Serendipity Catering & Bar Reviews

Reviews

• Madison Sent on 10/28/2022
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0

  Amazing Vegetarian Friendly Caterer!

  We booked Serendipity after looking high and low for a vegetarian friendly caterer- and boy did they deliver! They made an incredible variety of food that even meat-eaters didn't know it was vegetarian! Everyone was talking about how incredible the food was and they were so easy to work with! They even managed to get everything up and running at a campsite during a wind storm that caused a power outage! I cannot recommend Serendipity enough!
• Kelly Sent on 07/29/2022
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0

  Top Notch Experience!

  We had a private ceremony and an intimate reception and Serendipity was outstanding. The food was phenomenal and still talked about two years later. We had to change our menu last minute and they were quick to accommodate. The staff was also wonder and went out of there way to make everything perfect. They served the food and made sure everything was packaged up for us, with some food labeled for the bride and groom so we could have Food later.
  
  Food is one of the most important things and they knocked it out of the park!! We also rented all the tableware and they set up and took care of that as well. They truly made everything a breeze!
• Erin Sent on 03/26/2022
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0

  Seamless Experience From Planning To Clean Up

  Serendipity catered our June 2021 wedding at the Ithaca Farmers Market and provided all tables/chairs/plates/etc.
  
  We had an incredibly positive experience working with their team. Even though COVID presented so many challenges and uncertainties while planning our big day, the team's professionalism, experience catering many large events and their knowledge of our venue provided us so much peace of mind, especially as we planned our wedding 100% remotely.
  
  Prior to our wedding day, they were easy to get in touch with, knew every question to ask us and proactively did so. They took all of our thoughts into consideration while making good suggestions to make our vision even better.
  
  On our wedding day, they arrived well ahead of time to set up, followed the plan we discussed so the evening flowed seamlessly and the food and drinks were great! They cleaned up afterwards and truly made the experience so easy.
  
  Both my husband and I would highly recommend Serendipity!
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• Zach Sent on 11/12/2018
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0
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  Incredible full-service experience

  We hired Serendipity to cater our wedding and couldn't have been happier, start to finish. Planning for food/drinks was super easy and we even hired other vendors based on their excellent suggestions. They were also incredibly accommodating, setting up our decorations and providing everything else we needed for the reception. They were super responsive and seemed to have all the answers to questions before we even asked them. I would highly recommend them to anyone in need of event catering.
• Madeleine Sent on 07/17/2018
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0
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  I cannot recommend Serendipity highly enough!
  
  I planned my wedding from afar, in a venue that was essentially a raw space and Serendipity was there every step of the way. They were wonderful to plan with -- not only did they handle food, alcohol, and rentals, but also design and decor, as well as coordinating with my other venues (DJ, flowers, etc).
  
  We cared a lot about the quality of food and Serendipity delivered, and then some! We have gotten so many compliments on the appetizers, dinner, and dessert from our guests. And we can't stop talking about it ourselves!
  
  We felt like our wedding was perfect (unbiased opinion, of course), and it is absolutely because of Serendipity. Go book Serendipity now!!!
• User1565353 Sent on 03/24/2014
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  Serendipity Catering provided food and rental help for my Wedding in August 2013 and I couldn't have been a happier bride. Their employees were friendly and professional but more importantly willing to help me with any little problem I was having from color issues to bathroom rentals. I really couldn't have asked for more! The day of the Wedding went very smoothly for us and the food was fantastic. We had a beautiful cake and appetizer/dinner with plenty of options for all our guest's tastes. They also set everything up for us on the day of the Wedding which was a huge relief. I highly recommend them to anyone planning an event or Wedding in the area. My only complaint was that I couldn't find Stephanie or Emily after the Wedding to give them a hug to thank them for helping to make my night so special.
• Madlyn Sent on 08/12/2025
  4.8 out of 5 rating

  4.8
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    5 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    4 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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  Food That Everyone Will Enjoy!

  Stephanie and her team were great to work with. Her onsite team during our wedding were professional, timely and worked through any obstacle the 90 degree August day gave them. Administratively, Serendipity is very busy, so I suggest calling rather than emailing when you need immediate answers, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great people to work with who do a great job. They are caterers but Stephanie is knowledgeable and experienced, her team had linens, decor and table signs ready for us to use on a moments notice. We confidently recommend Serendipity Catering!
• Arielle Sent on 11/10/2017
  4.7 out of 5 rating

  4.7
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    5.0
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    3.5 out of 5 rating
    3.5
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  We had a wonderful experience with Serendipity for our wedding. The food was great, and we did not have a wedding planner so having Stephanie and Andrew available to help coordinate the many moving parts along with the venue owners was very useful. I was not aware of any glitches the day of the wedding, which is exactly what I wanted on my wedding day - I didn't have to worry about a thing or check in on anyone, I could trust that they were doing everything that needed to be done. There were a couple of instances of emails that were not answered promptly or that required a second follow-up email before receiving a response in the weeks leading up to the wedding, but overall they were very professional and the experience was positive. I would recommend using Serendipity for your wedding.
• User2670860 Sent on 07/02/2016
  4.7 out of 5 rating

  4.7
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    3.5
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    5.0

  Stephanie and Andrew at Serendipity made our wedding go off without a hitch. It was more expensive to go with a full service caterer, to be sure, but they completely made it worth our while. It was SO EASY which is not something you hear or feel with weddings a lot. They did everything - rentals, food, cake, decorations, lights. We just showed up and got married. And it looked incredible! I honestly couldn't be happier with our wedding - nothing went horrible awry, all the staff were incredibly helpful and charming, and they helped up pack up the few pieces that we needed to take home at the end of the night. They worked so hard and made our night so easy. Multiple guests said that it was the best wedding they'd ever been to! I highly, highly recommend Serendipity. They were great.
• Jenna Sent on 01/21/2023
  4.6 out of 5 rating

  4.6
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    5.0
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    4 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    4 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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  Excellent food and service!

  We worked with Serendipity for our wedding and the food, bar and service were all great! We received compliments all night on the quality of food. The complimentary tasting was great and the catering team worked with us to find a menu that worked for our wedding and budget. They offered many vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options and we really appreciated their willingness to speak with multiple members of our family leading up to the event. There were a few communication issues, but everything was addressed day-of. Overall, we were very happy with Serendipity, and would recommend them to others!
  
• Miwa Sent on 07/09/2019
  4.4 out of 5 rating

  4.4
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    5.0
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    4 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    4 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    4 out of 5 rating
    4.0

  Delicious food, created a wonderful day

  We were planning our Ithaca wedding from Charleston, SC so having a full service caterer was a life saver. Given that we were planning firm so far away i don’t think we were the easiest clients- i definitely asked many questions multiple times to ease my own anxieties! And a couple times I wished they were a tad bit more responsive via e mail. But they pulled off a beautiful day, and when we met with them in person a week before our wedding (when we finally got to Ithaca) my anxieties vanished as I could see they knew what they were doing. Not to mention their food was delicious and many of our guests commented on how much they liked it and how healthy and fresh it was!!
• Alon Sent on 09/29/2016
  2.1 out of 5 rating

  2.1
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    2.5 out of 5 rating
    2.5
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    2 out of 5 rating
    2.0
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    1.5 out of 5 rating
    1.5
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    2.5 out of 5 rating
    2.5
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    2 out of 5 rating
    2.0

  We were so excited to book Serendipity based on all the positive reviews. Unfortunately it was the most expensive, difficult, unprofessional part of our wedding. Overall the food was good and they were flexible with our menu. We sent them all of the recipes and they were able to accommodate. The appetizers both passed and buffet style were excellent. Many guests tried new things and were pleasantly surprised. The salad may have been the best beet and goat cheese salad we have ever had. We were so happy to see all the feedback on the main dishes that it was different and interesting. We did get some feedback that some dishes were served cold but overall it was good.
  
  What happened with the dessert was a complete disaster. We were extremely sad about the croquembouche not working out. We were willing to accept that accidents happen even though our bill was increased a few dollars per person for this add-on. But then we tasted the donuts and they were the worst we have ever eaten. Not only were they completely stale it was also clear that they were made days ago. The dough was overworked and dense and these were not even the same shape or size as the ones at the tasting. It is evident that the pastry chef who prepped our tasting is no longer with Serendipity because he would never have served these. If they had just informed us of this change we would have brought in donuts from elsewhere. Because of this we feel we ended up having to get a full refund for the dessert. The croquembouche which was not provided at all was suppose to serve as our "wedding cake" and should not have been treated as a minor mistake.
  
  The waitresses were so wonderful but the way Stephanie treated them wasn't. She was condescending and seemed very irritable with them. Stephanie and Andrew are not available when requested during planning process, rude, and defensive. They always made us feel like we were bothering them. Take your business elsewhere.
• User2383700 Sent on 10/21/2015
  1.3 out of 5 rating

  1.3
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    2 out of 5 rating
    2.0
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    1 out of 5 rating
    1.0
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    0.5
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    2 out of 5 rating
    2.0

  Every review I've read of Serendipity is wonderful, so it pains me a bit to write this, but of the vendors we used for our wedding, they were the worst.
  
  I should start out positively and say that the food was excellent. We are still getting compliments on it as people talk. As was the service at the wedding (my understanding is that the waiters and waitresses don't work for Serendipity though, the vendor just hires them out).
  
  We worked with this vendor for over a year and at no point were they responsive - and the entire time they certainly lacked professionalism. There were often "we're very busy" excuses - 6 mos out, we cut them some slack, but they carried through with this attitude up until 2 weeks before our wedding. Emails went unanswered for days, phone calls were very confusing and hectic - we felt very dismissed. The final invoice was due to us 10 days before the wedding - we emailed 12-13 days before, asking for the final amount. They delivered this final invoice on Friday, the night of our rehearsal.
  
  The day of my wedding, the owner/president hassled my dad for electricity the whole day (we had our wedding at a private residence, so she needed hook up to the generator, etc.), yelled at her staff and, the few times I saw her, seemed flustered and unorganized (no surprise). They finished their time at our wedding by asking my dad at 10:50 (10 minutes before the last shuttle bus) for the final check (not his responsibility either). Left a very very sour taste in our mouth, after a pretty tumultuous relationship.
  
  If you decide to use this vendor, I would use them for everything - we may've shot ourselves in the foot by changing the budget on her (pretty early on however) and with that, the service certainly suffered. She referred us to other vendors, but did not help us manage them. I am, in the end, thankful for that though, because she didn't seem to be able to manage her own company. The other vendors we used were incredible though.

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