Everyone loves this place for MExican - it's nicer on the inside than it look slike on the outside, and i think it's a great bargain. also the chimichunga is great, as well as the artichokes read more

You really cannot describe how beautiful this restaurant is. It looks like an old Spanish monastery. The food was fantastic. I had some of the best fajitas I have ever had. Stellar service and great margaritas! read more

There is a very pretty fountain. I like the live music. There is very good guacamole. Salsa is excellent too. I liked my pollo fundito dish. You should go here. - written by my 7 year old. read more

Love it here. Chicken fajitas with large side of guac is all you need. Well, maybe try some of the caliente sauce. Ambiance is incredible most of the time. Sometimes hard to find parking. read more

Checked in here last night for dinner. I had the Pollo Fundido, which was amazing. I loved the atmosphere, their salsa was so fresh and unlimited refills is a huge plus! Will definitely be there next time i crave Spanish/Peruvian food. read more

Not as good as reviews make it sound. In my families opinion average. Nice place, decent food.

Very good place that serves generous portions. Came here for a business lunch recently and found this Restaraunt to be outstanding. The food was very well prepared; the wait staff fantastic and just a great place to have a nice meal. read more

Another trip to El Sorrano and once again we were pleased. Noticed that place was crowded on a Sunday afternoon at 5 which was a departure from past trips but still feel it's a good time to go and avoid wait for table and enjoy guitar player. They ran out of Guacamole which is a major screwup but the owner personally brought over a sliced avacado to an attempt to make amends. Cusps to the waiter for bringing it to his attention. Moves like that make us happy regulars. read more

Great food and service but unfortunately they do not take reservations so it's usually a long wait

Very good. Green spicy sauce is tasty, not simply hot. Our dishes (fajitas, chicken enchiladas ) were both superb. The service was friendly, helpful and prompt. We will be back!! read more

I have to say I loved the atmosphere..our waiter was pleasant and I really liked the food.. I had the chicken fajitas and my husband had some chicken pollo something..we did get there about 4:45 so no wait, but we would go back, only complaint would be the baby screaming (not sure why the mom did not take him outside to calm down, but not the restaurants fault.. Salsa was unique read more

Have been here a few times and have always been pleased! The menu is varied, not only with Peruvian dishes but some Mexican dishes as well. The lunch menu is very reasonable, and the portions are just right. The decor is very original, and you can tell the owners invested a lot in making it unique. I wish the menu had more ceviche options, as this is a Peruvian restaurant, and perhaps Peruvian chicken as well, but the food is always great. This is a fun place to celebrate with family. read more

Amazing food, perfect service.. Luke is our waiter and he is so thoughtful and kind! Thanks Luke!

I am a frequent client, and I have never had a bad meal. Every single time the food has been delicious, the sangria is always refreshing and perfectly done, and those chips and salsa are out of this world. Plus, service is amazing. When I said I am a frequent client, I have been going to El Serrano since day 1. I usually go at least twice a month. Service and quality are splendid. What I admire the most is that the owner and their team cares about helping other communities in need, and sometimes they do events to help these communities. A wonderful restaurant to go to!! CK read more

Much better than your chain Mexican resteraunts. You definitely sense that the food is prepared fresh. As others have said the seating can be cramped. On the positive side they do now take reservations which is a huge plus. read more

This is one of my favorite spots! With that being said, I'm a one trick pony when it comes to eating here. I only ever order one thing: beef lomo saltado with the picante sauce. It's probably my favorite meal right now. I wish I could branch out and give you a more well rounded review, but until I can curb my addiction, lomo saltado every time it is!! Ambiance is very relaxed, kind of romantic. Looks like a Spanish castle on the outside and has that feel in the interior as well. Wait time can be long depending on how busy they are. You also can't make reservations. Parking can be a nightmare on a busy night. Food can also take awhile to get out. For those reasons, I give it 4 instead of 5 stars. But still a worthwhile visit! read more

Love it here, it's always a delight!! Great atmosphere and food, ones of my favorites in Lancaster.

I'm not quite sure how authentic El Serrano is, but I don't give a damn. I usually leave with a satisfied belly and smile on my face. That is all that matters. I've fallen in love w/ the lomo saltado and a pecan pie dessert-type-thing. The chips and salsa are oh-so-addicting as well. The restaurant itself is nice and cozy. The atmosphere is not at all stuffy, but very inviting and laid back. Staff is always friendly and accommodating. My only (minor) issue with El Serrano is the abnormally large chairs. I always feel like I need a booster seat or two. I see that people are commenting on Culturas, the tapas restaurant located upstairs. Here are my two cents... no no no no no no no! The only memorable dish from Culturas in my mind was the avocado fritos. That dish was great, but easily duplicated in my kitchen. The other tapas I tried were good, but not worth the price. The worst of the bunch would probably be the pulpo al olivo. I knew the dish consisted of thinly sliced octopus, but I didn't realize thinly sliced meant "you wasted 8 bucks on nothing you twit!" Anywho, try El Serrano. It's good. read more

WORTH THE WAIT You might have to wait to be seated--but it's worth it! Whether for a casual dinner or special evening out, thi is the place to go. read more

This place is great,and reasonable, people complain about lines and waiting, HELLO there is a reason for that, great meals at a good price = great resturant and lines. If you don't like lines and waiting there is always TACO BELL....LOL read more

Whoa! This place really blew me away! I grew up in an area outside of NYC with great Mexican food, and this place is at least as fantastic as any of my old faves. I was in Lancaster last week and decided to give this place a try -- such a good idea this was... the decor and atmosphere were beautiful, and the food was reeeeally delicious :-) I'll be sure to visit the next time I'm in Lancaster. read more

The building is totally cool and looks like it was dropped right of the sky from another country. The menu is a bit limited and eclectic between Mexican and Peruvian. We enjoyed our meal and would definitely go back on our next trip. read more

Good atmosphere and they often have a live guitarist. Nice courtyard for drinks, variety of margaritas, and delicious food.

I did a quick search on my phone for a good restaurant in Lancaster city, PA and was really pleasantly surprised to find El Serrano. We got there without reservations on Saturday evening and had to wait for about 20 min. The staff was very polite and helpful and did the impossible to accommodate us. The Owner was very friendly and walk us to our table. Inside the restaurant the atmosphere is fantastic, lots of people and nice live music playing in the background. The food was really good, nothing spectacular but enjoyable. On the way out we heard loud music and it turned out there is another live band playing out in the courtyard. People were dancing and having a blast. I really liked the place and will definitely go back on our next trip to Lancaster. read more

This is a solid, middle of the road Mexican restaurant. The service was pretty good and the food was "meh". In short, this place is nothing to write home about, but not bad either. read more

I've never made a yelp review before but for this place I definitely had to. I wanted to bring my boyfriend to a special place for his birthday. I checked online and saw the incredible amount of positive reviews for this restaurant. The restaurant was beautiful online and so we decided to check it out. Best.decision.ever! It's located on columbia Avenue yet we've never seen it until now. That's the only con I have to say about this place. I wish it was in a different location so it can stand out. It would get tons of customers. Anyway, the restaurant is gorgeous. Inside and out, they definitely made it feel as if you went to Latin America. The staff and manager were extremely helpful and friendly. They suggested we sit outside and that was a great advice. The courtyard was breathtaking and there was also a singer who sang a birthday song for my boyfriend which was so nice :). The food and drinks were amazing. The manager was so friendly and was very interactive with us, as well as the other customers. He even set aside a private tour for us after dinner. Definitely request that because the whole restaurant is something you need to see. I can't describe how gorgeous this place is. Everything was amazing. We had an incredible time. Definitely coming back as soon as possible :) read more

I want to give them a 4.5, the food is always above my expectations. I feel like the perfect time to come in is later in the night its a tad bit more relaxed and overall I just enjoy it better. The lighting and atmosphere are perfect for groups of friends or a date night. The only reason for the 4 is my server lacked a little and wasn't attentive to our drinks. We were greeted by 2 managers asking about our experience. The food was spot on I got the lomo saltado with beef it was flavorful and cooked properly to my request. I look forward to going back again soon. read more

Went here last Monday night for the first time. I visit Lancaster quite often and have been to many local restaurants. I ordered the Pollo le Parilla, which was marinated breast of chicken with white rice and steamed veggies. The chicken was very tasty and moist. Definitely worth a second visit. read more

My hubby and I have been coming here for several years now and are never disappointed! The house made salsa is fantastic as are the margaritas! I always get the chicken fajitas because they are some of the best I've ever had flavor wise. If I have one criticism with regard to the fajitas it would be that while they're huge on flavor, they tend to be heavy on the veg and a little light on the meat. All in all this place is great and definitely worth checking out! read more

The chicken fajitas here are amazing! Delicious! They are very reasonably priced. It's a unique, vibrant atmosphere (inside and outdoor seating). My husband and I come here often! We've always had excellent service and food! We try to do lunch or an early dinner to beat the crowds on weekends. read more

This is our favorite restaurant in the area. When you combine the absolutely beautiful architecture and furniture, providing a South American estate atmosphere that is SOOO romantic, with the delicious food, amazing wines and cocktails, and surprisingly reasonable prices, we feel like it can't be beat. We go to Clementina's upstairs for special occasions. Only con is that there are a lot of tables crammed together in certain parts of the restaurant, so depending on where you are seated, it can be crowded. But the food is truly amazing. read more

This used to be my favorite place to eat with my family. I love the ambiance and the service is courteous and prompt. My kids and I were vegetarian when we frequented El Serrano, but my kids have problems with dairy, so now we're all vegan. The last time I ate there, I ordered a burrito with no cheese. I asked the server to please make sure there is no dairy. I was served a lettuce and salsa burrito. Yep. Instead of telling me before-hand that they use butter in the beans, they just assumed I'd happily consume and pay $10 for a lettuce and salsa burrito. Yep. They still charged me full price. *sigh* read more

They need to bring back the wine list they had before. It is much more limited than it used to be and the wine offerings are terrible. I am not that picky of a wine drinker, but I couldn't finish even half the glass of the red wine. The ambiance and food is good. read more

Came here last night and it was one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. We had a reservation and got seated quickly, but when we were seated we waited ten minutes for anyone to come tend to us at all. When our waitress then came over she said she would be with us in a minute, and then we waited a few more minutes for her to come back. She seemed very flustered and all over the place, so I'm not sure if she was new or not. She took our drink order and by the time she came over to get our drink order we were already ready to order our meal, but it seemed we waited another 10-15 minutes to order the meal. We got our chips and salsa which were good. We seemed to be waiting forever for our food, and while waiting we noticed two couples behind us that got seated AFTER us got their food and left BEFORE we even got our food. Our waitress came and apologized and said the kitchen was backed up, and I understand, the restaurant was extremely busy, but the fact that people who came in after us ate and left before we got our food was disappointing. For reference, we got seated at 5:30, and eventually got our food at 6:30. I believe it was either the manager or the owner, but she helped bring us our food, saying she would come back to check how we liked everything (she never did). Our food was hot, which was good, but it seemed like mine had been sitting there for a while. The cheese melted on top seemed like it was getting cold (you know what that looks like). We loved the food and thought it was really good, which we were happy about. Overall, I'm not sure if I would ever go back. The food was good but nothing to write home about, and the service was absolutely terrible. read more

Just a warning have not eaten there in a while you'll see why. Have always regretted not reviewing them and not reporting them to health dept. When we went I went to wash hands before eating. They had backed up toilet and no hot water to wash hands. The water was ice cold on top of that no paper towels. Spoke to manager about conditions. He said he new about toilet but not water and paper towels. Went to bathroom at end of meal still no paper towels. As we were driving home I realized how many staff members I had seen using bathroom. How did they wash and dry their hands? How was manager unaware of water temperature? Any staff members that washed hands would have said something. Water was like ice, I am not exaggerating! also no paper towels to dry hands. I know people love this place. I have family members who love it. I do not see appeal, I find the food not that special and overpriced. Question personal hygiene of staff. read more

We've been going here for years and have never had a bad meal. The service and staff are excellent. The owners attend to every detail to insure their customers have a wonderful experience. read more

LOVE IT! This place is a destination in Lancaster. From the moment you walk in to the time you leave, you feel like you are someplace else. I enjoyed the El gordo combo: I could not eat it all and had to take it home, even better as left overs. THANKS. read more

Every visit to El Serrano is a pleasant experience. The food and service are great, and the interior is lovely.

I've been here 20 times, and have this little trick: Guiso El Diablo. It's not on the menu anymore, but it's an exquisite dish that they will still make! It's beans and pulled/shredded beef, with some sort of delicious spicy green sauce and broiled cheese on top. Fantastic. The ambiance and woodworking is beautiful, there's a great outdoor courtyard and bar for summer, and the second floor restaurant, is quite elegant, though I love the Peruvian and Mexican served downstairs. read more

Delicious food and Margaritas. My friends from Phila go here and say who would believe a place like this would be in Lancaster, PA. Very reasonable prices and great atmosphere. You don't want to miss this place. read more