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    Elephant Cafe

    4.2 (871 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Noodles, Soup
    Open 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order Elephant Cafe Takeout or Delivery

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    Business Info

    ELEPHANT CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Elephant Cafe

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    Egg Rolls (5 Pieces)
    Sylvie C.

    This is a long overdue review for my favorite Thai restaurant in the area. It's rare for me to be able to say that there isn't a single item on the menu I wouldn't recommend from this place. My favorite go-to items are the spicy eggplants, green curry, and their fried rice. Thai food is a great way to enjoy loads of vegetables without feeling like you're eating mouth full of bland vegetables. Whenever I am doing my 3x weekly meatless supper days, it's the first place I get my food from. What I really appreciate about the Elephant Cafe location is how flavorful the food is without it being too greasy, watery, or sweet. When I select spicy as the spiciness level, it's actually perfectly legitimately spicy. It makes my hot tooth sing and so happy. Parking is free and plenty in front of the restaurant. Takeout orders are always ready upon arrival and service efficient and friendly. The inside decor is beautiful. Many elephant related objects are carefully displayed. It's absolutely gorgeous. I know I wouldn't mind bringing my family here as we used to love visiting Bangkok to enjoy Thai food.

    Pumpkin Curry
    Vicky W.

    Came with my mom to visit her friends in Irvine, they brought us here because they come here quite often because of the good quality of the food. Very welcoming and cozy environment as we walked in. I like seasonal food so I ordered a pumpkin curry with beef and mild spicy. Excited and looking forward to tasting my food. The wait time was a bit longer than I expected since there were only less than 5 tables in the restaurant but I did not want to criticize too soon. Took a bite and I almost clapped in the restaurant, it was SO good and flavorful. The pumpkin curry was so creamy and smooth, the spice was perfect and I even finished a whole bowl of rice which I have not done in years. So you know how good the food was. I will come back for sure but I need a ride lol really not a fan of driving.

    Crying Tiger
    Sydney H.

    Elephant Cafe is my favorite Thai place ever! I love a cozy, homely spot. It's best to come with a larger group and order multiple things to share because you really have to try it all. The crying tiger is especially good - the tender steak with the tangy nam jim jaew sauce hits every time. The tom kha is also amazing with its spicy, sour, and creamy broth. I love that soup is served in a fire pot so it stays warm throughout the meal. On top of the food, the service here is great; everyone is very helpful and attentive no matter how busy it gets. I can't recommend this place enough, sooo tasty and comforting :)

    Very stringy Chicken Satay (comes with 4 Pieces)
    Rana F.

    My husband and I love the papaya salad here. We will come grab papaya salad as a side even if we're cooking at home. I usually order the mild and it's good but the last time was extremely spicy and I couldn't eat it. I ordered the green curry with eggplant and chicken. Was very good. I loved the flavors of the curry. It could've used more eggplant. We also decided to try the chicken skewers but unfortunately they were a very weird texture and very stringy which is unfortunate because the peanut dipping sauce they came with was delicious but not enough to save it :/ wont be ordering that one next time

    Sticky Rice with Mango  Dessert (Seasonal)
    John W L.

    Colorful interior and friendly customer service. We went for lunch on a Sunday and were seated immediately. The food is authentic Thai cuisine and reminded me of the delicious Thai food I had growing up while traveling to Thailand. I enjoyed the meal and the dessert was spot on.

    Rice
    Victoria L.

    Finally! We've found a solid, reasonably priced, consistent Thai restaurant in the OC. Every curry (green, yellow, red, and panang) we've tried has delicious savory and slightly sweet, creamy flavor. Chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu - regardless of protein, it's all good. The pad thai is sweeter than I'd prefer but others in my family enjoy it. The spice/heat level in most dishes can be adjusted to preference. Attentive service. Dishes come out at a great pace. Nice for a casual business lunch, family meal, and friends meet-up.

    Tom Yum Seafood Soup
    Rachel T.

    Very cute Thai place in Lake Forest- Laguna Hill area. I'm suprised with their traditional decoration inside. Soup and broth are clear, Usually when I try tom yum the broth is usually more orange color ( because of the tomato) however to my surprise, it was a perfect balance of sweet and sour taste in their TomYum . We also tried the crispy fried wonton and it was decent I was impressed with their unique ceramic bowls and plates. Recommend going here if you're in the Laguna Hills area and wants some good quality Thai Food 3.9/5

    Spicy eggplant tofu and mixed vegetable tom yum
    Melissa O.

    The spicy eggplant and tofu was so perfect that for the first time in the 20 years that I've been eating Thai food I didn't add any condiments at the table. Boom. And something as simple as the mixed vegetables tom yum could be such a write off other places - but here it's craveable. Chock full of vegetables, spicy, sour, perfect. The one less than bright spot was the Pad Thai which was mostly noodles and had very little egg or scallions and very little tamarind or dried shrimp flavor. That being said, the tofu was cooked beautifully and was served in a massive portion. Service is wonderful. Prices are great. Would return to keep trying more of the menu.

    Tony J.

    It saddens me to give one less star, but today, waited for them to come back from lunch at 4:30, they close the restaurant and reopen it. And for some reason, everything was off. (not the same as it usually is) Found out through my kids that I ordered the wrong coconut soup. Apparently, I like the Tom Young soup something like that. But the waiters know me! Secondly, they usually ask me on a scale from one to 10 how hot and spicy I want the food and I always say eight. Once again, after going there for almost several years, the waiter gave me the food "mild" needless to say it wasn't the greatest. Had to send it back for more heat. Additionally,, I would say that the meat, the beef in the eggplant with beef, beef was about 25% less. I actually had to ask them if they had a different cook in the back because this is not the norm. Even the soup had NOT a generous amount of shrimp.... A friend of mine ordered the crab fried rice, and he mentioned that there was not a lot of crab in it. I received the reply " well the owner is not here today". - Now I'm under the impression of Food is a lot better, when he's in. I crave eggplant, and it was good. BUT just not a lot of beef, and the heat was off. If I wasn't a fan of this place and didn't write so many other positive reviews about this location - it would have received three stars. PS, they did give me a little bit extra meat, when I mentioned this to the waiters. But it was once again not a generous portion.

    Reese J.

    I've lived in South OC for so long and have always seen Elephant Cafe and was always curious about it. We got to visit on a Wednesday for dinner. We got seated right away. The restaurant has plenty of seating inside and the aesthetics is very cultured. It took a while for a server to greet us and take our order. We ordered shrimp fried rice and yellow curry. The food came out pretty quickly. Food had great flavor. I would definitely come back and try their other food items on their menu.

    Pad Kee Mao Noodles, Crab Fried Rice, Rad Nah Noodles, Massaman Curry
    Yena W.

    This Thai restaurant is so good with cool protein options like duck and crispy pork. I love to get the pad thai with combination seafood because there are lots of generous fish portions that are deliciously grilled. The papaya salad is zingy and fresh. It feels like a comfortable mom and pop Thai restaurant.

    Thai Basil Fried Rice
    Alison R.

    On this cold evening warm Thai food sounded perfect! One of our favorite local places is Elephant Cafe in Lake Forest. This small restaurant is on a busy corner intersection so if you aren't paying attention, you can miss the driveway to enter and then you have a long block before you can turn around. Elephant Cafe is a charming place with super friendly staff and amazingly authentic food. There are plenty of options for everyone. They even customize the level of heat on many of their dishes. Tonight the place was hopping! Booths full of customers chatting away and a constant flow of take out orders. I got take out as well and only had to wait about 10 minutes or so for our food. Tonight's menu was fried wonton, Thai Basil Fried Rice with veggies and Mild heat and Pad Kee Mao noodles with Chicken and Mild heat. We are so happy eating our yummy Thai food and watching college basketball at home! Prices are excellent too and I highly recommend Elephant Cafe!

    Tofu Pad Thai Noodles

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    First time eating here. The service was great and the food was delicious! We will definitely return soon!!

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The food was uneatable. As soon as we opened the containers the smell of old unfresh food was apparent

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    This is a great place with all these delicious food. Loved to go to this place. Nice people and seat arrangements are comfortable.

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    2 years ago

    Authentic Thai cuisine, reasonable price and well served friendly staff. Eggplant dish& Padthai my favorite

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    2 years ago

    Fav local Thai place. Delicious Pad Thai Noodle and Tom Yum Noodle Soup! Super nice staff.

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    2 years ago

    Food and service were excellent! Authentic Thai food in OC. It's a cute little family restaurant.

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    Page 4 of 22

    Elephant Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Elephant Cafe

    Are you open for dine-in now?

    Yup! Both dine in and patio seating is available

    Can they prepare chicken dishes using dark meat?

    Do they have vegan options?

    Yes they do. The food is delicious and cheap considering it's location in So. OC. My wife and I are foodies and have been to numerous Thai restaurants all over LA and OC counties to include little Thailand in LA. This restaurant is as good as the… 

    Are they gluten free?

    No.

    View All 5 Questions

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    Frank’s dumplings & noodles by sheungshui  - SheungShui Seafood Hotpot

    Frank’s dumplings & noodles by sheungshui

    4.4(407 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$

    A friend brought us to try this noodle spot in Lake Forest…read more This restaurant is part of the Shang Shui group, which has two locations next to each other. We visited the simpler Shang Shui Noodle House(Frank's dumplings and noodles) while the restaurant next door, Shang Shui Bistro(Frank's bistro Chinese cuisine) , focuses more on elevated Hunan and Cantonese dishes. Once we walked in, we could just find a seat and order through the QR code menu. It was convenient since we could take our time looking through the options. We ordered: 1. Roasted Duck Noodle Soup $19.99 2. House Special Fish Fillet Noodle Soup $15.99 3. Pork Knuckle Noodle Soup $16.99 Everything tasted pretty good! I ordered the signature fish fillet noodle soup, which was one of their recommended dishes. My husband thought the fish soup had the best flavor among the three dishes we tried. The portions were just right, and the prices were very reasonable. For the noodles, I would recommend choosing udon or ramen. My husband and our friend chose rice noodles, but they became too soft and broke apart easily when picking them up with chopsticks. After dinner, we stopped by Frank's bistro Chinese cuisine next door to take a look. The interior is much more upscale, and they also use a QR code menu. Most dishes are around $20 and up. We chatted with one of the staff members, who mentioned that they opened in August last year and focus on authentic Cantonese and Hunan cuisine. He was also proud to share that their dishes are freshly prepared, not the typical pre-made food you might find elsewhere. Will definitely come back to try the dishes at Shang Shui Bistro next time. Sharing this spot for anyone looking for Chinese noodles or authentic Chinese cuisine in the area! Frank's Dumplings & Noodles 20651 Lake Forest Dr STE A-102, Lake Forest, CA 92630

    We've been meaning to try this place for awhile now. We've tried their sister restaurant Frank's…read morenext door and wasn't impressed when they first opened. It's been awhile so I'm willing to give it another shot. Plenty of parking outside, the restaurant itself is really cute with tasteful decor. You order with a QR menu from the table. We ordered fish noodle soup, the 3 dumplings and soy sauce chicken with rice. Everything was pretty good! The fish noodle soup had a good fish profile in the soup, with a kick of white pepper which I liked. It tasted clean and healthy. The dumplings were really good. It definitely tasted like in house made dumplings. Much better quality than other restaurants in the area. The soy sauce chicken rice wasn't bad. But I thought the price was a little egregious. It should be max $15. All in all I'm glad we gave this "chain" another chance.

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    Frank’s dumplings & noodles by sheungshui  - Interior

    Interior

    Frank’s dumplings & noodles by sheungshui  - Buns

    Buns

    Frank’s dumplings & noodles by sheungshui  - Bone-in bangbang chicken

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    Soba Izakaya Minami

    Soba Izakaya Minami

    4.2(547 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Such an amazing spot, I love the vibe of this place!! So underrated, I'm surprised it took me this…read morelong to come here. The service and food were both perfect. I got the udon with duck dipping sauce and it was delicious. The udon had the best texture ever, super bouncy and fresh. The dipping sauce was so flavorful, and the pieces of duck in it were really good too. We also got a side of the veggie tempura, which was super light and crispy, and the veggies tasted really fresh. I definitely want to come back for their dinner menu and try more of the izakaya dishes!

    We arrived about 15 minutes late with three children, two, four and five, which, if you've ever…read moreattempted to move three small children from one destination to another, should require no further explanation. The restaurant was nearly empty, so I was a little surprised by the mildly dramatic reception about wondering where we'd been. For a moment I thought perhaps a search party had been organized. Fortunately, that was basically the end of the weirdness. Our server was excellent. Friendly, patient with the kids, knowledgeable about the menu and most importantly, honest. We came in wanting to try a little of everything and he steered us well. When a table wobbled, they fixed it immediately. The kids got the right utensils without us having to conduct negotiations. He even suggested putting the grilled squid in early because it would take longer. Small things, but restaurants are largely collections of small things. The reason to come here is the soba. MINAMI makes it in house and you can tell. It has that slightly stubborn chew good soba should have, not miraculous, not the greatest bowl of soba I've encountered in my life, but very good and unmistakably made with some care. I switched my order to cold bukkake and added grated mountain yam and a poached egg. Delicious. The additional $7.75, however, briefly made me wonder whether the yam had been carried down from Mount Fuji by hand. I understand restaurants are expensive now. Ingredients are expensive. Labor is expensive. Existing in Southern California is expensive. Still, $7.75 for grated yam and an egg is $7.75 for grated yam and an egg. Even our server seemed aware of the absurdity, which somehow made me like him more. The grilled squid was another winner. Cooked properly, tender instead of being transformed into the rubber gasket squid so often becomes. I would've happily eaten a larger piece, especially for the price. The fried oysters were more complicated. Beautiful crunch, nicely fried, but ours carried enough of that funky, ocean floor oyster flavor that nobody at the table was fighting over the last one. The hamburg steak was fine. Perfectly competent. Nobody will write home to Japan about it. The lightly battered shrimp was much better. Crisp, airy batter with a creamy roe style sauce that worked beautifully. The shrimp themselves had a slightly stronger seafood flavor than I prefer, which keeps the dish out of masterpiece territory, but I'd order it again. Oddly enough, one of my favorite things on the table was the simplest, the kids' hot udon. The broth was light, clean and comforting rather than beaten to death with salt. The children absolutely demolished it. They were considerably less impressed by the soba, but they are also two, four and five, so I will not be consulting them on noodle craftsmanship just yet. The room itself is comfortable and reasonably clean, though there are little signs of wear. A few tables weren't being used, ours needed stabilizing and the place doesn't have that immaculate precision you sometimes get from a great Japanese restaurant. Nothing alarming. Just noticeable. That's basically MINAMI. A few rough edges surrounding some genuinely good cooking. It isn't cheap. Order enthusiastically, as we did, and the arithmetic starts getting adventurous. Some dishes feel fairly priced, others make you stare at the receipt for a moment and reconsider your understanding of root vegetables. But the handmade soba is good. The squid was good. The udon broth was excellent. There were enough interesting things on the menu that I left already knowing what I'd try differently next time. And our server turned what could've been a merely decent meal into a genuinely enjoyable one. That's worth something. I'd come back, just perhaps without accessorizing my noodles like a Porsche.

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    Soba Izakaya Minami - Lots of seating with bar counter seats as well

    Lots of seating with bar counter seats as well

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    Curry Udon with side of Agedashi tofu

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