3.5/5 - Great food for an affordable price!

Wide variety of Thai dishes. Got the Penang curry and it met all my expectations. Nothing crazy special or over the top -- just a nice warm curry over a healthy scoop of rice. The price matched the portion size. I felt full and my wallet didn't feel empty after leaving the restaurant :)

Really quick and friendly service as well. Would recommend coming here for some decent Thai food!

Their Pineapple Fried Rice is one of the tastiest things I've ever had. We also tried their Thai Iced Tea (LOVELY, it comes with bear-shapped ice), the Pad See-Ew Noodle Beef, the Roasted Duck Fried Rice and the Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango. We all agreed that the Pineapple Fried Rice was the best dish followed by the Pad See-Ew. The tea was also fantastic (and cute). Absolutely recommend coming to this place, they have so many dishes, it was hard to pick something! The waiter was also very nice.

Thai food a delightful balance of bold flavors, combining sweet, sour, salty, and spicy elements in every dish. Dishes like Pad Thai, Tom Yum Soup, and Green Curry showcase the complexity and richness of Thai cuisine. The use of fresh herbs like lemongrass, basil, and cilantro enhances each bite, while the spices bring a warm, vibrant heat. Whether you're enjoying a mild stir-fry or a fiery curry, Thai food consistently delivers a satisfying and unforgettable dining experience with every dish.

Amazing food, great service and atmosphere.
Got Green curry and spicy eggplant - highly recommend

Very disappointing. Our Tom Kha Gai was strangely sweet and lacked any of the dishes usual flavors. Our waiter was rushed (so much so, that I felt he was being quite rude), and he got our order wrong several times. We had to flag him down twice to ask for dishes he forgot about.

I wouldn't normally leave a bad review, but the combination of mediocre food and service left me wanting much more from this highly rated restaurant. Perhaps we were just unlucky.

This Thai restaurant is an absolute gem! From the moment you walk in, you’re enveloped in a warm, inviting atmosphere that feels both cozy and exotic. The decor is beautifully done, with traditional touches that transport you to Thailand. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, providing thoughtful recommendations with a genuine smile. Every dish is a delight, bursting with authentic flavors, fresh ingredients, and perfectly balanced spices. The Pad Thai and Green Curry are standouts, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Highly recommended for anyone craving a true taste of Thailand!

The food was great as we went in around closing and they ushered us immediately to a table! With great food and drink selection we were happy with the food we got (e.g., Pad see ew , Fried rice , and Calamari)! With us also getting great service with water being served and getting our food fast. With the ambience also being great and cozy!

Good Thai food, not amazing.
Somehow a raw piece of squid got into my dish of tofu with vegetables. It was gross and the staff replaced the dish, but only after I had to explain for a few minutes what the issue was. It was strange, I'm not sure what the misunderstanding was.
The noodle dishes were good. The mango in the dessert was nice but very fibrous and tart.

Not sure how this joint is scoring so high on the ratings. Granted that I only had food that goes along with beer and not the full meal, but yet, a staple like the chicken satay tells you a lot.

Chicken satay must be succulent, chewy yet soft, with plenty of flavor. The satay here was more like biting off a cardboard. Not the worst I've tasted but certainly not a Google 4.5 grade. The fried banana with ice cream was even worse. I wasn't sure what type of banana they were using. It was hard, not sweet, and almost made me wonder if they were using raw plantains.

As a Thai restaurant, you cannot survive by having such core dishes so wrong.

Won't be returning for any logical realms.

All the stir fries and tom yum soup was good!

The food is decently delicious and decently priced but small areas were lacking

Crab meat fried rice is pretty good.

Amazing place! Great atmosphere. It would be cool if there was a second floor overlooking the first floor. Also the pad Thai isn't really vegetarian if it includes shrimp 🍤 I would change that on the menu.

Very straight-forward and flavorful dishes, friendly staff

Good value, great food, and nice atmosphere!

Solid value and great taste in a super convenient part of San Mateo! Love that’s it’s Caltrain accessible.

Great food, fast service.

Great food, good ambience and helpful staff!

The food was absolutely delicious, the service was pretty quick, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was really quaint and cute!

Good food

It was very good

The food was delicious and had an authentic touch that made the experience even better. The servers were kind and attentive, offering helpful recommendations as we explored the many menu options. My family especially loved the beautifully designed flower wall at the center of the room, which added a charming touch to the atmosphere.

Food was delicious, super easy to share family style. The crispy calamari was soooo yum. The thai tea was really cute. They did a great job accommodating a large party of 8 but didn’t check up on us, so I’m giving fewer stars for service. 5 stars for everything else!!!

The food was so so flavorful, we absolutely loved every single dish. Highly recommend :)

Favorite Thai restaurant in the area! Fast service very delicious

Amazing tasty food!

Great food at good prices. Nice friendly service too!

Very good pad see ew. Tasted great and can’t complain.

Food is really good for the price! Great taste and vibe!

Great place. We go there all the time when we need a Thai fix

The crab meat fried rice was excellent 👌

Free Ice Cream for this!

I enjoy coming into this restaurant a lot. The staff is always so friendly

Delicious food

Best Thai food in the area. What’s not to love?

Get a pad see ew with beef and enjoy

Bomb Thai food

Delicious, loved the roasted duck noodle soup

The food is good but they definitely need more servers

Update: Thursdays are much nicer wait wise. Their pad-kee-mao was very hot even after requesting mild so beware

Very disappointing. Our Tom Kha Gai was strangely sweet and lacked any of the dishes usual flavors. Our waiter was rushed (so much so, that I felt he was being quite rude), and he got our order wrong several times. We had to flag him down twice to ask for dishes he forgot about.

I wouldn't normally leave a bad review, but the combination of mediocre food and service left me wanting much more from this highly rated restaurant. Perhaps we were just unlucky.

Good Thai food.

Amazing food!

Awesomeness

Great food as well as service

Good food with a nice ambience for lunch.

Nice place, good food, and excellent service

Quick service, amazing food, cute drinks, friendly servers

The foods is very authentic and taste like a real Thai foods. The service is so good. I would recommend it if you have plan to visit around pier 39 because it’s walkable distance.

Love this place! Best Thai in the San Mateo area.

Amazing food, great service and atmosphere.
Got Green curry and spicy eggplant - highly recommend

Good staff

Best Somtam in town!
We’ll come back! 👍🏻

i love the atmosphere and the food is always great. we come here routinely, never disappoints!

They took my last minute and made me a nice red curry. Great place with nice music.

Calming atmosphere, patient waiters. Accepted customers during closing.

Decent Thai food. Soup is served lukewarm despite it coming in a fire pot. Customer service is also decent. Cute place though!

Excellent food and service 👌🏼 crab fried rice was affordable and tasty - a rare combo. Pad see ew was also flavorful and delicious. Also dog friendly!

Very accommodating of dog & our baby had a high chair. Good food, had a good time with friends, thank you!

Nice food! We ordered the crab meat fried rice, it tasted really good! Atmosphere was nice too !

Ordered pad see ew, crab fried rice, and a combination beef noodle soup, all were delicious! We arrived around 5:30 and were seated in around 10 min, two other parties were ahead of us. Put your name down on the waiting list even if they don’t ask you to in front, it caused some confusion with the customers waiting!

Delicious! Fun ambiance & great staff.

Their Pineapple Fried Rice is one of the tastiest things I've ever had. We also tried their Thai Iced Tea (LOVELY, it comes with bear-shapped ice), the Pad See-Ew Noodle Beef, the Roasted Duck Fried Rice and the Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango. We all agreed that the Pineapple Fried Rice was the best dish followed by the Pad See-Ew. The tea was also fantastic (and cute). Absolutely recommend coming to this place, they have so many dishes, it was hard to pick something! The waiter was also very nice.

Great food and service!

Guys, you HAVE to try this place. Their Tom Yum Soup comes with a chef’s PERSONAL TOUCH! yes, an actual curly hair that looks exactly like a pubic hair. Such a unique experience, right? When we told the server, they just gave us a quick ‘sorry’ and offered to replace it, like that’s supposed to fix our appetite after seeing THAT. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to keep eating after such a one-of-a-kind 10/10 if you’re into surprises like this!

Curly hair in food, bad service, and taste like grocery store pre made food

Good food and value. Nice deals. Friendly staff. Taste quite authentic. Good location.

The food was very very delicious, and exploded with flavour in every bite!! I highly recommend this place, the staff was very kind!!

Great food

The most overrated restaurant in the bay area. The servers are not at all proactive and you have to literally create a fire to get their attention. We had ordered a drink with our order and they never brought it out. The Tom yum soup was served luke warm and not hot even though it was in a warming pot. The pumpkin curry had only two pieces of pumpkin. The mango in the mango sticky rice was raw and had little flavor. This was our first time visiting this restaurant and we were very disappointed. The only positive aspect of this place is the ambience. So if you want poor service, mediocre food, but good ambience, then this is the place for you.

Nice place. Nice people. Loved the egg roles and the thai tea! Never had cilantro in thai food before… I hate cilantro like so many others. Ordered Basil thai rice, no cilantro, no mushrooms, add pineapple. Got it without mushrooms, without pineapple, and ample cilantro. I was disappointed with the vegetables in the mixed veggie option, mostly big chunks of cabbage, very few pieces of broccoli and carrots. I also found it to be very salty and couldn’t finish it due to the salt and cilantro levels. Tried it again when it was cold later, wouldn’t come back to this restaurant. I do think many others would like it, and I do think it was a quality restaurant. However I did not like the vegetarian options here, and the lack of customization.

This used to be my go-to spot—I’d come every week and always loved the food. Unfortunately, my recent experiences have made it clear I won’t be returning.

On Saturday, Dec 7th, I ordered beef Pad Thai but was served shrimp Pad Thai instead. I’m allergic to shrimp, so I had to send it back and decided to cancel my order. Mistakes happen, so I gave it another chance the next day, Sunday, Dec 8th.

When I returned, I ordered beef Pad Thai spicy, but the server, “Ham” (with a feather tattoo on his arm), responded condescendingly, saying, “Spicy is too hot; you sent the order back yesterday. I’ll give you medium spice instead.” I explained that the issue wasn’t the spice but my shrimp allergy, yet he ignored my explanation. Feeling uncomfortable, I spoke with another employee about how the situation made me feel. Their response? “No worries, I’ll make sure the food is not spicy.”

This dismissive and patronizing attitude ruined what was once my favorite Thai restaurant. I won’t be coming back. 1 star.

Best padthai i town

Everything really good. We are a big party so the service was a bit slow. Otherwise, everything was good. Food very tasty. Highly recommend. Thank you so much!

Ordered a pad see ew but the noodles were not thick like usually are. It was not very oily which I like as many places tend to be extremely oily. Good flavour but a touch on the salty side. Also has the Thai iced tea which came with a very cute ice bear. It had a good tea flavour and was not overly sweet.

Food was delicious and the wait time was not much, or completely non existent. YUM

I love this place delicious food

Yummy and great service! A family night special!

The food was yummy. We ordered the curry puffs and they tasted amazing. The service was amazing.

Great experience, environment and delicious food! A must try!

Thai food a delightful balance of bold flavors, combining sweet, sour, salty, and spicy elements in every dish. Dishes like Pad Thai, Tom Yum Soup, and Green Curry showcase the complexity and richness of Thai cuisine. The use of fresh herbs like lemongrass, basil, and cilantro enhances each bite, while the spices bring a warm, vibrant heat. Whether you're enjoying a mild stir-fry or a fiery curry, Thai food consistently delivers a satisfying and unforgettable dining experience with every dish.

Great food! My toddler loved the noodles

Really nice spot, the food is delicious for its price and this is the few spots that make me really full after one meal

Everything was amazing

The food, service and everything was amazing

Lovely!

Great staff and food.

They have vegan options, ask to make sure!
Edit:
On a second visit we found chicken in a tofu dish. Not recommended for dietary restrictions.

Saw our party waiting and promptly skipped us and seated the party in line after us. They said it was because they had 4 people but we had 3 so we’d take the same amount of space? 🤡

Great food. We enjoyed the soup very much.

great food, service, and atmosphere. would definitely come back!

great vegetarian options, cute atmosphere:)

The service was a little slow and all the food came out at different times, but the food was fantastic

Don't go here if you're gluten free. I asked the waitress what was gluten free, she said everything that isn't fried or marinated can be made gluten free. Wrong. I ordered chicken satay, came back, she said sorry it's actually not gluten free. Then i ordered noodle soup with duck she said yes, gluten free, came back 5 min later, actually no it's not. I said okay what IS gluten free. She said the combo beef noodles. OK fine I'll have that. 5 min later, came back, no actually not gluten free. Seriously? At this point just bring me something I can have because 4 orders of being confirmed gluten free and then to come back and say no it's not is super frustrating. Turns out they had a tiny gluten free menu the entire time they didn't bring out. Whatever they made for me was okay tasting but the whole experience was so frustrating and so unsafe feeling, I wouldnt go here if you're gluten free because they just don't understand it.

Fantastic food, fast service

Great place to dine

Definitely five Star. Liked everything I had. Portions where legit. Yellow curry and pad Thai... Lawd. Super good. Will be back for sure

Super nice and good food will definitely recommend trying out with a group of people as you can try it all

Get the bbq fried rice

Food is great and service too. Took my date and we enjoyed it all.

This Thai restaurant is an absolute gem! From the moment you walk in, you’re enveloped in a warm, inviting atmosphere that feels both cozy and exotic. The decor is beautifully done, with traditional touches that transport you to Thailand. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, providing thoughtful recommendations with a genuine smile. Every dish is a delight, bursting with authentic flavors, fresh ingredients, and perfectly balanced spices. The Pad Thai and Green Curry are standouts, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Highly recommended for anyone craving a true taste of Thailand!

Good service

It was good

It was good

3.5/5 - Great food for an affordable price!

Wide variety of Thai dishes. Got the Penang curry and it met all my expectations. Nothing crazy special or over the top -- just a nice warm curry over a healthy scoop of rice. The price matched the portion size. I felt full and my wallet didn't feel empty after leaving the restaurant :)

Really quick and friendly service as well. Would recommend coming here for some decent Thai food!

Fire, service is EXCELLENT🥰

The food was great as we went in around closing and they ushered us immediately to a table! With great food and drink selection we were happy with the food we got (e.g., Pad see ew , Fried rice , and Calamari)! With us also getting great service with water being served and getting our food fast. With the ambience also being great and cozy!

Very welcoming, great food, short wait time, and friendly servers.

Got take-out but it was a fresh, calming atmosphere, efficient and pleasant service- the food came fast .

Amazing food and great service. Will be definitely back!

Very nice thai food, with great customer service and good ambiance. Would definitely recommend trying it out.

I’ve been to this restaurant multiple times and my favorites are their duck noodle soup, combo beef noodle soup, duck fried rice, pad thai, and tom yum soup! only thing i didn’t like was the roti and curry appetizer, curry was too thin to dip in. servers are quick and there’s a call button at each table if u need assistance. overall i like this place

Been here a couple of times. Some notable items: duck fried rice, and beef noodle soup. Very delicious!

Great place to get Thai food. Their papaya salad is really good.

Very good

Good service and good food

I highly recommend it, great service and delicious food

Wonderful place and amazing food!

We loved the crispy pork fried rice!

Yummy! Got the pad kee mao and it was delicious.

A lot of choices of Thai cuisine, and all the orders we made were delicious and generous quantity. Their service is very fast as well.

I’ve been going to this location since before it was new thai elephant and it has never been better!

Good service, Fantastic Thai food. Definitely recommend anyone!

Love this place!

Great food and the bear on the tea is so fun!

Food was okay, it was cold , too much raw onion. No carrots in the yellow curry

The food is excellent delicious and they did put too much raw onion in the food

AMAZING SERVICE

Food is good, price cheap

we love the customer service here they are so friendly and we love the location.

best Thai restaurants in the area hands down. I love their pineapple fried rice and the fried shrimp appetizer! The portions are generous and atmosphere is great. Highly recommended if you are looking for a meal in downtown San Mateo!

The duck fried rice is a must here!

food is really good

Very tasty food and good prices. Sprite, our server was very fast and accommodating. We love this place!

The food was so good! I got the pad see ew, red curry, and chicken satay. Everything tasted amazing and portion size was decent as well. They skimped a bit on the beef for the red curry, but my bill came out to $59 including 20% tip which isn’t bad. I even got a free thai iced tea and ube ice cream.

Got a noodle soup dish and the guay tiew lord - both were really good. Kid loved the noodle soup too

So so so wonderful. Great staff and environment. Would recommend to anyone!

Good Thai food with novelty drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic bursting with flavors. The papaya salad and green curry are top picks.

Food was delicious, especially the pork belly. Service was good as well, and the atmosphere was really nice!

Had pad ke mow and it was so insipid. Not even salt, let alone the bold flavors of basil. Sent it back and it came back the same - no flavor. Also they don't use rice wide noodle. Horrible food. What a waste!

Good veg options!

Fantastic! We shared 4 different dishes all super yummy

Love the food and the service here. One of our favorite Thai places.

Delicious please. Pad kee mao with pork really hot the spot

Aqesome

the staff was very friendly and the broth was delicious

Food was lovely

Price, food, and service are awesome! Staff are nice and friendly. Definitely recommended, and we'll be back

Solid spot for our family that we’ve been coming to for years. We’ve most of the appetizers, curries, and the chicken fried rice you can’t go wrong with. The staff is always courteous and friendly. Good ambiance and prices are fair. Would recommend!

I’ve been coming to New Thai Elephant for years and it always hits. The curries, the garlic chicken stir fry, and the roast duck fried rice are some of my favorites. The staff is always friendly and the ambiance is always nice. It’s a local favorite for our family.

Great service and respect for vegetarian people

Very scrumptious indeed

Very good for the price

Our favorite Thai restaurant in town! Our usual order is chicken fried rice, pad Thai, pad ew see, or red curry. Thai iced tea and mango sticky rice are also great. The service is fast and friendly. Wait times are usually none or short. A very warm and welcoming atmosphere great for a family dinner! One of our top picks for San Mateo.

Had the Pad Kee Mao. Both spicy and sweet flavor, very good. The curry puff also has a unique flavor to it.

The food and staff are great

Oversalted and I get stomach ache every time I eat here. Stopped eating here for a while, came back to get pad tai and got stomach ache immediately after

Super good food! Best thai food I have ever had!