Serafina Always

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 31^st 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.

Went to this location with a group of 9 for dinner. Overall some dishes we ordered were the bow tie pasta with lemon and cream with shrimp, lobster ravioli ($ 25), gnocchi ($ 19), focaccia with cheese, calamari, lasagna ($ 18) among others. We also had a few mixed drinks. The atmosphere is causal/​nice, service was average/​good and the food was tasty, although too pricey. If they would lower prices a tad, serve bread with dinner (no bread is given to the table) that would improve the experience and value. Not sure I would go back, but over all a nice experience.

Came in after shopping on 5^th 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.

Went to dinner for my daughters 26^th Birthday at my suggestion. Had been to the older location and liked it. The awful news is that it started with the first order of drinks. They tasted like dirty sponges and had to be returned. Ordered another round, same thing. Ordered wine instead. Waiter totally rude. Servers brought wrong food to table three times. Food was fair at best. Had to ask for bread. Ate upstairs which was so loud and filled with screaming kids. Parents obviously don’t care if the kids scream. My daughter went to the restroom and a man came in to talk to his wife through the stall. Unbelievable. Too bad. Will never go back to this location.

Obviously this place has got the menu and the location. But where they really kill it is in the service. There’s something to be said about dining at a well established chain in Manhattan. It’s run incredibly well. The spaghetti squash is great!

Let me start out by saying this restaurant doesn’t even deserve to call itself an Italian restaurant.
I went there last night with a small group of coworkers. We were sat at a table and might as well have been dining with the two parties next to us the way they had us shoved in there. I get it, its NYC and space is limited but it was beyond uncomfortable and we didn’t feel like we could even have a conversation. The appetizers were an atrocity. How you can even think to call that a crostini is beyond me.
Entrees were even worse! My coworker wanted chicken alfredo, which you said you didn’t have on the menu and could make her! Imagine our surprise when you then proceeded to charge us 30 dollars for that meal! Which was dry beyond belief. But funny you said you couldn’t make the alredo when my entrée was exactly that. The description for the tagliolini pasta with chicken says a touch of cream. What I got was an alredo sauce! Our other coworker got the San Pietro salad which was inedible. The shrimp was in a cream sauce which it says nothing about in the description!
To top this wonderful evening off, we received our bill. I ordered one glass of wine, which was great. However, my understanding of this process is that if I don’t specify a wine I want, you need to ask me if I want the house wine! Which is what I wanted! I most certainly did not want an 18 dollar glass of wine.
Will never be eating at this establishment again and would recommend you don’t as well. Complete waste of money and time!

This place is great! It’s a cozy little restaurant with some great Italian food. There are so many choices and all at great prices. The lobster ravioli was amazing and unusually full of lobster. We got lucky that this place was open actually. It was a Saturday night and after mid night we were looking for a place near our hotel. It’s right around the corner from the Loews.

If I could I would like to give it a negative star. The waiter are so rude and the guy who gets the water is also rude and he spilled water on my plate and the waiter forgot to get us bread and he rolled his eyes and went back I really hate this place but the rest of sere fins place is not bad

Legitimately, everything was not great besides the bread. The vegetarian platter was not good and had no flavor (and that was what cost the most?). The salad was basically a caesar salad and the dressing was really not good. The pizza was red sauce, a whole lot of fresh rosemary and olives (whole olives with pits). What? Confused. And sad. I hope the tip is enjoyed. Maybe ordered the wrong things. Lame.

I was invited at Serafina for my friend wedding brunch, it was hosted in the private room and I was delighted by the cheerful and cozy environment, warm lights and awesome Italian food!
The service was fast and efficient yet very friendly. I felt like If we were celebrating in a Italian family home! The truffle ravioli were my favorite :)

One of our favorite places for a Sunday lunch|dinner.
One of the best things is how family friendly it is on a Sunday afternoon.
Foccacia Sofia is our favorite
Serafina chopped salad
And the Chicken parm is the best in the City (not technically on the menu)
Been here dozens of times and it is always always consistent!

Nasty manager. I have severe allergies and was lied to about content of food. When I said I could tell it has tomato as I feel my tongue swelling he said no it doesn’t eat it. I insisted they take it and ask chef. They returned and said I was right but it was only a touch! No kidding. Manager was extremely nasty about it. Stated we should have notified him before coming in. I have NEVER had to do that anywhere else.
Some of the rest of the party served pasta that was cold and had to go back to be reheated!

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!

5 stars for how quick the dessert was brought out and for helping my dad up the stairs.
3 stars for the dessert. The berry tart was not well balanced. It was not like the tart at serafina fabulous pizza (theirs is amazing). The crime brûlée was good though. I didn’t like that we only came in for dessert and they didn’t want to sit us downstairs. We were ready to walk out when the manager followed us and asked if we would rather sit downstairs. We stayed for 25 minutes. I would not come back to this location. I’ll stick to my favorite.

This is my favorite outpost of the Serafina chain thus far. Every time I’m in the city I tell myself I’m going to explore more pizza spots, yet I always end up back here.
Service: Not wonderful, but fairly efficient. Not overly friendly or attentive, but not lacking in the sense that there is anything in particular to complain about. If there were any specials tonight, we were not informed.
Food: The DiFazio pizza is so good. I love the saltiness of the prosciutto against the sweetness of the fresh tomato slices. The crust is paper thin in the middle — this is about as good as it gets for wood-​fired thin crust. 5 stars for pizza, but about 2 – 3 for dessert (pistachio gelato was strange, but the ricotta cheesecake was pretty good).
Order the bruschetta. Very fresh tasting and not too heavy or filling before the meal. The salad with goat cheese is good, too. I haven’t tried a pasta dish yet because I always order pizza, but they look great.
The bathroom is upstairs; beware fast-​moving servers on the steep staircase.
We shall return!

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.

Food aint that great, service aint that great, atmosphere aint that great. Kinda pricy.
I had to get up twice to get myself a drink. The pastas are ok. Any downtown spot will outperform this one.

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.

This was my last attempt to give the Serafina chain a shot to redeem itself. I will not be returning to any locations (except the White Plains one, perhaps…). Here’s why:
My grandmother wanted to treat me to a pre-​birthday lunch before we did some shopping. Serafina was nearby and I figured it would be a cute place for our girls afternoon. Around 12pm on a Friday, Serafina Always was starting to fill up with the lunchtime corporate crowd so it was lively and nice inside, just as I expected. I had been looking forward to ordering my favorite Serafina Chicken Salad. Last time I had it was two years ago at the White Plains location and it was huge, filling, and delicious. Here, I got a plate of leaves and a few measly pieces of chicken on a plate. Where was the big salad?! Where was the meat?! You could barely even taste the pesto dressing! SAD SAD SAD!
For $ 17.50 I was embarrassed my grandma was paying almost $ 20 for lettuce! It wasn’t even presented that nicely and was a tad sloppy in my opinion.
Well Serafina, ’twas nice knowin’ ya.

Serafina was highly recommended by my cousin, so we decided to meet up and go out to a late dinner on a Wednesday night. Although it was pretty busy, we didn’t have to wait for a table and were seated right away.
We started off with a bottle of red and some carpaccio. As entrees, I ordered the Ravioli Al Tartufo Nero, my one cousin ordered the same and I can’t remember what my other one ordered. I thought the ravioli was delicious, but unfortunately found that the portion was on the smaller side, especially since they were very light and airy (and for the price, I don’t want to leave not-​full).
Overall, a cute dinner spot, but there are plenty of other Italian places where the food to cost ratio is a bit more fair.