Elephant Express

Really enjoy this place-​the food is excellent, Thai tea is excellent, and the owner is always a pleasure, always very helpful.

A nice hole in the wall place that serves in carry out style (disposable ware). I’ve never ate there, always taking to go, but wouldn’t mind eating there.
For a «to go» Thai place, they make good food. I like their Pad See Eew, Pad Thai, and Crabmeat fried rice. The fried rice is best ordered spicy for the flavor, but that was too strong for me to handle (the internal burn in the stomach, etc. as it doesn’t burn right away on your tongue, lips, etc.).
I hope they’re not closed, will be back to check. They were closed during normal business hours one day that I stopped by recently.

We’ve been here for years because of the authentic Thai taste, but it’s unfortunate how the portions have gotten smaller. Here are the suggestions:
Spicy catfish– my absolute favorite, a little spicy for some people
Chicken basil
Eggplant– ohhhhh yum
And they have brown rice for a few dollars more. Basically, awesome place to grab for to-​go. The ambiance is not the best for dine in, but the owners are super nice to talk to.
For all you spicy fanatics, they do have fresh chilli in fish sauce and pepper flakes (I totally doused my dishes until it looked red). Of course, you can request for «Thai spicy» and that will definitely hit your taste buds.

We went on a late Saturday afternoon and if was quite empty. I was happy because that meant I would get my food fast :) (was very hungry that day)
Food was good and portions were quite decent as well. The curries were on a little spicy side for me (I guess I should have asked them for low spice) but I forgot.

Great cheap food and service. If you are looking for cheap food but great quality, this place fits that category. If you love Thai food then it’s an added bonus.

The positives were hot food and great portions for an excellent price. The negative was too much MSG. I suggest telling the cashier no MSG.
The seating area is clean. Magazines and newspapers are provided to read. Cash only.

Shrimp pad Thai was terrible. I had one bite and threw the rest out. Something was off, it didn’t even smell right.

This is a hole-in-the-wall-don’t expect much & appearance is not important place. Clear plastic table covers and magazines piled high on a table. I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, many folks strolled in from their nearby work places and appear satisfied or at least familiar with the manager. It was lunch for me, and it was not for take out. I tried their yellow curry on rice, as a trial balloon. It was fairly good, and it was served quite fast. I think I like this place.

I’m perplexed as to all of the (recent) rave reviews on this place. I mean, have any of the other reviewers actually ever been to a really good Thai place to compare this one to? The parking lot was empty at noon when we arrived, so that should have been my first clue. I ordered an eggplant dish and something like cashew chicken. Both were greasy and overcooked. It seemed both dishes had been cooked a day or two ago and that they had been sitting in a warmer tray for a while. I convinced my colleagues to go to this place with me, citing all the good reviews. But, I don’t think we’ll be back.

Wow! Great service!
I have always driven past this place always curious about it but from the outside was not too sure about it.
Today I was craving Pad Sew Ew and just so happen to be driving by so I decided I would try it.
After ordering I pulled out my cc and she was like sorry only cash but I only had a $ 5 on me. She was so sweet and said that is ok you can pay be back the rest another day. I couldn’t believe it! Now I hope no one takes advantage of this! I thankfully was able to find the rest in my car before leaving as I would have hated to forget to repay her.
The dish was one of the best Pad Sew Ew I have had as well. I wish I came in here earlier.
Thanks again :)

Don’t be deceived by the run-​down look of its exterior. This is a hidden gem in Sunnyvale!
Recommended Dishes: Thai iced tea, pad thai, tom yam soup and basil chicken.
Authenticity: Having traveled to Thailand many times, I would say that the Thai food here is rather authentic in flavor i.e. hot, spicy, sour and tangy. It is as good as any street food you can find in Bangkok. Save for a few dishes, Thai food is generally not supposed to be too sweet by it very nature. I was rather disappointed by one award-​winning Thai restaurant in Downtown San Jose that made most of its dishes so sweet and sour, not a tinge of spiciness.
Customer Service: The lady at the counter was awesome! When I told her that I loved that pad thai (medium spicy) but it might be too spicy for my physical condition (I love spicy food but I was not too well that day and craving for Thai food), she immediately replaced it with a fresh plate with no chili at all although I never demanded for it. She even offered me a complimentary glass of iced tea! I trust that the readers of this review will not try to take advantage of the restaurant by quoting me and demanding the same treatment. The lady was just a kind soul feeling sympathetic of my condition.
Value for Money: Absolutely! The portion is huge and the price is reasonable.

This place is right down the street from work, so I’ve been here a few times. Very reluctant to try it, just because of the run-​down look of the exterior. Then, when I went inside the first time, I was even more hesitant. But I hung in there, and I ordered the crab fried rice to go. I sprinkled some of those thai pickled chilis and some crushed peanuts and I was out of there. I went back to work and ate my fried rice and I loved it.
This place is a hole-​in-​the-​wall! Don’t expect much! Just order to go and you’ll be fine.
I find the food tasty and I keep going back despite the look and feel of the place.
Do what I did. Order something small to go, try it, and see if it passes the test.
I think you’ll be back.

Taking off a star because they seem to charge different amounts depending on the day, and don’t give you an itemized receipt so I can figure out what the hell they’re overcharging me for. It’s only 2 – 3 bucks more than it should be, so I don’t feel like asking the lady what’s going on, but it’s annoying that they can’t stick to the prices on the menu.
Plus I feel like the last couple times I’ve been in there, they’ve reduced the amount of tea in their thai iced teas. The cups in the fridge are all only about half full (before they add milk and ice), whereas they used to be ²⁄₃ — ¾ full.

Terrible.
Walked in to the near-​empty restaurant that was dressed up like 1974. That should’ve been my cue to exit stage right. I like to learn the hard way.
Ordered Pad Kee Mao beef with no onions no peppers and here’s what happened:
1^st try was Pad Kee Mao beef with no onions and no peppers, thing is the beef was shrimp and there was no beef.
Round 2. Pad Kee Mao shows up, beef being actually beef. Sadly, it was accompanied by the peppers and onions I specifically un-​invited.
This entire charade lasted about 35 minutes when no one was there. I was hungry so I was feeling rather rage-​filled. I also ordered Tom Kha soup (the coconut variety of soup, its creamy, nice, etc). They gave me chicken noodle tom yum. It wasn’t even good tom yum, it was some tasteless, canned thing. Tried to send it back and get Tom Kha while I was waiting for the Pad Kee Mao situation to sort out and the lady wanted to charge me another $ 6!
Sorry Elephant Express, this is one I won’t forget.

Fast food Thai, not the best Thai food I’ve had, but pretty good for the price and the portions. Their Thai tea is LEGIT and doesn’t break the bank like other tea houses or restaurants. Beware, it has lots of caffeine, because by the time I’m done eating there, I am WIDE AWAKE! Definitely no food coma thanks to the tea! I’d go to Elephant Express just for their tea… it’s so goooooood.
I’ve tried their basil chicken, yellow curry, and pad thai. So far, out of all those the basil chicken is the best!

fast and dive… late dinner pick-up…aged and bare interiors… empty rainy monday… pad thai with chicken order for $seven.fifty-two…dinner price… another patron ordering the same to go… few faded/​tacky entrée pictures taped around the order counter… not much to look at… seated in dark interiors… saving energy costs… roughly five minutes of wait and fresh made pad thai box given… some care in foil wrap before boxing… finding quite hefty… taking home and plating… finding a mountain of noodles with large white chicken breast strips… fried tofu and sprouts… largest portion experienced… only plating half for self… not bad for the price paid and take-​out fast food thai… glass of wine and sriracha to make the meal complete!

I want my money back. Seriously.
First warning sign:
When I called to place my order (chicken pad thai) she asked when I would like to pick it up. I told her 15 – 20 minutes. She said it would be ready in 5.
Second warning sign:
I walk in and yes it’s warm outside, but it had to have been 100 degrees inside the place. The lady was on the phone with a doctor (I assume) telling him that «he» was sick. So sick, He couldn’t stand. He couldn’t open his eyes.
I’m standing there waiting to pay. She says hold on and continues to repeat herself into the phone. The call ends with, «Ok, just let him sleep?» Then she points to the guy passed out behind the counter in a chair. Awesome.
Third warning sign:
The car filled with a sour smell as I was driving home. Once home and against my better judgment, I decided to take a bite anyway and my assumptions were correct. This pad thai tasted just like it smelled and it was all kinds of bad.
Now I’m just sitting here crossing my fingers hoping I don’t end up like the guy behind the counter.
You were good once Elephant Express, but I won’t be back.

This is the first Thai restaurant I’ve tried in Sunnyvale.
I came here last week with my co-​worker and ordered the Basil Chicken. It consists of ground chicken sauteed with garlic, bell peppers, yellow onion, and basil. It was flavorful and the portion was a good amount. I finished half and took the rest to go.
When I was waiting for my food, I counted my change and noticed the cashier gave me an extra $ 5. I’m an honest person, thus I brought the extra money back to her. She was very grateful and asked me to write my address on a piece of paper. A couple of days later, I received a hand written card that was very touching.
I’ll probably come by here again, but I’m not sure what I’ll order.

This place may have some people confused. First of all if you go to their website, it makes it seem like more than what it is in actuality.
You get here and the place isn’t much to look at. It looks like a building that was once was a totally different restaurant and they turned it Thai. There is plenty of seating and parking – maybe due to the fact that there wasn’t much people dining even on an evening weekend.
The lady working, which I assumed was the owner, was very nice. You order at the counter and pay and sit down while you wait for your food. My GF ordered the shrimp pad thai, and I ordered my green curry.
My green curry was VERY watery. The consistency was the most watery I have ever seen for green curry. However, I tasted it and it tasted like it should so I ate it, and finished it. It wasn’t close to the best I’ve had, and I could confidently say it to be the worse. However, it was still ok. Others may automatically stop right at seeing the watery consistency.
My GF’s pad thai was a bit more pleasant. Portion was plentiful for the price. See the photo I submitted for size referencing. There was plenty of shrimp and was satisfying.
The name of the restaurant definitely matches the overall experience you will be getting here. Disposable utensils and plates. Serve yourself water and condiments. Nice thing about the condiments is you can grab as much pepper flakes and nuts you want to add to your dish! The fireplace in the middle is cool and they can definitely build on that to make a nice restaurant overall, but until then it is what it is. So don’t expect a lot and you may actually be satisfied. I had to deduct stars because they could definitely clean up the ambiance in the place and work on improving the recipes – mainly just referring to the watery green curry. Let’s see how long this place lasts.

What’s not to like about fast, convenient Thai Food? Well, it depends on how they follow through with the food quality. I decided to find out after passing by this place several times and seeing the «$ 4.95 lunch» sign. (which refers to the one-​item lunch combo)
I ordered the two-​item combo plate with green curry chicken and pad thai w/​tofu. Total price was only $ 6.50 including tax. So far so great, though after spying the warming trays in the back kitchen I did not have high expectations.
Unfortunately my expectations were met. The pad thai was simply awful, looking and tasting like it had been made several hours before. The noodles were slightly dried out, and the tofu bits were small and soggy. As for the chicken curry, it was far better than I expected, but still subpar. Like most cheaper green curries, it had an overabundance of fillers (peas, bamboo shoots) and zero eggplant. The sauce was decent but under-​spiced. The worst part was that the chicken was tough and chewy.
And to think I could get a wonderful lunch at the Old Siam for about a dollar more and maybe 5 more minutes wait.
On the way out, I saw the Thai Basil truck parked outside and everything clicked for me — AHA !! These are the same people trying to do «paint by numbers» Thai food in downtown Sunnyvale, and falling short (
). It appears like they are trying to go to even greater extremes to make it fast and quick, letting food quality slide even further. What’s next? Re-​heated, frozen Thai meals?
Seeya.