The flavors were amazing! Service was impeccable. Loved the decorations, like bringing the east to the west. The restaurant was also adorned with many awards that are much deserved. Best Thai I have had ever! Don't forget to ring the gong on the way out!Vegetarian options: Plenty of vegetable dishes to choose from. Soups, curries, stir fries. All can be made vegetarian. Also some specific vegetarian options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Satay
Michelle
Smiling elephant is always a solid pick for me, especially during lunch! Their mango sticky rice is to die for, as well as their signature mung bean noodles.Overall, if you want a solid meal with great attentive service, give smiling elephant a try :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Theodore Pangilinan
This is one of our favorite places to eat in the neighborhood. The food is consistently delicious, and the staff has always been welcoming no matter how busy they are. These are just a couple of reasons this place has been a local staple for many years. We will be back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ria Sc.
First time ordering, and I doubt I will again. The rice is nicely cooked but the chicken...doesn't really taste like chicken. It's bland and chewy! And the tomatoes... definitely not fresh. If people are to pay $20 for a fried rice, shouldn't it be worth it?
Food: 2
Service: 3
Coach Kenny
Overall I enjoyed my meal. The flavor was good and the seasoning was on point. The atmosphere is homey and the staff are attentive and kind.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Smiling Elephant Pad Thai
Gabe Fankhauser
Great food, fun vibe.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
K
Great food, quick service, friendly staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smiling Elephant Pad Thai
Chaya B.
If I could give 11 stars I would, OMG! THE BEST PAD THAI I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE! We thought the name was so cute, but when we left we were two smiling elephants. On the negative side, if you happen to sit the far left and the back corner next to the wall and window, there's no insulation in all your food will get cold really fast. I even asked the waitress if everybody that sits here first orders, hot tea, and a hot soup The soup is OK I just got cold really fast so I couldn't finish it but thatPad Thai Oh my goodness still dreaming about it. The place was packed, a line out the door . Who would've thunk it I'd have the best pad Thai I've ever had in my life in Nashville Tennessee.
Lexie S.
Every time I visit Nashville, I make a stop at The Smiling Elephant. I absolutely love their Tofu Pad Thai and Steamed Veggie Dumplings. The service is usually pretty quick and there is plenty of seating. The parking lot can be a bit difficult to navigate, but it is worth it for the food!
Christina D.
Love this Thai place! The restaurant has a surprising amount of seating so my wait was not too long (went on a Thursday night). I normally get their curry special, but this time decided to try the chicken pad thai with the glass noodles. The food came out so quickly which was great because I was starving. The pad thai was hot and full of chicken. I dove I quickly and was met with delicious and traditional pad thai flavors. Though I asked for mild, it had a small quick which I didn't mind. Overall, I really liked the pad thai, though I didn't find it exceptional. I'll definitely be back but will probably stick to curry next time!
first time visiting after anticipating for over a year now. my party of three walked in and were seated in about 25 minutes. the restaurant has a wonderfully cozy feel; full of plants and trinkets. the host and our server were lovely. my boyfriend and i split the pork & mushroom dumplings and they were so good! some of the best i've had in awhile and we definitely should have gotten more. my roommate and i got the classic pad thai with chicken which was so so great. i can see why it's their most popular item. my boyfriend ordered the pad kee mao and i had plate envy. i cannot wait to come back and try something new!
Jeff Harris
The roti with chocolate is the best. Very nice people working here with great service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gary Lamey
Amazing staff and even better food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tom Kha Coconut Soup
Susan Spieth
We did take out for our first visit. Food was delicious! We will definitely order again. Only change is I will order MILD, instead of medium, as it was very spicy to me.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fresh Roll, Larb Lettuce Wraps, Curry of the Day
Jason Anticoli
This was my first time trying Smiling Elephant and we were very underwhelmed. The staff was amazing and super nice so we may try it again. The food portions of the protein and veggies were very small for $17. As you can see from the picture there are about 2 cups of rice in my container, 3 oz of chicken satay and a few pieces of veggies. The side sauces also come stuffed in this container so it is jam packed. I would’ve preferred having everything separate. The peanut sauce from the chicken went into the rice leaving the chicken pretty dry. The flavor was okay, I asked for spicy and it was not. We also had the cashew chicken same portions but this one was super spicy. Dumplings were not flavorful at all. The papaya salad was really great other than being super spicy and we said mild, I’ve also never had chunks of tomatoes in papaya salad. It was interesting. It was a BUSY Saturday night and the staff was very very nice so we may try it again!
The flavors were amazing! Service was impeccable. Loved the decorations, like bringing the east to the west. The restaurant was also adorned with many awards that are much deserved. Best Thai I have had ever! Don't forget to ring the gong on the way out!Vegetarian options: Plenty of vegetable dishes to choose from. Soups, curries, stir fries. All can be made vegetarian. Also some specific vegetarian options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Satay
Smiling elephant is always a solid pick for me, especially during lunch! Their mango sticky rice is to die for, as well as their signature mung bean noodles.Overall, if you want a solid meal with great attentive service, give smiling elephant a try :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This is one of our favorite places to eat in the neighborhood. The food is consistently delicious, and the staff has always been welcoming no matter how busy they are. These are just a couple of reasons this place has been a local staple for many years. We will be back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time ordering, and I doubt I will again. The rice is nicely cooked but the chicken...doesn't really taste like chicken. It's bland and chewy! And the tomatoes... definitely not fresh. If people are to pay $20 for a fried rice, shouldn't it be worth it?
Food: 2
Service: 3
Overall I enjoyed my meal. The flavor was good and the seasoning was on point. The atmosphere is homey and the staff are attentive and kind.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Smiling Elephant Pad Thai
Great food, fun vibe.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Great food, quick service, friendly staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smiling Elephant Pad Thai
If I could give 11 stars I would, OMG! THE BEST PAD THAI I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE! We thought the name was so cute, but when we left we were two smiling elephants. On the negative side, if you happen to sit the far left and the back corner next to the wall and window, there's no insulation in all your food will get cold really fast. I even asked the waitress if everybody that sits here first orders, hot tea, and a hot soup The soup is OK I just got cold really fast so I couldn't finish it but thatPad Thai Oh my goodness still dreaming about it. The place was packed, a line out the door . Who would've thunk it I'd have the best pad Thai I've ever had in my life in Nashville Tennessee.
Every time I visit Nashville, I make a stop at The Smiling Elephant. I absolutely love their Tofu Pad Thai and Steamed Veggie Dumplings. The service is usually pretty quick and there is plenty of seating. The parking lot can be a bit difficult to navigate, but it is worth it for the food!
Love this Thai place! The restaurant has a surprising amount of seating so my wait was not too long (went on a Thursday night). I normally get their curry special, but this time decided to try the chicken pad thai with the glass noodles. The food came out so quickly which was great because I was starving. The pad thai was hot and full of chicken. I dove I quickly and was met with delicious and traditional pad thai flavors. Though I asked for mild, it had a small quick which I didn't mind. Overall, I really liked the pad thai, though I didn't find it exceptional. I'll definitely be back but will probably stick to curry next time!
Restaurantji Recommends
first time visiting after anticipating for over a year now. my party of three walked in and were seated in about 25 minutes. the restaurant has a wonderfully cozy feel; full of plants and trinkets. the host and our server were lovely. my boyfriend and i split the pork & mushroom dumplings and they were so good! some of the best i've had in awhile and we definitely should have gotten more. my roommate and i got the classic pad thai with chicken which was so so great. i can see why it's their most popular item. my boyfriend ordered the pad kee mao and i had plate envy. i cannot wait to come back and try something new!
The roti with chocolate is the best. Very nice people working here with great service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing staff and even better food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tom Kha Coconut Soup
We did take out for our first visit. Food was delicious! We will definitely order again. Only change is I will order MILD, instead of medium, as it was very spicy to me.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fresh Roll, Larb Lettuce Wraps, Curry of the Day
This was my first time trying Smiling Elephant and we were very underwhelmed. The staff was amazing and super nice so we may try it again. The food portions of the protein and veggies were very small for $17. As you can see from the picture there are about 2 cups of rice in my container, 3 oz of chicken satay and a few pieces of veggies. The side sauces also come stuffed in this container so it is jam packed. I would’ve preferred having everything separate. The peanut sauce from the chicken went into the rice leaving the chicken pretty dry. The flavor was okay, I asked for spicy and it was not. We also had the cashew chicken same portions but this one was super spicy. Dumplings were not flavorful at all. The papaya salad was really great other than being super spicy and we said mild, I’ve also never had chunks of tomatoes in papaya salad. It was interesting. It was a BUSY Saturday night and the staff was very very nice so we may try it again!
Food: 3
Service: 5