Review of a late Friday night dinner. Â Our reservation was honored as soon as we entered. Â The "No Problem" response to a "Thank You" Â seems to be endemic in the wait staff. Too bad the staff has not learned to say "Your Welcome." Â Service was adequate but a little slow. Â After negotiating the huge menu of several types of cuisine, we chose a pear/gorgonzola salad, chicken and ribs, and a Loiie salad. Â All were OK. Â Too bad! Â The real problem in my estimation, occurred when the bill arrived with the coffee. Â This is something of a dismissal or invitation to please finish and get the heck out of the place. Â Shortly after the manager, if one could call him that, came by. Â We questioned him as to whether this is corporate policy. Â He indicate that this was done as a service to the patron. Â In fact, the bill is presented halfway through the meal at lunchtime. Â When I suggested that is hardly the way to handle a fine dining experience, he briefly argued then rudely turned his back and walked away. Â Hardly the way resolve a problem. Â I guess we will honor EB's desire for us to find other places to enjoy our Friday night Dates. Passing thought: If EB wants to be a fast food establishment, they should request diners pay when they order.
Review Source:First, there is not a single dish containing elephant on the menu...so I don't know why its called elephant bar if they don't serve it.
The wife had chicken marsala, which while not bad tasted more like chicken in a brown gravy with mushrooms than chicken marsala.
I had a steak and shrimp dinner. Â Steak was good. Â Shrimp were fair. Â The shrimp were served with an asian chilli sauce that, again, while not bad tasted pretty much like a generic chilli sauce that you can buy at any asian market.
Veggies served with both meals were pretty good.
Ordered the apple blueberry cobbler for dessert. Â Not bad but a bit sweet.
Service was good.
Restaurant is LOUD...almost to the point of unpleasantness.
The Olive Garden of Asian/Thai food. Â The location was nicely decorated with an African theme and very clean. Â We enjoyed the great happy hour drink specials before dinner. Â The dinner was acceptable, but nothing to write home about. Â Our service at the bar and at the table was very quick and the servers were pleasant and smiling which always make dinner a better experience. Â I would give it four stars but this dining room was so huge and so busy that it really seemed like an Olive Garden and I don't believe the meals can be made properly when there's seating for 450 people.
Review Source:2.5 - One star for cleanliness, another for happy hour drinks, .5 for just okay service.
Me and my girlfriends had a prebirthday celebration and yep, it was sorta disappointing. We ordered Creamy Mac n Cheese (3.50), 2 Salmon Roll (6 bucks), Ginger and Soy Calamari (6 bucks) - everything from their Happy Hour List. Plus 2 Maitais and a Mojito. We also had their Appetizer Sampler for almost 15 bucks. The only decent thing out of their food selection that we had was the Salmon Roll, and it was just okay, not superb, not memorable. We felt that almost everything was frozen and just deep fried when ordered. The Coconut Shrimp from the Appetizer Sampler was just meh, it's like fresh out of the frozen aisle from Safeway. And don't get me started on the Ginger Soy Calamari, Oh dear. We were confused if we were eating actual calamari or tofu. It was so bland and the texture was too soft. The drinks were okay though. MaiTai was on point. Our server isn't that bad either, but again not memorable or superb. Won't be coming back here anymore. Or any other Elephant Bar chains, unless they actually made something fresher than what they're offering now. Summary: Overpriced Frozen Food Taste :(
Im not gonna lie here, The Elephant Bar by my house (Torrance, Ca) is terrible. So I was reluctant to eat here. But since it was in Arizona, I figured I'd give it a whirl.
The African jungle theme is really cool at this place. The upholstery has zebra skin, elephants, and jungle; pretty cool. The service was pretty quick,me specially since we had 23 persons in our group. The drinks were flowing and the food only took about 30 minutes to come out.
I had Angel hair pasta with shrimp in lobster sauce. Overall, it was pretty good! Lots of flavor and plenty of shrimp!
I made a point to try other dishes on the table to provide the best review possible. I tried the shrimp plate, Mongolian Beef, appetizer sampler, and Breaded chicken. The food was pretty damn good. All pastas and meats were cooked just right with nice presentation.
I enjoyed my time here. The staff was nice, food was tasty, and drinks were flowing. All pointing to good times!
I used to love the elephant bar. We used to go about twice a month at least and now I find myself looking for other places. The food has been much more inconsistent and I keep trying to find something new to love and only find like. The jambalaya sauce has been different twice and neither time was the same as the other. The Thai salad dressing no longer has that great ginger flavor. I do like their burgers and the honey shrimp is good but not as yummy as my jambalaya used to be.
They do have great email specials and coupons and I will keep trying hoping that it goes back to the way it was. The service is always great and we usually ask for the same two or three servers whenever we go. I love the atmosphere as well. Just after a couple eh meals I am sad!
I wasn't really expecting this to be a clone of the Cheesecake Factory when I went with some out of town family, but it was very similar. Â The menu is way too large and covers nearly every kind of food you can think of except only having about two Vegetarian options which is a bummer. The restaurant was extremely hot the night we went not sure if they were over compensating for the cold weather or what, but it was very uncomfortable. Â My meal was a pretty poor interpretation of stir-fry with tofu I can't really recommend it as anything you should go out of your way for. Â Even the fried green bean appetizer was just a greasy soggy disappointment. The frozen food ones from the grocery are better and cheaper. Everyone I was with thought it was okay, but nothing spectacular.
Review Source:We love to go for happy hour! Great Deals! Been going to the elephant bar for a few years and the HH food and drinks are at some good, reasonable prices. Â We have yet to dine in the full dining room, but im sure the service, consistency is all the same. Â Bartenders are attentive and friendly. Â Missed 1 star because every time i order the Vietnamese shrimp rolls, they are hard and stale, I should just learn LOL.
Review Source:Our first time here was in August, 2012. I ordered the ahi dinner, I can't remember what my b/f ordered. Â Let me say the ahi was highly recommended by our waiter. Â The ahi had zero taste, had poor texture and it was like eating rubber. Â My boyfriend didn't even finish his dish. When asked how our dinners were, we were both honest only to have the waiter say, "sorry to hear that. can I get you the dessert menu?" Â Um, no. Â
We always give restaurants at least 2 trys. Â We went there again New Years Eve (12/31/12). It was busy, but no wait. Â They had a new menu of specials and I decided to try the sirloin and lobster tail. Â It was highly recommended by our waitress as "THE best lobster tail she's ever had..." Â She recommended the macadamia crusted mahi mahi to my boyfriend. Â We ordered sweet potato fries as an appetizer. Â
20 minutes later, we still didn't have the fries. Â 25 minutes later, one of the managers comes to tell us he's sorry, but I ordered the last lobster tail in the restaurant and the chef burned it on the grill. Â (Note: it was the first time in my life I ordered lobster tail, go figure). Â He recommended the jumbo prawns instead, which I agreed to. Â I also asked if we could get our sweet potato fries in 2012. Â 2 minutes later, our fries come. Â 3 minutes later, our entrees come (he says he took the prawns from somebody else's dish so we didn't have to wait any longer.) Â
The prawns were so-so, my steak was very overcooked, my b/f's mahi mahi was dry and flavorless, and my garlic potatoes were on the verge of cold. Â At this point, we just wanted to leave so didn't bother sending it all back for bad flavor and temperature.
All this being said, the service was good and they were honest with what was going on. Â Our appetizer was comped because it took 30 minutes, and my entree was comped for obvious reasons. Â No dessert this time either. Â After 2 tasteless meals, we won't be going back.
My family loves Elephant Bar. We go there at least once a month for happy hour, and their deals are fantastic. Good (stiff) drinks, great appetizers (though I wish they'd put the seared Ahi back on the happy hour menu). The service is fantastic.
If you go on a Friday night, get there early! It fills up quickly, but it's absolutely worth it, when you're paying between $4-7 for your drinks and appetizers. I've never been there for anything but happy hour, but this is our 'go-to' place.
Consistently good food and service. They also put coupons in the news paper from time to time. My favorites here are the thai hi chicken salad, orange shrimp, and creme brulee. My husband loves the jambalaya and burgers.
Tim is a fantastic server and I always ask for his section when he is working. He works very hard and provides excellent service. The managers always come around and ask if everything is ok. I also love the atmosphere here!
After a terrible visit to the Elephant Bar in Emeryville, CA, I decided to give it the college try and visit again in Chandler, AZ.
I should've followed my first thought and went somewhere else. While I will say that I love their happy hour drink specials, the food leaves much to be desired. I ordered the salmon rolls, which was disappointing. The roll was 92 percent rice, 5 percent veggie and 3 percent salmon.
The only upside was the waiter at the bar provided good service. I will never return again. The Elephant Bar is a waste of money and space.
We have been here about 8 times now. Every time we have a great time. THe menu changes all the time, but always a lot of really good choices.
Last night we ordered the Calamari starter. It was think pieces of cal steak ,lightly breaded and served with shaved bits of carrots and zuchinni. It was very good.
For dinner we had A tatse of China ,which was chicken and shrimp with brown rice(excellent) and I had the Burger with Sweet potato Fries, Another home Run.
every time good, we are always happy.
Plus they send out $7.00 coupons all the time. We used one last night as well. Fabulous savings. Clean bathrooms and lots of parking.
I have to say that I LOVE Elephant Bar, in general. Â Happy hour is a great deal, and the portions are perfect. Â The drinks are fun and yummy. Â I've loved the Scottsdale location and the Henderson location. Â We just moved, and this EB is about 10 minutes from our new house. Â In the last three weeks, we've been there three times. Â I keep going back wanting to love it as much as I have in the past, at other locations...but I just can't. Â The servers don't seem to smile (suggests to me that morale sucks at this location), the food is so-so, and tonight we got something brought to the table COLD..twice...and it should've been steaming hot. Â Both my husband and I have had upset tummies since our dinner there this evening, to boot.
Being new to this area, I rely on Yelp reviews, and I thought this might be helpful. Â While Elephant Bar might be great in some other areas, the Chandler location is a big AVOID in my books. Â Especially when Chandler has at least 10 other great restaurants within walking distance of this EB.
OMG, where do I begin? I had lunch Sunday afternoon while the place was dead. We were seated and waited on quickly. I was halfway done with my yummy entree of
chicken fried rice when I found a red twist tie in it! Needless to say, I didn't finish the meal. I spoke to the manager who was very apologetic and comped the meal, offered another, dessert, basically anything I wanted, but this was the second time I've found a foreign object in my meal eating here (the first time was last year) so I left a tip and walked out. No more trips to Elephant Bar for me. Â . .EVER!
First of all, I should say I go into a restaurant WANTING to love it. It is very hard to make me never want to return- I am a food lover!!
Early 2011. My husband and I received a gift card to this restaurant so we took my sister-in-law out. It ended up being embarrassingly bad, and we felt really bad for taking her here.
Our server was so rude! He was very unprofessional, and acted like he did not want to be there. I wish I could remember his name, but I did not bother to write it down. I recently turned 21, so was excited to try a new drink. I ordered a red apple martini and he brought me a green apple martini.
I do not like to send anything back, so I thought I would give it a try, and I ended up not liking it. I flagged him down and let him know that I had received the wrong drink. He said to me "are you sure?" and tried to convince me that I had ordered the green martini. It was very awkward, because I knew (and everyone at my table knew) that I had ordered the red martini. I asked if I could please just get the red one as the green one was not very good. He reluctantly took it away and then returned to our table several minutes later. In a quiet voice he said "Hey, if my manager asks, tell him you changed your mind, or I will get in trouble".
Overall, the experience was horrible. There were long gaps in time that our waiter was no where to be seen and at one point we had to get the attention of another waiter for water refills. A customer should never have to ask for a refill after their cup has been empty for 20 minutes. It was very rude. The food was nothing special, did not leave an impression.
We had planned to be there for an hour at the most, but from the moment we walked in to when we left, it was over 2 hours! The length of time of the meal should be dictated by the customer, not by bad service.
We felt very silly for having gone there. Most restaurants strive to give the customer an experience that they will want to return to. This restaurant did not give us that experience at all. Very unfortunate.
Came here for happy hour with a friend...first time for me, second for her.
Happy hour runs from 3-7pm. We had house margaritas ($3)--yum! Normal margarita, didn't taste like they had watered them down for cheaper prices.
Food-wise we had the sweet potato fries, buffalo chicken tenders, mozzarella w/bruschetta, spring rolls, and the salmon tempura. All of it was really good. We weren't huge fans of the spring rolls, but the salad underneath them was great! Dressing was light but had great flavors.
Ranged in price from $3.50-$6.50. Overall, we spent about $45--which gave us both a buzz and full bellies! We never even looked at the full menu.
Our server (who, I can't remember his name, sorry!) was super nice and on top of things. Not sure if he was impressed with how much food we packed away...
Will definitely be going back.
We got a gift certificate to this restaurant, so I guess we were obligated to go. Â I hate wasting someone else's money.
We had the Vietnamese Spring Rolls for appetizers. Â It's a commercialized Americanized version of Goi Cuon, a traditional Vietnamese dish. Â It was okay--not good, not bad, not what I expected and hoped for unfortunately. Â But I wasn't at a Vietnamese restaurant, so I had to dial down my expectations there.
The menu is immense. Â Probably way too big. Â That's probably some of the difficulty we had in this restaurant. Â Our extremely attentive waiter had to come back 3 times before taking our order because it took us that long to figure out what our kids wanted and then what we wanted.
I had the Bangkok Pad Thai with Shrimp. Â Shrimp was slightly undercooked, not particularly good. Â The noodles were Americanized, not very hot though I asked for extra "heat", and were just "meh". Â The tofu in it was very good though. Â At least I hope it was tofu. Â You can just never tell.
My wife had the Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger. Â The bun was very greasy, so she only ended up eating the contents. Â It was okay, standard sit-down restaurant burger.
One son had New York steak. Â Cooked to order (not undercooked as is common), and a nice cut of meat. Â Not bad.
Other son had Crispy Teriyaki Chicken. Â It was okay--nothing super special. Â But it wasn't bad, and he ate much of it. Â He's a very picky eater typically.
Overall, I'd put this restaurant in the category of "Chili's" and "Outback Steakhouse". Â Good for families and large groups, not very intimate.
The service was impeccable though. Â The server here for us was probably the best restaurant service that we've had in years. Â So kudos to that!
The be fair and balance out all the reviews of places I want people to go, I had to pick a place that I don't want anyone to go. Â
Granted, this place would have changed because it has been a couple years since I've been there.
So the first couple times I went there, it felt like an overpriced TGI Friday's and I really had no desire to return. Â But no... Â We had to do a team lunch there once. Â Again, completely forgettable meal, but what I will never forget is two of the guys in my group ordered this one sampler dish. Â Compared to the picture on the menu, it literally looked like they split a single portion over two plates. Â After taking forever, and then not seeming two concerned when one of my friends said, "I didn't order the kid's portion."
We still laugh and make jokes about this place. Â With all the better places around the area, I'm surprised it is still in business.
I usually don't review larger chains but I absolutely love Elephant Bar. Never had bad service there, they have a ton of options and their happy hour is fantastic. Drinks are good, great selection of beers and spirits. For food, you HAVE to get the calamari to start. It's unlike any other place and it's so delicious. The teriyaki chicken is great, lemon chicken is outstanding and the prices aren't too bad either. There are very few places like Elephant Bar and this location is the best one.
-Ethan
Hadn't been to Elephant Bar for several years, and was concerned maybe with the economy they went under, but I found the contrary!
Met a business colleague for lunch and was quite pleased with our server. She was attentive and polite and didn't check up on us too much.
I had the Kona Cooler, which had Red Bull in it, so I was set for the rest of the day..haha.
Entree was jambalaya - scrumptious. A very well made dish with the perfect assortment of rice, meat, and seasonings.
Will have to bring my wife and family back sometime. Thanks guys
Busy. That's one word that may pop into customers' head when they walk into the Elephant Bar for the first time. At 8:00 p.m. it still feels like the restaurant is at  its dinner peak, but despite this, a friendly host will be at the ready. The waiters were running around like mad; taking a few minutes to check out the enormous menu was not be a problem.
This African-inspired restaurant is mostly known for its Global Grill and Wok Kitchen entrees.  This being said, one option is the Crispy Honey Orange Shrimp from the Wok Kitchen ($12.95). Or opt for a lighter entree, the Japanese Ahi Rice Bowl  ($12.95). Instead of an appetizer split a tasty-looking Jungle Colada ($6.50). Although, what was supposed to be an alcoholic drink turned out to be a thick blend of pineapple and coconut ice cream blended with a bit of strawberry. It was WAY too creamy to taste any alcohol and would have went down better as a dessert than a drink.
The food came soon after and the entrees looked plentiful and fresh. The shrimp was tasty enough with red and green peppers and orange slices but there was nothing "crispy" about them. They were more mushy than anything else and the sauce was reminiscent of the syrup kids have on Sunday mornings with their Eggos. The ahi was enjoyable as well as the baked tofu and seaweed salad that came with it.
Overall, there was nothing spectacular about this safari visit. Everything seemed a little too busy and loud (the kitchen was right next to the tables). The service was slow at first, and the Jungle Colada was very disappointing. While the shrimp dish was tasty, there was nothing crispy about it, which made for excellent fryable leftovers.
Three elephants out of five.
One tip for those who haven't already signed up for the Elephant Bar's Passport Email Club is that customers can enroll now for a limited time and receive a $5 reward! This will cover a mini-brownie dessert which only cost $2.95 and has two scoops of vanilla ice cream surrounding a warm brownie!
For more info: Elephant Bar 3405 W Chandler Blvd Chandler, AZ (480) 899-8088
I do admit, this one was one of the better chain experiences I have had.
This was another one of ma's great adventures into culinary mediocrity. But since I am the youngest, I get to go along for the ride when she feels the urge.
Actually this one was my mom treating my girlfriend to her birthday meal.
My mom ordered some really big drink and I'm pretty sure I remember bamboo sticking out of it...It was interesting for sure.
I had a grilled portobello something or other. Tasty, but I was distracted by the crazy animal prints all over the place for most of the meal.
My girlfriend had chicken marsala, which I liked better than my meal. Nice sauteed spinach with garlic on the side. That one got approval from the whole table.
I truly cannot remember for the life of me what my mom had. She loved it whatever it was.
The place was a ghost town at the lunch hour. But well, huge square footage in a recession is never a good idea is it?
One vegetarian item on their HUGE menu that is not a salad or gardenburger??? You've GOT to be kidding me.
I ordered that one item, and while it was good, I do not want the same thing every time I come. Nor do I want a salad (which I can make easily at home) or a Gardenburger which I can easily microwave at home.
Dissapointment. Good thing I was not paying.
Oh man, I have a huge soft spot for restaurants with crazy over-the-top decor. Â The place looks like Africa threw up on it. Â Leopard-print carpet (nice!), giant elephant & giraffe statues, piles of old-timey traveling trunks--Elephant Bar has got it all and more. Â
Service is fantastic--very friendly and cheeky. Â The food is pretty good--nothing special, but reliable. Â You go here to revel in the gleefully cheesy decor and knock back a few, not to have a mind-blowing dining experience.
How do you spell average?
e-l-e-p-h-a-n-t-b-a-r
how do you spell mediocre?
e-l-e-p-h-a-n-t-b-a-r
how do you spell blah? Â (hint: starts with an E)
e-l-e-p-h-a-n-t-b-a-r!
if you ever ask someone if they can recommend a movie, and they tell you go see independence day! then that is the sort of person you send to elephant bar. Â blaaaaaaaaaah. Â it is in the ranks of firebird's and so on. Â i can't claim that the food is bad because it's so resoundingly mediocre.
if you are looking for a boring way to sustain life for just long enough to have a boring night with boring people in a boring place and on a boring day of the week, at a boring time of day, and with boring food and boring drink, boring menus and boring specials, boring beers and boring desserts, all while being mind-numbingly bored, then I say to you:
e-l-e-p-h-a-n-t-b-a-r
What do you call an elephant with glass slippers? Â Cinderelephant.
This elephant walks into a bar...
Had enough?
Me to. Â I probably won't be back to Elephant Bar. Â My food wasn't bad. Â It was just mediocre and overcooked. Â For the money I could go so many other places.
The atmosphere tries to be interesting and jungley-wungley with animal patterns all over the place. Â It struck me as a buffet in Vegas. Â I'm not quite sure why but that was the overall impression and it hit me quick. Â Not one of the good buffets either. Â A buffet overcrowed with blue hairs and sweaty tourists, a loud and bustling buffet with high prices and mediocre food.
To their credit (I think) the desserts we split were huge. Â I would call them family style. Â 1 dessert could easily have served 4 people.
I was not overly excited to eat here because this is just another chain with 'eh' food. Â This was my second trip to this place, but will probably be my last because there are just too many good restaurants in the area to waste time eating at run-of-the-mill places like Elephant Bar.
I agree with most of the other reviews that there really is no common theme for the food. Â You would think that it is going to be 'jungle' or 'island' themed, but I was at a loss as to what they were actually going for. Â The decor is unique and is jungle themed, but the menu was random. Â From potato skins and calamari to ribs and coconut fried shrimp; this was more of a more expensive Applebee's than anything else.
I also agree with most of the other reviews on here about the food. Â The portions and prices are almost reasonable, but the quality just isn't there. Â I ordered the burger and it was clearly from a package and frozen just a few hours before. Â The sweet potato fries were ok at best and really nothing special. Â Neither were the calamari, nachos, ribs, or tri-tip I tasted. Â I agree that all the food may very well have been from Costco.
I have nothing bad to say about the service. Â Our waiters were very friendly, helpful and quick and there were no major issues with our party of 9.
Taste is pretty tasty!
Took some friends to this place and they got drunk! Â Those margaritas hit hard.
Food is very good. Â Kind of like an asian, cajun, american mix. Â I had the jumbiliya. Â Pretty damm good. Â Service was great. Â Chica was over nice to me and I felt it was a duty to tip well.
High class, but good pricing. Â cant wait to go back.
I only give them three stars because the service is 4 star and the food is 2 stars.
The food by itself isnt horrible. It is horrible when you realize you are eating this at a restaurant.
The food would be good if I opend my freezer and poped the freezer stuff I just bought from costco in the oven.
Basically, I would be shocked if anything was house made. It all tastes like costco freezer food.
When eating there, you cant help but to feel like you are just paying someone to heat up frozen food.
Sapporo gives my that feeling too.
For a chainy place this was good.
Went there for lunch today. It was not bad at all. Sure its a chain, but does it really matter? Their menu is somewhat interesting. Most items have some kind of finicky twist to them. Service was good and ice tea was cold.
It could be cheaper or more interesting but its pretty good as is. Gotta try something new, right?
"I like"
**DISCLAIMER**
I rate only on the quality and consistency of the Coconut Shrimp
Chain Schmain! If you know what to order you'll be fine.
They have a pretty extensive Polynesian inspired menu.
Stay away from all that and go for the good stuff~
COCONUT SHRIMP ~Quite Possibly the best (see pics)
Their Tempura Salmon roll is pretty good too but can vary, this time it was a little over riced and the rice was on the sticky side, but it was still tasty.
I Only go here to eat those two items and occasionally their mini sundae which is super fab!
A scoop of vanilla ice cream set inside a crispy cinnamon sugar wonton bowl with chocolate sauce and whip cream! Perfection!
I've been to the Elephant bar twice and have never had a good experience. While I love the safari ambiance, which reminds me of the Rainforest Cafe in Arizona Mills, the food was lackluster. The restaurant's Web site (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Felephantbar.com&s=db16cbc2872cce75c45893bbff4a3959791c98befa2fe9797b797957235bd339" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://elephantbar.com</a>) advertises that 'The menu is unforgettable' but this is far from the truth. My burger was too well done here and on my second trip the Fire Grilled Mahi-Mahi Sandwich didn't sizzle with flavor like I anticipated.
Take the Elephant Bar for what it is -- a fun place to relax with a drink in a unique ambiance. Just skip the food.
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