Requited Love on a Georgetown Corner

Kitschy dessert spot to take over the former Nathan's location

Move over, cupcake. A new sweetie is coming to Georgetown.

And this one walks with a swivel-hipped swagger and a New York state of mind. It's a self-proclaimed ice-cream-shop-on-steroids.

Where else can you indulge in a $1,000-Golden-Opulence-48-hour-reservation-in-advance-required sundae?

"Well, it's the ingredients," said a Serendipity waitress. "And it comes in a Baccarat crystal goblet." One billion calories and the glass are all yours.

Having signed a lease just in the past 24 hours, Rodrigo Garcia and Britt Swan anticipate bringing NYC's successful brand Serendipity 3 to D.C., reports K Street Kate. And not just anywhere in D.C., but the prime property known as Wisconsin and M streets, where Nathan's served loyal patrons for 40 years and where owner Carol Joynt left her broken heart last summer.

Zagat once called Nathan’s "the quintessential Georgetown saloon." During July's last call, Joynt said, "I do this with a heavy heart." Customers reminisced tearfully about their first loves and last divorces, found and filed over tables at Nathan's.

But there's nothing quite like love's labors lost to make you want to dive right into a load of Lemon Icebox Pie. Or Humble Pie. Or Chocolate Blackout Cake.

In the candy-coated sectors of the Big Apple, Serendipity is known as a novelty restaurant famous for dessert, foot-long hotdogs, more dessert, kitschy gifts... and some more dessert.

"There is a lot on the menu you won't find anywhere else," Serendipity 3's Garcia told K Street Kate. He suggests trying the macaroni-and-cheese pizza, but agrees that sometimes the main course is just an excuse to get to -- you guessed it -- the dessert.

"Bringing this brand to D.C. was truly serendipity," Garcia told the blog. "We've got a great location on probably the most visited corner of the city, a unique concept that doesn't yet exist in Georgetown, and the city seems to have a bit of a sweet tooth."

Hey! You have to walk a WHOLE half block to get from Georgetown Cupcake to Sweet Green.

Billed as New York's first coffee house boutique, Serendipity emerged when three dreamers pooled together their fortunes, totaling $300. Their first year, 1954, was when "the world was suffering from unrequited love ... an insatiable craving for sweet solace," at least according to how the Serendipity people tell it. Andy Warhol traded drawings for his favorite Serendipity sweets, but enough customers paid cash to expand the brand to Vegas.

Serendipity, or something like it, could open as late as spring in the heart of Georgetown, just in time for the sweetness of new love to bloom over a bunch of Aunt Buba's Sand Tarts.

Contact Us