I've been wanting to try The Elephant Trail for at least four years now. So today, after running some errands in Simsbury and Canton, I pulled in for lunch. I was greeted warmly, and my neighbor and I were seated in a lovely booth by the window. Iced water was poured into the glasses that were sitting on the table, and lunch menus were placed in front of us No munchies or sauce were served while I was perusing the menu I placed my order for an order of chicken wings for the appetizer, and for $16.95, I ordered chicken and garlic sauce with white rice, along with hot and spicy soup and two small egg rolls My neighbor ordered a shrimp and Thai sauce lunch. Within five minutes, the chicken wings arrived 8 in total, which included 4 flats and 4 drumettes These chicken wings were seasoned perfectly, and then deep-fried to a golden brown. A beautiful spicy Thai sauce was served on the side. I could've made a meal out of these. These were some of the best chicken wings I've ever had in my 65 years here on earth. The Tom Young soup arrived, and it wasn't what I was expecting, boy was this thing sour and as soon as I hate it, I went whoa, the waitress saw that I didn't like it and offered to exchange it for Mayo soup which I gladly did. The miso soup was delicious seasoning so nicely with basil. So far, I am experiencing perfection. The dinners arrived, and buy garlic, chicken and vegetables with white rice was OK. It wasn't great, but don't get me wrong. It wasn't bad at all. I would've liked to see more garlic sauce, and maybe a little bit more spicy. Instead, it was rather bland. My neighbor loved the Thai shrimp and vegetable vegetables Restrooms were clean, and I loved the ambience, Thai casual. The total with the tip was just over $54. I am really on the fence if this is the best Thai in Connecticut or close to it. So far no. But I would gladly come here again because this would be a top five in the Avon Valley area. I love the experience, and our server gave us extraordinary service. This was a great experience. I just wish the main course was a little bit more seasoned. I will come here in the future and try a different dish read more

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I was really in the mood for some Thai food this evening, found this restaurant on yelp and this was a good find. A well lit nicely decorated dining room. A very pleasant waitress waited on us. Started with the thai basil wings and edamame followed by the papaya salad. For entries we had the pineapple fried rice and the drunken noodles. The meal was all delicious. Everything order was a hit. Highly recommend you stop by and try this restaurant when you get the craving for Thai food. read more

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I cannot get enough of The Elephant Trail! It is one of my favorite spots in CT. The food is always phenomenal. My go-to order is the nibble platter, which comes with a great variety of appetizers and dipping sauces. It is super filling, so I recommend splitting that and another appetizer/entree with a friend. I also love their yellow curry and their drunken noodles. I tried their calamari the other day for the first time, and the fry on the calamari was so light and perfect, more like a tempura-style fry. I highly recommend this spot! read more

The Elephant Trail - Nibble platter - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

Nice atmosphere, good service, beautiful presentation, delicious food. I would recommend this restaurant and i would go again. Any takers? It is best for us all if i do the review while there, because going back, i am not able to add the detail i would like. I do remember enjoying the experience and the meal, so its not all bad. As i said before, if anyone wants to go back and check it out with me i am always game. read more

The Elephant Trail - Duck & Salad - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

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I stopped in for dinner with a friend of mine. Not a Curry and I got a large soup. The interior has a rich orange color and the service was friendly. My soup came in a heated craft. It tasted like every other good Thai soup I've had. Flavorful broth with lemongrass and tender pieces of chicken. My soup sent me back 15 to $20 after tax tip. Good time but it's slightly americanized and nothing spectacular but very solid read more

The Elephant Trail - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

They kindly made my food for me while they were closing and I'm so happy it's the best pad Thai you can buy in a 100 mile radius maybe more! Great pho, tom yum soup, appetizers, everything is flavorful and cooked well. And everyone there is so nice and helpful, it was my favorite in high school and remains my favorite to this day I wish I could go more often. Thank you elephant trail read more

Takeout review: I've had takeout twice from here and so far so good. I drive by it all the time, one of these days I'll drop in. The building looks pretty nice and nestled on the Farmington River. For starters, I always get the curry puffs which had mixed veggies, curry spices, in a puff pastry; these were so good dipped in their special sweet and tangy sauce. I'm a huge pad Thai fan so I had their chicken pad Thai and it was one of the best. The flavor and textures were on point. The second time, I had their crispy chicken pad Thai; I didn't like that one because the chicken wasn't crispy or flavorful and the noodles were very dry and flavorless. They might've had an off night? Judging on the first pad Thai meal I had, I know they have potential. Will I order from them again? Yes! Looking forward to trying out their other dishes too. read more

The Elephant Trail - Thai wings - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

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Last weekend my friend took me out for a late birthday! But we also were due to catch up! We like to choose different places. She doesn't eat meat and I'm gluten free! So where to go?! We decided The Elephant Trail in Avon. They have 2 locations. The other is in West Hartford. Avon location has its own parking lot you can just drive into. Very spacious with many tables . Staff was great. We made reservations Incase but we got seated right away ! Everything was nicely decorated and open . They had booths and tables. Menu had apps, soups, noodles, main entrees.. so much to choose from. My friend ordered calamari and loved them, she said they were different than your normal fried calamari. I ordered some spring rolls, pad Thai and dessert! All GF! They have GF sauce . My friend ordered seafood fried rice. Overall we were happy with our experience! Good to know there are options close to home! read more

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Worst Thai I've ever had. I ordered chicken penning with little spice and it came swimming in coconut milk. Absolutely no flavor. I also ordered chicken, lettuce wraps, and it basically taste like Millie ground chicken with hoisin sauce all over it. Again, disappointing. This place is not to do over for me. read more

The Elephant Trail - Chicken lettuce wraps - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

The best Thai food I've found in the area. I've only had takeout but it looks very nice from the maitre d's desk. Awesome green curry.

I have completely fallen in love with this place. Fantastic food, really big portions, good prices, lovely service. When I've ordered for delivery, it's been on time and packaged well. The restaurant is really beautiful on the inside and has nice outdoor seating as well. It's conveniently situated right on the 44. My favorite thing to get is the crispy chicken pad Thai but everything I've had has been good. The bento box lunch special is an amazing deal - you basically get multiple appetizers (soup, salad, Shumai, spring rolls) for only $3 extra. Easily enough food for two. Everything tastes very good quality. I've had a lot of Thai food and this is up there with my favorites. Will absolutely order again. read more

The Elephant Trail - Crispy Chicken Pad Thai Noodle - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

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Love the food, the curry puffs and drunken noodles are two of our go-to times and they're always delicious. We often order this combo for a takeout meal when we don't feel like cooking dinner during the week. read more

The Elephant Trail - Drunken noodles with chicken, and one curry puff. Our favorite two items to order. - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

I love this restaurant! It gives generous servings. I usually order takeout and they are very quick in preparing. The atmosphere is very nice inside, very relaxing. They also have several tables outside read more

I've been meaning to update this review for a while. Although I do stand behind my disappointment with the orange chicken, I've still been back many times and have had nothing but positive experiences. I'm just going to say that one time was a fluke. Their food is really top notch. Definitely the best Thai around. read more

2.5 stars. The fried pork wontons were ok. Similar to crab rangoons (same plum sauce) but lacking filling. They were filled with the tiniest bit of meat, you barely noticed it. The pad thai was really disappointing. The key flavors of pad thai in my opinion are lime, peanuts, fish sauce, and sugar. And two out if the four were severely lacking. There was literally no lime. There was a slice of lemon inside... And I tasted no fish sauce. The pad "si eow" was way too sweet, but otherwise solid. Will probably not be returning, unless we get completely different dishes. read more

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Ordered take out via DoorDash . Waited over an hour and then the restaurant canceled the order. Could be good food but don't order take out

I like Thai food...most of them have a consistent flavour profile. This one is no different than the blue elephant trail or the green papaya or the king and I or the hot basil or prai Thai. Go to any go to all..similar menu and similar taste. Can't ding them and give them less than 4 but can't give them 5 either. read more

While they're aren't many Thai restaurants in the area, I'd still drive out to find other options in Hartford/New Haven, or even Elmhurst in Queens if you can make the trip for authentic Thai food. This isn't it. Had a few staple dishes from here, such as fried rice and Pad Thai. The fried rice was ok, but nothing unique or interesting. The Pad Thai, however, was bland and remarkable-- in how much this isn't how Thai food should be. Plain rice noodles with a hint of sauce, so no real flavor but a bunch of sugar, stir fried with pieces of chicken. No vegetables save some ground peanuts. I'm sure that many people enjoy their food, but this shouldn't be seen as Thai food-- rather, it resembles Thai food without having any of the hallmarks. read more

The Elephant Trail is our go-to Thai place. We usually do take out because it's so close to our house, but the staff is always friendly and courteous when we go in to pick up our food. Some of our favorites include the Crispy Chicken Pad Thai Noodle, Massaman Curry, and Pineapple Fried Rice. We also really enjoy their bubble teas (especially the Taro and Thai Tea) for dessert. Their dishes are super flavorful and their vegetables taste fresh. Their helpings are perfect for a hearty meal and some leftovers for lunch the next day. During the warmer months, they have a cute patio by the river for outdoor dining. All-in-all a great place that will always be at the top of our take out favorites. read more

The Elephant Trail - Crispy Chicken Pad Thai Noodle - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

I love a good Drunkin Noodle and Elephant Trail gave me just that !! It is a nice classy restaurant decorated beautifully inside. The staff was very accommodating and friendly. I got the drunkin noodle with shrimp. I loved it there was a great amount of big gulf shrimp !! The taste was delicious the noodles were cooked just like I like them !! I will definitely be back to try more dishes!!! I definitely recommend The Elephant Trail read more

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The Elephant Trail is an amazing restaurant, their authentic Thai food is outstanding. The service is good - and fun, the menu selection is great. We have been going to The Elephant Trail for over 20 years and it's a family favorite. The old location was smaller but very cozy, the new location just down the road has a spacious dining area with a private room overlooking the Farmington River and feels very welcoming. The Elephant Trail offers authentic Thai cuisine with dishes made fresh and to order, with gluten-free and vegetarian options available. read more

Suffers from inconsistency, as follows: Strengths: *Nam sod (ground pork with red onions, ginger, peanuts, scallions, and spicy lime dressing) was excellent *Thai wings with spicy chili sauce a solid app *Cheap corkage fee ($4) if you're a BYOB fan *Our server (Nancy) was super friendly Weaknesses: *Ginger duck was dry and the skin was not crispy *Nibble platter heavy on fried components and underwhelming *Mango curry did not particularly shine read more

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The three of us shared crispy spring rolls (excellent!) then our entrees included drunken noodles with pork, ginger duck, sweet and sour chicken, and red curry duck. Just the right spice (hot!!) and everything was beautifully presented and the service was attentive not intrusive. If you like Thai, the Elephant Trail is very good. read more

The Elephant Trail - Thai Spring Rolls! Crisp and delicious - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

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Great service. Food got cold fairly quickly but it was very flavorful and I would definitely order again. The fried ice cream was very good but the breading was quite oily. It's not my first time having fried ice cream so I was surprised to taste the actual grease in the breading. The actual ice cream was amazing though. read more

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My first time here and it was an ok experience. The food was fine, nothing great to mention or brag about. I have had better tasting Thai food around the hartford area. The staff was nice and friendly. The dinner portions were good sized plates, but for some reason it lacked flavor. I ordered the ginger with chicken and brown rice, it was ok and I did not enjoy my dish. I definitely liked the curry puff that I ordered. Overall it was a fine experience. read more

The Elephant Trail - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

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Our usual spot for Thai (green papaya) was closed so we decided to give this place a try for delivery from doordash. The food was pretty good, but we were disappointed that we didn't receive the ice cream for our fried bananas. We were refunded for the dessert. We'll have to try again read more

The Elephant Trail - Crispy Chicken Pad Thai Noodle - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

I wanted to love this place, but I was so disgusted with the cleanliness, that it was very difficult. The floors were visibly dirty and my feet were squeaking when I walked because they were sticky. The wall next to where we were eating was covered in food. The bathroom looks like it hadn't been deep cleaned in years. Then there was no way to actually clean your hands sufficiently because there was only a filthy automatic hand dryer and no paper towels, also meaning you had to open the germ infested door knob with your newly washed hands. The table had sticky sauce on it from the last person that sat there. The 3 of us ordered Tom Yum soups. Mine and my husband's came with the bento box. The friend we were with got his soup about 10 minutes before we did for some reason. His got cold waiting for ours to come out. Then when I got it, I had a couple of sips and really didn't care for it. It was very spicy and didn't smell right, so I didn't eat it. The bento boxes came out. It was okay. It was mostly cold and there were no knives on the table to cut our chicken. We both ate about half of our food. It was meh, and service took forever, especially for not being busy. read more

The Elephant Trail - Crispy Chicken Pad Thai Bento box - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

Great service very friendly atmosphere. Food was very fresh, however not the tastiest Thai we've had. Great location on the main road, you won't miss it!! Restaurant serves limited beer and wine. Very busy with take away in the evenings. The Elephant Trail nailed the "Sodens Wings" a Thai specialty (fried basil garlic chili) it's a must try!!! read more

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The road entrance is very dark. It's difficult to see at night. I've missed it so many times. Can you guys add maybe a cheap solar light at each side of the entrance? Or place a large white sign? It will help. read more

Just updating my review, I would not suggest ordering the vegetable tempura for some reason they overcook it every time. read more

The Elephant Trail - Drunken noods with tofu - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

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Inside and outside seating available. Fried pork wontons were wonderful. The special wings were very nice, and had a nice Thai basil compliment. Beef satay very nice as well. The Thai iced tea was definitely on the lighter side and not heavy. Though I prefer it heavier. Pad Thai with seafood. The seafood was amazingly fresh. It was on the sweeter side compared to other restaurants versions I've had. I still enjoyed it. A very nice place I'd welcome coming back to. read more

OMGGG. So I was recommended this place by smelling this aroma around the office that tickled my fancy. I asked my colleagues what they were eating and they informed me it was from Elephant Trail. I was so hungry that day and had no luck so I went ahead to placed an order. A lovely lady answered the phone and let me know of what they have to offer since I've never had Thai food before. I ended up getting the drunken noodles (mild, they will accommodate with you if you would like a typical spicy item to be less spicy) and ever since then I was like okkk-this place is really good! Fast forward to today, I wasn't feeling my best as my nose is acting up so I placed an order for some Pho. I swear this Pho was more medicine than anything over the counter. I came here with a pounding headdache from my sinuses and now I'm leaving here with a smile and actually able to breath through my nose . It's worth the trip! The owners are sooo pleasant. Throughout your visit you just hear the staff greet each guest with a helloo and thank youu..in addition, you hear the staff-and the owner have great conversations with regulars and newcomers. You are in for a treat here, they are soo nice!! Now, this is my go-to place for Thai food. read more

The Elephant Trail - Chicken and Shrimp Pho Honeydew Boba Milk Bubble Tea - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

Love the ET!! Probably one of my favorite places to either eat in or take out. Don't get there as much anymore, but it was so good, I had a once a week habit in the past!! read more

Great lunch specials and good food- I had the drunken noodles with crispy chicken and my lunch companion had the garlic beef- both were excellent. read more

The Elephant Trail - Garlic beef lunch bento (soup not pictured) - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

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It has such good reviews and was highly recommend by our friends too but unfortunately not for me. I've had better Thai food around the area. We came here for lunch, ordered the lunch combo, you can make any entree a combo by adding soup/salad and spring rolls for $2 extra. I had the vegetable Pad Thai, the sauce was overpowering and bitter.. spoiled the whole dish. The soup that came with it, Tom Kha was super sweet.. spring rolls skin was thick and doughy. The price are low around $8-$10 but that's no excuse for bad food. Everything was just bad! read more

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I was hopeful I would like this place and I really hate giving bad reviews but I felt like this place was literally having a laugh. I ordered tofu with green curry and jasmine rice. The curry was flavorful enough (although could have been a lot more spicy), but the fried tofu was tough and cold. It seemed like the peppers and other vegetables they'd thrown into the curry was just that - thrown into the curry, without being cooked to absorb the flavor, or even meaningfully heated up. The rice didn't even seem freshly cooked or flavorful. Seems like others have had great experiences here but I'm hesitant to even give this place a second try. read more

I had lunch there and it was delicious. I had red curry with salad and spring rolls. The price was reasonable and I ate outside looking at the Farmington River. I will definitely be back. read more

The Elephant Trail - Red curry chicken - Thai Near Me - Avon, Connecticut

Not too long ago, I wondered if this place could ever find its mojo back. It had started strong for so many years but lost its way with a kitchen that was putting out below standard Thai food. I have them space and they seem to have rediscovered what made them good in the first place. I've gone now a few times to make sure my perceptions were accurate. Thankfully I can confirm. The dishes that had lost me before have found the right formula. A Tom yum soup that had a nice mix of veggies and chicken and a broth that was rich but flavorful. A Kai Kow Po that was chock full of spiciness. And great curry puffs. I've also eaten there and service was friendly and helpful. Maybe they took lessons from their sister restaurant but I'm glad this place has found its way again. read more

Favorite local Thai, the elephant trail is super consistent and reliable! 100% recommend the drunken noodles with crispy chicken, the orange chicken (spicy or Thai spicy) with white rice, it's not your average run of the mill order...but super authentic, light and crispy chicken in a broth type sauce that I can guarantee you won't find anywhere else local. The curries and duck are super awesome too! Really anything I can guarantee you'll be happy with. read more

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Funny story, all the food on the menu looked so good that boyfriend and I kept ordering things and realized after the fact: "why did we order so much food?" It speaks to how appetizing everything looks on the menu, and at the end of the day we took it all home to enjoy it over and over again. Gotta hand it to Soden. Between this location and the one in West Hartford, this is one of Greater Hartford's most authentic for Thai food. It is worth the trek up Avon Mountain to get the foods offered by The Elephant Trail. Between well-trained servers and hosts able to explain the food and give recommendations, to then actually eating these delights, I had a very pleasant experience. Add on a nice decor, the jazz playing in the background when we were on a date here, it made for a memorable meal that had us coming back for Mothers' Day, family dinners when cousins and siblings are back from college, you name it. The space is able to accommodate larger groups for such occasions. Okay, now to the juicy stuff...the food! Literally, it was juicy and I'm talking about the Crispy Chicken Pad Thai (no onion no scallion no bean sprout because it's me). Chicken is perfectly crisp and so delicious that my family and I ordered an extra side of the chicken on its own to eat. It's a must order every time I come here. The chicken lettuce wraps from the appetizer menu are large enough portion to eat on its own. And man I keep coming back for these too since they're addicting! Friend recommended the curry puffs and we ended up getting a second order after the fact. Soden Wings from the special appetizers menu are unique with plenty of basil wings, and also large enough where it could be its own meal. All the specials are unique to the Avon location and worth trying. One time we saw coconut corn on there, and it brought us back to eating this when we were in Thailand for our family trip. They definitely have the flavors down and it's all delicious. Shareable foods, on-point flavors, and an all around good time to be had at The Elephant Trail. read more