Serenity

Quaint little restaurant. Very friendly staff and a fun menu. My wife got the veggie wrap and I went with the spinach salad. Both were great. We look forward to next time we are in town!

We went to the mystery murder dinner last night. It was hands down the best dinner experience ever. We had a blast! The entire restaurant was laughing and having a great evening! It’s not necessarily a ‘foodie’ type dinner, because you’re focused on the people at your table and the mystery… it’s amazing!

I came here for a murder mystery dinner and it seemed appropriate that it was set in such an old, creepy house. My group sat upstairs, so we were secluded from the other tables participating downstairs, which was nice. None of the staff or waiters know the answer to the mystery, as there are several versions of the script and one is chosen at random.
The script itself was pretty intricate, and all the characters had equal speaking time. Unfortunately, since my group was doing a lot of talking and not paying very much attention, it was very hard to follow what was going on in the story. In the end, nobody in the building solved the mystery, not even the people downstairs.
The food was all very good and the courses were well spaced. My favorite was the dessert, which was some kind of ganache cake. Unfortunately, they did not have a liquor license at the time, so we couldn’t drink at all and had to do all the acting completely sober.

Many types of events are held here with the main/​most popular being the murder mystery dinners. They’re 5 courses and are usually available via Groupon. If you have 7 friends, buy out a whole table and have fun! They serve good food and a night of entertainment for a very reasonable price. Liquor license won’t be in for a few weeks, so be sure to have your fun before or after at one of the nearby taverns. One of these days I’ll make it to a high tea with the queen or a wine pairing dinner!
Ask for the tree house room if it’s available. It’s upstairs but you get your own bathroom and you can hear everyone at your table. :)

Manners Matter class — big rip off.
Signed up the family for this. Their website claims it’s from 5 – 7 pm. They also state, «A family of up to six participants experience a three course dinner learning all the techniques of initial impressions, presentation, chivalrous behavior, conversational topics, utensil usage and so much more.»
First this wasn’t private as I thought. Basically the whole restaurant participates. Lady got up and spent 5 minutes max talking about the place setting, napkins usage, etc. And that was it. It was dinner with a Cliff Notes on table settings. There was no instruction on anything. It was basically false advertising. $ 60 for a bad meal in a cramped, hot restaurant.
As far as the food goes, very small portions. The dessert was good. We has pecan pie, chocolate cake and lemon cake and everyone enjoyed them. Main course was the opposite. Wife and I had chicken and pork, respectively. Both were very dry; my pork was lukewarm at best. The rice was salty and the broccoli was stone cold. Kids had chicken strips; I tasted them and they tasted (and looked like) they were out of the frozen section at the grocery store.
Oh and it was over at 6:05.
Please, don’t waste your money.

I came here for one of their Friday night murder mystery dinners and had a good time. Our group had a Groupon (I think it was $ 160 for 8 people — you have to have 8 people to play the game otherwise someone is playing 2 roles) which made it reasonable. I think it’s something like $ 50 per person regular price. While the food was actually quite good (5 courses), it wouldn’t have been worth $ 50 to me.
The salad and soup courses were excellent. The pasta course was OK. The entrée was tasty, but very small. Dessert was good.

Had a long relaxing lunch today at Serenity. The Sherry Mushroom soup was excellent. The Mediterranean Salad fresh and crisp. Relaxing atmosphere and friendly wait staff. Scones buttery and sweet. The chocolate ganache cake was heavenly. Will be back.

Baby shower, not a good experience. From no paper products in rest room, to four people walking in off the street to use the bath room in the middle of the event. Food mediocre, some unrecignizable, scones huge massive flour clumps with no flavor. Pastries not good. Many plates untouched by guests. Staff talking in kitchen so loud we could not hear guest of honor read her cards. Owner followed me down the street after to ask me why I tipped ten per cent on $ 600 bill. I had been here a year ago and had great experience, would not go back.

Amazing lunch! Staff was super friendly, lots of food! Sandwich of the day was perfect and the chicken velvet soup is a must even when it is warm outside. Sat on the beautiful patio and loved every bite from beginning to the end of my scone!

Setting: Downtown Zionsville, in an old house. Very cute. Very antique. Parking in «downtown» Zionsville is limited (especially on a warm Saturday night), so plan for a little walk. The house is packed pretty full of tables, so leave your large purses at home. I assume the second floor is also tight, although we did not go upstairs. You may or may not be seated with strangers, depending on the size of your group. My husband and I were with another couple and then were seated with two additional couples.
Food: Hit and miss. I’d been to a previous dinner at the Propylaeum (same company or affiliated with one another) and the food was all miss, so I kept my expectations really low for this evening. I was actually pretty pleased. The soup, salad, pasta, and dessert was all really good, as were the vegetables that came with the chicken (green beans and mashed potatoes). But the chicken. In fairness, I’m a pretty picky meat eater, but this was dry and rubbery. Not my jam. One of our friends also had a hair in her salad (EEK!) and it wasn’t the kind we could assume was a clue for the murder mystery.
Murder mystery: I was prepared for this to be super cheesy and awkward and lame, if you want to know the truth. And it IS kind of awkward, as we were sitting around with strangers, reading out of a script and trying to take on new personalities. But it was well-​guided and a lot tougher to solve than I anticipated. Each table is its own cast and team, as it were. Each table is trying to solve the case on it’s own, against the other tables. (We solved it; our table was awesome.) We were also in competition with a group in England at the same time. My only complaint is that it was tough to hear the owner/​lead detective guiding us through the story. There are clues everywhere, so pay close attention!
I’ve heard these dinners are often on Groupon and it makes a fun night out, especially for half off the regular price.

We attended one of Serenity’s special events — in this case, the magic show. The magician was outstanding, and we were able to do a little «Mr Manners» with our grandson to boot. We all had a great time! The food wasn’t as outstanding as when I’ve had lunch there; however, was quite good.

Yuck. Cannot be up to health code. We went upstairs for a party and there were visible layers of dust and dirt on the floor and in the corners. The bath tub and toilet both had rings of mold and clearly the sink had no been cleaned in ages. If this is how they treat the PUBLIC areas of the restaurant how are they treating areas where customers can’t see? Made my skin crawl.

If you’re ever in the mood for a cute, girly lunch — this is the place. The tea selection is amazing and the service is top par. The patio in the summer is a great little get-​away in the middle of Zionsville.

Well, so far not so good. Made a reservation a month ago to bring my British mom for a 2:00 tea… dressed nice, picked up mom, drove ½ hour to get there, walked in and they told us they had no reservation for us and had a shower that day so they couldn’t serve us. One lady told me that they wouldn’t have taken a reservation for us (implying that it was our issue) and if they had they would have taken the types of sandwiches down. Then she said «Are you sure you didn’t just leave a message?» Again, implying it was our issue. I explained to her that I spoke with someone about a month ago asking if we could come that Saturday — but they were full, then the next — but they were full, then the gal said their first opening was Sept 6^th (This was on Aug 5^th, by the way), and so it wasn’t just a message. Also that I had contacted my mom to check her schedule and we put it on our calendars a month ago. I felt like I was defending or proving myself that we didn’t just show up and we actually had a reservation. She said if we did, they would have taken our sandwich types down, but how would I know that? The girl didn’t ask me for our sandwiches and I wouldn’t know that was needed for a reservation. For all I knew they just ask you what sandwiches you want when you get there like most restaurants. If it wasn’t for the hostess (or the girl standing by the calendar), we probably wouldn’t have resolved the issue, we would have just had to leave, b/​c the lady wasn’t interested much in helping us but more the shower getting ready to start. My mom understood that, but I was frustrated. The hostess was very apologetic and even said to the lady, «So how are we going to resolve this issue.»
So a few hours later we were both back home again, no tea for my mom’s birthday and we will «try again» next Saturday. Did I mention that it’s not easy to block out a whole Saturday afternoon — we both had to plan around this for us and our families — and then it doesn’t happen, then having to block out the whole next Saturday afternoon as well? When I came home I read the other reviews and saw some similar thoughts about ‘service’ not being the best. Now I know.
Mistakes happen, but my low rating is because of the way it was addressed. First implying that it was our issue, then not offering us any upgrade on our tea or something to make up for our time & travels.
We will be going back next week to have our tea — I probably wouldn’t if it wasn’t my mom’s birthday and she wasn’t British. Apparently next week they have another private party but said we could go upstairs, b/​c the party is only downstairs. I told my mom that I hope we’re not just a side note. I will be updating my review next week.

I arrived for an early lunch and got the last table that wasn’t already reserved. I had the Shrimp and Lobster BLT and my friend had the chicken salad. Both came with a salad and a strawberry scone. The food was very tasty, the server was very pleasant, the food arrived quickly, and the mix of old tea cups and pots was fun. The main negative was that there is no entry way to buffer the inside from outside air so every time someone opens the door there is a blast of cold air.

Mauve curls: on dainty cups, on curtains, on china. Practice holding your pinkie out princess-​tea-​style. If a restaurant is going to go all out British Tea way, it needs to do it right. Serenity does. Even guys begrudgingly admit they can tolerate the frills and curves and food is good.
Scones come with everything (butterscotch chocolate cinnamon today). Vanilla caramel black tea is thankfully tea first and caramel later. A generous pot. Sherried mushroom soup cream based and rich in mushroom flavor. Walnut and fig salad dressed with delicious blue cheese.
Ask for a window seat and enjoy the fairy tale view of Main Street Zionsville. Then hold out your pinkie and take a sip…

Five stars even tho slight issues. Went with my neighbor to try tea in the afternoon. It was a very cute house, I liked the tea pots and tea cups, they were all mismatched. The two tiered cake plate was very nice presentation. We were seated promptly, we had a reservation. We were told how the experience worked and about our spritzers on the table
We started with one tea and a salad. Our first tea was cherry almond. Loved it. The salad with strawberries and mixed greens was very good.
The two tiered cake plate was brought out when we were done with our salad. It had 4 of each, cucumber and cream cheese, salmon spread, and chicken salad sandwiches. Behind that was a scone each. Top layer had bonbons, eclairs, napoleons and other sweets. This is also where tea two came out orange black tea. It was my neighbors favorite.
After consuming the sandwiches and scones the last tea was brought out. It was mint to go along with the sweet layer. Had a wonderful time, good conversation and company. I would highly recommend for a relaxing afternoon with a friend. Be warned it’s not cheap.
Ok the slight issues. A young man was helping clear other tables. He was a bit unkempt, his T-​shirt was wet from doing dishes, I’m guessing. Dishes should be taken to him so he could stay in the kitchen. The lighting which is some wall sconces and a chandler really need a bit of dusting and small lamp shades. The bulbs were stark and harsh. The lighting did not create the relaxing atmosphere that was needed.

Perfect, everything was perfect. My mom and I came here for high tea, which came with three full pots of different teas, delicious salad, three different kinds of finger sandwiches, amazing scones with clotted cream and marmalade, and several types of desserts. We were stuffed by the end and it was all delicious, especially the tea and scones. My favorite was the rose petal tea, but they said they change the teas all the time. The place is cozy and adorable, with many beautiful teapots, cups, and saucers. We had a reservation for 2pm on a beautiful Saturday, but it wasn’t very busy when we arrived, and the service was very attentive. My mom and I had a wonderful time and are looking forward to going back.
The Hare and Mad Hatter’s advice:
«Take some more tea,» the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
«I’ve had nothing yet,» Alice replied in an offended tone, «so I can’t take more.»
«You mean you can’t take less,» said the Hatter: «it’s very easy to take more than nothing.»
«Nobody asked your opinion,» said Alice.

While on a quick trip back to my hometown (to visit the fam & friends) I checked out Serenity. I’d heard wonderful things about the place so I thought, «why not give it a go.» Sure glad I did. It’s an adorable lunch spot for a lunch date-​which I happened to be on one– made the experience that much more lovely. Right in the heart of downtown Zionsville, on Main St, the house turned restaurant is quaint & cozy. They offer tea by the pot (which I highly recommend), for $ 6 you get 3 — 4 tea cups worth of tea. Menu looks amazing from salads, to wraps, to warm scones make fresh every day! I had the Serenity Salad & tomato soup & the dish came with a warm chocolate scone. *sigh. The perfect way to end a meal. My lunch was about $ 12. For a pot of tea, a large salad, a bowl of soup & scone – fair price for the portion sizes.
My gal pal ordered the grilled cheese sandwich with creamy mushroom soup. Fresh white bread, with 3 different cheeses… it looked and smelled divine.
Our waitress was courteous & sweet. She was always making sure we were taken care of. I never felt pressured to order or to leave. She did a splendid job of balancing, taking care of us and giving us our space to chat.
By far one of my favorite lunch spots in Zionsville. If you make it to the heartlands of Indiana check out this sweet little spot.

I come here often and always enjoy. I brought a friend here today for lunch who had never been. We enjoyed Chicken Salad, side salad and a scone for lunch. After 4 pots of tea between us and two hours later forced ourselves to leave.
Our service and food, as always, was wonderful. Fast, friendly and wonderfully relaxing.
Perfect spot for girls lunch out as well as men secure in their masculinity. Several men here every time I visit. Gorgeous patio area in warmer months.
Reservations highly recommended.