Serafina Always 61st (UES) — Restaurant in New York

I hope this message reaches you with the utmost urgency. I am writing to express my deep disappointment and frustration regarding my visit to your Upper East Side location on Saturday evening, September 17th. The experience was nothing short of a disaster, and I feel compelled to share my concerns in the hope of sparking immediate improvement within your establishment. To begin, I would like to acknowledge the pleasant hostess who seated me promptly and with charm. Unfortunately, any positive aspects of my visit ended there. The issues that ensued during my visit were numerous and unacceptable: Order Disagreements: My dining experience started on a sour note when I requested a classic Caprese salad. Despite the availability of the required ingredients, my server insisted on arguing with me about my order, which left a negative impression from the outset. Food Quality: The calamari I ordered arrived chewy, accompanied by bland tomato sauce. Furthermore, my request for margaritas without lime juice was ignored, and the resulting margaritas did, in fact, contain lime juice. I only sent back the margaritas to the bar and asked for two Don-Julio tequila’s neat; the bar decided to give me what they wanted instead of what I asked for (tasted like casa amigos). Inappropriate Recommendations: When seeking recommendations for my entrée, the server's response was shockingly passive-aggressive, and she suggested I order from the menu's "most popular" items, which was not helpful in the slightest. She said they have * Symbol next to them and walked away. Payment Fiasco: The culmination of my frustrations occurred during the payment process. I attempted to use a gift card, and your server attempted to swipe it repeatedly without explanation. Upon discovering an issue, she summoned a manager named Veronica, who made me feel entirely unwelcome. She initially refused the gift card without proper investigation, only later acknowledging it when presented with clear evidence of its legitimacy. The problems I encountered during my visit extend far beyond a simple miscommunication or isolated mistake. They raise serious concerns about the professionalism, operational training, and overall standards of your restaurant. It is deeply disheartening to experience such treatment in a global brand, especially in a city as demanding as New York. I would like to emphasize a few crucial points: I am not a VIP, but I am a chef and restaurateur who understands the importance of hospitality and professionalism. Regardless of one's background or ethnicity, all customers should receive equal and respectful treatment. It is imperative that your establishment recognizes its own gift cards and has a streamlined process for handling them. In today's economic climate, customers are more discerning about where they spend their hard-earned money, and this experience does not encourage continued patronage. I sincerely hope that this email serves as a training tool for your team and prompts immediate corrective action. No customer should endure the treatment I experienced during my visit. I trust that you will take this feedback seriously and work diligently to ensure that no other patrons face similar challenges at your establishment. Thank you for your prompt attention to...

This restaurant sucksssss. Went here with four family members who were visiting me in the city and the food was decent, but for NYC standards definitely a miss. However the service at this place was what really made it stand out as god awful. I think we saw our waiter twice during the whole meal: when he took our order and when he gave us our check. Food took ages, drink was forgotten, waters weren’t refilled. Whenever we needed something (water, red pepper) we had to track down another waiter because ours was god knows where. However the worst part was the automatic gratuity. I guess the waiter probably thought we wouldn’t have tipped because of the bad service, though we definitely would have. Don’t get me wrong I almost ALWAYS tip 20-25%, even with such terrible service as this one I probably would have at least had left 15%. But nooo instead waiter added automatic gratuity, even though the menu only said “20% gratuity is recommended for parties of 6 or more”. And we were 5. I called him out for it and pointed out the policy in the menu, and then he tried to tell me it’s because of the table space??? Aka the table we did not pick to sit at ourselves and weren’t informed of this “policy” beforehand. Nor have I ever heard of basing automatic gratuity on table size. I obviously didn’t appreciate the dishonesty to begin with but a) acting like it was my first day on earth and b) continuing to lie after getting the chance to fix it really just made it worse. The manager did end up fixing things but the lack of integrity from the waiters side throughout the whole situation was just gross. I’ve never not tipped entirely before but guess there’s a first time...

WHAT A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! This place has gone down the tubes, big time.

I recently dined at Serafina on 61st Street, and it was a complete letdown. And that's putting it nicely.

I was alone at the bar after a long holiday weekend and first day back at work. I thought this would be a great sure fire option as they were in the past. With prices the way they are, I want to be sure its good. I was WRONG. I ordered the Chicken Milanese, expecting a classic dish. What I received was two large, round GARGANTUAN pieces of chicken that barely resembled the traditional Milanese cut. The texture was off, like rubber,and the presentation was unappetizing. A fellow diner even remarked that it didn't look like chicken at all. More like a large ostritch cut.

The portion was accompanied by a small handful of wilted arugula, on top (usually the cutlet is OVER THE GREENS)which did little to enhance the dish. For $28, I anticipated a flavorful and satisfying meal, but this was far from it.

To make matters worse, the bartender who should have warned me as i was trying to decide what to order- knowing this was food for two or three , or an elephant...was inattentive and seemed more interested in flirting with male patrons than providing decent service. Her behavior was unprofessional and detracted from the dining experience. She assumed I wouldnt want bread because of the size of the chicken. I asked her immediatly for bread, and a to go box for most of this meal which I gave to a homelss person.

Overall, this visit was disappointing. Serafina used to be a reliable choice, but based on this experience, I won't be returning...