Serafina Osteria
Category: Italian
38 E 58th St(between Madison Ave & Park Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 832-8888
- Nearest Transit Station:
- 5 Ave./59 St. (N, Q, R)59 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)Lexington Ave./59 St. (N, Q, R)
- Hours:
- Mon-Sat 11:30 am - 12 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
- $$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
33 reviews for Serafina Osteria
Review Highlights What's this?
"The service was quick and friendly." In 3 reviews
"It tasted great topped with parmesan cheese." In 3 reviews
"Perfect place for dinner after a long day of wondering around NYC." In 4 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
33 reviews in English
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Review from Don D.
Alexandria, VANice small restaurant for lunch or dinner in an area with limited choices. Service was attentive at lunch. Enjoyed a spaghetti with a lemon & Parmigiana sauce. Portion was adequate. Place was filled at lunch but waitstaff was accommodating. Everyone friendly, did not rush meal. Bread was good, but could have been better. A positive experience and would return to try other choices. -
Review from Stephen J.
Manhattan, NYThis place suffers in comparison versus the other Serafina down the street. The service was brisk and efficient but the quality of the pasta on offer here does not make me want to return.
We had the pennette with vodka sauce and the plain old spaghetti with marinara sauce. For whatever reason I want to think the pasta came out of a box as it was just not that fresh.
Prices are fairly reasonable as the pasta dishes range from $14 to $24 or so. Even with that in mind, we wished we had just stayed across the street and had gone to Lavo instead to pay $10 more for higher quality.
Pass. -
Review from Adrian L.
New York, NYHit or miss.
Recommend:
Prosciutto Con La Frutta Di Stagione
- Flavorful prosciutto, beautiful to go with some wine
Fettuccine All' Aragosta
- Fettuccine is filled with lobster flavor
Linguine Pescatora
- What can go wrong with so much seafood?
Not Recommend:
Galletto Alla Diavola
- Rough texture and too dry
Swordfish ''salmoriglio''
- Also too dry -
Review from Angela T.
I should have known better( then to fall in love with you)! I knew a place this close to Times Square probably would be over priced and would under deliver. Such is the case for Osteria Serafina.
Walking in I thought this place was going to be amazing. It's small and quant- the decor screams romantic so of course I was fully prepared to let go of my skepticism and accept a great meal. Then I sat down and realized that Carrie Underwood was the music of choice for the night and right away I knew it would be a downward spiral for this Italian restaurant.
The food was ok at best. You are served bread with olive oil but don't even think you are getting fancy flavored olive oil or parmesan cheese with it because you aren't! That oil was straight off the Roundy's truck and it was not good. I ordered the pasta pomodoro which happens to be my all time favorite dish at all Italian restaurants but this dish failed to deliver in every way possible!
Service was good so that helped. Plus our waiter looked exactly like a European Robin Thicke and really a nice face can easily make up for tasteless, bland food.
P.S- try to skip the bathroom when you are here. It's probably one of the most unsanitary, filthy restrooms I've ever encountered. Not sure there have been many times that I've actually felt more disgusting post washing my hands! -
Review from Desiree B.
West Bronx, NYCame to eat here last summer on a Saturday afternoon, and since it was highly recommend I was all for it. Until I sat down and saw the menu. It was not appealing it took me almost 20mins to finally order sauteed spinach and pizza with one imported pitted olive on every slice. I wanted give them the thanks for the wonderful olive on regular mom and pops pizza. Which is far more tastier! On another note, the service couldn't have been slower. It took me three shutouts to finally get my friends ginger-ale. My friends roared the Ravioli that also was very comparable to the frozen packets found in Costco. However, if you are really in the mood for sauteed spinach and fresh buffalo mozzarella this is the place to go ...if not don't wast a Saturday or anytime other time here. -
Review from J Z.
Riverside, ILGnocchi with pesto was poorly prepared. ..too watery and fell apart on the fork. The pesto was made of something other than or in addition to basil and tasted of dried oregano. When we complained to the waiter he said "that's what gnocchi is like. It is made from potatoes."as if we were idiots! The margherita pizza boasted of basil. .. there was one leaf of basil in the very center of the pizza and one black olive on each slice! Crust was soggy in the middle. ..yuck! Server spilled water on the floor behind us and splashed our legs and didn't apologize. It appears to be classy on the facade but it is tired and old on the inside and unfriendly with horrible food and disinterested service. -
Review from Ross A.
Gilbert, AZGreat Italian restaurant in Midtown. Specializes in pastas, but also deserves props for its simple yet delicious desserts. It's unfortunate this location does not have pizza, but the other dishes are worth a visit.
The location is great, restaurant is somewhat small, yet tables are always available! The staff are friendly and will answer any questions you have regarding the menu. -
Review from Erik H.
I really want to give this place 4 stars but they tried so hard not to obtain it. We had a group of 8 people on Fashion Night Out so we expected that it would be difficult to get a table. They were willing to help us by putting some tables together. Now keep in mind this is not a big place so we took up almost half the restaurant ourselves. The waiter dropped off some menus and we told him that we will wait a few minutes for our 7th and 8th friends to arrive.
We waited for a while and they were late so we decided to order. We asked a waiter who walked by if he could take our order but he said no, and pointed to another guy who would help us. However, he was at another table taking an order. We waited... and waited... while he spoke to the girls at this other table. After a while, we flagged down a different guy but he too said he couldn't help us, so we waited. Finally, he was finished with the girls and started to walk away. We got his attention and told him we were ready. He said he would be right back and went to kitchen. When he finally came out, we got our order in.
We were hungry by this time, well, we were hungry to begin with! So when the food started to arrive, we were eager to get started. When my plate of Pennate Stolitchnaya came out I was ready to dig in. Well, let me say thank God the food was good because there wasn't much of it. Very disappointed in the amount of servings I received and I wasnt alone. Each of us looked at the quantity of food and asked "That's it?"
But like I said, for what little we got, the food tasted excellent. The prices did not reflect the amount of food. About $18 for my plate which looked the size of the lunch menu portions. So this is why they get 3 out of 5 stars in my opinion.
Place was clean but small so it got crowded quick. Nice place to stop off for lunch I suppose but if you are really hungry for a large portion, might wanna try someplace else. -
Review from Roxy R.
Orlando, FLChicken Parmesan was SUPERB! (So says fiancé).
I had something I've never had before- a homemade noodle (flat and about 1.5" thick) with meat sauce. Not what I was expecting but good. I'll return. -
Review from Areazue H.
Chicago, ILI was visiting NYC with my girlfriends and we stumbled upon this cute little Italian restaurant.
Cozy and homey. I ordered the spaghetti a limone and LOVED IT. so simple and decadent.
I have been craving it ever since I got back to Chicago from NY...I need to find somewhere like this in Chicago!
I always use Amex so I was relieved to see they ONLY accepted AmEx or cash...my friends however weren't too happy. -
Review from David C.
Washington D.C., DCI give it 3 stars because I had a few meals that were OK. Also, it gets very crowded. So go early. You will not avoid all the hustle and bustle; it's very popular and it fills up quickly. On Saturdays, there are alot of families with small children, and fortunately, they are seated in the backroom. Also, the tables are close, almost too close for comfort. The wait staff can be brusque, but the hostess is usually a sultry looking model type but pleasant.
The pizzas are good. I love the arugula salad; it's enough to share. The drinks are GREAT! A nice casual place. Everyone I took there, enjoyed themselves.
And the tiramisu is the BEST. So worth all the hassle. -
Review from Rob D.
New York, NY3.5/5.0
I like this place. The dishes and portions are homey and also filled with flavor.
I ordered pappardelle with vodka sauce, mushrooms, bacon, and spinach. Added some parm cheese and BAM, delicioso! My only complaint was that the pasta was incredibly hot when it came out... obnoxiously hot.
For an appetizer I got the arugula salad, the vinaigrette was great and the portion was right.
The bread was pretty basic... disappointing actually. Ya gotta serve good bread at a NYC Italian restaurant.
I thought it was like 20% more expensive than it should have been... ended up being 40 dollars with tax and tip. Meh.
I would def come back. -
Review from Rachel A.
I can't really justify going to Osteria Serafina during my lunch break. If you thought $10 lunches were expensive, Osteria will certainly set you back $20 a head. It's perfect for business lunches, tourists who want a nice meal, and for people like me who occasionally splurge indulgently. I went to Osteria twice in two weeks and ordered the same thing each time.
The pasta at Osteria Serafina is perfect. Both times, my friend and I gave back our plates clean. Not a drop of sauce or even one noodle left on the plates. The linguini with clams tasted so fresh. It was like I was taking a bite out of the sea. The sauce was tomato based with garlic and olive oil. The fettuccine with bolognese sauce was just as good if not better. The sauce was loaded with meat but it was not heavy at all. It tasted great topped with parmesan cheese. The portions were ample but just right. My friend and I cut eat dish in half and traded half way. Bread was complimentary and if you are curious about dessert, the tiramisu was classic and a nice way to end the meal.
Service was quick and the food came out in less than 10 minutes. Waiting for a table was never long and if you think you will be pressed for time, lunch at Osteria Serafina is 45 minutes tops.
The food at Osteria Serafina is worth it. Comforting and bountiful, it'll make you wish you were stepping out onto the steps of Rome instead of dreary ol New York. -
Review from Marie B.
New York, NYAfter learning of Tao and Lavo's hour plus wait time for a table, my friends and I ventured across the street to Serafina. Am glad we did, because this place is really good.
I had the Carpaccio Malatesta; the delicate and subtly sweet slices of filet were perfectly paired with salty Parmesan. Next, I had the Penne Stolichnaya which was amazing!! Serafina used a smaller version of penne that really grabbed the sauce. I loved the chunks of porcetta in the pasta too. It was really hard to stop eating...
We closed the meal with cappuccinos and nutella crepes sauced with Grand Marnier. We definitely made a good choice for dinner as Serafina gave us an awesome meal! -
Review from Monica L.
Whoah, Nelly! Really?! Only 9 reviews? I'm actually pretty shocked. Came across this quaint little Italian restaurant after an interview in Manhattan. My friends and I were craving something "different" and "New York" if you will (only 1/3 of us was from NYC). She heard great things about "Serafina" so we gave it a shot.
Long story short, there's this "Special"...that you must hurry on over there and try before it's not so special anymore (although will always be super special in my heart!). Ask the waiter for the pasta tossed in bits of savory Italian sausage, spinach, roasted red peppers and garlic. It was AMAZING. Topped it off with a bottle of Chardonnay --because we were celebrating fabulosity. A little pricey, yes. But totally worth it.
Hands down, one of the best meals I had during my one-week stay in NYC. Small and cozy but very welcoming. The staff provided phenomenal service and worked very efficiently in the small work space they have.
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