Elena's Mexican Restaurant

Best service was last night! Our daughter's first time there with us and she can't wait to go back and wants to bring a friend!

The noise level and the loud music made it difficult to have a decent conversation. We went at 5:30 pm on a Friday. Service was impeccable.

The server was excellent, her name was Jan, every time my friends and I enjoyed her presence The food is always great

We've been coming to Elena's for a while. Today the food didn't seem as good as usual. I had the burrito bowl that seemed plain and tasteless. The coconut margarita had a strange aftertaste. Not sure what's changed but I was disappointed for the first time.

It took over a half of an hour to get 3 Mexican cokes in a bottle. One of my guests had Pozole, it was served without a spoon. It took over 5 minutes to get a spoon from anyone that worked there. The pozole got cold waiting. The meat in the burrito was mostly fat, and very little edible pork. There bottom of the tostada shell was swimming in grease! Very disappointing and sad.

It's always great at Elena's. Food it really tasty (ceviche, tacos, quesebirras, enchiladas - all scru). For a large group (more than 4) it's hard to hear one another as the place is really popular and packed. But it's great fun. And we even ran into the Mayor there yesterday!

The food is very good and came out quickly. Our server was very nice and accomodating. We sat by the front windows this time and it was quite loud, with the cocktail shaker from the bar adding to the noise. I would suggest getting a table farther back in the restaurant, if possible, if you want to have a conversation without straining to hear.

Natasha made our experience! Great drinks, food, and vibe! Hope to return next time I'm in SF :)

Looks Upscale, Feels Like Fast Food:

I live in the West Portal area and was really excited to take my family out to dinner at Elena’s. I had been there once before with my wife; we sat at the bar, the service was decent, though we did wait over 10 minutes just to get tortillas with our fajitas. Still, I wanted to give it another shot with my family.

To be fair, the receptionist and hostess are great: very communicative and willing to do their best to get you a reservation at the time you request. Unfortunately, once you’re seated, that’s where the good ends.

Our server clearly needed more training. He started with our drink order, which was fine, but while we were reviewing the menu, a busser dropped off chips and salsa and, strangely, took one of our menus. When the waiter came back for our meal order, he noticed one menu missing and immediately got upset, assuming we had taken it, which was almost hilarious. We explained a busser picked it up, but his attitude set the wrong tone. We brushed it off and tried to enjoy our evening.

As we were sipping drinks and enjoying appetizers, the server and busser returned to announce our meals would be out in 5 minutes, even though we weren’t close to finished. Then they took our appetizers away while we rushed to eat, only to bring out 3 of the 4 meals. The last plate didn’t arrive for nearly 15 minutes. My family eats together, so everything sat on the table getting cold, and I completely lost my appetite.

When we finally asked for the manager, instead of apologizing and fixing the issue, he wanted specific names of the staff members involved and pressed us to discuss the situation right then and there, while our food was sitting in front of us. That made the whole situation worse. Yes, he comped some drinks and a few items, but the damage was done. The entire dinner was uncomfortable and frustrating.

Elena’s markets itself as fine dining, but in reality it feels like a dressed-up Chevys, except Chevys had better service. The food is just “American Mexican,” nothing special, and very overpriced for the quality and service. I’ve since heard from neighbors and local business owners that this rushed, dismissive treatment is common here, sometimes even being handed the check halfway through the meal.

I really wanted to like this place, but the service was absolutely terrible, the food underwhelming, and the overall experience one of the worst I’ve had in a long time.

I truly hope they get better because our neighborhood could really use a restaurant like this done right. A well-run Elena’s could be something special and might even inspire more great restaurants to come to West Portal.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

Great food , ambiance , service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Birthday celebration

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food I had delivered to me from a delivery app was so amazing. I love Mexican food and the shredded chicken enchiladas with rice and beans 🫘 was so unbelievably delicious. The ambiance of the place looked amazing and the service was very friendly from what I have seen from other reviews. I highly recommend this restaurant if you’re in San Francisco. I give them 5 stars

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

What a wonderful vibe here! Good food, great waitress.

Went for brunch and ordered the pork tamale Benedict! I wasnt sure what to expect- there was no hollandaise- think pork tamales with sauce, beans and perfectly cooked eggs on top and IT WAS BOMB! So full of flavor and delicious! I highly recommend. The chips and salsa was also great and the cheesy tater tots were soooo cheesy and good!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Not bad at all, really good staff !

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5