El Serrano — Restaurant in East Hempfield Township

WE LOVE EL SERRANO!!! This place is wonderful. I first came here with my grandmother when I was in middle school. Now I'm a married mom and still coming here so that should tell you something. They have great food. Normally come here for our anniversary dinner but this time we just wanted to have a really good meal with no occasion involved. First thing that you will love when you walk in is the original old style Spanish decor and the way the building is designed. I love it. Definitely gives a good vibe. Now let's talk about the food 🤗 The pollo fundido is soooo fkn good 😋 don't mean to be foul but that's just how good it is. I've never ordered a different entree. Every time I say I'm going to try something new, I just ordered this classic one again because I love it so much. The chicken breast is always juicy and tender. It's covered in cheese which I love. The tortilla is normally grilled but this time our server, Matthew, asked if I wanted it fried which surprised me. I had never had that way before or I would have tried it. Glad I did. It was so good. Speaking of Matthew, he was a great server. He deserves a raise! My husband's meal looked great. He shared a bite of his pork steak with me and it was really juicy. I had gift cards so we went all out this time; ordered two different appetizers plus I got some flan to-go. Everything was perfect. My daughter loved her food as well. We don't feed her meat so I was happy that they have vegetarian options on the menu. Necesito empezar a venir más aquí. Siempre amaré este restaurante 💗 P.S. bring back the get $100 for $50 gift card promo again. I might...

The service was fair, and the atmosphere was enjoyable—it was easy to lose track of time, and we ended up staying for two hours while celebrating my fiancé’s birthday. It’s a nice spot overall, but unfortunately, I wouldn’t return.

I ordered the Seafood Mariscos, which included shrimp, tilapia, and scallops ($29). When the dish arrived, I was disappointed to find only one scallop, four shrimp, and, of course, the tilapia. For the price, the portion size was severely lacking, and the value simply wasn’t there. Adding to this, the scallop still had its side muscle attached, which, given the restaurant’s caliber, was an unacceptable oversight. Also liked to mention, can’t be certain but both of our plates were extremely hot, almost as if our food was microwaved

Dessert was another letdown. We ordered the fried ice cream, but it turned out to be anything but fried. It was premade in the morning and left to sit in its cornflake coating all day, which resulted in a chewy, soggy texture by the time it was served. When I brought this to the staff’s attention, there was no effort to make it right—no discount, no removal from the bill, and no real acknowledgment of the issue.

While the ambiance and experience were initially promising, the poor quality of the food and lack of customer service left much...

Well. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but El Serrano is definitely not for me. First, I never heard of a Spanish/Mexican Restaurant without at least ONE hot sauce bottle on the table. We had a "candle" on the table but no one lit it and I am positive it would have brightened up the atmosphere. We were served complimentary chips , in a paper bag, and salsa in a "to go" plastic container. They USED TO give you two kinds of salsa...hot and mild, now just one...mild. it was ok. I ordered the pork "steaks" which were burned pork chops. It also came with a "grilled" small piece of pineapple, also very burned. And plain white rice. No salad. No beans, no nothing else. Very very bland. My husband's dinner was just as bad . Steak which looked and tasted boiled instead of grilled. His vegetable medley was 95% onions with maybe 2 tomato pieces and his rice mixture thing was mushy. Our bill was NOT cheap and I don't mind paying for good food but this was pitiful. I love Spanish food but this was bland, burned, plain and no way to even spice it up with some kind of hot sauce. I don't know who or why this place is so popular. We went here years ago and it was pretty awesome...but not now. We won't...