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    The Big Elephant Kitchen

    4.4 (27 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 8:00 PM
    Updated 3 weeks ago

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    THE BIG ELEPHANT KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Big Elephant Kitchen

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    Jackie M.

    The food here is spicy, but bland. It sounds ridiculous, but the flavor just wasn't there despite some of the dishes having spice. I think they could have benefited A LOT from investing in a box of salt. I had the three vegan entree meal and everything in it was lackluster. A few of the items were pretty spicy, but still lacked actual flavor. I was also disappointed by the lack of protein. There were approximately 4 bites of lentils, but that just doesn't make for a balanced meal. I don't really see myself returning as there are much better options in the Village.

    Krishna Bhavithavya K.

    We visited the place on a weekday and during off lunch times so it was not busy. We got the chicken samosas. The had a good taste and came with two sauces. One was good and the other was ok. We did not try any other items. But they are in a location where there are multiple options to eat and have a great evening. Not a 5 but may be 4.5/5

    Kidney bean curry, green bean curry and I can't remember the 3rd curry.
    Malcolm S.

    The food here is fantastic, it's Fijian and Indian fusion so it's a little different. I frequent this spot and have tried almost every vegan curry they have made. The good ones are phenomena and the "not so good" are still better than most. Seriously, they don't miss. The ingredients are fresh and it's relatively healthy. The Pumpkin curry is still my favorite. I see reviews talking about how spicy the food is, I'll admit it's spicier than most but it's hardly spicy.

    Vegan pakora & Vegan Samosa

    Before I finished eating I had to write a review as the food is SO DANG GOOD. I am kicking myself for not trying this food cart sooner. The person who helped us couldn't have been nicer. The food was HOT upon pickup and smelled AMAZING through the container. It's tricky to find outstanding takeout that has vegan options. This is the place. We got the vegan curry (papaya--AMAZING), Bagjiya Pokura, vegan samosas. Everything was so flavorful with some heat but not too much (I'm a spice weenie), just the right amount of spice for me. I can't even describe how delicious every single thing was. Like flavor explosions in your mouth. If you're looking to try something new, I can't recommend more! So yummy! I'll be ordering again soon!

    Chicken Curry
    Bobby M.

    I absolutely loved the chicken curry! Great flavor and it was served hot and fresh! Talking with them, one of the owners is a Marine and his wife is an amazing cook and inspires the amazing flavor! So great people serving great food!

    The Samosas have a little kick, but a little slow heat never hurt anyone :)
    Jody M.

    This awesome food truck puts out some of the best Fijian and Indian cuisine hands down. I have tried different items different days of the week (and the addiction continues). Nothing disappoints. Their family runs the cart themselves making family recipes that delight the taste buds! They make fresh Roti to every order and can customize any entree. If you're not sure of an item, they will happily offer a sample. This is not a food cart to walk by and not try!

    Clockwise from top: rice, samosa, roti, beans, pumpkin curry, masala chicken. All so good!!
    Brittany G.

    Delicious! We ordered a variety of things to share - masala chicken, beans, and pumpkin curry - all of which was excellent. The samosas were a definite highlight. Order extras because you will eat some on your drive home and then wish you had more!

    Lamb curry (top L), spinach in coconut milk (top R), potato curry (bottom R), rice with dal and salad that comes with entrees (bottom L)
    Effy V.

    A friend brought me lunch from here while I was at work and it was so delicious! So much flavorful food for a great price! My biggest problem was not knowing how to pick what to get because everything sounded amazing. I went with the lamb curry (not spicy), the spinach in coconut milk (not spicy), and potato curry (a little spicy) and the three entree combo came with roti and rice and a little salad on top. I'm so glad I got to experience this amazing food cart!

    Masala Chicken
    M L B.

    I drive by the French Quarter daily as I live in the Multnomah Village neighborhood. So glad to see it's up to 8 carts right now. I was on iloveblackfood.com to see if there was a local black owned business we could support and found them on there. So I went and just finished their Masala Chicken. So. Good. Fresh, hot and tasty. Like a home cooked meal. So glad I discovered this place and look forward to supporting them and the other carts here in my 'hood!!

    Literally just salsa.

    Honestly a little disappointed. Got the chicken masala curry, and it is two drumsticks with a literal *splash* of curry, some rice with lentils, and a dry cabbage/lettuce/carrot salad. Asked for sauces on the side, and they gave me two sides of the same salsa. Never before have I seen an Indian salsa, so I don't know how it is in comparison to others, but I was expecting a chutney or something sweet, not a salsa (what does a salsa even go with; I got pakora on the side, and it does NOT go with that). The pakora is good, and so is the curry, just wish they'd given some more curry sauce, and the salsa was a let down.

    Vegan samosas! Delicious to even non-vegan folks like me.

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    2 years ago

    Delicious! I live in Nor Cal and have visited the This place 3 times during my visits to Portland.

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    5 years ago

    One of my favorite lunch/ dinner spots. Service is always great & food is delicious with great vegetarian/ vegan options

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    Got the veggie dish. It was about 90% rice and they were outta naan. Also pretty bland.

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    5 years ago

    the eggplant curry is the most delectable thing that has ever been in my mouth i am so sad i have consumed it all.

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    Ask the Community - The Big Elephant Kitchen

    Zaiqa - Onion Bhaji and Vegetable Samosa and Tamarind Sauce and Mint Chutney.

    Zaiqa

    4.4(45 reviews)
    3.8 mi

    Food~We were are craving Indian Cuisine (we could no longer go to our normal spot anymore) and, we…read morelooked a few places the first one we chose we had to wait for another hour and half. Zaiqa~Butter Masala the meat was tender and, had a good flavor but, it's not butter chicken (I am not a fan of masala). Matai Kofta (it reminds of egg foo young taste and texture). It was good but, we will not order again) Mixed Grill, veggie samosas, lamb biryani, and garlic naan were absolutely delicious and piping hot. Service~Our waiter was extremely helpful and gave exceptional service. We are allowed to seat where ever we are greeted with very cold water, plates, napkins, and silverware. Ambiance~It's in a small strip mall but, it has plenty of parking in the front and, on the side. The restaurant is very clean and, it's a restroom in the back. We will definitely be back sooner than later but, until then please give this wonderful establishment a try!!!

    Overall rating would be a 3.75 Went with 2 friends for lunch…read moreon a weekday. The place was not very busy at 11:30, but got busier closer to 12:00. The restaurant is located in a strip mall and there is a lot of parking. We started with an order of Pappadum's and we all liked them. I liked the mint chutney sauce better than the Tamarind sauce. I ordered the butter chicken masala which had great flavor and was really good. We also ordered some plain nan and white rice came with the meal. One friend ordered the Tikka Masala and liked it. My other friend ordered the Mango Chicken Tikka Masala which was our least favorite. Service was okay, but really slow. The bathrooms need more attention. I can see us ordering take-out from Zaiqa in the near future.

    Photos
    Zaiqa - Inside decor

    Inside decor

    Zaiqa - Appetizer- Pappadum's

    Appetizer- Pappadum's

    Zaiqa - Front of menu

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    Front of menu

    Swagat Indian Cuisine - Chicken thali (combo)

    Swagat Indian Cuisine

    3.6(493 reviews)
    4.0 miSouthwest Portland
    $$

    We've been coming here for the many years. We loved the buffet, but sadly it's gone so we ordered…read morethe Thali plate. Got the goat and chicken thali plates. Most of the dishes were good, butter chicken, nice tandoori chicken and the pakora was soft and somewhat lukewarm. The dal tasted off, but can't say why exactly. Goat and chicken mains were still good. We went on Sunday afternoon, no one was there, the place was very dark and quiet. Not the best restaurant ambience unless you like dining without disruptions. Unfortunately, there was lack of table service, no checking on food or replenishing of water. Pretty disappointing to return to what use to be one of our favorite restaurants. Check out the Hillsboro location for a better vibe.

    Came for dinner on a Monday night, so it was not that busy! Got seated right away. Interior was…read moredark and moody, and the tables were a bit sticky. The menu had many options, and we weren't quite sure what to get. Settled on the chicken tikka masala, lamb saag, and a side of garlic naan. Both entrees came with a plate of plain rice. The lamb saag was good, the meat was really tender and broke apart easily. However, in my opinion, the overall dish lacked seasoning. The chicken tikka masala was very watery and even then, the chicken tasted dry. Garlic naan was fragrant, but not fluffy. Overall, I'm sure there are better spots for Indian in the area.

    Photos
    Swagat Indian Cuisine - Back dining room

    Back dining room

    Swagat Indian Cuisine
    Swagat Indian Cuisine - Mango Juice

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    Mango Juice

    Tikka Shots

    Tikka Shots

    4.2(17 reviews)
    3.9 miDowntown, Southwest Portland
    Large group friendly
    Takes reservations

    Stopped in here after I saw the new sign in the window that they had a lunch buffet. There's…read moredefinitely a part of me that misses pre-pandemic era when lunch buffets were common place and this place is only a few blocks from my office. I got there a little after 11:30. The sign said the buffet started at 11:30 but they weren't ready, so I had to wait a little bit. Not a big deal, especially when a place is trying something new. It gave me an opportunity to check out the space. Like a lot of Indian restaurants, it's a little over the top, with the decor pushing towards opulent but not in an overly stuffy way. The buffet was setup along the bar top, and it was clear they were still figuring it out. Instead of chafing dishes and sternos, they were using electric warming trays and setting out the cookware on top of them. Price wise, it's $20, which feels like the going rate these days (i.e. it's the same as Namaste). That being said, the smaller setup and the individually cooked items meant a way higher quality of food. There was a chicken curry, mushroom magic, a daal, chicken tikka, gulab jamun and a handful of other items including a fusion quesadilla with chicken and pieces of fried paneer. The curry was fine, nothing special. The daal (I think tadka?) was a little thinner than I prefer and a slightly over-seasoned, but was good even with the over seasoning. The mushroom magic was good, but the real spotlight was the chicken tikka. With everything being prepared in smaller batches than the stereotypical buffet, this was the moistest chicken tikka I ever had, and the texture and flavor far exceeded anything I would expect from a buffet. They did bring out fresh naan, but that felt like something they were doing since it was still new/slow, i.e. they had naan on the buffet line too. The only thing I would have liked would have beeen some achar, but I'm sure that puts me in a very small slice of potential customers. Definitely see myself coming back here, and ideally dragging along some of my coworkers. tl;dr; smaller buffet with incredible quality due

    I have been curious about this place. I walked in around noon and ordered the tikka sliders to go…read more It only took ten minutes and the space is very inviting. I would consider coming back to dine in with friends. The sliders were so good! My coworkers were not impressed by the looks due to the simple looking buns and American cheese but I can vouch that the taste was 5 stars. Check them out!

    Photos
    Tikka Shots - Poori Shots

    Poori Shots

    Tikka Shots - Chaat Bom Shots

    Chaat Bom Shots

    Tikka Shots

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    The Big Elephant Kitchen - indpak - Updated May 2026

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