and we wanted to support the initiative, but man did it feel sour.

So the lesson here is — maybe we were unlucky, but in order for this thing to fly, there's a work to be done in managing the expectations and the tastes and...

I’ve visited twice in the past month. One time the place was completely empty since we arrived 2 minutes after opening hour and second time it was reasonable seated.

Both times the service was probably THE best in The Hague, a great show of knowledge of the restaurant industry I’ve been to two of the 3 Michelin star restaurants within The Hague and none of them were as excellent in their service as Sonya. Absolute standard for other places to follow when it comes to making the guest comfortable.

The food itself was on par with the service, the Forshmak is a childhood favorite of mine and the portion was huge for the price, so I may be a bit biased. All the other starters were very good quality as well. I personally didn’t try any main dishes from The fish section, however the meat section with Shashlick was wonderful, the sauce was a very new way of complimenting the meat.

Unfortunately when it comes to the soups I was “not shocked” they are great, We’ve had 2 of the 3 options which were available. However they didn’t bring me the wow factor which the rest of the menu did.

Looking forward to the restaraunt getting an alcohol license since many positions in Odessan cuisine are excellently complimented by liquor. And being in Scheveningen - that would draw in a...

I have been to this restaurant twice, and both times I had a delightful experience. Everything I tried was incredibly delicious, and I savored every bite. The culinary skills in this place are truly remarkable!

The staff members were particularly pleasant to interact with. The waiters were friendly, polite, and ready to assist with any inquiries. They created an atmosphere of comfort and coziness, which added to the positive vibes of my restaurant visit.

However, I would like to mention a slight disappointment. In my opinion, the menu lacked syrniki or pancakes. I always enjoy these dishes, and I would have been thrilled to see them included in your diverse menu.

Overall, I was very satisfied with my dining experience, and despite the small oversight with the menu, I still highly recommend this place to anyone seeking delicious food and excellent service. I look forward to my next visit and perhaps someday I will see syrniki or pancakes...