Serendipity 3 – Upper East Side New York Restaurant

While in New York City we ate a quite a few nice restaurants, but there was one that I really had wanted to visit while in the city, Serendipity 3. I had heard a lot about this renowned Upper Eastside restaurant and thought it would be fun to visit and try one of their famous Frozen Hot Chocolate drinks.  I have to say I love their definition of Serendipity: the art of making happy discoveries or finding the unexpectedly pleasant by chance or sagacity.  They also state that they are more than a mere coffee shop, more of an ice cream parlor on steroids, Serendipity has been synonymous with fun. Since September 14, 1954, its menu of outrageous desserts and fun food, served in a Manhattan townhouse amid exuberant Victorian decorations, has charmed children and their parents, not to mention celebrities from  Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, and Beyonce. Sadly we didn’t see any famous people while we were there, but we did have a great time with a New Yorker friend that I use to work with.

Since this place is so well known, there is usually a really long line to get in. With this in mind, while exploring the city in October of 2015, we went late in the afternoon (before the dinner rush) and didn’t have to wait too long. However, we still had to wait for about a ½ hour. We had a great time sitting out front and talking to some New Yorkers celebrating a birthday (he, me too, lol), as well as a family visiting from Europe.  It was one of those moments that we got to relax and enjoy the ambiance and excitement of being in New York.  I remember getting my first glimpse of Serendipity 3 and I have to say it did look like an old Victorian townhouse. So cool.

We ended up having a great time eating dinner while looking around at all their decorations and checking out their little store. I was tempted to buy some of their frozen hot chocolate mixes, but I resisted the urge and decided to try one while we were there. It was really tasty but I ended up sharing it with Gene as it was so big! I was definitely glad that we saved a little bit of room and decided to try this famous treat. I would definitely suggest it while you are in New York.

While we were there I also heard someone talking about seeing Serendipity 3 in the movie Serendipity. It made me think about what other movies or books made this place so famous. Of course, the restaurant is most associated with the movie, Serendipity, which was released in 2001. It centers on a couple that meets by chance while shopping at Bloomingdale’s, (which is just down the street) and shares dessert at the restaurant later that same night. It is a really sweet movie.

Another movie, One Fine Day, released in 1996, also has a scene in the restaurant, featuring Frozen Hot Chocolate. Trust the Man, released in 2006, includes a scene of David Duchovny’s character being invited to Serendipity 3 by a potential love interest, and then at the restaurant on the first-floor eating.

Serendipity 3 was also made well known through several novels. The second novel in the Gossip Girl series, You Know You Love Me, includes a scene in which Serena and Dan visit Serendipity 3 and, respectively, order a peppermint sundae and a coffee banana split. The third episode of the second season of Girls mentioned the Serendipity Frozen Hot chocolate. As a fan of the T.V. show Castle, I have to say it was also mentioned in the episode “Double Down” in 2011.

We were very glad that we took to the time to visit this iconic restaurant and suggest checking it out and having one of their famous Frozen Chocolates or Banana Splits. Here is a link to the restaurant. You will be very glad you checked it out. Hope you enjoyed your visit. If you have been please comment below and let us know about your visit.