The last thing you would expect in this part of Maine, but this delicious restaurant is one of our absolute favorites in the area. Everything on the menu is delectable, from the more traditional Tandoori and Korma options to the more adventurous boar curry and more. Make sure you try the house-made chai, either hot or cold, and grab a few of their homemade chutneys to take away. This is not to be missed and offers a welcome dash of spice to Ellsworth! read more

Serendib - The restaurant seating area with plants - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

Wanted to like this place as it is unique for this region of Maine, however as several other review sites warned they were out of Naan bread as usual. Anyone who knows food from this region knows that curry without a Naan bread is like a burger without the meat patty. They are so easy to make I don't understand why they are always out, bad planning especially as it was the start of dinner time and not late in the evening. Additionally, while i fully appreciate the current labor crisis, the service was truly dreadful. We left without ordering because I will not eat a meal without the essential condiments etc. There are so many bad reviews based on this relatively simple issue, it suggests to me the owners just don't care anymore. Won't be back. read more

I have been away from Maine for about six months, and I forgot just how good this restaurant is. I know people come to this area for seafood and lobster but seriously this is the best Indian food I've ever eaten, and I've eaten at Indian restaurants all over the country. I went tonight with my brother who was visiting with me, and we both commented during the meal that we wanted to eat more slowly because we didn't want the meal to end! Perfect seasoning. Perfectly cooked lamb and chicken in the Vindaloo dishes we ordered. I have been here during the summer tourist season when it's tough to get a seat so it was nice to be able to come in tonight and find a table available at 6 o'clock. If you're in this area and you enjoy foods from India and Sri Lanka I cannot recommend this place highly enough read more

My family and I had an amazing meal. The food was delicious. Great samosas, chutneys, curries. What a find. The staff was attentive and so helpful. We even took home jars of curry because we couldn't get enough. read more

Tried the Sri Lankan curry and it was very good! Nice selection of dairy free and vegetarian options

Loved both our dinners. I had Tandori salmon and my husband had Lamb Vindaloo. Fresh, expertly cooked but go for medium spicy if you like a bit of spice. Very clean and tables spaced apart. read more

This is a must try when visiting Acadia! The food was very flavorful, aromatic, and plentiful! This was our first time trying Srilankan cuisine, and we loved it! The kalu pol curry and the mixed rice were very tasty and the chutney's served with the bread were so fresh and yummy! read more

We love Serendib! I always get the chicken tikka masala. Always perfect. I especially like that you can pick your spice level. I don't do spicy things well, so mild is perfect for me. It's a great place to eat in and people watch, or you can call in your order and pick it up...that's what we do in the winter. Serendib is a must each time we are in Maine. read more

Our 2nd time here. We weren't sure how Serendib would be outside of the summer season so coming here in the winter was a real pleasure. The food is always great. Interesting flavors and unique styles are present in the food at Serendib though nothing is so adventurous that it's not satisfying. Menu has the staples and then several Sri Lankan dishes that are new to me. They have service issues to iron out but nothing that we haven't seen elsewhere in Maine where finding good help has been hard since COVID so we always shrug that kind of thing off. Chef was kind enough to prepare a simple beef and rice dish for our kids' finicky palates which they loved. Highly recommend. read more

The food here is amazing. Best naan bread ever. Chai tea so good. Beef curry was so tender with no fat. Please note this is a very small restaurant and you should probably make reservations. read more

Delicious Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine in Downeast Maine! Many of the entrees come with either chicken, beef, mushrooms, paneer, or chick peas. The seating area is relatively small so reservations are a good idea during popular times. It's in a corner spot and two of the walls are lined with windows. read more

This spot is great - 4.5 stars rounded up - as a NYC resident who eats Indian on a pretty regular basis, my family was quite happy to come across this restaurant based on a recommendation from a local. Solid showing. Vindaloo was excellent, we also did the lentil cakes, naan, tikka masala, and tempered spinach w/ chickpeas which were great as well. Friendly staff. Super clean interior. read more

Well-prepared and flavorful. The Lamb Korma was truly delicious, rich and tender. The breads are excellent. They make the samosas with puff pastry and it works quite well. Tandoori chicken comes boneless and was amazingly juicy, perfectly cooked. Quite a great and well worth the cost. They were more than happy to bring the food out and friendly and helpful when I called in my order. Highly recommended! read more

Surprised to find such amazing Sri Lankan food in Ellsworth. Best I've had anywhere and I've lived most of my life in New York and San Francisco. read more

This is definitely our go to place for Indian whenever we are in the area, the nettle soup was delightful, and I found the cashew chicken thoroughly delightful. My wife had the Sri Lankan curry with dal and beetroot which we thoroughly enjoyed! Great service and extremely friendly owners. Looking forward to our next visit read more

Love this place! So happy to have found it. The space is Serene, the food divine. Lots of flavors and textures on one plate. We will be back! read more

Serendib - The Sri Lankan rice and curry item is incredible! Too much food, wonderful spices, terrific waitstaff. Run, don't walk to this place! - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

Service is great and the restaurant is clean and comfortable. The food on the other hand was not like any Indian food we've had. The Samosas were wrapped in a thin flaky pastry crust, but the filling was good. The Butter Chicken's meat was dry and way overcooked and my wife's butter shrimp was the same. The sauce in both did not resemble Butter Sauce we've had in any of places we've eaten Indian cuisine. The Nam was doughy and the rice resembled instant rice. Truthfully, it was not enjoyable. read more

Where else can you get Sri Lankan food? Unique flavors, pretty healthy, and not too expensive. read more

Serendib - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

See all

Flavors are fantastic. Casual atmosphere. Not too much sheeting so we often do takeout, too. Highly recommend.

Whoa. This was unplanned and unexpected! What a little gem. Think the cost of Naan is a little more? That's because you get a whole whole lot more with it. Three different sauces with the bread that were exceptional! The space is light and airy, the service was attentive and pleasant. Was just passing through but would go out of my way to go back! Pic is of the chicken tikka masala and saag paneer. Delicious! read more

Serendib - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

My friends and I came here at 7:55 pm, 5 minutes before it said it would close on Yelp. Thankfully they still served us. The food was quite expensive but considering it is the only Indian/Sri Lankan restaurant in this area, the food was good. Would also recommend getting the organic blueberry soda which is made in Maine and super worth since it is only 2$. read more

Serendib - Vindaloo Lamb: good flavor - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

This places is amazing. This was my first time having Sri Lankin food but have had Indian food many times and I plan on going back. I got the Sri Lankin mushroom curry, beet root curry side and eggplant side and they were so good. Also the rice was nice and fresh. The person who took my order on the phone knew what he was talking about and answered all my questions and was very nice and even delivered it to my car so I didn't have to go in. I highly recommend eating here. read more

Great flavors at this place! Highly recommend. Really surprised to find such good quality food in this tiny ME town. Get the deviled beef if they have it! Oh, and the spice levels aren't for weenies. We also had great service! The place is small though so call ahead or be prepared to wait. 5 stars! read more

Serendib - Chicken tikka masala - Indian Near Me - Ellsworth, Maine

See all

Seriously you can have food at this restaurant at the expense of your DISRESPECT. The Skinny server is super rude, doesn't even listen what your concern is and recites "No we have never done it here" So as their so called "Chef" has an attitude higher than "Empire State" Who GIVES a S*** about his attitude My .... They try to serve Indian food and charge $3 bucks for Onion and Chilli. And don't even say its 3 bucks at the time of ordering. They should better educate themselves that Onion and Chillies are complimentary with Indian dinner.. Food even doesn't have authentic INDIAN TASTE and comes Uncooked and then they take it back and re cook it, server then forgets your food, Chef screw your food for flavors and if you say something CHEF comp your food coz he cannot face your comments and has an big fat attitude. Again I am an Indian writing this review...I am happy I got my food for free (Thanks to Chefs big fat attitude) Use your money to have other cuisines instead of fake Indian food with 0* Customer service.. BIG BONY to the Chef and the Skinny server... read more

This is not a review about the food at Serendib. We never got the opportunity to dine here. This is a review of the attitude we encountered by the social hostess. Visiting from Connecticut we had heard about the food at this restaurant and drove over 30 minutes from Bucksport to Ellsworth to try it. Reviewing their website the hours are clearly stated as being open until 8 pm. We arrived at 7:25 and there were no tables available. The hostess explained that nothing would be available for 15 minutes and that we would not have enough time to be served. We explained how we're were from out of state and wanted to wait but the hostess was inflexible. In all fairness perhaps the hostess was acting on instructions from the owner? Evidently this restaurant is so successful that they don't need patrons nor do they want to keep their help and kitchen staff beyond 8 pm! If a restaurant states that they are open until 8, then I believe it's their obligation and pleasure to serve all who come through their door until the 8 pm cut off time. I will not bother to return to this establishment. read more

Serendib is one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Downeast Maine, or anywhere! The food is fresh and delicious. Unlike other restaurants that I go to repeatedly, where I tend to repeatedly order my favorite meals, I like to always try something new at Serendib. I only wish they had outdoor dining! read more

Looking up hours to order a take-out gift for family. Amazing food, and not I'd say that even if in a city. We go every summer when we are in Maine - usually multiple times. Great staff, nice vibes, and a bit of spice. Bummed to be missing it this year, but hoping we can make it back in the fall. read more

Sri Lankan food in Ellsworth, Maine. WHAT?! I'm pretty sure there's not a single Sri Lankan restaurant in the entire state of Indiana. In fact the only place I can remember seeing one is in Washington DC. So of course we had to try this place while in Bar Harbor. It's in a cute little corner spot just off downtown, with a big Sri Lankan flag hanging outside and cool decorations inside too. I'll go right into the food item-by-item: 1. Sri Lankan chicken curry - I got this dish because it seemed like a basic Sri Lankan item and was one of the cheaper items on the menu (depending on the meat/veggie you get). It had good flavor, and the medium spice level was definitely plenty for me because the spiciness built as you kept eating. 3.5/5 2. Beef kottu - My dad ordered this dish, which was sort of like a kitchen sink curry dish, with beef, onions, egg, eggplant, and some other things. He got it hot, and it was pretty spicy, but really tasty. 4/5 3. Eggplant side - I forgot to check the Sri Lankan name for this, but it's listed under side dishes and it's eggplant. DO NOT MISS THIS. My dad and I both love eggplant and were both floored by how delicious this was. Possibly the best eggplant I have ever had. Would eat an entire vat of this as my meal. Above and beyond a 5/5. 4. Dahl - My mom got this typical Indian lentil dish as one of two sides to make a meal. Best thing we had here other than the eggplant. Don't miss this either even though it's not a specifically Sri Lankan dish. Solid 5/5. 5. Sri Lankan butternut squash curry - My mom's other side dish. It was disappointing in comparison to other dishes here. There was something odd about its flavor. We weren't huge fans, probably 2.5/5. Overall this was a very good stop and I'm glad I got to try Sri Lankan food, which I was not expecting on a trip to the Maine coast. It was a nice change from the American food and seafood you find everywhere else around here. This place is a little expensive but it was worth it. DON'T MISS THE EGGPLANT! read more

See all

What a nice surprise! Thanks , Yelp pals for leading us to this yummy spot for dinner. We made early reservations (5:30). Three adults (1 is a vegetarian). We had chicken vindaloo, tandoori and chickpea tikki masala. Naan and chutney for appetizer. Everything was delicious! Highly recommend!! read more

Delicious food, I got the rice and curry meal and substituted the eggplant for raita and they were nice enough to accommodate me. Wife got the chicken Tikka masala and she was pleasantly surprised at no oil or cream. We also loved the samosa which was baked with phyllo dough instead of fried. The service was good but for some reason they were very stressed. A tip for visitors, make reservations. read more

Not a great experience for my friends and I when we were living in Ellsworth on a trip to Acadia and the surrounding area. We were incredibly excited for this restaurant due to raving reviews from Yelpers and our Airbnb host... but unfortunately we were greatly disappointed. We stopped by around 6:30pm on a Saturday night and we were told that we would be waiting around an hour to be seated, so we gave our contact number and left. Originally we thought, "hey maybe we can just get takeout" but they said that would take a whole hour, too, so we decided to dine in. When we came back at 7:45pm we were seated, happy, and excited. The waitress took a while to serve our table and we went without water for like 20 minutes until we gave a second reminder. Then, after we ordered, our food was not ready even at 8:45pm, a whole hour after we had arrived. Very strange for this to happen as the information online says that this restaurant closes at 8:00pm. We were given zero updates and no attention at all during our time at this restaurant. An hour after we had ordered with no food out at all, we decided to ask them to pack everything to go. Our food, although it was decent, was not amazing. The service was very inattentive and we all regretted our decision to come here. I would unfortunately not recommend this restaurant and certainly will not return. read more

Really, really good. Wonderful main dishes (chana masala was excellent) and naan was huge and perfect texture and prep. All of the chutneys were amazing as well. So happy we finally tried this place. Will be our new go-to! read more

A nice quaint Indian/Sri Lankan restaurant on our way to Bar harbour. The food was good we ordered Chana masala and paneer tikka. Both were good. read more

This restaurant is far from authentic indian cuisine. As soon as we walked in the manager told us that the kitchen was going to close soon when it was only 8pm and the restaurant was supposed to close at 10pm. they had only 1 garlic naan left and there mango aldo's were greek yoghurt minimum mango. The service was horrible and the manager was very rude and disrespectful. I will never be eating here again. read more

Curry for lunch. Choice of protein, I like mushrooms. Medium is spicy, I'd call it 3 out of 5. Perfect for me. So yummy!

Good Food but not "original". This not not the typical Indian food you can eat in India or Sri Lanka but it's a really good choice , I would definitely come back again. Good price, great servers and not waiting time. read more

Yum! I tried a lot of items here so I will list by each individual component. The naan was definitely fresh baked and yummy, but the price of $7 is a bit steep for one (albeit decently large) piece of flatbread when other Indian places will include about the same portion with an entree. The naan came with three side toppings. The coriander chutney was solid. The onions were nice to have. The tamarind chutney was a highlight, and it felt like a more fresh and refined version of sweet and sour sauce. The Korma (tried chicken) was better than most versions of this dish. The depth of flavor was incredible, and you just tasted new spices with every second you left the curry on your tongue. The sour fish curry has a unique flavor not comparable to much else, but it successfully combined the 'seafood' and 'south asian' flavor profiles. The coconut roti provided an excellent foil to it in flavor and texture, but I'd order just the roti too if I didn't want the fish curry. The lentil cakes were one of the two culinary flops, as they were a bit dry without much flavor to speak of. There are better uses of your money and appetite at this place. The Sri Lankan curry in the meal was good in an unremarkable way. However, the beef was a bit tough. Consider another protein option. Dhal was dhal. Beetroot curry and coconut sambol were both refreshing and I ate my servings, but they aren't must-tries like the eggplant (see below). The chefs choice vegetable was a flavorful and well-cooked carrot dish. Overall, these items offered a more refreshing component to a cuisine that can be quite heavy. The other fail was the mango chutney. I tasted sugar and that's about it. I agree with Amy Y.: the eggplant sambol might have been my favorite dish of all the components of this wonderful meal I tried. Tender, savory, flavorful. Service was mostly fine, but they did forget to bring one thing we'd ordered (potatoes.) Also, oddly when we asked the waiter for a recommendation she said that she doesn't really eat the food and declined to recommend anything. Couldn't she at least say what was most popular even if she hasn't personally tried the food? Overall, go to Serendib if you have the chance, even if you have to make a bit of a drive. Also, the small dining room can fill up to the point that no tables are available before closing time even on weeknights, so consider making a reservation. read more

If there were more stars I would have given. The best Indian food I ever had in US. Paneer tikka, Amazing. Daal was good. Deviled potatoes were very good. Chutneys were so amazing, you just need naan to finish it. And have Masala Tea. You will thank me later. read more

My family has been waiting for years for an Indian resaurant to come to the Ellsworth area. After a long dry spell it was worth the wait. Food is delicious, servings are filling. So far I've only had the food as take-out twice. Tonight I am going with family and 2 friends. One thing to be aware of is the food's "heat". I am accustomed to ordering "hot as you can make it" just to get the heat up to a level I like and even then it is not usually hot enough (there is no other restaurant in Ellsworth that gets it hot enough...). The "hot" rating here really is hot! If you normally order food hot and it is hot enough for you order it medium or less. You can always add spice but you can't take it away. read more

Stopped by while visiting Acadia on the Memorial Day weekend. We were craving for Indian food and a quick search showed us that this was the only place in the area. The food was great! I had the Sri Lankan shrimp curry - and I bravely chose the hottest spice level. Boy it was yummy and really hot! Choose wisely :) the chicken tikka was really good too. Also, the sambol was as good as the one I have had on my trips to Sri Lanka. The curries are delicious and they have a few vegetarian options as well. The chutneys that come with the naan are super yummy and fresh. We loved the food so much that we were back the next day. They were completely packed the next day with many other Indian families (like us!)looking for familiar food. So do call ahead on busy weekends. read more