The new restaurant will combine the two things that New Yorkers love most – Italian food and speed.
Serafina is a much-beloved Italian restaurant based out of New York. Their unique combination of casual-cool setting, charming service, and its creative twist on homestyle Italian cuisine has transformed the once-humble pizza restaurant into one of the best-known casual Italian restaurants.
The chain was started by founders Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato, who found themselves dreaming of the perfect pizza after a near-death sailing experience left them stranded out at sea. When they finally returned home, they followed suit on their dream and opened up Serafina Fabulous Pizza on the Upper East Side in 1995. Now, Granato and Assaf have since grown their brand and have brought the Serafina experience to three different continents and have established dozens of restaurants across the US.
Last January, What Now NY broke the news that Granato and Assaf were preparing to debut a brand new quick-service Serafina concept called Serafina To Go. Originally founded on Broad Street in Downtown Manhattan, the Serafina team confirmed that they had more locations planned down the pipeline but were not ready to reveal them. Now though, details have emerged about their next steps which will see the team opening up their next outpost on the Upper East Side.
The newest Serafina To Go will be opening up at 1492 Third Avenue, between 84th and 85th streets. The restaurant will be moving into the space formerly occupied by Loft, a popular retail outlet that specialized in upscale women’s apparel. According to a listing on Newmark, the location offers 4,550 square feet of space on the ground floor.
Granato and Assaf are currently in the process of acquiring a beer, wine, and cider license for the location, which will offer a specialty take-out counter for on-the-go dining – the core conceit of Serafina To Go. Unfortunately, no representatives for the restaurant showed up to the CB8 meeting, so information regarding their operating hours and seating arrangements is still unknown. The board has sicne rescheduled, and will be meeting with representatives of the restaurant in June to finalize the details regarding their license application. While you wait,. you can follow Serafina on Instagram for information on all of their new developments.
