Funky Elephant Berkeley
Thai restaurant · Northwest Berkeley ·
Thai street fare: party wings, crispy rice salad, pad thai
Thai street fare: party wings, crispy rice salad, pad thai
"This “non-traditional Thai comfort food” restaurant from former Hawker Fare chef Supasit Puttikaew has become a neighborhood staple in the Gilman Street corridor, serving up excellent (and quite spicy) pad Thai; “Thai-spicy” party wings; a legit version of khao mun gai (Thai-style poached chicken and rice); and some of the tastiest fried Brussels sprouts in town." - Dianne de Guzman
"Yes, it looks like a cafe on the outside. Yes, with retro floral print and checkerboard floors, the inside feels like an entrance to a basement bowling alley. And yes, the limited variety of dishes on the menu can be frustrating. But Funky Elephant excels in almost all of those dishes. That’s partly because they care deeply about produce: Tofu is of the excellent Hodo variety. Mussels, in a fiery-funky, pungent stew, are flown in regularly from Prince Edward Island. Soft-serve ice-cream may not be housemade, but it hails from Straus Family Creamery, a terrific purveyor. Never least, a trip to Funky Elephant would be incomplete without trying its KMG #2 (shorthand for Khao Mun Gai), a deceptively clean and delicious take on chicken (poached) and rice (cooked in garlic, ginger, and chicken fat)." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff
"This ridiculously small Thai spot (there are only about 15 seats) isn’t just a restaurant—it’s an all-out flavor experience. They specialize in pungent, sinus-clearing comfort food that’s funky, sour, and sweet all at once. It’s hard to believe that this blink-and-you'll-miss-it place, jammed right in the middle of a West Berkeley strip mall, is home to dishes that are this loud and bright. It’s nearly impossible to order wrong here, but the chicken wings tossed in chili jam, an actually hot hot papaya salad, and the red curry with rock cod are the greatest hits. And since you’re here, you might as well get loose over some wine, and don’t resist a selfie in the bathroom under the multi-colored lights. " - Julia Chen 1, Lani Conway
"You don’t realize until you’re halfway through Funky Elephant’s chicken wings that you’ve been underneath a disco ball the entire time. It whirls around, casting silver lights over the dining room that’s already enveloped in a pink and purple glow. This effortlessly fun Thai place is a good time on its own, but it’s made even more fun by playful (and destination-worthy) dishes—they’re bold and spicy as hell. Funky Elephant opened in 2018 in a shoebox-like space in Berkeley. The second location, now in the Mission, is about three times the size. While the stage—and the crowd—are bigger, the Thai dishes are as knockout as the original. photo credit: Carly Hackbarth photo credit: Carly Hackbarth photo credit: Carly Hackbarth photo credit: Carly Hackbarth photo credit: Carly Hackbarth Now, back to the reason you’re under that glitter ball: the food. Appetizers, salads, curries, and noodle dishes are comfort on a plate. And heat knobs are cranked up to the nth degree. The papaya salad puts your sweat glands to work. The chili jam coated wings (aptly named “Party Wings”) will have you gulping down Thai iced tea like it’s a liquid lifeline. Look around and you might see a diner or two fighting back tears, and animatedly fanning their mouths as if they just swallowed a torch. But, we promise, the heat isn’t actually too overpowering, and the spice is in fact key to the DNA of these dishes—along with the sweet, sour, salt, and funk. Not every dish relies on soul-curing spice to impress. Even the milder dishes are an eruption of in-your-face flavor, like the smoky charcoal-grilled pork, the kao mun gai with rich fermented soy bean sauce, and the rockfish red curry. And ordering the shrimp and tofu pad thai, which might be a skippable dish at many Thai spots, is a legal requirement here. When someone on staff tells you to squeeze the shrimp heads and drizzle the juice over the noodles for extra umami, listen. Then expect to wipe the plate clean. photo credit: Carly Hackbarth photo credit: Carly Hackbarth There’s no way to have a bad time at Funky Elephant, unless you turned around and left before taking a seat. The relaxed energy, set to a backdrop of neon lights and hanging paper lanterns, will force you to let loose over natural wine, lick your chili jam-covered fingers like you just survived 100 days on Alone—and eat some of the best Thai food in these 49 square miles. Food Rundown photo credit: Carly Hackbarth Green Papaya Salad A dish that embodies the Funky Elephant approach to Thai chilis. That is, “Do not hold back.” photo credit: Carly Hackbarth Party Wings These wings must be on your table. They’re the blueprint all other wings should follow: fire-hot, sticky from the housemade chili jam, and charred in all the right ways. photo credit: Carly Hackbarth Crispy Rice Salad A texture overload that packs heat. We’d eat more salads if they came with red curry paste, strips of fermented pork, plus fresh herbs and lettuce for wrapping. photo credit: Carly Hackbarth O’s Breakfast Grilled Pork This charcoal-grilled slab of pork is an underrated hit. It’s crisp around the edges yet cuts like butter. And the lacy, peppery fried egg that rides shotgun sets a high bar for every other fried egg you’ll ever eat. photo credit: Carly Hackbarth K.M.G. #2 An excellent kao mun gai. The chicken is poached perfectly, and the broth on the side captures more essence of chicken. That said, there are definitely more exciting things on the menu to focus on. photo credit: Carly Hackbarth Pad Thai Old Skool We’ve had a lot of mediocre pad thais. But that’s not the case here—Funky Elephant absolutely crushes their version. It’s amped up with exactly two gulf white shrimps and hunks of creamy hodo tofu. photo credit: Carly Hackbarth Gang Rawang Beef Spice averse? (We hope not since you’re here.) If so, this is a solid option. Slices of grilled ribeye arrive atop a swath of coconutty green curry with a zippy watercress salad. Our only complaint is that the beef can sometimes be a little too fatty, and hard to chew." - Julia Chen
"This ridiculously small Thai spot (there are only about 15 seats) isn’t just a restaurant—it’s an all-out flavor experience. They specialize in pungent, sinus-clearing comfort food that’s funky, sour, and sweet all at once. It’s hard to believe that this blink-and-miss-it place, jammed right in the middle of a West Berkeley strip mall, is home to dishes that are this loud and bright. It’s nearly impossible to order wrong here, but the chicken wings tossed in chili jam, an actually hot hot papaya salad, and the red curry with rock cod are the greatest hits. And since you’re here, you might as well get loose over some wine, and don’t resist a selfie in the bathroom under the multi-colored lights." - Lani Conway
