When the store opened up years ago the food was decent. The last two times I have been there the food tasted old and the service was awful.
The last occasion I dined here my friend and I ordered an appetizer and two chicken dishes. The potato in the appetizer tasted stale. The chicken in both dishes smelled as if it had started to rot. Neither one of us took more than two bites from either one of our meals. The waiter asked us how the food was and he told him we thought it was spoiled. We were not trying to get free food, we just didn't think they should be serving bad meat and thought they might not know. Our waiter said "Sorry you didn't like it," handed us our bill and quickly walked away. We paid our bill and never even asked for a refund, but did not leave good tip because the guy never even refilled our waters while we were there.
The other waitress working that night was letting customers hit her in the ass with a napkin. She was having a seriously loud and inappropriate conversation with some obnoxiously drunk customers. At first I thought they were harassing her, but then I realized she was actually enjoying the conversation.
We left shaking our heads at the food and the poor service.
This is a solid Thai restaurant in town mostly because it is good quality and the kitchen is open late. There may be a few other Thai restaurants in town with slightly tastier food, but you won't be disappointed by this place. I've been coming here for years, and always leave satisfied. I've never had a problem with the service, and the atmosphere fits for the restaurant / bar thing. I've heard the Pad Thai isn't so hot here - I prefer curry.
The food is delicious and consistent. Some reviewers on here are complaining about how the restaurant ran out of spring rolls one night... really?! Guess what - it happens. At least it's a sign the food isn't mass produced and frozen.
New name! New venue! Beware!
Me and a couple friends passed by this place on a Friday night and the bartender was standing outside. I asked him how much it was to get in and he said "free" and pulled my friend inside and rushed to the bar. Â My friends asked for a drink and they both asked how much the drink was. The bartender told them "2 dollars" and held up two fingers. At the end of the night when they went to pay their tabs, they were charged $32. When they asked the bartender why the price wasn't what he said, he claimed "I never said your drinks were 2 dollars". Â Don't trust this guy.
He also had "friends" that came up to us throughout the night suggesting drinks. It was a little strange.
I won't go back. Creepy experience and the bartender obviously lied.
(only commenting on the restaurant)
I would have given this place a 4-star rating, but the most recent times I've been back have influenced me to drop a star.
As noted by Chelsea A., there was one night where they did not have (or "ran out of") spring rolls, which is inexcusable IMO. I can understand not having a more "exotic"-ish kind of appetizer, but spring rolls should be a staple that should NEVER be out of stock! Also, the wait service has been spotty: it's either really attentive or, well, really not. I think there has been some kind of management shift/change in between time, but that's just my assumption.
Despite all of this, the food here is satisfying to my limited Thai palate, especially the chicken Pad Thai and their beef w/ broccoli dish. Definitely a hot spot for the late night/club crowd in Tower: a plus for the people watchers.
Well it satisfies my hunger for super late night Thai food. Â Another then that it's really just a drunken mess. Â The service was good and the people watching was great but not some where you could take your parents. Â If your out with your buddies, I think it would be an excellent time. Â Watching super drunk girls stumbling around held by men thrice their age. Â I'm not hating or liking Million elephant but it is what it is..................
Review Source:I have to downgrade the rating since my last one. When I was here last, no spring rolls. No spring rolls? C'mon now. That's the whole reason I go to Thai restaurants. Although I do admit I prefer their Tom Kha Gai soup over any of the other Thai places in town.
But no spring rolls? For shame.
The girlfriend Caroline Lemon Lime was so damn hungry for Thai that we decided to check this place out. We got out appetizers like 15 mins after we got our main courses which was pretty lame. The money balls were overrated especially for $10 bucks. Yellow Curry was pretty good and was a little spicy, and my gf liked the Pad Thai which I thought tasted ok.
Review Source:Being a newbie to Thai food, I've yet to learn to differentiate what's actually "authentic" Thai - and what's simply "thai-ish - that being said, I met a co-worker here after work hours to nosh. Â He suggested an eggplant dish and the sticky rice.
Tell you what - that sticky rice was yum and that eggplant dish (have no idea what it was called and apparently, they no longer serve it) was freakin' delicious.
The next morning I realized I must have left my doggie bag on the the table and was bummed - I would give this place a second go-around.
I was disappointed in their food recently. Â There's better Thai food in Fresno. Â Had sticky rice, panang curry with chicken and their phad kee mao with beef. Â All of the veggies were tasty, but the meats were tough and bland. Â
Panang curry, in my opinion, should be thick and sweet with hints of peanut. Â At Million Elephant, the panang curry is watery and weak. Â
This is a popular place in the Tower District that caters to those that have spent the night in a bar until last call. Â From what I've read, perhaps their food needs to be tasted after spending a night swilling ethanol and various other mixers. Â This could be why even with the two drinks I ordered at Million Elephant, I did not taste what I would have if I had consumed more alcohol.
On a more positive note, the drinks were good and surprisingly cheap.
All in all, I will not return to Million Elephant by my own volition. Â Perhaps, after a night of binge drinking I'll crawl there and try again.
First off, I have this habit of reviewing on Yelp when I have a bad experience (might seem unfair, but I don't like paying good money for bad service/food/value without feeling the urge to inform others).
Million Elephant recently was a bit of a let-down for me. Usually, my Wife and I order take-out and out of the three times we've done so, the last two visits weren't good. Breaks my heart too because their rad prik chicken Thigh the first time I had it was incredible, but since then it hasn't been good (I only returned because of that particular dish... major let-down that they haven't been able to be consistent).
This last (and I should add "final") time we did carry-out there was such a tremendous let-down in regards to both the food and the value. I understand that certain restaurants will have their "off nights", but two out of three times makes me not want to return.
Like I said, the first time we had carry-out from Million Elephant was a very positive experience but has since gone way downhill (new Chef maybe?). I'll focus on our last (definitive "last") visit...
We had talked up Million Elephant to our friends who recently had a baby girl and decided to take them some good Asian cuisine to celebrate. I ordered two orders of rad prik chicken, two orders of sticky rice, one order broccoli beef, one order of cashew nut chicken and two orders of egg rolls.
First, to discuss the rad prik chicken. It hasn't been the same the last two times I've visited. Used to come with a really nice sweet-chili sauce, but the last two times it's just been meh... Instead of that wonderful flavor explosion that's put the restaurant on the map for that particular dish, it's just been chopped and breaded chicken thigh thrown in a fryer with very little flavor. Had my friends and I reaching for some sriracha... The dish was definitely missing something and I'm hoping whoever cooks the rad prik chicken from now on will realize the importance of that wonderful sauce they used to toss it in. Without it, I might as well be eating popcorn chicken bites from KFC (at least KFC adds some salt...)
Next, the sticky rice. When I ordered, I asked the girl taking the order if two orders were enough to feed four people (THIS would have been a GREAT time for her to upsell...) and she assured me that two orders were indeed enough to feed my tribe. It wasn't. Not even close. Now before you assume I'm the average "Meat & Potatoes" Fresnan, I'm not. I've actually worked the trenches in many a restaurant so I know that at certain restaurants, small on size but huge on flavor can be a good thing, especially with tasting menus, but we're talking about rice people. Rice. Sure it was sticky and went great with our flavorless rad prik chicken, but the portions (both of them) were ridiculously small. When I picked up my order, the girl who took my credit card told me that both orders of rice were in one container. No problem to that, but upon opening said container, I was shocked to find two very small (I'd guess about an ice cream scoop full) portions. Seriously, there couldn't have been more than 4 ounces total. Basically, about a spoonful per person. Not enough rice at all...
The broccoli beef and cashew chicken (I know, Chinese food at a Thai restaurant... what can you expect) was also disappointing. First of all, the broccoli beef should be renamed "broccoli with essence of beef" because they were extremely skimpy on the meat. Come on Million Elephant... I know that beef costs more than veggies but seriously? If I wanted a vegetarian dish, I would have ordered a fucking vegetarian dish. The cashew chicken DID however have a lot of meat and seemed to be the only decent dish amongst the entire order (although there was a disturbing lack of sauce). You may want to ask your Chef why he prefers to make food that makes you cough dust after you eat it. Not to be a jerk here, but again the sriracha was put to ample use with our group (along with some "shudder" Panda Express chili sauce packets...)
Now onto the eggrolls... The inside filling was delicious. The outside was nicely crisped. My only issue was that half of them were sloppily rolled and had broken open in the fryer. Those ones that had broken open became a very greasy (and burnt) mess. Edible, but again disappointing.
To wrap things up here, I plan to give Million Elephant one more try but I can't currently recommend them to friends until the kitchen gets their shit together and they address the portions. I'm not expecting Flinstone-sized slabs of meat or heaps of starch (I can get that crap at Applebee's) but for almost $70, it WOULD have been nice to have had enough food for four people without us all left hungry and disappointed.
There are far too many really great Thai and Laos restaurants in this town that do a far more consistent job in regards to the food and value. Please, oh PLEASE get your act together Million Elephant!
Not too shabby. The spring rolls are fresh but lack mint. Good curry, but not great.
It's a little over priced for Thai food in Fresno if you ask me. Spring rolls for $9.00 and here's the part that really kinda left a bad taste in my mouth, I was asked what type of rice I wanted with my curry, sticky or steamed, I said how's the sticky, he says it's awesome I'd go with that. This would have also been a perfect opportunity to say but it's also $3.00 and the steamed is free, but he didn't. So when I got the bill and saw $6.00 in rice I was a little disappointed to say the least.
Over all the place is not bad. I might keep searching as I come back to Fresno though.
One of the best spots in the entire valley for a meal after midnight, and it packs a punch: delicious spicy seafood curries, the million fried rice I can't get enough of, and a ton of noodle dishes. The salmon rad prik and choo chee salmon are amazing, crisp texture and a complete infusion of flavor. The moneybags are a great group starter too.
Service is quick and friendly, and the owner has always been cool with us. The bar crowd is up and down, sometimes I'm glad I don't come alone. The drinks are a little on the pricey side - worth it back when Thomas bar tended, and Vanerie is pretty cool too.
Take a few friends and explore the Thai side!
Visits: 40-50
I use to go there alot. Almost every weekend after bar hopping or clubbing. In the beginning, the owner was very friendly and the waitresses made our time there special. Customer service was awesome.
I gotta say though when the place got busy and got alot of attention, something changed. One time I brought 12 co workers with me to check out then one if my favorite after dark eats. I found out the waitresses were not working there any more. The new one were not as out going and fun. On top of that my owner saw me, mind u a regular, and didn't even break his stride to say hi. Of all the times I've been there, the food is always consistently  good, just wish the portions were a bit bigger. I haven't gone back in a while. Hopefully when I do, it will get back to how it use to be.
I know I've had better, but their Chicken Phad Thai is amazing, and the bartender DEFINITELY delivered (had the Banana Rama & Black Superman - $7/ea)
Everything is served family style, and most dishes are under $10. I went with a party of 4, and we ordered 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and soup - which was surprisingly just the right amount of food. Aside from the Phad Thai, the Tom Yum Koung was DELICIOUS (spicy and sour soup with prawns, mushrooms, lemon grass and herbs) -- however, I must admit I didn't care so much for their Calamari or Spring Rolls.
They really need to invest in some bigger tables, but that aside - this place is "winning!"
One upon a time, I loved to come here, before and after my night of bar hopping. The food was good, drinks were abundant, and service was friendly... Update: Â this place is awful and I've banned myself from coming here ever again. The last two times I went to this restaurant/bar, service was horrible, food was bland, and the waitresses were bitchy. Â (Read more if you're interested in the specifics.....)
I showed up one night with two of my friends. As always, we seated ourselves to one of the table since it wasn't crowded, and the workers never seem to mind anyway. We waited for about 10 minutes and still, Â there was NO service. I finally went to the bar and asked for some help. When the waitress came over, Â she had the nerve to ask us to move from our table (which seated a party of 6) to a smaller table. Seriously??? The place wasn't even busy! I'd totally understand if there was a big party waiting to be seated, but there were no more than 10 customers in the whole restaurant! Anyway, I was going to argue with her but decided against it since I've always had good services there. I only realized later that the service was not going to get any better. When I asked for some lime to go with my pad thai and laab that tasted bland, she came back and literally dropped the slices of lime in front of me and didn't say a word. Talk about bad attitude. She also must've passed by our table at least 3 times but never refilled any of our drinks. Worst of all, she didn't even even check up on us or even try to fake a smile. Come on, at least smile! In conclusion, never ever coming back again. I'll just hit up some taco shops before and after my night of bar hopping.
The best phad prik tilapia in town. Great service, fast hot food and one of the few nicer restaurants that I know that the staff are quite genuinely friendly. I will take all my family here if I could. Great place for dates, good spot for family who wants to eat out and maybe dress up a little. Train the little ones to have public manners.
Review Source:After living in San Francisco for so long I was a little skeptical when my boyfriend suggested thai the other night...
Let me say out loud, Million Elephant I am sorry for ever doubting you. Â
the chefs take special orders to spice up your dish and OMG my yellow curry spicy was amazing, the thai rice to die for and the pad thai... pieces of heaven in my mouth!
For a small place that is open till three I am impressed, we normally go during the week so it is never overcrowded, and the staff is friendly, attentive, and QUICK. Â
Thank you thank you thank you for making me feel I am home for the hour it takes for dinner and knowing that AMAZING Thai is right around the corner!
Oh, Million Elephant, how I used to love you. I loved you through many rough patches. Mostly, I loved you because you were open late and I worked nights. Then you decided to spice things up with the club music sometimes, and drove us crazy. There was also that unfortunate incident with the very soused bartender a few years ago -- the time when I asked for water and your bartender sprayed me in the face? And screwed up my order so completely? And then screwed it up again? And then dropped containers on the floor? And then ran my credit card twice and didn't ring up my friend at all? Yeah ... we didn't come back for maybe a year, until we forgave you. And perhaps the bartender was fired...
But that's in the past. I have fond memories of you. The food usually was pretty good, and we had been there so often that one of the servers always remembered us. And then there was Thomas, the saucy bartender, who more than made up for the shortcomings of previous people with his banter.
So when we went back to Fresno last week, we couldn't think of anything else better to do than to visit our favorite old Thai haunt in the Tower. (Especially since Thaiphoon seems to have gone.)
Well, while we didn't have a George-the-bartender type experience, neither was it good. Our rice was kind of gross -- my sticky rice container had the remnants of old rice petrified at the top. My spouse and a Fresno friend also didn't like their rice. My chicken in my masaman was pretty gross, too. It was mostly dark meat and not really done the way I like it -- just sort of rubbery and underdone. It was enough to put me off Million Elephant.
Lucky for me, I don't have to rely on Million Elephant for my late night cravings after work any more. I have moved on from Fresno, and sadly also Million Elephant. It was a decent few years, but I can finally give you up. And really, that drunk bartender was enough the first time.
Ahhhh. . looky looky. I guess I'm the first to review since their new addition, their nightclub.
So, I've been here waaaaaaaaaay before they turned into a nightclub and before anyone knew what Million Elephant was :)
The food, for all I can remember was sub par. I can't remember, for the life of me what I got. It was maybe like, what when I was like 17? I can remember being charged up the ass. Hey, I was a highschool student, Â so I probably didn't have the funds at the time. Oh wait, that's right, I bought 2 beers as well with my cousin's I.D. Right. .
But anyways, on to the nightclub. I'll be surprise if this place stays open. Its your usual & typical Asian scene. You might find a couple mexicans, black folks, and the typical awkward looking white guy in  the corner bobbing his head up and down lol. .
Lots of underage kids, will I get in trouble if I say this? I guess its not a bad place to party considering Fresno has what, some odd numbers of clubs to offer. .
Leading to my conclusion, Fresno is boring. . including it's nightclubs.
It's been about 6 months since my last visit so i forgot how good the food was here until last night. This place is hands down the best Thai Restaurant in Fresno..maybe the best Thai Restaurant I've been too! I'm not a big fan of fusion foods and living in LA is all I get. The food here is very authentic meaning that they might use MSG, but I don't care. A little won't hurt. Â We were here late at night and decided to dine outside. If you like to people watch, dine outside and enjoy the crowds that bar hop through out Tower.
We ordered beef laap, tom yum soup, pad thai and a salad. The beef laap was so delicious! The meat was so juicy and full of flavor. It went so weil with green onions, red onions, cliantro and lime. It also had the perfect kick to it with the addition of thai chilis. I'm making myself hungry again from reviewing this!
Overall, I love the food here and I love how late it stays open. I believe they stay open until 4AM on some nights. Â The service is also great here. Very friendly staff and also very helpful.
I have eaten at this place several times, and each time (as a vegan) I approached it cautiously, ordering the ONLY thing on the menu sure to be vegan, which is essentially a plate of vegetables for about $10. You have to order the rice separately. This time I went with my fiance, who is vegetarian. He ordered the Pad se something (big noodles), He wanted soup, so I asked the waitress if any of the soups could be made without meat or fish broth, and she said the only one was the sweet and sour soup. She assured me no fish or meat broth, and it would be vegan.
My fiance had ordered the pad se without the sliced egg, and vegetarian instead of meat. It arrived without meat, (but with no tofu or anything to replace it) but completely filled with scrambled egg. Whew, talk about smelly. I can only imagine how THAT will smell later tonight.
The soup arrived, and you could smell the broth a miie away. Definitely a combo of beef/fish broth. Do people really think that vegans cannot tell when there are meat products in their food? My fiance fished the mushrooms (nice that they were fresh, not canned) and other vegetables out, and the four pieces of tofu, and ate that with rice (which we had to pay separately for). I ate just the plain white rice. I do have to say I asked the waitress for some soy sauce, basil, ginger and peanuts on the side, and she kindly obliged, so that's what I ate on my rice.
With a soda, a drink and tip, it was $40, not really cheap for what I was able to eat. This is not the first time this restaurant has done this. The only Thai restaurant I've been to where they did not lie about whether they could make something vegan or whether there was fish or meat broth in items was the old Thai House in Clovis.
I'm not going back there again unless I feel like paying $10 for a plate of plain vegetables, and paying extra for white rice. ICK.
I dined here with a very good friend of mine (and fellow foodie) after the Fresno Zoo's "Wild Fresno" event. We were greeted by a very pretty hostess, and dined on some amazing spring rolls, followed by Mongolian beef, and another dish which I can't recall now, but I remember loving it! (Wild Fresno, remember?)
We left, and went to another drinking and dancing establishment, but I walked by later on my way to the car and saw they had a KICKIN' nitelife going on. Music and beautiful women, and a great festive vibe!
Amazing food and a cool nitelife? How can you go wrong? I'll definitely be back to the Miliion Elephant; this time sober enough to offer up a better review! (at first)
I love Thai food. I really want to like this place but the last two times I have been the food was way grody.
pad thai: the noodles are always over cooked and the sauce tastes like slightly scorched corn syrup with fish sauce. The chicken is leathery and stringy and tastes like it has been sitting under a heat lamp for a couple days. Â ik.
Day - Feb 14th, 2010
Time - 2pm
Event -- After the Mardi Gras Parade
--I'll have a glass of water to drink and a beer please.
"We don't served water, but we have bottle water"
--How much is bottle water?
"$2"
--WHAT????
*party of 7 turns into party of four.
I have never experience this in my life or heard of such. Â How much are you going to charge me for this napkin? These silverware? Come on, seriously? FAILED!
*Based on the other reviews of my fellow yelpers, this doesn't seem promising. Thanks, but no thanks! I've missed you Brixs!
Rad Prik Tofu is possibly the best thing I've ever eaten. Lightly fried tofu, crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside, covered in sweet and spicy sauce. AMAZING.
Drink menu is good, but silly at times (The Pixi Stick?), and this is one of my favorite restaurants since going vegan.
Also, as far as the "authentic Thai" argument goes, who cares? Unless you grew up eating Thai food, why get all upset about traditional vs. not? All I care about when I go out to eat is that it tastes good, and boy does Million Elephant win that test.
Not good, trust me.
Well, the place isn't 'terrible' by any means, but as far as Thai food goes, the taste and flavor is just not here.
Time for Thai @ Willow / Nees is much better, and at the time of this review, is probably he closest tasting to true, authentic Thai flavors that you'll get in this town.
Fresno is FULL of bad, shitty Thai restaurants unfortunately, and Million Elephant does not set itself apart by any means. If you are in the Tower District though, you'll have two choices: Typhoon and Million Elephant -- third is to go kill yourself.
Out of these bad Thai restaurants, Million Elephant would win, but it's not saying that much; it's like saying "HIV is better than full-blown AIDS. As far as Typhoon, it's bad enough that it's 'insulting' and i will not be surprised if it is already closed down like the hundreds of bad Fresno restaurants that simply do not make it, especially in this harsh economy.
If you are not completely depressed by this review, go get some real Thai food at Time for Thai.
Bottom line: Million Elephant is not terrible, but just not close at all to authentic Thai food. And no offense, but the only good reviews for this restaurant I can guarantee you come from white people or non-Thai's.
If anything, Million Elephant is at least just a BIT better than the pile of shit called Typhoon down the street, which could also be rightfully closed by the time of this review for all I know.
Ive been here twice and i think my second time was tastier
i got the pad si ew like always and it was delicious, not so heavy on the taste and flavor, it was good. i prefer to eat outside though, its a good choice when other thai places are closed. i love their steamed rice, well i like steamed rice in general.
their portions are good for two, because my bf ate some of my dish, but if you're like me and prefer it all to yourself, than its just right.
will be returning.
We decided to eat outside, but soon came under attack from flies that were feasting on the contents of an open garbage can belonging to the restaurant (right by the front door!) Â As we carried our plates inside, no one offered to help. Â Bartender just gave us a dirty look.
Now about the food. Â Pretty lame Thai food. Â The curry was watery, as was the Thai iced tea. Â Vegetable dish was really bland. Â
Our waitress never checked to see how we were doing.
All in all, a bad experience.
Very speedy with takeout orders (less than 10 mins) so it's a good place for a quick meal if you call ahead. BUT ... one major annoyance: sometimes they put tofu in the vegetarian dishes, and sometimes they don't. It seems there is no way to predict it.
Once, my lady said "I thought there would be tofu in the vegetarian curry," and the waitress explained, "Well, sometimes there is, but sometimes they're running low on tofu in the kitchen, so they leave it out." It makes no goddamn sense at all.
While not the be-all, end-all of Thai restaurants, Million Elephant is pretty damn tasty. Â I've been several times and have never left disappointed.
The talapia is fresh and well-cooked, the green curry is a thing of beauty, and the  Thai custard with purple rice dessert is wonderful.
The service is average. Friendly waitstaff, but even when it's slow the wait length can be a bit absurd - even for something as simple as a refill on water.
The late hours are great; night owls like myself aren't forced to do the drive through shuffle when we find ourselves hungry at 1am.
Overall, while not the best Thai food this side of Bangkok in any way, Million Elephant is a tasty, inexpensive way to spend a late evening with friends.
Really good food & service, and really cheap!!!  Our server was very lively and attentive, and they were willing to split our bill into 5 different checks-- no problem!!  The pad thai and the masura curry were great, but the pad ram long song was a  little too peanuty for us.  It was like having peanut butter on our veggies.  The mango sticky rice dessert was A-MAZ-ING though!  The best dessert I've had in a while, and I'm a fan of desserts!!
You should really give it a try! Â There are hours are interesting (6pm-2pm most nights), so plan accordingly.
Food is over priced and nothing extremely special. The noodle dishes are not too great, though most of my friends really enjoy them. There is a lack of flavor in them, I think. The soups are really yummy, but most dishes cost higher than nine dollars. Not worth it, for the food.
The employees, however, are really awesome, funny and super friendly. They are really laid back and casual and it is a very comfortable atmosphere. The place is just a minute away from all of the major bars in the Tower District so that is great. Fridays and Saturdays are really busy, as well. My friends and I usually stop by really late on Friday nights and usually order a few appetizers. They love it, but I usually don't really care.
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