I have been to Serena 2 times, some times they have good food, but some times the food is not fresh, I feel like if you go on weekends they have fresh food but week days they just save the left overs and used for the other days,but they should understand that the customers are still paying the price which is listed on the menu let it be its a week day or a weekends disappointed they should work on it as they is lot of competition around, I would not go back though read more

Serena used to be one of my favorite restaurants but not anymore. The food served was stale. We ordered mutton pulao, paya and bihari kabab. The bihari kabab was under cooked and the pulao was stale and not even properly heated. Will not return to this restaurant again. read more

Great food and atmosphere. Iftar buffet is amazing and great management. Food is superb best pakistani food in Chicago

OK, the place is nice and very spacious. I was actually impressed with the décor, and found it rather classy. Unfortunately, that's where the positive comments stop. I went there on Sunday around 5:30PM and brought someone with me hoping to make an impression. Neither of us were impressed. We started off with ordering pakoras. I love pakoras and she had never tried them. I didn't see them on the menu and the server pointed them out. He even suggested getting the chicken pakoras. Ten minutes after our entrees arrived, I asked about the pakoras. He seemed confused about me ordering them, never mind him suggestion them. He said he'd get an order in right away. HOLD IT! The purpose of an appetizer is BEFORE, NOT AFTER the dinner. Considering we were the only people in the place, I really wasn't pleased to hear this. A packed house, I can understand forgetting. She had the chicken biryani. It was ok, but I can't say the rice was really fresh. I had the karahi chicken, which was less than ok. Considering the lunch buffet ended at 4PM, I'm pretty sure they gave us buffet leftovers. Here's why: * Fresh rice does not get hard after a few minutes of being made. I had an extra order of rice for my dish and noticed the same thing. * Straight from the menu: Karahi Chicken: "Tender pieces of chicken in onion-tomato sauce with a touch of ginger and chilies, cooked in a karahi." Instead, they gave me chicken legs in the mix that tasted like they had been sitting out for a while. Chicken on a bone is NOT a tender "piece of chicken." If it had said chicken on a bone, I would not have ordered it. Regardless of on the bone or not, it was not tender. I'm being brutally honest. You are better off going to some of the other places. I've been to about 80% of the restaurants on Devon and Serena failed to impress. I don't plan on going back. Devon is filled with a ton of restaurants and with Serena being new, you'd think they'd make an effort to compete with the other places. You have a classy place, why not make sure you are serving up the best dish? If you are trying to impress someone? Not the place to go to. read more

This is yet another new place on Devon. (Aside: Lots of turnover there lately ...) My rating is pretty much all about the food, which was excellent. A few other things were shaky even after the New Restaurant filter was applied: * Not one, not two, but _three_ upsells. I'd concede that I probably appear more-clueless-than-average to the staff at most places of this type. Still, the customer is always right ... right? I understand that X typically goes with Y, but if Y "does just fine by itself" (echoing Randy Quaid in "Vacation") just give me Y. * Child care was taking place. Child was screaming at times. This did not help the ambience. * Cash-only. No issues with the approach ... some of my favorite places in the area go this way. Still, in this day and age there should be a sign to that effect. One other observation: As far as the decor is concerned, I'm not quite sure what the restaurant is trying to be. I'm of the opinion that you need to get the blocking and tackling straight before you run any elaborate plays. In Serena, there's an odd mix of the elegant and rough-around-the-edges. Anyway, based on my single dish the food alone could keep this place in the conversation. There's room for improvement, though. read more

I must say I have the best Indian/Pakistani food after a long time at Serena. I'm very much thankful for the fantastic service and the waiter for the menu recommendations. They are very humble and thank you guys for making my birthday dinner memorable with my family highly recommended and last but not least the quantity of dishes is way more than the other restaurants read more

Service was good! Palou was good! Karahi was not fresh and the chicken had a smell as well as the taste was bland. Kheer didn't have enough sugar and was too thin. Chops were burnt and charga needed to be marinated and was too hard after frying. We came far ways to revisit but wasn't impressed. read more

I DO NOT WANT TO GIVE ANY STARS TO THIS PLACE! I am so disgusted and disappointed by this place! I use to come here quite often as their Buffet was good til I found a cockroach in my food! Seriously I thought it was a grilled onion that I didn't want to eat and when I pulled it out of my kabob, it was a cooked up cockroach!!!!!!! I literally started to regurgitate! When I called the manager over and showed it to him, he just had a smerk on his face and just said sorry! He did offer to get something else for me but at that point all I said was no and told my family to leave immediately! This has been the worst experience for me! I am really traumatized by this and will never ever go back! read more

I ordered my food for delivery THREE HOURS AGO and STILL have not received it. Called the restaurant, its on the way, called grubhub, sorry its on the way, sending you an apologetic gift cert, thanks grub hub. Called restaurant AGAIN, still on the way...Skip this restaurant, for delivery at least.. super disappointed and now super hungry... read more

This restaurant offers great service and the portions are great prices great! The chicken biryani and chicken kadhai are our family favorites and we order frequently whenever we drop by the city. Definitely recommend to desi food lovers. 10/10 read more

Had a family event here at sareena for party of 40 people. The service and the food was amazing. Love their Nihari ,Biryani, Chicken pakoras, Bihari kabab , seekh fry masala and many more grilled items. Their staff was amazing so kind, respectful and greeting. Can't wait to host more events here for my family. I have tried many restaurants nothing beats sareena. Thank you so much my family was happy to attend my family event. read more

Do not ever ever order chinese food from this place. this place no longer takes passion in there food and is not worth the horrible service. i rodered Chinese food from here...Sesame chicken which is my favorite and it tasted like chicken marined in honey water thrown with sesame on top and the pcs were huge!!! that is not sesame chicken. if you cannot service your customers please do not upsell your food. its a waste of flavors and ingrediants. This place cannot even make there nehari right its like meat and watery grave and that is not nehari! this place sucks now. the only time it was good when it first opened up n now its horrible. read more

Best food the brunch service on Saturdays and sundays is awesome Nice and clean environment and friendly staff! read more

On a good day, parking is hard to find on Devon Ave., but due to the rain and a lucky spot right in front, the choice was easy. Eat at Serena's since it looks like a decent place amongst the hundreds of options for Pakistani/Indian food, right? Greeting and seating were quick, and the menu showed Indian food in the front, and Chinese food in the back. Meanwhile, I noticed there wasn't any alcohol served, so I asked the server if it was a BYOB, since I had a bottle sitting in the truck. He wasn't sure, needed to check. Turns out the answer from the manager was, "No, he doesn't think it's a good idea." Ordered the Serena platter of mixed meat, the saag paneer, and Aloo Palak. Not being well-versed in all the words, I didn't realize I was ordering the same spinach dish, one with potatoes and one with cheese. A good server would have thrown caution to the wind, possibly suggesting I order an alternative dish. The meat platter was generous, but the tandoori meats were overcooked, over-salted and obviously not recently cooked. The lamb included was 2 small pieces of bone with an ounce of meat on each piece. The spinach dishes were also large portions, but there was no difference between the two dishes other than one had potatoes and one had cheese. After that much salt, I didn't have to pee for a day! I asked for some basmati rice and the waiter brought out regular long grain rice...I'm assuming for the Chinese food on their menu. He kept assuring me it was basmati rice. I wasn't going to argue at this point because he wasn't understanding my point. Later, I saw another waiter bring out a large plate of saffron basmati rice to another table, but I must not have called it what he expected me to reference it by. Overall, it was a goat rope. There are some serious things lost in translations, assumptions, etc, that led to a poor experience here, but there are way too many options for better service and food than to return to Serena. read more

Serena Analysis - - Place smelled like fresh paint, grossed me out - Bathrooms were warm/clean but garbage was not emptied out - Menu had mix of Indian and Chinese Food - Prices were higher than Anmol - Ordered Mixed Platter (14.99) and Chicken Pakora (5.49 - 8 pieces) - Did not like Pakoras AT ALL. More flour than chicken, and the chicken was not cooked well. Did not like the chutney that came with it also. - Platter was a big hill of random stuff - chicken botis, chicken bone pieces, lamb chops (but looked like 2 bones with some meat), and reyshmi kabob was OK - Tandoori naan was too thick...did not like it Not impressed at all. read more

First time there Food was decent but as compare to other places on Devon Ave it was way better and service was very good as Owner was takin personal interest in pretty much every customer and will go there again. read more

I dont understand why this place only has 2.5 stars. I've been there several times with family and have loved this place everytime! Never disappointed. They had some bomb brain masala which is hard to find. Also if you like chinese food then try their sesame chicken... sooooo good! read more

- [ ] Went with my family last Sunday to Serena, for their Ramadan Iftar Buffet. They had a great variety of appetizers and a mouth watering dinner buffet and The food was amazing, so delicious and very fresh....The staff is very attentive and friendly. If if you want delicious Pakistani food this is a great place... read more

One of mine fab restaurant on devon... Food was too delicious I loved it. And their brunch buffet on weekends with low price and lot of varieties. Best Restaurant to visit with family. Service was good by waiters.... read more

Serena Restaurant - Serena restaurant on devon. - Pakistani Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing halwa puri on Devon; the buffet includes biryani, pai (feet) and some other accoutrements but nothing memorable except the halwa puri. I am currently residing in LA but Devon Ave in Chicago is my only option for great Pakistani food. Serena is good, but could be better for Sunday Brunch. The service is okay, but nothing to rave about as men just stand around until you ask them to come and help you. They do not do it the other way around. I would go back since I enjoy Sunday Halwa Puris with my family. It's the best time to unwind as well. read more

mutton biriyani, nihari are must haves - tried the Bihari kebab for the first time and liked that as well. Right amount of spice level - better service and food quality when they don't have any group events going on. read more

Serena Restaurant - Pakistani Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I loved the spicy chicken in blood red sauce. I was blown away since I've never had Indian food in my life. I would definitely order this entree again. read more

The Mutton Biryani is really good. My daughter asks me to bring this biryani to her every time I visit her in Indiana. And everyone loved it at my office for Potluck day. Serena packs in the portions. A little expensive but it is quality food. Very well made. read more

One of My Favorite Restaurant On Devon Avenue. Mr. Aslam Owner Of this Restaurant is Such a Kind Heart Person and very Friendly. He is Also Such a Great Chief Ever. read more

Serena Restaurant - Pakistani Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had an amazing experience at Serena's every time I've been there since the new management last year. Service is great. Food is made hot and fresh to order. It's an Indian and Asian (chinese) menu and is the best fine dining experience you can have on Devon Ave. Go for the Shrimp Fried Rice and Tandoori Chicken ! *PS. I don't go for the buffet.. I prefer ordering and the fine dining experience. I don't understand some of the reviews. I think people exaggerate over a single bad experience. I am as blunt as you can get and honestly, Serena's is a great restaurant. read more

Did a curbside pickup due to the virus lockdown, they were very accommodating. The Tandoori chicken was of very good quality, properly cooked and marinated. The palou was also piping hot and excellent. The food seemed really fresh and home cooked with care. Sauces/chutney was also tasty and in good quantity. read more

I'm usually not very picky but last night I stopped in and got take out. I thought I would try the Chinese options but that was a big big mistake! The chicken pakoras literally were oil sponges with raw chicken inside! The "chef special " combination rice was disgusting with very smelly meat that was beyond rubbery. The Hakka noddles were ever worst they were so mushy and stuck to my fork.. over cooked and drenched in corn starch... if you go just get the desi food this is NOT the place for Chinese. I regret spending so much money there. The young man that took our order was very nice but he could have told us that the food sucks. Very disappointed read more

If u are late for Iftari, I suggest don't go for buffet because it never get refilled. I was charged full buffet price 15$ for only one bryani, one colored ( did not dare taste that red chicken) and one more so called daal kind of Hakeem. No dates, no pakoras or anything else came out of kitchen. When we ask for tea which was part of buffet, we were told coming out soon and owner started rolling the silver avoiding any eye contact for cup of tea. Pathetic customer service . Sorry Serena u lost a client for good. All the best for colored chicken lovers. read more

I took my mother here in November, saw that it was a new place thought id give it a shot, service was horrible and i wont even start to describe the cheesy decorations.the food wasnt cooked through, no flovor on the inside, hard to imagine an india restaurant screwing up indian food that badly.... then when it came time for the food, they gave us someone else order and gave them ours, same with the bill, fortunately our 2 tables looked at each and both knew we both hated this place and switched our stuff on our own since the serving staff looked at us like we were nuts. !it came time to pay, the bill came out to 26 dollars for my mother and i, the waiter took my card to the cashier where a 10 year old kid was behind the register... the waiter handed the kid mt card and i immediately became uncomfortable, the kid looked confused and the waiter left him there. i saw another lady who was helping customers, i asked her to go look at what was going on because i was not comfortable having a child swiping my card, in this time i opened my mobile banking app to see what was going on, to my surprise, i was charged $101.76... i got very upset and began to argue with the lady about how they ran this ridiculous excuse of a restaurant. instead, she began to tell me that I should be more understanding of the situation and not get upset, that it was a childish mistake, she didnt see the fact that a child was handling peoples credit card info and trying to insanely over charge people was an issue, than when i asked her to refund the cash, they said they cant because they just opened and dont have some code required to issue refunds. at the end i took cash for the difference, but then the lady had the nerve to tell my mother that people these days have no patience, get upset to quickly and have no understanding. read more

I went on a Friday afternoon, no buffet but ordered from menu. Taste isn't that great. Main problem was with yogurt they use in preparing gravy are sore. Ambience and Service wise it was good. They made sure we were comfortable and if we complained about an item they re did it for us. I would not recommend for vegetarians. read more

My experience at this restaurant was not good at all. There was bug in our chicken corn soup. There was no salt at all in the fried rice and the tandoori chicken was worthless. To add to this the service was horrible, the waiter/owner told us to wait repeatedly when we asked for things like ice or pop. I would not recommend this place at all. read more

Best Tandoori Chicken there is this side of the Ganges River and they're open late as a mofo! Also staff and the mom there are very friendly. read more

I love their food but hate to dine in here as the three waiters stare at you the entire time you are eating. Happen to me twice already. Customer service is not exceptional but if they are in a good mood they can be nice. Absolutely great food for carry out. I would give the food 5 stars if I could. read more

I like some of the dishes but today's iftar menu was not gud and we went there few minutes after iftar the iftari was finished n only the dinner was there...they did not bother to appologize or arrange something n took full charges and behaved very arrogantly...will not be going there again read more

We generally order Mutton Biryani which is always quite good. But today we ordered Tandoori Chicken and after eating now having stomach ache and burns. The chicken was not cooked fresh and was just pre heated and served to us. While eating too, I was able to make out that chicken taste and freshness is not good at and left it halfway. Still end up stomach ache which is just so frustrating. read more

Food was cold and reheated and tasteless. Will not go back again. To top it off we were overcharged. And the lady in the front insulted us.

My husband and I came out of town. This is our second time coming to chicago and this was one of the most memorable places for us. Staff is so professional, the place is so clean, and I normally won't write reviews but this place was so amazing, I felt like I had to. The buffet has a lot of options and the food was amazing. Im picky about my chai, but they made it so well. Im so impressed. I really hope more people come to this place. My husband and I will stop by here again the next time we come to Chicago. read more

The lady in the front insulted us, no customer service, has no idea what she is doing. Food was cold and tasteless. Will not go back again. To top it off we were overcharged and under served. The Mango Shake was so BAAAAADD. If I could give them less than one star I would! read more

They don't deserve even a 1 star. The meats are extremely unclean. I found a film on top of their chicken which forms when the meats is not washed and sits uncleared for Long time. The food tastes horrible! I wouldn't trust their food! In fact I think this place should be closed down. read more

Been here an hour now and so far it has been a horrible experience and i have yet to be served my food. They have four servers and 1 seem to be dedicated to a single table. People across from us arrived after us, but got served before us and left before we got our food. I AM NOT COMING BACK! Naveed S. read more