Serendipity 3 Frozen Hot Chocolate: Not Worth the Hype

You've seen it in the movies, caught its segment on the Food Network, and heard Oprah rant about it in her Favorite Things list, but is Serendipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate worth all the hype? Living near the city, I decided to give this chocolate treat a try. After all, what kind of chocoholic would I be if I didn't try the most famous dessert in New York City?

The Holiday Season
My first time at Serendipity 3 was in January of last year, probably the most busiest season for the restaurant. With my boyfriend in tow, we headed to the Upper East Side of Manhattan and saw the small gathering of freezing people outside the restaurant doors eagerly awaiting for their names to be called. They all were there for the Frozen Hot Chocolate. Seeing this, I was more determined than ever to try it and added ourselves on the two-hour long list.

Unfortunately, Serendipity 3 do not take reservations for dessert eaters. That luxury is only for the ones dining out.

When we finally got inside, I was surprised to see how small the restaurant was. The first floor was so tightly packed with tables and chairs waiter's could only get through one at a time. The second floor was not so pleasant either. We got seated between the staircase railing and the waiter's workstation, so we were constantly being passed by servers, bus boys, and customers who were going to and from the bathroom.

Despite the cramped area we enjoyed ourselves very well and drew all our attention to the menu. Although we both knew our order, we were curious about the rest of the items, which was pretty disappointing since it was all over-priced food you can get for much cheaper at any local diner.

When our Peanut Butter Frozen Hot Chocolate arrived, we immediately took our straws and gulped our famous dessert. As it sadly came to be known, we were surprised and disappointed by our reactions. This frozen drink was definitely not worth waiting over two hours in line for. The smooth and creamy texture was pleasant to drink down but the sweetness was more than I could handle. Perfect for any kid perhaps. No doubt this drink was delicious, we just didn't see any reason to explain the huge media attention.

Summer Time
I decided to try Serendipity 3 one more time to be absolutely sure my last experience wasn't completely a negative one. So last week I went back to the Upper East Side and this time around the wait was much pleasantly shorter. There was still a small crowd by the front door but my boyfriend and I weren't waiting for a ridiculous amount of hours in the cold like last year.

Since we had a 40 minute wait to get through we decided to stop by Dylan's Candy Bar store around the corner and try out their version of the Frozen Hot Chocolate. After a few sips I was immediately displeased with the taste. Not a great alternative to the real thing so my boyfriend drank the rest of it.

When we were seated at the first floor of Serendipity 3 our waiter informed us of their $8.50 minimum order per person rule. My boyfriend wasn't too crazy about the Peanut Butter Frozen Hot Chocolate the last time, so he decided to wait outside while I tried the original flavor.

I noticed a few more things with the dessert. The whip cream, for instance, is absolutely tasteless and extremely thick, leaving a slippery layer of paste on the roof of your mouth that won't dissolve. But, if you mix the whip cream and chocolate together, you get a good combination of thick cream and sugar. The rest of the drink was very smooth with tiny bits of ice chips in every spoonful. The overall taste reminded me exactly of melted chocolate ice cream.

The Verdict
The media attention this dessert receives is a mystery to me. I didn't have an overwhelming satisfaction of chocolate taste nor a unique one at that. This drink is very much similar to chocolate ice cream blended with ice. If you can't handle too much sweetness, this drink is very difficult to finish by yourself. In that case, to try it, you and your partner would have to order over $17 worth of food and, in my opinion, that amount is ridiculous for this dessert.

I'm not sure why it has received such rave reviews. Maybe people are seduced by the celebrity status the Frozen Hot Chocolate brings and are pressured to say the restaurant is everything Hollywood says it is. In my opinion, you are not missing out on anything if you never make it to this restaurant. But if you feel you MUST go to Serendipity 3 to dine on this dessert, I would recommend the Peanut Butter Frozen Hot Chocolate as the better choice.

Serendipity 3: 225 E. 60th St., between Second and Third Avenues, 212-838-3531