D'Serve — Restaurant in Flemington

TL;DR: Go to D’Serve in Flemington, NJ. The food, service, and overall experience are outstanding. Andrew, Shannon, and their team have created something truly special—don’t miss it.

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I’ve had the pleasure of eating food prepared by Andrew and Shannon for several years now. From their Asados to their tacos, to their dessert popups and private events, I am extremely proud of Andrew, Shannon, and their team for all of the hard work they’ve put in. This restaurant was years in the making and they absolutely nailed it. Their hard work has paid off—go visit!

The service was top notch—attentive and timely without being intrusive. Each course arrived with perfect pacing, allowing us to savor every bite. The current format is a four-course tasting menu, with two thoughtful options per course (one vegetarian and one not). The menu is smartly designed, descriptions are clear, and execution is impeccable.

The space itself is small—in the best possible way. It allows the chefs to give every plate attention, and nothing we received felt rushed. Their choices in serviceware—dishes, bowls, presentation—felt deliberate and elevated the experience. By day, D’Serve operates as a donut shop (and Shannon’s pastry skills shine brightly there—every flavor we’ve tried has been fantastic). By night, the space transforms into an intimate dining room with an open kitchen where you can watch the team at work. It’s a fantastic atmosphere.

Despite this being only their second dinner service, the team delivered an incredible experience. Any small hiccups were extremely minor. Having eaten at Michelin-starred restaurants in NYC, LA, Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels, I can say the food at D’Serve is genuinely on par with some of those meals. Flavors were layered and balanced, seasoning was spot-on, plating was refined yet approachable. Andrew and Shannon also source most ingredients locally and seasonally—last night’s menu showcased summer corn, and future iterations will feature squash and fall spices.

Here’s what we enjoyed: • Amuse-bouche: A tomatillo gazpacho with watermelon and cucumber. Refreshing, balanced, and fun to eat—no spoon, just slurp it up! • First course: Snapper crudo with a delicate touch of jalapeño—clean, fresh, delicious. Watermelon salad with corn and a sesame crunch—bright and playful. Both strong, with the crudo slightly edging out. • Second course: Summer squash with tomatillo mole—simple vegetable transformed into a crisp, tender, flavorful dish. Homemade pasta—perfectly al dente with a bright, delicious sauce. We also tried a shellfish-free version of their sausage dish—the beans and sauce were outstanding, the kind of sauce you want to mop up with bread. Impossible to pick a winner here, both plates were excellent. • Mains: Fried green tomato with pepper jelly—sweet, tangy, crunchy. Chicken roulade with spaetzle and a jus made from Asado bones—smoky, savory, complex. I loved the chicken for its jus; my wife preferred the tomatoes. Both were top-notch. • Desserts: Chocolate ganache cake—moist, rich, classic. Cornbread with corn custard and Parmesan ice cream—mind-blowing. Moist cornbread, custard that tasted like the best Jersey corn, and that Parmesan ice cream was unique and brilliant. Truly unforgettable.

Overall, the meal was exceptional. The food, service, and atmosphere made for an incredible evening, and we cannot wait to return. We joined their membership program and are so glad we did. D’Serve is a restaurant with heart, vision, and talent—it deserves to...

We snatched up reservations for one of the first dinner services here, and were delighted by the imaginative menu and lively ambiance. The owners are such warm, friendly, and welcoming people and the service was attentive and on point. We’ve been to D’Serve several times since they opened for their donuts and coffee (which are also phenomenal by the way), and as soon as they announced their evening dining service we had to try it. First, I’d note that although it is BYOB, they do have bottles of wine for purchase from the local Beneduce vineyards in Pittstown. We tried their natural sparkling wine which paired very nicely with the fresh late summer menu (“a love letter to New Jersey”). Now to the food…the amúse bouche was a deliciously crisp tomatillo gazpacho with watermelon and cucumber that is meant to be sipped straight from the bowl. It was the perfect introduction to what was a well-curated four-course meal. The first course I tried was the Snapper Crudo with fresh slices of New Jersey peaches, gooseberries, jalapeño, ginger, and Thai basil. It was full of flavor and the gooseberries were a pleasant surprise and a little pop of sweet and sour to balance out the acidity of the dish and the fish was smooth and silky. For the second course I tried the Pork and Clams which featured little neck clams interspersed with tasty bites of sausage and laid on top of a bed of charred red cabbage in a delicious lemon broth with white beans and two toasted pieces of crusty bread to soak up that broth. My wife tried the pasta course, which I also sampled a bite of — summer squash over a chitarra pasta with tomatillo verde. It tasted like summer in New Jersey, so, mission accomplished. For the third course, my wife and I split the corn-crusted fried green Jersey tomato with smoked mushroom, and the fried chicken roulade with spaetzle, and it was a tough call to determine which was better — they both were perfectly cooked, the tomato was juicy and crispy on the outside and the smoked mushroom on top was delicate and a well balanced companion to the smooth flavors of the tomato and corn. And the chicken was incredibly succulent and fried to perfection, it was hard not to want to savor each flavor-filled bite. Last but certainly not least was the dessert course, which was a piece of cornbread accompanied with an orchestral arrangement of Jersey love, including a Jersey corn custard, cherry compote, red plums, and an intriguing Parmesan ice cream that somehow fit right in with the spirit of the dish. It was a fitting end to a fun and flavorful meal…can’t wait to see what future menu creations are to come. We’ll...

As a lifelong donut lover, I have been waiting to try dserve since I followed their Instagram in 2023. Yeasted donuts are few and far between in this area and I think we all know yeasted donuts are far superior to cake donuts. I was able to make it today and get a few donuts. Atmosphere was lively, service was friendly, and the donuts were great. Rundown of the ones I tried: Mango passionfruit: The passionfruit flavor was pronounced and not covered by the mango flavor. The lime zest on top was a nice addition. Was the least fluffy of the donuts but still really great Thai iced tea: This one was sweet but not too sweet. I think it holds true to the flavor they were going for. Really fluffy and delicious. Raspberry Jelly: jelly filled are my go to donut pick so I had to try! The outside is coated in sugar and ground freeze dried raspberry. The filling was fresh jelly, seeds and all. Absolutely delicious and also very adequately filled! Just about every bite had some jelly. Guava cheesecake: this one I think is a showstopper tbh. The guava was tangy and tart, the cheesecake topping was sweet and smooth. The whole thing together was amazing. Also the donut itself was fluffy, soft, and maintained its integrity despite being loaded with guava filling!

Overall thoughts: the flavors are unique, the donut dough is light, fluffy, and delicious. I was very happy that these weren’t overly sweet. There was a nice balance of flavor throughout. Reflecting on the current prices for the quality of the donut, I think the price is fair. These are clearly made from scratch and the flavors are well thought out. The only downside is the corn Brulee flavor was sold out by the time I got there! I guess I will have to make...