Hello, my Celiac and gluten-free friends. This week I'm in Iowa City and we went to Blue elephant. Let me tell you all about the great stuff I experienced. As soon as I asked about gluten-free our waitress ( Jacqui) She was amazing and kept making sure that I am okay with all of the answers . She gave me the gluten-free menu. They seemed very knowledgeable about the things I can eat and I cannot. And she actually brought in the gluten-free soy sauce to show me and I enjoyed it very much and I was very appreciative of that. I had the spring rolls with gluten-free soy sauce and the chicken garlic with sesame oil. I felt very safe eating there. They made so many accommodations for me and I appreciate it. Delicious! If I can give them 10 out of 10 I would.

The food tastes great and they have very decently sized portions. Their appetizers are good for sharing between 2-4 people. I especially liked their veggie spring rolls, the vegetables in them taste so fresh and the dipping sauce just adds to the great taste. My favorite dish is the shrimp fried rice. They also do take out orders. I would just say that their service is a little slow. Other than that an overall great place and would recommend.

Wow! Finally a good Thai restaurant! Had the Pad Kee Mao and it was delicious. My husband had the Tiger Cried beef and has a new favorite now! They have signs everywhere saying they are understaffed and to expect a long wait time but don't let that throw you off! They got our meal out during the lunch rush VERY quickly! Loved our meal here .

DoV: a Friday ~mid-March 2024

Food was very fresh. Though a bit too sweet (again my problem with too sweet Americanized Thai food)!

The place is very nicely decorated.

There was no one to greet us at the door so we waited a bit and called a few times. They have sign saying that they are short-staffed.

Bottom line: will go again if we visit the area in the future!

We all loved our dishes. Super well balanced and not over oily. We had seaweed salad, ginger beef rice, and coconut panang. The place was clean and service nice. Definitely will return!

Wow. We will return - maybe tomorrow. 😂 The savory Gra Paw Moo Grob (fried pork belly) was packed full of charred flavor and topped with deep-fried basil leaves. The red curry had a billion layers of flavor, slightly sweet and creamy with tons of heat (but you can set your own spice level). The rice was cooked perfectly. The fish cakes were such a yummy surprise. The Yum Talay (a cold and bright seafood salad) is a nice, keto-friendly appetizer option. This menu is huge. Good wine selection. And the atmosphere was bright, unique, and relaxing and very well-kept.

Serene and relaxing decor with calming turquoise walls and ceiling. Looks fancy, but in a low-key way. We were seated right away. Our server was beyond amazing. So friendly, attentive, and informative. Our food arrived relatively quickly. We ordered the crab rangoon, potstickers, Thai basil fried rice with shrimp, and the Gra waw (*sp?*) with tofu. Everything we ordered was tasty. Overall, a good place to eat. Heads-up: 3% charge for using a debit/credit card, which can be avoided by using cash.

Wonderful Thai restaurant! Food was so good, and I love the atmosphere. This is the second time we have been there and will definitely be going back. All of the people working there were very friendly.

Blue Elephant is definitely a hidden treasure that I hope to visit more often. Our appetizer and entree were perfect!! Highly recommend this place!!

Absolutely delicious food and great service!

Wow! Finally a good Thai restaurant! Had the Pad Kee Mao and it was delicious. My husband had the Tiger Cried beef and has a new favorite now! They have signs everywhere saying they are understaffed and to expect a long wait time but don't let that throw you off! They got our meal out during the lunch rush VERY quickly! Loved our meal here .

Hello, my Celiac and gluten-free friends. This week I'm in Iowa City and we went to Blue elephant. Let me tell you all about the great stuff I experienced. As soon as I asked about gluten-free our waitress ( Jacqui) She was amazing and kept making sure that I am okay with all of the answers . She gave me the gluten-free menu. They seemed very knowledgeable about the things I can eat and I cannot. And she actually brought in the gluten-free soy sauce to show me and I enjoyed it very much and I was very appreciative of that. I had the spring rolls with gluten-free soy sauce and the chicken garlic with sesame oil. I felt very safe eating there. They made so many accommodations for me and I appreciate it. Delicious! If I can give them 10 out of 10 I would.

Always love coming here! The food is super fresh and flavorful. The service is impeccable, even while short staffed. Highly recommend the Blue Elephant Noddles and Thai Spring Rolls.

Can't say enough about this casual Thai place on the Coralville strip. We've struggled to find light, wholesome food in the SE Iowa corridor. Blue Elephant serves hot, spicy, vegetable-filled meals with no drama, at a reasonable cost. Their papaya salad is one of the best I've ever tasted - left us feeling great. And special thanks to the staff who went out of their way to accomodate my husband's shellfish allergy. Service was superb. A real find in Coralville.

Outstanding flavors and great service. Would highly recommend to anyone who is craving authentic Thai!

Drunken noodles were great, tons of flavor. Second time here and both times everything was great.

Hands down the BEST. The spring rolls are so fresh and come with a delicious dipping sauce 🤤 Pad Thai has to be among top 3 I've ever had! This place is a gem and the staff are so friendly!

I am addicted to their Coconut Soup and Spring Rolls

The best

Great food will go back again

Met a friend for lunch, foods and service was excellent.

Small thai restaurant. But a little pricey for thai food

So delicious!! Friendly service. Leftover Pad Thai for tomorrow! Win win! Will be back!!

Great Indian food and excellent people!

Good service and good pho. All the spice is there and flavor.

I have eaten here a handful of times and always find something new I love. The staff have always been very friendly. Would highly recommend to check this out.

Food (crab fried rice) was really great the first time I went there.
Next time it was okay, but not as good as the first time.

Great Thai food! I got curry, which I love!

Great Thai restuarant

Pad Ki Mao 4 spice level was awesome. Great service and price

Holy shit!!!! This is the worst restaurant i have ever tasted in iowa city for my 40 years live. Noodles taste like ketchup mix some crazy cheese and salsa. Fried rice is like 1000 tons salt in it. I drink 3 cups of water to get through on it. If i can i want to give negative 1 rate star!!!!

Had the Hawaiian fried rice with chicken. Game day at the university - not too busy. Muy bien!

Meh food.

We love this little gem. We enjoy Thai food & especially love the red curry here, it's delicious!

Excellent

Great atmosphere! I love the greenery and plants they have in the restaurant. Service was prompt and the food was delicious! The ingredients used are high quality in my opinion. They also use actual crab!

Food and service was great! The waitress did so so much, and kept up with everything beautifully even though they're short staffed. Prices have upped since the last time their menu was shared on Google, but very understandable with inflation. Entrees mainly started at $15 or so dollars. Great portions, good quality food! Will be back!

Absolutely amazing food so flavorful the pot was moist and yummy. The appetizers are great. Tom soup was amazing.

Awesome decor

Best pho in Iowa

First time visiting this restaurant. Very nice restaurant and love the staff! Food was good...will be going back to try some different dishes.

So delicious! Reasonably priced and absolutely authentic. Loved the curry selection and will definitely be eating here again!

The food tastes great and they have very decently sized portions. Their appetizers are good for sharing between 2-4 people. I especially liked their veggie spring rolls, the vegetables in them taste so fresh and the dipping sauce just adds to the great taste. My favorite dish is the shrimp fried rice. They also do take out orders. I would just say that their service is a little slow. Other than that an overall great place and would recommend.

Best Thai food in this area!

Wonderful Thai restaurant! Food was so good, and I love the atmosphere. This is the second time we have been there and will definitely be going back. All of the people working there were very friendly.

Don't waste your time or money. I ordered one of the "house specialties" - Seafood Pad Thai. Two small shrimp, one scallop, lots of knobby calamari available at WalMart and mussels not listed in the description. Was supposed to have a light sweet and sour sauce, but there was no sauce at all. It was a pasty mess for $20.50. House Specialty? Service was nearly nonexistent. Don't expect to eat with your party as food comes out of the kitchen one or two plates at a time. Can't think of any reason to return.

The best pad Thai in the area. The female server is so nice and friendly. Great Service and Food

Outstanding the service in the food were way way beyond what I could have envisioned. I will definitely return with more friends

Wonderful food. Good selections for a vegetarian and gluten free as well.

I liked the food, atmosphere and the customer service. I had the drunken noodles with all the vegetables and took home a mango meal they just got back in season. I would recommend it wholly.

I like their curries and fish cake. However i wasnt a big fan of their chicken wings which was more like a chicken wings curry..

Quite good and authentic Thai food. Adding to our list of restaurants! The tom yum soup was quite solid. And sticky rice dessert nice

Food and service was great! We came here on Mother’s Day and they were busy and short staffed..they did a wonderful job taking care of us and the tables around us!

worst thai food ever had

Food was meh.. average at best

Very understaffed and that could be changed if management were to hire non-Thai employees. Ordered Tom Yum steam pot. 1/2 the size of a normal serving for this entrée. Ladle wouldn't even fit!!! Bland and worst version of Tom Yum I've experienced!!! I made owner aware and she was ambivalent. My advice? FIND A REAL THAI RESTAURANT!

We all loved our dishes. Super well balanced and not over oily. We had seaweed salad, ginger beef rice, and coconut panang. The place was clean and service nice. Definitely will return!

We had the crab rangoon appetizer, Penang & green curry. All were fantastic. Spice levels were on point. Great and super quick service.

Always a favorite!

DoV: a Friday ~mid-March 2024

Food was very fresh. Though a bit too sweet (again my problem with too sweet Americanized Thai food)!

The place is very nicely decorated.

There was no one to greet us at the door so we waited a bit and called a few times. They have sign saying that they are short-staffed.

Bottom line: will go again if we visit the area in the future!

This place gave me food poisoning, and according to other reviews, I'm not the only one. I started feeling sick after eating the appetizers and only felt worse later. The crab rangoons didn't taste right, and the beef was too salty to eat. The traditional pad Thai tasted good, and our waitress was nice though. Prices were kind of high.

Amazing pad kee mao!

Create birthday dinner for Mom Good service good food

Worst Thai food I ever had. Noodles were mush, Pad Se Ew doesn’t taste like any Pad Se Ew I have ever had anywhere in the world. Way overpriced compared to competitors. Took forever to get an order in. I would not return.

Had a great birthday party for Mom great food great selection good service

Best Thai in Iowa City hands down!!! The crab fried rice is sooo good

Even being understaffed, I got my food in a timely manner with kindness. I enjoyed the atmosphere and have no complaints. They will be receiving my business for Thai food in Iowa City!

We arrived at the Blue Elephant and the looks on the inside and outside are very comfortable and welcoming. We got seated very quickly (but keep in mind that we came at a less busy time) and immediately the waiter made sure we were comfortable with our seats and immediately got us water. We got our water and ordered. (Their menu consist of amazing cuisine from different places that you don't usually find in Iowa) Our food came out very fast, and I did not know how amazing this food would be. I have to say, My expectations were pretty low but Wow, this place exceeded my expectations. We ordered: pho (for my sibling) and the rest of the table shared: Tom Yum Seafood Pot, Blue Elephant Glass noodles, and Panang Curry. All were delicious and amazing. The food was a tapestry of salty, sweet, and tangy (Very Umami). My

Amazing authentic Thai. Pad Thai tofu is awesome. Sticky rice dessert to die for. A must in coralville

Love love love their Pad Thai Traditional

Spiciness scale (1-5) stars underwhelming. I asked for 4 stars for my Pad Thai dish and it's probably a 1-2.. If you like it spicy, like REAL THAI spicy, ask for a side of spices to add yourself.

I also think that there should be seating INSIDE the actual restaurant for take-out orders that aren't ready yet. There's a chair in the vestibule and there's a bar to to sit at. Bar seating isn't appealing to me. That's just me.

VERY FRIENDLY and PROMPT.

I travel every week of my life and eat Asian food a few times per week. Never in my wildest dreams would I think that I would find my favorite Thai restaurant in Coralville, IA. The pad see ew and pad kee mao are fantastic, but I don't have a picture. Got a lunch special this time around and it was magical, not to mention a great value. There's a HuHot up the street if you're a dumpster fire of a human being. If you appreciate good food, eat here instead.

This place is fantastic ! I am vegan and they are very accommodating. I love ordering take out from here because it tastes amazing, this is the only place around coralville that I would recommend simply for the taste, and if the vegan dishes are good, then you know that the meat dishes must be delicious. Personally, I strongly recommend the broccoli stir fry or Pad MaMa, if vegan: ask to omit egg, oyster sauce, and fish sauce.

Have eaten here twice. Great food and service. Favorite thing: they don't skimp on the peanut sauce for spring rolls!

I've done take out and eaten in. The food is always good but sometimes the food is better than others. It's usually take out that can either be good or great. When i have eaten in the food has always been 10/10. There have been times when my take out order was forgotten and getting someone on the phone can be really hard. But overall this is a very lovely restaurant and I highly reccomend everyone to try it.

The appetizers were really the star of the show. Crab rangoon and there was a fried crunchy rice appetizer that were great

My partner and I LOVE this spot. The service, quality of food, and atmosphere is always on point. I love to get the drunken noodles with shrimp, Tom Kar soup, and/or pad Thai with shrimp. My partner loves the Hawaiian rice and Tom Yum soup. We also love their starters, especially the spring rolls and/or the crab Rangoons. Don't miss out on the Thai tea's as well, they are a sweet beverage definitely worth trying!

I ordered take out-Tom Kar soup and Ladna. The soup was ok but missing the flavor of lemon grass and coriander seed that I look for. The ladna was advertised with broccoli and greens, but came with carrots and no greens. It made the dish sweet instead of bitter. Too much greasy gravy and not enough veg, it was more like soup. Also, the noodle portion filled only 1/2 of the smallest carton, and the grease in them smelled snd tasted old, stale.

The food is amazing!! We stop here every time we drive though on road trips

Great atmosphere and the food is delicious. Tastes very unprocessed. Love it.

I had to ask if anyone was going to serve us. We waited 20 minutes before anyone tok our drink orders. Aside from the poor service the food was Amazing. Management needs to hire more staff.

We surprised my aunt for her birthday here. We had a baby in a stroller and a wheelchair user. Staff was super helpful and found us a nice space that could accommodate us well. The food was delicious! We tried each other's dishes so we could taste different dishes. The crab rangoons were delicious, as well as all of our dishes! (I'm forgetting names of the dishes we had)

I strongly recommend eating the Drunken Noodles there. Everyone in our group loved the dish they had ordered. Delicious food.

Amazing food and atmosphere

I took my husband with me to this place and he was a bit skeptical about the authenticity but when he took the first bite he was impressed 😋 excellent food, service and atmosphere and we will be going back for more and try everything on their menu. 😉

Serene and relaxing decor with calming turquoise walls and ceiling. Looks fancy, but in a low-key way. We were seated right away. Our server was beyond amazing. So friendly, attentive, and informative. Our food arrived relatively quickly. We ordered the crab rangoon, potstickers, Thai basil fried rice with shrimp, and the Gra waw (*sp?*) with tofu. Everything we ordered was tasty. Overall, a good place to eat. Heads-up: 3% charge for using a debit/credit card, which can be avoided by using cash.

Wonderful food!

Best Thai food ever!

Very nice relaxing experience. Friendly staff and delicious food. Have been back twice and will probably make it back when we return to Iowa City.

Wow!! Amazing food and HUGE portions. Quiet, quaint and gracious staff. Lovely place!! Come hungry!!

They do decent Thai food.

Service and atmosphere were great! My waiter was very cool. The food needs more flavor. Tasted a little plain to me.

Another place with the annoying 3% "convenience fee". Just build it into your prices. All the American Thai dishes you expect- nothing remarkable. Menu is way too large, which leads to mediocre food. Figure out what you do best and feature that, don't list 6 million dishes.

Order for to go noodles and red curry. The red curry lacked of flavor. I can’t smells kaffir lime, lemon grass, cumin, coriander and even taste the shrimp paste. This was our second order for to go. I don’t know why this restaurant got almost five stars. THIS WAS NOT AUTHENTIC THAI FOOD GUYS! They loaded you folks with a lot of sugar. No wonder diabetic significantly increased among US adults.

Wow. We will return - maybe tomorrow. 😂 The savory Gra Paw Moo Grob (fried pork belly) was packed full of charred flavor and topped with deep-fried basil leaves. The red curry had a billion layers of flavor, slightly sweet and creamy with tons of heat (but you can set your own spice level). The rice was cooked perfectly. The fish cakes were such a yummy surprise. The Yum Talay (a cold and bright seafood salad) is a nice, keto-friendly appetizer option. This menu is huge. Good wine selection. And the atmosphere was bright, unique, and relaxing and very well-kept.

They’re short staffed so don’t expect stellar service. I will say they did bring out my food faster than I expected.
Had the coconut soup and spring roll. The soup wasn’t my cup of tea but the spring roll portion was sizable and worth the price.
The basil fried rice was just okay - enough to satisfy your hunger but nothing fantastic.

Thai restaurant in the Iowa city coralville area. The food here is very good but definitely on the pricier side given that the portions are on the smaller side.

It's a pretty good place to eat with family, I would like come back any day.

An excellent dining experience. The food was fantastic and it had the perfect spice level for my taste. The prices are fair and the service was exceptional as well. The spring rolls were one of my favorites on the menu, but everything is excellent.

My yellow curry and Thai iced tea were amazing!! Do not skip over this gem!

Very glad we chose this place. Everything was amazing and with the good sized portions we got to box half for later
We had: traditional pad thai, one with chicken and the other seafood.
Fried rice ball.
Thai iced tea and thai iced coffee

I ordered 3 dishes to go with spice level 1 but one of the dishes was super hot and burned my lips and mouth after two bites. I called the restaurant and the person who answered the phone put me on hold three times. I told him that I wanted a credit for the dish that I could not eat, then I was told that the chef made the dish spice level 1 and I would have to bring the dish back for him to look at it. Clearly they don’t care about the experience that the customer has when eating their food. I even gave a tip on the to go order, so with the cost of the dish and tip I am out $20 for food that I cannot eat. Will never return.

It was a delicious meal and the staff was wonderful! Try it...you won't be disappointed!

Such a good find on our road trip. Both the beef tom kar and the tiger cried beef were really good, tasty, and well seasoned. I settled for a lvl 2 spicy out of 5: it was the right amount to feel it without committing to a full-on spicy meal. Lastly, the mango and sticky rice portion was good, even if I was hoping for more mango: the one portion was enough for me and my wife to share.

Go there. We went on RAGBRAI day during a thunderstorm and they were very fast and attentive. Imagine how they do under normal currently. Food was excellent, which is the most important part IMHO.

Excellent Food !!! I will be back

Stopped here over Ragbrai. Got the Drunken Noodles and Yellow Curry. Amazing flavor and perfect amount of sauciness. Would recommend!

Really good Thai place

We stopped here for dinner. It took a little bit of time for our food but they were busy and they let us know in advance how long it would take for us to get our food. I had chicken fried rice and it was great. Service was very pleasant. It was an overall enjoyable time during our visit.

Best pad Thai I've ever had and well worth the price.

Best Thai food around. Service was quick. Food delicious. Professional and friendly service.

Good Thai, nice staff.

The owners/wait staff are always super nice. My orders have never been wrong and all have been delicious! Curry puffs are phenomenal, among many other items. They also provide a good proportion of meat to noodles (rather than too many noodles).

Fresh Thai food, clean space, great staff. Plenty of parking and conveniently located.

The food was AMAZING. Truly delicious.

Quality of the food goes down when they see you as a regular

Really loved the food . I tried pad thai with spice level 5 and it was really tasty

Absolutely delicious! We had a great dinner. Kind staff and quick service. Will be back again.

excellent service and food!! we got the elephant noodles and a chicken stir fry dish and were asked what spice level we wanted 1-5 for both dishes. we love spice so we picked 4 and 5, neither were uncomfortably hot (for us), just enough for a lil nose run. i can’t shut up about how good the food was and would recommend any day! and almost every dish had a tofu or veggie option so pretty veg friendly. they also had signs posted about being understaffed but despite there being several tables and takeout orders their quality of service was not sacrificed at all. 10/10

We love Blue Elephant! Their chicken pad Thai is amazing!

Amazing food and the service was fast with what they have for staff! So kind and you can tell it’s made with love. Will be back forsure💛

Stopped here on the way from a road trip , food was excellent , actually fairly unique for Thai , just in their style. chu chee fish was very delicious, more creamy than we have had but very good , traditional pad Thai was great comfort food, and even better they had funky İsan style papaya salad ! İt was not a true İsan tum mak khun , with crab bits and all, more like an introduction to isan style , still it was fresh and funky , so you can't go wrong , we hope to go back

Delicious food. Friendly service. I cant wait to go back!

They did a good job

The food is SO good, restaurant is always clean. Definitely recommend

The food was hella over price. Food wasn't that great either. Flavor is off balance. Never going there again.

Food isn't good up to expectations, and over price on every dish, also was automatically charged for tips during checkout.

I absolutely love this spot. I do have to say, if you LOVE spicy food then this is a good place to try. They can give you the kind of space that will make you sweat and it’s amazing. Every bite is delicious.

Authentic Thai food in Iowa! Be prepared with the spiciness, even a 2 out of 5 (most spicy) is already very hot. Tried Thai Iced tea, Tom Yom soup, Curry Rice, and the Blue Elephant noodles. Great choices!

Fussy Vegetarian here- LOVED their Blue elephant noodles with Tofu!

This is the best place in town in my opinion. I've ordered almost everything on the menu at least once and have always been completely happy with the dish. The staff is wonderful and the restaurant is cute and clean. Tons of vegetarian options, generous portion sizes and always perfect on the heat levels.

Absolute best Thai restaurant!

Fresh squeezed orange juice, awesome french toast, and delicious chicken tenders. We will absolutely be back to try more.

Had the Tiger Cried Beef, so yummy!.
Got it at a level 4 spice and it was making me cry!

Good food!

Absolutely Excellent! The food was worth every dime.

Love this place! We usually order curry and summer rolls. Interior decor is pretty and welcoming. Food is consistently good, one of our regular stops for takeout

We have eaten here twice during our time in Iowa City, everything is delicious! The service is top notch, we were well taken care of. We dined once with the kids and once as a date night. The staff treated our kids like family.

Loved the pad thai and seafood pho! Super well seasoned and portions were large! The staff service was so friendly and helpful. The interior of the restaurant was very well decorated and super cute. Would highly recommend this spot to anyone in the area

The food was delicious and we both enjoyed the meal!!

First time. Combination Pho, beef and shrimp. Tastes fine.
However, literally two small (3/4" x 3/4" and 1-1/4" x 1/4") chunks of beef and two shrimp. $18 total. Not a good value.

Great local Thai place. I had the pad cha and it was excellent. Great lemongrass, coconut, and basil flavors with an adjustable heat level. Had an appetizer (yum kao tod) with some toasted rice, veggies, and peanuts that was surprisingly delicious

It’s always so hard to find good Thai food but this place was phenomenal! Service was good even though they were short staffed. Egg rolls are the perfect texture and the outside is crispy and not too thick, so delicious. And the wontons were also amazing, this is a place that doesn’t skimp on the filling! For my entrée I had fried rice and it was the best I’ve had! So much flavor. I also loved the wide variety of healthy foods. Will come again!

Great Thai restaurant. Great food and service

Would have rated higher if the server would have stopped by sometime between serving our meal and bringing the check. Great food! Like, absolutely outstanding!

Surprisingly great food! We were in IC for a shopping trip and needed dinner. The place is low key, and the food took a little while, but what we got was delicious! The crab Rangoon was full and crispy; perfection. We had Gen Tsao's and a chicken and green onion entrees. Very good heat and flavors. Even the rice was good and not clumpy. Large portions, too, and they worked with my diet restrictions.
They do lots of takeout orders. We plan to go back.

The staff is fantastic and the food is even better. We have tried almost half the menu between everyone in our family and not a single dish has been disappointing.

It was our 1st time there after a friend told us about it...We weren't disappointed! Loved everything! There was a little language barrier between us & the waitress, but it all came out fine. We would definitely go back & try something different again.

Very tasty pad Thai. Hubs and I agreed we would come back. Slightly pricey, but very nice staff and atmosphere. Definitely worth it.

Order steam tofu with pad thia, delicious

Very good Pad Thai!

Excellent Drunken Noodles