Serendipity- Carmel, IN

Serendipity is the yellow building at the intersection of Main St. and Rangeline Rd.

Here is the entrance to the old bank vault where you can have a tea service.

One of the old LS Ayres chandeliers.


The gorgeous table setting.

Chicken velvet soup

Tortellini salad

The Blast sandwich

Even the restroom was gorgeous.

First off, Serendipity is absolutely beautiful. What a perfect spot for a meal or tea with girlfriends. However, Mr. WYA! was dragged to this precious place and, for awhile, was the only guy there. More fellas came in later though and, as a matter of fact, Mr. WYA! enjoyed his lunch so much he didn't even care that he was outnumbered.


We didn't make reservations and it was pretty busy even before noon but we were seated to a lovely table without a problem. The decor just wow-ed us. There were gorgeous fresh flowers on the tables along with really beautiful floral art on the walls. Being lovers of history, we were sure to check out the chandeliers that we learned from their website are from the old LS Ayres Tea Room. The building was originally a bank so the original vault is part of the restaurant where you can have a tea party- how cool! In addition to really enjoying the atmosphere, we had a wonderful lunch.


There were some tempting sounding specials but we went with a couple of items on their regular menu, the Ayres Chicken Velvet Soup, the Serendipity Tortellini Salad and the Blast sandwich. We also both had the iced tea which was fresh brewed and delicious. Many of you are probably familiar with the Ayres chicken velvet soup either from the original LS Ayres tea room or the re-created one at the Indiana State Museum. It's a bowl of creamy heaven. The tortellini salad might sound heavy but it wasn't at all. There were enough but not too many tortellinis on a bed of greens with their balsamic dressing. There are all kinds of options of what you want mixed in; ham, shrimp, asparagus, cranberries, bleu cheese, green onions, fresh basil, cashews, and parmesan cheese. You can have it with all of these or pick and choose. The portions aren't overwhelming so even choosing them all won't leave you too full. A tasty little scone comes with it too. It was perfection. The Blast sandwich is a creamy combination of bacon, lobster, shrimp, and tomato on a hoagy roll. Our server told us that it used to be a special but was so popular that it became part of the permanent menu- we could taste why. It was absolutely wonderful and, again, it was the perfect portion. Because it was so good, we would have eaten more if it was bigger but we certainly didn't need more- especially since it came with a side salad, scone, and a generous cup of mixed fruit.


We don't go to Carmel very much, and we definitely don't go out to eat often when we are there, but we are sure glad that we made a point to visit Serendipity.