Serendipity 3

SERENDIPITY 3 is a NYC landmark and I am confident to say one that the City is VERY proud of. I've been enjoying the fratatetas toast, foot long hot dog, young chicken sandwich and let's not forget frozzen hot chocolate for many years. My parents took me there as soon as respectful parents would take a child into a restaurant. Not like today where you have self righteous mommies and daddies shoving their screaming kids along with their strollers down our throats, not to mention our ankles when they run you over. I always enjoy myself every time I go to Serendipty even though the wait might be overwhelming at times. The wait staff is always amusing, the hostess glamourous and once in a while you get the chance to be enchanted by the proprietor Mr. Bruce. I don't understand all the negative reviews this delightful establishment gets from all these out of towners. Restaurants in this town come and go and this one has been here for over 50 years. I wonder if these ""mommies"" and ""daddies"" marriages will last as long? And as for the snip-id comment of a review before mine that you can make frozzen hot chocolate out of your freezer, your right! You can purchase the packets and make the stuff at home! This a spot NYers will always hold dear to their heart! ENJOY! Pros: NASTALGIC AMBIENCE, FROZZEN HOT CHOCOLATE, NY FRAME OF MIND Cons: TOURISTS WHO FOGET WHERE THEY ARE, NYC NOT KANSAS more

I was soooo turned off and disappointed by this restaurant especially because I had heard that this was an absolute ""must eat at"" place in NYC. I had told my brother in-law and his girlfriend that we had to go because Serendipity 3 is famous for their frozen hot chocolates, so we walked over there from the Westside with my 15 month old son in his stroller only to find a sign posted right on the door saying ""absolutey no strollers allowed."" This sign was posted all over the front door. Being a mom I found this to be outrageously rude and discriminating to all parents going there with their babies or toddlers. I couldn't believe it! I have never gone to any restaurant in NYC no matter how small the place is and been told that we could not come in with a stroller. I asked my in-law to ask what we are supposed to do and the host said to take the stroller across the street to the parking garage. I wanted to leave but of course after I had talked-up the place so much my guests wanted to stay and wait and hour and half for their so-called awesome frozen hot chocolates. So I schelped the stroller across the street to a dingy parking garage, paid $2 to keep it there without even receiving a ticket for record or anything. Then we had to wait in the heat. The retail area was aweful with weird things on sale, nothing pertaining to a dessert type restaurant and the ambiance was far from being warm and welcoming. Then to top it all off they didn't even have a highchair for my son! All they had was a booster seat without any safety straps. So please parents beware of this trap of an aweful place. I do not recommend Serendipity 3 to anyone wanting to take a break to enjoy dessert with their little ones. It was so stressful and I'm sorry but this is not how NYC is and we do not have to accept it! NYC has far more class than this place. Pros: Maybe if you don't mind waiting for something you can freeze on your own. Cons: no highchairs, unsafe for babies, not mommy or daddy friendly more

If you make reservations it can be better, the service is ok, beware of the rude staff that has a thing against big women. The food is comfort food and kinda heavy and the ice cream is to be shared since it is such a huge amount. more

Serendipity is always a ridiculous long wait. I would not recommend going there for dinner. If you can, try to make the lunch hours or else you'll be crammed with a bunch of tourists on a snowy manhattan day. Or even worse; a hot and sunny manhattan day. However, the restaurant has a lot of charm, unless you get seated next to the angry people on line. I can guarantee that would make it an awkward dinner. If you don't get seated upstairs or towards the inner part of the restaurant, I would say to just leave. I go there purely for its ambiance and how close it is to central park. The desserts are good and I don't think they're overrated. The strawberry sundae is heavenly. Bring a mate though because I find I can never finish a dessert by myself. The dessert prices and overall prices are reasonable. For food, I would recommend the meat loaf. This is also a very kid friendly place so bring the whole family. The service is average but the frozzen hot chocolate is definately a cut above. Pros: Charming Restaurant, Kid Friendly, Romantic Cons: Really long wait more

My brother and I decided to try Serendipity after we saw the movie of the same name. We were so smitten with the movie, that we made a special day trip out to NYC (We're from Chicago) to eat there. While the wait is long, and the waitstaff is a bit pushy, this restaurant is completely worth the wait. After reading the reviews on here I can understand why people can be upset with service, but they do need to understand that this is NYC!!! Get used to it. To make a long story short, we were very impressed with the service and food, (good enough for 5 subsequent trips each year) and we even met Mr. Steven Bruce, who owns the place, and he seated us at the same table that the movie was filmed at. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, MAKE RESERVATIONS FAR IN ADVANCE TO AVOID LONG WAIT TIMES. Pros: NYC Flavor, Excellent Dessert, Great Location Cons: Small Size more

Staff not RUDE, theyre FIRM which is necessary due to impatient/pushy patrons. Host and waiter were great for us because we had the common sense to stay out of the way until seated for our reservation. Food was excellent which surprised us due to lukewarm reviews. Prices are high but it is the UES so what can you expect? They have some basic stuff for the less adventurous (burgers, hot dog) but I suggest taking a chance on something unusual. My Haight-Ashbury was a delicious and off-beat turkey sandwich. Husbands bacon cheeseburger and fries were excellent also. Frrrozen Peanut Butter Hot chocolate was something between a milkshake (not as thick) and smoothie (not as icy). Very rich in flavor and large enough for 2! Despite this we also got the apple pie. Not the best weve ever had, but definitely delicious with its cinnamon walnut crumble topping. Pros: great off-beat food, reservations accepted, variety of options Cons: crowded waiting area, impatient patrons more

Today was just like the movie ""One Fine Day"", A beautiful overcast/rainy NYC day, though I have lived here for eight months and the New York magic has definately worn away, this place brought back that special fantastic wonder and excitement of all NYC has to offer. The ambience, the fantastic deserts, the decor all of it was straight out of the movie and by far worth one if not several trips! Pros: Service was SLOW! more

We had shared a bacon cheeseburger and a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate...cheeseburger was great but small even if it wasn't shared, but the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate was awesome...perfect for sharing! Pros: Funky Atmosphere, Dessert Baby!, Great Gift Shop more

My two best friends and I had heard many many good things about Serendipity 3, and decided to try it out. We had to put our names down and wait, so we came back after about two hours and were finally seated. Let me tell you, the food was most definitely worth the long wait. It was the best food I have ever eaten, especially the desserts. If you want to know what a real restaurant is, I VERY HIGHLY recommend Serendipity 3. If for nothing else, go for a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. It really is the greatest culinary creation of all time! Pros: food is worth wait, very nice environment, Frozen Hot Chocolate! Cons: very long wait more

You're definately going to have to book reservations, otherwise you're probably not getting in, especially if you're rolling with a large party. And please don't try to hassle with the overstressed waitstaff. Their just trying to keep the little sardine-packed shop organized. The restaurant is sardine-packed around the clock. Dinner here isn't the best, it's more about the dessert. But but.. There's really nothing special, but it's really the experience that counts. Basically, it's just like you strolled into a Friendly's and enjoyed dinner and ice cream. The frozen hot chocolate (as seen on Oprah) is basically a milkshake and the caviar burger must be some ritzy take on the ""hamburger but with caviar"" for any fanny-packed idiot to fall for, simply to take in the thrill of eating on the UES...since the restaurant sits on East 60th in the heart of the UES. Pros: for families!, could be romantic Cons: sardine-packed, caviar burger? more

I love this place despite the wait. They have great food, and yes, it is over priced, but its so good that you end up not caring. Its a carefree lighthearted environment and it is great for families and dates. EXPECT TO WAIT UP TO TWO HOURS.... thats how popular it is. The good thing about that is, because of where its places, you can put you name on the list, go to the movies around the corner, and then come back with a table ready. For Families, Dylans Candy Bar is at the corner and there are other places near by that make this a great choice. If you dont go for anything else, go for the DESSERTS... with things like Frozen Hot Chocolate, Du Yu Fondu, and Strawberry's in Cream .. you can't go wrong! Pros: GREAT DESSERTS, Good Food, Intimate Setting Cons: Expensive, Long Wait, Small Entry Way more

serendipity 3 must have family members in both Zagats and Frommers! I am shocked that this restaurant would have been so highly reccommended by both sources. NYC is one of the most multicultural and dynamic cities in the world, with some of the greatest restaurants! Serendipity was incredibly overrated, (the decor was not ""whimsical"" at all, and the food was way below average, as well as being very very overpriced!!! (A $12 sandwich was highly uncalled for!!) This place is a ""state of mind"" place!!!!!!! With so many other fantastic restaurants in NYC, why anyone would wait on a 1 to 2 hour waiting line is beyond me. Our waiter was very nice, however, he was very much overworked, thus, the service was incredibly slow!!!!! Please, do not fall into any traps!!! Serendipity 3 is not worth your time and your money!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more

TRY THE FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE!! It comes in a pretty big serving. You can also get a mix of the stuff to go (but I'm sure they make it better). I will be going there again! Pros: Fun, Frozen Hot Chocolate, Other Desserts Cons: Long wait more

I am a visitor to NY and was looking forward to enjoying dessert at this spot. Dessert was great, but the rude staff ruined my whole experience. The wait on a Sunday afternoon was 1.5 to 2 hours. The staff act like customers are an inconvenience, instead of having a good attitude and customer service. They yelled at me for not being there when my name was called. And told me to get out of their way. Pros: Great dessert, Cute place Cons: Long wait, Attitude, Rude more

It is not a bad place to have these monster deserts, however from making reservations, they are rude and the actual service is slow. They are not in any hurry and seems they could give a rats but_. If you have to wait an hour, LEAVE!!!! more

it is definitely overrated! the place is small, and stuffy. the setting is nothing special. the food was pretty good. the thumbs up - huge and delicious deserts. but we waiting two hours to get it (we had reservations but it was late so we wanted to try to come in earlier). bottom line, the deserts are great but not worth the hype around the place more

This place is not worth the money. Their is the attitude that since they were on Oprah that customers should be thankful to be allowed to come into their establishment. I know places that we could get better service and better Ice Cream. It is a very small place and the service stinks! more

Well, after seeing a lot about this restaurant (even on the Oprah show) I decided to go there and see. Unfortunately, the food is awful, the staff really doesnt care about you, and the frozen hot chocolate is just a chocolate milkshake (it wasnt all that great) I went before lunch on a Thursday and it took me 2 hours to get in. By the way, I order a cheeseburger which for 13 dollars was really small. The place looks ok, but not nicely decorated. If you go during the summer be ready to sweat because the AC seems to be really low. Pros: none, go to Mcdonalds Cons: Expensive, Long Wait (2hrs), Food is awful more

As a New Yorker, and a regular at Serendipity's, I find the ""sourgrape reviews"" incredible. The Food, as well as desserts, is wonderful and served in abundant portions (and worth the prices). Reservations are possible - Call a week in advance, for dinner -not just desserts. My party is always greeted warmly and the service is cordial. My children are now bringing my grandchildren and we all agree that it is just as good today as it was 20 years ago. The only problems that I sometimes see are with the guests who rudely make demands of the staff, most of whom are trying to please everybody all night and day long! I could never do what they do, or put up with the grind that goes with working in such a busy place. But it IS popular for a very good reason: It is fun!! and ALWAYS FABULOUS! Pros: FUN FOOD, People Watching, Many Celebrities Cons: Long Cue, Go at "off hours" more

I hadn't the chance to eat dinner, I had actually gone to the restaurant for dessert.. I shared a slice of Creme de La Creme Cheesecake , along with a frozen Hot chocolate. The cheesecake was orgasmic. I had extremely high expectations for it, and sure enough, serendipity hit it right on the money. The frozen hot chocolate is a must, when you go, but it tastes like mochaccino.Which is by all means good, but when i do it again, I'm going with some sort of espresso drink layered in fresh whipped cream, and a slice of cheesecake for MYSELF. And remember, if youre going for dessert, arrive an hour in advance to get your name on the list. And believe me, it's worth the wait. Pros: Orgasmic, Cheesecake. more