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Don't sleep on this spot! Every bite was packed with flavor, and the restaurant itself is full of personality. The decor is fun and charming, making it a stop worth visiting. My only complaint is that the food is a bit overpriced, but for the quality I think it is mostly worth it. Drunken Mussels Tossed mussels swimming in a delicious sauce. The sauce is the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and tartness. Party Wings 4 whole wings charred to perfection. The provided dip also cranks the umami to 11. Pad Thai Old Skool Funky Elephant's specialty. Topped with skillfully cooked shrimp. This may be the platonic ideal of Pad Thai. Gang Rawang Steak Decent, but the most disappointing item we ordered (and the priciest). The steak wasn't particularly impressive and the curry was a bit bland. Roti Dessert A simple but delicious dessert. Sweet roti topped with thai tea ice cream. Definitely worth a try, but this was the most overpriced item we ordered.
I really liked my visit to their other location, so I had this on my mind. It was pretty empty that day so service was quite quick. They strike the right balance between making good food and looking cool/pretty. I'm surprised this place doesn't have more of a rep. It's not the cheapest place, but it's worthwhile for a fun and casual dinner. Fried Chicken & Roti: If you want to get something really impressive-looking, this is it. When it said roti, I didn't expect a giant crispy balloon on a plate. The crunchy pile of boneless fried chicken was delicious and they both went well with the coconut creamy sauce and accompaniments. Vegan Curry Noodle: Another gorgeous dish with springy noodles, a tangy sauce, and lots of veggies and tofu. Gang Rawang Beef: This is a beautifully cooked flatiron steak with a green curry sauce topped with greens. I was really into it.
It started off great. Papaya salad was really well balanced in flavor and authentic, the texture was also impressive, not soggy at all. I liked the wings too, my partner thought it was on the spicier and saltier side though. We had high expectations on the chicken as there were good reviews, yet it was mid, the sauce did not go well with it and the soup was extremely salty that we had to send back for the kitchen. The rice was fragrant and nicely cooked though. The steak was a good steak, yet the sauce itself did not complement the dish. Small bites and appetizers were pretty good though, it would still be a fun place for a big group.
One of my friend's had mixed reviews, but I thoroughly enjoyed Funky Elephant! So much so that I went for a second time and took my mom with me :) I really love their papaya salad. It's so fresh & a generous portion, with crunchy green beans, tomatoes, and a slice of purple cabbage. The drunken noodles were a miss for me, but it's on me for not knowing what I was ordering. Nothing wrong with them and plenty of mussels, but the sweet & sour noodles weren't what I was expecting. The pad thai is solid, I love seeing the shrimp/prawns right on top, but one of my other favorites was the fried chicken with roti! The roti was stunning and very delicious with a crunchy outside and chewy middle. The fried chicken was not dry at all, and the curry and dipping sauce on the side were so packed with flavor. The servers have also always been attentive and very very quick! Great for a casual lunch / dinner and most likely will be back.
Came here on a Wednesday night for dinner and it was per empty. The staff were very nice with letting us know how spicy things would be and made adjustments for us as necessary. We felt very well taken care of. We got the Papaya Salad, the Monk Curry, and the Pad Thai Old Skool. I also got the Strawberrylicious Soju Cocktail. Papaya Salad: 4/5, a good amount of heat! Loved the variety of cabbage in it. A little unorthodox but delicious nonetheless. Monk Curry: 4/5, very well-spiced and loved all the ingredients and textures there were in it. Visually loved the blue of the rice too! Pad Thai Old Skool: 4/5, very good, loved how chewy the noodles were. Appreciate that they offered to put the spice flakes on the side. Strawberrylicious Soju: 3/5, very sweet (not to my liking but still good). Wish there was more lime or something to cut through the strawberry. Definitely a fun place to try! So colorful in decor and in flavors. Definitely check out their bathroom -- the light is a disco ball with rainbow lights. Can't wait to be back!
Hey Munchkins hope y'all are doing well. Personally I think friendship is one of the most important things in life which is why I take celebrating birthdays rather seriously. Yesterday I had the opportunity to celebrate the birth of "The Quant", an awesome friend who definitely has that dog in him. After our time spent rock climbing and watching the new John Wick movie we needed to fuel ourselves properly which brings us to the subject of this review. Our group strolls into the restaurant and is immediately seated with great service. The waiters are attentive and friendly and they help me out with something which I'll get to later. As for the food our group orders the whole spectrum from nebulous noodles, to clever curries, to sensational skewers. They say variety is the spice of life, so they definitely put variety in all of these. Unfortunately one member of the group found the chicken skewers she got had too much variety :D. On the other hand the Monk Curry could only be described my friend as "baller". I tried to solicit more details from him but he was too busy eating to talk. The Yellow curry chicken is really good and pairs excellently with the blue Jasmine rice. The Noodles are kinda like pad thai and the soup is sour like the sour patch kids. And finally the Wholesome noodles were simply delicious and not too sticky. They slid down the throat quite easily. But that wasn't all! Since as I mentioned above its "The Quant"'s birthday I solicited the waiters help for something. After paying I wanted them to come up to us and mention there is an irregularity with the bill and ask if any of us are certified financial accountants. Unfortunately the joke does undergo a bit of a game of telephone but they still bring their A game which I am definitely grateful for! It's Thai-me for you to try it and when you do I'm sure you'll see me there.
Had a big party (14 people) and they were very accommodating. We tried a lot of appetizers and mains and everything was sooo good. Definitely recommend this restaurant the service was good too!
Overall this Thai place was super good! The environment was cute with cool decorations. Our server was super nice and was very friendly. The menu is a little on the smaller side, however the food was very good. The party wings you HAVE to get. We got the spicy and there is definitely a kick. The oyster mushrooms I wasn't a huge fan of texture wise. We also got the pad Thai with shrimp that's not pictured. The sauce was delicious, I just wish there was a little more shrimp.
Really solid spot for Thai food! My friend and I came by on a Friday night for dinner and shared the Pad Thai and Motherland Curry with cod which ended being a good portion to share between 2 people. With the curry we substituted vermicelli with the butterfly pea jasmine rice. The Pad Thai was definitely the star with a nice spicy kick. The prawns were great as well and I loved the crunch from the peanuts. The Motherland Curry had good flavor as well but I wish the portion was a bit larger for the price. We also got a soju cocktail each. Overall, it's a fun spot for a casual dinner but watch out if you can't handle spicy food well as even the medium spicy pad thai was a bit much for my friend.
Was excited to try. The ambiance was fun with colorful decor. We tried the roti with green curry dip - the roti was very oily but was nice and hot. Bit more fish saucy taste for the green curry than I expected. The pad Thai was flavorful but maybe had a bit too much char, some of it had an unpleasant bitter taste. They put spicy flakes on the side and those flakes were definitely spicy! I wanted to like it more but something was a bit off. We tried the Motherland curry with tofu and was a bit boring? Mild in flavor. The favorite dish of the night was the poached chicken - KMG - had sauce on the side which is nice because I prefer to be able to control the sauce/salt, however the plate looked like a layer of oil was on it.
Decent Thai food here. We had the fried egg salad appetizer, and the pad thai and the gang rawang beef for mains. The fried egg salad was really great flavor wise and the shrimp was really tasty. Would have been nice if it came with more than one shrimp. The pad thai was perfect, except for only having two shrimp on it. The gang rawang beef was a little disappointing. Really small portion of beef and came with a side salad that didn't really complement it. The beef didn't taste bad, but it didn't feel like thai cuisine. I think this place could be really great. We really enjoyed the fried egg salad and the pad thai, but we were put off by the tiny portions compared to the price. Probably won't come back again for that reason alone.
I had been to the Funky Elephant in Berkeley, and it was for one reason and one reason only, their Kao Mun Gai (review: https://yelp.to/LHfJdAq4sk). Y'see, I'm rather obsessed with poached chicken rice. You could imagine my excitement at the prospect of Kao Mun Gai when I saw they opened another location on Valencia near 24th Street. Alas, when I stopped by the other evening, I faced major disappointment. It wasn't on the menu. You could've plucked a feather from my tukus. My disappointment must've been palpable because the server asked the manager to come out and explain they make it only on certain days. I'm sure I let out an audible sigh when I ordered in its place, the $21 Pad Thai Old Skool with gulf white shrimps, HODO tofu, egg, Chan noodles, tamarind, peanuts, fish sauce, bean sprouts, garlic chive, and chili (photo: https://yelp.to/7dwFr29BU6). It was definitely packed full of familiar flavors with the bean sprouts wisely left to the side of the mix. I also went for the $12 Blistered Market Green, which consisted of Chinese broccoli flash fried in a wok with roasted garlic and basil (photo: https://yelp.to/7dwFr29BU6). It was a good, crunchy offset to the pad thai. I had a puckery $5 Singha Lemon Soda to wash it all down, a questionable choice (photo: https://yelp.to/UuFoHcBxcs). It was all solid Thai food, but I'll come back when they're serving Kao Mun Gai. FOOD - 4 stars...you don't have to have a hankering for poached chicken rice to like the food here AMBIANCE - 4 stars...stylish space SERVICE - 4 stars...no complaints in this area TOTAL - 4 stars...solid Thai food even without my favorite dish RELATED - Exploring the Mission? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2NHtst6
I love this place! It's a small, casual, locally owned place, but the flavors are big. I came for lunch and sat out front where there is a small patio. I got the old skool pad Thai, which came with shrimp with the head still on which were soo full of flavor. For dessert I got Thai iced tea soft serve which was equally amazing. Definitely one of the best Pad Thais I've ever had! Service was quick and pleasant. I think it was the same lady doing orders, cashier, and serving up the food, but she was great!
We were curious about this place because of the way it looks on the inside with the dark interior with some cool lights and decorations hanging on the ceiling. Anyways, we also saw this place has been in the Michelin Guide before, so we decided to check it out! We ordered the Butterfly Pea Lychee Mocktail, Dang Soda, Wholesome Noodle, Sweet Roti, Party Wings, Butterfly Pea Jasmine Rice, Chicken Thigh Skewers, Pad Thai Old Skool w/ Shrimp, and the Gang Rawang Beef. Everything I tried here was very flavorful and seemed to have bold flavors compared which I wasn't expecting since it was a bit too spicy for me, but it still tasted good. My favorite dish was the Pad Thai Old Skool with Shrimp and also the Roti with Yellow Curry Dip. I also loved how the Pad Thai had chewy noodles while the roti reminded me of a popular and comforting cinnamon type of pastry because of the sweet flavor from the roti. I'd recommend this place because some items like pad Thai wasn't too spicy for me. Everything here is very flavorful, so it can be too spicy if you have a low spice tolerance like me, but it was still good. read more
One of the BEST Thai food I have ever had in SF! We ordered the mango sticky rice (10/10), party wings (100/10)- so spicy & finger licking good, and thai pad (9/10) - very garlicky. I love the ambience and especially the cool disco lights in the restroom read more
6 months ago
6 months ago
Don't sleep on this spot! Every bite was packed with flavor, and the restaurant itself is full of personality. The decor is fun and charming, making it a stop worth visiting. My only complaint is that the food is a bit overpriced, but for the quality I think it is mostly worth it. Drunken Mussels Tossed mussels swimming in a delicious sauce. The sauce is the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and tartness. Party Wings 4 whole wings charred to perfection. The provided dip also cranks the umami to 11. Pad Thai Old Skool Funky Elephant's specialty. Topped with skillfully cooked shrimp. This may be the platonic ideal of Pad Thai. Gang Rawang Steak Decent, but the most disappointing item we ordered (and the priciest). The steak wasn't particularly impressive and the curry was a bit bland. Roti Dessert A simple but delicious dessert. Sweet roti topped with thai tea ice cream. Definitely worth a try, but this was the most overpriced item we ordered. read more
I really liked my visit to their other location, so I had this on my mind. It was pretty empty that day so service was quite quick. They strike the right balance between making good food and looking cool/pretty. I'm surprised this place doesn't have more of a rep. It's not the cheapest place, but it's worthwhile for a fun and casual dinner. Fried Chicken & Roti: If you want to get something really impressive-looking, this is it. When it said roti, I didn't expect a giant crispy balloon on a plate. The crunchy pile of boneless fried chicken was delicious and they both went well with the coconut creamy sauce and accompaniments. Vegan Curry Noodle: Another gorgeous dish with springy noodles, a tangy sauce, and lots of veggies and tofu. Gang Rawang Beef: This is a beautifully cooked flatiron steak with a green curry sauce topped with greens. I was really into it. read more
It started off great. Papaya salad was really well balanced in flavor and authentic, the texture was also impressive, not soggy at all. I liked the wings too, my partner thought it was on the spicier and saltier side though. We had high expectations on the chicken as there were good reviews, yet it was mid, the sauce did not go well with it and the soup was extremely salty that we had to send back for the kitchen. The rice was fragrant and nicely cooked though. The steak was a good steak, yet the sauce itself did not complement the dish. Small bites and appetizers were pretty good though, it would still be a fun place for a big group. read more
One of my friend's had mixed reviews, but I thoroughly enjoyed Funky Elephant! So much so that I went for a second time and took my mom with me :) I really love their papaya salad. It's so fresh & a generous portion, with crunchy green beans, tomatoes, and a slice of purple cabbage. The drunken noodles were a miss for me, but it's on me for not knowing what I was ordering. Nothing wrong with them and plenty of mussels, but the sweet & sour noodles weren't what I was expecting. The pad thai is solid, I love seeing the shrimp/prawns right on top, but one of my other favorites was the fried chicken with roti! The roti was stunning and very delicious with a crunchy outside and chewy middle. The fried chicken was not dry at all, and the curry and dipping sauce on the side were so packed with flavor. The servers have also always been attentive and very very quick! Great for a casual lunch / dinner and most likely will be back. read more
1 year ago
Came here on a Wednesday night for dinner and it was per empty. The staff were very nice with letting us know how spicy things would be and made adjustments for us as necessary. We felt very well taken care of. We got the Papaya Salad, the Monk Curry, and the Pad Thai Old Skool. I also got the Strawberrylicious Soju Cocktail. Papaya Salad: 4/5, a good amount of heat! Loved the variety of cabbage in it. A little unorthodox but delicious nonetheless. Monk Curry: 4/5, very well-spiced and loved all the ingredients and textures there were in it. Visually loved the blue of the rice too! Pad Thai Old Skool: 4/5, very good, loved how chewy the noodles were. Appreciate that they offered to put the spice flakes on the side. Strawberrylicious Soju: 3/5, very sweet (not to my liking but still good). Wish there was more lime or something to cut through the strawberry. Definitely a fun place to try! So colorful in decor and in flavors. Definitely check out their bathroom -- the light is a disco ball with rainbow lights. Can't wait to be back! read more
Hey Munchkins hope y'all are doing well. Personally I think friendship is one of the most important things in life which is why I take celebrating birthdays rather seriously. Yesterday I had the opportunity to celebrate the birth of "The Quant", an awesome friend who definitely has that dog in him. After our time spent rock climbing and watching the new John Wick movie we needed to fuel ourselves properly which brings us to the subject of this review. Our group strolls into the restaurant and is immediately seated with great service. The waiters are attentive and friendly and they help me out with something which I'll get to later. As for the food our group orders the whole spectrum from nebulous noodles, to clever curries, to sensational skewers. They say variety is the spice of life, so they definitely put variety in all of these. Unfortunately one member of the group found the chicken skewers she got had too much variety :D. On the other hand the Monk Curry could only be described my friend as "baller". I tried to solicit more details from him but he was too busy eating to talk. The Yellow curry chicken is really good and pairs excellently with the blue Jasmine rice. The Noodles are kinda like pad thai and the soup is sour like the sour patch kids. And finally the Wholesome noodles were simply delicious and not too sticky. They slid down the throat quite easily. But that wasn't all! Since as I mentioned above its "The Quant"'s birthday I solicited the waiters help for something. After paying I wanted them to come up to us and mention there is an irregularity with the bill and ask if any of us are certified financial accountants. Unfortunately the joke does undergo a bit of a game of telephone but they still bring their A game which I am definitely grateful for! It's Thai-me for you to try it and when you do I'm sure you'll see me there. read more
11 months ago
Had a big party (14 people) and they were very accommodating. We tried a lot of appetizers and mains and everything was sooo good. Definitely recommend this restaurant the service was good too! read more
Overall this Thai place was super good! The environment was cute with cool decorations. Our server was super nice and was very friendly. The menu is a little on the smaller side, however the food was very good. The party wings you HAVE to get. We got the spicy and there is definitely a kick. The oyster mushrooms I wasn't a huge fan of texture wise. We also got the pad Thai with shrimp that's not pictured. The sauce was delicious, I just wish there was a little more shrimp. read more
Really solid spot for Thai food! My friend and I came by on a Friday night for dinner and shared the Pad Thai and Motherland Curry with cod which ended being a good portion to share between 2 people. With the curry we substituted vermicelli with the butterfly pea jasmine rice. The Pad Thai was definitely the star with a nice spicy kick. The prawns were great as well and I loved the crunch from the peanuts. The Motherland Curry had good flavor as well but I wish the portion was a bit larger for the price. We also got a soju cocktail each. Overall, it's a fun spot for a casual dinner but watch out if you can't handle spicy food well as even the medium spicy pad thai was a bit much for my friend. read more
Was excited to try. The ambiance was fun with colorful decor. We tried the roti with green curry dip - the roti was very oily but was nice and hot. Bit more fish saucy taste for the green curry than I expected. The pad Thai was flavorful but maybe had a bit too much char, some of it had an unpleasant bitter taste. They put spicy flakes on the side and those flakes were definitely spicy! I wanted to like it more but something was a bit off. We tried the Motherland curry with tofu and was a bit boring? Mild in flavor. The favorite dish of the night was the poached chicken - KMG - had sauce on the side which is nice because I prefer to be able to control the sauce/salt, however the plate looked like a layer of oil was on it. read more
Decent Thai food here. We had the fried egg salad appetizer, and the pad thai and the gang rawang beef for mains. The fried egg salad was really great flavor wise and the shrimp was really tasty. Would have been nice if it came with more than one shrimp. The pad thai was perfect, except for only having two shrimp on it. The gang rawang beef was a little disappointing. Really small portion of beef and came with a side salad that didn't really complement it. The beef didn't taste bad, but it didn't feel like thai cuisine. I think this place could be really great. We really enjoyed the fried egg salad and the pad thai, but we were put off by the tiny portions compared to the price. Probably won't come back again for that reason alone. read more
4 months ago
4 months ago
8 months ago
I had been to the Funky Elephant in Berkeley, and it was for one reason and one reason only, their Kao Mun Gai (review: https://yelp.to/LHfJdAq4sk). Y'see, I'm rather obsessed with poached chicken rice. You could imagine my excitement at the prospect of Kao Mun Gai when I saw they opened another location on Valencia near 24th Street. Alas, when I stopped by the other evening, I faced major disappointment. It wasn't on the menu. You could've plucked a feather from my tukus. My disappointment must've been palpable because the server asked the manager to come out and explain they make it only on certain days. I'm sure I let out an audible sigh when I ordered in its place, the $21 Pad Thai Old Skool with gulf white shrimps, HODO tofu, egg, Chan noodles, tamarind, peanuts, fish sauce, bean sprouts, garlic chive, and chili (photo: https://yelp.to/7dwFr29BU6). It was definitely packed full of familiar flavors with the bean sprouts wisely left to the side of the mix. I also went for the $12 Blistered Market Green, which consisted of Chinese broccoli flash fried in a wok with roasted garlic and basil (photo: https://yelp.to/7dwFr29BU6). It was a good, crunchy offset to the pad thai. I had a puckery $5 Singha Lemon Soda to wash it all down, a questionable choice (photo: https://yelp.to/UuFoHcBxcs). It was all solid Thai food, but I'll come back when they're serving Kao Mun Gai. FOOD - 4 stars...you don't have to have a hankering for poached chicken rice to like the food here AMBIANCE - 4 stars...stylish space SERVICE - 4 stars...no complaints in this area TOTAL - 4 stars...solid Thai food even without my favorite dish RELATED - Exploring the Mission? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2NHtst6 read more
1 year ago
I love this place! It's a small, casual, locally owned place, but the flavors are big. I came for lunch and sat out front where there is a small patio. I got the old skool pad Thai, which came with shrimp with the head still on which were soo full of flavor. For dessert I got Thai iced tea soft serve which was equally amazing. Definitely one of the best Pad Thais I've ever had! Service was quick and pleasant. I think it was the same lady doing orders, cashier, and serving up the food, but she was great! read more
In the end, this place continues to be my favorite Thai place. A very different type of Thai food than you're used to with a very different feel. I was always a fan when they were in Berkeley, and I am ecstatic that they have opened in SF and have figured it out here as well. A large space with the aptly funky feel without losing the Thai street feel while also being a clean spot. Often not too busy, so usually easy to get seated pretty immediately. FOOD: Pad Thai. Always a classic here, with big tamarind flavor, and just the right amount of spice to kick you in the face but still be delicious. The pro move is always to squeeze the shrimp head into the noodles for the perfect blend of tangy, umami, sweet and spicy. Definitely a go to. Party Wings. Possibly some of the best wings ever. Again, big tamarind flavor with a good fish sauce base as well. Perfectly crispy with the right amount of sauce and big juicy pieces of chicken with the perfectly crisped thai basil. Another amazing piece that they have. New incredible additions are the paratha, both appetizer and dessert. The paratha is so flaky with the perfect softness in the middle. Green or yellow curry to dip it in just gives huge umami and curry goodness. A perfect treat. The dessert version is the perfect mix of sweet and umami. I have never felt so happy ordering two versions of the same dish. Also recently got the blistered vegetables and the KMG which are also so freaking good. Their use of herbs like dill, lemongrass, and coriander are showcased in most dishes like their crispy rice salad and fried egg salad. Ultimately, I have never ordered anything from this place that I did not love. Big time flavors with big time quality food. You cannot go wrong with anything you order here. Friendly staff and they are now expanding their drink menu, so you can bet that I will be back often. read more
1 year ago
Second time here! This time it was for my friends' engagement celebration. I like recommending this place because the ambiance is super cool & the food is really good. We ordered the party wings (spicy and non spicy) which were delicious. According to my friends, the chili was really spicy but they liked it! We also ordered the Roti with both curries on the side. I enjoyed the yellow curry, as someone who cant eat spicy, still had a nice lil ~spice~ kick to it that was totally doable and delicious. Roti was so fluffy, a bit on the oily side BUT i could eat it non stop. For entrees we had Pad Thai, yellow chicken curry, beef jungle (?) & GG rice. DEF recco getting the gg rice, the chicken broth makes it soooo flavorful, & i used the extra curry from the Roti to pour some ontop. Pad Thai was non spicy but for a sec had me second guessing if we ordered the right thing hahaha, very doable (again for someone that doesn't like spicy) had a nice kick that still made it enjoyable. Chicken curry was delish. Unfort i didnt have the beef BUT the plating was beautiful. Staff is super friendly. I did order the Butterfly Lychee mocktail but i think they made it with Soju, but it was so unnoticeable (good or bad, idk u decide). Overall it was a hit amongst my friends!! We came around 7:30pm and had a reservation but we still saw a few seats open so def doable to just pop in. We reserved 2 days in advance for a party of 6! ENJOY p.s i love their bathrooms lolol read more
2 years ago
The decor in the restaurant felt a bit of a jumble and leaned more kitschy. The food overall also was okay; everything tasted spicier than what we're used to (the papaya salad and pad thai, for instance, gave me the morning runs). Out of all the dishes we had, I enjoyed the curry the most! read more
I ordered the pad Thai, mango cocktail, and sour cocktail. The cocktails were the best part I really enjoyed the sour one. I found my pad Thai to be on the saltier side so I got tired of eating it halfway through. It only comes with two shrimp which explains the option to add shrimp for $3.50. I didn't like the shrimp-- I could taste the fishiness. There wasn't a flavor to it other than an overwhelming taste of the fat that's found in the head shell. For the price, I would expect better balanced flavor, more and better shrimp, and also unfortunately I pulled a long hair out of my mouth which really grossed me out. (Which certainly wasn't mine because my hair is red). The service is great and so is the ambiance, but the food didn't impress me especially considering the prices. My friends' beef spicy curry was difficult to chew but at least better flavored. read more
Recently had dinner here and ordered the roti, pad Thai, and wholesome noodles. The roti was very greasy but tasty with the green curry dipping sauce. The pad Thai was good, as were the wholesome noodles, but a little too spicy for me (my husband loved the spice level). The pad Thai comes with two shrimp and tofu. Service was very friendly and the two servers working checked in often to see how we were doing/if we needed anything. The restaurant is spacious with quite a bit of seating. We were seated right away after walking in without a reservation. read more
Came here with a friend and were seated immediately! Good: - Great ambiance for catching up, a little dim inside - The Pad Thai was amazing, a ton of flavor and the shrimp inside was jumbo sized - The crispy tofu came with a really tasty sauce - The rice salad was great too! It had a lot of crunchy flavor and it was fun to eat Bad - Took a bit of time for the food to arrive to our table - A little hard to flag down the servers Overall the food was excellent and thought that the only downside was the service. read more
Had my birthday dinner here with my friends and I would say it's good to try but I'm not sure if I'll be back. I'll start off by saying the food here is good and flavorful but the portions are pretty small and prices are pretty high for what you get. Items we ordered: - pad Thai: fairly spicy but not a ton of protein, still pretty good though - brussel sprouts: super crispy and one of my favorite items of the night! - crispy rice salad: it was good but nothing spectacular - wholesome noodles: pretty plain I'm not sure if I would order this again - papaya salad: standard papaya salad and you can't go wrong with it - motherland curry: second favorite of the night since the coconut milk make it so flavorful and creamy! Loved the catfish in it too Like I said the food is good but it doesn't justify the price point. I would say check it out since it's on a lot of "must try" restaurant lists online but just be prepared to spend a little more than you would at your average Thai restaurant. read more
6 months ago
The beef paired really well with the curry sauce and was very flavorful. The sour soup was more sour than I expected, but I actually liked how bold and strong it was. The pad thai was also well stir-fried and delicious. Overall, the quality of the meat was great. read more
2 years ago
Walking toward Funky Elephant, you're greeted by the soft glow of neon lights and it feels like a portal into a busy night market. In the same way that the exterior is super visually stimulating, the flavors are insane and my tastebuds were definitely awake! We tried: - fried egg salad/yum khai dao: the egg itself was fluffy and had the most crispy lacy edges, but what made this dish was the perfect combination of flavors from shallots, cherry tomatoes, garlic, Thai chili, fish sauce, and lime - the interplay of bright, sweet, sharp/acidic, a little sour made the taste so fun. I wish it came with more than one shrimp though! - pad thai old skool: I LOVE a basic solid pad thai and was excited for a maybe more amped up version. This was good but didn't feel like the pad thai that I've come to expect - instead of the forefront being a sweeter tamarind sauce flavor the main note was actually dark soy sauce - not unpleasant but just unexpected! (And I mainly associate the dark soy sauce flavor with Chinese cooking. But maybe this is actually more authentic?) - gang rawang beef: the butteriest tender steak. The curry sauce was also so punchy but then balanced out by a refreshing watercress salad. Overall, I loved the bold flavors and getting to experience a little more modern/elevated rendition of classic Thai dishes! read more
"Funky" is definitely the right word to describe this place -- not for the faint of heart, it's got a creative and sometimes strange menu full of Thai flavor. The Pad Thai Old Skool is 100% the star of the show. It's got a great mouthfeel, smooth flavor, and a nice crunch with the granulated peanuts. The Super Jungle Curry was... not what we were expecting. It was less of a curry and more of a broth, with a few bites of meat and some string beans. To be honest, the portioning was smaller than we expected, and the flavor was not at the same level of the pad Thai. The heat was good, but it was the only thing exciting about this dish -- we wouldn't recommend it for first time visitors. The service was decent, albeit a bit hard to grab the attention of -- we had to try a few times to get our bill (the servers seemed pretty swamped, so we understand that staffing issues are generally out of the service worker's control). We were perhaps most surprised that rice was not included with any of the dishes, so we had to pay for a small side. The silver lining? The Butterfly Pea Jasmine rice had a lightly herbaceous flavor, and the natural colors dyed it bluish-purple! Definitely a fun aspect that really put the "funky" in "funky elephant". Overall, the decor and atmosphere are fun and creative, but the food sometimes felt like it was trying too hard. Not for the faint of heart, but an adventurous eater could easily fall in love with it. read more
7 months ago
I've lived in SF for almost a decade and this is probably the worst Thai food I've had. I feel a bit bad for it but I have to be honest. We wanted to try something different and different it was. Walked in with a very strong smell of fish sauce and I was thinking that the smell along with the trendy decor and seeing how busy it was, this was going to be really good! Started off with crispy rice dish, super jingle curry with beef and wholesome noodles. 1/5 - Crispy rice dish - looked the part and served with lettuce and veggies but was sooo overseasoned with fish sauce. It was overloaded, not good at all. 1/5 - Super jungle curry - came out not like a coconut based curry at all. The broth was very thin and and flavor was mostly okay but the beef was terrible! Very chewy and had zero flavor. The beef tasted like it was very very old. 1/5 - The wholesome noodles came out steaming and the smell made us both cough and choke. Had a taste and it was the same as the crispy rice, too much fish sauce and the ground pork also had this bad odor once you bit it. Not appetizing at all! I love fish sauce but good lord this was too much. The best thing about the meal was the canned beer. I do not recommend at all. Sorry not sorry. read more
1 year ago
Ambiance was vibrant and fun. I felt like I was eating in a hip night market in thailand. I ordered the motherland curry which was decent. The curry's flavor itself was pretty good, but I was disappointed at the portion size and wasn't super impressed with other parts of the noodle soup. Tasty tho! read more
2 years ago
Hands down THE BEST Thai restaurant in SF!!! The flavors are incredible! Divine! Every single thing on the menu is 5 star quality. The service is excellent. The ambiance is fun and cool. It looks like a nightclub in there. I'm glad I discovered this gem before it becomes Michelin star restaurant***** I'm pretty sure all the bad reviews are from It's competitors because this place is perfect on every level. read more
Tried out this place based on the reviews but I was not a fan. The pad Thai was way too sweet and chewy - though the prawn was good. The crispy rice was good but not outstanding. I also felt the restaurant wasn't well ventilated. It had a very strong fish sauce smell inside from all the cooking and all my clothes smelled like Thai food coming out of this place read more
I had high expectations since the Berkeley location had rave reviews but maybe this new location could use a little work. I had a reservation for a small group dinner and we still had to wait about 20-30 minutes for our table (which is fine but then what's the point of the reservation process...) The space itself is cute and reminds me of street food in Thailand plus the cool disco ball on the ceiling. The server was attentive and gave recommendations but did suggest we order 10 dishes for our group in order to be full. We didn't find this to be the case and were okay with about 1 dish per person but maybe some shared plates if you're really hungry. The pad Thai does come spicy so if you don't want spice, ask for it on the side. The prawns were good but I wish the sauce had more pad Thai flavor and less spice. Chicken rice was also fine. Mussels were tasty but the sticky rice we ordered was really tough. I think the portion sizes are decent but overall the dishes leave something to be desired. You pay when the server brings the credit card terminal to your table. Overall, I'm not sure I'd be back anytime soon since there are plenty of bomb Thai places in San Francisco but give it a try, hopefully they improve with time! read more
3 years ago
Super cute new spot that just opened! They have a disco ball that gives it kind of a nightclub kind of vibe. TL:DR; The food is spicy! So if you can't handle spice, this might not be the place for you. Menu is not the biggest which made it easier to choose from. We tried so much, and the best thing was probably the party wings! They were the spiciest but the maid flavorful. Pad thai old skool - 10/10, big prawns (I'm allergic to shrimp) that I heard were pretty good KMG #2 - 9/10 Standard kao mun gai, could see it being good for lunch but pretty pricey for what it is Brussel sprouts - 10/10, but extremely spicy at first? Then you get used to it! Hodo tofu - 8/10 Tasty but dry, the peppers were a nice touch. Papaya salad - 9/10, really flavorful but didn't need to be that spicy IMHO. read more
3 years ago
4.5 STARS Bringing THAT funky funk across the bridge. Because a little fish sauce never hurt anyone. Soft opening this weekend is Funky Elephant's second location in the bay (original Berkeley location is in the Michelin guide ). They took over the Barzotta location in The Mission. They're open for takeout (order ahead via toast) and dine-in. Outdoor seating to come in about a month. Currently, walk-in only. No rezzies. M E N U Thai comfort food with a creative spin. Think new skool Thai food. All sauces and curries are made in-house from scratch. Small menu with small plates ($12-$19) and entrees ($19-$27). Less than 20 items. Kid's meal ($8) available. Spice levels: Regular, extra spicy, fire (+50 cents). Beer and wine only. F O O D * Hella Drunken Mussels: Wok-tossed PEI mussels, housmade chili jam, Thai basil, garlic, Asian rice wine ($19): https://tinyurl.com/bdd52758 --Add sticky rice ($2.50) Plump bad bois swimming in a bold and spicy broth with a sweet tang. Adding that sticky rice was a good call as it absorbed all the brothy goodness. I hope they consider serving the sticky rice in a vessel with saran wrap to keep it from getting hard. * Pad Thai Old Skool: Gulf white shrimps, shallots, HODO tofu, egg, chan noodle, tamarind sauce, peanuts, bean sprout, garlic chive ($19): https://tinyurl.com/5yk5897a --Includes two shrimp, +$2.50 for additional shrimp. Fav dish! Quintessential flavors and textures - salty, sweet, and sour with chewy and stretchy tamarind sauce coated rice noodles. Fresh crunch from the bean sprouts and peanuts. It is SPICY by default. What makes this standout from your standard pad thai? The large head-on shrimps that take centerstage. * O's Breakfast Grilled Pork: Grilled marinated bone-in pork shoulder, fried egg, spicy jaew slaw ($21): https://tinyurl.com/5n6crxen The grilled pork shoulder was thin but tender and flavorful with a delicious smoky char (charcoal grill). It's accompanied with a punchy jaew slaw and an oozy fried egg with crispy lacey edges. * Gang Rawang Beef: Grilled ribeye steak, housemade green curry sauce, turmeric, coconut milk, Thai basil, Thai chili, wild rocket ($27): https://tinyurl.com/5dbvwxzp --Per staff, medium rare by default First fire was overcooked. Refire was perfectly medium rare. However, the ribeye was thin, lean, and on the tough side. The green curry was creamy, well-spiced, and complex with the wild rocket (arugula) salad adding a fresh peppery zing. Mild in heat. Good flavors but my least fav dish because of the steak's texture. * Mango Panna Cotta ($9): https://tinyurl.com/472473ma Jiggly, dense mousse-ish with a green mango like tartness. TIP: Spicy lovers! If you love spicy but your dining partner(s) can't take the heat, order a side of the chili jam ($1.50) to doctor up your share. They need to bottle it up and sell it...it's so good! S E R V I C E Warm, welcoming, and very friendly staff. Our main server, Jane (?) was so kind and attentive. For day two, prompt food service. A M B I A N C E Bright and funky...just like Funky Elephant's food. The blue, purple, and magenta neon lighting with an elephant mural in the dining room and disco strobe light in the restrooms give playful club vibes. Seating for about 45-50 people; mix of two and four tops, and counter seating. P A R K I N G Challenging street parking. Nearest garage is on 21st/Bartlett (3.5 blocks away). 24th street Bart is a block away. Overall, Funky Elephant is great addition to The Mission's food scene. They do a great job honoring traditional Thai flavors while adding their own creative spin to their food. 4.5 stars rounded up for the soft opening and awesome hospitality. read more
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