The Elephant Walk South End

Asian Fusion but … don’t have Asians involved? This was unfortunately a frustratingly uneven dining experience. The place looks OK inside, they fly good flags, it’s clean. The initial tall woman who sat us was pleasant enough, our shorter server was pleasant but… upon giving us time to look at the menu, let us sitting there for seven or eight minutes while she sat at a napkin folding table staring at her phone. I had to get up and tell her we were ready to order. The natang appetizer was OK, the noodle soup okay, but the main course flavors were just … off, or not really there. We had to send one back-anok royale- and learned that they premade and reheated-and boy did it taste that way. The server handled that relatively graciously though we had to wait a while for her to check back (despite use being two of 3 people in the placing having dinner). The special noodle with duck was very short on duck. The grilled trout main had no flavor at all somehow. Rice was somehow overcooked and soggy. But…They handled gluten allergies well. I was rooting for this joint, but experienced a frustrating mixed bag here of uneven execution in a place that somehow enjoys 4.5 stars here. Some wait staff attentiveness training, adding someone who knows what SE asian food is supposed to taste like in the kitchen doing QC, and ditching anything not made in house… with those, they could be a stand out.

Pretty good place overall. The chicken congee was a generous portion, and the Loc Lac was definitely the highlight. The beef was juicy and well cooked, with a nice savory seasoning that wasn’t too heavy. I was expecting a bit more herbs and lime, but it turned out to be more umami-forward instead. A little pricey, but the atmosphere, presentation, and food were all very nice. Definitely worth checking out.

The food was very good. Decent portions. The bartender was very friendly and the bathrooms were clean. They have street parking. Nice decor snd a few large tvs.

We really enjoyed our meal overall. The rouleaux (pork spring rolls) and loc lac (beef tenderloin) were delicious and definitely stood out. While the amok royale (curried coconut custard with seafood) wasn’t our favorite, as it didn’t taste …

We LOVE Elephant Walk. It’s one of our favorite places in the South End. It can be a bit of a walk for some people, but the food is well worth it. Additionally, you can easily access the restaurant by the MBTA buses. The Thai iced tea is the best Thai tea we’ve ever had, and it’s always a must get for us. We’ve tried a handful of dishes off the main menu, but we always are so excited by the season/specialty menu. We try to get one of those limited time dishes every time. Dessert is also phenomenal, every single one we’ve tried. Lastly the drinks are always so incredibly handcrafted and incredible. There are definitely some less common tastes, but they’re amazing. The menu has a lot of non-alcoholic options as well! We love their passion fruit soda water beverage, and we’ve loved trying some of the other options as well! The hot sauces are also so fun! Make sure you get them and try if you’re a spicy fan! The service is usually amazing too, and the vibes of the restaurant are so relaxed. The bathroom area has so many beautiful elephants lined on top of the ledge of a wall. Be sure to look! If you’re getting drinks you’ll probably lean more towards $40-50 per person, but if you skip drinks (and maybe dessert/apps) you can lean a bit lower to the $30-$40 per person. We don’t get to come in super frequently, so we usually go all out when we’re there and get something of everything!