This has been a golden find for us here in Alamden Valley which has very few good restaurants. I actually searched Yelp for a suggestion for a French restaurant in our area and Elements came up, so we had to give it a try. We were such happy customers. The soup was delicious, the entrees were amazing. I had lamb, my husband had the filet. Both were delicious and we oohed and awwed over every bite. Granted it's not the most lush decor, but it's all about the food for us. Service was very good but not hovering as we've experienced in some of the more upscale restaurants. Needless to say, we've returned again and again and brought our friends with us, and they are equally impressed. We love Elements! read more

Do not dine here ...at least not on Valentine's Day! Came here for Dad's Birthday (same day as Valentine's Day) and was really disappointed. Fellow Yelpers have failed me on this one! The restaurant was overbooked, understaffed and the tables were all cramped together. First of all, we made reservation but still waited for 5 mins+ before getting seated, which was not a big deal but things just got worse once we were seated. There were no sign of any server greeted us after seated for almost 25 minute. We were all ready to order and starving and I finally had to stop some other sever to find our server. When he finally came (This guy wearing glasses) did not even greet us or apologize for keeping us waiting and asked "Are you ready to order?" (Hack Yah I am ready to order....like 25 mins ago) I was thinking. Once we placed ordered, things just hit rock bottom. We waited for another 25 mins plus and no sign of appetizer and the server did not even check on us once. I saw there were 2 tables who ordered after us already got their food so I stopped the server and ask him to check the status. He came back unapologetic and said the kitchen is "all clogged up" and "there's nothing I can do"....Wait a minute, if the kitchen is clogged up then why the other two tables that ordered AFTER us got their food before us??? (unless someone forgot to put in the order) At that moment I was already quite fed up and just try not to argue with him. And finally the appetizer came, the same server just give me some more bullshit that because the "chef has to hand roll each of the spring roll". What a liar, the table next to us order the exact same thing and they got it within 5 minutes, what a load of crap. The worse thing is he DID NOT ONCE APOLOGIZE or at least have the courtesy to say "thank you for waiting". The food is not bad but the portion is quite small for the price. The dessert looks interesting but was afraid they will make us wait anther hour for it so...no please! Overall the only reason I gave the restaurant 2 star (instead of 1) is the food was not bad. The service however was down right embarrassing especially when people are celebrating important events here. Definitely not coming back or recommend others unless the owner fire that waiter and improve the customer service. read more

Consistently good food and service. Hot bread basket to start and a wonderfully extensive wine menu. The food is thoughtfully presented and full of flavor. So happy to have this restaurant in our neighborhood. They take reservations too which is another bonus. read more

The food, ambience, service, wine list and prices are all great! Do not let the location deter you - hey, at least there's plenty of parking! read more

Great little neighborhood restaurant the outside dated shopping mall look can be a bit miss leading as the inside is nicely done up. The service is very good attentive but not over bearing. The menu is a nice mixture of Asian influenced dishes as well as traditional meat dishes. They also have some kid friendly selections like ravioli or cheeseburgers. My favorites are the butter nut squash soup when in session and the Fresh Scallops & Prawns. The scallops and prawns are always cooked to perfection never over cooked which seems all too common at some restaurants. The daily fish specials are quite good also cook to perfection. The wine list is quite good with many choices in the 35$ and less per bottle price range. read more

Don't be fooled by the cellophane covered menus. This place is actually pretty good. My favorites are the stuffed pork loin and the Vietnamese stew. They recently added a seafood paella which is also very good. I dine here once a month or so and can count on a consistently good meal. Prices are a bit high, and they do not have a full bar. Beer and wine only. read more

You wouldn't expect to find a restaurant of this quality at a strip mall. If I had to describe the food and ambience I'd have to say Asian/ French fusion. The service is impeccable every time we come here. The cuisine is always wonderfully prepared and flavorful and creative. We have been several times and have not been disappointed yet! And the prices are great for the quality given. read more

Had Dinner on Friday and Saturday night.. 2 birthday dinners . Service was wonderful and the salmon Wellington amazing!! So happy they are open again and serving wonderful, affordable dinners along with very personable service read more

had dinner there last nite. We visited elements when they were at via valiente which had a much better atmosphere than this one. The food was excellent and the menu diverse, however, the decor is empty. There is no ambiance here and it is boring. A restaurant of this caliber with such great food needs to have linen table cloths, wall decor and get rid of the "warehouse" look. We were early with just a few tables taken yet we had to finally call our waiter to get service. Beyond that the service was much better but we again had to find someone to get the check. Please upgrade this room, it would be much more enjoyable. read more

We will always be back for the Salmon Wellington and the Mango Panna Cotta. The service is spot on!!!

Great papaya salad with shrimp. Soups are fabulous. Meatloaf, paella and steaks are top notch. Good for family or date night. Nice wine bar with music next door for drinks before or after a meal. read more

WARNING, DO NOT EAT HERE!!! I was looking for a new restaurant to try and found Elements on yelp. Wow, it had many good reviews so I made reservation for 14 people for a birthday dinner. Upon our arrival, the place looked pack, but there were only Caucasian customers. No big deal, since we were Vietnamese and this was a Vietnamese fusion restaurant they must be doing something right because it was a full house. So we arrived at 7 and ordered appetizers and a few drinks. We were having a wonderful time but wow the service was slow for us. We got our appetizers at different times which was okay, but the simple dish like crab cake and mussels came after 8. By the time 9 o' clock rolled around, our food didn't come out yet. They said our party was big so they wanted our food to come out at the same time. Yet the party next to us which had 9 people (came half an hour after us and ordered after us) and many parties around us which also ordered later after us somehow got their food before our table. Apparently, we were the last table to be served that night for some lame excuse about a big group. Steak tasted like Denny's and they seemed to be racist against their own people. So to say, I gave them a star for slow service and food was alright. Still pissed right now, SO IF YOU ARE VIETNAMESE OR ASIAN, don't expect the same service that the other patrons might get. read more

Very nice restaurant, excellent food and service. Pricing is good for the quality level. Shopping center location is deceptive as this restaurant is much better than most in similar locations. read more

We really enjoyed our recent dinner at Elements. We found out about this restaurant after sipping at UnWined, a wine bar which is right next door (I don't spend much time near strip malls, but both establishments seemed too nice for that location). Maybe it's an Almaden Valley thing. We were seated after about 2-3 minutes and I thought the ambience was relaxed and comfortable. Service was timely and the wait staff were friendly and not "in your face". I thought the prices were reasonable. I had the meatloaf which tasted much better than most I've had and husband had the lamb, which he loved as well. Desserts were also very good. Hubby had the Creme Brûlée and I had some sort of brandy sauce over vanilla ice cream with fresh berries. YUM. No hassles parking...conveniently next to a winebar...good food, etc. We will for sure return for the wine bar/restaurant combo as it makes for a relaxing and enjoyable evening (and a fun date night!). read more

I was pleasantly surprised by how incredible Elements was. when my gf took me there for my birthday. Don't be fooled by the outside of this place because the food is absolutely amazing. I had the duck with the mashed sweet potatoes. Such a great flavor and richness to the duck, especially when dipped into the Vietnamese sauce. My gf had the Wellington Salmon which I was able to sample as well. Again, another great tasting dish from the Elements chefs. Their selection of wines was also very extensive though their availability of glassed wine was thinner than we would have liked. Either way it was quite delicious and we would recommend it. read more

Fine food, manager left a bad taste. We went here on a Sunday night using gift certificates we bought from an auction fundraiser. The gift certificates clearly state that they expired in December of 2013. We called and were told that they would still accept them. After eating and attempting to use them to pay, we were told that because they were donated to a fundraiser that they could not honor them. This fact was explained to the person who answered the phone and they said no problem. The manager was very firm that he could not accept them. Rather then make a scene we paid and let. Looking into the law, the restaurant had every legal right to not accept the certificates. The point being what is right for the customer. The restaurant deducted the gift from their taxes a few years ago, the value of the certificate has gone down due to inflation yet they refused to accept them. Very poor customer service which is a shame as the food was not mediocre. read more

Dined here for valentines day . I had a reservation for two with an email confirmation and everything. Apparently I wasn't on the list, so I had to show the hostess my email confirmation. I tried to not let it bother me and so we waited about 5 minutes for a table. We were sat by this tall caucasion male. He gave us waters and was super friendly. (Wished he was our server). when Our server did come around he didn't even give us a greet or say his name ...all he said was "are you ready to order? " We gave him our appetizer orders. He took them and left. We got our appetizer in about 15 minutes (which was timely and nice) This is when it really went downhill. We didn't receive any bread so it was awkward when he showed up with our appetizers and took our bread plates when we didnt even use them and he even notcied that we didnt recieve any. Not only that it took 45 minutes to receive our 2nd course which was only A cup of butternut squash soup and eggrolls Server came by in the 35 minute mark and apologized that there was a mix up and they are just starting our orders. We said okay even though He didn't even seem sincere. Wanted dessert but decided that we'd rather go somewhere else. Overall I felt like we were judged off of our appearances. We may look young and look like we wouldnt be great tippers but we have 4+ years in working as servers at a restaurant and we understand the tipping game. All in all. Still left 15% tip Even though we had a bad experience. we would've done more if the server was more attentive and didn't forget to put on our order. Super disappointed because of the great yelp reviews we read beforehand. Lesson learned,never going back. read more

A group of 7 ladies got together to celebrate a birthday! One lady suggested we try Elements. We did and we are extremely happy that we did. It was a chilly evening and the restaurant allowed us to come in a few minutes prior to opening time - very nice. They also set aside a small table where gifts could be deposited until it was time to open them. Also, we brought in our own cake for the birthday celebrant and were not charged extra. They even held the cake in the back to keep it refrigerated, bringing it out with a LIT CANDLE at the end of our meal with plates, forks, and a cake cutter and server! Unbelievably considerate!!!! The menu is not expansive but offers quite a nice variety of dishes. The food was excellent, perfectly prepared, uniquely and decoratively plated, with minimal but delicious accompaniments. This was true for all 7 of us. Three of us ordered 5 minutes early for those items that require extra time (lamb, paella - of which both were phenomenal!). All dishes were served hot and within seconds of each other so no one had to wait more than a few moments to start our meals all together. Overall, the service was exceptional with one big exception. We had called ahead to make a reservation and asked if they could accommodate separate checks for us. But when we got there, the waiter first said no, but we told him about the phone call. He then agreed to do it but only after giving us a speech about how difficult it was for him to track it when there are 7 separate checks, the system was restrictive, and other excuses....which he reiterated at least 4 times. But, when the checks arrived, they were all accurate. By the end of the evening our waiter and the rest of the staff did a very fine job and we all enjoyed our celebration! We will return as a group AND individually with our families! read more

This place is over rated - food wasn't that good, and the quality was just not there. Not much flavor in the food. Sorry - Not sure why people would actually wait to eat here. :( read more

A wonderful little restaurant tucked down Almaden Valley far away from anything else of quality (unless you drive all the way down to La Foret). They claim to be a European/Vietnamese fusion restaurant. Most of the main course dishes are more European with a Vietnamese flair. I wish they had more that were the opposite (Vietnamese with a European twist). Go for the papaya salad, the tea smoked duck, or five spices beef stew. I've eaten there three times now and have not had a bad bite. I'm especially impressed by the desserts. Be sure to make a reservation when coming for dinner! read more

Came here without reservations with 2 others on a Sat. night last week. Immediately sat and was served. Great menu and excellent tasty food. Will be back. No complaints at all....bread was delicious. Not sure what kind it was like an Italian bread: crusty on the outside and soft inside. Had the shrimp and scallops dinner and it was so good. The risotto was more like plain rice than risotto but still would order again as the sauce pulled it all together. Price wasn't bad either $18 dish for a lot of tasty food! read more

We have been here several times and have always enjoyed the food. In addition, we pick up food several times a month. I will have rethink my support for this business. We walked over on a Friday night without a reservation. While it was a busy night and we were prepared to wait, the hostess flatly told us that they don't have a table right now (Uh...we are prepared to wait) and then also said she cannot estimate when a table will be available for us. Effectively she was booting us out. Maybe it had to do with the fact that we had 3 kids along with us. The service has definitely headed south here. While the people who work there weeknights are generally courteous, it looks like the extra help for the weekend leave a lot wanting. The place was packed and I'm glad for them. They should enjoy it while it lasts. With service like this, it won't be long before other people start to avoid Elements. read more

We went to dinner Saturday night to celebrate my birthday. We began our dinner with spring rolls that were tasteless. Even the peanut sauce was bland. My salad was uninspiring. The orange pieces were larger than expected and roughly cut. I didn't finish the salad. One son had the sea bass which he declared good. My other son had the quail appetizer and chicken satay appetizers as his entree. Not impressive. I enjoyed the salmon Wellington. While the dessert menu looked good, we declined ordering. The overall experience was a bit amateurish. We will not be back. read more

Over the holidays, we had our first visit to the new location, we dined at the previous site a number of times over the years. This time, we had about a dozen people in our group, including vegetarians and gluten-free diners. We had a wonderful experience, everyone seemed to really enjoy their appetizers and entrees. (Between all of us, we must have ordered almost everything on the menu!) The desserts were beautifully presented! Our young server was attentive, helpful, and in a jovial mood. He was certainly up to the challenge of serving a large group. So glad they are back! read more

Good food, lovely atmosphere. It would work nicely for a date, or a fancy family dinner out.

Seriously this place is AMAZING!!!!I'm still in shock of how delicious every single one of the dishes were!We had calamari,wonton soup,salmon wellington scallops and prawns and the 5 slice beef soup!For desert we had the Bombas!They were delectable!Pretty amazing wine list as well! Definitely coming back to this spot! read more

3.5 stars. Recently, my fiancee and I wanted to find a place for her birthday to celebrate. As recently minted yelpers (it's slowly catching on out East), we turned to our new favorite website for a suggestion. We were excited to try a new restaurant for both of us that seemed to get great reviews and had some good fusion food. I guess the reason for the lower than avg number of stars here may partially be the expectations we had going in. First off, a plus for the easy email reservation dealy they have going on. But then, when it came to the actual restaurant, the way everyone described this place, I assumed it was going to be amazing (both food and decor wise). Rather, I found that the restaurant itself, while nice, was not head and shoulders above what would have been expected from the surroundings. We kept commenting that maybe they should take down their bright neon signs... a little too kitsch I think. As for the food, I'd agree with some previous posts, definitely didn't get the fusion flavor that we were looking for... We ordered the calamari for appetizers, which came out pretty much like a typical plate of calamari (slightly tougher though, and no tentacles... sad day!). I had the duck based on the yelp reviews, and was pleasantly surprised. The flavors are definitely quite subtle (a welcome change), and I enjoyed the taro mash on top (so unique!). Only complaint is that now in looking at the pictures on yelp, they've definitely decreased portion size! My fiancee ordered the pork chop, which was delicious! But aside from the taro mash, didn't really come across anything that screamed fusion. We also ordered a couple glasses of red wine, and I know this is really picky, but their wine glasses were kinda cheap looking. We passed on dessert as we wanted to catch chocolate fondue elsewhere. Overall, a solid meal, but didn't live up to the hype we had read about. Would return, but would probably first want to explore other places first. Oh, and agreed... kind of out of the way. Also, I'll just reiterate from a previous post because it helped a lot, Google maps takes you the wrong direction on Almaden expressway. Just use the directions they have on their website. read more

Loved the food here. Great unique flavors. We started off with the papaya salad. Very fresh and yummy. I had the meatloaf for the entree. It was great. Topped our meal off with the vanilla chocolate bomba dessert. Honestly, one of the best desserts I've ever had! The only negative was the service was fair. The service does not match their food. They need to hire more upscale servers. The servers were all high school/college age and lacked experience. Servers need to learn how to engage and have eye contact. Service is more like you would get at a pizza parlor. Also, I think they need to remove the carpet and add hardwood floors or tile. Just saying. The food is wonderful though! Incredible flavors! read more

I initially thought this place would be closer to Oakridge however after driving down to the South San Jose border I thought differently. Elements is next to a wine restaurant that looked a little more pleasing due to the outside tables where you can wine and dine but we still settled on eating here. Ordered the crab cakes which resembled wontons more than actual cakes. I also ordered the duck since so many of you yelpers felt like it was the best dish they offer and my friend ordered the pork chop. The duck tasted a little too smoked almost as if my mom was cooking it. Friends pork chop was a little better but still nothing memorable. The waiter also looked and talked like the asian kid from Gran Torino so it was interesting but I doubt I'd ever make the journey cross city to here again. read more

Been here a few times because the food is excellent. The service is lacking, however. We almost always have to wait to be seated (and not because of a line...). We also have to wait a good amount of time for our food to arrive and the wait staff seems to be undermanned with one person running around waiting tables stressed out, and the rest just kind of slowly walking around and pouring water. If the service was improved, Elements would have no trouble getting 5 stars from me. read more

Their food is amazing. I love to go here for a family dinner, or a romantic night with my fiancé. They have a great wine selection, a vast menu, and delicious desserts. It's also only a few blocks from my house so I like to take a walk there and relax with some wine. read more

We come to Elements several times per year. We're fortunate that we live less than a mile away. Anyway, our family favorite is the Roasted Australian Rack of Lamb. My favorite side is the taro root au gratin, and I frequently substitute the standard side with that. We have also tried their steaks, meatloaf, and tea-smoked duck, all of which are excellent. It's a great restaurant for special occasions. read more

This place is wonderful! My mom and I had appetizers for dinner along with their garden salad..it all tasted wonderful! And the prices are so reasonable. Their wine list is great also. I've been craving their rice noodle wrapped beef appetizers, their menu is so unique! read more

Decent restaurant in a strip mall. Bit high on the price scale, but decent steaks and salads. They did a nice job with their sauces. Outdoor seating as well and located next to a wine bar. read more

Service was amazing and their duck is to die for. Excellent appetizers and great for parties of 6

I expected a lot more from this restaurant. Way too pricey for the food they were serving. They didn't even have their own sauces, instead relying on the egg roll sauce you can buy at Luckys. Not terrible food but not worth the price. read more

While the food at Elements is less of Vietnamese and more of European-fusion, we love the food and have been coming back on a weekly basis. Everything we have eaten so far is cook to perfection and well-seasoned. Even my two year old daughter is a fan of this restaurant. The added bonus is their awesome customer service. The staff is very attentive and delivers top-notch dining experience. read more

Amazing find in our neighborhood. Been eating here for a few years. Food is excellent and service is always great. Highly recommended for families and also great for date nights. You can even eat from full menu at the bar. My favorite: their paella when offered. read more

Good food, well priced for what you get. Top notch service,nice environment, very intimate,never overly crowded or too noisy. So lucky to live close by, can eat there every day. read more

Anything you order at this place would be a hit. Fantastic dining service and nice overall atmosphere. I would like to see a little more variation to their menu though. read more