New Thai Elephant — Restaurant in San Francisco

First time patrons and my family was excited to find a Thai restaurant near the Fisherman’s Wharf with great reviews. We waited approximately 30 minutes and upon receiving our table, ordered crispy tofu, spicy eggplant, two sticky rice, chicken noodle soup, iced water and Thai iced tea. We received the crispy tofu first and I began nibbling on it. The two sticky rice were then delivered to our table in small wicker baskets. I opened the top and began removing the foil of one when I noticed a medium sized black insect crawl out of the bottom of the basket. Grossed out at this point, I alerted my husband as it began running across our table. He tried killing what I believe was a cockroach. We were trying very hard not to cause a scene, but I don’t do well with insects and my disgust and anxiety began to build. The waiter then brought over our spicy eggplant and soup. After setting down the large soup bowl, a smaller black cockroach began running across the table. Not sure if it came from the soup bowl or the wicker baskets again, we alerted the server about the two insects we observed. Not having taken a bite out of any of our food except a nibble from the fried tofu, we communicated that we could not stay and eat our dinner because of the insects we saw. He was very apologetic and we left the restaurant like sprinters in a 100 meter race.

My family was extremely disappointed with the New Thai Elephant experience. Cockroaches are a major health hazard and carry diseases. After leaving, I wondered if the restaurant had an infestation that the owners have neglected to take care of. That evening, our dinner was disrupted and it was frustrating having to search for another, reputable yet more sanitary restaurant. For the sake of the public’s health, I hope the owner will take my review seriously...

Ordered delivery from Uber Eats, food came in about 35 minutes (about 3/4 miles away) and was delivered hot and fresh.

The sliced beef noodle soup had a very unique and surprising flavor, the color makes it look savory, but to our surprise it was on the sweeter side with aromas of fresh basil and spices that delighted the palate. We got the flat rice noodle which soaked up the broth and made for mouthfuls of goodness.

The second entree we ordered was the Tom Yum Goong, their hot and sour soup with Shrimp… this is by far my favorite flavor combination in a soup, I love the sweetness with the nice spicy kick at the end. This soup came full of juicy mushrooms that didn’t overpower the taste of the soup, plump tomatoes and nice big pieces of shrimp… nothing took away from the sweet and sour broth which stuck out as the key flavor profile for the dish.

We got the egg rolls and cucumber salad as appetizers, finished the salad in one sitting and a had a few egg rolls left over after finishing… the egg rolls were crisp and the filling was not too mushy, really light… most of the flavor came from the dipping sauces.

This is a great meal for delivery, one would think that soup may not do well with delivery, but these guys have their process down… convenient and quick.

Thanks for...

We visited New Thai Elephant (SF) for dinner and ordered roti for starters, Pad Kee Mao with chicken, green curry with veggies & tofu (no meat/fish sauce) that came with Jasmine rice and ordered Thai Tea.

The roti was just okay- we’ve had far better at Thai Spice at where it’s crispier and the sauce is more flavorful. The Pad Kee Mao was just okay—we’ve had much better elsewhere. The green curry, however, was a real letdown: the consistency was thin and watery, more like a soup than a curry and the jasmine rice was also a little burnt. The Thai tea was also disappointing, lacking the rich flavor and balance we usually enjoy. Just the presentation of the Thai tea looked a bit cute.

We’ve tried many other Thai spots in SF (Thai Spice, Farmhouse Thai, etc.) and they are far superior in both flavor and texture. Even photos of our past meals at Thai Spice show the difference in consistency.

Cleanliness was another concern. Plates and glasses had visible black marks and looked overused. We also ended up asking for to-go cups for our drinks instead of using their overused glasses.

Ambience was only average. Overall, we wouldn’t recommend New Thai Elephant when there are so many better...