Serafina Always
“We split the foccacia sofia (has ricotta cheese in it, drizzled with truffle oil, and then into a woodburning oven) which was amazing as well as a spaghetti dish that was a little bit of heaven.”
“Pastas are each time al dente and delicious and pizzas are perfect too.”
“5 stars for pizza, but about 2-3 for dessert (pistachio gelato was strange, but the ricotta cheesecake was pretty good).”
Serafina Always
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Never had a bad time here. Love this location as there are 2 tables outdoors and it's some of the best people watching in the city…um rich people watching! Hellooooo! It's the Upper East Side. My girlfriend and I had a contest of how many birkin's we could count. You know…the $15,000 Hermes handbags? We got up to 13 and then kind of just focused on actually, umm…eating.
I've come here on 2 separate occasions in the last 2 weeks. The first time I came here we ordered the calamari (fried) with spicy tomato sauce on the side. It was DEEEEELISH. We also ordered a margarita pizza (omg heavenly) and we split the risotto with black truffles and veuve clicquot (no we did not have a glass of champagne…it is IN the risotto). I damn near almost passed out on the ground after taking one bite. Holy crap! I never eat risotto. Is this what I have been missing all these years? Absolutely WORTH the $27. You huuuuuuurd me. WORTH IT! If you come here and don't order this you better not even go. My girlfriend and I are convinced they put drugs in this or something.
So I was craving that risotto ALL week. Finally I convinced my girlfriend to eat with me there today. I called and they had a table outside available (which they said they do not reserve but when we arrived it was available and the hostess asked if I called, which was nice).
I of course ordered my risotto. She ordered a gluten free pasta (she's also soy free & vegan) and they were very accommodating. They also have a veggie plater for those vegans out there! We people watched and had a great time. I love this place.
Have only been to this location in the Serafina chain. Usually quite crowded but not such a long waiting time to get a table. You really go here for the people watching….. Food ok, but nothing special. Prices not overly expensive but question mark for the service!
My daughter and I came here at 10 pm after a long flight. It's always great to find a restaurant that is still open and buzzing at 10 pm. Everything in San Diego where we live is pretty much closed by 9 pm.
We were seated right away. The service was excellent and the food was outstanding. It has a lovely atmosphere. I can't fault our dining experience here.
Found service inattentive, too informal and somewhat lazy. The restaurant needs to be updated, the downstairs restaurant looks worn, grey and dirty. The pizza was ok, but it could be much improved. Not coming back, what a disappointment. I think this small chain of restaurants have passed their expiration date.
Came in after shopping on 5th with some friends.
We were promptly seated upstairs and had our drink order taken. They had the customary typical Italian beers, Moretti and Peroni but sadly no Menabrea. I went with a Moretti and we ordered the prosciutto and burrata appetizer along with fried calamari.
The burrata was very good, it was fresh, creamy and flavorful. The calamari was also very good, crispy and light, and came with a well-seasoned marinara.
We split a few pizzas as entrees with the Quattro Stagione being the best as it had a good mix of ingredients and was light and crisp. We also enjoyed a special pizza they were able to make which had spicy sausage, onions and mushrooms.
The waitstaff was very friendly and engaging and we felt the prices were reasonable.
Excellent place to eat for lunch or dinner if in the area. My sister and I ate here for lunch today. Definitely ask for their bread and for it to be toasted, you will not regret.
Serafina makes their own olive oil which is to die for!!! Literally feels like you're eating olive oil from Italy/Europe.
My sister had the arugula parmigiana salad and added grilled chicken. $15 for the salad and about $8 for chicken. The portions are a nice size however for the price, although it is a bit pricey even for the upper east side.
I ended up ordering a margarita pizza ($17 I believe) which is quite filling. It came out a bit soggy, so I asked them to make it a bit more well done and it came out much better the second time around.
We got iced teas with fresh orange. Definitely refreshing and they give refills.
Will definitely be back for more!
Was so disappointed with this place tonight. We have been coming for several years here and its usually consistent. Last time we were here we had penne pomodoro, warm goat cheese salad, house salad, fries, margarita pizza, tartufo pizza, ravioli. The portions have gotten much smaller. The pizzas were so small we had to order three. The waiter was rude and didn't bring any silverware or plates to my children. They are still people!! They make no accommodations for kids and this is the ues! Tonight decided I would go back and see if it was just a bad day. However it was a waste of time! Walked in at 645 the second they saw kids they said sorry no seats for an hr or so. There were several families at least 10 ppl walked out as we were coming in. I was really taken back by this and will not come again!! We ended up going to Vezzo on 31st and Lex. which was such a treat. We were greeted so nicely there and even though it was packed, we got a table in 5 minutes. Don't even bother with serafina, this chain has gone downhill. Food is ok, theres better italian everywhere. Next time here: waited 1 hr and 22 min for the mains. Granted its full tonight so they offered dessert on the house. Kind gesture. Tiramisu which they offered dessert on the house. This wasn't the dessert we wanted and so they removed it and then said that if we want a diff dessert its not on the house!! They retracted their offer. Not nice
Very disappointing. Went for brunch and was excited when they sat us at a great booth in the front. Excitement ended there. Service was beyond slow and it wasn't even busy. It was not ambiance-slow, it was disorganized slow. It took maybe 20 minutes to get a bellini; it took longer than that for my friend to get an orange juice. That's just juice.
I expected the food, with its high price tag, to impress,but it was disappointing too. I ordered the poached eggs and brioche. Tiny portion, tasteless. Absolutely nothing to it. No flavor. Not "bad", but not anything I couldn't make on my own at home better. My husband ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes – he received, literally, two small-medium sized pancakes on a plate with a single sliced strawberry. They didn't even offer him syrup. Those pancakes were $18.50.
Absolutely not worth the money or trek to the Upper East. Serafina is all hype and not worth it. Won't be back.