Elephant Ear — Restaurant in New York

Most of the food was delicious. Red curry, crying tiger, and the noodle dishes were spot on. The papaya salad was crisp and fresh. Grilled shrimp appetizer is shown in the photo on their site as having 3 shrimps, but we were only given 2. The shrimp was overcooked and pretty tough, but the flavor was good. Their drinks were not too strong, not too weak.

Unfortunately we did not enjoy their service. We felt unwelcome and uncomfortable from the moment we walked in. We were sat at a table that was way too small for the amount of food we were ordering. We asked to be seated at a larger table, as we saw other parties of 2 who were sat at 4-chair tables. The host informed us that all the tables were reserved, even though the restaurant was almost empty, and even though there were only 2 or 3 other parties (of 2 people each) in the entire restaurant. We explained that we wanted to order a lot of food and that we would not have enough room to fit everything at the small table. She was very dismissive and honestly it felt like she didn't want us there. We almost left but decided to stay since we had heard such good reviews about the food. By the time we did leave, most of the tables were still empty, which means we could have sat at a 4 person table and been able to eat comfortably. We also walked back that way later on in the night returning from the bar nearby and saw many empty tables.

When we placed our order, she told us that it was too much food for 2 people. Who says that? How does one determine what an appropriate amount of food is for one person? We both eat a lot and why is that anyone's business but our own? We explained to her that we wanted to take food home, and she agreed to put the order in.

As expected and as previously mentioned to her, we did not have enough space on the table for all of the food. There was literally not even a space to put our phones on the table so they had to stay in our lap. Dirty napkins had to get placed in our empty drink cups and we had no space for dinner plates to eat off of. We had to eat directly off of the shared entree plates, even though we mentioned that we were ordering a variety of entrees to split between the two of us. It would have been nice to have enough room for a dinner plate so each person could take a sample from each dish instead of eating over the entree plates and trying to pass things back and forth while the other person holds an entree in their hands and then swap plates. We spent more time trying to rearrange the plates on our table than we did enjoying the food. We also almost knocked over our drinks a few times while trying to access the plates on the table. It was extremely uncomfortable, as expected.

Although most of the food was really good, I would not return simply due to the fact that we did not feel welcomed at all. There are a variety of Thai restaurants in the city, and I don't think we will miss...

There are truly a lot of Thai restaurants near our home in Hell’s Kitchen. This place, Elephant Ear, has over 1,400 Google reviews and a 4.8/5 rating — definitely a high score, so I went to try it!

Environment & Service: 5🌟 /5 🌟 stars. Probably one of the most spacious and best-service places in Hell’s Kitchen or even all of NYC! Compared to places like LumLum, Fish Cheeks, Valla Table, and Chalong NYC, where you’re squeezed in with other tables and the environment is awful, this one has a comfortable design and wide seating.

Dishes: • Stir-fried String Beans: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟stars. So delicious! Great flavor, generous portion, and huge shrimp (though I mostly ate the green beans). This is my favorite type of Asian dish — lots of veggies, low oil, and not too salty. It’s my dream dish, since I really dislike overly salty veggies in Thai food. • Pork Belly: I didn’t eat the meat so can’t really judge, but it looked a bit oily. I had a bite of the onion, and it was a bit salty for me. My friend ordered it and finished it, so I assume it tasted good 🤣🤣. • Tom Yum Soup: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟stars. Very generous portion and ingredients, though also a bit salty for me. But it had a lot of seafood. • Fried Soft Shell Crab: 2/5 🌟🌟 stars. I wouldn’t recommend it. Way too salty, and the seasoning was off. I won’t order this again.

Next time, I’ll probably order less meat and try the mango sticky rice.

Btw，their rice portions are super generous and delicious too!!...

Come here for the most beautiful thai dessert platter - mango sticky rice, oolong jelly, coconut taro custard all on one plate.

Elephant Ear only has one dessert on their menu, but that's all you have to get, no matter how full you are after the main courses.

Their entrees are very affordable. You can enjoy thai noodle/rice with rib eye/seafood for UNDER $30.The portions of protein are impressively generous.

＊Crying Tiger with Garlic Rice $29** Served in a clay pot, they gave a hearty portion of perfectly seared steak over a bed of garlic rice. The steak carried a tender pink center and charred edges. The savory flavor of crispy garlic was simply addicting.

＊Pad Thai with Seafood $22 Generously tossed with shrimps and squids, the pad thai was complemented by the crunch of peanuts and a citrusy note from fresh lime. You just can't go wrong with the classic.

＊Thai Sweet Plate $15* LOVE IT. The mango was artfully arranged like rose petals and topped with lychee(?) popping boba. The oolong jelly was light and tea-forward, while the warm coconut taro custard ended up being my favorite. The whole dessert platter reminded me of all the best boba toppings in one place. Most importantly, everything was not too sweet.

＊Papaya Salad $16 ＊Elephant Roast Combo $19 I'd recommend sticking with their entrées and desserts, as the appetizers fell short. The papaya salad lacked depth of flavor, and the skewers...