4. Restaurants

Silk Elephant

1712 Murray Ave,Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217
  • (412) 421-8801
  • Store is closed

Silk Elephant Menu

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  • Sabrina M.

    I have to edit this because I just ate there tonight and had a not-so-pleasant experience. The restaurant was empty, it being a weeknight and all, but it still took us forever to get our food. We ordered soup and then several minutes later the waiter came back to take the rest of our order - the food we ordered later came before our soup. Not cool. We ordered a beef curry and I lost my appetite in response to the fact that the beef was not tender at all, in fact almost crunchy in a way. This was a very uncomfortable experience... the hostess even seated us at a small cramped table instead of a more spacious booth despite the fact that it was empty. We were one of out of three parties in the entire restaurant. I think I won't be going back here anytime soon. Not to mention that the party next to us seemed like obnoxious working adults having a mid-life crisis in need of a trendy and exotic foray and proving their capacity to be interesting and exciting by eating thai food, trying to act like some sort of thai savant by ordering a 'thai beer' that was actually chinese. Yeah. __________________________________________________­_______ Old Review: The Thai food here is definitely Americanized and not as spicy as it should be, but I'm always more satisfied with a place that automatically brings out the spice dishes so that you can instantly add more spice to your plate - also helpful when sharing dishes / ordering for groups. The decor definitely looks nice, although sometimes I question whether certain aspects are actually 'thai'... nonetheless, friendly service, I've never had any bad experiences, and if you are a student in the Oakland area, this is probably the best choice for thai food...

    (2)

  • H L.

    Their food was good. I would give a 4+ star on their food. HOWEVER, I had one of the worst dining experiences of my life there. There were three to four BUGS (some fruitflies, some bigger sorts) flying around the table during our meal. They were occasionally landing on our food and constantly bothering us. We complained to the waiter, who was helpful until this point, and he simply moved us to a table a few feet away from the original table. Uh.. what? Fruitflies FLY. Thinking it might be normal occurrence that moving to a new seat takes care of, we tried to concentrate on our meal again only to be bothered by these bugs. We called our waiter, who called his manager over. The manager said he couldn't do much - he could either give us one free take out dish or a gift certificate to come back some time. Well, both didn't seem to be great options because I didn't want to come back here and use the gift certificate and I did not want to get take out because who knows if there are bugs in the kitchen? To be honest, they didn't even seem interested that there were even bugs in the first place. They didn't even make an effort to see if there were. The bugs landed on our food at least three times. I was not going to eat their food again knowing that there were bugs at the place. Anyway, good food but very disappointing dining experience.

    (1)

  • Alison B.

    While I've long thought Pittsburgh could use a tapas bar and the idea of Thai tapas was enticing, I was pretty disappointed with the execution at Silk Elephant. Small portions are not a problem when they are appropriately priced. But when I ordered a calamari plate, I expected a little more than the 5 onion ring-sized slices of breaded squid and a dipping sauce. That said, the food was very good. Their pad kee mow was among the best I've had and I definitely enjoyed the calamari. Their wine list was solid, though not amazing. All in all, a reasonably enjoyable meal that cost far too much. I won't be going back.

    (3)

  • Felix G.

    I have taken a few dates here, usually they are pretty good about taking reservations. However, they tend to have someone pick up the phone who barely speaks english, which is a bit of a hassle. The place is fun, vibrant, chill atmosphere. It is on the expensive side. I have not had a single one of their tapas that I thought were so good, that you should order them. I do like one of their soups, the one with basil and is a bit spicy. Other than that, I can't recommned a single thing. Oh and both dates were crappy... and I rock on dates, so I know it was Silk Elephant that screwed me over, and then screwed me over again by charging me so much for such mediocre food.

    (2)

  • Alicia C.

    I have eaten here about 4 times and each time I've been pleased. Granted I have only tried there curries and Pad Thai. Definitely not the best Thai food I have had but still tasty!

    (4)

  • Jaren L.

    We went here for a friend's birthday dinner. I loved this place. I am pretty picky on my Thai food, but I was immediately impressed when I tried to the Taro Crunch appetizer that my girlfriend picked out. My main dish was the basil fried rice that was so delicious that I cleaned up my entire hefty portion. The atmosphere is nice and it is located right on the main drag in Squirrel Hill. I am looking forward to coming back to this place ASAP.

    (5)

  • Carolyn W.

    My friend took me here on my first day in town, and I have to say I was very impressed. Both of us ordered soup to start before moving on to try several of appetizing tapas. Out of the four we ordered, I think the curry puff with taro was my favorite. An interesting sweet and savory combination recommended to us by our waitress. The devcor is nice as well, and the prices are reasonable. My friend did a good job introducing me to the variety of food Pittsburgh has to offer.

    (4)

  • Karman L.

    Photos: flickr.com/photos/karman… Silk Elephant is on the busy road (Murray Ave) in Pittsburgh! Great decor, silverware, chairs and tables... Food comes in tapas style (small plate), which is great when you want to try multiple dishes and see which one you like (cons-you may not get very full). Price is reasonable for small plate tapas style. My fav here are the following: -Thai Iced Tea (Tea w/ Milk) -Curry Puffs -Satay Beef -Phuket Pork -Crispy Calamari -Siam Paragon Not so great: - Crispy Rice with Dipping Sauce Parking maybe a little difficult on the busy Murray Street, we got lucky that night, ad parked right across the street. Menu: silkelephant.net

    (4)

  • Dan M.

    Been once before -- several years ago -- but just for drinks. Tried it for dinner last night. As suggested by many yelpers, I stuck with the tapas while my wife ordered Pad Thai. I ordered a variety of tapas -- spring rolls, crab/cream cheese, dumplings, satay beef. All rather disappointing, especially the satay bef which looked and tasted like ground meat reconstituted to look like slices. And while I'm NOT a fan of the over-sized portions most Pgh restaurants serve, the tapas servings were VERY skimpy. My wife's Pad Thai was all right, but nothing special. The food seemed more "fast food" Asian than fine dining. And the prices are just too high for the level of food quality and quantity. The service was good, except for our seating. When we arrived, the place was nearly empty. We were seated at a two-top RIGHT NEXT to the ONLY OTHER couple in the restaurant. Yea, I could have asked for other seating, but, at the time we were seated, I didn't care. The couple next to us, however, seemed to be right out of SNL's "Loud Family" sketch.

    (1)

  • Jackie W.

    The Silk Elephant was my first taste of Thai food and I absolutely LOVED IT!! I went with a friend for lunch on a Thursday afternoon and we were the only ones there (but throughout our meal, more people did show up). My friend and I ordered two tapas to share (the Tofu Crisp and Fresh Rolls- I LOVED the sweet brown sauce that came with the Fresh Rolls) and we also ordered off of the lunch menu. The lunch menu was a great deal! For around $8, we each got a salad, spring roll, and our entrees (pad thai/pad see ew). Our bill was $28 total (which we split)! Great deal and wonderful food! Lovely experience!! I can't wait to go back!

    (5)

  • Jess S.

    I took my adorable wife here on a tapas date before a late showing at the Manor Theater across the street. We had some strong cocktails, including a delicious ginger cooler with so much real ginger! We shared a variety of tiny plates, little spring rolls and puffs of taro. The veggie offerings were all delicious, although there were not too many to chose from. Actually, I think that is a blessing in disguise because too many choices among delicious little tapas makes for some tough decision making. The atmosphere was elegant, the lighting was romantic, and the staff was attentive without being intrusive. We held hands over the table, and played footsie underneath, and ambled into the warm summer night satisfied with our food & drink. The prices are pretentious, like the presentation, but it's difficult to say it's not justified with the atmosphere & attention to detail. It's something I need to drop cash on like, once a year.

    (3)

  • Stan C.

    When we are in town visiting our son we usually go here for dinner one of the nights. We all always enjoy the food and the service is a pleasure. We take what ever food recommendations they offer (we ask). Although we often go on a Friday or Saturday night they always seem to have a table available, sometimes there's a short 5-10 minute wait.

    (4)

  • Vanessa W.

    This is a great place, in a fun, funky neighborhood. The decor was more sophisticated/upscale but the prices weren't. I thought the food was great, and they stuck to their spiciness scale religiously. A 5 on a scale of 10 was perfect for me. I had the classic Pad Thai and Spring rolls. They were very yummy! The service was also good - polite and attentive. I would recommend it to anyone.

    (4)

  • Rosalind C.

    I am consistently amazed by how good the food is in Pittsburgh. The Silk Elephant is my second culinary foray into Pittsburgh, and I really enjoyed my experience here. The decor is modern, but Thai inspired. Most of the wait staff is Caucasian, but I did see some Asian people in the kitchen, so I feel like that at least makes it mildly authentic. BF and I had: 1. Tom Yum soup - yummy! 2. Mango Salad - also yummy 3. Lamb chops - excellent, as long as you like thyme. 4. Salmon rolls - probably our favorite 5. crab crowns - eh. tasty, but more for the fried cream cheese in wonton concept, rather than due to any crab meat in the dish per se 6. Some dumpling - can't remember, reminds me of siu mai from dim sum. It was good, but nothing extraordinary 7. Siam Paragon - save your money with this one. It's not that great. Overall, a great experience. The server was very attentive and nice. A lovely place to go on a date.

    (4)

  • Julian M.

    One of my major flaws is how quickly I desire change. I don't like doing the same thing for very long--and I don't like eating the same dish for very long. You can imagine, then, that the very concept of tapas excites me. I also love Thai food. So, a restaurant that has Thai tapas? I was in heaven. SIlk Elephant is owned by the same people who own the Bangkok Balcony just around the corner. The Bangkok Balcony is much more of a straight-up fancy Thai Restaurant. Silk Elephant is a Tapas & Bar experience. Like the Bangkok Balcony the decor is beautiful and slightly on the upscale side. Silk Elephant does offer many of the normal entrees that Bangkok Balcony offers. If you want a regular entree experience, go to Bangkok Balcony! You're at Silk Elephant to get the tapas! Every single dish is delicious. I love ordering the tapas three at a time--and just as my table is finishing a round we'll work out the next three that we'll order. I love their Salmon Dumplings and the Corn Fritters and the Taro Crunch. My only wish is that they had more tapas on the curry side of things. You can get a wide variety of curry entrees at the Bangkok Balcony, but you won't find very many curry-inspired tapas. The price is also not what I've come to love from dim sum--the $6 and $7 tapa dishes add up very quickly, so I usually reserved my visits to special occasions.

    (4)

  • Oleg B.

    Nice decor. Decent food. Great service. Good for lazy Sunday eat outs.

    (3)

  • PC W.

    Tasty Thai tapas! Great concept and decor. We had: -Curry Puffs -Satay Beef -Phuket Pork -Crispy Calamari -Siam Paragon - Crispy Rice with Dipping Sauce The Siam Paragon is the signature dish but I was least impressed with it. Too much heavy, spicy sauce.

    (4)

  • Tony V.

    My girlfirend loves thai food. Acutally she loves hawaii fried rice. So she is constantly wanting to get Asian. We finally tried Silk Elephant last month and all I can say is wow! Out of all the asian restaurants we have eaten at, this is one of the best. The basil fried rice is great. The tapas were tasty and come in decent portions. One thing about all the food I have tried - it all have tons of flavor! One little quirk, the silverware. Its heavy rounded steel that makes it a bit difficult to use at times. But that is no reason to not try the food.

    (5)

  • Michael P.

    First off, I love Thai food. The mix of flavors found in Thai food are amazing, and I'm always looking for a new Thai place. Silk Elephant always satisfies my taste for Thai. Their food has a perfect mix of spiciness and tastiness, and their Pad Thai is mad satisfying. It has a great location right on Murray and their prices are reasonable. Park at Giant Eagle and just walk down.

    (5)

  • Straight Edge D.

    I could live on their tom yum soup! It is that good! And when they say a spicy 10, they mean a spicy 10! I've had some trouble understanding their Thai servers, but the food more than makes up for any troubles with a language barrier. Go there if you want a true Thai experience!

    (4)

  • John K.

    Great food, amazing service, and complimentary mints :)

    (5)

  • M Z.

    Good food and good price. Love all the dishes I have there. Favorite one is Pad Thai (only $8-9 with side dishes for lunch)

    (5)

  • Urkioli D.

    I think I love this place because it has all the elements that make a great dining experience...super cozy intimate ambiance, solid wine list, and really tasty food! This is probably my favorite Thai place in Pgh to go to. The tapas I usually order as an appetizer because they are kind of small...but still really tasty. When my husband and I go, we usually end up getting an actual dish versus just going there for true tapas. Our faves are the red and panang curry, the red curry noodles, and the curry chicken rice. All in all pretty affordable for the quality of food you are getting. Also, if you want spicy...just tell them...I have found that the curries are spicier on their number scale in comparison to a rice dish...so just keep that in mind. Enjoy!

    (4)

  • Brian F.

    Went on a Saturday with my gf. She had pad thai and it was average, nothing special. I had beef w/brown sauce w/snow peas and shrooms. The brown sauce tasted like dishwater with a hint of sesame. Not sure why all the rave reviews here, there has got to be better Thai in the 'burgh.

    (1)

  • amanda l.

    i moved away from pittsburgh and i still crave silk elephant. havent been able to find thai food this good anywhere!! i've never had anything there that i didnt absolutely love. the best thing is that you can make almost anything on the menu as spicy as you want on a scale of 1-10! the chicken wrapped in pandanus leaf is phenomenal--i get it every time! the mushroom soup, and tom yum soup are also extraordinary. the only only downside is that it runs a tad bit pricey...but it's all worth it!!! can't wait to visit pgh again so i can go back!

    (4)

  • Michael B.

    Equally as good as Bangkok Balcony butwith a nicer bar. The drinks are always good as is the food.

    (4)

  • Patrick Gage K.

    Owned by the same people as Bangkok Balcony (and only half a block away) the food here is very good. Interesting thai/tapas fusion thing going on with very modern decor. This along with BB are the two best places to go for Thai in Pittsburgh.

    (5)

  • A M.

    This is a good spot that I just happened to stumble upon on a Sunday afternoon because of an open parking spot. It's located in Squirrel Hillwhere "Zyng asian grille" used to be. This is a much better choice than the TGIF of asian food like Zyng. The atmosphere is colorful and warm. The ceilings are high and the seating is plentiful. I sat at the bar, which has a nice plasma and a better than average wine selection. The menu is big and I think thai food is a good choice to be served tapas style. I ordered a glass of chardonnay to start which tasted fine and wasn't too overpriced, however the bartender poured what must have been only a 3 oz. pour. The wine comes in cocktail glasses, so perhaps it was an optical illusion that I misinterpreted. Nevertheless, I mentioned it before I ordered another glass and was given your customary 6 oz. I started with a delicious pork and seafood dumpling, which was really tasty and almost as good as Nicky's thai in Verona. Next I tried the chili pepper scallops, which were cooked perfectly, but lacked much spice for what was advertised as a spicy dish. In addition, I'd have preferred one or two big scallops instead of four little scallops. Last I tried the calamari, which were served with an interesting guacomole sauce, however the calamari and breading were flavorless and not delicate at all. They looked like onion rings, but weren't as good. The prices are okay, but this is definitely on the higher end of thai food costs. Overall, good place with an interesting concept that I'll visit again.

    (3)

  • Michelle O.

    Came here for their lunch special today and was pleasantly impressed. For $8.50, you get a WIDE selection of dishes (from fried rice to noodles, curry or salads), an appetizer (spring rolls) and a bowl of soup. I got the pad see-u and while it was a little too oily, it didn't taste bad. I particularly enjoyed the spring rolls too. I'll definitely come back again for their lunch special and try something different from their extensive menu. PS: for the spicy dishes, you get to choose your spicy-ness from a range of 1-10.

    (4)

  • Angela P.

    I have never left a food establishment without actually getting my food, unfortunately, that was not the case tonight. #1. Food is below average #2. Service is horrendous #3. After 2 hours of waiting, we still were not served a simple fried rice dish. First, we went to the bar to try to order a drink. There was another couple that was there before us that also had been waiting to order drinks. We asked one lady and she quickly said she couldn't and walked away. Then another girl who also couldn't. Finally the correct lady showed up and we told her we would go 2nd as there was the people before us waiting a long time. She pours them a beer and then disappears again without taking our orders or letting us know that she was coming back. Finally she comes back after sometime and we were able to order our drinks and an appetizer. Then we get seated in the back corner (which was fine except I am pretty sure it was the table to forget that night). We had to ask 4 different servers for forks all about 5 minutes apart from each other as we had order appetizers from the bar and then got seated and then the apps came. We had no way of eating he food. About 20 minutes passed and we had asked 3 servers who our server was because we still had not been able to put our food order in. Finally our very nice server came over and we were able to order fried rice. Pretty simple orders that should be relatively quick. A table of 7 sat down long after we did only to get their food and almost finish it by the time we were starting to ask where our food was. After we waited a while longer (at this point over an hour from time we ordered) I requested to speak to the manager. The server asked the manager right away who avoided our table for over ten minutes. I even looked at him and raised my hand to call him over, and still he wouldn't come over. I had to actually excuse myself from the table and walk directly up to him. He did apologize and said they would start making our food soon. I was utterly shocked that they had not even started to make our fried rice orders after such a long wait and not being extremely busy. I was shocked that tables with large parties who sat almost 30+ minutes after Our group had almost finished their dinners and we were still waiting at 9:45pm. On principle, we had to leave. We couldn't wait any longer for our food. We paid for our drinks and left. The only redeeming quality of the entire restaurant was our very sweet waiter. He was a gem and the only server in there that was sweet and helpful.

    (1)

  • Nisarga M.

    Been to silk elephant and it's sister chain Bangkok balcony plenty of times, and the food here is good! I think the lunch menu is fantastic, gives you a wide range of dishes for 8.50 - 9.50$. Here is what is included in the lunch menu: -Soup (usually they have a delicious tofu vegetable soup) -Side salad -Excellent vegetarian spring roll -Entree (which is a smaller portion of most of the items off their regular menu) I especially like their chicken with basil, and pad see eew. Their curry fried rice is another favorite. And yeah, the (red,green,pangang) curries are always good here. The ambiance is very nice, and the service is great! It was my favorite Thai restaurant in the area, until I Sukhothai opened up nearby, which I have grown more fond off.

    (4)

  • Kathy D.

    I went here for my 1-yr wedding anniversary this past weekend and really liked it. My husband got the duck curry and I got the pad thai with beef. Our waiter was really soft-spoken and nice. We gave him a big tip because he was great. Our portions were a good size, the taste was great and the ambiance is very upscale. The prices were regular (between $13 - $18 for an entree). The seating is very tight and I felt like they were really making people squeeze into their narrow booths and chairs. The customers on either side of me kept brushing up against me and dropping my coat. I would come back but only in warmer weather on a week night to avoid the density of people.

    (4)

  • Mara K.

    Nice tapa menu with well prepared Thai food. Great selection of noodle dishes and curries. The prices are fairly reasonable for what you are getting. It won't break the bank but you won't be getting much change from a $20 either. My complaint isn't really a complaint. The service here is almost too good. Like take a sip of your water and it is refilled within a minute good. Look like your meal is done and someone is there to grab the plate. It's just a bit much and if you're trying to have a conversation I find it distracting. I'm just not used to that type of service either so it could "just be me". Located on busy Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill Silk Elephant is a good choice amongst the many options for Thai cuisine in the area. It's a small place but does have a nice little bar area, seating that faces Murray Avenue (for people watching) and a dining area if you want a more date-like atmosphere.

    (3)

  • Cassie R.

    I've been here many, many times and never had a bad experience. The staff is extremely attentive and the prices are very reasonable considering the more upscale ambiance of the place. The live dance is also a great addition to a dinner, but I've only been there to see it once. The lunch specials are a great deal and priced really well. I've heard it before and I'll repeat it here - get the corn fritters. Seriously, you can't come here and not order them with your meal. My other favourite staple here is the coconut water served in a wine glass with generous hearty chunks of coconut at the bottom that you scoop out at the end... Yum!

    (5)

  • Amanda W.

    Silk Elephant has good food. We enjoyed our meals, and the atmosphere is nice: somewhat upscale with a Thai influence but still comfortable. The service was very attentive. However, for Thai in the East End, you can get better food at better prices.

    (3)

  • Betsy C.

    Awww I love Silk Elephant and always feel bad if a place I like gets non 5 star reviews :) cuz Yelp is all about what I like and dislike lol I always get Red Curry Chicken when I get Thai and husb gets Pad See Ew Beef and we share. My opinion is that SE is the best thai in Pittsburgh. Where other Thai restaurants do an okay, but no depth of flavors curry, Silk's curry seems like it holds 15 different flavors. That sounds stupid but I don't know how else to explain it.

    (5)

  • Janet F.

    Have always enjoyed the food here and brought an out of town guest for a special dinner. Was very disappointed. The waitress spoke such poor English that we couldn't communicate to ask about how dishes were prepared. There was an unfamiliar fish on the special menu she was unable to describe at all, so I didn't get it. The lamb tapas I had loved on a previous visit was cut way too thin, was well done and very spicy sauce, like an 8, when I had ordered medium and 0 spicy. Sent it back. She brought it back less spicy but didn't get the part about the doneness and the same well done meat was still on the plate. Crab cakes were very good. Seafood salad was undressed, totally bland seafood on iceberg lettuce. Pork chops were overlooked. It took forever to get the check. We saw our waitress way on the other side of the restaurant and had to ask another waitress for the check. She said manager was not in, was at the sister restaurant.

    (1)

  • Some C.

    Ambiance was pleasant, staff seemed well-trained and attentive, but the food wasn't that great for the prices they charge. We ordered one "tapas" dish, vegetable dumplings, and 2 dinners--Mussaman Curry Chicken & one of the specials (listed on the white board outside the entrance) of Pumpkin Curry Chicken, and we probably just should've stuck with tapas. The dumplings were 3 for $3.99, and the dinners were priced at $14.99 and $16.99, respectively, which, for the portions, were ridiculous prices. We got complimentary sticky rice rolls which were good, but that was about it. I say go if you want something that's just a "middle of the road" dining experience. There's nothing BAD about Silk Elephant, but there's nothing exceptionally marvelous about Silk Elephant either.

    (2)

  • Sharon H.

    The food was good but the service was below average. The whole party was not served any utensils until we asked for ones and even when we did the waiter who brought them kept putting them in a bizarre manner. Also, the waitress who waited on us annoyingly asked us if she could move the plates when we were still working on them. What was most surprising was that the restaurant charged gratuity of 20% in the check without asking us and we had to head back to get a refund and change the amount for tip after learning that the tip was charged without asking us about it. When I got home with a couple of small boxes in a brownbag from the restaurant, I found out that all my pants and shoes were spoiled due to the leakage of sauces from the packed food. They probably did not even know how to pack the leftovers after all the wrong servings and charges...

    (3)

  • Rissa D.

    I went to the silk elephant today for lunch. I enjoyed the soup and salad which came with my entree. The spring roll was quite tasty. My entree was the chicken fried rice. I selected a 6 on the spicy option. My food was delicious and the service was great too.

    (5)

  • Mia Minyan Z.

    We got moo goo pork and shrimp dumplings and duck curry. The dumplings are ok I guess, but definitely not the best ones I had. The duck curry is really good. They have pineapples in the curry. The only downside is that it's a little too spicy and greasy for me. Also I ordered level 10 spicy and it turned out to be not spicy at all.

    (3)

  • Deena A.

    I LOVE Silk Elephant! The food is delicious, and the service is outstanding! I am an event planner with Meetup.com . I'm the main organizer for a group called Pittsburgh Dining N' At, and an assistant organizer for ten other Meetup groups. When I plan a dinner, I often cross-post the event on multiple Meetup groups, resulting in quite a few RSVPS. I have now been to Silk Elephant with a large group of people TWICE in 2013 on major holidays, and both times they did an outstanding job of accommodating our needs. My group went there for dinner on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day 2013. Both times, the food was fantastic and the service was excellent. I asked for separate checks, which is not easy in a group of 18 people for Easter, and 12 people for Christmas dinner. The event planner and the wait staff went out of their way to help make these two dinners a huge success. Everyone had a great time and raved about their food. I look forward to going back again soon, since everything on the menu looks so good. I took a lot of pics of the food, so you can see for yourself the delicious food we enjoyed. I highly recommend Silk Elephant.

    (5)

  • Vivian T.

    Paul was a great waiter. Food was delicious. Would definitely recommend 6 stars if possible. Highly recommend fresh rolls, lamb chops + mysterious awesome sauce.

    (5)

  • EB P.

    Stopped in the Silk Elephant on a whim yesterday for lunch and was not disappointed! The lunch menu is way to go for sure; the soup, salad, and spring roll are all tasty! Both of our meals were delicious and we had really good service. We will absolutely be back again!

    (5)

  • Elizabeth Z.

    I tried the curry fried chicken and I was not disappointed. The portion was huge and the flavor was out of this world. We went to celebrate my brother's birthday, and they were most accommodating for our large party. They also brought these delicious coconut rice bites that were phenomenal. I would recommend this place to anyone.

    (4)

  • Amos Y.

    Decent thai food. Tried the curry noodle and the thai iced tea. The curry noodle was pretty much noodles in curry sauce. Might just be that particular dish, but it was hard to evenly distribute the curry with the noodles. I often ended up tasting either a lot of curry or a lot of noodles.

    (3)

  • Traci T.

    I was not impressed with Silk Elephant. The atmosphere is nice and we were seated right away, but I was not impressed with the food. My wonton soup was luke warm and really salty. I ordered the Basil Fried Rice with shrimp for my main dish. The shrimp were soft and not firm. Seemed a little old to be honest. Not a lot of flavor to the rice, but kind of boring. My friend asked for extra sprouts for his soup (he was given a meager amount for such a large bowl of soup) and they said they would have to charge him a $1 more which I thought was in poor taste.

    (2)

  • Larissa G.

    Blah! It's been a long time since I had a meal I disliked so vehemently. Thank you for reminding me what an awful dining experience is really like, Silk Elephant. When I walked in I had such high hopes and even debated trying a few of the specials that were listed on the board by the front. One visit from our waitress later and I knew asking about the specials would get me nowhere - saying more than a few syllables confused her and someone from the bar actually came out to my table to confirm what my wine order was (Merlot) for her. So, determined to get food rather than waste time explaining the menu to the person who should have been able to tell me about the menu, I ordered a few basic items, sat back...and proceeded to sip on a really, really weak and bland glass of Merlot. Ick. Waiting for the food I noticed just how loud everything was in here. They turned down the lights and lit candles to try to add some calming atmosphere to the place, but I have no idea why they bothered; every time a waitress even put silverware down you could hear it across the restaurant. This place is just noisy, because of the acoustics and because the items in it make incredible amounts of noise when clicked together. And my food? Ugh! My horrible dumplings tasted like something you'd get from a box in the frozen food section of a cheap grocery store, and the soup was tasteless - LuLu's noodles has more flavor than my soup did. I want to note (and I hope the staff reads this), I may have asked that my food not be spicy, but guess what? Not spicy does not mean no flavor! Horrible, horrible experience all around. I will not be back, not for drinks and certainly not for food.

    (1)

  • Liz K.

    The food was okay, but the cocktail was pretty subpar. I wouldn't seek it out again, but the service was good.

    (3)

  • Katy Q.

    I really wanted to like this place... I really did. The decor is pretty and the waitress was so nice. But I cannot ignore the quality of food. Gah. Went for all Tapas because I liked the concept. Ordered 3 each - fried taro (ok), chicken skewers (oily), curry puff (very fried), salmon dumplings (never again), cream cheese rolls (so americanized) and the watercress seafood salad (felt like I can almost taste the tin from the can they poured it from). Maybe I can blame myself for not reading the descriptions and realizing everything was deep fried. Or the heaviness of the cream cheese. Or because I'm Asian and actually just came back from Thailand last month and Asian food is supposed to be light. But both of us completely lost our appetite before the last two even came out. I probably would have given a decent review if I had a standard curry or pad thai meal ... but not today. I finished that night with a cup-o-noodle ramen from giant eagle and a regrettable $50 bill.

    (2)

  • Roxy S.

    really good food. my favorite is the lamb curry. Perfect and tender, with a wonderful sauce. I also really like the pad thai here. I have come here with my family many times and they all love it!!

    (4)

  • Candice B.

    I've been here quite a few times and let me just say I'm still overjoyed that they offer a gluten free version of their Pad Thai. Every time i have a hankering for thai food, i immediately call silk elephant. Yes yes they do have other gluten free options; however, for me its all about the pad thai. Maybe one day i'll branch out, in which case i'll review again.

    (4)

  • Melanie Z.

    Oh Silk Elephant, I must apologize--I had pre-judged you, and was quite mistaken in my impression. You see, I'm a die-hard SBL fan, and when my favorite Thai curries prepared to my spice specifications are available for such a low price, why would I ever go to a pricy imitator? I came in quite reluctantly while trying (and failing) to avoid a lovely Pittsburgh downpour, but I was quite surprised at what I found. Silk Elephant carves out some new territory, blending the array of Thai curries offered by SBL and others with pan-Asian small plates. I opted for the grilled lamb and some dumplings, and the lamb was AMAZING. Best lamb I've ever eaten. I wish there had been more...but I guess small plates are small! Service was also quite nice, with a passing busboy taking pity on our drowned-rat-selves and sending a flurry of cloth napkins our way. Waters were refilled promptly and the lamb was actually a recommendation from the server. Cheapskate that I tend to be, I probably will continue to frequent SBL for my simple Thai cravings, but I'll be back for that lamb.

    (4)

  • Jaime T.

    This is by far the best Thai in Squirrel Hill. The green curry is bomb and so is the pad see ew. Can't go wrong with the vegetable rolls! Lunch deal is great - soup, salad, vegetable roll, and entree all for less than $9.00 bar tenders are ON POINT for happy hour :)

    (5)

  • Deborah N.

    Boring, not authentic. Food was quite spicy on a 3/10 scale but HOT peppers alone to not make an authentic, correctly-spiced Thai meal. Very pretty decor, though. I would go there again, for a business lunch I don't have a lot of money to explore Pittsburgh's many restaurants right now. I'm really bummed I wasted an opportunity on this one.

    (2)

  • Chelsea C.

    First off, please ignore any of the reviews that give this place a hard time for not being traditional Thai food. When you see that they have a tapas menu, among other unique items on the menu, it should be evident that the concept of Thai is only a starting point here. My husband and I went on a Saturday night for dinner. We had a reservation for 6:30 but it seems the restaurant doesn't get busy until around 7:30. Even though they have an extensive wine list, we brought our own bottle (corkage fee is $15). We had six different small plates - each one of them fresh, hot, and served with a delicious sauce. Our waitress, Ilene, was fantastic. She was very attentive and had great timing for the pace of our meal. It turns out that she is the owner! We also complimented the managed, who was very friendly as well. Overall, we got exactly what we came for: a relaxing, slow, savory, tapas meal in a casual, intimate restaurant.

    (4)

  • Ellen D.

    This place should have six stars!!! I brought all of my foodie friends here for the noodle curry. Get it with tofu to soak up the flavor! Spicy level six is perfect. This is by far the best dish here. Also get the musselman curry. I only wish that they had bread or nan so you could soak up the remaining curry. Bring some bread! If it was acceptable to lick the bowl, I would

    (5)

  • Joseph T.

    I split four orders of tapas with a friend. The first dish I tried was fish cakes. The cakes were a bit bland with the scallions in the cakes being the most prominent flavor; I couldn't discern the type of fish from the taste of the cake, but the fish cakes came with a tasty ginger sauce (which was called a cucumber sauce). Next, I tried chicken wrapped in a panandus leaves. It was a hassle to uncover the chicken because you are not supposed to eat the leaves, but it ended up being my favorite tapa. The chicken had an unique spice to it but was also a little dry; the dish did come with a sesame sauce which made the dish less dry (but was likely some soy and corn syrup based sauce). The third dish I tried was Thai shrimp and pork toast with a layer of sesame seeds on top. I thought this was the most interesting tapa; however, my palate must not be sensitive enough to discern the subtle flavors because I did not taste any shrimp or pork with the breading and the sesame seeds contributing all of the flavor. Last, I tried a mixed seafood dumpling. It was probably my second favorite tapa, but the serving was quite tiny and the dough was too thick for such a small dumpling. If the dumpling had more filling then this could have been a very good dish. The service was fine. Our waitress was knowledgeable about the specials and was quite nice. The entire staff was also friendly.

    (3)

  • Cary S.

    We went to Silk Elephant after partaking in a movie. Ordered the Mussels and discovered it came with 2 mussels and all filler. I requested a second order without the filler. Literally, a single bowl of 2 mussels came out. For the prices, portions (even considering it's tapas) are pathetic.

    (1)

  • Adam K.

    Good food and an overall okay experience. The food was good. I would call it some sort of asian fusion and i was a big fan of their asian tapas concept. All of the tapas were good and the dipping sauces were all very tasty. What really urked me about the place was the atmosphere. I didn't like the seating arrangement. I made a reservation for a romantic dinner with my girlfriend. When we first walked in I was certain that this was a good choice... but after being seated for about a minute I changed my mind. We were sandwiched between two other couples who were also attempting to have a romantic evening. This would have been fine if there were more than a foot between tables. The last thing I want to hear about while wining and dining my girlfriend are a middle-aged couples marital problems. Given that this is one of the pricier restaurants in squirrel hill, I will not likely return. i think other similar restaurants (Sun Penang, Bangkok Balcony, etc) provide food that is just as good at a better price and with a better atmosphere.

    (3)

  • Jenn T.

    I have a confession to make: I'm absolutely in love with the Silk Elephant. The only problem with this, of course, is that it's walking distance from my house, and I worry that someday, I'll end up eating here every day and go absolutely broke trying to sample everything on the menu. My husband and I have now been here twice, once by ourselves, and once with our favorite other couple. Both times, we have had a totally pleasant experience, and I can't think of a single thing on the menu we haven't loved. On our most recent visit, we sampled the mushroom soup. Although I'm a big mushroom person, I wasn't sure if I would like this soup, or if it would end up being like the cream of mushroom stuff that comes out of a can. It certainly was not: the texture was like a light bisque, creamy but not overpowering. It was definitely a good start to the dinner! Although they do have a full menu of entrees at Silk Elephant, on both visits, we have stuck to the tapas menu, so we can sample a bunch of different things all at once. We've tried both the seafood and the moo & goong (pork and shrimp) steamed dumplings, and loved both. They are not your standard Chinese restaurant dumplings: the shape is more like little sacks of coins than like pierogies. Also, I have to comment on the Thai toast, which is EXCELLENT. Thai toast is one of those things I love to try each time we visit a new Thai place, and I think Silk Elephant has the best. Each of the tapas plates comes with its own dippy sauce, paired to complement the flavor of the dish. The Thai toast (theirs is made with shrimp and pork) comes with a sticky sweet cucumber sauce. I am craving it, just thinking about it now! We also tried the Phuket beef, which had the taste and texture of Mongolian beef. Loved it! Even the crispy rice was yummy, although it's just an extra-crispy version of a rice cake. I also love how every dish you get just *looks* perfect, like it's going to appear on a cooking show or something. Presentation is always appreciated! Silk Elephant also maintains a decent wine list, and while it can be hard to pick something that goes with every bit of tapas that you try, they have enough variety that you can find something that works. The servers will refill your wine glass as they are passing by, if it's low, and they also refill water with speed. I thought that was especially important, since a lot of the food was quite salty. If you're not in the mood for wine, order a big (and I do mean BIG) pot of green tea to go with your meal. This is a great place for a nice, low-key but classy dinner out with your significant other, or a great spot to double date. The atmosphere is relaxing and peaceful, although they do have the oddest silverware. It's super heavy and huge, but very unique. If you're making a date night out of your trip here, I highly suggest springing for the chocolate lava cake. It's heavenly!! (But split it - it's also huge!) Another quick tip: Silk Elephant frequently has coupons floating around. They've done a Groupon deal at least once, and there are sometimes coupons in Clipper Magazine or other mail flyers if you live in the area. The prices are great for a tapas place, but the coupons help even more.

    (5)

  • Josh B.

    Good food, good prices. The service can be a little bit hit or miss depending on when you go. Sometimes they are very accommodating other times they forget to bring a drink or two during the meal. Its so hard to put a review on here because some days the service was a solid 5 stars while others it would be a 2 or a 3. All in I like the place and will continue to eat there. Just wish the waitstaff was more consistent. Cheers Josh

    (4)

  • Quay M.

    I like this place, quite a bit. I have been two or three times now and it's always been empty inside (didn't seem to matter the time of day) so service has been super prompt and friendly. We've tried the basil fried rice, red and green curries, and a bunch of their appetizers. The apps weren't really of either of our liking for the most part. They seemed rather bland, which made me a little nervous before I had gotten to try the main course, but every thing was delicious after that. Their red curry is dynamite, but, as mentioned in other reviews, their shiz is hot! I've taken it down to a 5/10 and it was still causing my eyes to water. They have f*cked up view of what's spicy and what's mild, but the curry was still super delicious.

    (4)

  • Sarah E.

    I live near the restaurant so have been there several times over the past few years. My two recent dinners there were disappointing. The eggplant salad was a plate of cold, undercooked strips of eggplant with a red spicy but tasteless sauce plunked down on it, not marinated or stirred up or anything. It was terrible. Some of the other dishes are too spicy, sour or salty. Just no subtlety. You can get better food at a truck.

    (2)

  • Anneke S.

    Pretty Delish Dishes. More Thai fusion in flavor not authentic thai flavors. Thai inspirted perhaps is a better way to put it. Nice environment pretty Decor and spacious room for my elbows :) A girlfriend and I went early on a saturday afternoon so we were seated right away there is also a bar you can sit at. We chose to share 3 tapas dishes and split a fried rice Salmon rolls perfect texture with the crispy outside fried and salmon puree inside also very complimentary spicey sauce with a nice tanginess to it. Crab fried wonton with cream cheese also melt in your mouth good but very tiny you get 4 for 4.50 they are a little larger than a large gumball you probably should get at least 5 or 6 for the price but oh well. Corn Cakes were just ok they are a little over sweet with the sauce served peanuts added are yummy though. I would try something else. Curry fried rice I thought it was supposed to be yellow curry but it wasnt really you can taste some tumeric but it was a little dry other than that. It was full of yummy veggies and spicy as we had asked for though they use red pepper flakes not fresh peppers in it. Overall it was flavorful a little on the sweet side. Bill was $32 for one thai iced tea one plate of fried rice and three tapas all in all a decent price for a lunch date. I'll be back to try more tapas!

    (3)

  • Michael S.

    I ordered the lamb curry and fried calamari. They both tasted good, but I only received 5 pieces of calamari which was upsetting. It also came with green sauce, which was good. The curry was delicious with decent amount of lamb. I asked for a 10 on the spicy scale, but it wasn't spicy at all. It tasted more sweet, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Overall, the food was good and the service was great. The presentation and ambiance was quite nice as well. My total bill came out to $28 (18% tip included). I also tried the thai crab crown which was delicious. Not too oily. I'm putting four stars because the curry wasn't spicy and lack of quantity.

    (4)

  • Susan D.

    My husband and I were in the mood for something a little bit different and so we tried some Thai food. Silk Elephant is somewhat unique in that they're a tapas style restaurant. We began our dinners with some soup. I tried the lemongrass and believe me, if you like Chinese hot & sour soup, you'll love this. For our main courses, Rick tried the tapas menu, sampling just about everything, or so it seemed. Me, I went for the basil duck topped with snow peas, carrots, and mushrooms. I haven't had much duck in my life. Duck is very sweet and if not done properly, it can be very greasy. Mine was just perfect, however. Silk Elephant also appears to have an extensive bar. I'm a nondrinker, but Rick availed himself of an Asian pear martini. Service is great here too and the atmosphere is quite relaxed. If you need an introduction to Thai food, Silk elephant is the place to go.

    (4)

  • Preeti S.

    Ambience - Clean and nice, quiet and towards upscale Food - Brilliant and absolutely delicious food. I love their curries and tapas. Try their innovative thai tapas like thai pork chops and green curry lamb chops. Cost - Not bad at all for all the great food and ambience. Service - Perfect Drinks - Not so great for cocktails n all but beer is okay.

    (4)

  • Trent M.

    I met up with some work friends for some food and drinks, and this place was DEFINITELY a great choice for dinner. Their tapas selection is huge, and it's so hard to decide what you want to eat. I eventually settled on the chicken spring rolls and the salmon dumplings. They were both crunchy, cooked to perfection, and piping hot. I loved every bit of what I ate. I also tried some of the Silk Elephant rolls my friend ordered and was a little jealous that I didn't order them for myself. They also have a pretty decently sized wine menu, though I ended up getting the Widow's Bite to drink. It was pure alcohol. The wait staff was incredibly friendly. Our waitress didn't speak English very well, but she was still very attentive and did her best to help us pick things out on the menu. Our plates were cleared away pretty much the minute we were finished with them, and the prices were beyond reasonable. I would definitely come back!

    (5)

  • Ebony H.

    Im a HUGE fan of Silk! The food is always delish. You can't go wrong with their Crispy Duck Salad, Moo and Goong Steamed Dumplings, Pad See Ew, Pumpkin Curry ( which is served all year round, not just in the fall). The list goes on and on...everything is good. The bar is the best in Squirrel Hill, not exaggerating. It is the perfect place to have a cocktail and Sean, the best bartender I know, really knows his stuff. He can make any and everything! My personal favorite is his Lemon Drop Martini...it's to die for (check out the picture). They have an excellent wine selection too. In a nutshell: The decor is great, the food is great, the drinks are great! Great way to show off Squirrel Hill to guests. GREATNESS!

    (4)

  • Anvy N.

    I want to give this place 1 star but added an extra star because there was one particular dish I liked. We were also seated quickly. I knew it was dangerous to try Thai in Pittsburgh given that my regular Thai place is the amazing Sripraphai in NY. I think the quality of the food and preparation is extremely poor, as if whoever is preparing the food is still learning how to cook. We had the morning glory watercress salad, which is a C compared to the A+ fried watercress at Sripraphai. But if I wasn't comparing, this dish would actually be my favorite. The fried watercress came out in globs, but the star of the plate was the chicken in lemongrass and lime juice. There was a slight hint of tamarind and belachan. You could actually order rice and eat this as a meal instead of a starter. Also, a level 7 spicy turned out to be more like 4. Next time I'm ordering a level 10. The rack of lamb was terrible. The gravy tasted like a bad experiment and didn't remotely taste Thai. The lamb was so small and thin. I would not recommend ordering this. The Siam Paragon was tasty and had the flavors there, but the execution was poor. The fried egg noodle wasn't crispy, and the sticky rice was very, very, very HARD and difficult to even chew! I've never been to a Thai place who screwed up sticky rice. I was really disappointed because I was looking forward to a mango and sticky rice dessert. I ordered mango juice which tasted old and WARM, so I gave it to my bf who gave me his Thai ice tea, which was good. I would be back to try other things because the price is so reasonable, and I do really like the fried watercress salad. I'll keep my expectations low next time.

    (2)

  • Sahand S.

    Interestingly, you can find quiet good Thai food in Pittsburgh which is unusual for a city that is not a diverse community by any means. I have tried Silk elephant ,Thai Place, Smiling Banana Leaf, and Bangkok Balcony. They all were good but Silk Elephant is my favorite so far. My first experience with this place was a take out on a snowy night. I just craved Thai food and Yelped ( of course ! ) and came across Silk Elephant. I ordered Mixed vegetables with beef and that was it. Since then Silk Elephant is my to go Thai Place. Dishes that I have tried: Pad Thai : I order this with beef. very delicious. one of the best Pad Thai's I have had. generous portion. Mixed vegetables : again I order it with beef , and rice. It comes with a delicious brown sauce and is one of my favorites. generous portion. Red Curry : Perfect blend of flavors. regular portion. They also have pretty good spring rolls. Overall, service is great, food is quite decent, and price is pretty reasonable. Give it a shot if you are craving Thai!

    (4)

  • Andre B.

    Some of the worst Thai food I have had outside the Midwest I would give it one star if the spring rolls weren't actually somewhat good. Phad thai is the test of a thai restaurant. This edition of the dish was sorely lacking. The noodles were clumped together from being left to cool down. They were oily and under spiced. The veggies were non existent. Good spring rolls though.

    (2)

  • Steven S.

    We got take out and it was a big disappointment. I didn't think the flavor was all that good. Also, I ordered 8/10 on their spiciness scale, and it was really weak.

    (2)

  • pracheta t.

    We came here for my birthday dinner and you can neverrrr go wrong with Thai food. Silk Elephant was bumpin' so good thing we made reservations. The lighting was a little dim but not bad, our service was quick but we didn't feel rushed and the cocktails were perfectly mixed. All the vegetarian apps were fried and that was slightly annoying and i forget the name of the one curry we had, "wild" something?, was terrible. We will for sure be back because the rest of the good was great.

    (4)

  • Weifei Z.

    The food was half decent, half just OK. We got the "rack of lamb" appetizer, scallops with chili paste, tamarind duck, and taro crunch. The duck was zingy and the taro lived up to its name. The lamb and the scallops, however, were rather disappointing. The scallops didn't taste fresh and the taste was overwhelmed by the chili. The lamb tasted a bit insipid. Also, the veggies that came with the dishes were overdone and flaccid, and were the same for every dish. *Edit I went back for drinks with a friend and was pleasantly surprised. The chocolate martini was delicious and the bartender was quite friendly and even added more chocolate for my friend.

    (3)

  • Eric L.

    Up in Squirrel Hill, there are two Thai restaurants: Bangkok Balcony and its younger more 'hip' sister restaurant, Silk Elephant. Thai places aren't usually on my restaurant rotation so usually I end only end up visiting them for special occasions (birthdays, etc.). But one fateful day, the Groupon of the day was 30 bucks for $60 at Silk Elephant. I realized it's been a while since I've returned, so I decided to make a return trip. In case you're not familiar with how Groupon works, you basically get to buy a gift certificate to a restaurant or service for half the face value (sometimes less!). My friend and I underestimated the cost of dishes at Silk Elephant (too many visits to Tamari makes you forget not every tapas place in the world costs an arm and leg) and ended up proceeding to order 4 tapas in addition to main entrees and drinks to get to the $60 mark (I'm missing some pics b/c we were too busy nom-ing on food and getting tipsy; our drinks ended up bringing us well over $60, oops haha). No, we didn't finish everything, and during the entire meal various other tables kept looking over at the masses of food that appeared on our table. Anyways, overall the food is generally good; I want to say their curries and noodle dishes are almost identical to Bangkok Balcony (which would make sense being sister restaurants). If you choose to go the tapas route (which I personally wouldn't recommend unless you're sharing with a companion so you can also get or split an entree), I'd have to say their lamb rack is my favorite altogether: cooked well (happens rarely, but sometimes a little bit overcooked, but I'm extremely picky), nice sauce pairing and just a large enough portion for you to savor it without it being overwhelming or filling you up. I'm not too fond of the rolls, but everyone else I know seems to like them. With main entrees, the curries and noodle dishes are what you would expect; I like my curries to have a bit more spice and dimension to them, but my palate is probably different from your average diner. If you're a spicehead, you probably know what I mean when I say it's difficult to get dishes as hot as you want... =/ Overall I'd say 3.5 stars for the food, but I'll round up because the ambiance is nice, service is always excellent, and they have a decent bar.

    (4)

  • Jennifer T.

    We visited on a Sunday for lunch and the place had only two other tables of people with two servers. We ordered two appetizers, a noodle dish and pumpkin curry. The food took about 20 minutes to come out. The waitress brought both the appetizer and entrees together. The appetizer sat under the heat lamp during most of the time. I kept watching it up there but was hoping it was for a delivery. The food was overpriced for the very, small appetizer portions. The servers never checked back on us, did not pre-bus our table, and we had to ask for our credit card back.

    (2)

  • Gypsy M.

    Good Service always good food. Tried a couple of the Absinthe cocktails, ehhhh. I'll give up on those. Guess I'm not a fan of the black licorice taste. Had the Pumpkin Curry, was little under cooked and low on sauce. But, I do love this place otherwise.

    (3)

  • Carmela R.

    Cute date night spot.. the pumpkin soup was AMAZING. I'm a pumpkin lover, so this definitely raised the bar for the Silk Elephant from me. Vegetarian friendly. You'll see me back here soon, must have another bowl of that soup :)

    (4)

  • Adam F.

    Absolutely amazing. I've been trying to find a Thai place that serves Pad See Ew for a while. It's the perfect size. Not big enough to cause a strain on service, but two people were able to instantly get a table on a Friday at 7 o'clock. Service: The service was excellent. In addition to your waiter/waitress they have other people to fill water, deliver/clear plates etc. Never once did I have to sit there wondering when I was going to be served. Tapas: We got a couple of tapas just as an appetizer. They were delicious and reasonably priced for the amount of food. Entrees: The entrees were phenomenal. We didn't use the number scale for spiciness since we had no point of reference, but my date ordered "medium" and I ordered "hot." I LOVE very spicy food, so hot was perfect for me if not a fraction too spicy. If you are iffy about spice, stick to medium as your max. (We had the Pad See Ew and Noodle Curry. I can't imagine myself getting anything but these two dishes when we go back. They were outstanding.) This is my go to Thai place in Pittsburgh from now on.

    (5)

  • Miriam W.

    I've had curry here, tom yum soup and the ginger chicken, and all were solid. Lunch is a good deal, as you get a spring roll and salad with it, although the salad is very small, a handful of mixed greens with a sweet gingery dressing. They have some nice tea here and a full bar. The dinner menu is vast, starting with their "tapas" style appetizers and moving on to the usual suspects. Overall very good quality and nice flavors. Service is very friendly and sometimes spacy.

    (4)

  • Rita D.

    my coworker recommends it and we tried it. The food is good but it is on the pricy side. Don't think we will try it again.

    (3)

  • Anne S.

    I really like this place -- had to give it a shout-out. The fresh rolls, the pumpkin curry, the lemongrass noodles -- some of the best Thai food I've had. Likewise with Bangkok Balcony up the street, with a similar menu and (I hear) the same owners.

    (4)

  • Rebecca G.

    I enjoyed the afternoon spent at the Silk Elephant. We wanted to try a new restaurant, which at first was hard to find a choice that was open before 5pm, even on a weekend. Based on another review, I ordered the mushroom soup, which did prove to be delicious. We ordered other yummy items such as the Silk roll, shrimp toast and phad thai, ect. The environment is elequant n soft and the lighting isn't blarring. The staff was great, the bathrooms clean and the food was different, tasty and had a unique plating style. All over, completely decent!

    (5)

  • Cate G.

    Love love love. The service was great and the food was just wonderful. I ordered Asparagus soup that was the best I've ever tasted and then had Chicken Pad Thai for my meal, which is my favorite Thai dish. This may seem ridiculous, but the cutlery made me enjoy the meal even more. I felt like I was dining in the medieval times. You know, ignore that last part and just see for yourself!

    (5)

  • Rich Y.

    Average, slightly disappointing, whatever else you want to call 3 stars. I expected the food to be good here, and it was, but the tapas were a new experience for me and weren't so good. Let's dissect that statement. The good parts of the visit were indeed the main courses. Had I only gotten those, this would be a 5 star review. My girlfriend and I were in the mood for "hard to mess up" Thai food: pad thai and curry. Rest assured, the elephant made of silk knows its way around pad thai and curry. The pad thai was very tender -- not obnoxiously chewy and not soggy and soft. She got chicken, spice level 0. We ate leftovers for two days and it tasted just as good as when it was first served. I rolled the dice on their selection of curry and went with chicken green curry, spice level 3. On the mark, with plenty of fresh broccoli and snap peas. This concludes the 5 star portion of the review. The negastars come from the tapas that we ordered. I'll be specific since perhaps we ordered the wrong ones (?) or there's some hidden gems on the menu. First up was moo and goong dumplings, the most underwhelming of the four tapas we ordered. Don't be fooled by any fancy names or words; these are simply shu mai that you can get at any Chinese dim sum place (maybe even Rose Tea down a block on Forbes) and crappy ones at that. Dried skin, flavorless filling, basically straight from the freezer to the microwave to the edge of my plate. Next up was crispy rice with dipping sauce. Decent, but I thought the dipping sauce was leaning toward the extreme side of salty. The third dish was the Silk Elephant Rice Wrapper rolls. As my girlfriend put it, "if it has the name of the restaurant in its name, it must be good, right?" Fortunately, she won this gamble and I think this was the saving grace of all the tapas we got. Fresh wrappers and good fillings, cut into six pieces so we could each get enough to sample. As a previous reviewer mentioned, I'm not sure how cream cheese plays into Thai food. I like cream cheese but I find it a bit off in sushi and now in Thai rolls. If I were to order these again, I would ask for no cream cheese, in which case I would then change my mind and just get an order of fresh rolls. I was deciding on one last tapas dish and asked the waitress for her recommendation. She recommended their signature tapas dish, the Siam Paragon. It looked cool, it sounded good, it was plated well... and it tasted only so-so. It is described as jumbo shrimp and crab meat wrapped in egg noodles. I couldn't discern much crab in it. The sauces and curries it is plated with are pretty good, but I don't think sauces should make up the bulk of the flavor of a $9 tapas dish. We left with full bellies and to-go boxes from the main courses and a slight disappointment in the tapas. Tapas aside, they have great food and an expansive wine list, plus a great view of Dozen bakery and random people on Murray. Go for the food and view, try the tapas if you dare. Also, not relevant to the star rating but something to note in a review, the waitress was not able to process a partial payment to max out a new gift card and put the rest on my credit card. Hopefully she just didn't know how to do it. A word of caution if you are planning to split a bill.

    (3)

  • Matt C.

    One of the better Thai restaurants in Pittsburgh, Silk Elephant has affordable classic lunches and a wonderful dinner menu that will temporarily paralyze anyone with indecision. It's hard to decide between the small plates and the entrees, the obscure authentic dishes and the western favorites. In addition to being tasty, dishes are colorful and aromatic, as the kitchen strives to present a total culinary experience. I'd suggest going for lunch if you want a standard like rice noodles or curry, but if you're feeling adventurous, try some of the smaller sized options on the dinner menu that you won't find in your average American Thai place.

    (4)

  • Serena T.

    I think I'd go here again. While I wasn't blown away, the food was solid. I ordered the red curry and to be honest it was a little heavy on the cream. While it was tasty, I'm not a big fan of "heavy cream" to make food tasty...I mean isn't that the easy way out. You can add butter or cream to anything and it will taste good - I want true pure flavors when I go out for Thai. That's what I look forward to when I eat Thai and it just seemed to be lost on this dish. I won't dismiss this place that easily, but I probably wouldn't order the red curry again.

    (3)

  • Andy G.

    Great location, but not the best place in Pittsburgh for Thai food. However, it was still pretty good.

    (3)

  • Athena B.

    Great service, nice decor, amazing chicken spring rolls and very reasonable pricing!!

    (5)

  • Stephanie T.

    3.5 stars So it seems that I come here every year for my friend's annual birthday dinner - not that I have a problem with that! I always enjoy myself, though I found my most recent visit to be a little less impressive. We came in a large group (of 10 or 12) and I ordered the Pad Thai with chicken and tofu, while sharing the Coconut Jasmine Rice and the Taro Crunch. During my first visit, the Taro Crunch was delicious, albeit a little lackluster this second time around. The Taro Crunch is comprised of ground taro root and coconut enveloped in a crispy outer shell (think phyllo dough). My Pad Thai also seemed like it was missing some punch. While it was tasty, there was nothing that particularly set it apart from the Pad Thai dishes I've had at other Thai restaurants. Last year when I'd ordered the Pad See Ew with tofu, I felt similarly - it just needed that extra lovin' touch! Surprisingly, the Coconut Jasmine Rice was really outstanding. I've been to a few places that have served the same side, but no one's gotten it quite as fluffy, and, well, COCONUT-Y, as Silk Elephant. Really good stuff! The service here is really commendable. They're super efficient about refilling water (hey - if your dish rates a 9 on the Spice Richter Scale, you need that stuff, STAT!) and taking your order, all while being super polite. We hit a slight snafu the last time with not getting enough change back on the bill, which is sort of understandable with big parties (they fixed it ASAP). Will definitely have to see how this place stacks up the next time I visit!

    (4)

  • Alice C.

    I probably can't say it any better than Julian did (check out his review), but the tapas at this place is awesome. We ordered the haw mork fish, and everybody loved it so much that we had to order more. The main curry dishes are just average though. This place really shines as a tapas place, and that's what I'd recommend anybody to get there -- forget any of the main dishes because you can just go to Bangkok Balcony just around the corner. Service is actually pretty awesome and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable of their dishes.

    (4)

  • Sara C.

    Given the choice of so many quality Thai places in the area, I'd say that Silk Elephant is probably one of front runners. It's a bustling little restaurant, but the service is fast, the staff is friendly, and the food is delicious. They offer a very affordable lunch menu that will suit anybody's tastes.

    (4)

  • Annie Q.

    I want to try this place again. However, I will just say it- i HATE SMALL PLATES. It makes it so expensive to try anything. I just want to eat! And all the good stuff seems to be put on small plates with tiny portions. I know, i know- quality not quantity. WHATEVER- I am hungry. However, the flavors are right no, the menu is authentic, and the food seems great. I have to go back because I ordered above my spice level last time, and didn't get to eat much of my dinner. I just cried. SO... I have learned my lesson and will try again. Try the golangal soup. It is straight outer Thailand. Haven't tasted anything like it in USA. IT WAS AMAZING. AMAZING. A great Thai option, slightly more expensive though.

    (4)

  • Jake Z.

    I went to the Silk Elephant on a whim with my girlfriend to see what they had to offer in the realm of Thai tapas and we were impressed. The decor is very sharp and would be a great place for a date or a small friendly gathering. The waiter was very attentive and kept our drinks filled. The food was really good and the fact that it was tapas made the experience even more fulfilling. It's fun to order food you're unfamiliar with but the prospect of getting an entire entree and not liking it is always a deterrent. With tapas you can order a bunch of little items and try everything your heart desires. It's especially fun when you're with a few people because you end up leaving the restaurant having sampled many many things. Everything we ordered was delicious and looked good. The plating and presentation was superb. I'd definitely take a date here, it's a really impressive place that wont hit your wallet too hard. If you have a few friends that enjoy culinary adventure it would be fun to order a bunch of things and pass them around.

    (3)

  • Nancy H.

    A happening little date place we found ourselves in on a Friday night. Hearing the characteristic Thai accent was promising that the food would be just as authentic. Taro spring rolls, curry puffs, chicken wrapped in pandanus leaf all tasty. Skip the mussels siam (rubbery) and the thai shrimp and pork toast (just a piece of deep fried bread). Have some pretty unique cocktails---cucumber martini?! tastes exactly like what's in it. While the tapas can be a hit or miss, they are so reasonably priced that I'm sure we'll be back to try more!

    (4)

  • Jessica W.

    4 stars for the pumpkin curry with tofu, 3 stars overall. The boyfriend and I eat a lot of Thai food, and we usually opt for Thai Place or Bangkok Balcony (or, recently, Kanok). We decided to check out Silk Elephant after a rave review from a friend. I made reservations for Friday at 8PM, which was a good call. The restaurant was packed and we still had to wait for a table, which was slightly annoying because there really is no lobby, especially when multiple other people are waiting. I wasn't a huge fan of the seating; I hate being too close to the table next to me. But once we sat down, the night started improving. Our drink orders were taken and filled quickly. We ordered the fresh rolls and they came out almost immediately, which shows how popular they are. The peanut sauce for the rolls was delicious. I ordered the pumpkin curry with tofu (on special) and he ordered the pad thai with tofu. I liked the 1-10 spice scale and felt the dishes were seasoned correctly. My only slight issue with the dish was that the tofu was grilled well done (it's possible, believe me!), which upset the balance of the soft pumpkin and curry. The portions were perfect for the price. I would return and try some of the other tapas, but probably on a quieter night.

    (3)

  • Jill G.

    Silk Elephant is our go-to restaurant when we have visitors, or when we're feeling a little fancy but don't want to venture outside of Sq Hill. I love their signature cocktails like the Asian Pear Martini & the Ginger Cooler. The duck dishes are to die for, as are the Thai Crab Crowns and Dumplings. My husbands loves getting the whole flash-fried fish. I wish the cocktails and tapas were a little less expensive, but their cost is on par with similar restaurants. Reservations will generally make your life easier, but are not required.

    (4)

  • Jason C.

    This was my first experience with Thai food. That being said I have no basis for comparison. Browsing the menu I felt overwhelmed by the variety of choices. It was hard to be sure that I was making a choice that I wasn't going to regret. We started off with some tapas. I ordered the chicken spring rolls, which turned out to be better than I expected. The shell was crispy and the fillings were savory. Just about all of the tapas come with a dipping sauce on the side. Mine was sweet and complimented the dish perfectly. After a short period of time the main courses came. I ordered the basil leaf with beef, sautéed green and red peppers and rice. To make it easier on the newcomers, the wait staff will ask you how spicy you would like your food to be. You should choose carefully. On a scale of 1 to 10, I ordered a 4 and it was plenty hot for me, any higher than that and I would have been pushing my comfort level. Overall the food was very delicious, the wait staff was very friendly and accommodating, and the atmosphere was pleasant. I recommend it to anyone.

    (4)

  • Joey T.

    Food: The menu offers both tapas and entrees. We have been to Silk Elephant multiple times, and each time we ordered entrees with 1-2 tapas as appetizers. The soups and entrees are ordered on a 1-10 spicy scale. The mushroom soup and the Tom Kha are both superb. The fresh rolls are a great vegetarian tapa/appetizer. All entrees we've ordered, from curries to noodles are top notch. We have yet to order dessert. The portions are large enough to fill your belly and bring a little home for the next day. There are plenty of vegetarian options, and the menu is huge in general. Definitely something available for everyone. Price: The prices are very reasonable. With wine, an appetizer, two entrees and no dessert, two of us ate for just over $50. Entrees, tapas, and soups are all fairly priced. Drinks: Full bar available, good wine selections, and the tea is fantastic. Atmosphere: Silk Elephant looks like a ritzy restaurant but feels comfortable. A great place to take a date or your family. The tables are a little too close together in areas. The bathrooms are sparkling clean and the bar is nice. The silverware is pretty cool too. Service: The service is impeccable. Our water glasses were re-filled, no exaggeration, 15-20 times each. The wait staff checked on every course to see if we liked it or needed anything. The food was delivered at a nice pace that gave us time for each portion but didn't have us eating dinner for 2 hours. Our waitress spoke incredibly quietly though, so you may have to ask her to speak up if you get her. (+): great service, very tasty food, a variety of choices, nice atmosphere (-): some tables are too close together Would I go back again? Absolutely.

    (5)

  • Daniel T.

    Come here with gf quite often. Never have I thought poorly of this place. We usually get pad see ew and red curry. You can adjust the spiciness on a 10 point scale ( we usually get 7) which is great. Definitely get at least some as it adds to the taste greatly. The pad see ew is the best I've had yet with a very goid balance between sweet and salty. If you happen to come by at lunch you'll also be treated with some sweet spring rolls which are excellent as well. Their tapas are very tasty but I tend to stat away from them as you get a small proportion (IMO) Overall one of my favorite restaurants.

    (5)

  • Alyssa S.

    Excellent food! Vegetarian options available. My husband and I will definitely be back.

    (5)

  • David K.

    Wow... I don't know what happened! An old standby sort of let me down. I decided to try to make a meal out of appetizers ("tapas," if you're a Prius driver,) and I just didn't really enjoy it that much. The taro spring rolls and the fancy crab rangoons were good, if a bit small. The chicken wrapped in pandanus leaves and the salmon dumplings were just not good at all. The prices didn't match the portions, or the quality, either. Silk Elephant, I wanted to visit you one last time before leaving this town for(hopefully)ever, and now I won't miss you anymore. Mission accomplished?

    (3)

  • Kate B.

    I wish I could give it 4 and a half stars instead of just 4. But anyway. This place has been around for a while now. I am surprised it was able to stay in business (considering how many other businesses have gone under on the same street.) The food is really, really good. It's Thai but also sort of Malaysian or something. I am not 100% on that. But it's definitely Thai and maybe something else. There is a lot of seafood used in their dishes and same with fruit and spicy flavors. Whoever came up with a lot of the appetizers really knows how to blend flavors together, harmoniously. To drink I always order either mango juice, Thai Iced Tea, or hot floral tea. To eat, my favorite dish is the Siam Paragon. This is also my mom's favorite. (And I would like to point out that she does not even LIKE Thai food and she loves to eat here!) Their coconut rice is TO DIE FOR. It's SO tasty and sweet, almost like a dessert. I've also tried Haw Moork Fish, Salmon Rolls, Spring Rolls, and the Spicy Siam Mussels on the half shell. I am sure I've tried a few other of their tapas too but it's been a while so the names aren't coming to me as I type this. But basically, it's all really good. A lot of dishes have some spiciness to them so if you don't like spicy foods then you might wanna steer clear or play it safe and order something not so spicy like spring rolls or pad Thai. I've had their Red Curry with chicken and their chicken Pad Thai. Both are really tasty. The mildest level for the red curry is still a little bit spicy, though. The tapas are the best, though, and if you are undecided, try the Siam Paragon and the Spring Rolls with chicken (or veggies if you prefer.) Those are both tried & true dishes. I've never really tried their alcoholic drinks so I can't comment on those, or the desserts. I REALLY love their interior too. Easily one of the most "romantic" interiors in town, or at least in the Sq Hill area. The lighting, decor, and the waterfall by the door....all very nice for a night out! Regarding the prices--pretty affordable if you order 3-4 appetizers and split among you and one other person or more. My mom and I spent about $35 total for the both of us including a tip for our meal, and we were pretty filled...two mango juices, coconut rice side order, siam paragon, mussels on the half shell, spring rolls, and salmon rolls. The only reason why the Silk Elephant did not get 5/5 stars is due to the service. It can be really really REALLY slow in there sometimes, even when there aren't many other people eating there. Once you place your order, it seems to speed up a bit, though.

    (4)

  • K S.

    Ordered Thai red curry..good !

    (4)

  • Jessica D.

    Cute for a date. Especially if you pair it with pre or post movie at The Manor. I enjoyed the ambiance. We ate at the bar - just tapas and drinks while watching the Pirates. We had the Silk Elephant Rice Paper Rolls, Chicken Satay, and Tofu Crisps -- all completely delicious. The staff was courteous and quick. The only beef that I had was the price of ONE GLASS of the house Bordeaux - $10. I swear that wasn't the price in the menu, but I could be wrong. Don't get me wrong, I would willingly shell out good money for a tasty Bordeaux, but I'm a little on the light side right now-- times are rough. Oh well, it was likely my bad.

    (4)

  • Mary K.

    best pad Thai in the city hands down!

    (5)

  • Neil S.

    4.5 stars, but I'm feeling generous so I'll round up. Silk Elephant is quite possibly Squirrel Hill's busiest restaurant, and for good reason. In the rather crowded market for Thai food in Pittsburgh, Silk Elephant delivers on both ambiance and food. The space exhibits beautiful yet subtle decorative touches, and while you may find seating and table space a little cramped this doesn't hinder the dining experience too much. Although some of the servers lack fluency in English the service is attentive, and my picky dining companions' multiple, borderline irrational requests have all been met with skill. I enjoy Silk Elephant's extensive menu of Thai tapas, as everything manages to taste different even though not all of the small plates hit the mark. The Salmon Rolls are fried properly and packed with salmony flavor, and similarly the Curry Puffs offer a perfectly flaky crust and a delicately flavored, meaty filling. Haw Mork Fish is an incredibly light, deeply flavorful steamed mix of red curry and fresh tilapia, and the Fish Cakes although apathetically named offer a superbly seared outside with a soft, creamy, subtly sweet fishy center. Corn Fritters are wonderfully crispy but cloyingly sweet. Tofu Crisp lacks flavor even when doused in sweet chili sauce. The main entrees are unfortunately not as adventurous as the tapas menu, but the Thai staples are all solid. Curries carry robust flavors though err on the rich, sweet side. Noodles and fried rices exhibit proper cooking and are complexly flavored. Proteins are of high quality and amply portioned. Everything is reasonably priced to boot. In short, Silk Elephant does quite well for a special occasion or for the semi-adventurous eater who wants to sample a wide range of flavors.

    (5)

  • J D.

    Delicious Thai food along with creative presentations. Had their pumpkin soup which was savory, smooth and the right amount of spice. A couple tapas: crowned scallops and fresh rolls with tofu. The scallops were fresh and excellently prepared, they were also nice and spicy. I have definitely have had better fresh rolls (at the Green Mango)--and if I never had theirs, I guess these would have been fine. I'm just used to the actual taste of mind and cilantro instead of cabbage--reminded me of an egg roll that wasn't fried. Had the Wild Curry dish with shrimp, which was excellent--had it a spice level of 7 (wowzer!). My husband had the tilapia with crispy basil, spice level 8--it was superb! Presentation lovely, all very fresh ingredients--tasted divine! They have a full bar, prices are pretty much in line with the rest of Pittsburgh. I will definitely be back!

    (4)

  • October R.

    We went early for a spot of lunch and there was one other table seated however, the wait seemed to take forever. Forever to get drinks, forever to get our order taken, forever for the food to arrive, the waitress made us feel like we were a burden. The food was good but not good enough to make up for the inexcusable service provided.

    (2)

  • Alex B.

    The Chicken Pad Thai here is the best I've found. Various other appetizers/dishes are amazing as well. If you're a first timer, I suggest getting at most spicy level 5.

    (5)

  • Mary S.

    Every time I've been here the food has been fantastic. I usually get fresh rolls, pad Thai or green curry. It's a little on the pricy side, but its consistently good.

    (5)

  • M D.

    Most reasonably priced tapas restaurant in the burgh that's actually good. Lots of vegetarian options, and the nightly specials are also very yummy. I try to catch when they have the whole fish specials, and if I'm out of luck for the night, squid with basil sauce will forever be my backup. What my bf and I love about this place most? They have great wines by the glass or bottle that's on par as far as price, with most restaurants. They have great California reds such as seghesio Zinfandel and its only $15-18 dollars marked up from the original price which is fantastic for such a great bottle!

    (4)

  • Anna Marie M.

    Silk Elephant is one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. The atmosphere is cozy and romantic, but the big glass windows allows you to people-watch Murray Ave. It's a great combo! Their food is to die for. I'm usually a Green Curry, spice 7 with shrimp. I was in the mood for something different and ordered the basil fried rice. I highly recommend it! The abundant fresh basil was bursting, and the rice was not greasy at all. As for their tapas... I haven't had any I don't rave about. Their corn fritters are some of the best I've ever had. Each tapas comes with a unique dipping sauce that makes eating the bite size meals that much more enjoyable.

    (5)

  • Sarah V.

    I really like Silk Elephant - for the food just as much as for the ambiance. I was there last night with my partner, and we sampled four different tapas, and I had a glass of viognier. Wine was fantastic - they have a nice selection of 'by the glass' offerings, though the prices tend to be high (cheapest is $7 by the glass). I really liked the salmon spring rolls and the larb salad with tofu - though I'll agree with some previous reviewers that portions are a bit small. I understand this is a tapas place, but salads should at least fill a salad plate. bonus - the decorating and overall interior are cool and give a good vibe. I will def. return, however, some improvements in waitstaff are needed, though the busing and food running are spot-on. Our waitress barely saw us after the initial orders were taken, and didn't return until it was time for the check. She was nice, and helpful, but if she'd been more on top of things, we would have ordered a few more tapas instead of deciding to get the bill and go across the street for frozen yogurt instead.

    (3)

  • Marissa M.

    I went with two other people and enjoyed 3 appetizers, and 3 entrees that included pad thai, another noodle dish, and a vegetable dish. All were very good and we were 100% satisfied. Our service was a bit slow at first- I don't think they had someone to serve us so the bartender picked us up and did a great job. My major complaint and reason I only gave 3 stars is for the prices. The total for our meal was $65, which didn't seem bad at the time because I had a $60 gift certificate (from Groupon). However if I were to go back without the gift certificate, I think I would be disappointed in the quality/amount to price ratio.

    (3)

  • Patty M.

    First time eating thai food and I loved it. Played it safe and ordered tofu pad thai. It was wonderful. The tofu was crispy and meaty. Not mushy at all. My husband got the green curry(i think?)...it had bits of eggplant and other vegetables. It was fresh and delicious, too. My favorite part of my meal was the drink i ordered, a lemongrass and ginger martini. It wasn't sugary, syrupy sweet, like it was made from a mix. You could taste each ingredient. Silk Elephant put little matchstick pieces of ginger in my martini. It was perfect! I have reccomended this Thai restarant to many people and I look forward to going back.

    (5)

  • Ryan P.

    I would definitely go here again - nice atmosphere and excellent food. The menu is similar to Bankok Balcony which is just around the corner and also an excellent choice. Had wonton soup, a noodle dish, and a curry all of which were excellent.

    (4)

  • Sal W.

    The food is good but it is overpriced and you get small portion sizes. I've been here about three-four times and have had curries and noodle dishes. If they would either lower the price or provide more food, I would give them an extra star. Service is a mixed bag. But until then... Food Quality/Taste = 4 Stars Portion Size Given Price = 2 Stars Relative Price = 2 Stars Service = 2 Stars Experience with Staff = 3 Stars Decor = 4 Stars Clean (yes/no) = yes

    (3)

  • T. C.

    Excellent food, at terrific prices. I go there a lot, I love them so much.

    (5)

  • Elaine L.

    I love the decor and atmosphere. We tried their signature tapas (the one with jumbo shrimp and 3 sauces). It was a bit pricey and I don't think it was justifiably so. We also tried their Thai toast, which was good. Their Thai Iced Tea is good and also at a good price, in my opinion. As for the entrees, we had curry noodles and pad thai. The meat in both of them (chicken and beef, respectively) were a bit tough and chewy. The curry noodles were too sauce-heavy. The piquancy was a little higher than what I'm used to, for the level I gave them. The pad thai was otherwise fine. Pricing was ok. The entrees are reasonably priced, maybe a little on the cheaper end for Thai food. They make their money from the tapas though.

    (3)

  • Nick K.

    My wife and I went there for dinner on a Tuesday evening, and the place was empty (although I guess that's normal for a weeknight). The service and decore was OK- not the greatest place or as nice as I expected from their website, and our waitress was prompt but didn't refill our drinks. I had their shrimp pad thai, which was one of the better pad thais I've had in Pittsburgh. There was enough to take home for lunch, so the price wasn't too bad since it was a decent portion. My wife had the steamy mussels, which were good, but she got sick on them later which was bad. The menu is expansive with lots of tapas available, and while I didn't try anything else, the food I saw at the table nearby looked good. I'm giving this restaurant the benefit of the doubt that it is usually better- everyone I talked to raved about it before we went. I would go there again if I was in the area and wanted Thai food, but I wouldn't go out of my way to stop there.

    (3)

  • Junier O.

    I got my first exposure to thai food here, and I love it! Their curries are all fantastic, and the pad thai is delicious. Also, the ambiance is very chill and put together; and on some nights they actually have thai fire dancers! Overall all I don't really have any complaint, except that the prices are slightly high for a college budget.

    (4)

  • Darren W.

    It was Friday night and Kay's turn to choose a restaurant. She spun the wheel, the pointer landed on Squirrel Hill's Silk Elephant, and Eastward we headed after work. Never before have I been impressed with silverware. Silverware! I suppose I take it for granted, but at Silk Elephant, I marveled at it. Here our knives, forks, and spoons were seemingly forged by mythical blacksmiths, resembling swords, spades, and tridents. Their handles were thick, cylindrical and were looped at the end. It was as if combat was imminent. We ordered two tapas; Salmon Rolls and the Seafood Steamed Dumplings. The Salmon Rolls came with what seemed to be a remoulade and therefore happily reminded me of my mothers salmon cakes. The Seafood Steamed Rolls are comprised of crab and shrimp and come with a ginger sesame soy sauce. Both were heavy, moist, meaty, each pleasurable parcel sticking to my insides like pierogi from a world away do. We could have easily eaten a devil's dozen of each. Our appetites had been sufficiently stoked. I ordered the Duck Curry since duck is something I don't have often, and did the roasted, boneless, supple, fatty duck ever deliquesce delectably in my mouth along with chunks of tomato, grape, and pineapple. The broth of coconut milk and curry astonished my tongue with its delicate sweet/spicy highwire waltz. I poured it onto my white rice and relished its exotic flavors. When I ran out of rice, I asked for more and dumped it all into the bowl without regard for rules. Kay ordered something really interesting that I had no idea existed that Silk Elephant calls Fruity Fried Rice. It the usual fried rice but with an obvious twist, the fruits added consisting of pineapple, apple, grapes, raisins, and oranges. Enormous twin cucumber discs acted as a garnish. Kay added shrimp to give it some more ooomph. Upon having a taste I couldn't get over how savory it was and how well the fruit went with the rice. My few forays into the world of Thai cuisine have been interesting, Silk Elephant only adding more depth to that memoir. One thing I have taken away from my experiences with it so far is that Thai food is so remote yet close to home at the same time. Each time I've had Thai food, I've recalled something I've had before. As I mentioned earlier, the rolls reminded me of my Irish/German/Hungarian mother's cooking and the dumplings of Poland, but in the case of the Duck Curry, I felt as if I had been whisked away to India and Thailand and back home again. In spite of the trendiness of the restaurant and the neighborhood it sits in, I felt comfort. I felt as if I had at least something in common with people I've never met and whose language I don't speak. It may sound shallow, and I'm clearly not alone in thinking this, but I've always been of the opinion that food can connect people to cultures, even if only by a thread. The Silk Elephant did so for me with an affectionate, ebullient, and mighty trumpet call. Praise be to the Taffeta Pachyderm.

    (5)

  • Dynne S.

    Pretty tasty, I still am obsessed with Bangkok Balcony though!

    (3)

  • Oday S.

    Great restaurant. Eat here. Often. First, the ambiance is nice. Dim but still effective lighting; nice colors; great bar area; ample, comfortable seating. Second, the menu is impressive. Lots of curries, brown sauce dishes, salads, and an interesting Thai tapas menu that I've never really encountered before. And one of the best parts is that they are willing to make the dishes truly vegetarian, i.e. no hidden meat items like oyster sauce and shrimp paste. Third, the service was great. The waiter helped out with a very strong wine list. And everyone had a smile. Fourth, the prices are reasonable. Dinner for two, including tip, could easily be under $40 without alcohol. I didn't go for the full 5 stars because I thought that the food was a tad greasy. Nothing too bad; but I make Thai at home and have been to plenty of Thai restaurants, so I know that restaurants can, if they want, reduce the amount of oil without sacrificing too much flavor. That said, this place is great and in a cool location in the heart of Squirrel Hill N.

    (4)

  • Tauseef R.

    One of the top 3 Thai Places in Pittsburgh definitely. Ambience gets 5 stars! However even though the food is GREAT! Its not completely authentic tasting. The Pad Ki Mao with Shrimp was excellent so was the Fried Rice. Helpings are small (per person) so sharing one entree is not an option. I will be back definately.

    (4)

  • Fiona S.

    On one of my infrequent sojourns to Pittsburgh (my brother and an old boyfriend live there) my family went to Silk Elephant, per recommendation from the old BF. My family can eat heck out of some Thai food, and this place was just the spot. They let you order how spicy/hot your food is from a scale of 1 through 10 (10 being the hottest.) This is perfect if you have a group with varied tastes for hotness. I got the roti and green curry special, level 1, some chicken satay and Mai Thai. YUM, YUM, YUM. My dad and brother got the traditional Thai soup (can't remember the name) level 7ish, and they loved it. I like that they do tapas style, because Thai food is one of those cuisine where it's always more fun to try lots of things, and Silk Elephant let's you do that for a reasonable price, without needing to take three boxes of leftovers home.

    (4)

  • Pam B.

    Anytime I am in Pittsburgh I stop by the Silk Elephant for their Fruity Fried Rice!!! It is amazing :) Their spring rolls are pretty good too! Great dipping sauce!

    (4)

  • Jessica M.

    I can't write a full review as I've never eaten a full meal here....I've been twice so far after eating elsewhere and strolling about Squirrel Hill looking for a nightcap. The bar is great! The bartender, Sean, is wonderfully inventive, and has come up with a list of cocktails that are a real pleasure to consume in this chill, intimately-lit space. On my first visit, I had a martini made with some of the lemongrass-infused vodka. Last night, I had the Biddle, a remix of the margarita including Cynar (artichoke bitters) and Thai chili. It was served very cold and went down with a spicy bite. Delicious! Can't complain about the unobtrusively cool soundtrack, either. I'll be back.

    (4)

  • Emily H.

    Contrary to previous reviews, I thought Silk Elephant was surprisingly affordable - maybe because we don't eat seafood. Three Thai iced teas and six tapas dishes came to less than $40 before tip. I fell in love with a pumpkin curry soup, one of the specials of the evening. If they offer this, try it - it's just spicy enough, with pepitas to add a little crunch. The fresh rolls were a little bland, as they tend to be, but the sauce improves them. I wasn't crazy about the steamed veggie dumplings (too gummy) and the tofu crisp was just okay. My boyfriend really liked the chicken curry puffs and said they reminded him of samosas. The atmosphere is okay - it was a little quiet, the tables are a bit too close together in the part of the restaurant near Murray Avenue, and that part of the restaurant is also very drafty. It was surprisingly casual - lots of baseball hats and jeans. I would recommend Bangkok Balcony if you're starving, but Silk Elephant if you're just in the mood for a snack and a drink.

    (4)

  • Alyse K.

    There is consistently delicious Thai food here as well as at its sister restaurant around the corner at Bangkok Balcony (both are family-owned by the same owner). I think Bangkok Balcony is more family-oriented and casual, whereas Silk Elephant makes a great date place and has a lot of small plates to choose from (in addition to great entrees and a large drink menu). Things I have tried and really enjoy: fresh rolls (these taste light and healthy, I really enjoy the mint leaf inside), tom kah coconut soup (tangy and delicious), wonton soup (comes with lots of veggies which I like), all of the curries, and I really enjoy the noodle dishes like pad see ew and the pad kee mao lemongrass noodle. The noodles in those dishes are flat and broad and seem homemade, they are really delicious. The food always tastes fresh and the service is very friendly. If you like tofu, you can get it in almost any dish - just let your server know in advance if you want it steamed, because it seems to typically come fried.

    (5)

  • Matthew S.

    This place is awesome. They really know how to cook Thai. They always have the freshest ingredients. Also the dishes are presented well; Everything they bring you looks beautiful. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable.

    (5)

  • Rishi P.

    Silk Elephant is definitely one of my favorite thai restaurants in Pittsburgh. I always order the green curry with vegetables and I've never been disappointed. The food is very consistent and its a great restaurant to celebrate any occasion for a good price.

    (4)

  • John L.

    The presentation was impeccable, the service was top-notch, and the decor makes for a decent date location. I'm not sure if I'd categorize this as "tapas" though...most of their tapas list seemed like straightforward appetizers to me. The food was pretty good too, but the spice was definitely turned down and everything was slightly sweetened for some reason.

    (3)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:30 am - 10

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Intimate
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes

Silk Elephant

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