Serafina is by far the best little italian restaurant I have found in Seattle! It is a hidden gem among many other big name restaurants here, but it's extensive wine list and true italian fare are exceptional to say the least. I have been thoroughly impressed with their sommelier who frequents the tables imparting his knowledge and giving you a taste of Italy right here in Seattle. We especially love the duck confit and hazelnut gelato, and we are always excited to try something new! If you haven't tried Serafina yet, you are missing out! read more

food ok. Condescending waiter: if met with any negative feedback from our food, like burnt bruscheta "well, it's grilled, that's the way it is" and other remarks. Would not like that waiter's service again, would the restaurant like to know? Probably only if they loose customers, but they have plenty. I will spend my money somewhere esle. read more

Great food, personable staff, and cozy ambiance. If you want an appetizer you cant go wrong the mussles.

Lets start out with that Italian food in Seattle is a joke compared to the east coast. I haven't found a great place yet and nothing that Id say is close to authentic. The menu had food with Italian sounding names but a large majority of it was PNW food. So Id really say this place is Italian inspired. Price is a tad high. The food was good and portions were filling. I cant say anything bad about the place other than people in Seattle really put it on a pedestal. On a positive note the waitress was knowledgeable and extremely friendly. I cant say there is anything that would make me want to come back. It wasn't awful just nothing special. read more

My wife and I are two retired professionals that visit Serafina and Cicchetti on a regular basis. In looking over the reviews, it is obvious that different diners have different expectations, whether it be the quality of food, price, portion size, service or the noise level. Because of these factors, all reviews are valid. We're all different. Our expectations have always been met in every way. If we a have a question or a disappointment with a dish, all we have to do is speak up. The situation is rectified by having the chef prepare another selection in its place or have the waitperson simply delete the item from our bill. If the diner is still unhappy, ask for Rachel who is the manager. She always makes things right. She's the best. Her staff is also really top notch. If you enjoy wine with your meal, ask for Sal, the sommelier. Tell him what wines you enjoy. He will either pick a bottle that will suit you or even give you a different glass of wine with each course if you're adventurous and a true oenophile! His choices, by the way, will never break the bank! He watches your pocketbook! read more

Our party of 4 was treated like royalty even tho they were close to closing that afternoon. The wait staff didn't miss a beat the entire meal and made us feel we could be leisurely. All of our meals were delicious.. and I am one not easily pleased. In terms of flavor, texture and presentation...the food was a hit. read more

We have been going to Serafina for over 20 years. Last Friday we went with a party of eight. Again it was excellent, if anything, better than ever. Very good food, great service, great ambiance with an upscale neighborhood feel. Growing up in a foodie family with Italian roots, this is not a 'pure' Italian restaurant, but the Italian dishes they do serve are fabulous. Among others, try the Polpo (braised octypus) for an antipasta. The Limone salad is wonderful, with nice plump anchovies. A couple of good pasta's are the Spaghetti Cetarese or the Pappardelle di Porcini (braised rabbit). And for secondi's try the Melanzana (eggplant w/cappellini) or the Agnello (lamb shank with polenta). You won't go wrong. read more

Yummy food! Kind service. Clams, a must try!

I've never been to Serafina, and I never will go. Attitude counts for a lot with me and the owner of this place sure seems to have a bad one. A while back, I was at a bank, waiting in line. There was a woman ahead of me talking to one of the tellers. Apparently, she was asking the teller to do something that was against bank policy, and he politely explained that he wasn't able to fulfill her request. This exchange quickly escalated into a one sided argument with the woman getting more and more irate that the teller wouldn't break his employer's rules on her behalf. The teller remained very polite and as accommodating as possible, but the woman got nastier and nastier, until finally, she exclaimed quite loudly, "Do you know who I am? I'm the owner of Serafina!" as though that was supposed to convince him to risk his job on her behalf. She stormed out of the bank after he let her know he couldn't help her. If attitude carries weight with you like it does with me, you'll avoid this place like the plague. If I could have given this place 0 stars, I would have. read more

This restaurant was one of my "I really need to go there" places in Seattle. Well sixteen years later, I made it! I had an amazing lunch with Betsey S, Valentina, and MMAD. It was part of the dine around Seattle so a three course meal was a whopping 15 dollars! The restaurant was packed and our server was pleasant as can be. We got to *sample* a couple wines before deciding on an amazing valipocella. Jammy goodness. For lunch I had an eggplant starter, which was wrapped around mozzarella and served on a plate of roasted peppers. Yum yum. The next dish was ribolitta which was perfect for today. A stew of white beans, peppers, pumpkin, bread and parmesan. I will gladly say I ate that all up rather quickly. Yum yum! Finally we had chocolate tort which was the perfect end to the lunch. They were out of the other options for dessert so we had no choice, and the server comped Valentina's coffee since they had no lavender panna cotta. I was really pleased with the whole experience and would love to come here for dinner sometime. read more

Had Sunday brunch here yesterday - bought the Living Social deal as I had dinner here ages ago and enjoyed it. Breaking down the key points: Food = 4 stars. --I ordered the borsellino, which was black forest ham wrapped around soft polenta and mushrooms, topped with a poached egg. It came with 2 little "nests", and sat on top of parsley puree. Accompaniment by crispy roasted baby potatoes. I thought it was a little heavy on the parsley flavor, and the poached eggs weren't hot. --My companion ordered a new menu item that was a sort of hash with smoked pork sauce, bell peppers, and zucchini. That dish would probably be 5 stars. Service = 2 stars. --Upon entering, no one greeted me for at least 5 minutes. Tons of staff made eye contact but no acknowledgement at all. --No server came to our table for at least 10 minutes. Again not sure what was going on, but there were a ton of employees seemingly milling about. --There was a hair on one of my poached eggs. Pretty gross. They comped us dessert for that which was considerate. --The busboy spilled a full glass of bellinis. That in and of itself was fine, accidents happen. However, he did not apologize to the gentleman at the table over that got splashed. Moreover, he did not offer to replace it, or at least report it to the server so that she could handle it. This particular issue made me pretty annoyed. It's about the principle more than anything - if you spill an entire alcoholic beverage, you need to acknowledge it. I let our server know, and she promptly apologized and gave us another glass. --It took over 15 minutes (maybe more) to get the check at the end of our meal, and this was only after I went to the hostess desk because our server was nowhere to be found. The last time she passed our table, she didn't even make eye contact, although we were clearly finished with the meal. The entire service experience here tells me that the wait staff is poorly trained, which is unacceptable at such an establishment. Overall, I'm giving this an average of 3 stars. I think there is great potential at this restaurant and the ambiance is great, including the live jazz music at brunch. However, the service and food need to be tightened up considerably. At its price point, expectations are naturally higher and should be met. read more

simply fantastic. we even got to sit on the patio and soak up the sun while we enjoyed our experiance! amazingly fun and affordable wine list (bravo on the piedmonte selection, we found just what we wanted). incredible, well informed, friendly and comfortable service. great atmosphere (i love to people watch). yummy, well plrepared italian food. i'm already looking forward to my return visit to serafina- thank you, thank you, thank you! read more

Had an intimate dinner on the patio with my daughter for her 30th birthday and wouldn't change a single thing about the evening. Brian, our waiter, attentive but not intrusive, made the evening go smoothly and unrushed. We started with a bottle of wine and the Affettati, then shared two courses, the Tagliarini Nero (what a treat!) and the very large Maiale pork chop done the way I requested, medium rare. Ended the evening sharing a dessert of my daughter's choosing. Absolutely perfectly delightful. read more

Ummm, what happened!? I used to go here about 15 years ago for drinks due to the very fun swanky atmosphere and live jazz (which is still there thankfully) so I wanted to try it again for my birthday this year. I went on Sept. 6, 2011 and was seated on the back patio which was very cute and romantic even on a cold Fall night (they had heaters and twinkling lights everywhere). Everything seemed like we were going to have an awesome albeit expensive Italian dinner so definitely an 'A' for atmosphere. My husband ordered a drink that was top notch as well so 'A' for drinks from the bar as well as our initial good service from the hostess. Then unfortunately it all fell apart when the food arrived. I am not a super picky eater at all and enjoy many kinds of food but I do get disgusted by bad meat and enjoying to cook myself quite a bit, I also know when it is cheap cuts of meat prepared badly (having screwed up some meat myself in experimentation). I ordered pork loin expecting a nice lean cut of pork tenderloin seasoned and with a nice sauce like in other Italian places I've been to...nope. I got a grisly, tough, gray completely overcooked peice of the cheap cut of pork loin roast that is more fat and grisle than meat...think cheap cold overcooked pork chop with virtually no seasoning and no sauce...for around $30 a plate. Are you serious!? My husband's veal meatballs were no different at also around $30 a plate. They quite literally tasted exactly like the meatballs and sauce that you get in a can of chef boy r dee, presentation on both meals was also reminiscent of what I serve the kids for lunch, ie. food slopped on a plate with no extra anything. We were sort of in awe at how bad the food was in contrast to the wonderful setting and certainly to the prices. Both of our meals were so disgusting we couldn't finish them and for what ended up being a $100 meal we really wanted to try to at least get full. We decided to give dessert a chance and it also was bad unbelievably. The fruit crisp was cold in the middle and some of the fruit was uncooked and hard still. Presentation was again just slopped on a plate, no powdered sugar, no mint sprig, chocolate shavings you know that kind of thing that you expect for a $10 dessert. Coffee was ok at least. So all in all, maybe they had a terrible chef that night and it is worth trying again since the atmosphere is so nice but if we go back we will only be going for drinks. By the way, I am not a big reviewer snob and have not left bad reviews much before but am bothering to write this one because I really felt like we got robbed for the money, it was THAT BAD especially after all the good reviews! Hope this helps someone else. read more

My client selected this place for a dinner and I went along with the recommendation. Personally, I wasn't impressed- I ordered the black cod and if was dry and flavorless- a little salt or pepper would have fixed that but the vegetables served with it had a overpowering citrus flavor. I didn't finish my main so I ordered dessert hoping it would make up for the bad meal-it didn't. Service was fine. read more

I was not at all impressed with this restaurant. Our waitress was incredibly slow. After finally bringing our drinks, we didn't see her again for what felt like an eternity, and the service remained slow for the entire evening. I also don't like crowded restaurants, and Serafina is very small. My husband and I went on a Friday night and the place was packed and very stuffy. I did not enjoy the atmosphere. If you like loud, hot, cramped quarters in which to dine, this might be a great place for you! read more

Came here randomly, driving along Eastlake with the girlfriend, and thinking of Italian for dinner. We stopped at Serafina, as it met the previously mentioned criteria. I guess we didn't look for a menu in the window, but after we were seated we realized that it was.... out of our price range. For some reason, we decided to go for it anyway, and I think maybe our server caught on to our out-of-our-league-tonight vibe, and the service was pretty lousy. I guess this is the type of spot that people generally drop a bit of money at, but between the service and food, I can't say that I wish to go back. So many better Italian places... I don't even remember what I had... I think it had walnuts, definitely a type of pasta. A little overcooked in my opinion, but then again, I lived in Rome for a while and have become very fond of my perfectly al dente pasta. Not worth the money if you ask me, I'd be much happier, better treated, and more satisfied at Marcello. Thanks for listening. read more

So, being a guy, I somehow pissed off my significant other and needed to make it up to her. So I asked my boss if she had any suggestions, for her favorite restaurant, to take my gf for dinner. She recommended Serafina almost instantaneously. So I made reservations and by golly, parking is horrid! But then again its close to downtown so it should be somewhat expected. We walked in and it was just packed but we were seated in minutes, which was lovely. The waiter guided us to a small 2 seating table right next to the window. It was the most picturesque spot I could have ever imagined. The lamp post was lighting the side walk gently while lighting little rain droplet that were falling to the floor. Now this would have been all great, but here is where it started to go downhill. I would try to talk but my gf wasn't be able to hear what I was trying to say!!! So at a certain point of the night, I was literally shouting at her because the restaurant was sooo noisy! When my boss told me about how small, quaint and romantic. Yea that vision fell apart immediately. The waitress was great though. She was just the most helpful person with all our orders. She wasn't intrusive during our meals, she always knew when we were ready for the next portion. But the other serving staff ended up pouring water all over my gf while filling up her glass. Oh that's not the end of it. While pouring the olive oil for the house bread, the other server ends up splashing oil all over my shirt!! She didn't even stop to say sorry or even look apologetic. She just gives me a quick glance, smirks, then walks away like nothing happened!!! So I figured I need some drinks because it's not starting out so well. I ordered the Mojito d'Aranciata and my gf had the Naked Pear. The Mojito was great. Not too strong where it burns the lining away from your esophagus. The Naked pear on the other hand was something else. It was as if you could strip paint off the walls with its fumes alone! We ended up getting another Mojito but that was even worse in its toxicity! Who knows, maybe the bartender changed in between the drinks. Yes stiff drinks are great but they have a time and a purpose. A romantic dinner isn't where you get drinks that have its own HFR code! By this time our bruschetta has arrived. Once we slathered on the toppings that we had, we came to a conclusion. The house bread with olive oil had tasted better. Maybe I was too spoiled with amazing bruschetta from Postino Winecafe in Scottsdale, Arizona but this was just so blah. It did have flavor, but by the time we finished eating, it had no impact. Also, it would also help if the staff knew what bruschetta sounded like. I was like, I'd like the bruschetta, and the waitress was like, "I'm sorry? OH Brew-Chedda." So eventually after yelling at each other for about 15 mins, the food had arrived. My gf had the Polpettine di Vitello and I had the Porchetta. The Polpettine was okay. No richness in flavor, the meatballs seemed okay, slightly under seasoned, just mediocre all around. We ended up eating the Porchetta together since, by golly, this thing was, by far, the highlight, up to this point, of the night. The pork belly, oh my, was perfectly cooked, seasoned, and oh so delicious. But then they ran out of farro so they asked if noodles were okay instead. We ended up with the noodles that had almost no taste at all!!! I had to mix the arugula salad INTO the noodles to have it taste like ANYTHING. Then there were the apples. They just didn't fit into the dish! I didn't know what to do with them so just left them off to the side. By this time the waiting staff had come by and taken away the dishes and set the desert menu in front of us. We were just so "stuffed" with house bread and pork that we needed something that wasn't savory, heavy, but sweet! We decided on the Gelati e Sorbetti. They had a variety of flavors like vanilla, hazelnut, and then this sweet orange/berry concoction that made from the sweet tears of Jesus. That's what we had. My goodness we enjoyed it so much, we almost asked for another!! All in all, the dining experience was mediocre. Some parts of the food were fabulous but most weren't. So here is how my rating system went. Food, Service, Atmosphere/Ambiance, Drinks, and lastly Cleanliness of the bathroom. Yes i know the bathroom isn't EXACTLY where you would check when dining but the restroom shows how cleanly the kitchen is. So food, half-star. Service, quarter star. Atmosphere/Ambiance, quarter-star. Drinks, quarter-star. Bathroom, one star. I decided to round down because I can't believe the oil lady smirked at me... I was thinking while asking for the bill, that I might try Serafina's once again in the future. Maybe they were having a bad night. Then I got the bill. Pay that much for this type of service again? I think not! I'd rather go to the dingy Thai restaurant, Siam, down the street! read more

OK, this review has nothing to do with the quality of the food, just the service. A friend and I stopped by on a Monday evening, just before 6 pm for a couple of drinks and an appetizer or two. The bar was full, except for an exceptionally tiny table that always gets banged by the door. We noticed there was only one or two tables occupied on the patio and one or two occupied in the dining room, so we asked to be seated. The staff inquired if we would be having dinner. We replied, no entrees, but some appetizers and cocktails. They refused to seat us on the patio, even though there were a dozen or more tables free, and only offered us one tiny dark table in a bad corner of the dining room. We asked again if we could be seated elsewhere, since clearly there were not throngs of people trying to be seated. The answer was no. We left and went down the street to a friendlier establishment. I will think twice before I go back into Serafina, which is a real shame because it's a neighborhood institution and the food is good. read more

I recently wrote a not flatery review of this restauant and our experience. It was an honest review of the food. It was not a good review and was hidden from this site. Why have consumer reviews if you are going to hide the bad ones and only show the good ones. This is cryptic and misleading to the cosumers who are looking for honest reviews. Not just the good ones. Shame on you.... read more

I was so disappointed with our experience here. We came in on a Sunday morning for brunch. The restaurant wasn't too busy, but our server was really inattentive. He hardly came to check on us at all. We sat for over 15 minutes with dirty dishes piled on the table and he never refilled our coffee or waters. The food was delicious - I had the Melanzane alla Serafina, something I'd never tried before. It was rich, filling, and savoury. The server also took forever to bring the bill, yeah the food was good, but we just wanted to get out of there after sitting for 2 hours in our own filth. Serafina isn't worth it to me. There's so many other great places to eat in Seattle. read more

Very nice, warm romantic atmosphere but not an easy place to talk. The buzz of conversation is lovely as is live music but the music was too loud for conversation which was too bad as I was wishing a friend farewell. I got a beef dish which was cooked quite pleasingly and he got some lamb he felt the same way about. We got some sort of coco-coffee mouse for dessert and it was truly excellent. You could do a lot worse for $100 night out with a friend, date or loved one but you might also be able to do better. I'd go back but not on a live music night. Note: parking is a bit tough but doable if you are willing to walk a block or so. read more

Can't really rate the food since we got up and left before our food arrived due to their attitudes that made my wife, who is disabled, feel like a second-class citizen. read more

I hate to leave such a poor review, for I have been going to serfinas over the years. Was there last night, was very much unimpressed with food. Started out with the Polpo, the octopus was beautifully braised, but the green lentils were the most horrible thing I have ever tried. The next course I did the broccoli. There's this gross sour/spicy flavor on the entire dish- it almost was the same seasoning used on the lentils. Tasted horribly bland. The last dish was the Bistecca, which was fine... although nothing over the top or exciting. A little disappointed to spend over 100$ on just okay food. I also slipped and almost fell coming out of the bathrooms, the floor is at a slant and coming apart, there's a pile of debris at the bottom. Overall, serfinas was one my favorite restaurants and used to have the most amazing pork belly. Not sure what happened with the flavor, and the experience. Perhaps if I have the mindset to go again I will have to order a completely different set of plates. read more

Dined here for Easter. The courtyard is absolutely lovely, and they had a live violinist. Service was friendly, but it took too long for them to take our orders after greeting us, I think they forgot us, and our bellies were rumbling. There was a small fruit plate, I would have like to be bigger, and two courses. My first course, asparagus with egg, was good, slightly burnt, but then I discovered a hair. I informed a server who said he would tell the manager. I did not get a replacement dish nor any reduction of the meal, which I only ate half of due to the hair. My second dish, scallops, was small but really delicious. I don't fault them for the service and hair too much because of the adorable patio area and those scallops were excellent. The price tag is a little on the high-side, especially since I only got to eat half of one dish and the other was pretty tiny and it was $35 altogether. read more

Wow, how disappointed and dissatisfied after spending almost $400! This is our first time here and we won't be going back for sure. We made reservation for 6 of us to celebrate 3 ppl birthdays. I mentioned to the lady when she called to confirm our reservation but absolutely nothing special or even good food happened. The note clearly didn't get pass on. Our waiter forgot the bread we ordered first and it didn't arrive until after antipasti dishes. Salmon fritters were pretty good. Olives were good. Bread was good. My husband and mother in law ordered duck special of the day entrée and it wasn't that great. Fatty and chewy like cooking in a rush. My sister in law salmon was quite salty. My brother and I ordered paccheri pasta and it was ice cold. Our waiter took them back to heat it for a few minute. They came back like warm. Not only that the pasta itself was undercooked. I'm not talking about Al dente. It's freaking undercooked! 6 pieces of undercooked luke warm pasta with a few thin pieces of Dungeness crab and some salty anchovy pangrattato for $26. Seriously?! Sooo unhappy and disappointed for BD dinner. We didn't even want to order dessert there. I was still hungry after. With gratuity already charged, why they have to try harder, right? Base on how much we spent and the experience we received as our first time, this place SUCKS! Really, go spend your money on yummy and well prepared food somewhere else. read more

dessert, dessert, dessert. you wanna go out with a friend or lover and drink drinks out of martini glasses that taste like lemon cookies and have dessert that tastes like lavender cream decadence? Go here. you wanna go out after all of the regular restaurants have closed (like after 9), and sit in an intimate bar and get to know your neighbors and hit your deepest pleasure zones with sugar and liquor? Go here. if I close my eyes I can remember the night my friend and I searched in vain at midnight for a bar that served desserts, and after many calls ended up here and had one of the best sweet experiences ever. i think my hands are still sticky. mmmm...... read more

I went to Serafina last night for my birthday (I wanted to eat at Tavolata but it was closed) and I was just amazed at how average the food was. We had the Bruschetta appetizer and the only thing that saved it was the quality of the bread from Columbia City Bakery, the olive spread I buy in the supermarket taste better then their "in house" version. For dinner I had one of their features, penne cubano and the wife had the pork shoulder dumplings. The description of the penne cubano states that the sauce is a spicy tomato sauce with red pepper flakes, what I got was a bland tomato sauce with no red pepper flakes. To top it off my very average pasta dish was a whopping $21.95. I'm all for splurging on good food but it better be good at this price level for pasta. For desert we had the fried blueberry tart based upon the waiter's suggestion, it was the hightlight of the dinner and I would only give it an above average rating. Now, my review is based upon the food because in the end that is what will get me to come back. I do recommend Serafina to anyone that lives in the area and doesn't want drive somewhere for dinner or to those wanting impress a first date, it is a cozy(cramped) restaurant and your date will definitly not think you are cheap. Otherwise I strongly suggest eating at Tavolata, better quality from a Top New Chef and the prices are $6-8 cheaper per entree. read more

Waiter was very bad kept forgetting our drinks and even added other guests tabs to our bill. The eggplant dish was good but their butter sauce dishes were flavorless and basically pasta with a stick of melted butter. read more

I came here on a Saturday night. It was a really nice experience. There was a pianist and stand-up bass player entertaining. They were really good. The food was excellent from the bread with garlic infused olive oil to the beet salad to the stufato. Oh yeah, the butternut squash soup was easily the best I have ever had. All perfectly balanced and delicious. We did not have room for dessert after finishing the fairly generous portions. I love restaurants that serve fine food and don't scrimp on portion size. read more

I went to dinner with friends (3 women and 1 man) and although the food was good, the service was absolutely horrible. From the moment we sat down the waiter was arrogant, pretentious and acted as if he was doing us a favor to wait on us. By the end of the meal and after being ignored for about 15 minutes I approached him to ask for our check. He got very snippy and basically threw the check on the table and had another waiter finish the service. A very unpleasant evening and I will never go back. There are way too many fabulous restaurants in Seattle that treat you well and are happy to have your business. read more

I used to live in Seattle and ate at Serafina a couple of times for group functions; it was good, but didn't stand out. I came back with my family when I was here for the holidays, and it was excellent! Everything we ordered was delicious and well-executed. To begin, we shared their calamari and bruschetta appetizers. The calamari was cut into thin rings and was exceptionally tender, cooked in a tomato sauce with fresh green onions on top. The bruschetta was creative with three different toppings; I especially liked the pear topping with the gorgonzola spread. Next came a warm Brussels sprout salad with squash and pom seeds, which was enough for us to share and tasted great. For dinner, I had a hearty portion of the pappardelle Bolognese, which was rich and tasty. The sauce had large chunks of braised lamb, along with sausage. I also tasted the lasagna, which had a similar (but creamier) flavor profile and was also first-rate (though very different from another top-rated Seattle lasagna, that of Cafe Lago). My family was stuffed by the end of the meal, but I ordered the chocolate profiteroles with chocolate-hazelnut ice cream for dessert, which were also great. We were also impressed with our waiter. He told us when we sat down that there was unfortunately no fish of the day, because the chef had been dissatisfied with the fish that showed up that morning and had sent it back to the market. This detail could come off as pretentious, but I think it shows the restaurant's commitment to quality. I was also impressed when we asked to waiter to recommend a bottle of red wine that would go well with a variety of food. This can be a risky situation, as some waiters will take advantage of it and suggest highly priced items, but the 2008 Barbera that he recommended was both very tasty and quite affordable by the standards of the restaurant ($44). And it did indeed pair well with all of our dinners. While Serafina was comfortable for a family of four, it also has a nice ambiance for date night, and most of the tables around us were occupied by couples of various ages. I would definitely consider taking my girlfriend here when we are next in Seattle -- and would be happy to return with my family, as well. read more

I don't know what all the fuss is about, so they have a patio in the back and a few lights strewn across it. The food was very bland and mediocre. I'm from NYC where restaurants like this are a dime a dozen. I give it star due to the filthy bathroom. It made me wish I hadn't eaten there prior to visiting the loo... read more

Let's start with wine. Great wine selections and wine steward very knowledgeable. We had a 2012 Armisted Family Carmerera. We then selected two appetizers: braised octopus and veal meatballs. Both were excellently prepared and served with sauce. For entrees, my wife tried the lasagna and I had the pork shank. Again both were very well done and tasted very good. read more

This is hand's down one of our favorite restaurants for special occasions. Delicious food, excellent service, great wine list, cozy atmosphere. read more

My mouth is still salivating from the Carbonara I had one month ago. There are no words to describe the amazing smell, taste, and texture of the dish. My husband had the most delicious lasagna, but even that could not stand against the tastiness of the carbonara. We also couldn't get enough of the bread, and thus did not have the opportunity to try their desserts. read more

I've heard about Serafina for quite sometime so I was eager to try something off the hill. We walked in and immediately loved the atmosphere. It was busy, but not packed. We enjoyed a drink at the bar off the cocktail menu and it was tasty! When we got our table we kicked off the meal with the mussels. They were one of the most deliciously prepared muscles I've ever had. If we stopped there we would have left happy campers, sure to return, however, the rest of the meal took a turn for the worst. The beet salad was just ok and the entrees left much to be desired. My scallops were sold to me as larger diver scallops, approximately seven ounces. When they arrived they were small. So small I was told they "added an extra one." It was served on a bed of spiced chickpeas and peppers. Not the best. We left with that "we just spend $200 not impressed feeling. That being said, we did enjoy our server. read more

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! read more

My family and relatives (5 of us) had dinner here recently on a Saturday night. The restaurant was very noisy and crowded. We had to wait 20 minutes for our table with reservations at 7:30. There was no area to comfortably wait. They have a bar which was likewise packed. Reservations are a must. Tables are very close together and passing wait staff bumped my chair 3 times during the course of the dinner. Given the above, the food was however very good. We started with the Acciughe salad which was light, lemony, with a hint of anchovies (like a Caesar's dressing). Entrees included Pappardelle con Manzo Costatine (more noodles than meat), Tortelloni di Granchio (light on flavor and skimpy on manila clams), and Lasagna al Ragu ( very tasty with thin pasta layers with meat and cheese filling served with a tangy tomato sauce). The sommelier was very helpful in selecting an appropriate red wine enjoyed by all. Dessert was Torta di Formaggio (a small delightful cheesecake), Profiteroles con Gelato di Nocciola (puff pastry filled with hazelnut gelato and chocolate sauce was a hit), and Affogato (disappointing with just a very small scoop of vanilla gelato). Overall we enjoyed our meal despite some disappointments and will return. Our total bill was $278. Service was attentive. Live music started at 9 PM making it even noisier in this small restaurant. This would not be a good choice for children or a quiet romantic dinner. Parking was difficult to find in this neighborhood. read more

Came here for Restaurant Week, only to be told at the door that the lunch special doesn't apply for Sundays (even though it said it was available on Opentable!). Gar. I was very annoyed. And the food was only okay for the price. The Sunday Brunch 2 courses for $22 made no sense because if you got the two dishes separately, they wouldn't add up to $22. The violinist on Sunday was playing pop tunes. Service was slow and took forever to just bring bread. My friend's eggs and hash and sausage was mediocre at best, and though my baked eggs were pretty flavorful, it didn't necessarily merit the price. read more