This review is really only good for a short period of time, as signage announced that this place was sunsetting operations by the end of 2025 after a ten-year run. This is a shame, because the place brings a great culinary diversity to an area where others might, as I did, want to pull over on the way to Bar Harbor. Vegan options were plentiful, and I got my coconut-infused curry with chickpeas, receiving a zingy, spicy flavor. Their naan was somewhat unconventionally given as an appetizer with chutneys, but this worked fine for me and it was freshly grilled. The portion size for the price was not huge, and I was actually surprised that they didn't do traditional Sri Lankan dishes like kootu paratha, but I was happy that i pulled over, and the option remains to travelers for a little while longer. read more

Serendib - chickpeas - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

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Had lunch today and it took me back to some of the most wonderful Indian places I have had in the past. The place has few tables and a tin ceiling, and played some awesome retro forties music. Divine. The mulligatawny stew was fab, had tons of chicken and a good broth. The butter chicken was superb and the naan fresh baked. What a delicious meal. We got dessert there, a Mom's cake, that was full of nuts and had a side of cream that blew us away. So good! The service was spot on and attentive. I cannot wait to go back--as long as it's winter. You can't get a table there in the summer months. That is ok by me--I like having the place to locals in the winter. It feels homey. read more

This is great little restaurant in the heart of Ellsworth. It is small inside so probably not ideal for large parties but for great for couples and groups of four. There are great views of Main street from the large windows and no obstructed views no matter where you sit. They have a limited drink menu but you'll still be able to get wine, beer, and cider. No specialty cocktails here. The food is delicious and u would definitely eat here again. We ordered the Naan, samosas, and two different curries. You can choose your level of spice which is always appreciated. read more

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What a lovely place! We chose a window street that overlooked the Main Street which was entertaining. From the time we walked in, Staff were warm and welcoming. Everyone worked together to ensure we were taken care of. The food was hot, fresh, and delicious. We left there happy and full. If ever in the area again, we would revisit for another wonderful meal. read more

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Five start experience w/o question. Everything we had tasted great. This place would be over run if it was in a major city. Sadly I live far away but this is a must try if in the area read more

Great selection if you want a little deviance from all the seafood option! We got a huge selection of curries and wings. The wings were super spicy so be warned! My favorite curries were the Rogan Josh and the Pork Belly. The place is kinda small so I recommend ordering as a take out if you have a large group of people. read more

I would rate this place as just average. We were excited to try Sri Lankan food for the first time and the menu looked decent. However we were disappointed with the overall experience here. I had wanted to try a mushroom curry dish. However when I ordered found out that were out of mushrooms and naan. It seems that they don't have enough ingredients to feed their guests. They also turned away two couples who didn't have advance reservations. This was around 6:30pm, well before the weekend dinner rush. The dishes we did get were ok. We tried the cashew curry with eggplant and the Sri Lankan curry with paneer. Overall just average and disappointing that they didn't have naan. I did really enjoy the lentil cakes we had as appetizers. Parking is available on the streets nearby (unmetered, free). We had no trouble finding parking. read more

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This is absolutely my favorite restaurant that NEVER disappoints!!!! The service is friendly with a "family " atmosphere and the food is always tasty and served hot. read more

What a great little spot! I walked in around 5pm on a Saturday, with no reservation, and was lucky to snag a table. This is a small dining room so even this early in the season, make sure you call ahead! The curried radish special was an excellent appetizer. The naan did seem to be not from a tandoor, as another reviewer mentioned, but was good. The onion chutney on the side was my favorite of the three accompaniments. For dinner, I had the Sri Lanken curry with tuna. What a cool option to provide as protein! It was cooked to near perfection with one piece slightly less done than I'd like, but I left it in the sauce a little longer and that worked perfectly. The only reason for docking a star - I ordered it medium and the server told me their medium is pretty spicy and asked if I was sure. (I heard a different server saying the same to a table next to me later.) I ended up ordering "medium minus" - what the server called "mild-medium" - because of that hesitation and wish I hadn't. The dish came out what I would consider mild. (For reference, I usually order my Thai food 2/5 and my Indian food medium on a mild/med/hot scale.) I also grabbed some mushroom vindaloo for takeout, because there are few options open right now on Sundays and Mondays. This one I ordered medium and could've gone with medium+, but was a much better spice level. I'm not used to cream in my vindaloo, but the menu calls it out so it's not a total surprise. Service was faster than expected. They quoted a ~35 minute wait for takeout and I got my food in 20. I didn't feel rushed but also never waited on anything from the kitchen. Definitely worth a stop if you've called ahead to make a reso! read more

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The service and food were both fabulous!! We had the fish special and special short rib dish. Both were amazing. The tandoori chicken was also excellent. We would definitely come back. read more

Wonderful dinner at Serendib. Food and Service wonderful as is the "window on Downtown" ambience. It's been awhile, (not anything they did) life just gets in the way. Appreciated the guidance with heat factor for me! Wings and Naan with great chutneys! Entrees full of flavor in large Portions. Chicken Biryani, wonderful! Full of spices! Whole cardamom pods !!! Black Pork curry yum. Thank you Sanjeeva and crew! We won't take as long to come back. read more

Divine 85 characters are not necessary to describe this experience so ignore this requirement and know that naan to chai it was perfection. read more

We love this place & frequently get takeaway here! The food is so delicious & the owner & staff are so nice. One of our favorite spots in Ellsworth. read more

Stopped there for lunch on a whim, on our way to Bar Harbor. We loved it! Great flavors. Owner/chef on premises. Stopped bye to see if we were enjoying our meal. Wait staff gave good recommendation for beer pairing with food. read more

Went for a late lunch. We walked in and the whole staff were sitting down. All got up when we came in which made us feel bad. Sit. Relax. We were the only customers. Finding dairy free options was a challenge but I noticed soup could be made dairy free. I ordered that, and they made sure everything I had was dairy free. Naan was a bit more dough than we are used to We still liked it. Aforementioned soup was great, but so hot I couldn't eat it. I still wasn't done it when our meals came out. We both got different chicken curry's. It was like the chicken was boiled in chicken broth, and the curry was ladled over it when it was served. We liked our meals, but the flavor was not in the chicken. Ordered a soda. Never got it. Once a few other tables came in they seemed to struggle keeping up or paying attention. Water in the bathroom will burn you. Use the cold water to wash your hands. One negative was that everything seemed sweet. Red sauce with naan. Sweet. Green sauce with naan. Sweet. Eggplant side dish. Sweet. I like Sugar for dessert but not throughout my meal. I'd go back. This is a good unique food option. Apparently you need reservations for dinner as everyone coming in was asked. read more

Wow, super delicious! My husband and I had never eaten food from Sri Lanka before, but we know we like Indian food, from all over India; and we were not disappointed. We can only enjoy medium spiced dishes, and we were happy they were able to prepare the heat level to our taste.if you like seriously Hot food, I think you would also be happy here. There were many Gluten Free options for me, and delicious Naan for my husband. I recommend the chicken wings and the lentil cakes as appetizers. For the entrees, I had Sri Lankan style chicken curry and hubby had a special beef dish. My fish was good, but his beef dish was more unique and tasty. read more

Great food! Great beer! Service was awesome. I will be back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A

Good quality and tasty food. Great service. Well spaced seating ambience. Indian flavor but authentic Srilankan food.

Coastal Maine isn't just about the lobster! As vegetarians it can be a challenge to find a decent place to eat. Serendib is one of those places. we stopped in one evening and were thrilled to find several meatless options. We started with the lentil cake appetizer- fried mashed lentils with a mango chutney sauce. Spicy and tasty. For main entrees we had the cashew curry with eggplant and the rice & curry meal which was their Sri Lanka curry with excellent sides of salty dal and a sweet beetroot curry. The Sri Lanka curry had chunks of "meaty" mushrooms in it. Although we like spicy foods, we wimped out and had the meals prepared "medium" which honestly had enough bite to satisfy us without reaching for the fire extinguisher. Service was very friendly and although we were there later in the evening we never felt rushed. If you go in season I recommend calling ahead for reservations. read more

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Love Serendib. Food is amazing. I've tried around 7 different entrees at this point and I've loved every one of them. Their naan is a little overpriced for what you get but it's incredible. read more

Visiting from out of town and figured I would give it a try. The food was absolutely fantastic! Great service. Offers a nice view down quaint Main Street. Highly recommend! read more

Serendib - Sri Lanka Curry with Chicken, beet salad, naan bread. - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

This is a little gem. The food is deeply authentic Sri Lankan and Indian cuisine. The spicing is pitch perfect, if that's not a mixed metaphor. The eggplant sambol, the boar, the curries and the Chana masala were all excellent. If you're expecting an all-you-can-eat buffet, this isn't the place. But if you want a really good meal, this is. If you are planning on eating South Asian style (sharing dishes), make sure you tell the server. read more

Great food. This is our go to restaurant for the past couple years after discovering it. Be sure to make a reservation because it is quite small. read more

A quick afternoon meal at this small unpretentious restaurant proved to be a very nice surprise the naan with 3 chutneys was outstanding - especially the onion chutney with onions tenderized by massage and long marinating. The mushroom fried rice was very flavorful and filled with veggies. Two curries - lamb in butter sauce and eggplant madras were both well balanced and full of fresh flavor, although a little too salty for me. The tandoori chicken was perfect! Portions were generous, prices were reasonable and service was excellent. This place is worth a visit. read more

I love the place and wanted to love the food, but I was quite disappointed, as we had planned to go here for months. I moved from Michigan where there are many wonderful Indian eateries. We had a good start by ordering the naan, eggplant sambol, and chicken wings. The eggplant was the best of the three, very tasty and good texture. The naan was a bit greasy, but yummy, and the 3 sauces were divine. The chicken wings were very hot, even for my heat-loving husband, yet they lacked flavor. He got Sri Lankan curry with lamb and thought it was good, though the most prominent flavor was coconut milk. My tikka masala (ordered with mushrooms, and chicken added) was incredibly disappointing. So bland. I asked for salt and salted it four or five times. Still flavorless. Where were the garam masala, cumin, coriander, etc? Virtually undetectable. I'm afraid I won't make the 40-minute drive again to this sweet place that promised so much more than it gave. read more

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I have been skeptical about Indian food my whole life after my dad told me he didn't like it and it made his stomach hurt. This weekend, I decided to give it a try, and i was absolutely blown away. The service was awesome, our waiter answered all of my questions and seemed to really care about what was served. I got the wild boar, which I was a tad skeptical to order because I have never tried it before, and it was awesome. Perfect amount of spice (I ordered it mild), amazing flavor, and the boar was incredibly tender. The rice was perfectly cooked, and it only took 10 minutes between ordering and eating! I think it was the best meal I've had in months. I will definitely be going back! read more

Serendib - Wild boar and pickled lime - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

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We are on vacation and happened to be in downtown Ellsworth. We got the date and lime chutney wings and they were INCREDIBLE!!!! Then we split a chicken vindaloo which was also delicious and comes at different spice levels. I would suggest one bowl per person because we eat a lot. Also got a moms love cake and it was very light and came with a chai whipped cream. The flavors of this restaurant were hurting in my mouth!!Overall a must visit in Maine! read more

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A great place to stop between Bangor and Acadia. Food is delicious and staff are friendly. Ellsworth is a cute town. Highly recommend. read more

Serendib - We had the jackfruit curry, spicy potatoes, and the beet salad. All great. The beat salad is awesome. - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

Little restaurant that claims to be Srilankan. I haven't tasted all the dishes but whatever I did, was delicious. We usually order spicy food everywhere, but today, we ordered mild. But the food was still flavorful. Kudos to the chef. Lime pickle was a big surprise. It reminded me of the lime pickle that my mother makes in Mumbai, India. Super delicious. Okay, then why didn't I give 5 stars? I thought the service is very slow. The food arrived in decent amount of time, so no complaints there. But taking the orders, bringing the check, cleaning the table etc. was slow. The attitude of the staff was extremely casual. I am not saying that it's bad, may be it is the culture here in Maine. But it was unusual for me. Overall, a fantastic place you must visit if you are around. read more

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What a surprising find in Ellsworth! This place had very tasty food, helpful staff, and was an overall great experience. We were there on a Wednesday night and were happy to have made a reservation. The place is kind of small and we saw a couple of parties turned away. The curries were excellent (we tried the Sri Lankan curry with shrimp and the goat curry). Ordered it "medium" and it was plenty spicy - in a good, can't stop eating way. The naan was fresh and came with three different chutneys - the tamarind chutney was by far our favorite. read more

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Wonderful. Friendly. Great food. The butter chicken. The beef Sri Lanka. Was amazing. Great wings with the date sauce. The naan bread withe the different chutneys is really tasty. Nice atmosphere. Everyone is easy going and helpful when we asked questions read more

Popular with locals. Call ahead if you're in a hurry. They have some sauce jars for purchase. Cheerful atmosphere.

Wow!! Ellsworth, Maine is lucky to have this family owned restaurant! We went in here with not a lot of expectation, but honestly, this probably the best Indian food we have ever eaten! We had the Chicken Sri Lankan curry, Lamb Tiki Marsala, Palak Paneer and Dahl, all with medium heat, along, the house made Nann. All were excellent and the heat level was perfect. The place has a nice atmosphere and the staff is very friendly and efficient! If you have to choose one place to have a meal in Ellsworth, you should make this your go-to place. Simply outstanding!! read more

Serendib - Front of the restaurant - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

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We ate here twice while in Ellsworth. Wish we'd eaten here the first day we arrived b/c we would have eaten here every day! The food is SUPERB! We've never had Sri Lanken food but have a couple of Indian restaurants where we're from. Serendib blew our hometown Indian restaurants out of the water. The food was full of intense and delicious flavors! This is the BEST restaurant in Ellsworth and maybe even all of Maine! I'm sad we leave tomorrow b/c I would eat here every day if I could! Skip the lobster and bland food and eat at Serendib! We had Naan w/ three chutney sauces, Sri Lankan Beef, Black Pork Curry, Sri Lankan Curry with lamb meatballs and Indian Butter Chicken. It was all absolutely fantastic!! Sorry abt the pics from our second night - we just dove in right away! read more

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Weirdest meal I've had in a while. We ordered the lamb black curry, rice and curry (chicken), and naan. This was not Sri Lankan food...or Indian food. Way too nutmeg in the dahl, the beet dish, AND both the curries. Sri Lankan curries do not use nutmeg. Some Indian dishes do use nutmeg in their curries, but not this much!! The naan---again, while they call it "naan," it is not naan. It clearly was not prepared in a tandoori oven. It's seems homemade, which is great, but don't call it naan! The best part of the meal for me were the chicken wings. Warning: they are very, very spicy. read more

Delicious food cooked with care, the wild boar dish was our favorite but everything we had was fresh, satisfying, and prepared by the chef owner. Great spot - we'll be back! read more

I live a 40-minute drive away from Ellsworth. Every time I have errands there I make sure I eat at Serendib. I have enjoyed this restaurant since it first opened. I have tried almost everything on the menu. It is all delicious. The chef/owner, Sanjeeva, and his wife are like old friends. His cooking is heavenly. So many delicate spices in just the right proportions. My tastebuds are always thrilled and happy! This is the best restaurant serving Indian and Sri Lankan food in the state of Maine. I have lived in New York, San Francisco, and Berkeley - places with large populations of Indians and Sri Lankans. The food at Serendib is superb and rivals every Indian restaurant I have ever experienced. I almost don't want to tell anyone how good it is, it has become so popular. But Serendib deserves 5 stars and more! read more

This is a really lovely little restaurant and wonderful surprise when traveling in Maine. Food is really good. I really recommend the Sri Lankan special as you get to try a bit of each side dish plus the main curry. Oh, and the eggplant side dish is AWESOME. read more

Serendib - Kolu curry with trout - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

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Best Indian food you can get. A lot of amazing and intense flavors but also balance. Delicious and everything here is house made. Give it a try. read more

Food is wonderfully full of flavor. Staff is welcoming and location on the corner is a window on downtown Ellsworth. Don't miss the samosas! read more