Serendipity 3

225 East 60th Street | Lenox Hill | built 1910

Open on the map4 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 2001

    The romantic comedy Serendipity sends its couple to the restaurant for dessert

    The 2001 film Serendipity, named for the restaurant, follows a couple who cross paths by chance while shopping at Bloomingdale's and end up sharing dessert at Serendipity 3 later that night. Other films have used the restaurant as well, including One Fine Day in 1996, whose scene there features the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate.

    “Released in 2001, it centers on a couple that meet by chance while shopping at Bloomingdale's, and share dessert at the restaurant later that same night.”

    Source: Wikipedia

  2. 2007

    November 7

    Serendipity 3 unveils a $25,000 Frrrozen Haute Chocolate, the world's priciest dessert

    On November 7, 2007, the restaurant on East 60th Street announced a $25,000 dessert that Guinness World Records declared the most expensive in the world. It was a luxury take on the house Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, a frozen mix of cocoas and milk with five grams of 24-carat gold stirred in, then topped with whipped cream, more gold and a truffle. It came in a goblet circled by a gold-and-diamond crown, with a gold spoon. A spokesman said nobody had ordered one yet and that an order needed two weeks of lead time.

    Source: cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com

  3. 2007

    November

    Health inspectors close Serendipity 3 after finding mice and cockroaches

    About a week after the $25,000 dessert launched, Serendipity 3 failed its second health inspection in a month and had to close temporarily. Health officials reported a live mouse, mouse droppings in several spots, flies and dozens of cockroaches that were still alive. The owner said the restaurant was fixing the problems as quickly as possible so it could be allowed to reopen.

    Source: Internet Archive

  4. 2014

    October 29

    Serendipity 3 holds a Guinness record for a $214 grilled cheese sandwich

    As of October 29, 2014, Guinness World Records listed the restaurant's Quintessential Grilled Cheese, priced at $214, as the priciest sandwich commercially available. The bread is a Pullman loaf made with Dom Perignon and gold flakes you can eat. The filling is white truffle butter and rare Caciocavallo Podolico cheese, and a lobster tomato bisque comes alongside for dipping.

    Source: guinnessworldrecords.com

Further reading

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All 31 buildings with stories in Lenox Hill