Italian Hit Serafina Sails Into Seaport This May With Waterfront Views

A second location of Italian pizza and pasta hit restaurant Serafina will sail into Seaport (11 Fan Pier Boulevard) early this May with waterfront views; a large, breezy patio; and a menu that stretches beyond the pizza and pasta the Back Bay location (237 Newbury Street) is known for.

Taking over the former home of Babbo (a restaurant once co-owned by disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali before shuttering permanently in 2019), the 114-seat restaurant has undergone a full-blown facelift. Petra Hausberger of Somerton Park Interiors is plucking inspiration from 1950s-era Italian Riviera with a palate of sand, pale green, rose, terracotta, and tan. Floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as Italian fashion photos and paintings, line the walls while two olive trees grow in the dining room.

A separate pizza kitchen bangs out Serafina’s thin-crust pizzas while patrons perch at a 14-seat counter overlooking the action. Meanwhile, a sleek, gently lit, 20-seat bar will pour mostly Italian wines, included some rare wines by the glass with the help of a Coravin system. Beers range from the usual Sam Adams and Harpoon to options like Maine Lunch, Cloud Candy, and Mighty Squirrel. Cocktails and mocktails round out the menu with a tequila negroni and zero-proof old-fashioned.

Helmed by chef Hector Hernandez, the kitchen is plating rigatoni blanketed in rich, meaty bolognese; tartufo nero pizza, a black truffle-studded pie with fontina cheese, truffle cheese, and truffle oil; chicken Milanese; ciopinno; and more.

Serafina debuted its first New England location at 10 High Street in Boston’s Financial District in 2015 after restaurateur Seth Greenberg, known for Mistral and Bastille Kitchen, purchased the New England rights to the popular New York-based collection of restaurants. In 2019, Greenberg opened a second location in Back Bay (237 Newbury Street). The High Street location has since closed.

There are currently 14 Serafina outlets in New York, as well as outlets in Massachusetts, Florida, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Japan, India, Turkey, Israel, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Serafina Seaport will open daily for lunch and dinner, as well as brunch on Saturday and Sunday.