Thai Elephants Restaurant (James Island)

The food is good, especially the duck curry. They also offer a wide range of spicy levels, and level 4-5 is pretty spicy (We eat really spicy). The service and atmosphere are pretty good. The place is also very clean, which is a plus in my opinion. Highly recommend!

My husband and I were visiting Charleston and decided to try Thai food one day. We ended up at this place and ordered Pad Thai and Thai Elephant Fried Rice—both were incredibly flavorful and served in generous portions. They also let you choose your spice level, which was a great touch. Even my husband, who usually doesn’t like Thai food, loved it and gave it a 10/10! We enjoyed it so much that we got takeout for lunch the next day as well. If you’re in Charleston, this is a must-visit. Wish they had a branch here in Michigan!

Lovely dining experience! Food was perfectly spiced to requested levels, great portion sizes and very fresh. Service was very attentive as well. Please note we had eaten some of those big squid rings before we took a pic! Restaurant fully decorated for the holidays and they were doing a gift drawing from a stocking at each table. We got a lovely neck massager!

First off, the food and service were EXCEPTIONAL here. Outstanding Pad Thai and the service was top notch! Price was more than reasonable as well! But also, I was traveling and ended up leaving my travel card in the sleeve with the bill after paying. The gentleman working there, literally ran out in the parking lot looking for me to return my card! Cannot tell you how much I appreciated that! Will 100% be back if I am in Charleston again! Thanks for the splendid service and going above and beyond!!! 💯

I don’t know how this restaurant flew under our radar for so many years but it has. The only excuse is that Mondos Italian is next door and that’s where we were normally heading so the Thai Elephant missed our scrutiny. No longer. We had a wonderful meal at this well lit, pleasant little restaurant in the Folly Road Shopping Center. Plenty of parking and although well occupied on a Friday night, we were able to immediately seat without reservations. The menus is not large but covers all the basics and regardless of your dietary restrictions you will find something to satisfy your tastes. A good wine and beer list is on hand snd the decor would be classified Asian Delightful . Service was efficient and pleasant without the forced friendliness that has become the norm in dining. The dishes we sampled were all good to very good. One very pleasant surprise was that the noise level was subdued despite the restaurant being full. You could actually hold a conversation with your table mates. How nice was that? Summing up we give this nice little restaurant five stars on the Gen X scale or the equivalent four clams on the coveted Five Quahog Rating Scale.

The food is delicious and the service is excellent. We ordered the pad see ew with veggies (0 spice) and red curry with a spice level of 2. The scale is from 0-5. They put the spice in the corner of the bowl and let you mix it yourself which is nice so you can determine how much you want. I can’t imagine going beyond 2 though. The Thai bubble tea was very good, and much larger than expected. The Pad See Ew was good, but the Red Curry was better. The noodles were an in between of al dente and well done, which is my favorite. The flavoring was great and amount of veggies was more than other Thai restaurants. The food arrived very quickly. The chairs and tables were well-thought out pieces that completed the restaurant. Another nice touch was the real flowers on each table in vases.

Honestly, we were disappointed in the quality of the food. Staff was friendly. Food was expertly prepared and it was presented well. The grilled squid and vegetables were served cold. Dynamite roll is not like any I've ever tasted. Ginger shrimp was delicious. Philadelphia roll was good. It took a good 45 minutes to get our meals to the table.

First time ordering from here, tonight. To go, which seemed to be the thing to do, on a Saturday night. There was at least 6 bags waiting. I only had to wait a moment before someone came to help me (with 3 more bags to add to the lineup, including mine). The woman assisting was very kind. She apologized profusely for my 2 minute wait. Fried rice - vegetable, was the best I’ve ever had. There were real vegetables in it. No canned or frozen stuff. My husband got calamari, packed in card board so it wasn’t all soggy. He also got Pad Thai which he loved as much as our local fav. They were a little heavy on oil is the reason for the four stars versus 5. But we’ll try again!

Favorite Thai spot in the tri-county area. Thai Elephants Restaurant on James Island offers a delightful culinary journey through authentic Thai cuisine. The restaurant boasts a warm and inviting atmosphere, perfect for a casual meal or a special occasion. The menu features a wide array of traditional Thai dishes, each prepared with fresh ingredients and bursting with flavor. Standout dishes include the aromatic green curry, the savory pad Thai, and the flavorful pineapple fried rice. I also recommended the red curry and pad see ew. The friendly staff provide attentive service, ensuring a pleasant dining experience for guests. Whether you're a longtime fan of Thai cuisine or looking to explore new flavors, Thai Elephants Restaurant is a must-visit destination on James Island.

This is my favorite Thai restaurant in the area! The food is fresh and delicious, and the restaurant inside is really pretty with detailed furniture. I usually get takeout and it is super fast. My favorite dish is the drunken noodles with chicken. Edamame and spring rolls are also staples. My son also loves this restaurant and he tends to be picky. Great food, very good quality. Highly recommend!

This was the most delicious Thai food we've ever had! And we LOVE Thai food. What a blessing this sweet gem of a restaurant is -- tucked away on James Island and away from madding crowds. If it wasn't 6 hours from my home of Boone, NC -- I'd go there every week. We also loved the atmosphere and wait staff. Kudos!

Order from Thai Elephants via Uber Eats. The food was delivered still piping hot! I was very impressed! I ordered the green curry with chicken and the Tom Yum soup. It also came with white rice. The green curry with chicken was delicious! However, I would've liked the curry to be slightly thicker, it was a watery consistency. It also did not have too much veggies. Green curry generally comes with eggplant, peppers and bamboo. However bamboo was lacking. It was also shocking that they did not ask about spicy level as the curry was really not spicy at all, which is good for me! The Tom Yum soup was gigantic! I had no idea it was the same size at the chicken curry. The broth of the soup had a kick to it and filled with veggies. Overall, it was solid. A few things I would change otherwise my delivery was excellent and food was still hot!

"What do you want for dinner?" seems to be the hardest decision some days. Today we decided to try some pleace new (to us). Corey brought up Thai Elephants, someone at the tattoo shop he works at had brought some in for lunch, and he said it looked delicious. Upon walking in, you are greeted with a friendly smile and hello. You can choose where you want to sit. It's not a very big place, but it's definitely a busy place. We saw I don't even know how many pick-up orders go out the door. And the tables were almost all full. The table and chairs have some beautiful carving in them, very nice touch! We ordered crab wonton and the fried gyoza to start with. Both were really good. A perfect crisp to both on the outside with a melt in your mouth taste. I ordered the pineapple fried rice. It was so delicious, a hint of pineapple taste followed by curry. The cashews in it were a nice touch as well. There was enough left over to bring home for lunch tomorrow. Corey had the drunken noodle. He said the flavor was perfect, tastes just how it's supposed to. Basil-ly and all. The only downfall was that he didn't know you could make it spicy. But now he knows he can add the heat for next time. Overall, we are both pleased we decided to try a new place, one that we will be coming back to!

Go to restaurant for Thai. Love the chicken fried rice and nom tak with side of sticky rice.

We had mommy daughters night out last week and was wanting to eat Italian food next door but the wait time was too long for us so we check out this Thai Elephant next door. The hostess was friendly and she was overseeing pick up /take out/ answering calls/and wait table as well. She told us they were short staffs but able to seat us down. Our waitress was so busy that night but she was able to come and check on us and make sure our drinks refilled except my water. We ordered some appetizers and had spring rolls and chicken satay and both kids stated that the chicken satay were good. The spring rolls were okay iN my opinion. My oldest daughter had pad see ew noodles with shrimp and it was good. My youngest daughter had the side fried rice and it was a bit pricey for the side. I had pad woon sen and I asked for thai spicy but mine came not spicy and I asked for spice and she gave me chili powder and I didn't taste what I thought its gonna be with chili powder instead of fresh chili. Overall, it was good dinner but its on the pricey side.

Needed a Thai fix while in SC! We ordered take out from Thai Elephant. Delivery took longer than expected by the food still arrived hot! We order green curry with tofu and drunken noodles with tofu plus crab wontons for apps! flavors can be increased a couple notches but the portions were large and it satisfied us.

Clean and beautifully decorated with handcrafted tables and chairs from Thailand. Excellent choice of your in the mood for Thai food. We started with the spring rolls and they came with four which is so much easier to split thank the usual three you get everywhere else, hot and delicious. I had cashew nut with shrimp and my husband had mixed vegetables with squid. We both ordered a level three spice which was fairly spice so beware if you don't like too much. Crisp, fresh, protein and vegetables. Great portion sizes. Delicious homemade sauces. Quick and friendly service!

I decided to check out this Thai restaurant on my way to Folly Beach in Charleston... Well, despite being a Labor Day weekend, the place was empty...which I didn't mind at all! The place had somewhat of a dark vibe with all the dark wood, but intricately carved wooden tables were Gorgeous!! I also loved the cool A/C and the French overhead music they were playing. The place was not only nicer, but much more upscaled than it appeared in Yelp pics. I wanted to try their fancy Pineapple Rice dish, so I was disappointed when the waiter said they didn't have the actual Pineapple (again, more Covid era disappointment?)...so I opted to go with my usual order of Red Curry, which was solid. I also tried their version of Taro Coconut Soup...but their version was warm (not cool like the one I tried in GA recently). Delicious, but think I prefer the cool soup...especially on a hot day. Well, the pricing was a bit shocking....in that my lunch costed much more than I had anticipated. Apparently they don't have lunch pricing, and the price points for my curry dish and soup dessert amounted to $38 with tip. As much as I enjoyed their food and ambiance, there were a few disappointments. Still, I'm tempted to return in the future to try more items on their menu. Hopefully, they'll have the Pineapple Rice next time?

The food is terrific as is the ambiance. We love that on Thursdays wine is half price. Wait staff are incredible.

Service was excellent and food order arrived quickly. Food was good, although the mild was a little too mild. Our server did not ask what level of heat we wanted. The ambiance was nice in regards to Thai furnishings. The acoustics made it challenging to have a conversation at our table. Very noisy with all the guests talking. I would try this place again, specify a little more heat and take my order as a carry out on my next visit.

When my boyfriend and I first entered, the lady at the front was not pleasant or even really greet us. We sat down immediately and looked over the menu. A new girl came to help us and she was friendly - she took our drink orders and then food orders shortly after. We had ordered chicken pad thai and veggie pad see ew. These dishes came out piping hot and we both got high spice. The spice definitely came through and was made worse by the hot temperature but I loved it. Large portion and camw out fairly quick! The first girl we encountered eventually changed attitude which was fine mid way. I would visit again when back in town!

The food was so delicious that I visited 3 times during my trip to Charleston. The soups were out of this world. I tried both the Tom Yum and Tom Kha Gai and they were both 10/10.

Really good food. We did takeout so I can't provide a comment on the decor. Definitely worth a try. Pad Thai was good and green curry.

Love the tofu green curry, hot and sour soup, and basil chicken. Also have tried pad Thai and it's yum.

This is my go to spot for take out Thai food! I usually get the pork Pad Thai or red curry of which both are delicious. The food is always ready in timely manner. I would definitely recommend checking them out if you are having a craving for Thai food!

The tables, chairs, and general environment are quite pretty, the food tasted amazing (I had gyoza, chicken pad thai, and the taro tea), the server was very kind and cheery, and overall I really enjoyed my experience at this restaurant. I highly recommend!

My favorite Thai restaurant in the area. The green curry is outstanding! The substantially carved tables and chairs are worthy of study while you wait for your meal to be served.

I went to Thai Elephants to pick up lunch to go. The woman I interacted with was super nice and offered to help carry the food to my car since I had my hands full. The Thai iced tea was delicious, and all the food I ordered was good. I didn't get spicy this time because someone in our party can't handle spicy food, and I'm looking forward to trying other dishes here and getting it SPICY!! I was surprised by how warm and inviting the restaurant felt, the carved wood chairs are a nice touch, and I hope to dine in next time.

The quality of the food, and the service has deteriorated over the past couple years. When they have one waitress for the entire restaurant, and she's busy handling takeout orders instead of attending to the tables, something is way off. Food quality has deteriorated.

While this restaurant has Thai in the name, it really is a fusion spot. As my husband points out, they don't serve sushi in Thailand. But, that's fine, it was still very good. Met a girlfriend for dinner and we started with the curry puff and the gyoza. The gyoza were amazing! The curry puffs were bland, not much flavor and I wouldn't bother again. For dinner, my friend had the mango roll and raved on it. I tasted the mango sauce that was lightly dripped over the roll at it was very fresh and full of rich mango flavor. I wanted something Thai so I ordered the Larb, medium spice - yowza it was spicy. After we finished our meal I asked about dessert, hoping they would have a sherbet or something to whisk away the heat. No luck, just mango rice. I really enjoyed the food here and the menu has lots of other things I'd like

Food was very good. Pad Thai is excellent, green curry with rice was excellent. They forgot 1 part of the order so check before youbleave the store.. Take out only, no dine in. Used their online app to order, it was simple and worked well. Overall a good experience.

For those of us who once lived in a major U.S. city with an embarrassment of eating riches, this place won't get your pulse racing. But it's a fine choice once you've had enough BBQ or fried everything.

3 stars for willingness to make dishes gluten free Had Massamun curry with tofu. I have eaten this at many restaurants but never had it be sweet. I asked what sweetener was used and was told palm sugar. I asked if I could request food without sugar and was told no. I have been at a restaurant where the pad thai was sweet, also not to my taste. Wont be returning

I went to this restaurant because I was on James Island. I wanted Thai Food but didn't feel like driving to downtown Charleston. I read the reviews and decided to go. I was hungry... so I ordered Pad Thai with cihicken and shrimp, side of fried rice and chicken wings. The fried rice was very good... very light and fluffy. The wings were good too. The pad Thai was good but if you do not specify the seasoning, whether mild through spicy, I believe they automatically give it to you spicy. The host did not ask either. I would have enjoyed it better if it wasn't spicy asf ! I was a little upset, bc I couldn't eat it all. I would go back and give it another try. I am curious to try other things. The pad Thai is my go-to that determines if I go again. Definitely try it out though.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here! I ordered the cashew chicken to go. I do wish that the prices were lower, as my portion was not very large. Flavor was fantastic and customer service was pleasant. Definitely stop by to try this place!

Reliably tasty and authentic. Love this place. Our favorites are Nam Tok, green curry, Tom Ka Gai, fresh rolls, pineapple rice, papaya salad and beef noodle soup.

Literally the best Thai food I've had since my adventures in Thailand! I'm local and come here often. The service is always fast and friendly, and the restaurant is cozy and well designed. 10/10 would recommend!

Just moved to the area and was looking for some takeout and was SO IMPRESSED. We got a few dishes and each were fantastic. Definitely coming back

I honestly love this place so much, i have zero bad things to say about this place, it is awesome, they are extremely hard working, authentic, clean, fresh, eco friendly, and enjoyable!

I came here for a friend for dinner and we had a wonderful experience! This is one of her favorite Asian restaurants in town. Inside it is very well decorated with modern Asian décor that you can see in their tables and chairs. For appetizers, we shared the Crab Wonton Appetizer which was really good and had a fair amount of filling. You can really judge a Thai restaurant by their duck and they really hit it out of the park with their Thai Basil Duck with Rice. The duck was savory and flavorable and the thai leaves that came with the dish were very crispy and added a lot of flavor to the dish. Their food presentation was spot on. My friend got the Assorted Nigiri with Tuna Maki which she loved. Overall, this is a solid choice for whenever you crave Thai food or sushi!

5 stars ever single time - no matter what we order! Our go to take-out meal! You simply cannot go wrong with the fried rice, drunken noodles, or pad Thai. Honestly it competes with Basil Restaurant for the best Thai food in all of Charleston.

It was just okay. Nothing to write home about. I guess it's fine in a pinch????????????

We are regulars at this wonderful Thai food restaurant and the staff are so friendly to us! The food keeps us coming back time and time again. So of course we are getting takeout here during social distancing due to the pandemic. What a special treat to get food to go yesterday! My absolute favorite dish is the drunken noodles. I like it medium spicy which is just right. The delicious sauce and noodles with tasty grilled chicken and veggies is the ultimate comfort food! My only problem and is I can't stop eating it - LOL. Other favorite dishes - chicken fried rice and the Panang curry with steamed tofu. When we are able to dine in again, we always enjoy the decor - beautiful carved tables and chairs. Please #StayInSupportCHS

Delicious. One of the best thai spots in the Carolinas. Does not use fish sauce in their pad thai, thank goodness. Recommend the curry, noodles, and the thai tea.

Great food. Prices are a little high. Thai curries have heavy cream in them fyi, but they are soooo good.

Greta Thai food, especially the spring rolls, the Pad Thai, and the Drunken Noodles. Beware of the spice level -- a 3/5 was VERY spicy, almost to the point that it was painful to eat. Large portions albeit expensive prices. No lunch menu. Expect to pay $15-18 per entree. Adding chicken to the Pad Thai was another $3. Overall great food, just pricey. Leftovers tasted even better than initial meal

By far my favorite Thai restaurant in all of Charleston. The food is consistently delicious and tastes authentic. We have not had anything bad here and visit so frequently that one of the servers knows us. She even asks about my family who had only visited the restaurant once (at the time). My family has been back since it's one of my dad's favorite restaurants in Charleston... Thai is his favorite food, so he's tried his fair share of Thai restaurants. Some of our favorites are the crispy wontons, which have avocado in them, the Thai Elephant Fried Rice and the Drunken Noodles. Their sushi is also awesome. Please visit this place and keep them in business! The servers work their butts off when it's busy.

This is our go to date night restaurant. The food is always outstanding, fresh and exactly the way we want it as far as spiciness. You can ask them to make it more or less spicy depending on your taste. We've tried a variety of items on the menu, but almost always end up ordering the pineapple and rice. Your choice of meat, and it's cooked inside a half of a whole pineapple! So delicious. Sometimes if they run out of whole pineapples, they will make the dish with sliced pineapple instead. They also sometimes substitute or add different types of fresh vegetables. The last time we were there, they forgot to put the cashews in the dish. It makes a difference for sure, but not to the quality and awesomeness of the overall presentation and taste. The tide tea is a hit with my sweetheart who has lived and traveled in Thailand. They have a small variety of cold beer, different wines and spirits. The restaurant can get a little bit loud, but nothing upsetting. It's always a nice vibe. We prefer to go a little later when there may not be any children. It is a small, intimate restaurant. Lots of different types of seating. The washrooms could be a little bit cleaner, but generally this resto is kept clean. Parking can be a little bit congested on Friday or Saturday nights. You just have to park a little further away in the shared parking lot of the small strip mall. Prices are totally fair for this type of service and food. The service by the way, is always outstanding, friendly and prompt. Everybody always gets excited about the tables and chairs here. Absolutely gorgeous, hand carved and extremely heavy tables and chairs. A must see if you've never been here!

We recently experienced Thai Elephants Restaurant for a large carry out order during a family stay on Folly Beach. Thai Elephants was only a fifteen minute drive from the beach. The ladies on the phone taking our orders were very patient explaining the ingredients of each dish for our gluten free and shellfish/fish sauce allergies within the group of twenty. It took just under an hour for the large order to be prepared. For others with GF and fish allergies - its pretty tricky to find any options here; however, the tom ka ghai can be revised to be made without gluten and fish sauce/oyster sauce upon request. Most entrees were around $12 - $13. The tom ka ghai was tasty but not as flavor-packed as I would prefer. I'd recommend dining in versus carryout at Thai Elephants Restaurant because the space is incredibly charming and well decorated. The small space had a really fun vibe with hand carved tables and low lighting.

The food is absolutely delicious! Fresh, fast and flavorful. Great service and lovely furnishings.

Was craving Thai food so decided to try this place out rather than going downtown. Plenty of parking in the parking lot. The open sign was on but the sign on the door said closed so we were confused when walking up to the place but saw a party of people sitting inside so we could tell they were open. Only 1 party was in there so plenty of seating open. The inside is nice with lots of tables that are carved beautifully and really adds to the ambiance. Looked over the menu and had plenty of choices. Only thing that is confusing is that they have a lunch menu but it's only M-F but then they also have lunch prices on their main menu...only a few dollars difference but we came on a Saturday and paid full price. You get a large portion! Even took some home. Got the pad see ew and pad Thai. Both delicious but missing a hint of heat for the pad Thai. Some restaurants allow you to pick your heat where this came as is and felt like it was missing something. The food was fresh and I would come back in the future.

It might be because of the long drive, But it was totally worth the drive we ordered papaya salad, sticky rice with mango, and crab wontons to kick off our evening. Overall chill, fun atmosphere, ages varied, delicious food and wonderful service. This is our new Thai spot! I'll return to test the sushi next time!

Open again on Sundays! This is the best Thai restaurant that I know in Charleston. Not only is the food delicious and authentic, the staff are incredibly knowledgeable, accommodating, kind and good souls.

Thai Elephants Restaurant has solid Thai food but does not compare to Basil's, for example. Order was accurate and ready on time for pick-up.

OMG the prices at this place is completely out of this world, talking NYC prices. I ordered the red curry beef and that was $19.60 and hubby had the beef basil which was also $19.60 except his came with some sort of ground beef which he did not appreciate. The flavors are good but the price compared to the portion don't make much sense.

Thai and sushi are becoming a very common part of the Charleston food portfolio. It is now beginning to be easier to differentiate the quality of the cuisine. Thai Elephant is nicely hidden just off of Folly Road between Walgreens and Sonic. What a combination. The first impressive thing is the tables. Wooden hand carved sculptures under the glass table. It is really really dookie impressive. I'm not sure if dookie is the right adjective or even a word, but when you see the tables, you will know what I mean. It is a small place so if busy, don't be afraid to sit by the sushi bar. It is very comfortable and easy to have a conversation. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus we got the first hand smells and close to the rest room. For some that is a big deciding factor. The spring rolls were very light and mouthwatering. You get two cut in half so it is a smaller portion, but a good way to start the evening. The sushi is excellent. Very tight rolls with a rich fresh combination of ingredients and choices. I had the coconut basil soup. It was not what I had expected. There was more of a lemongrass taste so the sweetness of coconut was minimized. Yet, I still thoroughly enjoyed the taste. If you are expecting the same sweet taste as the coconut soup as Basils, don't get this, but if you want a good strong soup, this is well prepared. The staff is very very friendly and constantly smiling. This is one of the better thai and sushi choices in Charleston.

Favorite Thai in Charleston. Everything I have tried has been great. Pad Thai, sushi and fried rice are all top notch.

I love getting to go from Thai Elephants. I usually get the Wonton soup and sometimes sushi or fried rice. Their food is always deliciously prepared. The employees are friendly and helpful. They have an extensive menu so there is something for everyone! If you like Thai food, this is a great place to try!