Serafina

We went here last night with last minute reservations and, like always, the staff is friendly and accommodating. We were seated right away and the first thing I asked for was the bread and olive oil — so good! I really like that they use seasonal menus, because I’m someone that will always order the same thing when I go back to the same place. Some places use an overly extensive menu and it makes the decision of what to order really difficult. These ones are simple and easy and offer a great variety of Italian dishes. Last night I had the Lasagna with the lamb-​pork ragu (amazing). Simple dish with a ton of flavor. I ended the night with the chocolate mint mousse which was really good. Overall, it was a great experience and I always love coming here.

We were in town for our son’s UW graduation and needed a good place for a family dinner. Since we were staying in the U District this seemed perfect. What a lovely neighborhood place with super friendly waitstaff! And I cannot say enough about the food — it is amazing! There were five of us that evening and we started by splitting the olives, the bruschetta, and the carpaccio — one was more delicious than the next — really wonderful. I ordered the Plin, which are similar to small ravioli, filled with beef, pork, and spinach and it is no exaggeration that this may be the best pasta dish I’ve ever had — I’m bummed that we don’t live closer — I would go to Serafina every chance I got just to order this! The others at the table ordered Lasagna, Melanzane, and Halibut and everyone raved — absolutely delicious. Even the bread was dream-​worthy. We were all too full for dessert, but they looked fantastic — next time! I love everything about this place — small, friendly, delicious food, good wine list — what more can you ask for? All of you lucky Seattle area residents — I am jealous — go and enjoy — and know I am down here in NorCal envying every bite!

We had a table of 4 and for some reason it took forever to serve us. Drinks took about 15 minutes to arrive initially. We ordered an appetizer (oysters) and that came on time. Waitress took our orders but it took an hour to get our food. Other tables, filled after ours, had come and gone. There was no explanation and no offer of any sort of compensation. We were being treated to dinner by friends otherwise I would have gotten up and walked out.

Serafina is yet another high quality Italian food option in Seattle. Located in Eastlake, it’s a little off the beaten path (when compared to others downtown) but don’t let the extra drive time deter you; the food is wonderful. Most of the reviewers really hit the proverbial nail on the head:
* Décor is warm and inviting
* Staff is engaging and friendly
* Food is dynamite
* Wine list has some very nice selections
That really about sums up Serafina. I could write more, but wouldn’t you rather just stop in and see/​taste/​drink for yourself?

Really 4.5 stars but that’s not a choice. Romantic restaurant for a special occasion. The sauces had a perfect balance of spices and cheeses were melted to perfection. Chefs specials were our favorite.

Went with a group of friends. Sunday they had live music which we enjoyed. Great place to hang out with friends. Food-​pretty good, not in Awww. I got the ravioli duck-​there was an option for an duck egg for extra $ 2. Was not improved by the freshness of the ravioli and the duck egg looked like a regular chicken egg. Not to impressed. Probably won’t be going back.

How have I not reviewed this place yet?
Where do I begin? This place has taken the cake for best Italian in town. Everything here was delicious! The house bread is clearly homemade and the infused olive oil is yum!
Started off with the calamari, which isn’t fried by any means but fresh with a hint of pinenuts? Soo good! I ordered the tagliarini which was delicious and the bf had the lasagna (nice and light, how true lasagna is suppose to be). Topped it off with two desserts, one had a pear on it which to be honest could have been omitted and the second dessert was a panna cotta (amazing).
The menu changes from time to time which is awesome. I can’t wait to come back for brunch!
**hint** make reservations for this place

I had the Borsellino for Brunch on Sunday, and it was delicious! Presented very beautifully, it was very savory, the mushrooms are fragrant, and the basil pesto was a nice touch. I have always loved Serafina for dinner, and it’s refreshing to have an Italian breakfast for once! We have so many amazing French restaurants in Seattle but this place has always been a gem, and keeping themselves that way by expanding and rotating their offerings.
The Lox was a little underwhelming aesthetically but my husband said the lox tasted great, so that’s all that matters.
Oh, and the violinist is also a nice touch!

Happy hour and what a better opportunity to introduce some of their awesome dishes to my beau.
Calamari: tender, flavorful: consistently good however I don’t recall a slight bite to the spiciness.
Pappardelle bologna: Delicious.
Plin: duck confit, thyme butter, grano padano: a little chewy and dry. The flavor was there but not something I’d come back for. The subtle flavor is probably a bad idea to have with the calamari.
Barbatiole: Baby beets, ricotta, pear, hazelnut, baby kale, pomegranate. Excellent.
Service: good.
The bar area is very small and tends to be a little cold since it’s right by the door.

I’ve been here twice — once for a large group dinner and once for happy hour with one other person. The dinner was delicious, the server was extremely kind, and everyone had a wonderful time. The happy hour trip, on the other hand, was not as great of an experience. The bartender hardly acknowledged us and prioritized chatting with two apparent regulars at the end of the bar, and though there were fewer than five people (including us) there, it took much longer than expected to pay. I definitely wasn’t expecting (or wanting) to have a full-​blown life chat with the bartender, but a little friendliness couldn’t have hurt. I will say that my classic bellini was delicious, however.
I might consider going back for dinner, but definitely not for happy hour.

Went here for valentines day becuase we had 140 $ gift card. The food was over all pretty good. But anytime restaurants have the fixed menus with 3 options I’m just never that impressed by them. I know it is good food but the fixed menu kind of ruined it a touch for me. Now maybe on a slower night it might be romantic. But it sounded like red robin in there. There was so much crowd and conversation noise that it was hard just to talk to the wife. Maybe we will try it again in more of an off night to see the difference.

My husband and I had an early dinner at Serafina yesterday. We arrived too early to be seated in the restaurant, which opens at 5:00, regardless of what Unilocal has posted. MacGregor, the charming bartender greeted me and explained that I could join him at the bar until I could be seated. IMy husband joined me and we found a table for 2 in the bar area., Macgregor was so personable and friendly, we stayed for drinks and advice on alcohol standards. At 5, we decided, the table in the bar was delightful and kind of private, so we stayed there at Tom Wilson’s table, to eat. We had 2 appetizers during Happy Hour and they were outstanding. But the real treat was our main dishes: Lasagna and Mellanzani. We took an order of bread pudding to go because we were stuffed.
Serafina, MacGregor is a gem and we will be sure to return to Seraafina every time we come to Seattle

This place was great!
Great place to hang out with friends or go on a date.
My friend and I ordered their house white wine and rose, their wines are okay, however not a wow.
We did not order any appetizer cause we wanted to save room for dessert lol
We did get bread tho and it was a wise decision! Bread was great! Chewy, flavorful, hearty! I ended up eating so much bread lol!
I had scallops for entrée and my friend had bolognese! I was debating between daily special tuna and scallops. And the waitress suggested scallops as I was looking for a lighter flavor. The three HUGE scallops were tender and juicy! I absolutely loved it and the romanesco on the side was great as well! I’m glad I took her advice!
I’m not a huge fan for bolognese. I tried my friend’s dish anyway and it was good too.
And dessert didn’t jump off the page as well.
But something about this place is that it got so loud during the latter part of our meal. I basically had to shout to my friend. I mean I like a fancy restaurant that is easy and layback. I don’t like places that are too serious and too quiet but it’s just too loud in here that it kind of hurt the quality of the restaurant. Also, the service wasn’t good. Our waitress was helpful but the other ones weren’t as nice… I expected more for a classy Italian restaurant.

Italian cuisine is typically a safe choice. A decently made bowl of spaghetti can leave you feeling satisfied.
This place goes above and beyond that and gives you an experience that I would imagine is similar to that of Italy itself.
I ordered a traditional bowl of spaghetti. Simple. Elegant. Flavorful. Zesty. It was perfect.
My boyfriend ordered Pompadell Bolognese (sorry if I butchered the name) — he said it was the best pasta he’s ever eaten.
Our waiter was extremely friendly, quick and knew when to let us be and when to ask us what we needed.
Everything about this restaurant was incredible and an AMAZING place to have a anniversary dinner, a 3^rd or 4^th date and/​or a birthday dinner.

I took my boyfriend here for a birthday brunch and we had an overall positive experience. They gave a complimentary fruit plate before bringing out our entrees, and the presentation of the food was appetizing. One downfall was the violinist during their jazz brunch who was playing out of beat, which was somewhat distracting. I don’t hold that against them, though, since it had nothing to do with their food.
Another downfall is their lack of communication. They offer a Prix Fixe, which is supposed to be $ 22 for one option from the primi and secondi sections of the menu. However, it is no where listed on the menu about the additional $ 8 for the Bistecca alla Griglia (steak). I would have gotten it anyway but I still believe they should honor their printed prices or at least clarify the additional cost either verbally or on the menu. To be fair, the manager did call re: this issue, but I have not had the chance to call them back so I will update after our conversation.
Speaking of lack of communication, the server and buser apparently experienced it, as well. I asked for my leftover to be boxed, and it was mistakenly thrown out. They offered a delicious Profiteroles to compensate, though. Overall, the general sense I got from this restaurant is that they care about the service they provide, which is why I am giving ⁴⁄₅ stars instead of ³⁄₅.

Great service! Wonderful décor. This restaurant is full of 2-​seater tables set up in a romantic arrangement. It has a large Italian countryside mural painted on one of the walls and another is full of wine bottles. This place is great for dates, or even meetings if you’re up for the price hit.
The food is flavorful. They fit so much flavor into familiar sauces. Even the bread and oil was bursting with flavor. The bread was obviously homemade– crispy and chewy crust with a steamy moist center. The oil was infused with spicy garlic and fresh herbs.
We got the calamari and I did the plin. I am a sucker for duck and the dumplings were burst with fatty shredded duck. The surprising best part of the dish was a fusion of the brown butter sauce with a shredded cheese. I hate when people shred cheese table side. They brought it out perfectly cheesed here and I was impressed with it– creamy and rich. My friend got a pasta dish with lamb and its familiar looking red sauce tasted nothing like any tomato sauce I had tried. It was phenomenal.
We got offered seconds and then thirds on bread before our food came. It took a little longer than expected but the calamari held us over nicely. Our drinks were refilled every ten minutes or so. I did find the food to be on the salty side overall.
The bill came and it was $ 64 for two lunch entrees and a shared appetizer. I have never spent so much on lunch. I can’t say I wasn’t impressed with the food or the service, but the food was outrageously priced for lunch.

A wonderful ambiance and great romantic spot for dinner. The food is terrific. The best of fresh pastas and super inventive dishes. They do a good job with their beef and other wonderfully marinated pork.
We loved the specials and they are super incentive with their cocktails as well.
The wine list is terrific as well and the backyard is great for those summer nights. A great find in Seattle.

Two words: FRENCH TOAST.
I came here for brunch due to a soon expiring Living Social deal that I’d bought months ago. It included a fruit plate, carafe of mimosa or bellini, and 2 brunch entrees. (We opted for the bellinis.)
You never know how service will be once you inform the server that you have a Living Social or Groupon Voucher, but luckily we weren’t treated like second class citizens, and for that, I’m appreciative.
There was ample patio seating in the front and back of the restaurant, but my friend and I opted to to sit inside the restaurant so we could hear each other. This turned out well because shortly after we sat down, the violinist started playing some contemporary tunes, which I thought was a nice touch to the atmosphere.
I ordered and devoured the french toast, and let me tell ya, it’s probably in the top 3 of the best french toast I’ve ever had. Yep, it was damn good. I took my first bite, shouted in pleasure, «Oh God!» and then offered my friend one bite because I knew I was about to inhale the entire dish. The texture of the french toast was perfect and included a lovely amalgamation of flavors. I might be in love.

Plein air diining has officially started in Seattle. Gorgeous sunsets, breezy cool evenings with a hint of lingering heat from the ground. Serafina combines well prepared Italian tapas small plates with a great outdoor experience.
We ordered the following:
Affettati Misti — A mixture of artisanal salumi, prosciutto, country style pâté and terrine served with house-​made giardiniera (pickled peppers, olives, cornichons), and fresh Pecorino. A dash of ground coarse mustard seed sauce to enliven your palate.
Risotto Milanese– if you want a superbly executed al dente arborio rice that melts in your mouth, this plate definitely pleases. The hints of saffron, seafood and white wine add to the velvety Parmigiano-​Reggiano, makeing every spoonful an unctuous treat.
Rigatoncini con Polpettine– I should put this on a list called, «Comfort foods to try in Seattle.» A simple looking dish, but the effort to make the tomato sauce — so fresh and balanced in tart and sweetness will have your umami tastebuds rejoicing. The lamb meatballs adorn the plate as prized gems that go with every bite. Garnished with fresh ricotta as counterbalance to the tomato’s tartness.
The Columbia City Bakery is now a personal favorite. They won the best Baguette in Seattle, and now their country bread as a side with olive oil at Serafina is a must have!
Imbibed with a Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley — Torii Mor, just right for the cooling evening breeze and went well with the tomato sauce and rich risotto.
PS. I wish all my summer evening meals could be spent eating outside :-)

Not only was this such a great dining experience, but I also got to use my $ 20 gift cheque from open table! Since today’s weather was so lovely, we sat outside in their little courtyard area. Our server was extremely knowledgeable with the menu, and even made the effort to pronounce items on the menu properly. The only downside was that the service was quite slow because it was so busy.
We ordered calamari (best thing we had! The sauce was so lovely and flavorful), chilled asparagus soup (refreshing), squash blossom (crispy and well balanced with creamy ricotta!), verdu salad (slightly too tangy for my taste), Columbia city bakery bread, halibut (I liked the pea purée it came with), lasagna (had the right balance of cheese and flavor from the tomato sauce), tagliatelle (just ok.), and please do get the profiteroles with chocolate grappa!