Sene Store

Stopped by Sene Store on the way back from a competition because of the reviews here on Unilocal.I can honestly say that the 5 star reviews are all totally warranted. A friend and myself split 4 entrees to just try a lot of what they had, and everything was absolutely amazing! We got the grilled lamb, the jerk chicken, the neme (egg rolls), and the yassa. All 4 of the dishes were terrific, the lamb was perfectly seasoned, the chicken was moist and flavorful, the neme were better than any chinese egg rolls, and the yassa (marinated onions, and it came with grilled tilapia) was addictingly good. Also, while you’re waiting for your meal to be prepared, the woman who runs the front of the store offers you samples of the 4 types of fresh homemade drinks that they have there. Again, all were sooooo good. There was bouye (a drink made from baobab tree and milk, which had the consistency of a milkshake and tasted mildly of tropical fruit and was totally delicious, I ordered more for myself), kinkeliba tea (made from the leaves of the kinkeliba bush, and tastes like a very good mildly sweet iced tea), ginger juice with pineapple and lemon (90% ginger, it’s spicy and delicious! I ordered one for the road), and bissap (a juice made from hibiscus that has a pretty strong bubblegum smell and a mild bublegum/​fruity flavor). On top of all of this, the staff was EXTREMELY personable, the meals were perfectly portioned, and everything was well worth the price (pretty much everything is less than $ 10, and easily could have and probably should have been more). Overall, a wonderful place to eat, I would recommend it to anyone, and if you’re driving past Sidney (either north from Dayton or south from Ann Arbor), stop on in and you won’t be disappointed!

Positives: Fantastic food & service. The owner/​chef is passionate and goes out of his way to provide a great experience. The Senegal version of spring rolls (Nems) are evidently influenced by Vietnam, which probably is due to both countries being colonized by France. All I can say is that the Sene’s rolls are perhaps the best I’ve had. The flavor reminded me of Korean food for some reason. Delicious, though a bit oily. The wings are great as well. I highly recommend both the dry rub and the sweet chili. A touch of heat, moist, and full of flavor. I’ll take these over BW3 any day. The owner also makes his own juices. He offered me small samples of all of them. What can I say? Everything was very good. Portions were large and prices very reasonable.
Negatives: The dining area is a bit small and Spartan. But I thought it was charming nonetheless. I really enjoyed the lamb, but I would have preferred it a little rarer. Probably my only real complaint and it’s a small one.
Summary: What a gem to be found in Sidney. Sene combines bold, full flavors with food that most people will be very comfortable with. I highly recommend.

We stopped by this little gem on our way through town from an event. We are new-​experience seekers and Wanted something that isn’t run-​of-​the-​mill burger/​rib joints found in the area. Sene Store was just the thing!!! The location is tiny and not really the best eat-​in facilities but would be ok for lunch for two friends. My family of four was a bit cramped, especially with an antsy 2 and 5 year-​old. We tried Fataya, Jerk chicken, and the egg roll pockets. Everything was perfectly seasoned and my picky 5 year-​old ate every single chicken and beef egg roll without a word!!! The plantain slice was delicious, the sauces that accompanied everything were perfect accompaniments for the dishes ordered. The woman that greeted us also gave us tastes of homemade juices. The Bissap and bouye had us sold in one taste and we bought three of them to accompany our meal… which we never do because we are mainly water drinkers. I will be returning here frequently and can’t wait to return! Definitely worth a drive from Dayton.

On way home from my sister’s in SC stopped here for dinner. Was amazing and staff was very nice. Try the egg rolls… they were great. Food was really good and so was homemade juice! 5 stars

Oh, wow! What a gem of a restaurant. We saw the other Unilocal reviews as we were traveling through Ohio. We thought maybe they were too good to be true… not so. They were all very accurate! This is not a big or fancy place, and the location is in an aging strip mall, but the service was excellent and the food was awesome! Everything was cooked from fresh ingredients, piping hot, and beautifully seasoned. We definitely will be visiting again when we pass by again!

This place was awesome! Food was delicious and unique, the owner was really nice and really helpful in selecting food. But really you can’t go wrong because everything was so good. I only wish that there was one of these closer to where I live. I wish I could tell you what I got but I’m not sure. One of the entrées was some sort of chicken with rice, sautéed onions and a special sauce and the other dish my wife had was some sort of jerk chicken again with rice and a side of sauce and another side sort of like coleslaw. Both dishes were delicious. I can’t wait to try their lamb. We also had a few of their wings and they’re the best wings I’ve ever had hands-​down. I live about 2 ½ or three hours away from this place and I’ll definitely be making the trip again.

My brother’s favorite dish, in addition to the wings, was the jerk chicken. It’s a fall off the bone chicken breast served with rice and beans, steamed cabbage, and plantain. Even though the chicken was delicious, we actually fought over the last few bites of the steamed cabbage. Seriously. I’m not going to try and sound educated here; I have no idea how the cabbage is cooked or what it’s in it, but I am a fan.
Please read the entire reveiw for the full picture on my blog:

We almost didn’t go in — the place was empty and looked rundown. Thank goodness mom taught us not to judge a book by its cover.
Our meal (shared… I swear!): Plantains, chicken kebabs, egg rolls, beef-​empanada-​like dish, and chicken wings (I was skeptical but after tasting, I would go back just for these!).
The food: well spiced and fresh. While the grilled lamb was seasoned well, the bones and fat made it difficult to enjoy as much as the other dishes. The couscous was the only dish not seasoned fully. HOWEVER, everything else more than made up for it. The drink selection was fun, and everyone got something they enjoyed (Ting, peach juice, bottled Fanta orange, and some homemade juices).
The service: EXCEPTIONAL. The chef and owner was friendly and was genuinely happy to answer questions when we asked. Since the lamb took a while to cook (he warned us right away), he brought out samples of several dishes and gave us some delicious tea during our meal. The main dishes were brought out when they were hot rather than waiting for the sides to finish.
Loved every minute in this cheerful, genuine restaurant.

The food is incredible. I haven’t had a single thing that wasn’t delicious. The authentic drinks and side dishes compliment each other greatly. We frequent this store about twice or three times a month and drive about twenty minUtes to get there and have never been disappointed.

This place is worth the drive from Dayton or from Columbus.
The menu can be misleading, as all the familiar names are covers for delicious food made the Senegalese way.
The good:
— extra nice and friendly owner. Just ask a question about the food!
— amazing drinks: Bouye, ditakh, Ginger and bissap.
— delicious food
— various great spices
The bad:
— in a small town
— difficult to find

Not an easy place to find but worth finding the Jerky chicken was awesome the people there were awesome

Great spot for a unique, culturally diverse cuisine. Extremely courteous staff (assuming with ownership) who are not only excited about their menu and quick to help with recommendations, but also generous enough to offer a sample or two of menu items and even their homemade juices. Taste is top notch, too!

I never ever thought I would experience such a unique meal in the little town of Sidney! Seriously, you HAVE to try this at least once!
Super friendly and helpful service! Get the egg rolls! Plantain was perfect, and the grilled lamb was tender, juicy, and full of flavor.
My favorite part — they make and serve their own juices. Super unique and delicious!
Try it out! :)

So, if you’re reading Unilocal reviews trying to determine if you should visit SeneStore, stop reading and go! — Seriously, why are you still reading?! GO!
Why did I wait so long to go to this place? Oh yeah, because I’m a doofus that «judged the book by its cover». Was hesitant to stop at the tiny little place in the somewhat dated shopping center. Well, that, and what is Senegalese? Is it an ethic grocery store? Is it a restaurant? Dunno, so certainly I shouldn’t give it a try.
I. AM. SO. DUMB.
So I took off my judgment pants and decided to stop. And whereas my intent was to just grab a menu to figure out what I would come back for later, I was quickly mistaken. Not only are these people SO friendly, they’re also very gracious! I didn’t leave until after being welcomed like an old friend, and given several items to sample. How does a Senegalese restaurant HANDS DOWN blow Chinese restaurants (everyone that I’ve tried) out of the water with their egg roll? Nearly ditto the chicken wing. Don’t get me wrong, the chicken wings were excellent (their propriety sauce really yummy), but if I claim it the best wing I’ve ever eaten, in light of the variety of types wings (think breaded v. not v. 6 thousand different flavors), there’ll be some bonehead (pun intended) who challenges the claim and faults my credibility. But if you’re a reasonable, non-​bonehead you too will undoubtedly like the wings. The juices that I tried were unique and while I liked each, I was particularly fond of the bouye. Prices are extremely reasonable, and I suspect when I go back for the meal I will pay for (v. the «meal» that nearly was via the samples shared), I will receive generous portions. I didn’t mention its very clean and they also deliver. Both important and should be mentioned. I’m SO looking forward to going back, and FINALLY having identified a place in Sidney that has great food and great service. I can comfortably claim this as the best food I’ve eaten and the best service I’ve received in Sidney in the nearly 7 years I’ve lived here!
Go. You have to go. You will not be disappointed. You will be happy. Very, very happy. And the place will stay in business. And everyone will live happily ever after…

Very satisfied with the food we ordered. The service was also nice. We look forward to visiting this place again. The food and drinks were both delicious. I was hoping for something I haven’t tried yet but the simple selections are fine. Nice and homey food.
I had the salmon fataya and fiancé had rice, and jerk chicken, with plantain.

This is not your average spot features a simple but great menu… the lamb is awesome… yea i know right lamb… and all the food is made when u order… so it may take u a few to get your food if u just walk in but its worth it. if u can’t wait call ahead. The spicy egg rolls are a favorite for me but there one of the few thing on the menu that’s Deep fried… most is marinated and grilled
…so its healthy… the fatal is good too… also the only other deep fried item but its very light and crunch not heavy and grease… the chicken wings rock there grilled… and Omg… good…the kebabs come in chicken beef of shrimp the chicken were really good… i working my way through the menu. the store sell s a line of homemade juices… very healthy… and a variety of other items from the region all in all this ones worth stop by try it trust me… you will be back

I enjoy finding, out of the way, small establishments with fantastic food and Sene-​store did not disappoint. Between our group we had the Beef Fataya, the Neme, Grilled lamb with couscous, Sweet Chile wings, Jerk wings, and the Dry Rubbed. Everything was amazing! The balance of seasoning was spot on and well paired. The prices are extremely reasonable and the portion size was large.