Serafina
| Address: | 2043 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102, USA |
| Phone: | +1 206-323-0807 |
| Site: | serafinaseattle.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 5–11PM 5–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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A Private User
As a preview - I have never written a restaurant review, but feel the need to do so in this case. My husband and I went to Serafina with two of our vegan friends, excited to eat some high end Italian. When asked what vegan choices were provided, the waiter was seemingly accommodating and told us the chef would prepare whatever they wanted. Our friends said they were interested in pasta with vegetables. After waiting OVER AN HOUR (no exaggeration whatsoever) for our food, 4 offers of additional bread loaves, and a discussion of whether to just leave, our food arrived. The dishes my husband and I ordered from the menu were good, however the dishes prepared by the chef for our vegan friends were very disappointing. Plain noodles in a bath of olive oil with basil and some sparse asparagus pieces. After seeing the disappointment on their faces I wondered what Serafina was going to charge them for these dishes. When the bill came and we saw the price everyone was silent and I was appalled. Serafina charged them $19 per dish, more than both of the entrees my husband and I ordered from the menu which had fresh seafood and a homemade squash ravioli. It really made no sense at all. Needless to say we will not be going back to the restaurant.
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Mikaela W-P
My first experience at this restaurant was very hot and cold. I had a long day and did not have much patience for the 40-minute wait for food on a Saturday evening, so theres that, and we were a group of 10, but still. The pasta of the day, the papardelle was quite good; the bucatini carbonara, however, had so much pepper in it that we could barely taste any of the other flavors that probably normally would make the dish shine. The sommelier knew what he was doing and recommended a nice, tasty red blend to go with our meals. The rest of the night was nice enough, though nothing special. It really peeves me though that upscale restaurants like this add surcharges to the bill. It feels like nickel and diming, when really they could charge me $29 instead of $28 for my meal and accomplish the same goal. At the point Im spending $50+ on dinner including tax and tip, I expect that all of the restaurant staff is earning a living wage. It just feels tacky to have a surcharge versus acknowledging the costs of business and adjusting menu prices accordingly.
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Mary Napolitano
I rarely write reviews but tonight I am beyond inspired. I have frequented Serafinas for more than 20 years, dating back to my Graduate school days at UW. I have NEVER in my life been as offended as I was tonight. My younger sister was visiting me from Alaska and I wanted to take her to a cool Seattle place with great food, atmosphere and music. Unfortunately, a young bartender by the name of "McGregor" attempted to ruin it for us. Not only was he ridiculously arrogant, he was rude and ignorant. We tried to power through it and make light of the situation, but he actually was persistent in his mistreatment of us! This bald, tattooed, alien-headed wimp lacked any sense of humility. People deserve to be treated with respect whether from a small town in remote Alaska, or a seasoned professional from Seattle. Shame on Serafina for having such a loser working for them!
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Beatrice Taylor
The food is usually outstanding, as is the atmosphere and service, unless youre there while theyre busy. My last time there I ordered a cheese plate appetizer, which was supposed to come with crackers, and I waited half an hour for them to bring me the crackers. Any time I ask for something to be prepared a little differently, they charge quite a lot for the change. You wont see your waiter or waitress particularly often, and you can easily wait an hour before your dish arrives. It gets extremely crowded and noisy. If you try to get in on a Friday or Saturday night, realize youll have to wait half an hour to be seated, and want something a little more personal... I seriously recommend another Italian restaurant a few blocks down the street (Pomodoro).
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Ken Ploeger
This is a place in my neighborhood that I can always count on for a great meal and exceptional service. Last night, our meal consisted of the bruschetta appetizer, the veal meatballs with penne, and the rabbit special with cream sauce over fettuccine. The best was definitely the rabbit, which was quite rich, and with an glass of red wine was perfect. The veal meatballs were pretty good too - slightly overcooked, but still very tasty. Service was excellent, with the waitstaff personable and anticipating our needs for some more of the tasty grilled bruschetta bread. I should note that if youre looking dine here around the usual dinner time, Id recommend making reservations early (like the day before) since this place is quite popular.
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Meebythe Sea
It was our first time visiting Serafina. The bartender and staff we very friendly and courteous. He made us both a perfect dirty martini and his vodka knowledge and selections were great. Unfortunately the food was only mediocre. The Plin was so salty that we could hardly eat it. I really like salty foods and usually salt everything. But I didnt enjoy it at all. We mentioned this to the staff and they just agreed that it is a salty dish being it has pork in it. And sadly, for the bartender to be so very personable and great, he brought out bread without asking us if we wanted it, then there was a $2 charge for that bread on our bill. All and all, there were good and not so good but, we will probably not be back.
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Renganathan Ramamoorthy
Either Seattle doesnt have a lot of great Italian food, or I just havent found them. However, Serafina is a fantastic Italian restaurant. The meals are hearty, the ambience is romantic and there is a bustle associated with any Italian bistro that keeps you on your toe. Especially if you go there during live music, the place can be even mesmerizing. Being a vegetarian, I highly recommend their Melanzane alla Serafina - hands down the best melanzane I have ever had. My wife and I enjoy this place every single time we visit it and thats usually reserved for special occassions owing to the $$$ rating of this place :)
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A Private User
Sarafina has always been one of our favorite spots for that special occasion dinner. Not so last night. Our officious waitress seemed to be more concerned with enforcing restaurant protocol than insuring we had a smooth running and pleasurable meal. She forgot our order of Polpettine di Vitella and the entrees were very late in comming as was the dessert. This wouldnt have been so bad had it not been for her curt attitude. That said, the wine steward was very exceptional in helping me pick wine to go with the entree I ordered and the buss boys were most attentive and helpful in keeping our table serveced.
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A Private User
I had a last minute emergancy for a catered event. I cannot tell you how wonderful Serafina was to work with. Rachel, the GM, literally sprung into action when I called her to tell her I needed a buffet dinner with 3 entree choices, dessert and appetizers. Not to mention wine, glassware, linens, etc. Literally in just over an hour, they produced an event that looked like it took weeks to plan. I was thrilled beyond belief. You have a customer for LIFE. Excellent customer service, excellent food and the kindest folks youd hope to meet.
