The food was so good it tasted like real Thai food from Thailand and the owners are so nice and sweet to the staff are super friendly. I will go back read more

I love this spot for Thai food. The dining area is small but very pretty and inviting. The decor is of traditional Thai motif. Service is always great, they are super friendly and helpful with suggestions and requests. They have a really good variety of options for everyone. I had the Yum Kha this time around with seafood and it was absolutely perfect. I couldn't finish it so they packaged it up for me to take home. Their Thai tea is also some of the best I had in the area (hot or cold). read more

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Ordered takeout and was quick and easy on the phone. Food was good. Spicier than expected but I always welcome spice.

I was looking for Thai food and selected this restaurant based on the reviews on Grubhub. I ordered $108 of food and have never been more disappointed. Take a look at my noodles... it's one giant chunk. The only descent food was the beef salad and the steamed vegetables. The rest including the tom yum soup went in the garbage. Absolutely awful. read more

Elephant Cafe - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Nice little restaurant on the corner of a busy intersection. They have great authentic thai food with large portions! The serves are super down to earth and the food quality is excellent. The interior feels very homey and every time I go. I leave very full and satisfied. Highly recommend this Thai place in the LF area. My favorites are the chicken curry, papaya salad and pad see ew read more

I've passed by this place a hundred times and never went in. Boy was I missing out! The food was so fresh and delicious. We had tofu pad thai, spring rolls and green curry with shrimp. All of them were satisfying portions, freshly made and tasty. They were also very kind to answer a question I had about an ingredient, and even checked with the chef to be sure. Five stars for courtesy, great food and local dining! read more

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The elephant cafe is on of the most fancy, fast, and best restaurants I've ever been to. We had the Tom kha soup, which was on my top 3 list, the orange chicken, cashew chicken stir fry, that had such good flavor, and the beef and broccoli. We had our all are food within 15 minutes. There were no issues with our order and the waitress was so kind. I would definitely go back! read more

Delicious food, great atmosphere, friendly and fast service, and very affordable! I came here for dinner with my family on a Monday night. There were only two other parties in the restaurant and we were seated immediately. Although this is primarily a Thai restaurant, they do branch out into other Asian cuisines (they have recently added a Thai-style shabu-shabu, of Japanese origin, to their menu), offering items like orange chicken and egg rolls. We ordered chicken satay w/ peanut sauce and fried vegetable gyoza (another Japanese import) for appetizers (both $7.50). I do not eat chicken, but was impressed by the peanut sauce, which at other restaurants can be overly sweet or have an unpleasant gloopy texture. The gyoza were light, flavorful, and crisp, accompanied by a nicely balanced sweet and sour dipping sauce. For an entree, I chose the pumpkin red curry with tofu ($9.95). They offer many options for the "protein" to go with your base: vegetables, chicken, beef, pork, duck, shrimp, or mixed seafood. I could have eaten the curry with no additions; the curry sauce was packed with flavor and had an amazing creamy texture from the coconut milk, and the chunks of pumpkin throughout were sweet and perfectly tender. I can say unequivocally that it was the best curry I've ever had - and I've eaten at countless Thai restaurants. To be completely truthful, I've always preferred Indian cuisine over Thai, but this dish alone has me rethinking that! I also tasted my dad's Tom Kha soup, which he ordered vegetarian-style for my sake, a creamy coconut soup flavored with lemongrass and the ginger-like galangal. It had a great tart flavor from the Kefir lime and had a generous amount of vegetables including broccoli, mushroom, and green onion. The 5-star culinary experience was matched by their extremely friendly, fast and attentive servers - happy to answer any questions about ingredients, spice level, etc, the well-decorated interior with more booths than tables (always a plus!), and the fact that our two sides of rice had been molded into a bear and a daisy, which our server remarked "might be too cute to eat!" Added bonuses: my already affordable curry was easily two servings, and the choo-chee shrimp dish and pineapple fried rice were 3+ They have brown rice!! A rarity in Asian restaurants. read more

The food and ambiance were very good. The Cashew Nut in particular tasted good. However, the service did take a long time to order and get our check and we had to go talk to them ourselves. Overall a fun place to dine out read more

Good Thai food around this area. Wish for consistency. It can be a hit or a miss at times

Ordered online via Yelp for pick up. Pad Thai and pad see ew were both very good. I asked for it to be spicy and it was. Many Thai places I've been to in the area don't actually make it very spicy even when you ask for it. The spice level was good but not to the point of being too much or overpowering the rest of the dish. The order to pick up time was super fast. About 15 minutes. It was ready in front right when I walked in. I will definitely be back. read more

This place have been the go to thai restaurant for me and my family. I am from Thailand and the taste here reminds me of home, I am very picky when it comes to thai food so this place have been great. Great friendly servers as well! read more

I arrived at the restaurant at 2:32 PM 28 minutes before lunch closed. I was told I would have to take my order to go at the lunch service closed two minutes ago. I drove 25 minutes to eat at this restaurant because typically it is a very pleasant experience, but was very disappointed in how I was treated. The restaurant is never busy and it's in a parking lot that is dilapidated where most of the businesses have gone under. I was two minutes past the cut off. I knew exactly what I wanted, but was not allowed to order and sit down. Unfortunately I will not be back to this business again and can no longer recommend it. read more

I stopped to have lunch at Elephant Café on 23384 El Toro Road in Lake Forest. I read the Yelp reviews so I decided to try this location. The cashier & server was super nice and friendly and was very helpful in my selecting on what to order. Appetizer: Satay; four grilled chicken skewers with peanut sauce. crispy outside and tender chicken inside. it was very tasty. Entrée: Sweet & Sour Fish; Grilled fish fillet with sweet & sour sauce, pineapple, carrot, onions, small corn and a small salad with an orange twist. included; was a decorative dish of white rice shaped like a heart. A great combination of flavors. I drank a Diet Coke to balance my meal. Dessert: Money Bags; golden pastry with ground chicken and peanuts. crispy outside and tender inside. After I ate the money bags I felt so rich like I found the end of the rainbow! It was super duperly delicious. I loved the interior of the restaurant, a fill of Asia that was tastefully done. Then I walked outside and took some photos. I drove off with a big smile on my face. Robert H. read more

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Where else can you be rewarded for taking the time to drive to a restaurant and wait 10 minutes for a menu, then be told it will take another 30-40 minutes for your food because their online / take-out orders are very busy? Being a glutton for punishment, and too hungry to look for another place to eat, we stuck with it. The pad thai was all stuck together in a clump, the yellow curry with chicken should have been called the yellow ONION curry with onions and a side of extra onions and a half of an uncut carrot, and lastly the orange chicken (sorry, the kid insisted) was fried dough with chicken remnants and a side of orange cough syrup glaze. Also, you get a cute and fancy 4 oz. elephant cup of tea for $2.50, no pot, tea bag or refills. Or maybe there was, but nobody paid attention to us, at all. In fact, we waited another 20 minutes for our bill. Then we got up and waited with 2 other families at the front desk who were also trying to pay their bills. Meanwhile, 3 groups of guests came and went because they couldn't get seated. You won't catch me back here again. read more

Best ever pumpkin curry! Had it on my first visit and ordered it a dozen times since. The quality and taste of food superb. Cordial service.

Great food. We have been going to Elephant cafe for years. Their curries are all delicious, love their crying tiger and Pineapple fried rice. And they always have great service. Would highly recommend for good Thai food. read more

Me and my family love this place and we go here or have take out at least once a month and sometimes more. Things we usually get... Basil Chicken Fried Rice, Pad See Ewe, and Coconut Chicken Soup. read more

Good food and cozy restaurant ! Love their pineapple fried rice and beef sate. Will be back!

We had been trying out Thai food restaurants but now we think our search was over! All the dishes we tried were very flavorful. They are also reasonably priced. Service was nice as well. I also like that they have booths, which give more privacy. We will definitely come back! read more

Got delivery. Food is really great for the area. We ordered the sausages, pad Thai, crab fried rice and Tom Kha. Everything was reasonable priced ($12-15 each). Favorite item was the crab fried rice- great texture and lots of crab bits. Sausages were the next best one. It's great eating it with the raw garlic pieces. The soup could use a bit more flavor and perhaps more coconut cream for a thicker consistency. I got mild overall to gauge their spice level for next time and it is very very mild. As someone who loves spicy foods, I probably would get medium or spicy next time. Overall great food, great prices for the area. read more

WOW! The food here is amazing. I have tried several Thai spots around Orange County and this is by far the best. We ordered food through Grub Hub and it was definitely one of the best, if not the best Thai food I've ever had. There is really no need for me to get Thai from anywhere else, this is my new go to! read more

They have a lot of dishes that can be made vegan and the employee was extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the menu items. Outdoor aesthetic is nice and restaurant is clean, we got takeout but waited outside for the order to be ready. Overall i'd give the food a solid 3 stars, are veggies were undercooked and there was way too much sauce. Flavors were nice, and veggies were fresh, maybe next time I'll specify light sauce. Customer service is a solid 5 stars, bringing the review total up to 4 stars. I'd def recommend trying it out if you're vegan since they can accommodate so many dishes. We got veggie stir fry with no rice and they were able to sub a salad for us. read more

Got there about an hour before closing. Staff was super nice and helpful. Place was clean and food was excellent. Will be back and highly recommend. A+ read more

Walking into this place, the interior decor and authentic Thai style options on the menu made me feel good about my decision to come here. Thank you to fellow yelper Arshad H. who recommended this place to me! 4 stars - Pad Woon Sen. Glass noodles with veggies and tofu. The veggies included carrots, onions, green peppers, baby corn, tomato and scallions. I ordered it medium spicy and boy was it hot! Next time, I'll order a notch down from that. Still good though! You know, that kinda spice that keeps you coming back for more. 4 stars - Side of hot sauce. I think this one is homemade with vinegar and sambal oelek. You must ask for this if they don't give it to you on the side. It's sour and spicy, like a good Thai Tabasco. I didn't use it much with the noodles since that dish was already spicy. I liked it with the egg rolls though! 3 stars - Egg rolls with veggie filling. Not enough veggie and too much wrap for me. The plus was that they were super crispy and not greasy at all. I got this $3 appetizer during happy hour and it came five to an order. Overall, I'll keep this on my list for Thai. I want to try more of their items, next time I'll go for one of their entrees or curries...with that hot sauce. read more

Elephant Cafe - Interior decor - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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The grilled chicken was good . Moist and has some flavor in it . Also order spicy green curry with chicken , and it can with a chunky spoon of chili powder!!! Which is make the food test so funny . I don't really expect any restaurant dump a chili powder for make food spicier is call Authentic Thai ! And the curry has only SWEET flavor, some reason I feel like eating coconut dessert! The Pad Thai is ok. But you might forget to put some flavor or seasoning in it . Only tons of rice noodle and chicken . The best part of this Pad Thai is the raw bean sprouts on the side. read more

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This is my local Thai joint... just up the street and I always bring people here! Some of our family favorites are crab fried rice and the spicy eggplant dish! Wish I had some pictures to post, but we start eating before we ever think of pictures read more

Wonderful Thai cuisine, I personally return here several times a month for their curry and appetizers. The golden triangles and cream cheese wontons are the best. Also I typically get the red curry with chicken. If you have a sweet tooth I would get the deep fried bananas. The 4/5 stars is because I have not been very impressed by the other items on the menu, but the curry and appetizers alone deserve a good review! read more

Not sure why I waited so long to come here!! Came here on a whim for lunch on a rainy, winter day and was blown away. Welcoming and ornately decorated...and you can taste the fragrant air. The PadThai is supreme to the others I've had here in SoCal and definitely comes has ample sauce. I don't know about you, but I hate when a glob of noodles get stuck together and are so sticky-nasty-dry you wished you ordered extra sauce.....yeah, not here. Yum. The Thai tea was delicious as well. Lunch combo came with soup, Jasmine rice, and a crazy-fresh salad with light vinaigrette. For a warm, healthy lunch for $8, you can't go wrong with this gem. Like the Terminator...I'll be back. read more

Elephant Cafe - Tofu PadThai lunch combo - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Pros: Tasty food. Good ambiance. Cons: Cockroach infestation. Here you can find the reports: https://orangeeco.envisionconnect.com/attachmentitem/Inspection/cc768ffe-d011-4a51-911e-a8d20106b043 https://orangeeco.envisionconnect.com/attachmentitem/Inspection/cdc9a77d-f1f2-4300-bf47-a8d3009ed750 read more

Elephant Cafe - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

If I had only the Crying Tiger, I would be rating them 1 or 2 stars. It was cold, thin pieces of over-done, not great meat. Small amount of meat compared to other restaurants. Plenty of chewy fat. The flavor of the seasoning was not bad, but I will never get this again from them. The pineapple curry was pretty good. My wife got it with mild spice, and it was still pretty flavorful. We also got the Tom Kha soup which was very good. The medium spice level was a good compromise for someone who loves spicy and someone who doesn't. I'm rating them 4 stars because we enjoyed 2 of the 3 dishes we ordered. read more

Food was incredible and service was fast and friendly. Highly recommend and will be back for more!

Went there for dinner and lunch special a couple of times, most of the foods are so salty especially the soup for lunch special. In general the portions are good compare to the prices. The service is very good and cheerful. Need to tone down the salt or fish sauce more and let the customers add their own. read more

This was our 3rd time here. Usually pretty good Somehow today I didn't enjoy our dinner. The pad see ew was burnt I tried tolerate it but my tongue had a weird after taste. And, according to my hubby his crying tiger was too rubbery. Disappointed today. Definitely not coming back. read more

Elephant Cafe - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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1 star for phad kee mao- not much flavor; and I never had lettuce put into my phad kee mao. My didn't have any bell peppers as pictured but just lettuce, bean sprouts and some basil 3 stars for Panama curry- better flavor but more curry needs to be added 5 stars- for $10.95 lunch price that comes with soup, rice, salad and small portion entree read more

In midst of late lunch / early dinner quagmire, I spotted Elephant Cafe, confirmed my craving and dialed up their Yelp reviews...looks promising. Wandered in to a clean, comfortable setting with a familiar menu. A few years ago, I would typically have a Thai lunch two or more times a month. I found myself caught in a routine of ordering the same meal nearly every time. Seeing Pad Kee Mao on the menu, I couldn't resist since it would give me a good benchmark versus my former lunch life. I must say that this was the best prepared and flavored version I have ever had. Good spice level, very fresh vegetables, oiled but not greasy noodles. I will go back with Mrs G and try a few of my other benchmark dishes. read more

The lunch special is currently running for 10.95 and you get a generous portion of food including salad, soup, rice and your entree. You can sub the soup for double rice or double salad. I tried the spicy eggplant with tofu and got it mild which had just a small kick and was quite delightful with the other crunchy vegetables. I called in my order and they had it ready promptly. I also opted for a thai iced coffee which does not allow you to adjust the sweetness yet they can add more cream if you desire. I feel like the size of the drink is excellent for the price and if you want less ice there is a surcharge. I can't wait to be back and dine in instead of getting my meal to go. Highly recommend. read more

Just ate here yesterday and the service was outstanding :), especially with the young Thai gentleman, the stirred fried noodles were sensational, the best I've ever had !! And don't even get me started on the curry, it was too goooood!!! read more

Got delivery. Delicious food. Nicely packaged. Would recommend the Pad Kee Mao!! My husband had my leftovers when he got home and he wants to go the next time we get Thai food! read more

For some reason this location is not conducive to success. Places come and go, and I never see anyone eating there. Elephant café seems to be heading in the same direction, with a lack of customers, but I had to give it a try, so ordered some things to go to give them a shot. I ordered online, which was very convenient, and my food was ready in less than ten minutes. Oh, and the Yelp check in offers a free thai iced tea. Tasty too. Pad Thai: This is probably my second favorite Thai dish, so I am pretty picky about it. This pad thai was all there flavor-wise. I liked the base, and the flavor and texture overall, but would have liked to have seen more chopped peanuts on top. These were quite scant. Same with the sprouts and green onion. A little more would have been nice. The shrimp were delicious and perfectly cooked. 4/5, and something I would order again. It's better than any other pad thai I've had in the area. Tom Yum soup: A nice hot and sour broth, the soup had a bounty of floating raw mushrooms, which seemed a bit strange, but still tasted good. This is the first time I've had this, so I have nothing to compare it to. I just thought it was pretty good. 3/5 Fried Calamari: Nice and tender, and large like onion rings. The sweet sauce went well with it too. The rings also had a nice batter. I'd get this again. 4/5 Chicken Satay: The chicken was flavorful and nicely cooked, but the peanut sauce lacked the tang and the heat I like. This was pretty much an okay satay, but would have been great with a better sauce. 3/5 Moneybags: Cute little fried wontons encasing what I can't recall. Kind of ground-beefy in texture inside, and left uneaten. I ate two, thought them to be just okay, and no one else was intrigued enough to try them. 3/5 Orange Chicken: My youngest daughter loves orange chicken, and devoured this. It was perfectly fried to a golden brown, but remained moist and tender, and the dipping sauce was very nice and tangy. One of the better orange chickens I've had in quite some time. 5/5. I wavered quite a bit on whether to assign three, which is appropriate for this place, or to bump up to four for the very friendly service. I want them to do well, and hope they survive. Elephant cafe is worth a try. read more

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