The Big Elephant Kitchen

Update: This cart is still amazing after years of going there! Taste is out of this world and such bang for the buck. Lovely service with a smile every time. We love this spot for a take out night every time! Big Elephant is an absolute gem in SW Portland! We are vegetarian so always get the vegan dishes and are never disappointed. Excellent value for the amount of food. The sides and desserts are also delicious (get there early for cassava fries!!!). The French Quarter can get very busy on the weekend so wear your patient pants and be ready for an amazing meal. Oh and the staff are so friendly and kind! Highly recommend this food truck!!

We recently ate at The Big Elephant Kitchen for the first time and loved it! We ordered the lamb curry and masala cabbage. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the masala cabbage was well-spiced and very tasty. We enjoyed our meals so much that went back for another plate! Friendly service. Great food. Highly recommend.

This is an EXCELLENT food cart! I have never had Fijian/Indian Cuisine so I wanted to try a bit of everything. The Bahjiya Pokura are truly vegan chicken nuggets! They are crispy, salty and fresh (I saw the lovely cook hand rolling these in the back!). The lamb curry was very tasty and cooked perfectly. My picky daughter loved her chicken curry. The zucchini in coconut milk was a great contrast to the flavorful curry. Even the side salad which I tend to avoid was crisp, fresh and paired well with the meal!! It was an excellent meal, everything is made fresh so head over early as they run through their popular items quickly!

Update 3.23.22 I had the lamb curry, which was delicious. I had the chicken masala. Good portion. Good seasoning. Located in the french Quarter in multnomah village. The give you a buzzer to get your food when they finished preparing it.

Very nice people. A reasonable wait time for your food. Very bland chicken masala & bland chicken curry. Even the child though it was bland. I find it ironic that there is a one star review below complaining that the food was too spicy hot.

We visit The Big Elephant Kitchen on a regular basis, on our way to the swimming pool. It is one of my son's favorite places to eat: Super tasty food, friendly staff, and a comfy vintage style decorated seating area to eat your food. We always leave satisfied, and will keep returning as part of our weekly routine.

Overpriced for every item being dried out and chewy, frozen not fresh, and overly salted. The trays behind the counter aren't labeled and look unappetizing. They obviously order frozen meat, cook it at the start of the day, then let it sit on the warmer all day, resulting in dried out dishes. We waited a long time for our meal which appeared to only need be scooped on to the plate. Would've waited another 5mins to get fresh food. Unfortunately it was the worst Indian dining I've ever had. To top it off, decor is outdated and tacky with stuff falling off the walls or crooked. About 15mins after we left I got a stomach ache and my gut started bubbling. Would not try again.

Very kind, welcoming staff (special shout out to Saleshni!) Delicious food!! Both the tandoori lamb and freshly made (NOT bottled) Mango Lassi are delicious! And the chutney beautifully complimented the dish.

Simply not good at all, the food was unflavorful and bland. Which is surprising for an Indian restaurant. Won't be back and I'm appalled at how this food tasted and made my body feel. Similar to lunchroom slop

Plate comes with lentils over rice, salad, and a roti on the side. We got the chickpea curry and the daily vegan special curry (happened to be tofu). They were both really good! Roti and salad were yum as well

Before I finished eating I had to write a review as the food is SO DANG GOOD. I am kicking myself for not trying this food cart sooner. The person who helped us couldn't have been nicer. The food was HOT upon pickup and smelled AMAZING through the container. It's tricky to find outstanding takeout that has vegan options. This is the place. We got the vegan curry (papaya--AMAZING), Bagjiya Pokura, vegan samosas. Everything was so flavorful with some heat but not too much (I'm a spice weenie), just the right amount of spice for me. I can't even describe how delicious every single thing was. Like flavor explosions in your mouth. If you're looking to try something new, I can't recommend more! So yummy! I'll be ordering again soon!

The food here is spicy, but bland. It sounds ridiculous, but the flavor just wasn't there despite some of the dishes having spice. I think they could have benefited A LOT from investing in a box of salt. I had the three vegan entree meal and everything in it was lackluster. A few of the items were pretty spicy, but still lacked actual flavor. I was also disappointed by the lack of protein. There were approximately 4 bites of lentils, but that just doesn't make for a balanced meal. I don't really see myself returning as there are much better options in the Village.

We visited the place on a weekday and during off lunch times so it was not busy. We got the chicken samosas. The had a good taste and came with two sauces. One was good and the other was ok. We did not try any other items. But they are in a location where there are multiple options to eat and have a great evening. Not a 5 but may be 4.5/5

The food here is fantastic, it's Fijian and Indian fusion so it's a little different. I frequent this spot and have tried almost every vegan curry they have made. The good ones are phenomena and the "not so good" are still better than most. Seriously, they don't miss. The ingredients are fresh and it's relatively healthy. The Pumpkin curry is still my favorite. I see reviews talking about how spicy the food is, I'll admit it's spicier than most but it's hardly spicy.

I absolutely loved the chicken curry! Great flavor and it was served hot and fresh! Talking with them, one of the owners is a Marine and his wife is an amazing cook and inspires the amazing flavor! So great people serving great food!

Never disappointed eating at big elephant! Such great food and huge portions! We're lucky to have such a great family run food cart in the SW!!

Lamb curry, comes with lentils and rice - $12 I usually don't choose lamb because of that funky, gamey taste, but after eating Big Elephant's Saturday Special lamb curry, I would come back and order that same dish again. The plate was truly phenomenal and my insides glowed with every swallow. The lentils were mild, only to not outshine the main attraction -- the lamb curry. The lamb was perfectly stewed, tender, and salty. Combined in one spoonful of rice and a smattering of mint cilantro chutney, it was pure comfort in my mouth. It is usually served with a cabbage salad, but they generously allowed me to sub the salad for more lentils. It also comes with a chewy, warm turmeric-colored roti. The proportions were enough for two people. I highly recommend!

I was blown away by the deliciousness of this food!! Between two of us we had lamb curry, casava fries (to die for!) & a vegan chickpea bowl. Yum. Owners were so kind & accommodating. Easily 5 stars & looking forward to returning to try other dishes though no matter what we order the casava fries are a must.

This awesome food truck puts out some of the best Fijian and Indian cuisine hands down. I have tried different items different days of the week (and the addiction continues). Nothing disappoints. Their family runs the cart themselves making family recipes that delight the taste buds! They make fresh Roti to every order and can customize any entree. If you're not sure of an item, they will happily offer a sample. This is not a food cart to walk by and not try!

Delicious! We ordered a variety of things to share - masala chicken, beans, and pumpkin curry - all of which was excellent. The samosas were a definite highlight. Order extras because you will eat some on your drive home and then wish you had more!

This place is awesome. I love a cart that can cater to a group with many food issues . The pakora was so good and spicy! Also the sauce that comes with the samosas is not tamarind or mint. It is a really spicy sauce which I totally love, but was a surprise ha. 5/5 from me!

A friend brought me lunch from here while I was at work and it was so delicious! So much flavorful food for a great price! My biggest problem was not knowing how to pick what to get because everything sounded amazing. I went with the lamb curry (not spicy), the spinach in coconut milk (not spicy), and potato curry (a little spicy) and the three entree combo came with roti and rice and a little salad on top. I'm so glad I got to experience this amazing food cart!

I drive by the French Quarter daily as I live in the Multnomah Village neighborhood. So glad to see it's up to 8 carts right now. I was on iloveblackfood.com to see if there was a local black owned business we could support and found them on there. So I went and just finished their Masala Chicken. So. Good. Fresh, hot and tasty. Like a home cooked meal. So glad I discovered this place and look forward to supporting them and the other carts here in my 'hood!!

One of my favorite lunch/ dinner spots. Service is always great & food is delicious with great vegetarian/ vegan options

Honestly a little disappointed. Got the chicken masala curry, and it is two drumsticks with a literal *splash* of curry, some rice with lentils, and a dry cabbage/lettuce/carrot salad. Asked for sauces on the side, and they gave me two sides of the same salsa. Never before have I seen an Indian salsa, so I don't know how it is in comparison to others, but I was expecting a chutney or something sweet, not a salsa (what does a salsa even go with; I got pakora on the side, and it does NOT go with that). The pakora is good, and so is the curry, just wish they'd given some more curry sauce, and the salsa was a let down.

the eggplant curry is the most delectable thing that has ever been in my mouth i am so sad i have consumed it all.

The vegan samosas are so delicious! Seasoned perfectly throughout. Bursting with colorful veggies. They really hit the spot!

Amazing! Deliciously spiced but mild enough for my sensitive tummy. We ordered chicken curry and the kidney beans. Roti was beautiful and delicious. We are thinking to make this a weekly thing it was so delicious!

Food for the body and soul. The flavors and textures of everything have been perfected. I especially love the vegan options. Vegetables don't get any tastier! I would eat here every day if I could. Saleshni is almost always working. She is an inspiring woman and I love chatting with her.

Got the veggie dish. It was about 90% rice and they were outta naan. Also pretty bland.

Delicious and a great value. I opted for the pumpkin curry (my favorite) and my gf chose the masala chicken. Servings were perfect size. Great little spot, excellent service and amazing food. Beer cart next door A+ will be back again!

This place is so cute on the outside but the flavors were not my favorite. The mango lassi is to dye for but the meal I got- masala chicken with rice lentils and naan was not the best. The chicken was super super fatty and hard to eat. The naan was not flavorful and the daal was super bland. A little disappointed as it's hard to find Indian food I don't like. Maybe I just made the wrong choice.

Just had the chickpea curry from Big elephant and it was delicious. spices and heat in great balance. Nothing was too overpowering. The hand rolled flatbread was a nice touch too. Don't take my word for it. Eat here when you get the chance and support a small local family run business.