Latin American fusion on some plates. Very authentic interior.... Lancaster? The goods: meats, meats on the bone, meats on a sizzling plate, and fish. Chips, salsa, sides including rice, sauces. Heck even the deserts were good. In fact the pork chops on the sizzle plate with pineapple is the tastiest simple thing I've had in a while. Yuca?! Value. The so so: Service, fast pace servers in a horse and buggy town is not gonna happen, we'll unless your at a truck stop diner of coarse. Plus the staff appeared very young, however it is farmland so they do know food.... That means if you slow down and think like a farmer you can get almost anything you want. What else is missing: Brunch time favs for the metros like bottomless mimosas? Nope, not here.. BUT the margaritas make up for the mimosas, leaving those tippers a bit tipsy from my observation. The bad?: Not much, the only real criticism I have worth listing in the bad section was a couple of gristle prices of tenderloin on my tenderloin platter. The rest were actually as tenderloin as expected. IF the plate was 7 bucks more I would have given this place 2 stars, but cost weighs in on the weight of the beef here. Will I go here again? Only if I'm in the area. BTW, I ate in the downstairs restaurant with the court. read more

One of the best restaurants in Lancaster as far as I'm considered. Delicious Peruvian and Mexican dishes. They have a unique menu with items like pork chops and pineapples and then some classics like fajitas. The flavors on the dishes is just amazing and it's really beautiful inside and romantic. Me and my fiancé always enjoy the food and fruity drinks when there. read more

Step through the doorway of El Serrano's and you'll feel instantly transported to the feisty and rich culture of South America. All the ornate wood that lavishly decorates this expansive restaurant was handmade in Peru. The all-brass bar tells the story of the conquistadors in the design. Recipes have been handed down through the generations and paintings of family members hang proudly in the wandering halls. But enough about the environs. Let's talk food. The fresh and tangy salsa is one of the best I've had. The chunky guacamole has a rich, creamy texture spiked with yummy cilantro. The handmade chips are crispy and delicious. I tried the Chile Rellenos: not bad. A little too much breading for my taste. But our friends come back again and again for the chimichangas. Be sure to ask the floor manager if they have time for a tour. Wandering through the little nooks and crannies of this expansive building while learning about a bit of history is a wonderful experience. Such a neat place - we'll be back for sure! read more

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My wife and I have been fans of El Serrano for over 10 years, and have never had a poor meal there. There's everyone else...El Rodeo,Carlos and Charlies, LaBorimex...and then there's El Serrano. The gold standard of Mexican in Lancaster. FWIW, La Borimex is great, in its own way. But, El Serrano is the one that keeps the bar raised high. Reasons? 1. Atmosphere: Great. Live music on weekends, authentic feeling villa-esque building, beautiful atmosphere. The real deal...not just some building gussied up to look Mexican. 2.Chips and Salsa: Salsa defies all categorization. It's amazing. Bummer is that they now charge $2 for refills. I'd love to get a copy of the recipe! 3. Comidas: The food is exceptional. Favorites include El Ranchero combo($15), El Gordo ($18), and Lomo Saltado (although my wife got a headache afterwards...too much on the saltado, perhaps). Everything is flavorful, outstanding. Menu has a wonderful variety. 4.Service: Waiters and waitresses are usually attentive, pleasant, observant. Never hadaproblem with mixed-up orders,long waits for food, or hostile service staff.Very good! Lunch is also a great time to come, especially as many nights (Friday and Saturday) are guaranteed to be packed with long waits. They are now shutting down between 2 PM-5PM many afternoons,so call before going between those hours. On this Tuesday night, we were seated immediately (for 2), but business was steady. El Serrano will, for us, be the special night out for Mexican. Sure, we will hit the other places, but it will take a whole new contender to somehow dethrone the champ! read more

So I went here on a Saturday night...expecting at least a half an hour wait..but we got seated right away, which was great. Really love the atmosphere of this place.. outside of this place reminds me of someone's mansion in Mexico... I'll be honest the food was avaerage to me...but the drink I had was very good, I didn't feel like I was getting jyped on alcohol..lol This is def a go to Latin restaurant if you want something a little more special than your typical Mex spot...I will be back! read more

Superb atmosphere. You feel like you've arrived at a Hacienda. Food ranges from so so to superb. Try the pork chops....I also quite liked the ceviche even though I'm not the biggest seafood fan. I'd say the South American cuisine may be a better choice over the mexican entrees. Nice place to bring the in-laws or such for a semi-formal dinner outing. *** Not sure if this is the same as the El Serrano in York. If so, will have to check it out. As the limiting factor was driving out to Lancaster. read more

This is my favorite mexican restaurant in Lancaster. It goes beyond your basic burritos, enchiladas and chimichangas. It has them, but it is so much more. I usually get their beef tenderloin fajitas but everything I have tried has been good. Shrimp with garlic sauce is my favorite appetizer. Good margaritas, good deserts and reasonable prices for the quality If somebody ask me where to to for Mexican in Lancaster El Serrano is what I tell them. read more

I'm picky about Mexican food. El Serrano is solid. The building and decor are amazing and you don't find that often. They spared no expense in the construction and furnishing of this incredible restaurant. The food is pretty good, not great. I enjoyed the Yucca fries as an app but they only give you 4 so if you're sharing with a larger party, you might need more than one order. My wife had the Vegetarian trio. It was a huge plate of food and she seemed to enjoy it. I had the beef fajitas and the meat was a tender and perfect medium rare. Solid 4 star place, seems to do a nice business so you may want to make some reservations, assuming they allow that. read more

I used to live a half hour away, but now I live 2 hours away. It's worth every minute of my four hour round trip to visit this place. Today we had a meet-in-the-middle Lancaster County shopping trip with our daughter and her husband who live in Maryland, and we chose El Serrano for dinner. First, I must say that our server "Andrew R" was excellent. In fact, it was almost like he was reading my mind as his service was so on-point the entire time! Tonight we had: Nachos Supremo; El Bandido chicken; Chicken chimichanga; two El Ranchos combos; and, a few margaritas (Fresh & Dirty, El Serrano 1800, and Mango Basil). Everything was very good, and I'd highly recommend El Serrano for a great dining experience. read more

I had the bandito which was spicy but not abusively hot by any means. My wife had the lomo saltado (chicken) which was excellent. I love this place. read more

Love love love El Serrano! One of my absolute regional favorites. My favorite dish is the pineapple pork chops. They make many great dishes the food is absolutely great. The drinks are Fantastic as well. The margaritas I would consider to be the centerpiece of the menu. The wine list is decent. The atmosphere is easily one of the most creative. You feel like you are in South America! The tables and chairs, the decor, super authentic! In the summer the courtyard is a great place to have dinner listen to music and have a few drink. You won't be disappointed. read more

Omg what is the sauce in the fish tacos? They were the worst fish tacos I have ever had! Enchilada sauce? The waiter told us it had mayo on it, ugh gross. Came with zero avocado, seriously El Sorrento please look up a fish taco recipe what you are serving is not even close! The waiter was awesome could not have been nicer and they did remove the price of the "fish tacos" from our check. read more

Parking lot was packed when we arrived and I feared a long wait. But the restaurant is massive and we were seated immediately. Very cool, old Mexico kinda feel inside. Live music playing. Not too loud so we could hear each other perfectly clear. We started with the Nachos which were very tasty. The ground beef is seasoned to perfection. Then we split the chicken fajitas. My wife and I both felt it was the best fajita we've had in a long time. Perhaps because this place is more Peruvian than Mexican it's a bit different tasting. But can't say enough about how delicious everything was. Oh yeah, the salsa is really good too. read more

Came to Lancaster to experience the Amish. The fiance brought me to El Serrano, which I was skeptical of because it's Pennsylvania, and after being born and raised in southern California, I just assume I won't be able to find "real" South American food. Turns out, it's legitimate Peruvian, and I was quite amazed. I'm not sure why you go to this place for Mexican, because the specialty is Peruvian, and it's amazing. The waitress was super helpful, and we had no complaints. I had the Mixto Limeño, which was light, but super tasty. My fiance had the Lomo Saltado, which was classic Peruvian, and also tasted great. read more

This restaurant hits on all cylinders. The attention to detail is beyond impressive. Each view of the various dining rooms in this castle like space is awesome. Service was extremely attentive and professional. Our server offered to give us a tour of the building inclusive of the various private dining areas and upper level tapas bar. We met the owner during the tour and were extremely impressed to learn that employees have a gym on the premises. The network of craftsmen that the owner met abroad lend there respective crafts to the surroundings. Brass bars , wood carved chairs etc. Food was fantastic and I expect to become a regular here. The spicues and variety of South American flavors the menu offers is phenomenal. Great job El Serrano you are an unexpected delight to all . Bravo to the owner for pushing the enevople and delivering a 5 star delight. read more

Total disappointment. I have been coming here for years. One of my favorite things to do is sit down with a nice glass of pino noir and enjoy the company, music, food, and all around atmosphere. During our most recent visit, we were informed that they no longer offer any of the wines we have come to enjoy. In fact, the wine has been replaced with what taste like cheep box wine from the prison vineyard. Terribly disappointed. We normally choose El Serrano for all of our family gatherings. This particular day twelve of us drank no wine, and went right to the main course. In the end I had to settle for a Miller lite and a flower tortilla wrapped in disappointment. We were a party of twelve, all who enjoy a good glass of wine over conversation, but not tonight. Thanks El Serrano read more

The food and drinks are consistently good here. No reservation so plan ahead. Not uncommon to have to wait 45 minutes or longer to get a table for four. Service is fairly consistent. The ambience is above par. Anytime in the Lancaster area, I make a point to stop here for dinner. read more

We ordered carry out. Got home to realize they had not fried the chimichanga and it was just a soggy tortilla with extremely dry hard rice. My coconut shrimp which is the reason we ordered from them because the have been amazing in the past were just eh. They also didn't include the side of guacamole and dessert that we had paid for and were rude and dismissive when we called asking for the guacamole and dessert money be put back on our credit card. The only reason they are getting two stars is because my husband enjoyed his taco salad. Definitely a never again! read more

Recipes changed in stuffed crab buritto and cheese is missing from certain meals. H read more

Nice environment and friendly personnel, Peruvian food so delicious but they also have Mexican food in their menu. Live music on Saturday. It has a fair parking lot but due to their excellent taste their parking got full quick. I tried lomo salteado with white rice, Rum cake (needs to be 21 older), and red sangria. read more

Food was very bland and not sure how this got such a high rating. Restaurant itself looked nice but was expecting much better food.

The best Mexican/Peruvian food in all of Lancaster. The fajitas are absolutely delicious. Typically, I think fajitas taste the same at most places, but these are above and beyond. Specially marinated in some sort of secret ingredient apparently. They might be my favorite meal. The service is great. For some reason, even the soda tastes especially good. And the complimentary chips and salsa is pretty good. And the atmosphere is great - just about everything in the restaurant is authentic Peruvian furniture. This is not cheap Mexican/Peruvian food, but it's well worth it. read more

Today is the second time we have been to El Serrano. The first time was in February with a group of about 15 friends, this time, just me and the husband. I always thought that it was going to be expensive.. but I was WRONG. So, let's back track to February. Give or take about 15 friends get together and the special birthday gal picks El Serrano. Now I always wanted to go, but as beautiful as the place looks on the outside and from their website I thought.. damn that will be expensive. But... we went. So I jumped in to cover us and another couple thinking.. here we go with a big big $$$. I WAS WRONG!!! First of all the place is beautiful. It really is an experience. We heard some music and had a drink at the beautiful bar area before our table was ready. I could spend an hour describing how awesome it was.. but I don't have time and I just want to make a good point. The food was great. The service was wonderful, the whole experience was one I would recommend to anyone. The best news for that Feb trip was that 4 people on my tab, with dinners and drinks I thought here we go.. but believe it or not.. under $100!!!!! Fast forward to today. We had an awesome pre-paid deal and dinner today was again outstanding. The food is so flavorful and CLEAN tasting. It was beautiful weather today and the many windows left in great natural light. We went a little early, around 5 so it was just starting to get a little busy. Just such a great place! The prices are great even if you don't have any special coupons but if you keep an eye on the local coupon clipper magazines or apps on your phone you might come across some super duper great deals that makes going there just the best thing! There are few restaurants that I really would feel like the real super duper need to tell everyone about but I def feel like I need to share this because if you are like me and you think the place is going to be expensive.. trust me it is worth a visit to prove you wrong. Not expensive and super awesome! read more

I've been to Mexico 4 times in different areas and must I say, this place gives me the feels. I love this place and the food is delicious. I highly recommend coming here with a family or even a date night (it's dim lighted and can be very romantic!) read more

Well, we haven't been here in over 10 years, and it will be another 10, before we come back again. Crap, did I say crap?

Had an excellent dinner tonight. Food was delivered promptly and hot. Our server, Andrew, tho, was the best part of the experience. His recommendations were very good and he really knows how to talk with people. While I couldn't quite pry the recipe for the sauce on my dinner from him (he insisted it was made with "love"), he was quite helpful with pinpointing that one ingredient that really made the sauce stand out. (Spoiler alert, it wasn't love.) Overall, while others might find the place crowded, we were quite comfortable and enjoyed the entire evening immensely. 10/10 we will be back again. read more

Service was very good! Food was reasonably priced and yummy for the most part. Guacamole was a little disappointing. Would definitely come back and would recommend! read more

I have been here several times and I've always had a delicious meal. My favorite meal is the pork chops with pineapple and white rice. The flavor is amazing! The drinks are good too, worth the price, IMO. The only reason I don't give 5 stars is the service is just okay. Once the hostess forgot us for a table and often they are just hanging around talking and laughing with other workers. Our last two servers either forgot something we ordered or brought the wrong dish. They are always nice but definitely need more focus. Also, this last time we were told no chips and salsa until entrees were ordered? Not a fan of that rule, we still ordered an app so if that's the reason, no need for it. But we still consider this place one of our faves because the food is always good. read more

Like delicious Mexican /Peruvian food? Like great atmosphere in a restaurant? Like friendly service? If you answered yes to all three of these things then El Serrano is the place for you. El Serrano is a Mexican /Peruvian restaurant in the Lancaster area. The atmosphere is a impressive.. the entire building inside and out is designed to look like a Mexican villa. My wife and I stopped in there spur of the moment after a night of shopping at the Park City Mall. We were pleasantly surprised to find live music there performed by none other than our favorite Latin American musician Dante! To be close to the music we sat at the bar and ate. I had their enchilada meal while my wife got a Peruvian entree Lomo Saltado. Both entrees were delicious! We also had a few of their specialty margaritas which were delicious as well. The bar tenders were very friendly and helpful and kept our drinks filled. All in all it was a very good experience... I would recommend it to anyone in the Lancaster area. read more

El Serrano - Las Enchiladas with shredded beef - Latin American Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Dirty, Raw, and Hairy! This was one of the worst dining experiences I've had in a while. First off, they deliver food to tables on the bottom shelf of a multi level cart that is about 6 inches from the ground. Their glasses were filthy, and I had hair in my food- which was not only cold, but also pink and raw in places. I've ehere off and on for the past few years, and I've never had an experience like this one. It was really disappointing and just pretty gross. read more

This has been a favorite of my wife and i since our dating days. The atmosphere is really elegant and inviting. We usually split a platter between the two us with 2 glasses of their homemade Sangria. (it is amazing!) The servers are really great and the food is never disappointing. It is the perfect addition to a date night! read more

Crowded but we were seated immediately. The sights, the smells, the drinks.So authentic! Loved it. Definitely would go back. Great way to celebrate national magarita day. read more

El Serrano - Latin American Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Had a wonderful meal with my children, they took me out for my birthday the food was excellent, although the space was a little cramped read more

El Serrano - Latin American Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Safe and efficient pandemic take out dining! Go to their website and order/pay online. You can select your pickup time. We drove in to the parking lot and our waiter came right to the car wearing mask and gloves. He looked prepared to take an order from the parking lot, but as we had ordered on-line he took our name and came back with our food. Food was hot and delicious as ever. Miss the ambiance inside and the live music, but we can wait. read more

Despite being only 3 blocks from my house I've only eaten here a few times. The first meal I had, years ago, was great. The next meal I had was okay. The next meal I had was very skimpy and overpriced. Those were all for lunch. My last meal was my first dinner experience. My girlfriend and I struggled to read the menus and found it difficult to see the food on our plates due to how dark it was. I ordered a very expensive three entrée platter on which I could not tell one item from the next. I ended up with a mouth full of fat (which I would've discarded had I been able to see it) that grossed me out to the point that I took the rest of my meal to go. At home in the light I could see that about a third of that particular entrée was nothing but fat. I haven't been back. read more

Nice quiet atmosphere, good food, decent portions. Sometimes a little too dark for my liking.

Don't do it! Their menus are very disgusting. Massive building with limited seating. If you're driving by and just wanna stop in don't do it!! read more

Love the versatility of the menu. Mexican. Peruvian. Tapist style. A lot to choose from and the food is fantastic. Atmosphere is really cool too. Like a hacienda lol. read more

Came here with a good friend about a month ago. First thing that comes to the table is the chips and Peruvian salsa which in my opinion is out of this world. The only down side is that if you want more you have to pay for it, the first is only complimentary. The menu has a nice selection to choose from and their drinks are good as well. We both ordered the enchiladas con queso from the vegetarian options. Amazing. Everything was delicious and very flavorful. Depending on where your from around the world this place could be the best food or just average. Being from the North East (Marylander) I believe it's very good. To each his own, I recommend trying the one in Lancaster or York, Pa. read more

Ugh. Never again. I used to come here quite frequently actually when I was in High School. It was a much smaller establishment and way less crowded. The food was better the staff was more attentive, worth at least a 3 star review. But now ... it's just sad. Let's start at the beginning . . . I wanted to come here because I remembered it was a decent place for getting Mexican Inspired food. I haven't been here for ages so I thought we'd give it a try on a Saturday night. I called ahead and asked how long is the wait for a party of two. I was told 30-40 minutes and we could not make reservations over the phone, first come first serve. (BTW take out orders are not made over the phone, you must order from the restaurant) Ok fine with us. When we got there, I was told the wait was 5 minutes . . . hmm sounds better, but I wonder what happened during the time between when I called 10 minutes ago and now. As I was sitting down a couple came in and was told the same thing 5 minutes . . . but were shortly ushered in ahead of us ... I thought that was strange since I put my name in first .. but oh well, we waited 5 minutes and were seated inside. WOW things have changed ... It was very nice inside ... well decorated. This is the only nice thing about El Serrano's folks, as you walk in ... it looks ... NiCE. It's only goes downhill from here. As we were being seated we realized not only how packed it was, but the tables are so close together it is uncomfortable. I am not kidding... when the table across from us was getting up to leave, the man's chair fell backward and smashed against our table. Other than being kind of awkward we were lucky to not have our drinks on that side of the table and/or our hands/limbs where the chair fell. SOo it took 30 minutes for our food, and in the meantime we ordered margarita's ... the 1800 house Margarita's .. they were the WORST !! MY mother finished hers in less than 3 minutes and said it was like drinking a $7 glass of juice with lots of ice. . . I agree, I tasted no alcohol at all, it was all sweet and sour mix ... really gross. Our meals came and were completely tasteless. "filler" stuff, with lots of sour cream and cheese and salsa. The enchilada didn't taste like anything. My mother's burrito grande was cold and stuffed mostly with cream cheese ... eww. If you are new to the area and are looking for mexican style food.. do not be fooled by the "cool" decorations and hip atmosphere. Lancaster isn't really known for it's amazing Latin food, but there are much MUCH better options than this .. (check out La Cocina for example) P.S. On my way out I saw the valet boy checking to see if just hit another car as he was either parking or backing out .... YIKES !!! read more