The service was fast. We ordered Pad See Ew at level 2 which was good but we plan to order a higher heat level to make it tastier. I would definitely order again. read more

3.5 stars So it seems that I come here every year for my friend's annual birthday dinner - not that I have a problem with that! I always enjoy myself, though I found my most recent visit to be a little less impressive. We came in a large group (of 10 or 12) and I ordered the Pad Thai with chicken and tofu, while sharing the Coconut Jasmine Rice and the Taro Crunch. During my first visit, the Taro Crunch was delicious, albeit a little lackluster this second time around. The Taro Crunch is comprised of ground taro root and coconut enveloped in a crispy outer shell (think phyllo dough). My Pad Thai also seemed like it was missing some punch. While it was tasty, there was nothing that particularly set it apart from the Pad Thai dishes I've had at other Thai restaurants. Last year when I'd ordered the Pad See Ew with tofu, I felt similarly - it just needed that extra lovin' touch! Surprisingly, the Coconut Jasmine Rice was really outstanding. I've been to a few places that have served the same side, but no one's gotten it quite as fluffy, and, well, COCONUT-Y, as Silk Elephant. Really good stuff! The service here is really commendable. They're super efficient about refilling water (hey - if your dish rates a 9 on the Spice Richter Scale, you need that stuff, STAT!) and taking your order, all while being super polite. We hit a slight snafu the last time with not getting enough change back on the bill, which is sort of understandable with big parties (they fixed it ASAP). Will definitely have to see how this place stacks up the next time I visit! read more

One of the better Thai restaurants in Pittsburgh, Silk Elephant has affordable classic lunches and a wonderful dinner menu that will temporarily paralyze anyone with indecision. It's hard to decide between the small plates and the entrees, the obscure authentic dishes and the western favorites. In addition to being tasty, dishes are colorful and aromatic, as the kitchen strives to present a total culinary experience. I'd suggest going for lunch if you want a standard like rice noodles or curry, but if you're feeling adventurous, try some of the smaller sized options on the dinner menu that you won't find in your average American Thai place. read more

Pretty Delish Dishes. More Thai fusion in flavor not authentic thai flavors. Thai inspirted perhaps is a better way to put it. Nice environment pretty Decor and spacious room for my elbows :) A girlfriend and I went early on a saturday afternoon so we were seated right away there is also a bar you can sit at. We chose to share 3 tapas dishes and split a fried rice Salmon rolls perfect texture with the crispy outside fried and salmon puree inside also very complimentary spicey sauce with a nice tanginess to it. Crab fried wonton with cream cheese also melt in your mouth good but very tiny you get 4 for 4.50 they are a little larger than a large gumball you probably should get at least 5 or 6 for the price but oh well. Corn Cakes were just ok they are a little over sweet with the sauce served peanuts added are yummy though. I would try something else. Curry fried rice I thought it was supposed to be yellow curry but it wasnt really you can taste some tumeric but it was a little dry other than that. It was full of yummy veggies and spicy as we had asked for though they use red pepper flakes not fresh peppers in it. Overall it was flavorful a little on the sweet side. Bill was $32 for one thai iced tea one plate of fried rice and three tapas all in all a decent price for a lunch date. I'll be back to try more tapas! read more

Tasty Thai tapas! Great concept and decor. We had: -Curry Puffs -Satay Beef -Phuket Pork -Crispy Calamari -Siam Paragon - Crispy Rice with Dipping Sauce The Siam Paragon is the signature dish but I was least impressed with it. Too much heavy, spicy sauce. read more

Silk Elephant has good food. We enjoyed our meals, and the atmosphere is nice: somewhat upscale with a Thai influence but still comfortable. The service was very attentive. However, for Thai in the East End, you can get better food at better prices. read more

Good food and an overall okay experience. The food was good. I would call it some sort of asian fusion and i was a big fan of their asian tapas concept. All of the tapas were good and the dipping sauces were all very tasty. What really urked me about the place was the atmosphere. I didn't like the seating arrangement. I made a reservation for a romantic dinner with my girlfriend. When we first walked in I was certain that this was a good choice... but after being seated for about a minute I changed my mind. We were sandwiched between two other couples who were also attempting to have a romantic evening. This would have been fine if there were more than a foot between tables. The last thing I want to hear about while wining and dining my girlfriend are a middle-aged couples marital problems. Given that this is one of the pricier restaurants in squirrel hill, I will not likely return. i think other similar restaurants (Sun Penang, Bangkok Balcony, etc) provide food that is just as good at a better price and with a better atmosphere. read more

Nice tapa menu with well prepared Thai food. Great selection of noodle dishes and curries. The prices are fairly reasonable for what you are getting. It won't break the bank but you won't be getting much change from a $20 either. My complaint isn't really a complaint. The service here is almost too good. Like take a sip of your water and it is refilled within a minute good. Look like your meal is done and someone is there to grab the plate. It's just a bit much and if you're trying to have a conversation I find it distracting. I'm just not used to that type of service either so it could "just be me". Located on busy Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill Silk Elephant is a good choice amongst the many options for Thai cuisine in the area. It's a small place but does have a nice little bar area, seating that faces Murray Avenue (for people watching) and a dining area if you want a more date-like atmosphere. read more

The presentation was impeccable, the service was top-notch, and the decor makes for a decent date location. I'm not sure if I'd categorize this as "tapas" though...most of their tapas list seemed like straightforward appetizers to me. The food was pretty good too, but the spice was definitely turned down and everything was slightly sweetened for some reason. read more

Fast service and great food.our server Plai was great had the curry noodle and it was wonderful!!

I've had curry here, tom yum soup and the ginger chicken, and all were solid. Lunch is a good deal, as you get a spring roll and salad with it, although the salad is very small, a handful of mixed greens with a sweet gingery dressing. They have some nice tea here and a full bar. The dinner menu is vast, starting with their "tapas" style appetizers and moving on to the usual suspects. Overall very good quality and nice flavors. Service is very friendly and sometimes spacy. read more

4.5 stars, but I'm feeling generous so I'll round up. Silk Elephant is quite possibly Squirrel Hill's busiest restaurant, and for good reason. In the rather crowded market for Thai food in Pittsburgh, Silk Elephant delivers on both ambiance and food. The space exhibits beautiful yet subtle decorative touches, and while you may find seating and table space a little cramped this doesn't hinder the dining experience too much. Although some of the servers lack fluency in English the service is attentive, and my picky dining companions' multiple, borderline irrational requests have all been met with skill. I enjoy Silk Elephant's extensive menu of Thai tapas, as everything manages to taste different even though not all of the small plates hit the mark. The Salmon Rolls are fried properly and packed with salmony flavor, and similarly the Curry Puffs offer a perfectly flaky crust and a delicately flavored, meaty filling. Haw Mork Fish is an incredibly light, deeply flavorful steamed mix of red curry and fresh tilapia, and the Fish Cakes although apathetically named offer a superbly seared outside with a soft, creamy, subtly sweet fishy center. Corn Fritters are wonderfully crispy but cloyingly sweet. Tofu Crisp lacks flavor even when doused in sweet chili sauce. The main entrees are unfortunately not as adventurous as the tapas menu, but the Thai staples are all solid. Curries carry robust flavors though err on the rich, sweet side. Noodles and fried rices exhibit proper cooking and are complexly flavored. Proteins are of high quality and amply portioned. Everything is reasonably priced to boot. In short, Silk Elephant does quite well for a special occasion or for the semi-adventurous eater who wants to sample a wide range of flavors. read more

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/karmanlee/sets/72157601687842251/ Silk Elephant is on the busy road (Murray Ave) in Pittsburgh! Great decor, silverware, chairs and tables... Food comes in tapas style (small plate), which is great when you want to try multiple dishes and see which one you like (cons-you may not get very full). Price is reasonable for small plate tapas style. My fav here are the following: -Thai Iced Tea (Tea w/ Milk) -Curry Puffs -Satay Beef -Phuket Pork -Crispy Calamari -Siam Paragon Not so great: - Crispy Rice with Dipping Sauce Parking maybe a little difficult on the busy Murray Street, we got lucky that night, ad parked right across the street. Menu: http://www.silkelephant.net/ read more

Oh Silk Elephant, I must apologize--I had pre-judged you, and was quite mistaken in my impression. You see, I'm a die-hard SBL fan, and when my favorite Thai curries prepared to my spice specifications are available for such a low price, why would I ever go to a pricy imitator? I came in quite reluctantly while trying (and failing) to avoid a lovely Pittsburgh downpour, but I was quite surprised at what I found. Silk Elephant carves out some new territory, blending the array of Thai curries offered by SBL and others with pan-Asian small plates. I opted for the grilled lamb and some dumplings, and the lamb was AMAZING. Best lamb I've ever eaten. I wish there had been more...but I guess small plates are small! Service was also quite nice, with a passing busboy taking pity on our drowned-rat-selves and sending a flurry of cloth napkins our way. Waters were refilled promptly and the lamb was actually a recommendation from the server. Cheapskate that I tend to be, I probably will continue to frequent SBL for my simple Thai cravings, but I'll be back for that lamb. read more

First off, please ignore any of the reviews that give this place a hard time for not being traditional Thai food. When you see that they have a tapas menu, among other unique items on the menu, it should be evident that the concept of Thai is only a starting point here. My husband and I went on a Saturday night for dinner. We had a reservation for 6:30 but it seems the restaurant doesn't get busy until around 7:30. Even though they have an extensive wine list, we brought our own bottle (corkage fee is $15). We had six different small plates - each one of them fresh, hot, and served with a delicious sauce. Our waitress, Ilene, was fantastic. She was very attentive and had great timing for the pace of our meal. It turns out that she is the owner! We also complimented the managed, who was very friendly as well. Overall, we got exactly what we came for: a relaxing, slow, savory, tapas meal in a casual, intimate restaurant. read more

On one of my infrequent sojourns to Pittsburgh (my brother and an old boyfriend live there) my family went to Silk Elephant, per recommendation from the old BF. My family can eat heck out of some Thai food, and this place was just the spot. They let you order how spicy/hot your food is from a scale of 1 through 10 (10 being the hottest.) This is perfect if you have a group with varied tastes for hotness. I got the roti and green curry special, level 1, some chicken satay and Mai Thai. YUM, YUM, YUM. My dad and brother got the traditional Thai soup (can't remember the name) level 7ish, and they loved it. I like that they do tapas style, because Thai food is one of those cuisine where it's always more fun to try lots of things, and Silk Elephant let's you do that for a reasonable price, without needing to take three boxes of leftovers home. read more

I've been here many, many times and never had a bad experience. The staff is extremely attentive and the prices are very reasonable considering the more upscale ambiance of the place. The live dance is also a great addition to a dinner, but I've only been there to see it once. The lunch specials are a great deal and priced really well. I've heard it before and I'll repeat it here - get the corn fritters. Seriously, you can't come here and not order them with your meal. My other favourite staple here is the coconut water served in a wine glass with generous hearty chunks of coconut at the bottom that you scoop out at the end... Yum! read more

While I've long thought Pittsburgh could use a tapas bar and the idea of Thai tapas was enticing, I was pretty disappointed with the execution at Silk Elephant. Small portions are not a problem when they are appropriately priced. But when I ordered a calamari plate, I expected a little more than the 5 onion ring-sized slices of breaded squid and a dipping sauce. That said, the food was very good. Their pad kee mow was among the best I've had and I definitely enjoyed the calamari. Their wine list was solid, though not amazing. All in all, a reasonably enjoyable meal that cost far too much. I won't be going back. read more

I love the decor and atmosphere. We tried their signature tapas (the one with jumbo shrimp and 3 sauces). It was a bit pricey and I don't think it was justifiably so. We also tried their Thai toast, which was good. Their Thai Iced Tea is good and also at a good price, in my opinion. As for the entrees, we had curry noodles and pad thai. The meat in both of them (chicken and beef, respectively) were a bit tough and chewy. The curry noodles were too sauce-heavy. The piquancy was a little higher than what I'm used to, for the level I gave them. The pad thai was otherwise fine. Pricing was ok. The entrees are reasonably priced, maybe a little on the cheaper end for Thai food. They make their money from the tapas though. read more

Always consistent food and service. Chicken Pad Thai is my staple meal here and it has never disappointed me. There is the perfect amount of sauce; never dry nor swimming! read more

Silk Elephant - Chicken Pad Thai dinner entree. - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Anytime I am in Pittsburgh I stop by the Silk Elephant for their Fruity Fried Rice!!! It is amazing :) Their spring rolls are pretty good too! Great dipping sauce! read more

Outstanding ding Thai! The pad Thai is spicy and you want it to be with shrimp or chicken or veggies! Lunch comes with a small cup of soup and an egg roll all of it was delicious! I had the chicken and my wife had the shrimp it was just a hot enough at "5" to be spicy but not overly hot The spice ranges from 1-10, I would like to meet the "10" folks!! It would be off the chart hot We also had the Thai iced tea which was like an iced latte with an incredible tea flavor it was sweet and refreshing and had a wonderful flavor Lunch is a great deal in and out and the food is priced right! There are at least 4 other Thai placed in that block of Murray and Forbes but I really enjoy the elephant! read more

Ambience - Clean and nice, quiet and towards upscale Food - Brilliant and absolutely delicious food. I love their curries and tapas. Try their innovative thai tapas like thai pork chops and green curry lamb chops. Cost - Not bad at all for all the great food and ambience. Service - Perfect Drinks - Not so great for cocktails n all but beer is okay. read more

Regular Thai restaurant w quality curry but nothing extremely special. Wild curry VERY spicy and not a sweet as duck curry, red curry, or green curry. Personally didn't love the curry but veggies were cooked well. We read online that there was happy hour but our waitress told us that ended years ago :( maybe would come again for lunch but still pretty pricey for Thai food. read more

Silk Elephant - Wild curry $13.99 - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Great restaurant. Our waitress was good. Get the Siam shrimp, delicious. Also liked the many tapas to choose from. We tried a bunch of things. Lamb chop is good and the corn fritters. My wife liked the Mai Tai cocktail read more

The food is good but it is overpriced and you get small portion sizes. I've been here about three-four times and have had curries and noodle dishes. If they would either lower the price or provide more food, I would give them an extra star. Service is a mixed bag. But until then... Food Quality/Taste = 4 Stars Portion Size Given Price = 2 Stars Relative Price = 2 Stars Service = 2 Stars Experience with Staff = 3 Stars Decor = 4 Stars Clean (yes/no) = yes read more

I really like Silk Elephant - for the food just as much as for the ambiance. I was there last night with my partner, and we sampled four different tapas, and I had a glass of viognier. Wine was fantastic - they have a nice selection of 'by the glass' offerings, though the prices tend to be high (cheapest is $7 by the glass). I really liked the salmon spring rolls and the larb salad with tofu - though I'll agree with some previous reviewers that portions are a bit small. I understand this is a tapas place, but salads should at least fill a salad plate. bonus - the decorating and overall interior are cool and give a good vibe. I will def. return, however, some improvements in waitstaff are needed, though the busing and food running are spot-on. Our waitress barely saw us after the initial orders were taken, and didn't return until it was time for the check. She was nice, and helpful, but if she'd been more on top of things, we would have ordered a few more tapas instead of deciding to get the bill and go across the street for frozen yogurt instead. read more

Good food, good prices. The service can be a little bit hit or miss depending on when you go. Sometimes they are very accommodating other times they forget to bring a drink or two during the meal. Its so hard to put a review on here because some days the service was a solid 5 stars while others it would be a 2 or a 3. All in I like the place and will continue to eat there. Just wish the waitstaff was more consistent. Cheers Josh read more

I enjoyed the afternoon spent at the Silk Elephant. We wanted to try a new restaurant, which at first was hard to find a choice that was open before 5pm, even on a weekend. Based on another review, I ordered the mushroom soup, which did prove to be delicious. We ordered other yummy items such as the Silk roll, shrimp toast and phad thai, ect. The environment is elequant n soft and the lighting isn't blarring. The staff was great, the bathrooms clean and the food was different, tasty and had a unique plating style. All over, completely decent! read more

I met up with some work friends for some food and drinks, and this place was DEFINITELY a great choice for dinner. Their tapas selection is huge, and it's so hard to decide what you want to eat. I eventually settled on the chicken spring rolls and the salmon dumplings. They were both crunchy, cooked to perfection, and piping hot. I loved every bit of what I ate. I also tried some of the Silk Elephant rolls my friend ordered and was a little jealous that I didn't order them for myself. They also have a pretty decently sized wine menu, though I ended up getting the Widow's Bite to drink. It was pure alcohol. The wait staff was incredibly friendly. Our waitress didn't speak English very well, but she was still very attentive and did her best to help us pick things out on the menu. Our plates were cleared away pretty much the minute we were finished with them, and the prices were beyond reasonable. I would definitely come back! read more

Come here with gf quite often. Never have I thought poorly of this place. We usually get pad see ew and red curry. You can adjust the spiciness on a 10 point scale ( we usually get 7) which is great. Definitely get at least some as it adds to the taste greatly. The pad see ew is the best I've had yet with a very goid balance between sweet and salty. If you happen to come by at lunch you'll also be treated with some sweet spring rolls which are excellent as well. Their tapas are very tasty but I tend to stat away from them as you get a small proportion (IMO) Overall one of my favorite restaurants. read more

This was my first experience with Thai food. That being said I have no basis for comparison. Browsing the menu I felt overwhelmed by the variety of choices. It was hard to be sure that I was making a choice that I wasn't going to regret. We started off with some tapas. I ordered the chicken spring rolls, which turned out to be better than I expected. The shell was crispy and the fillings were savory. Just about all of the tapas come with a dipping sauce on the side. Mine was sweet and complimented the dish perfectly. After a short period of time the main courses came. I ordered the basil leaf with beef, sautéed green and red peppers and rice. To make it easier on the newcomers, the wait staff will ask you how spicy you would like your food to be. You should choose carefully. On a scale of 1 to 10, I ordered a 4 and it was plenty hot for me, any higher than that and I would have been pushing my comfort level. Overall the food was very delicious, the wait staff was very friendly and accommodating, and the atmosphere was pleasant. I recommend it to anyone. read more

Welcome to the Silk Elephant, Thai Tapas and Wine Bar. Is it just me, or has the word "Tapas" become the most over-used word in the culinary world these days? For those of you that aren't familiar with the word, let me explain. "Tapas" is a small dish of something edible. The word originated in Spain, but has found its way into almost every type of ethnic cuisine. You can have Japanese Tapas, Moroccan Tapas, and even Italian Tapas. But I'm getting off point again, back to The Silk Elephant. The Silk Elephant is a beautifully designed restaurant. The walls have warm colored drapes, as well as Thai art. There is a small wine bar; room enough for maybe 12 people. There is an open kitchen, so you can see the cooks as they work. The vibe in the kitchen is smooth and collected, even during busy hours (unlike and kitchens I've worked in). The lighting is low, and the mood of the restaurant is quiet and soft; this is a good place to bring a date. The service staff is attentive, but doesn't necessarily anticipate your needs. I've never seen the same waiter/waitress there more than once; they must have a high turn-over rate. We started with the Silk Elephant Rice Wrapper Rolls (2 pcs. $5.95) Cucumber carrot, lettuce, crab meat and rice paper served with a sweet chili sauce. They were tasty, but when did cream cheese find its way into Thai cuisine? Fresh Rolls were also ordered (2 pcs. $5.50) Fried tofu, rice noodles, carrots, mint, basil leaves, served with a sweet brown sauce and ground peanuts. The Fresh Rolls were good, but a little thick with one layer too many of the rice paper. We really liked the sauce and the ground peanuts. There are many different Curry dishes to choose from at the Silk Elephant. You can try Red, Green Panang, Duck or Wild Curry, to name a few. Also available are Lamb dishes, Crab Cakes (Thai cuisine?), and Basil Duck. Prices range from $8.95 to $20.00. The Silk Elephant offers a wide variety of vegetarian dishes for those avoiding meat. I would describe the cuisine at The Silk Elephant as "close-to Thai-cuisine." There are a few dishes on the menu that seem to be outside the realm of true Thai food. I'm not sure if the owners/Chefs are trying to appease their conflicted clientele, but it sure confused me. The ambiance is nice, but if you're searching for true Thai gastronomy, you may be disappointed. read more

Silk Elephant - Silk Elephant - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Awww I love Silk Elephant and always feel bad if a place I like gets non 5 star reviews :) cuz Yelp is all about what I like and dislike lol I always get Red Curry Chicken when I get Thai and husb gets Pad See Ew Beef and we share. My opinion is that SE is the best thai in Pittsburgh. Where other Thai restaurants do an okay, but no depth of flavors curry, Silk's curry seems like it holds 15 different flavors. That sounds stupid but I don't know how else to explain it. read more

My family loves Thai food so we have tried multiple places in Pittsburgh. This place ranks near the top of the pile. I have yet to not like any dish we have ordered. Everything from curry to the fried rice are way tasty. The drinks are kind of spendy but worth it. Good place with fast service. read more

Great service, nice decor, amazing chicken spring rolls and very reasonable pricing!!

I am consistently amazed by how good the food is in Pittsburgh. The Silk Elephant is my second culinary foray into Pittsburgh, and I really enjoyed my experience here. The decor is modern, but Thai inspired. Most of the wait staff is Caucasian, but I did see some Asian people in the kitchen, so I feel like that at least makes it mildly authentic. BF and I had: 1. Tom Yum soup - yummy! 2. Mango Salad - also yummy 3. Lamb chops - excellent, as long as you like thyme. 4. Salmon rolls - probably our favorite 5. crab crowns - eh. tasty, but more for the fried cream cheese in wonton concept, rather than due to any crab meat in the dish per se 6. Some dumpling - can't remember, reminds me of siu mai from dim sum. It was good, but nothing extraordinary 7. Siam Paragon - save your money with this one. It's not that great. Overall, a great experience. The server was very attentive and nice. A lovely place to go on a date. read more

4 stars for the pumpkin curry with tofu, 3 stars overall. The boyfriend and I eat a lot of Thai food, and we usually opt for Thai Place or Bangkok Balcony (or, recently, Kanok). We decided to check out Silk Elephant after a rave review from a friend. I made reservations for Friday at 8PM, which was a good call. The restaurant was packed and we still had to wait for a table, which was slightly annoying because there really is no lobby, especially when multiple other people are waiting. I wasn't a huge fan of the seating; I hate being too close to the table next to me. But once we sat down, the night started improving. Our drink orders were taken and filled quickly. We ordered the fresh rolls and they came out almost immediately, which shows how popular they are. The peanut sauce for the rolls was delicious. I ordered the pumpkin curry with tofu (on special) and he ordered the pad thai with tofu. I liked the 1-10 spice scale and felt the dishes were seasoned correctly. My only slight issue with the dish was that the tofu was grilled well done (it's possible, believe me!), which upset the balance of the soft pumpkin and curry. The portions were perfect for the price. I would return and try some of the other tapas, but probably on a quieter night. read more

Some of the most amazing Thai food I've had! Went for their lunch special​, which is a combination of appetizer and entree. While the food itself was very tasty, it wasn't spicy as they claimed. There service is impeccable and the ambience is excellent! read more

The best Thai restaurant on Earth and Mars and a few other planets. Every item on the menu is superb. The staff is friendly and smart. Equally good for vegetarian options. I go every week here just to uplift my mood. Awesome fine dining experience. Try: Basil Fried Rice Kee Mao Red Curry/Penang Curry read more