The Elephant Bar is mine and my husbands favorite place to eat. We can have a wonderfully delicious 3 course meal and not break the bank!! The service is always excellent and the restaurant is always clean. It is a great place for families and even better for a night out with your honey.
Review Source:Wife's review:
So haven't been to the elephant bar in over a year and was looking forward to finally returning. Â We're seated and the waitress brings us two sets of silverware for three people. Â Drinks are ordered and an appetizer of garlic bread. Â When the drinks arrive the waitress only brings two, "oh I forgot the other one. Â What was it again?" Â Wait, wait, wait some more, finally the appetizer arrives but first it goes to the wrong table! Â Mixed reviews on the bread. Â I thought it was okay the others thought too much garlic. Â
The main entree arrives, but only for two out of the three of us! Â They sit looking at it, being polite, for the next five minutes waiting for the my entree to arrive. Â Shrimp is fine, rice not cooked all the way, and the veggies taste .. weird. Â
We are almost finished with the meal before we finally get drink refills. Â We sit for another five minutes, waitress comes by "did I bring you the check?" Â No you didn't. Â Another ten minutes to get the check and pay. Â Oh my, so sad, never going back!
If you want to get out and try somehting different, then this might be the ticket, but if you want really good food, I could give you a dozen recommendations without trying.
I've been to the elephan bar once, my take is a 90's theme restaraunt decorated to the nth degree, however the food was....dull and bland, not sure how else to put it. Even salads tasted like flavor was removed..how do you do that???
Take the kids, they will be wowed and distracted by the decorum but go elsewhere for good food. 2 stars, the food wasnt horrible, just blah.
The only thing exemplary about this place is how well it defines mediocrity. You see it everywhere, from the menu selection ("Now with pictures!"), to the way the servers say "My Pleasure!" in a phony and scripted manor; everything is designed to be as inoffensive to general American sensibilities as possible.
Everything about The Elephant Bar is very dated and reeks of 1990s theme restaurants. In fact, it looks like a caricature of every theme food emporium thats ever existed. Crazy crap on the walls? Check. "Unique" theme to attract suburban dullards and their kids? Check. Bland, tepid and safe flavors that are focus grouped to ensure that they pacify the largest population sample possible? Check.
The wife and I decided to stop here recently because we hadn't been here in years and we couldn't for the life of us decide on anything else. We eat out a lot and we reached that point where nothing sounded good despite being hungry.
My wife started her meal with what was easily the blandest salad ever made. The only way to describe the flavor is that it was "white". Somehow, they even managed to make the bacon flavorless as well. I'm still scratching my head on that one; to make bacon flavorless takes a peerless level of skill, no doubt. I had the shrimp platter. The fried shrimp was clearly frozen, lacking any semblance of flavor or texture. For some reason, the sauce that it was served with tasted exactly like the sauce Chili's serves with its southwestern egg rolls. Â Needless to say, the flavor was confusing. The teriyaki coated grilled shrimp were soggy and undercooked, not to mention the size of them were pathetically small. The sauce that came with the coconut shrimp was so saccharinely sweet it was inedible. It seriously made my teeth hurt. The fries were cold and mealy. They reminded me of old Burger King fries that had been served past their time.
Overall, the food wasn't gross. The service was decent. I was able to finish my meal.  The problem is is that the entire experience at The Elephant Bar seems to revolve around the tacky surroundings instead of the food. Before coming here, it had been quite a long time since I'd been at a restaurant in the "upper middle class chain market". I'd forgotten how soulless and bland a meal could be. At least places like Applebee's have been very public in abandoning the family theme restaurant template in order to survive. In comparison, The Elephant Bar seems like a dated, anachronistic time warp to  1998.
If you're looking for a meal out with the family, you could probably do worse than The Elephant Bar. However, by that same token you could do a whole hell of a lot better, and for less money.
I have been here 2 times and both times the food was good. The service was also good. The problem, and the reason for 2 stars is what I saw. The last time I went they F'ed up and sat me in the back corner next to where the staff congregates and eats. So what I saw was every waiter and waitress in the place stopping by this corner booth and eating food with their hands and then going back to serving the guests. No hand washing, lots of touching of each other, lots of finger licking after sticking a handful of fries in their mouth and then going and getting the drinks and plates of food for their customers.
Made me want to hurl and never go back.
My love and I ordered Asian fusion foods and were delighted with the tastes. Â The bill seemed a little high, but upon double checking it all added up. Â We started off with coconut shrimp and calamari. Â Both came with a nice vegetable medley dressed with something like a basalmic vinigrette dressing. Â They were both delicious, of course they were, they were both fried.
For main course we had the seared tuna salad and the honey shrimp plate. Â Both very good.
Two stars just because I thought our server was very good. Â They seated us behind a birthday party of about 15 with their obnoxious kids running around back and forth in front of our table. Â Note to parents: Just because you think little Timmy and Jenny are "precious" doesn't mean the rest of us do, and I don't need them hanging out in front of my table, picking at their butt. Â Yes, that really happened.
Anyway, the cocktail list was pretty extensive, and now I wish I had tried their acai black cherry mojito...I'm hesitant at most restaurants though to try drinks like this. Â The higher end ones usually make their own mix (or use a high quality one), but I've had too many bad mixed drinks that use a cheap sweet and sour. Â So I got my standby, a Blue Moon draft. Â This and a Hefe were the only "exotic" choices on the menu, everything else was pretty standard. Â Which is sad for a restaurant in Colorado with so many great local breweries. Â Hello, New Belgium? Â Great Divide?
We started off with the Vietnamese spring roll appetizer. Â $7.95 and we each got a roll apiece. Â They were tiny and not very well made at all...I picked up one half and it completely fell apart. Â The sauces were ok but I make a better peanut sauce at home.
My boyfriend had a raspberry iced tea to drink and it was straight up diabetes inducing.
We each got a side salad...it was a standard restaurant salad, nothing special. Â Mine seemed to have the dressing underneath the salad. Â Kind of strange.
He had a citrus grilled chicken breast and I opted for the pad thai with shrimp. Â The server asked me if it was ok that there was tofu as well; yes, absolutely, I love tofu. Â When I got it...no tofu to be found. Â No flavor to be found either. Â My boyfriend said the same about his chicken. Â This place was definitely a disappointment, especially at a $50 price point for the two of us.
The whole schtick seems to be an upscale Applebees or Chilis for people who are afraid of going to a more ethnic restaurant. Â The menu seems way too large, which definitely affects the quality of their food (watch Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon Ramsay says the same). Â I would've been happier going to Chilis or an actual Thai restaurant for Pad Thai: It would've been cheaper and much more satisfying.
Bottomline: Cheesy, tasteless and overpriced. Â Definitely won't be back ever.
A two star rating is perfect for this place. The food is pretty good, but they serve so many different types (chinese, american, mexican, a few others) that they don't do any of them particularly well. The service is annoying and come off as pushy and the food is sort of overpriced.
It's like a fancier Applebee's with a more extensive menu. No thanks, but if you're buying my food than maybe I'd be talked into it.
Not impressed with calamari and coconut shrimp apps. Very salty. Asked for grilled chicken to be added to my pear walnut salad which wasn't a problem (and I appreciated)! Husband ordered sweet and sour chicken  with white  rice and the chicken was mostly breading. The waitress asked about our meal and we told her about the excessive breading. The mgr came over and offered my husband another meal. Friendly staff and Did what they could to make the meal right which was appreciated.
Review Source:Ambiance: Attractive chain restaurant, decorated in a safari motif. Decent sized dining room, with a very large and inviting circular bar. Kind of feels like a PF Changs / Biaggis / Cheesecake Factory sorta upscale chain.
Service: Fairly busy on a Thursday evening for dinner. Met a few friends, who arrived at different times, so we opted for the few seats left at the bar, as there was a wait for tables. Service at bar was good, and we continued to sit there while we eventually ordered our entrees. No complaints.
Food: First off, extensive list of fu-fu type drinks. I ordered their mojito that was just ok, but I have had better, and it was rather weak. Bartender didn't really muddle the lime and mint the way they should. They had several soups to chose from, I went with their roasted tomato, that was a cream-based soup, and very good. Had trouble deciding on an entree (the menu is very large and very eclectic, trying to cover many types of cuisine.) I went with a grilled trout in a cream-based lobster sauce served with rice. The trout was decent enough, and the sauce was passable, though I was finished with the trout after six bites. Sorta pricey for the portions.
Overall, I like this place enough, though I do think it is over-priced (our party of three with a few cocktails, one appetizer and three entrees came to $140 plus tip.) Can't help but think I could have spent the same for Mackenzie's Chop House, Blue Star or Edelweiss, Anyway, I enjoyed the meal here.
I don't normally review chain restaurants. Â But this is a chain that unlike Chili's doesn't have restaurants at every street corner around the country. Â
Everything on the menu looked delicious. Â They had many unique combinations of asian infused style food. Â We started with the lettuce wraps. Â The presentation was great but they tasted more like thanksgiving stuffing instead of the way that the PF Chang's version tastes.
For dinner I got the Chicken pesto and mozzarella sandwich. By its description, it should've been great but it wasn't. Â The bread was dry and the accompanying salad with Italian dressing was overly oily.
The best I can describe the place is that it was mixed. Â Great atmosphere, good service but marginal food.
Wonderful place to go. Fun atmosphere, with unique decor. Happy hour times are 3-7 weekdays with great prices. Waitress was  extremely friendly. The menu is a bit intimidating with lots of selections. The chicken marsala is amazing! This was not my first time eating here and definitely will not be my last.
Review Source:Come here just for their Happy Hour and order their burger with sweet potato fries, so delicious! Stay away from their flavorless chicken tenders; I had to drown them in honey mustard just to acquire some semblance of flavor ...
Their French dip is average: the bread is a bit on the dry side & the au jus is lacking in flavor but at least they pack on the beef, so it's a pretty hefty-sized sandwich. As always, order it with sweet potato fries on the side for an extra dollar: totally worth it *yum*
The kids' cheeseburger is a pretty good sized burger, not really good for toddlers
Went there on a Saturday night for dinner. The parking lot was packed and we had a short wait, which was fine since we got there at prime dinnertime (6:30). It was maybe a 10 minute wait.
We got menus right away and had time to flip through them before the waitress came to get our drinks/app orders. We actually ended up having enough time to decide on everything, so when she came we ordered dinner and drinks together.
One of the parts that I found to be awkward is that they offer sides, but then the meals come with certain sides already included in the price. I ordered the Moroccan chicken, which came with couscous and spinach. I don't like raisins in my couscous so I didn't want that, and I don't like spinach. I was allowed to order the macncheese instead. My friend ordered lettuce wraps as a main and macncheese as a side. Actually the waitress suggested bringing the macncheese out as an app, which was awesome. Unfortunately the food came before our drinks did so that made for some thirsty macaroni eating. When our mains came out we reminded them that we still needed our drinks. We weren't mad (just thirsty) and everyone was very nice and apologetic about it.
The macncheese was pretty good. It was made with 3 cheeses and covered with "breadcrumbs" which looked a lot like croutons to me. They tasted alright, I just don't really dig breadcrumbs or crackers or anything like that on top of things. The pasta itself was good, but not as rich as I was expecting. I'm very picky about macncheese though. It was good, it just wasn't what I wanted it to be that night.
The Moroccan chicken I got was spicy, and covered with roasted tomatoes and I think candied or preserved lemons. There was a lot of cinnamon in the spice rub too, which gave it a sort of "spiced apple" feel. Kind of odd. It had a nice smoke to it too, which the waitress said was from their oak wood grill. That smokiness was a very nice subtle touch.
My friend got the lettuce wraps with mango salsa, which she said she liked.
All in all the menu seemed to be really cluttered to me. Some may call it eclectic but to me it's just too busy.
The food was good but nothing to rave about. I will say that the dessert I kept seeing (I think it was the mud pie) was ENORMOUS. I kept seeing it pop up on the bar to go out and they were, I swear to god, the size of an 8 year old child's head.
So. 1 star for the cluttered and confused menu, and 1 for the drink fiasco. I'm still not mad about it and I tipped her, but it still affected my general view of my visit.
Bottom line-will I go back? If I'm up that way, I might. It's not exactly my style of food as I prefer a smaller, more specialized menu, but I would feel ok recommending people here who are used to eating Panda Express as Asian Fare. Plus there aren't many places around that offer Polynesian food that I know of.
Went here today for a late lunch, with kids & grandkids. Â The menu has something for everyone....seafood, sandwiches, rice bowls, chicken & steak...all with a little fusion of the pacific. Â We got two kids specials - - corn dog and chicken stir-fry- - and four entrees - - kung pao chicken (extra spicy), seafood, seafood and chicken - - with tea. Â Good service; food was quick and hot; everyone loved their food. Â We will definitely go back to try other dishes. Â You can even get burgers & a very attractive selection of salads. Â Cost was reasonable for what we got. Â It's not fast food; but, it's a good place to try a few new things.
Review Source:With the kitchen so close to a number of tables, I've had some less pleasant dining experiences when my conversation has to compete with clanking plates and harried cooks. Otherwise, the food is good, especially when we use a coupon for discounts. I don't go there on Friday or Saturday because it's crowded, and it's also a popular pre-Prom destination. I wouldn't recommend it for a leisurely dining experience but the food keeps me coming back...
Review Source:Went here with friends and found the decor to be very interesting and the menu being even more odd. It seemed to be an American restaurant with an Asian executive chef. I was confused but happy with the food I had. Service was quick and friendly. Would go back again next time I'm in town.
Review Source:One of the weirdest restaurants I've been to in my life. On the menu, you could get everything from a hamburger to Shanghai cashew chicken. I felt as if the chef couldn't decide whether to make an American, or Asian/Pacific-Rim restaurant. One of the most unique menus I've seen.
With that, I decided to go the Asian route and order the chicken teriyaki. It wasn't bad, but I've had better at a "real" Asian restaurant. I heard from others that the portions were monstrous. I would like to dispel that myth, by saying that I was done with my entree in less than 5 minutes...easy.
One of my friends got the mud pit dessert and that was pretty huge, so next time, I think I'm going to get that. My Creme Brulee was unfortunately, pretty tiny.
A unique menu, with American and Asian fusion. I will probably go back, so I can tackle the mud pie.
Better than most chains I've been to, but maybe that's because I'd never heard of it until I moved to Colorado Springs from Chicago. Â We had the Ahi Tuna appetizer, it was super good, so was the chicken noodle soup, my salad & my boyfriend's Chicken Marsala. Â A pretty solid margarita to boot.
The reason for four stars instead of five? Â Well, it is a chain, and I'm still having a hard time adapting to all of those around these parts. Â And the bar is set so I almost dropped my drink in between the bar & the brass rail about four times. Â Not a big deal, but super annoying.
Our bartender was very nice and courteous as well. Â I'm sure we'll be back.
Pretty good stuff! Â The decor is very fun and exotic.
The fried Calamari is probably the best I've ever tasted and there may not be a sandwich that can top the "Smokehouse." Â The service is fast and was friendly. Â They also have a "Giant Cookie Ice cream Sandwich" as a dessert item.. one word... Awesome!
The only complaint I had is the noise level, it's a bit on the high side, but still a fun time!
I used to live near this Elephant Bar when I lived in Colorado Springs. Â Even though it is a chain (that is mostly in California), it was one of my favorite places to dine, that was near my house.
The options are plentiful and a little more exotic than a typical restaurant... although like most restaurants the vegetarian options are more limited. Â But the food always tasted good.
The drink menu is nice... although a bit expensive. Â One of the better Italian Margarita's I have had.
I always enjoyed the appearance on the inside. Â Pretty cool design for a chain restaurant.
Now that I live in Denver, I have still not tried the Elephant Bar location at Belmar in Lakewood.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,916 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
