Serafina Downtown Miami | Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar

This place is located just downstairs of the building where I live, so I had visited it for a couple times already. I can say, very average and definitely not for a special occasion. Beautiful interior, nice patio, but food is not so great.

I am an event planner, that came to Miami for an event and decided to stay at citizenM - much to my surprise - a PHENOMENAL Italian restaurant was just outside my hotel door. I stopped in because it was on my way to the event and I saw they had happy hour. Within less than a minute of sitting down, the bartender greeted me and showed me one of the BEST happy hour menus this area has to offer. I had 30 mins to spare and I was served a delicious glass of wine and calamari with both an aioli and a marinara sauce. The flavor that came out of both of those sauces… And the perfect hand, battered calamari was exactly what I needed. After leaving the event… I frequent it an establishment nearby and wasn’t feeling the vibe. So I came back, and I was welcomed by the bartenders as they remembered me (I’ve never been to this area) - Carlos & Camila — and they suggestively sold their chicken Milanese, which is massive and delicious. Knowing that my hotel is just steps from this restaurant… made be so comfortable, but will make me return to both time and time again. Their food is phenomenal- but the bartenders and AGM have a level of service that as a hospitality professional — is unmatched. Recommended 10/10

A stunningly beautiful place with completely clueless management. The food is absolutely tasteless, and the service is unbearably pushy — the waiters, seemingly high, don’t serve you so much as rush you out from the moment you arrive. To top it off, the staff apparently doesn’t know that on a birthday, the candle on the cake is supposed to be lit before it’s brought to the table, not after. Ridiculous.

A new Miami staple right here. I feel like they’re bringing the quality of service and amazing food I love from NYC top spots, but with their unique Miami flare. Good place for Happy Hour and date night

I thought Earls had the bar set pretty high, but Serafina took it even further. One of the best pastas I’ve ever had — the farfalle limoncello was insane — and the pistachio panna cotta? Brutal in the best way. What started as a quick lunch turned into a 3-hour dinner with a bottle of prosecco and zero desire to leave the table. The outdoor seating is a dream — there’s something about the vibe at Miami Worldcenter that just hits different.

We were served by Alejandro A., who was polite but clearly lacked proper service technique and attention to detail. The restaurant’s decor follows the same interior design formula as many of the newer spots in Miami—stylish, but ultimately indistinguishable from the rest. The only standout feature was the bar, which I found visually appealing. Unfortunately, the lighting was among the worst aspects—far too dim to fully appreciate the food. We had the Truffle Fettuccine and Spaghetti Al Pacino. Both dishes were well executed, and we enjoyed a bottle of Torres Celeste Crianza from Ribera del Duero to accompany the meal. That said, I must point out a growing but problematic trend: the automatic inclusion of gratuity on the bill. Regardless of how common it's becoming, I believe it undermines the freedom of the guest to tip based on service. Including tax and tip, we paid $159—perhaps excessive for two pasta dishes and a bottle of wine.

The truffle pizza has a thin crust and is served in a relatively large portion, but it’s extremely greasy. I’ve never had a pizza like this in my life — I couldn’t finish it because of how oily it was. The red wine was served extremely warm, completely undrinkable. But honestly, I should have noticed it earlier: there’s a wine cellar where the bottles are displayed under very strong lighting — inside the cellar itself. That alone should have been a red flag. Despite the beautiful decor, it’s clear the place doesn’t really understand wine, since storing bottles like that can easily ruin them. I’m giving 2 out of 5 stars — and not just 1 — because the waiter genuinely did his best.

Serafina is a very nice, sofisticated and perfectly located, right across Kaseya Center. The food is great, the service is really good, our sever Dany was very good and the hostess Dayana was amazing, she did the cappuccino for us and was so delicious. This place is great for a nice dinner with your couple, for a business lunch with a client or to have some good drink and great time.