The Happy Elephant — Restaurant in Manzanita

4 stars because it was quite the comedy show. I called the restaurant to check wait times and availability and I was told that they were not talking walk ins, I unfortunately proceeded to ask if I could make a reservation. They said I couldn’t make a reservation either. So upon my arrival to the restaurant I was planning on how I was going to solve the master puzzle they had planned for me so I could dine at their restaurant. Turns out they took walk ins. I was seated and fairly quickly a waitress came to take my order. I try to order and the only words I can get out are “uh can I get the…” and then she walked away. I guess I still haven’t solved the master puzzle to be able to dine here. She came back though and I was able to order. I ordered a pad thai and a crab cheese wanton and was told the wait was around 40 minutes… Minute 3 of the wait I was presented with a plate of pot stickers. I was confused because I hadn’t ordered any pot stickers but it didn’t matter because I still chowed down on it. Minute 5 I was presented with my pad thai… sweet! However the rest of my table did not receive any of their food. Minute 15 a little after we finish our potstickers we ask the table next to us, “Did you guys happen to order potstickers?” Turns out they did! That table had been waiting for about 20 minutes longer than us and we notice that everyone at that table had their dinner but one person didn’t.. and nobody at my table had their dinner except for myself l. Now that’s pretty funny. Minute 25 our crab cheese wantons came out.. sweet! Minute 30 we hear the restaurant staff screaming at each other, “Who gave the boy at table 7 the pad Thai?!” Followed by, “Table 6 did not get their pad Thai!!” That is pretty funny. Still waiting for our dinner, people are walking into the restaurant looking to be seated. When the host gets to them he says, “Go sit at table 9.” “Yeah table number 2 outside should be open.” Am I wrong again? The master puzzle is back and it’s leaving other patrons just as confused except this time it’s a table guessing game. Who knows what will happen if you get this one wrong. Minute 40 my table’s food comes and I’m done with my pad thai by now. It was okay. Somebody at my table ordered ribs and with the ribs came with a side of rice. This person didn’t necessarily like sticky rice though so the rice wasn’t really eaten. By the end of my dinner I try the rice and my fork could not even break into the rice it was so hard. It was like a lacrosse ball shape shifted into a side of rice served at this restaurant. It was pretty gnarly. Anyways the food gets eaten and payed for and we leave. Turns out a master puzzle needed to dine there wasn’t necessary.. really felt like it though. Thanks to A Mighty Thai for giving me a good mental challenge and...

Wow! Such a find for AMAZING VEGAN just heading into Manzanita. Look for the bright mango colored house-like buildings with patio lights and red patio umbrellas. It's a whole vibe and as welcoming as the hostess (who turned out to be the owner taking a shift so her employees could get a break) who greeted and invited us to seat ourselves bc we wanted to be in the sunshine outside.

We started with cocktails and juices. The mango juice was outstanding. For three dollars it's a must try. Also ordered the Alotta Coloda which was refreshing and not too sweet.

For entrees we ordered yellow curry with tofu. The potatoes were so delicious the picky one in our group who typically never eats anything but plain fried Tofu decided that he could eat the yellow curry potatoes and a whole New World opened up for him. (For parents of picky eaters you know that's a big deal.) The other preteen who was celebrating his birthday ordered the Basil Fried Rice. It was an elevated form of Fried Rice, not greasy but rich with subtle flavors. Thoroughly enjoyed. I opted to make sure our family style meal had the wide rice noodles so it was Pad See Ew vegan style. Incredibly flavorful and the rice noodles were done perfectly.

Food was so good the kids voted that we would come back for dinner. The grown-ups in the group were more than happy with that decision. We started this time with the crispy vegetarian spring rolls and sweet chili sauce. Then was the Tom Kha -- which needed a little more tang so we asked for extra limes. We also tried the Spicy Eggplant with Tofu as our protein, and the Peanut Lovers which was a take on Pad Thai with a delicious peanut sauce. The picky eater ordered the yellow curry with extra potatoes and extra tofu. Several dishes came with rice.

We were so full by the end of the meal we didn't have room for dessert but we left incredibly satisfied with leftovers to enjoy tomorrow. This is going to be a new staple anytime we return to the coast.

And if you are vegan this is going be your lifesaving oasis because there is little to nothing else around the area for hearty vegan eaters.

The music they were playing was from the 80s which was fantastic. There was a lot of takeout orders being picked up and most of the tables were full. The server worked very quickly and the kitchen was well staffed. Still because the restaurant was busy food took a little bit longer than it did at lunchtime. Just be prepared. It's well worth the...

This restaurant came heavily recommended however consumer beware. If you are accustomed to quality fresh Thai food this is not the establishment for you. We ordered take out and spent almost a hundred dollars at this Restaurant. We arrived before the food was prepared and it was a 5 minute drive back to our house to sit down and eat. Our order: Salad Rolls, Crispy Vegetable rolls, Som Tum Papaya Salad, Thai Basil, Orange Chicken, and Mango Sticky rice. Our Experience: The salad rolls were iceberg lettuce with some shredded carrot and avocado sticking out either end. The rice wrapper was so thick it was like eating foreskin, there was no basil, mint, green onion, or sprouts. The Crispy rolls were clearly frozen fried and one of them tasted freezer burned. The Som Tum was good, frankly its difficult to abolish papaya salad. The Thai Basil had a whopping two pieces of basil in it, the chicken and vegetables were floating in sauce like logs in a bog, AND the basil was genoa not Thai Basil! ahhh! The dish is called THAI BASIL and they used GENOA! The Orange Chicken, oh the Orange Chicken. I don't how how to describe how bad it was, I'm really quite speechless. For starter it was floating in liquid sauce akin to the thai basil, the chicken looked like fried chicken nuggets, the sauce smelled of Tabasco !?!?!, and looked gross. The Mango Sticky rice was tasty and delicious however the rice it was served on was greenish which was concerning however it tasted safe. The cooked vegetables were over cooked, soggy, and mushy. To top it off the staff were apathetic and appeared not to care about their job. We trashed most of the food, ate the fortune cookies and hope for a better experience with a different restaurant next time. Good luck and God Speed if you decide...