The Elephant Trail

Came here on a recommendation and I was happy with my overall experience. The service was fast and friendly. They only serve beer and wine, but I enjoyed their wine selection. Very clean and nice inside.
We started off with apps of spring rolls and curry puffs. The spring rolls were basic as was the plum sauce served with it. The curry puffs were delicious and the thai chili sauce they served with it was so amazing we ended up using it for the spring rolls too. I would buy that off them in bulk. For meals we tried the pad thai with seafood, the drunked noodles with seafood, and the red curry crispy duck. There was a neat stand they give you that has fresh jalapenos, a milder thai spice, and a deliciously spicy type of thai hot pepper jelly. They load your dish with multiple types of seafood when you order the add-​on. Pad thai was above average, drunken noodles were tasty just expected spicier, and the red curry duck was good but just didn’t wow me with flavor… a bit bland. I love spicy and I was a bit disappointed on that end, but overall i enjoyed my time there and would go again if I was in the area.

Fantastic service and everything I have ever gotten off the menu is DELICIOUS!!! I especially love the spring rolls and the tofu noodle soup! Great vegetarian options too!

Great food, people and service. One of my favorite places. Drunken noodles are amazing and they can make just about everything gluten free!

The place is big inside and clean. The staff was very friendly. I had the spring rolls and they were very good. Ordered the pad sea euw. No complaints.

My favorite thai around. Fast and friendly service with dine in and take out. Love all their food and apps !!

Today we made our first visit to The Elephant Trail for lunch and were absolutely pleased from start to finish. To begin with, the service is excellent; attentive but not overly so. The restaurant is tastefully furnished and decorated in rich wood tones, burgundies and some red and white to brighten things, providing just the right balance. It is tastefully decorated and there is a variety of seating including booths and tables which lend well to intimate meals or larger gatherings. It is also evident that there is an emphasis placed on cleanliness. Now, let’s get to the food itself. There is a note inside the menu which basically says, «We appreciate your patience as our food is prepared fresh to order.» That said, everything we ordered was served in a reasonable amount of time. Right off, what is noticed is attention to quality, freshness and detail. From the Thai Iced Tea and fresh mango drink (with slices of mango for a garnish) to the spring rolls and Satay Chicken appetizers and the Thai Fried Rice, Bo Bun Xao, and Basil Snapper entrees, everything was highlighted by fantastic flavors of fresh herbs and spices and it was all prepared with what appeared to be a passion for presenting attractive dishes. I ordered Bo Bun Xao and appreciated when upon request our server made accommodations to make my meal spicy by bringing over some fresh sliced jalapenos, and crushed chillies (both fresh and dried) so I could customize the level of heat. My wife, daughter and myself were all pleased with the portion sizes and left feeling satisfied rather than stuffed. A nice touch during our visit was when our server brought over some crayons and a coloring page for our daughter right after we sat down. All staff who we interacted with were friendly and made us feel appreciated. It was an exceptional experience all around and we look forward to returning to The Elephant Trail soon.

The spring rolls in plum sauce are amazing! I also love the fried rice. The restaurant is nice, cozy and the staff is always very friendly.

We have eaten at the old Elephant Trail many times & were regulars. I loved the old place, it was warm & cozy.
Décor at new place is beautiful. We arrived before the lunch crowd. Service was unbelievable slow. It took 15 minutes for our tea to arrive. We didn’t mind that as much as it gave us a chance to visit.
Our waitress & all of the waitstaff walked around with frowns on their faces which was so uncomfortable. We felt like we were putting them out by being there. we went up to counter & asked for water it was brought out 10 minutes later… there were only 3 tables on there at this point.
Food finally arrived & although good was lukewarm /​cold. I don’t mind waiting for food to be prepared, but I’d like it to be hot when it is served.
I think they may have bitten off more then can chew with this new fancy place… I hope they make it .
In talking to different people since everyone mentions the unfriendly waitstaff… doesn’t make you want to go back.
Will look for a new Thai place to try…
Dinner again tonight with friends. Service was slow on the get go but once we finally got acknowledged (after sitting there for 15 min) it was ok. Dinners were delicious:)

When Hot Basil in WeHa is closed, this is our local back up when we have a hankering for Thai food. It has been consistently delicious. I always get their drunken noodles and Darren always gets their pad Thai. We always ask for super spicy and they never disappoint! They have a pretty outdoor seating area, as well. It’s never too busy or loud so it makes for a perfect date spot.

Hmmm. Where did my prior reviews go?
Anyways, been here a ton of times. It’s our local Thai place so, for better or worse, it’s our place more often than not. I do tend to think Green Papaya is a bit better but my experiences at Elephant Trail have a big range.
On my most recent trip, got beef satay which was excellent. Beef that wasn’t too chewy. And the wonton soup was surprisingly good — better than some of the chinese restaurants around. The Kai Kow Pow is probably my go-​to dish. The spiciness though sometimes depends on who is cooking the meal.
On prior visits, we’d definitely say eating it in the restaurant is better than takeout. The pad thai doesn’t do well when it’s been sitting around. Gets a little too gummy.
The tom yum soup used to be really good, but of late I’ve been really disappointed with it. More like a stock, than a soup and it just is off. Which is frustrating because they used to have it down pat. But a few years ago, they mixed it up and it hasn’t been right since.
Service is consistently friendly and their prices are high but not unreasonable. the new location is definitely a step up.
Overall, a solid Thai place.

Always a delicious meal. Love the Thai Basil!
My husband gets the pad thai every time!

Really enjoyed our dining experience. They allow you to BYOB for a small corkage fee. The pineapple fried rice was incredible! They even served it in half of a pineapple. Pad Thai was more sweet than spicy, but still very good. My only complaint would be that when we ordered our food we asked that they bring our salad appetizer first and to wait a little while before they brought the main plates. Unfortunately they brought the main dishes before we even finished our salad, but not that big of a deal. They hosted a surprise 21^st Birthday party in a semi-​private back room, so they can certainly accommodate larger groups. Definitely recommend visiting and I will be returning as well.

Really, really tasty Thai served in a very cozy room. My first thought was that I had accidentally stumbled into a small PF Chang’s. Will very happily swing by here for a nice Pad See Ew or curry lunch on my many travels through the region.
Definitely ask for the chili paste on the side… they include pickled jalapenos, which are especially delicious. I will only ding them a star because my chicken was slightly overcooked, but we are talking minor quibble here. Service was fast and friendly, and excellent value for dollar spent as well.

Very very very good. Excellent service, food, drinks etc. Amazing all around.

Very happy with our first Elephant Trail experience. The fried wonton app was a delicious starter. We got the basil fried rice with beef, and eggplant basil chicken for our entrees. Both exceeded our expectations! Wrapped the meal up with fried bananas and coconut ice cream. The portions are generous and all of our food came out very quickly. We’ll definitely be back!

I go here anytime I am nearby. I would eat there once a week if I could. I frequent the pad Thai and green curry. My husband the drunken noodles. Never ever disappointed. You might wait but it is because it’s amazing. Or don’t go, more delicious food for me.

Well, our order was not followed exactly. Kind of annoying. The food itself was just okay. I have had better food in the area (Thai Palace, Bloomfield, CT). I guess what made it just okay was that the service was not swift.
The server, Kunthia, was lackadaisical at best and the food to a while to come out. So feel free to try other places first or don’t expect much.

Have eaten here before with no issues. The last time we are here we tried the special wings and we ended up being sick for a bit over 24 hours. Not cool.

My favorite restaurant in the entire world. If I could pick one meal to live off of for the rest of my life, I would choose The Elephant Trail’s Thai basil chicken (add broccoli and snowpeas). Owned and run by the sweetest and most hard-​working family. Food is fresh and packed with flavor.
Highlights: aforementioned Thai basil chicken, red curry, Thai fried rice, wonton soup (so many fresh herbs), and drunken noodles.
Tip: they are more than happy to make substitutions for the ingredients you prefer rather than what it comes with!

Delicious every time! I love their green curry and their drunken noodles. Waitstaff is attentive, environment is welcoming and beautiful. They have nice outdoor seating in warmer weather, and it’s in back so you don’t hear the Route 44 traffic. One of my favorite restaurants in Avon!

The pineapple rice was excellent. We had it with chicken. The drunken noodles were also good. We also had that with chicken. The red curry was good with seafood. The only thing that was not great was the ginger pork. The service was very friendly and efficient. The space is big and airy. Parking is plentiful.

Went to the elephant trail for the first time yesterday. After ordering we had to wait for 30+ minutes for the food to be served. My friend was served the wrong dish, she ordered seafood and was served chicken. When brought to notice they changed it but she had to wait when she was starving. After I was almost done with my food I found a piece of metal wire in my eggplant delight. I am glad I saw it otherwise it would have definitely wounded my mouth. When brought to notice they didn’t charge for my dish and offered a free dessert. Manager was not even present there, the server said simple sorry and was done with it as if it’s a regular occurrence. The food was okay but I don’t want to consume metal objects with my food. I don’t think I’ll be going back.

Went with 3 friends recently. The place is nice inside, comfortable and roomy. Overall not impressed though. Sauces were watery and flavorless in most of the dishes — highlights were the red curry, larb and spring rolls (both fresh and friend) and that they are BYOB. The bad — basil chicken, mee grob, (too sweet and soggy) and a duck dish that was just horrible. All the duck was rubbery, and inedible. We told the waitress and she saw the pile of grizzly duck sitting there untouched and she said sh would let the chef know. That’s fine, except they left in on the bill and said that telling the chef was all that could be done — $ 20 for a few vegetables.

The new location has more space for more customers and well decorated. Friendly staff.
Unfortunately, it is the food that I have had issues with and that is the most important factor for me personally. I haven’t had a meal where all the dishes were decent; a couple dishes had been burnt and a few other dishes were undercooked. After four failed attempts, I am rather reluctant to eat here again. I really wanted to like this place.

I really wanted to like this place since I love Thai food and it’s so close to where I live. I’ve been here several times now and sadly have to admit I’m not anywhere near thrilled with the place. I thought its reputation was better than the actual food. The only thing I have liked is the Pad Thai, but aside from the soups, whenever I have strayed from that I’ve been underwhelmed.
Being a little underwhelmed is not necessarily a deal breaker for a local place, but tonight I was a LOT underwhelmed. When I asked the waitress whether the yellow curry would be so hot it would knock my socks off, she said, «no», that it was sort of a «medium spicy». Well, even my husband, who eats super hot chili dogs all the time and doesn’t flinch, said he almost felt pain after eating it. Since he was the only one who could stomach it, we had to switch plates or I would have had to send it back. At the end of the meal he was turning flush and breaking out in a sweat! In all my years of knowing him I have never seen that!
But that wasn’t even the end of it. The spring rolls were dry like cardboard and tasted like they had been reheated from frozen. The chicken in the curry was very dry and overcooked to the point of being cardboard tough. So were the shrimp in the seafood dish I had. It was a very disappointing experience. I have only been to the Green Papaya once, but when I compared that experience with this one, it wins hands down.
I hate giving restaurants a bad review. For the most part I am pretty realistic in my expectations of local joints, and it’s definitely not the norm for me to go on about how bad the food was somewhere unless it really deserves it. At its best this place might deserve 3 stars but the preparation is not consistent and that in and of itself is a big issue. I can honestly think of a couple of local takeout Chinese places that I would give a better review! I might go back if I’m in the mood for the Pad Thai or one of the soups (as I’ve had a couple and they were pretty good), but otherwise forget it.

Ugh. Watery sauces, dried, over-​cooked, stringy chicken, weird fake calamari… I don’t have the emotional energy to recount this dinner.
We ended up sending our plates back and then the manager (owner maybe?) came over and thought it would be a good idea to argue with us about our experience while angrily telling us over and over how he didn’t want us to leave angry or hungry despite the fact we tried the things and hated them all. Dude, hire someone with some tact to do that for you.

BYOB! awesome lunch specials ranging from curries to pad thai, rice dishes, and healthy alternatives for appetizers. I have gotten takeout a handful of times and every single time was great. Consistent thai, and great service, one of the employees forgot to put on of our orders in the bag, and actually delivered it to where I work with a little extra food to makeup for it! Lettuce wraps are delicious, so are the summer rolls. Huge fan!

Its BYOB AND they have wine… Amazing! $ 4 corkage fee… but still
the staff was very friendly and attentive, without being invasive. the interior is very pretty, modern, nice views, comfy booths.
We had the veggie tempura (crispy and good), crispy spring rolls (a bit ordinary, good sauce), shrimp and scallops in basil sauce (good, the scallops were not grainy), red curry with tofu and veggies (good sauce), brown rice, jasmine rice, and fried banana with coconut ice cream (I thought over fried, but still good), and a bottle of wine for $ 81
the entrees are between $ 13 to $ 17…more towards the $ 17 end
a bit over priced, but you are paying for the beautiful setting. perfect for dates
good food, great place, great staff

Back again. Favorite Thai food around Hartford. New location is looking great. Much more space much more elegant dining room.
I always get the crispy chicken pad Thai… I swear they put crack in it, it is so good, can’t say I’ve had better. Tom Kha soup was excellent, very fresh, coconut balanced well with the tangy lemongrass.

One week ago, The Elephant Trail moved a few hundred yards from their old location in Old Avon Village to their new location in a space formerly occupied by Connecticut Home Interiors.
We had 6:45 reservation, and I’m so glad we did because the parking lot was packed and the dining room was packed.
We had tag-​team service all night –at least three different folks stopped by to offer us water, take our order, bring the food, offer water refills, etc.
The dining experience hasn’t suffered any drop-​off as a result of the move. Elephant Trail was stellar in its old location and was pretty darned stellar tonight. Service was quite pleasant and attentive, the wait for whatever was reasonable, and the food was excellent. My won ton soup was delicious –excellent broth and pillowy savory won ton bundles. My panang curry with seafood was delivered «Thai Spicy» as requested and it was perfect –with plenty of shrimp, squid, and some amazing plump scallops. My dining companions’ duck and pad thai were well received with scant leftovers.
The new dining room is over twice the size of the old place, and it looked to me like the staff is still working on how to serve a room this size. We had a few occasions where a server toting a tray of food almost put it on our table, even though it wasn’t our order.
The staff at Elephant Trail are among the sweetest people on the planet, and I have no doubt that this place will be humming like a well oiled machine in a very short time.
For now, they get 4 stars+. This is a wonderful restaurant that you will enjoy. I’m sure the 5^th star will be on it’s way in short order.