Thai Elephant — Restaurant in Madison

I got to try out Thai Elephant for the first time on Tuesday. I love Thai food, and had heard whispers this place is owned by the same folks who own Big Bowl, which is my favorite Thai food in town. I don't know whether the ownership rumor is true or not, but the quality of the food is definitely comparable, so that's great!

Their online ordering system was fairly easy. You can even get their lunch specials online, which is unusual (and a pretty good deal). My only request is that there be a way to indicate desired spice level in the system. I guess I could've left a note, but I think a tiered system (mild, medium, hot, etc) would be better. I always worry no one reads the notes, lol.

Anyway, I drove over to pick up my food at the scheduled time. The restaurant has ample parking and is set back a bit from the road (look behind Ted's BBQ). The shopping center is a little sparse, but walking in I was greeted by a warm, nicely decorated space. They were doing a fairly brisk lunch business too.

I could see my food waiting for me in a small carryout window behind the register. I'd already paid online. I had a little bit of trouble getting someone to come check me out, though, and I wasn't sure if I could just walk up and take it. I was acknowledged twice by one of the waitstaff but she kept walking off to do other stuff. She came up and ran somebody else's card and then walked away. I was standing there for 5-6 minutes feeling pretty awkward. Not a huge deal, but I was sort of in a hurry and it was just a little strange. Eventually, a different waitress noticed me and came and printed out my receipt and passed me my food. She was polite and nice and made sure I grabbed some silverware and extra sauces from their nice display.

The food was very yummy. Like Big Bowl, your lunch special comes with complimentary soup, salad, and two spring rolls with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. I had the panang curry. The soup was nice, though maybe a little sweet - but citrusy and smooth. Crispy spring rolls, well cooked rice, and super aromatic, flavorful curry with a nice ratio of chicken and peppers. I'd order this again.

All in all, I'd definitely be willing to visit here again, especially to try their pad see ewe or grab a Thai tea (which I sadly forgot to...

My wife & I have eaten lunch at Thai Elephant twice; once in April & once in May of 2022. Thai Elephant provides a pleasant dining experience. It is a relatively new restaurant in the Spencer Square shopping center in Madison. The booths are comfortable & there are small tables for two, with wooden chairs that run the length of the restaurant. The food & drinks are very good & the portions are generous. On our 1st visit, the wife ordered the Pang Curry Chicken Lunch Special & I ordered the Thai Spicy Bail Chicken w/ Fried Egg. Our Lunch Specials were served with a small bowl of Coconut Soup, a small salad & an appetizer, which turned out to be two small spring rolls with two types of dipping sauce. The Coconut Soups were delicious as were the spring rolls; you could taste the freshness. My wife enjoyed her Pang Curry Chicken, but my Thai Spicy Bail Chicken w/ Fried Egg lacked HEAT, i.e, spicy hot seasoning; since that dish had a 🌶️ next to it on the menu, that is what my taste buds were expecting. We both had Thai Ice Tea drinks & they were delicious! On our 2nd visit, my wife ordered the Drunken Noodle Chicken with a Thai Ice Coffee & I ordered Fried Rice w/Chicken & a Thai Ice Tea. Both lunch specials came with a small bowl of Coconut Soup, a small salad & an appetizer, which again turned out to be two small spring rolls with two types of dipping sauce. My wife thoroughly enjoyed her Drunken Noodle Chicken, the spring rolls & the Thai Ice Coffee. While I was left wanting flavor in my Fried Rice w/Chicken. I was not expecting Hot, but I was expecting some seasoning. I did enjoy my Coconut Soup, as did my wife; the Spring Rolls & Thai Ice Tea we're Great! My final thoughts on Thai Elephant; there are a lot more items on the lunch menu for me to try & there are a lot more things happening in this New Restaurant to keep my wife & I coming back; pleasant atmosphere, speedy service from the staff & generous portions that are made with fresh ingredients, so fresh that you can taste the freshness. I will continue to explore the menu's offerings in future visits; a task I'm anxiously...

The staff was really sweet. I appreciate their kindness. The food itself has a good quality and taste to it. The problems I encountered from ordering online were missing items and wrong items sent. I am not comfortable ordering online from this place again. I ordered basil rice with no protein added and they sent basil rice with chicken mixed in. I ordered two vegetable egg rolls, one arrived, and the correction egg roll order was shrimp. Asides from not being what I ordered, these are items I cannot eat. My friend was missing a teriyaki chicken meal in addition to the missing egg rolls and wrong basil rice sent in this order. We received something that appears to be crab wantons that we did not order. The staff was very apologetic and polite and tried to fix the order when we called about the wrong basil rice and missing items. I would recommend this place because of the wonderful staff. Personally, eating the wrong items would make me ill or worse. This is a safety concern for me. If you have no food allergies or restrictions, this is a great place to eat from. It is not worth the risk for me. I would still recommend being cautious and double checking the order when ordering online. I always check my food and I did not eat the wrong items sent so I am perfectly fine. This place will be good for others. I was going to do a two star rating, but chose to do three stars because the staff...