Best Thai food in DC-area. Sour Bamboo Curry was absolutely delicious. Pad Thai was solid as well.
(5)
Justin B.
Wow! Tried the Gang Hung Lay and it blew my mind! Absolutely delicious blend of slow cooked pork in a ginger tamarind reduction. I've ordered lunch here a few times and had amazing food and the dinner tonight was beyond my expectations.
(5)
Em S.
Been here more frequently lately and the service has gotten much better. Since that was the only thing holding them back from being an exceptional establishment, I've now upgraded my rating to five stars. This is a great eatery. A close family friend is Thai and owns a Thai restaurant in another state. We brought him here and he said that the food is excellent and of high caliber. It was a ringing endorsement.
(5)
Uno Tres Z.
Amazing Thai restaurant! Delicious and authentic- I'm a fan - try the grilled pork appetizer along with the fried watercress.
(4)
Lata A.
I love this place - definitely our go to for Thai. Their Thai basil fried rice is definitely worth a try (fair warning - they do not hold back on their spices!). Their traditional Thai menu is great as well - if you are feeling adventurous. I would definitely recommend it.
(4)
Melissa F.
This is my favorite place to order take-out from in the Dunn Loring/Merrifield area. At first I was disappointed because I had ordered the pad thai. But since then I've learned their best dishes feature their green curry. The green curry tofu is yummy! I also like their Thai iced tea. Friendly staff. Their delivery is always super speedy.
(4)
Suzy D.
3.5 stars plus an extra half solely for creativity. The creativity: besides the name, which left me counting elephants instead of sheep that night, there's an entire, albeit small, section of fusion dishes on the menu. I had the peanut chicken croissant sandwich which came with salad and cold peanut sauce as the salad dressing. Other options included typical Thai noodle dishes with spaghetti substituted for the usual noodles and some Thai-ish burritos. Paula and the vegetarian had more traditional dishes: beef and broccoli and drunken noodles with fried tofu, respectively. Paula almost licked her plate, though I think it was more because she was famished and it wasn't a very big portion. The vegetarian's noodles were a little off in my opinion. They were definitely prepared well, so I summed up the abnormal taste to the fact that it didn't have meat in it. Elephant Jumps is located in a strip mall, and at dinner time it seemed like there were a lot more take out orders than diners in the restaurant. It's hard to find your way into the right driveway without getting back on the freeway, and GPS wasn't incredibly helpful, so after you do your loop back on, turn around, come back, and actually find it, you'll have a pretty good dinner...especially if you live a little outside the box and get one of the "east meets west" dishes.
(4)
Starr C.
I was here months ago and forgot to write my review, whoops! We had a large party, so we made a reservation. I didn't quite understand why until we reached the restaurant and I saw that it was pretty teeny. Our party of 8 took over most of the restaurant. We all ordered Thai milk teas and several dishes to share family style. AMBIENCE-- The restaurant was pretty cozy and had fun elephant-themed items. FOOD-- Thai milk teas were delicious. It was my first time having Thai tea, and I am glad that I succumbed to the peer pressure of everyone else ordering a glass. We ordered our food to share family style, so everything was a bit of a blur, but I'll do my best! We had a papaya salad? that had a bit of kick that went nicely with the overall fresh taste. Very very yummy. I definitely remember Golden Triangle, which was fried tofu triangles served with sweet & sour sauce. Pretty tasty, but nothing really special. Most memorable to me was the chicken satay burrito. I have never had Thai fusion food before, so getting this was really fun for me. All in all, I had a great time here. The food was delicious and I only wish that the portions were bigger so that sharing family-style allowed me to have MORE IN MY MOUF.
(4)
Minh T.
Very limited seating. Could maybe fit two-three elephants in there. Four at most. But then they would be bumping into each other all the time and it would be hard to eat. Food was decent - got the crab fried rice. Good amount of crab meat but I found it lacking in flavor. Kept having to add fish sauce and at one point considered pouring the whole thing in. But they do give a generous amount of food. Not sure about the price, because I brought my sugar momma and she paid.
(3)
Jo K.
I really want to give 3.5 stars. I read Tyler Cowen's review. Had a friend who liked it alot. We love Thai food. We tried this place about a month ago. I started with the shrimp papaya salad. It was really good. Full of lime & fish sauce flavors, great heat to it. My husband who is not a huge citrus flavor fan didn't like it. I ordered Hung Lay curry. I liked it. It didn't blow me away. My husband ordered his go-to minced chicken basil (pad kra pao). The assumed owner who's been explaining the menu to us in fine detail says we should have come when they had the real thai basil last week. Authentic thai only should be made with real thai basil, he says. A little strange but OK....still want to order it. Also asked for thai level HOT. The owner says "people usually order thai hot and send it back b/c they can't handle it." OK....still want to order it. It was definitely hot, but not the hottest we've ever had. Best was the dessert: sticky rice & mango. It was beautiful. Rice was perfect. Mango was perfect. This was equal level dessert to Thai X-ing in DC. It was that good. Service was good. I need to go back and try the drunken noodles before rating it higher.
(3)
Rebecca R.
The food was yummy and a little different than your typical Thai restaurant. Appetizers were Spicy Papaya salad, which was very spicy and the Yum Pla Dook Foo, which had a nice crunch. The Gang Hung Lay was a delicious main course - slow cooked pork curry!
(4)
Tom C.
MY GAWD, ELEPHANTA JUMPS. I came here for a lunch date with a friend and the positioning of the sign relative to the actual location of the restaurant is slightly misleading. Walk 25 feet down and BOOM you're there. I really liked the food and the set-up inside so this place is going on my casual date list. Crispy Flatbread Shrimp 4/5 Pad Sew Ew Moo Mug 5/5
(4)
Christopher S.
There are a lot of Thai restaurants in the DMV area, especially NoVA... When I am not making my way out to try a new Thai restaurant, Elephant Jumps is usually my go-to, fallback choice. Mainly, I order from them because it seems that they use a little more aromatic components than other restaurants; there is also a hint of citrus to contrast the brown sauces and Thai chilli pastes which is nice...it definitely makes a play on Western taste buds. I would like to mention again: when I am not searching for the most memorable, fecund flavors of Thai cuisine, I am A-OK with just ordering take-out or delivery from EJTR. Unfortunately, I have never had a chance to dine-in since I think the dine-in area is way too small.
(3)
Albin H.
I Should of listened to the lower rating comments, but I choose to ignore them like many of you will. I read the Pad Thai would be lack luster and dry; however i didn't think they would taste burned. They were dry, tasted burned with not enough pad thai sauce. The funny thing is they charge around 10.00$ for a burned pad Thai. Lower your price elephant jumps you have nothing but your unique facade to convince people that your food is any good.
(2)
Piya V.
Definitely a go place especially for the lunch special. If we are in the area and want Thai food we'll stop by again. I like every dishes we had here. -drunken noodle -basil fried rice -yum pla dook foo ( fried catfish) When you ask for spicy it is Thai spicy
(3)
Sasha R.
really is a 3 1/2 star. I think that this is the sort of place where you have a good experience if you order the right thing, but it's so easy to be led astray by the 'decoy' dishes that appear to be meant to appeal to the crazy masses ('croissant thai sandwich'?? begone!). the sun-dried/fermented beef appetizer is delicious. as is the papaya spicy salad (do NOT get the fried version). and any of the deep-fried entrees are tasty, just make sure to order the sauce on the side or the light fluffy batter will be lost in a soggy mess. on the ++ side, service is attentive and sweet, parking is plentiful (strip mall), and the bathroom is clean.
(3)
Andrew R.
Best Thai food I've had in Northern Virginia. Found this place on Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Food Blog, and he was totally right. They have the Thai food you normally get in restaurants, but it pays to be a little adventurous. My favorite dish was the Hung Lay Curry -- unbelievably soft pork cooked in a sweet, rich brown curry. Everything else we had was wonderful too, from appetizers to dessert, even the rice. Beautiful presentation, also. It was quiet when I came, but the service was impeccable too. Attentive, not overbearing. But they were also proud of their food, and when it became clear that we wanted to experience their menu, they guided us through an amazing (and affordable) three-course dinner. It may not be Thai X-ing, but it's pretty f-ing great.
(5)
Carrie M.
First time here and loved it. Ordered the fried watercress salad to start. So delicious. I had panang curry, figuring if this isn't good we cant come back. Also amazingly delicious. The bf got Thai basil stir fry with beer, he loved it. I can't wait to come back.
(5)
Anthony L.
Not worth it. With so many Thai options in the area, please explore. The girlfriend and I ordered delivery from here one night. The lady who picked up asked us to hold, which is fine. What's not fine is that she proceeded to hang up on us. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have called back. We did anyways, and got a different lady who barely spoke English and had no business answering the phone. What followed was of string of "hello?" before the initial lady grabbed the phone back after realizing what she had done. Delivery was timely, if I remember correctly. Portion sizes were terribly small and not worth the prices at all. Both the Drunken noodles and basil fried rice were overly greasy. This place is less than five minutes from our home, but we will never try them again. Disappointing. What I've learned from Yelp is that every Thai place has at least 3.5-4 stars. I don't know what it is... maybe bad Thai food is still good Thai food to Yelpers? "Has exotic spices... 4 stars!"
(1)
Mischita H.
I never knew that this place was here - I discovered in a yelp search yesterday so I decided to order take out. I tried the thai spring rolls, fried shrimp and thai spicy shrimp soup -- all were pretty good. The fried shrimp were not too greasy but I would have preferred meatier shrimp in the soup (at first glance I thought they had given me thai spicy mushroom soup!). The inside is very small (unless there is an upstairs that I missed...) -- good for those dinning solo or small groups. Service was quick and the cashier was soft spoken and very nice.
(3)
Jeff H.
I'm typically not to exotic when I order Thai food. I took a chance and ordered Lad Na Moo Mug. . It was the most delicious dish is I'd ever had.
(5)
E M.
My favorite thai place! I always get pad thai, drunken noodle, green curry, or pineapple fried rice. May be small, but the food is amazing. Service is GREAT, and I even love their interior design.
(5)
Tj K.
Like another reviewer said that this is solid 4-4.5, all things considered, Elephant Jumps is a great Thai place to go for lunch or dinner. The menu offers authentic Thai dishes, including popular items one would expect at a Thai restaurant. What I love about this place is actually not on the menu, despite my liking to their drunken noodles. The service is great, fast, and casual. It is a small restaurant, cozy and tucked away, but efficient which is what I have come to appreciate more and more these days. While for the very discriminating, ambiance may not be up to their snuff - this has come to be one of my favorite take out places!
(4)
Matt T.
We ordered take-out. Food was ready in 15 minutes. We had the Drunken Spaghetti Chicken, Crispy Scallops, and the papaya salad. All of it was really good. We will definitely be back. Highly recommended if you want some good Thai.
(4)
Jerry J.
This is by far one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been to. I haven't ordered a single meal and not wanted more!!! The owner is a sweet heart I absolutely adore him!! The staff are very accommodating, fun, and humble! I would recommend this place to anybody and EVERYBODY!!! Seriously go NOW!!!
(5)
Colin C.
I heard a lot of great things about the place but found it to be just so-so. The biggest problem was my vegetarian curry. I'm not a vegetarian but often order it at thai restaurants so you dont end up with a pile of dry chicken in curry, noodles, or rice with no veggies. Order the vegetarian and you will have well cooked tofu and a bunch of vegetables for a real meal. Problem was that here they must not know how to cook it because the curry came out extremely watery. I rarely send things back but this was inedible. Came back again the same way and they said it is just how they make it. Ummm, then you make it wrong.... Some of the other dishes I tried were ok, nothing spectacular, and the service and ambiance were mediocre at best.
(2)
Gabriel N.
I love spicy food, so whenever I see a Thai place I'm compelled to try it. I hit this little restaurant (it is tiny) for lunch before the weekday rush came in. They seated us quickly and were very attentive during the entire meal. Drunken Noodles (aka Pad Kee Mao) is my go-to dish whenever trying a new Thai place. Elephant Jumps had a nice lunch menu that included Drunken Noodles in a sort of "set" with a soup and shrimp toast. The heat levels are one through four starting at mild and ending at Thai Hot. After asking if they used fresh peppers (they do) I decided on Hot (level 3). What I instantly loved was that they don't mess around when it comes to spice. The heat was immediate and flavorful. The noodles were a little greasier than I'd like and I skipped the soup entirely, but I really enjoyed the meal overall. I will definitely return to try the other items on their lunch menu.
(4)
Trisha H.
Checked this place out without even knowing it existed, but was very happy with the experience. The staff was very friendly, the atmosphere was lovely for an intimate dinner, and the food was delicious. Thai beef jerky was amazing, especially with the spicy chili sauce. We also had the panang shrimp which was very enjoyable as well as another curry dish. The thai fresh rolls were also very yummy. I would definitely go back here.
(4)
Sherry L.
You'll experience a longer than usual wait for your food, but it's well worth it. The dishes are well prepared and thoughtfully presented. Try the seafood salad or the Elephant Jumps salad. Both are pretty good. Per usual, I ordered the pad thai, and I definitely thought it was better than most of the other places I've tried in DC. Don't order take-out though...they package the foods way too hot off the stove and my styrofoam containers were half melted through the bottom. CARCINOGENS!!! X__X
(4)
Andrew C.
Stopped for lunch; waitress was incredulous when I asked for Thai Hot curry... And brought out flavorless, mild curry. I got tepid water with no ice, waitress rolled her eves when I asked for chopsticks and never brought them. I waited most of my meal to get attention of waitress to ask for more chilies. She brought them after a long wait. Not impressed.
(1)
Lisa A.
The food here is fantastic! Still dreaming about the sour bamboo curry and mango sticky rice. Service is really great. Not the best ambiance (in a strip mall, outdoor seating is right by parking lot), but the food is so good it almost doesn't matter.
(4)
Omar S.
I've been coming to Elephant Jumps since they opened. I've never had "real Thai" food myself, so I can't comment on the authenticity, but I do know that they take their spice levels very seriously. It's great to know that I can go to a place, and get spicy food- most other Thai restaurants in the area tell you they'll make it hot, but don't really add enough (or anything) to do it. Anyway, I've bounced around between the curries, fried rices, and more recently the Herb Aroma Chicken dishes. I've always felt that they've provided excellent food if you dine-in. I talked to the owner recently, and he explained how they were working on making their carry-out a better experience- they're well aware that it can be oily at times, and somewhat messy. It sounds like they're pretty close to sorting that out though, which is great. I saw some comments about the servers below, and I'd like to mention that I've never had any issues getting service. I usually roll in pretty late (after 8:30), so that could be part of it, since I'm basically the only one there. But from my experience, they've always been very nice, and fun to chat with.
(5)
Lisa H.
Excellent lunch meal for $10. Although the one pepper was EXTREMELY spicy, it was delicious. And my mouth and sinuses calmed down within minutes of finishing eating. Enjoyed a nice get-together with 2 friends. Since it wasn't packed, we stayed 2 hours. Attentive service throughout. Since the lunch menu was available we ordered off of that but the regular menu was extensive. I had drunken noodles with beef and the portion was very adequate. I will definitely go back.
(4)
Amanda B.
Great place! Easy to miss in your typical suburban strip mall. We went with a small group and tried to order things we wouldn't normally have, and I'm glad we did. While I love a some good pad thai and pineapple fried rice, we had a delicious pork curry, super delicious curried sour bamboo shoots, the watercress, and pad sew ew moo mug. All of the food was awesome, but the highlight for me was the "Siam Street Ice Cream"-- it was ice cream over sticky rice with cashews, red kidney beans, and yellow corn-- an odd combination that works incredibly well! We went on a Friday night at around 7, and had to wait an hour or so for a seat, so we waited at the sports bar around the corner. Worth the trip to the 'burbs!
(4)
AJ A.
Lived in Singapore and Thailand for a number of years. Very good Thai food at Elephant Jumps. Highly accommodating to your preferred spice level including "Thai Hot". Papaya salad is a gem as is the Thai Basil Chicken with extra chicken. Off the beaten path a bit and not glamorous but excellent value for good food and service. Highly recommend.
(4)
Valencia W.
I love Thai Food. I must have Thai Food at least once per week so you could probably say that most of my funds are allocated to Shoes, Clothes, Travel -- and yes Thai is in that group. I recently moved to the area and was in desperate need to find a decent or even great Thai food spot that I could go to. I looked on Yelp and fellow Yelpers lead me to Elephant Jumps but I found it weird how plenty were not happy about their dine in service so I avoided that and got take away. I called in, they took my order and I was on my way. The restaurant is tucked in a small shopping center and even I have to check again to make sure i am not walking past it. I had the Pad See Ew and it was really good. I'm used to amazing Thai Food (see Thai Cuisine by PK) so the family atmosphere and more importantly good cooking is a big deal to me. I waited to write this review until I had tried this place 4 times ordering Pad See Ew and Spring rolls. The spring rolls suck but the main dish was really good. I would much rather prefer the appetizer to suck than the main dish to suck so that was good for me. Each time I went for lunch it was packed which is a GREAT sign. I love seeing packed places. I have now added their menu to my refrigerator and glad I was able to enjoy some Thai food. 3.5 Stars for now but bumped them up to 4 because I'm in a good mood. Don't worry if something doesn't work out I WILL readjust this rating appropriately but so far, it's been good experiences.
(4)
Brenda D.
Ok, what kind of Thai restaurant doesn't have pad-see-ew? Isn't that a regular like Pad Thai? Well, I didn't see it on the menu so I asked if they could make it. They said yes and ended up bringing me drunken noodles. Yes, it's the same kind of noodle, but the whole reason I wanted pad-see-ew was because I don't like spicy food =/ Anyway, the food was just ok.
(2)
Andrea M.
This was a great find. It's in a strip mall, and let's be honest, many of the best, most authentic places are. The Elephant Jumps Salad is an amazing starter. It has shredded apple, roasted coconut, shrimp, fresh lime juice and chili. It is a little bundle of goodness. Word to the wise: trust them on spicy. I ordered the Drunken Noodles for my entree. They measure the amount of heat on a scale of 1-4. When told the Drunken Noodles were a 2, I asked for a 3. It was a mistake: I couldn't even get a quarter of a way through it, it was that spicy. And trust me, I love spicy food (Little Serow anyone?) so just trust the waiter when he tells you things are really spicy. Enjoy eating there.
(4)
Ron H.
Elephant Jumps is a great name for a Thai restaurant, but unfortunately it fails to live up to the name. It's not that its BAD, it's just very mediocre for the fantastic cuisine that should be Thai food. I've been to this restaurant before and tried some of Chicken (Panang) Curry and found it without the mouth-watering kick from the broth that I'm used to with this dish - very bland by my previous experiences from other Thai restaurants. This time for this review I tried something more simple - I got the Drunken Noodle (wide fried noodle) and my wife sampled the Shrimp Pad Thai. This is like the Kung Pao and Lo Mein of Thai food...you really can't screw it up. The Drunken Noodle was great, but the Pad Thai was dry and lacking true flavor with six medium size shrimp. The location is hard to find as it is tucked in the back corner of Yorktowne Square Shopping Center next to the Pho Cyclo and Jasmine Garden. The dining area is tiny and very open, harsh lighting and just seems very uncozy to me. As I said earlier, it's not awful to eat here, but it's just "meh". I would give it 2 and a half stars if I could, because in my book it barely makes it to three.
(3)
AL K.
FORGETTABLE. Came here for a quick lunch had the papaya salad and fresh spring roll. The spring roll was a rip off because there was nothing in it except for a few slices of tofu like 4 julienned pcs and the rest were plain bean sprouts. ugh! it was tasteless and expensive. The papaya salad lacks seasoning and had very few garnishes. Overall, the quality of food is subpar to the rest of the thai places I've dined in. They have a catchy name and nicely themed interior, too bad the food isn't as good.
(2)
Bryan C.
Really great Thai food. As others have mentioned, its a mix of northern and southern Thai cuisine. Highly recommended.
(4)
Annie K.
I should have stopped myself from going here after taking a look at the menu online, but I had to drop off something next door at UPS so I decided to check it out. I'm half Thai, so I'm very particular about the dishes that I eat. Elephant Jumps caters to an Americanized crowd -- there is NOTHING on the menu with their original Thai name whatsoever! I had to ask the server to make sure I was ordering the right thing. (Apparently "minced spicy chicken" is larb gai and "grilled spicy beef" is num tok) A good thing about this place is that they have lunch specials, which consist of the usual curry, pad thai, basil fried rice, and drunken noodles. I opted for the papaya salad and lunch special #6, which were drunken noodles with snow white soup and crispy shrimp flatbread. The papaya salad was a small portion, and consisted of more tomatoes and an overdose of peanuts more than anything else. It was actually more sweet than spicy... perhaps to cater to the American crowd? I always have to ask for "Thai spicy" whenever they ask about spice levels, but they didn't this time around so I assumed it'd be Thai spicy. The drunken noodles were pretty bland -- they were skimpy on the meat, and I had to ask for crushed red pepper to top on it. The snow white soup (pretty much a mix of broth with tofu and spring onion) and crispy shrimp flatbread were decent. The service here was spotty. They never refilled our waters, we had to ask for straws, and it was slow in general -- although our server was nice when we did encounter her. I don't believe I'll be trying this place again, unless I'm really desperate for Americanized Thai food.
(2)
Joshua B.
I absolutely love Elephant Jumps. I live nearby, so I eat there often, and I have never been disappointed. I always order carry-out, so I've never had an in-restaurant experience. That said, the dining room is small, but well appointed and has an open feeling the service is always with a smile, and my order is always ready within 10 minutes. The food is delicious. I typically order a lunch set (served til 4), with comes with a small salad (with beans and corn), a crispy shrimp roll OR a spring roll and the entree. I think the panang curry chicken is delicious, with just enough kick. The pad thai is hands down the best pad thai around. It's made with smaller noodles, and perfectly flavored. Delicious. I rave about this place to all my friends.
(5)
Andrew J.
Amazing food. Worth the price; just make sure you speak clearly and try to understand the waiters. It's not hard.
(5)
Alan S.
Very greasy. Not my favorite. The pad thai i got was swimming in grease... def the oiliest pad thai I have ever ordered. Not going back..
(2)
Chris C.
This is really a 4.5, but I'm rounding up to plug this great local restaurant. It's hard to find authentic Thai food out in the burbs, but Elephant Jumps is about as close as you can come. Venture away from your usual pad thai, and try some of the items on their special menu. The Hung Lay curry is spicy, incredibly tender, and delicious. Other standouts include the Yum Pla Dook Foo and the Pad See Ew Moo Mug. The mango sticky rice is also seriously outstanding. I'm not sure where they get the mango, or whether they do something special for the ripening process (just a paper bag + apple?), but when they say the mango on a particular night is good, it's really good. They recently added their special menu items to the carry-out / delivery menu, for even more convenience, so give them a try!
(5)
Lisa N.
**3.5 stars** I've been back twice because it's so close to my house and I've decided the dishes are a hit or miss. My favorites are the flavorful CRISPY SCALLOPS ($14) (crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside) and the FRIED TILAPIA ($14). The lunch specials, at $8.50/each, are a great deal; it comes with the entree, an egg roll and salad. The GREEN CURRY wasn't great... it had too many eggplant/onions/veggies and not enough curry. The FRIED RICE was decent. Beware, this place gets really busy during lunch time, so service is pretty slow... especially on the patio!
(3)
John Z.
Look, if you're looking for top-notch cuisine, you simply don't go to the Yorktown Shopping Center. The folks that do come here to eat work in the various office buildings that immediately surround the strip mall. In other words, they can walk there during a lunch hour. In terms of food, this place does a serviceable job, but I've found the portions to be somewhat small. I typically stick with the drunken noodles or panang curry at a Thai restaurant. Their versions we okay, but didn't knock my socks off. Service here is hit or miss. Sometimes I've been in and out in thirty minutes with a colleague. Other times, we've spent over an hour here having lunch and trying to flag down a waitress for refills or the check. If I'm busy and need to walk down to the strip mall for lunch, this place does in a pinch... but if I've got a full hour, I'm driving somewhere else for Thai. Oh, and the seating is pretty minimal, so I don't suggest this place for a party larger than four.
(2)
KtMila F.
*Delivery Review* Placing my order over the phone was simple and the woman offered recommendations since I wasn't sure exactly what would be the best choice. I ended up with an extra spicy green chicken curry, Thai fresh rolls *(the website still sais there's sausage in the rolls but it has been changed to crab meat..yay)*, and spicy shrimp soup. My grand total only came out to 20.00! My food was delivered in a timely manor..about 15/20 mins and I was impressed with the flavor. The food was great and arrived hot. Will be ordering again while in town.
(5)
Serena G.
Update on my review. Portion size has drastically decreases and food has changed in quality. This is no longer our go-to place
(3)
Gay C.
The food was excellent and the plating was artistic and elegantly unpretentious. We ordered the charbroiled pork and fresh rolls for our appetizer which were excellent along with the exotic Thai sauces. The pad Thai noodles were Cooke perfectly. We ordered the curry with red curry sauce served with sticky rice in a beautiful native basket. For dessert we had sticky rice with durian. The service was a bit slow though but at least you are assured the food is freshly prepared and nicely plated. If you are iv Falls church and just want to have a nice dinner, you've got to try this place!
(4)
Richard D.
My wife and I went to Elephant Jumps for her birthday after seeing good reviews for the restaurant, but we were terribly disappointed. We ordered the Basil Sea Scallops and Pad Thai. The scallops were deep fried so dark and hard we couldn't barely find the tiny scallops in the burnt batter. When we also found burnt tilapia in the dish, the waitress gladly had the chef remake the meal, but the scallop dish came back the same way. To our surprise, the table next to us got the fried tilapia dish, which was golden brown, flaky and looked great. So what was that in our dish and why was our dish so heavily fried and inedible? Then there was the Pad Thai, which was so mushy the noodles were sticking together. Zero for two. The manager was apologetic and waived our bill, but this meal was so bad we were going to refuse payment anyway. We left a small tip for the waitress and went home to have birthday cake.
(1)
Brian G.
After taking forever to find the place we were pleased to sit down and have a nice dinner. My daughter and I started with the crispy shrimp bread which was very good. We both ordered the Pad Thai despite other negative reviews on yelp regarding this meal in particular. Sadly the other reviews were correct. The Pad Thai was absolutely flavorless and the noodles they use are so thin that they just clump up. My 8 year old who loves all kinds of foods, especially Pad Thai, was also disappointed. She even remarked that the fried tofu tasted like nothing (I always say that about tofu anyway) because the food had no real taste. The only reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 2 was that the appetizer and service were both good.
(3)
Shereen R.
We came here at that late lunch/early dinner hour; they were set up mostly for dinner, but had a few tables still available for lunch. We were seated and attended to rather quickly. First off, I like that there are lunch specials *every day*, not just M-F. It's a nice touch. The lunch plates come with two sticks of Crispy Flat Bread Shrimp with cucumber sauce + salad. Huge portions, enough for two people or meals. Pad Thai was tasty and the shrimp was light and flavorful, a great addition to the dish. We also ordered the Crispy Tilapia with crispy basil and chili sauce. It was nomtastic and had a nice bite to it. Last was the Eggplant Basil, and I liked that the preparation wasn't oily like at some other places. The waiter/host/owner(?) was really helpful and accommodating. When we asked for a take-out menu, he offered to circle some recommended dishes. Bottom line -- Excellent food at great prices.
(4)
Lena E.
I always order drunken noodles at any Thai place, but this place totally kicks butt! I don't think I can order drunken noodles anywhere else. It was tastier, had more beef, and the noodles were just incredible. I was distracted by how amazing all the dishes on other tables looked. And I also wanted to eat my friend's food, some sort of spicy shrimp dish. These were plump juicy shrimp, so I'm sure all shrimp dishes are amazing. At the end of the meal the owner came over and introduced himself. I was very impressed by the attention because the place was completely packed. Anyway, this was a week ago but we are going back tonight. Too many Thai dishes and not enough time!
(5)
Sara O.
Elephant jump is one of my favorite restaurant in the merrifield area, the location is very convenience ( located in the same shopping center as CVS and Staples!) The decor is very simple, not overwhelming at all. My all time favorite dish has to be the drunken noodle, it's a must have dish for all the newbies.
(4)
Amanda P.
Oh my precious Elephant Jumps! I love this place, some of the best Thai food in the area. I'll admit, I'm not very adventurous when it comes to Thai food. I think I've only ever gotten the pad thai with chicken here, but I haven't wanted to try anything else, because it's THAT GOOD! A lot of other restaurants don't flavor the chicken enough and it comes out really bland, but EJ does it right! All of the appetizers I've tried have been wonderful too, especially the dumplings and spring rolls. This is my go-to delivery place in the area.
(5)
Marc L.
This is my new favorite Thai restaurant. Period. (My previous one, which is still excellent, is Nava Thai in Wheaton MD). Great location at Route 50 and Gallows Road in Falls Church, lousy location within the strip shopping center (restaurant is in a corner and can barely be seen from the parking lot). Once you're in, however, it's great. Small place, maybe 20 tables. Great menu selections. Range of spiciness from gringo to Thai, and they will customize to your taste. I usually get a spicy fish dish, and everything I've had (including a visit with my family) was wonderful. Good service, nice wait staff. I found out about this place from Prof. Tyler Cowen's ethnic dining recommendations, and then it was also recommended by Washington Post Tom Sietsema. I see the varied reviews of other Yelpers, and don't know what to make of it. I've eaten here 2-3 times for lunch and 4-5 times for dinner, and it's been consistently excellent. I am a non-meat eater, so I'm eating fish/vegetarian. The dishes I typically get are Thai Spring Roll, Fried Curry Fish Cake, Panang Curry (vegetable/tofu) and my favorite CRISPY TILAPIA WITH CRISPY BASIL SAUTEED.
(5)
Chris C.
Elephants Jumps Thai Restaurant is a decent Thai option in the Fairfax area. My friend and I went on Friday night and it was definitely busy. There are about 10 tables so after we finished, there were a few people who had to wait. This place is tucked away in a small shopping center and be tough to find. Overall, I thought the food was on point and pretty affordable given the prices in the area. However, I did have some issues with Service. - We planned to order an appetizer but was told it was discontinued and they are in the process of transitioning to a new menu. In my opinion, it's important to always keep your menu up to date -- you should never have anything on your menu which you cannot serve. - The waitress remembered my entree but forgot my friends dish. Unfortunately, she didn't realize this until after we asked about it and had already finished half of the first entree. It was only a party of 2 and we ordered 2 entrees. We didn't have a big group. This should never have happened. Other than the 2 previous experiences above, everything else about service was good. The food was delicious and I will be back but paying attention more to service next time.
(3)
Christiane V.
i started eating here shortly after it opened and was featured in the washington post. now, i eat here more for convenience because they deliver. i have had some excellent meals here and some terrible experiences as well, that being said, it is not very consistent. my favorite dishes are the chicken roti, the shrimp toast, the tom yum soup, and the basil fried rice. lately though, the rice in the basil fried rice has been a little soggy. everything else is kind of mediocre. i wouldn't order the pad thai unless you like plain food and i wouldn't order the eggplant in brown sauce unless you like a lot of oil in your food. my bad experiences? well i ordered for the office once, my bill was $79 but i got charged $790. it was a holiday weekend and it wouldn't clear until 5 days later. traumatized. the manager/owner was nice and gave me a gift card. i also had a rude server once too. they have good lunch specials and it gets very busy. i recommend getting there any time before noon, even 11:59 is good.
(3)
Courtney R.
Sauntering up to EJ, I heard a guy blurt out "delicious" as he was leaving. A good sign. True, I'd probably frequent this spot if I lived nearby, but I don't, so I won't. Interesting menu (I had the curry and pancake app, pork larb and mushroom soup). The soup was borderline amazing, the curry chicken app interesting and the larb was, as another reviewer said, painfully hot. I love spicy but this was pretty overdone to the point where one can't enjoy the dish. The level of spice was pretty inconsistent too, as most of the other dishes were bland or even sweet. I tried my friend's pineapple fried rice--def a pass. We also had the elephant jumps salad--kind of like papaya salad but with apples. The service was really friendly.
(3)
Brendan H.
This place is great. Yesterday my partner, Lucas Wright, and I went in here for lunch. He ordered the drunken noodle lunch set, I got the Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice. Both came with little cup of soup and some shrimp cake thing (shrimp cake sounds horrid to me but it was actually really good). When placing my order I asked "Can you make that extra spicy please?" and the waitress looked at me like "Hell yeah I can." And guess what, she did. I love spicy stuff, I'm pretty insane about it, and the amount of heat they put in this dish was perfect. It had the perfect balance of spicy-as-hell while maintaining the flavor of the dish. By the end of the meal I had some nice sweat under my eyes (I wasn't crying... I wasn't...SHUT UP!) The waitress was super nice and saw me clearly being impacted by the heat and asked nervously "Is everything okay?" To which I responded "This is so damn perfect. I love this." The amount of rice they gave me was a pretty solid portion. I was definitely far from hungry after eating it. You should definitely check this place out, tell them I sent you and that'll get you an awesome "Who the hell is that?" response.
(5)
Curtis M.
Outstandingly attentive service; just tip-top. Nice ambiance; not too big, not too small. Nicely QUIET (for a restaurant). Nicely varied menu. Food available at four levels of "heat" (although next time, I'll ask for a 5th level, "Thai Hot" - the top level - is still not zippy enough for me...but then, it's been years since I got the heat I wanted). A seafood soup: very savory. "Elephant Jumps" signature salad was outstanding; drunken noodles, only so-so and the fried scallops were burnt nuggets of teeth-breaking protein, fried in week-old fat: essentially inedible (we shoulda sent it back). Don't know how this made Washingtonian Magazine's top 50 list. A real find was, the Great Wall grocery 1/4 mile away.
(2)
Ninja E.
My office is 5 minute drive from this restaurant so I usually go here for lunch with my coworkers. Mediocre thai food but good lunch combo specials. Because of its location the restaurant can be crowded during lunch hour which will cause the service to be extremely slow.
(3)
Yan W.
I expected very little from this place, since i didn't read the yelp reviews beforehand. However, upon arriving, I was impressed by the fresh decor, the great service and hospitality. Went here on a Sunday night with a group of about 10 folks and the kitchen really did a good job of accommodating. We ate family style so I can say the beef appetizer and pad Thai was good. Like in some of my other restaurant reviews, since I like big flavours, I would have preferred a spicier Pad Thai and a stronger coffee, but again, that's just me. Will definitely be back (and I'll ask for more spicy)!
(4)
Stephen S.
Never have given any place 5 stars before. This is what a little ethnic neighborhood restaurant should be. The quality, presentation, service, and results never disappoint. You must go, place is usually empty, that will not last long. Do not get it spicy, their Thai spicy is like a blow torch to your lips.
(5)
Jared B.
I guess this place was well received by the Post and has had a lot of buzz recently. I don't really understand why. We arrived for a late lunch on a Wednesday. Service was decent. The restaurant is really small -- maybe seating for 30 total? The dining room doesn't get a whole lot of natural light being buried in the shopping center. I ordered the drunken noodles with tofu and wasn't too impressed. I've had more flavorful and less oily noodles elsewhere. This was spicy, but lacked real substance. The menu seems to have a lot more variety for omnivores, even though this is my go-to dish at any Thai restaurant. With at least 10 Thai restaurants within a few miles of this place, I won't be returning.
(2)
A B.
I love this place. Delivery and dine in have both been amazing. The slow cooled pork is to die for. Very spicy though. I recommend getting "mild" unless you really want some heat.
(5)
Darren E.
This is by far the best Thai food that I have had in Annandale. I love spicy but FEAR Thai hot!!! It's pretty intense.
(5)
John D.
If I were to rate this restaurant on food alone, I'd be able to give it 4-5 stars. However, if all that I wanted was great food, I'd simply cook at home and accomplish that. First experience: We ordered delivery. I had to repeat every word three times. It was so annoying, that my girlfriend actually took a video of me ordering because she was laughing hysterically. Glad that I provided some amusement. To make things simple when there are communications barriers, I like to order by the letters/numbers that they assign on the menu. This wasn't working, as the person couldn't seem to find the corresponding items on their menu. Naturally they took down my credit card number wrong and had to call me back to get the correct info. That resulted in our food being cold, as it was already prepared before they realized that they got the wrong number, and didn't send it out for delivery until I called back. To make matters worse, they screwed up the order and gave us the wrong items. Second experience: We stopped by on a Sunday evening. We stood at the entrance for 5-10 minutes while waiting for some acknowledgement from anyone who works there. Turns out, they have one person who is the hostess/server/busser. That's great if it works, but she was clearly overwhelmed. We figured out what we wanted, closed our menus, and waited 10 minutes to be greeted and place our orders. We both ordered the same entree, and when I ordered, the server asked me if I only wanted one entree. Well yeah, why would I order two? Turns out she was talking about total for the table. When our food comes out, they bring out one entree, and I have to place another order and watch the other person eat. The food was great both times, but the service needs work.
(2)
Margaret C.
My husband and I dined here for the first time last night. It's a small, but clean outfit in a random strip mall off 50 near Merrifield. What it lacks in ambiance it makes up for in outstanding food and friendly service. We shared the Roti Green Curry Chicken appetizer. For an appetizer, it's really big. Although it claims to be spicy, I found the spice to be pretty mild, but the flavors were big and delicious. It's served with a fried "pancake" (think fried tortilla cut quesadilla style) which was good, but a little greasy for my take. Even though I really enjoyed it, I had to stop eating it for fear it would ruin my appetite for our entrees. We ordered two entrees to split: Pad Thai with chicken and Gang Hun Lay (roasted curry pork) with stick rice. The Pad Thai (always my go-to in a new Thai restaurant) was great. The noodles were a little thinner than other Thai places I've eaten (thinking Dungrats), but the dish was very flavorful with the right amount of sweetness and savory tastes. The pork dish was outstanding. I haven't had many Thai curry dishes, but this was not like Indian or Thai green curry dishes. The sauce was brown and did not have a curry flavor at all. I would definitely go back and highly recommend all our dishes.
(5)
Maddy P.
This place rocks. The fried watercress salad and crispy flatbread shrimp are fabulous. The east-meets-west menu is interesting and worth checking out. The restaurant is small but you can make reservations in advance if you're worried about getting a table. Definitely a hidden gem!
(4)
Jas M.
This place is grrreeattt. The Thai basil is awesome, make sure you're a fan of spicy food those because the food here really is Thai hot. I'm also a fan of the coconut shrimp curry.Not as spicy as I like but still a good option for those who don't like to have tears coming down their eyes as they digest their nutrition. Crab fried rice is also a good alternative to those who don't fancy hot food. Their tofu doesn't suck which is the case with A LOT of Thai tofu places. Elephant Jumps fries it just right! The Thai iced tea is really good too. Customer service seems ok I've never had any problems, I get take out mostly. The inside is really a cute setting that's inviting and they really pay attention to detail with the decor.
(5)
Mike R.
The only thing I didn't like about this place is it's a bit of a trek from where we live. We ate here 2 or 3 months ago and I've been dying to go back. I don't remember specifically what we had, but I remember it was tasty and it was hot...very hot. They do ask you how hot you want it on the spicy dishes, so we got what we asked for.
(4)
Jenny J.
Great service, delicious food, quiet atmosphere on a Saturday night. What more could you ask for?
(5)
SD H.
I don't understand how this place gets such great reviews!? I ordered carryout from here and was totally disappointed. Panang Chicken was rubbery chunks of pale white chicken floating in a very very watery pinkish orange liquid. There was no flavor, no heat, just watery tasting chicken in weird colored liquid. It was so unappealing - I ended up throwing it away. The Pad Thai was edible, not bad, but the noodles were incredibly thin - didn't feel like authentic pad thai. The fried shrimp roll appetizers were pretty gross. I love shrimp, but these were crazy fishy tasting!! I didn't mind the spring rolls, they were pretty standard, gobbled them up. The place is hard to find, tucked back in a weird shopping center. Took some wandering around to figure out how to get to the place. I wouldn't recommend. With all the amazing Thai places in Falls Church like Vannipa or Dungarats - there's no reason to bother eating crappy Thai food like they serve here.
(2)
Janet D.
On a recent getaway trip to the DC area, we came to this restaurant by chance. I am a Thai Food Enthusiast and found it to be one of THE best restaurants for Thai food that I have had. An imaginative and creative menu. Unlike the other Thai restaurants that offer the run of the mill fare, Elephant Jumps had a special menu with soups, appetizers and entrees that are one of a kind. I had an awesome mushroom soap and a slow cooked pork dish with sticky rice that left me wanting for more. The dessert a coconut custard Thai version of flan was scrumptious. Best yet was the kind and attentive server who took the time to explain everything I wanted to know especially the specials. I would highly recommend this wonderful Thai restaurant. Try it!!
(5)
Kim H.
Meh, not really too crazy about this place. I've been here a few times and nothing has really stood out. The chicken cashew in taro nest sounds like it would be a great dish but I was disappointed by how oily it was. Falls Church has a plethora of Thai places, I would recommended driving out towards rte 7 for some better places.
(3)
Krystal L.
Such a great hole in the wall!!! Went here with an out of town friend. Apparently due to it's location it gets a lot of out of town business types, next to hotels and international companies. It was late 9:50pm and the guy was nice enough to keep the kitchen open for us. Sadly my palette is comparable to a new born baby so I am pretty sensitive to spices. But the server and the guy in the kitchen simple said "Not a problem!" and helped me through all the dishes. I got the snow white pea soup, yummy yummy tofu, plus the warmth helped with the cold outside. Then I got the chicken aroma coconut rice, which is apparently their most popular dish. It was very yummy, and the cook even made the spices mild for me which was very thoughtful. The presentation really surprised me too. Nicely arranged, and plentiful. A very nice experience, especially the staff. Very attentive, extremely polite and made great conversation. FYI: It was called Elephant Jumps because elephant is the symbol of the nation and jumping means that it's happy. Cute, no?
(4)
Kristin R.
This is a pretty standard looking strip mall Thai restaurant but the food is really fantastic. Service is super attentive. We had the shrimp toast, papaya salad, panang shrimp, and the authentic pork pad see ew. It was the best panang I've ever had. Yum.
(5)
Jennifer R.
Not wild about this place...the charbroiled pork appetizer was so full of gristle that I had to spit it out in my napkin. I couldn't even chew it. The other things we ordered (basil fried rice with beef and stir fried Thai basil chicken) were just OK. They were VERY spicy, which is fine, but it also has to taste like something other than just hotness, which they did not. Doubt we'll go back.
(2)
James S.
Finally a great Thai restaurant in the Merrifield area. This place has only been open for a few months but folks are already raving about the food. During my most recent visit there was a Washington Post photographer there taking pictures of dishes for an article which should appear in the Sunday Washington Post magazine in the next couple of weeks. Tom, the owner/manager, was bursting with pride over this coup, with good reason! The food here is very well done. Chicken with Basil boxed lunch provides a wonderful spicy kick and comes with a crispy spring roll and side salad - all for under $9. Salmon Rolls with sweet and spicy dipping sauce were a wonderful starter and slightly reminicient of Philipino lumpia. The Tom Kha Gai (chicken coconut milk soup) was wonderful and I had them add a couple of shrimp for a dollar upcharge. The rich flavorful soup had a nice undertone flavor form the glangal root and also a nice spicy kick. I love that this place doesn't "tone down" the spice as so many Thai restaurants tend to do. If it says that it is spicy on the menu - you can be fairly certain it will have a kick. I am looking forward to visiting this place many more times in the future and am also looking forward to checking out the upcoming Washington Post Magazine article.
(4)
Lily Z.
I hate to be the voice of dissent here, but I didn't enjoy my lunch at Elephant Jumps. The chicken panang was dry and tough while the sauce wasn't anything different than what I make at home using canned curry paste from Great Wall. It could be the quality of the meat or maybe they didn't velvet the meat properly or it was left simmer on low heat for too long. The sundry beef jerky was on the bland side and very tough to chew and if you ever had the sundry beef at Thai Square, you know it is suppose to be a little chewy and bursting with beefy and herbal flavors. The beef drunken noodle was fine, although I wish they didn't skimp on the basil.
(2)
Tucker H.
3.5* This seems to be a pretty new restaurant in the Yorktown Plaza, and it's a nice addition. The interior is quite pleasant, small but nicely decorated, and the service was with a smile. The green papaya salad was good, but nothing special, as was the chicken pad thai. However, the Roti Green Curry Chicken appetizer was delicious. I would happily have eaten it as a main entree, and will probably do just that next time we go. I don't recall ever having roti before, so I have no idea if it was particularly good as far as roti goes, but it was really tasty, especially wrapped around some of the chicken and dipped back into the green curry sauce. We finished the meal with the mango and sticky rice (my favorite asian-style dessert by far), which was a bit above average, especially because they were pretty generous with the sticky rice, which some places are a little skimpy on.
(3)
Glenn W.
It's OK in a pinch. There are plenty of Thai places to choose from and I find myself liking this one a little less each time I go. I only keep trying it since it got such rave reviews a while back. But like other reviewers here ... not sure why.
(2)
Lulu T.
Green Papaya Salad was very good and super spicy, just how I like it. The Phad Thai was made very well. It had just the right amount of moisture in the noodles and flavor. Perfect. The fried fish with mango citrus salsa was a disappointment. It is literally a piece of battered fish that you spoon salsa on. It was underwhelming. The restaurant is located in a strip mall. The atmosphere is your typical strip mall like restaurant.
(3)
Samantha E.
Pretty good Thai food but I think they had smaller delivery portions than some of the other places I have ordered from in the area. My ginger chicken was great but the shrimp toast fell a bit flat.
(3)
Anna Y.
Really!? Tom Sietsema was wrong. What a sad day for dc foodies. I do not understand how Thai food this mediocre tastes so bad. In short, they fall short in every way. We ordered: - SPICY HERB SALAD WITH MINCED PORK- The pork was tough and far too spicy for the average person. It was much too heavy on the red onion. Needed to take a sip of my fried's thai ice tea to put the fire out. -PANANG CURRY (SHRIMP)- Although the shrimp was of good size, there was a complete lack of vegetable in this dish. I am talking about nothing but shrimp and sauce. It was not even that much of shrimp and sauce either. It looked like it was someone's leftovers... -DRUNKEN SPAGHETTI CHICKEN- Not spicy enough. Curiousity led me to order this. You know that saying, curiousity killed the cat. Well, the cat probably at this. It tasted like someone tried to make it at home but did not have the right type of noodles and was missing a few ingredients. -BEEF DRUNKEN NOODLE- Eh... If you go to a really good Thai restaurant, they will get the char that you need from a hot wok. This tasted like it was cooked in someone's nonstick skillet. If the only enjoyable thing was the steamed jasmine rice on the table, then you know that you will probably not be returning. So many other good Thai restaurants (Sakoontra and Thai Basil), why go back?
(1)
Amanda M.
This place was so awesome that I went two days in a row! I was a little skeptical because it was in a shopping strip mall in the corner and the restaurant itself is very small but if you love Thai food you have to try this place out! Coconut Chicken Spicy Soup $3.95 *coconut milk, galanga, thai herbs spicy soup I love this soup! It has so much flavor and tastes very different from all the other Thai restaurants I've had this at. Burrito Satay Chicken $7.95 *grilled chicken and rice in peanut sauce The burrito is a good portion and it comes with a side salad and peanut sauce. Burrito Green Curry Chicken $7.95 *green curry chicken, rice, mushroom and eggplant. Spicy and yummy! The burrito is a great portion and it comes with a side salad and peanut sauce. Fried Ice Cream - :( *I was very disappointed. It had a great presentation since it's on fire but it tasted terrible. This has become one of my favorite places to eat now! I can't wait to try everything on the menu!!!!!
(5)
Heather V.
Ordered take out twice. First time: ordered the Pad Thai, Tom Yum, Tom Kha, and spring rolls. It was pretty good! I like the skinnier noodles they use in their Pad Thai. The Tom Kha was perfectly spicy and tangy. I def wanted to try something else. Second time: ordered one of my all time fave dishes. Panang Gai (chicken). Oh my goodness. DO NOT GET THE PANANG GAI. It looked like it was already chewed up and spit out and tasted just as bad. So disappointed and unsatisfied. Given my most recent experience, I most likely not returning again unless I need pad thai on the fly.
(2)
C S.
Excellent food. My husband I recently went here. We had the tuna starter and one of their special curries. The food was unlike anything I've ever eaten and it was exquisitely good. I can't wait to go back. It's hard to find -- the signage isn't great. But it's across the outdoor hall from Jasmine Garden or whatever that other Chinese place is. Ask for their special non take-out menu. Ask the waitress to choose your food. It won't disappoint.
(5)
Haimy L.
I ate here for the first time with my husband but also not expecting much, based on other reviews. I like to eat at Thai restaurants and I've eaten my fair share, so I knew a fusion-type Thai cuisine wouldn't be good, but I was in the area! We ordered a Panang Chicken Curry from the lunch menu, and basil beef? I don't remember... But it was generally "spicy" cooked beef. My chicken was seemingly-dry, with a strange texture, and all my portions were all mixed together! It looked like a buffet plate... Overflowing curry top right, small salad top left with red beans, corn, and some sweet-tasting sauce [supposed to be peanut], small portion of rice on the bottom right, and a sea of sweet and sour sauce on the bottom left with a spring roll sliced in 2. My rice was mixed in sweet and sour sauce, and curry. I liked the spring roll, salad wasn't very tasty, curry was bad [but nice spicyness], so I ate his beef dish, which gets 3 stars. I looked at the dessert menu but they were 5 bucks+ and didn't seem very promising. The dishes were pretty pricey, and it's not much.
(3)
D B.
Food is sooo good, we ordered the dumplings and chicken wings for appetizers and curry and flat noodles for main dish, all was delicious amazing flavor. The place is pretty small though so be prepare to have a meal on an odd time or wait for a table.
(4)
Sachiko Y.
I had lunch there. I ate one of the lunch menu, herb chikin, dericious! The side dish, fried toest with shrimp pasted, I guess, was tasty, too! Fried banana...Love it. Good for people who have tongue for Asian cuisine. The volume is not huge but good for me. The interior is nice. I want to go dinner time next!
(4)
Jeremy C.
Elephant jumps is a restaurant that serves up decent curry. This restaurant is pretty much located in my backyard, in the corner of Yorktown plaza (near UPS). My gf and I decided to try this place for dinner on a weeknight. When you walk in, the place is pretty small, but clean and has Thai inspired decor. It was a bit quiet for comfort, but we gave it a try. I got the Panang Curry w/ chicken & my gf had the green curry w/ chicken. Thai restaurants will ask for your spiciness preference, but mine was not as spicy as I would have liked it. I prefer my curry to be a little bit more creamy, whereas this was slightly watery. This place can be a little pricey for the amount of food you get, but a good option to try if you are in the area and craving Thai. However, I can't say this is the best thai curry I've had. Pros: clean/tidy, good service, easy parking Cons: slightly pricey, limited curry options (vs. other thai restaurants) Overall, a decent place to try if you are nearby but not worth driving across town for.
Ordered the Burrito Satay Chicken from the "East Meets West" section of the menu. The description was misleading. I thought everything would be included in the burrito including a side salad. Instead it was just chicken and rice drenched in peanut sauce wrapped up into a burrito. I couldn't even finish it. The rice was bland and I just got sick of the peanut sauce. Also the menu is seriously lacking on noodle dishes. Everything is rice. This place is a poor excuse for thai food.
(2)
Juliana M.
I was so excited to finally have a Thai place so close to home. The waitresses were polite , friendl & sweet.. Their shrimp soup was the best. Chicken coconut soup was tasteless. The spring roll had no veggies-- just clear noodles-- so why call it Vegetable spring roll? The Pad Thai-was clumpy-- obviously not well mixed-- & was skimpy on everything- including the vegetables, - like spring onion-, shredded carrot egg & tofu--that was the worst,.The chicken cashew tasted like a chicken stew- not much flavor either. I would rather drive to Arlington or Shirlington to spend the same amount of money but not be embarrassed by the measly vegetables that accompany the dishes. I had to apologize to the guests I took with me. Next time I would drive to eat better THAI!!!
(2)
Hai S.
Elephant Jumps was a surprise. A pal and I needed a quick bite to eat after a trip to Fairfax Hospital and this stip mall was just down the street. The restaurant was small and empty but the Thai food was excellent! Not a washed out American version but actual spicy Thai cuisine. I will be a repeat customer
(4)
Ryan K.
Love this place- Penang shrimp curry (#4 spicy) is so good and the chicken fried rice was perfect. Can't wait to go back!
(4)
Howard F.
There's a fair number of good Thai places in NoVa -- in fact outside of Thailand Thai in Fairfax which really sucks one of the great things about Thai is that you can try a new spot and rarely get a bad meal. Based on our one visit Elephant jumps towards the top of the list. On the downside the place is ridiculously small and the tables are really tightly spaced. If you need to use the WC you have to sort of dance your way through the tight spaces dodging waiters and patrons on the way. And its pretty sparsely decorated - not much atmosphere. Ahh, but the food is excellent. We had the dumplings, the shrimp flat bread, the drunken noodles and the fried scallops with basil. All just delicious. Appropriately spicy (i have an asbestos mouth and can absolutely do 'thai" spicy but not in the presence of the wife). But the waiter asked "spicy/"; wife said sure, and what came out was what I'd consider perfectly "American" spicy. The only nit was the miniscule bowl of rice. But maybe thats' their secret because for everything above and 4 beers (including nice portions on the entrees unlike some places) the tab was $60 with tip. I guess once other nit is that that while the food was served promptly it took 10 minutes to get silverware. But scat happens. Heading back soon to try more.
(4)
Kelly K.
Very friendly and quick service. Had the pork curry. It was good but could have used more chili. It was very, very mild. They were helpful to make it without bell peppers. I would return if in the mood for thai and in the area.
(3)
Carolyn C.
Absolutely delicious. Prompt delivery (I'm in the 3 mile required radius). Will order again.
(5)
Cadence R.
Wow, this place has some incredibly varied reviews so I will throw in my two cents - LOVED IT. We started out with the spring rolls which I thought were great and I loved the sauce on the side. For the main course I ordered the drunken noodles which were tasty, had a great char, and had a good spice level. Definitely not the spiciest I've ever had, but I prefer when spices enhance the flavor, not merely overwhelm the dish. The prices were incredibly cheap for the area (mine was under $10) and the service was excellent. I would highly recommend Elephant Jumps and look forward to my next trip there!
(4)
Kelly R.
I was amazingly impressed with this place. It's not often that I rush home to write a good review of a restaurant, but I had to give this place 5 stars immediately! The food was amazing. People who are saying it's "too spicy," obviously didn't listen to the very succinct explanation of spiciness offered by the server. I got hot (one step down from the hottest), and while it was definitely spicy, it wasn't unbearable. The flavors were amazing, and there are some really unique items on the menu. The service was fantastic--everyone was kind and attentive. I cannot wait to go back and try more of the menu. The pricing is very reasonable--an appetizer and 2 entrees cost only $24. I am definitely recommending this place to everyone I know!
(5)
Row Bear F.
Mediocre thai food. The flavors aren't that imaginative and the curries don't taste very fresh. Tough to get excited about this place with so many other great thai joints in the DC area.
(2)
Jason K.
Hands down, amongst the top three Thai restaurants in the DC-MD-VA area! I've been there twice. The spicy papaya salad is a classic dish that I think of when I hear the phrase "Thai cuisine" and they do it justice with the right amount of spice. The Elephant Jumps Salad is not what you'd expect of Thai food, with crispy apples, sweet coconut and shrimp. What about main dishes? The Panang Curry is delicious with the right amount of sauce. The Drunken Noodle is quite tasty, too. You know a restaurant is good when a lot of people from the ethnicity are there.
(5)
Jenny S.
I was pretty impressed with this restaurant. I have to say, there aren't many good-tasting Thai food restaurants in the area. Most of them are just "ehhh...okay" but this one was actually really good!! First off, the place is very clean and tidy. No complaints there. But the servers were a bit awkward. I mean don't get me wrong, they seem like nice people and they were very attentive, but there's just something...weird. Anyway, so we started off with the Crispy Flat Bread Shrimp appetizer and that really delicious. I mean if it says crispy, it has to be fried! It came with this sweet, sticky cucumber sauce and that created an amazing combination! As for our entrees, we had the Pineapple Fried Rice, the Chicken Cashew in Taro Nest, and the Drunken Spaghetti Chicken. They were very delicious as well. The Drunken Spaghetti Chicken was from their "East Meets West" portion of their menu (it included things like burgers and burritos). I recommend all of them. I will most likely come back here and this time, I'm going to try their Thai Iced Tea and the Chicken Aroma Coconut Rice. Can't wait!
(4)
Jeremy W.
Best Thai restaurant I ever been too. This is my co-workers and I go to spot on fridays to have lunch. The Thai basil chicken is my favorite
(5)
Noyb U.
Their menu has some different dishes than I've seen at other Thai restaurants, especially with seafood and salad entrees. It's a very tiny restaurant, maybe a total capacity of 30, which lends to the great service we received, but so it's also wise to make reservations. The decor/environment seemed odd in that it was stark, with only 2 miniature salt and pepper shakers on our table. One paper napkin allotment per customer; if you ask for extras, you get one more. We had two appetizers -- the Spring Rolls -- average, and Spicy Seafood Soup With Basil -- outstanding and hot! My wife's entree was Crispy (Fried) Salmon with Ginger Sauce -- outstanding but it lacked vegetables. Huge piece of salmon for sure, but can't they balance out the plate with a few cheap florets of broccoli or something other than a measly slice of orange? It lacked presentation, but it was delicious. I ordered the Peanut Sauce Sauteed with Pork. I ate some but sent it back -- way too sweet, and I felt it needed more pork pieces and vegetables. That's when I ordered the Spicy Seafood Soup to save the night. Will we visit again? I'd like to give it another shot, in light of the other ratings here.
(3)
Eric J.
This is our favorite Thai restaurant in the D.C. area and one of our go to spots. Even the 45-minute wait the first time we went on a weekend was well worth it. One of my favorite dishes of all time --and the best under $20 -- is their soft shell crabs with black pepper sauce, which is a frequent special. Also highly recommended are the Tilapia, green papaya salad and panang chicken. The more adventurous dishes generally outshine the standards, such as pad Thai. Service is friendly and fine, if a bit slow when packed. The tiny room can also be noisy when crowded.
(5)
Michelle S.
Don't order the Pad Thai delivered. It was the worst Pad Thai I've ever had. Also, the crispy salmon with mango sauce is not the crispy sauce you would normally expect. It is just deep fried chunks. This may have been a one time fluke but I will not be ordering delivery from here again.
(2)
Lindasauce B.
I have tried this place twice. I'm sorry, but this is a VERY mediocre Thai restaurant. I ordered the Panang Curry and it was sweeter than what I'm used to. &, the second time I went here, I ordered the Drunken Noodles w/ Beef-- the noodles were stuck together. &, the Snow Pea soup was just OK. :)
(2)
Graham E.
This is my favorite place for Thai food in NOVA! Finally a place that gets it right. The coconut soup is devine, the pad thai is delicious and the panang curry jumps right off the plate (in a good way). If you love Thai food you MUST try this place!!!
(5)
Elizabeth B.
Ordered delivery for the second time tonight. Can I tell you how excited I am to find another Thai restaurant that's less than 3 miles from my house (aka, the delivery zone for most places). First order, Thai Spring rolls, Stir Fried Thai Basil w/ Beef, and Chicken Drunken Noodles. Tonight: Thai Spring rolls, Stir Fried Thai Basil w/ Beef and Chicken Pad Thai. Delivery is fast and easy (once you promise you're w/in 3 miles of the restaurant). Food has arrived warm and well packaged. The first time they forgot the steamed white rice for my Beef which was disappointing, but mistakes happen. Spring rolls, crispy (even after traveling), not overly greasy, really tasty. Thai Basil w/ Beef is really good w/ just the right amount of spice -- which since they haven't asked, I assume is their mid-range level of spiciness. The pad thai tonight was ok, but seemed to have been made with spaghetti instead of rice noodles which caused it to clump up pretty badly. Taste was good, but texture was a little odd. I was also mildly disappointed in the size of the portion of rice that came with my Beef...there was maybe 1/2 a cup, I'm going to have to make rice tomorrow to eat with my leftovers. But, overall all, good food, reasonably priced, and did I mention, they deliver to me? That rates an additional star all on it's own!
(4)
C G.
I've eaten here at least 5 times for lunch. While I agree with most of the reviewers that it's better than most, it's not quite good enough to get my 4 stars. I think this restaurant is perfectly acceptable, just not spectacular. At most restaurants I get my typical order: Tom Kha Gai and Pad Thai (chicken) along with an appetizer which is usually spring rolls. Spring rolls are very good here. Served warm every time I've eaten here and very tasty. Tom Kha is good but not great. I prefer my Tom Kha a little on the creamy side and certainly should include both coconut and lime. This Tom Kha certainly filled the sour/coconut side of the equation but simply not creamy enough for my liking. Pad Thai: Average. I normally eat my Pad Thai thai spicy ++. It has been spicy but not spicy enough for me. Lack of spice isn't enough for me to downgrade the rating. I think EJT's pad thai is average on my scale. Good enough, just not great. I would recommend this restaurant. My 3/5 means the place is good. .chris
(3)
Tiffany S.
This place is a real pity. I discovered it a couple years ago and was wowed by how delicious it was. I used to come here to get their lunch special that had a salad, a small appetizer, and your choice of delicious entrees, then finish it off by sharing a mango sticky rice with my companion. I was amazed at how good the food was, each dish was more delicious than the last! Unfortunately, I went back a couple times in the past few months (I kept thinking I was experiencing a fluke) but there is no doubt: something has happened and this place is no longer any good, which is SO sad because it went from being my favorite Thai places to a place I avoid entirely. I'm guessing the chef quit, or maybe the management changed. A couple months ago I ordered the same lunch special (I usually get the penang curry chicken and my mother the pad thai, and we share because they were so good we couldn't pick one). The food just wasn't very good. Thinking it was a fluke, we went back again for the same dish and this time it was completely inedible and we had to send it back. The last straw came when I went in for the mango sticky rice ONLY, knowing their food was bad but remembering their sticky rice fondly. It was $6, and in previous times that bought you a large place of sticky rice and a couple slices of mango. This time I went, and for $6 I got a mound of rice in a circle that was, absolutely no exaggeration, 1/2 an inch tall and 3 inches in diameter, with a tiny slice of mango that was bigger than the rice itself. This dish that used to be perfectly portioned for 2 people has become too small for my toddler son. What an absolute rip-off! I couldn't believe it. What happened to this place? Recently I found that it's emptier, so I don't think I'm the only one who has noticed. A real shame.
(2)
Diane C.
Affordable lunch menu with quality Thai food. Drunken Noodle was definitely spicy. Pleasant staff as well.
(4)
David J.
Saw Tom Sietsema's article that identified Elephant Jumps as one of his 40 favorite restaurants in the DC area. We tried it a week later for lunch. Excellent. We had three appetizers and two main course and all were 5 star items. I'd recommend Elephant Jumps to anyone.
(5)
Mona D.
Stopped by at the Optometrist office and thought I would surprise my husband with Thai food for dinner. The hostess was very courteous and kind. There was only one customer in the restaurant. The first negative... she had a bad case of the sniffles. Not very appealing when you are ordering food, but I convinced myself it was okay because she wasn't preparing the food. Got home and opened up the bag and I had to wonder where the food was. The portions they served were ridiculously small for the amount they charged. I ordered the panang curry. I'm sorry to say, this was the absolute worse panang curry i have ever had in my life. It was watered down and extremely bland. We also had the Papaya salad which would get 4 stars if this was all I had ordered. My husband's dish of Peanut Sauce Sauteed was average at best. And if it couldn't get any worse, I found a nice long hair in my food which I didn't see it until I was almost done. Needless to say, we will not be ordering from this place again.
(1)
T L.
3.75 stars! Is it just me or does the restaurant look odd? Like it seems to be missing something? I think they should have something to block the draft from the door every time it opens especially in the cooler seasons. We had to move tables because it got too cold. The roti green curry chicken and chicken tom yum soup were delicious! The boyfriend and I decided to stay away from the usual Thai dishes and try something new. Once again, a major fail on his part- he ordered the croissant satay chicken sandwich. It was like a chicken salad with peanut sauce. The crispy salmon with mango sauce on the other hand was yummy! My choice prevailed!
(4)
Mandi B.
This place is food court good with restaurant prices. There are two Thai places in Woodbridge that I like better, so I wouldn't go out of the way for the Elephant Jumps again, but I wouldn't object if a friend wanted to try it out. The menu has items that I've never seen before, which is why I decided to try it in the first place. I had the aroma chicken on coconut rice and it was good but I felt the portion was rather small for the price. The thai beef jerky was decent, a bit tough and barely a big enough appetizer for two people. The thai fresh rolls were a total disappointment. One entree and two appetizers cost me $30 which is a little excessive for small portions of mediocre taste in my opinion.
(2)
Chris T.
Have yet to dine in but have ordered out four times now... Dig the flavors. Will definitely dine in one of these days...
(4)
Russell A.
You gotta check this one out! This place has only been open 6 weeks or so but our entire family is crazy about it! My brother turned me on to it two weeks ago and we have since been twice (driving in from Leesburg) while they have returned five or six times to enjoy this wonderful new spot. Everything I have tasted has been wonderful including a full array of appetizers and several various entrees. The sauces are simply divine. Whomever is in the kitchen knows what they are doing! They are working to make the front end more professional - but they've got the food thing down! Enjoy!
(4)
Kristina M.
Awesome first experience. #ElephantJumps delivers, which is huge, since we don't have many quality food delivery options around us since we moved further out in the burbs. We are hard core Thai fans and miss our old delivery faves of #ThaiThai in N. Arlington and #ThaiSquare in S. Arlington on Columbia Pike - Thai Square being perhaps best Thai food in region. But Elephant Jumps provided outstanding spring rolls, chicken sate, pad thai and penang chicken curry (figured we'd start with basics) - we are thrilled! Only suggestion would be on portions - entrees are decent size but apps run a little small for price.
(4)
naeem a.
Been here twice for lunch and had a good meal each time. Would say it is one of the better mom and pop thai restaurants in the area. I would still go to Thai Basil if I am craving some pad thai, but the drunken noodles at Elephant Jump hit the mark This is a good lunch time spot. The staff and owner are very nice and your food arrives in a timely manner not rushed like it was heated up in a microwave or anything.
(3)
Isaiah N.
Food and service was very good. I got the pad Thia and requested it be spicy. The server recommended medium. I love very spicy food and this was very spicy. It really was the perfect amount of spice. My girlfriend got the drunken noodles and these where also very good. Both the noodles in the dishes were cooked perfectly. For dessert we got the sticky rice and mango. I must say it was amazing. The mango was perfectly ripe and the sticky rice was very rich. Everything was well priced and definitely worth the price.
(4)
Calvert T.
The Watercress salad is an absolute MUST, holy smokes! Truly, the service is terrible. Not only did every entree come out at it's own time, one entree never showed up, nor did a glass of wine. The whole Flounder was crispy and wonderful and huge, it even tasted great, though the super spicy sauce fell far, far short of "spicy"- it had visible peppers, but no fire whatsoever. They definitely need more service staff on Friday nights, but the food is worth a trip.
(3)
Frank W.
The place does not have a lot of charm buy the food is excellent. All dishes were very tasty and service was good as well.
(4)
Cliff A.
The pad thai is good. The chicken panang was disappointing. The chicken was pretty dry. Also, the spring rolls were greasier than others I've had.
(2)
Kristen L.
Great Thai food. Loved the sticky rice. Reasonable lunch specials that come with just enough food, including salad and spring roll. I will definnitely be going again.
(4)
Brian B.
I really enjoyed the Panang Curry (chicken) lunch appetizer. It normally comes mildly spicy, but for those more adventurous types, you can order it "Thai hot," which is a point or two higher on the Scoville scale. The lunch specials are a great deal. Best part is that they serve proper portions. You don't walk away feeling like a glutton.
(4)
Amy K.
I had croissant green curry sandwich ($8.5). It was so good that I had to close my eyes for a second when the flavors exploded in my month. And when my husband tried for a bite, he couldn't talk for a few seconds. My friends loved their orders too. We will definitely come back. If you have a tolerance for spiciness, be adventurous and order the croissant green curry sandwich!
(5)
Ross A.
I am SO HAPPY that Elephant Jumps has come to town. Their food is fresh, and absolutely excellent. The service has been very friendly (I have been several times already during their short tenure in Merrifield). Make sure you find time to check out this gem of a restaurant. I wish them great things to come!
(5)
C H.
Delicious food, good service, and pleasant atmosphere.
(5)
sano s.
this place is very good! it's a casual thai restaurant, nothing fancy. it's good for carry out. the prices are pretty good, they have a great lunch deal. if the menu says spicy, the dish is definitely spicy! i normally don't believe places that say their dishes are spicy because I eat very spicy food - but this is definitely spicy so be careful! the ginger chicken, thai basil, and panang curry are favorites. good thai iced tea as well!
(5)
Diane G.
My favorite new thai place. Great flavors.
(4)
nikki t.
I saw all the good reviews and decided to try this place out. they do have a small area and it was super busy when we got there. after some time it felt very claustrophobic. But yes, green curry chicken and roti appetizer is great!!! the food was just ok and a bit much oily for my taste. i have had better thai food at other places around the area.
(3)
P M.
Home cookin' Thai style. The food is really good and fast. Since I live close to this place it serves its purpose to satisfy my Thai food hunger (in leiu of Crystal Thai that is too far for a quick meal). However, if you think that you are eating a healthy meal you may want to re-evaluate your approach to healthy eating. Still, I will be back again and again.
(4)
Paula W.
I really like this place. I've liked everything that I've tried. I'm no Thai food expert but this is yummy. I ordered it out for a work meeting and the consensus was that it was pretty good and we are a tough crowd. The mango and sticky rice dessert was really good too.
(5)
Farrah K.
Everything here is good. Great classics and some updated classics. Beware of spicy level - order less spicy than normal. Have come twice within a month - it's that good. Go for the Thai iced tea and mango sticky rice.
(5)
Andy M.
Best small Thai restaurant I've visited in the area. Lunch specials are just the right size and are made with high quality ingredients. The shrimp sticks are phenomenal. I will definitely be back!
(4)
Mike T.
this place is quite good. I usually do tara thai, but this may be my new thai joint of preference.
(4)
Gessica S.
The staff were very attentive there. My husband & i went for dinner on Thursday. The restaurant was small but simply decorated. I ordered a Thai Sweat Tea-It's hard to explain but it was surprisingly good! Its not our American 'tea.' Its mixed with evaporated milk. I ordered the Eggplant in the Veggie section. Although the description did not state it was really spicy 'hot'. It did clear my sinuses thats for sure. My husband ordered curry chicken burrito-good but need more of sauce to dip in. Had fried banana dessert-ok-needed a little more flavor in dough. Overall good place to try out
(4)
Lionel L.
A simple decorated restaurant in a strip mall. Food was decent and service was good. My only gripe was the relatively small serving portions. Go to most other Thai restaurants and you get a bit more bang for the buck.
(3)
S6 5.
great thai food; i would give it #2 in the wash/metro area; nava thai being #1. but for VA, this place is pretty darn good warning; if you ask for spicy, get ready to be punished restaurant is small so get there early or get take out.
(4)
K M.
Great food, great service and good prices... Location is right next to a chinese restaurant and a vietnamese restaurant, if you're in the area - check out the thai place. Impressed with the cleanliness of the dining area and bathrooms as well as the low cost and good food.
(5)
Jacquelyn K.
I don't even like Thai food that much and this was great. The vegetables were so fresh and everything was delicious!
(5)
Sana Z.
4 stars reallly???? I would argue with the three stars!!! First of all how do you SCREW UP PHAD THAI???? It's the most basic Thai dish that defines Thai food!! The phad thai was made with some crappy noodle, it wasnt even the normal rice noodle that's used. The friend I went with ordered the green curry, which has NONE of the normal flavors that comes from the spices at all. It was the blandest green curry I have had probably in my life. AND then we ordered the scallop dish, which on the menu sounded amazing...but it was basically like fried popcorn shrimp. It was one of the pricier dishes so we thought it would be awesome but it was pretty miserable. Anyways, I really dont know how this place for 3 or even four stars! You're better off (not to be mean or insulting) but HONESTLY going to your local Trader Joes, go in their frozen section and purchase their Thai food meals. They are first of all AMAZING less than 5 bucks, and DEFINITLY better than this place.
(2)
Gary B.
Super friendly service. I stopped in here on a late night and boy was I glad I did. The greeter/waitress was very nice, she recommended a few of the better dishes (I ended up choosing something else) and the owner came out and greeted me and my friend and was quite personable. I had some basic Thai items all of which were pretty good. I had the Red Currry String bean with shrimp and the shrimp were cooked perfectly, sometimes they are overdone but not here. The Red Curry was very spicy (some Thai places tone down the spice for American tastebuds) so I was pleased with that. Lots of string beans also. I am going to return once more and try to add more to my review but I hope people in the area come out and support this gem of a place...a great alternative to trekking into DC for Thai.
(5)
v o.
Brand new thai restaurant in merrifield. Very affordable and they owner is extremely attentive. The panang curry was very good, the fried flounder with chili garlic sauce was excellent, and the pad thai was solid. Overall, would definitely recommend.
(4)
Josiana Janel L.
I was visiting Falls River for a NIH meetings with 9 others from my company (President, VP, two physicians, and two directors). I chose this restaurant due to proximity to our hotel, ratings, and a strong need for Thai food (the nearest GOOD Thai restaurant to Louisville is Indianapolis, 2.5 hours away). I was nervous. The decor was simple but clean and well kept. The restaurant smelled good. The menus were unique and interesting (my boss all ooh'd and awed over the menu's). Service was a bit "slow' but that was fine as my entire group was enjoying great conversation. The Thai iced tea was superb! Great wine menu. Great menu selections. The special of the day was Flounder; which was PHENOMENAL. Everyone enjoyed their meals. Two individuals ordered the soft-shell crab; they could not stop talking about how delicious it was! The flavor was out of this world! Best of all...everyone one said it was the best Thai they had and complimented me on my great choice of restaurants (pity it doesn't come with a raise). Even when we got to the hotel, my bosses were exclaiming over the food and great choice. The owner called us a cab back to our hotel and waited outside until our cabs arrived. We had great service; a bit slow however it seems to be a "mom and pop" operation. Wouldn't be shocked if the owner was also the chef and the waitress was also the sous chef and dishwasher. Great choice if you are looking for Thai in this part of Metro DC.
(5)
Tommy M.
A great, outside of the norm menu, but with all your favorites. Good people and terrific and unexpected delights. Reservations a good idea as the place is small and fills up. My new "go to" Thai restaurant.
(5)
Foodie C.
Great !! Very Authentic this is a definite place I will frequent. Service GREAT Food GREAT Tip there are only about 10 tables and it seems the portions are bigger if you dine in. So Yelpers let management know we are on to them or plan ahead to dine in
(4)
Kasha W.
Wow - amazingly good Thai (veggie/tofu green curry) - tucked in a little strip mall. Nice for business lunches - very convenient right off beltway and Rt. 50.
(4)
Charlotte B.
As far as a small mom-and-pop Thai place goes, this is just perfect in every way. The roti green curry chicken appetizer is just as good as you'd think, and since I'm not a big spicy food person, I asked them to make it mild and it was FANTASTIC. Note that it is in a weird location, my GPS was completely stymied. If you just drive back and forth on Arlington Blvd., you will miss it--you need to get off at the exit for this streetcorner, which is high above the rest of the street.
My wife and I tried out Elephant Jumps for the first time tonight. It was a great experience. It wasn't very crowded, and at first, rather intimidatingly, it seemed we had the undivided attention of the whole staff. As it turns out we were able to talk with the waitress and owner quite a bit about the menu and get quite a bit of information about their style of food. The chalkboard on the wall said they offered "Authentic Kra Phao" which we asked about since it sounded familiar. He said that kra phao is an herb used to season Thai stir fries. Most American Thai restaurants sell dishes made with Thai basil as "kra phao" but in fact it is a different herb, very hard to get in this country. Authentic kra phao (according to wikipedia it is known as Holy Basil in English) has recently become available in the summertime in this area, so he is able to offer it. But, he wanted us to understand that it is NOT Thai basil. We ordered it in a pork stir fry which was served with rice and a fried egg! It was great. The kra phao is not as aggressive a flavor as the usual Thai basil, but is grassy and a little bit bitter. The fried egg was a brilliant accompaniment. The other dishes we ordered were the crispy egg rolls which were much as they are everywhere, and one of the house specials called Chicken Aroma Coconut Rice (or some combination of those words). This also was an outstanding dish, although the chicken was definitely in third place as a component, behind the coconut rice and the spicy papaya salad. At the instruction of our host we ate it by putting the rice on top of the chicken and the papaya on top of that, and then eating them all together. That was a big yum! I'm still tasting the coconut and the fish sauce and the hot red peppers bits on the ends of my moustache hairs as I type this. We had a novel experience at Elephant Jumps, enjoyed talking to the staff and ate a great meal to boot. We'll definitely be going back. Maybe we'll see you there?
(4)
Stephen C.
Good authentic Thai food. Drunken noodle and tilapia are our favorite.
(5)
Alison S.
OK. So, I heard such raves about this (new) Thai place for sometime so was very curious to check it out. I'm always looking for a good Thai place. I would say it depends on ones' expectations. In terms of the flavours, I would give it a 4 stars. The appetizer salad I ordered was good and spicy. Portions however are rather small. The menu reads like the type of Thai restaurant that tries to Westernize their dishes and serving style. There were a few Spaghetti Pad Green Curry and that sort of thing. I feel that they try to cater to local office workers in the area who might come in for a quick lunch. The space is very small but very nicely decorated with an elephant theme (of course). Let's say if I worked or lived near by I would be a regular here but I wouldn't make a special trip for it. "Thai Square" (Arlington) still reigns supreme!
(3)
Gregory P.
Decided to try this place based on the yelp reviews and the Tom Sietsema review. Ordered the fried papaya spicy salad to start. In Sietsema's review, he says it's topped off with a "few pearly fried shrimp", however the shrimp on top of our salad weren't fried, looked more like poached. Regardless, the dish was tasty, but not something I'd say was actually spicy. The crunchy papaya was an excellent vehicle for the tasty fish sauce. Great appetizer, as it definitely left us satisfied yet hungry for more. Next we had the crispy fried salmon. We selected the ginger vinegar sauce instead of the mango sauce. The salmon was a thin piece, covered in a nice light batter that had a really great crunch to it. The ginger sauce comes on the side, and was really delicious. Finally, we had the panang curry chicken. We ordered it spicy, and it definitely had a nice slow creeping heat to it. The chicken was tender, the curry sauce was delicious, not too cloying or thick. I also had a thai iced tea, which was a nice sweet counterbalance to the spicy curry. During our meal, a gentleman whom I assume is the owner, came over to make sure we were enjoying everything. Very pleasant and quick with the water refills. The check came out to $35.02 without tip. Definitely worth it.
(4)
Mike B.
The food is good. Nothing unbelievable. It's good, but I thought it would be better, based on the reviews I read. The service however, was horrible. I have not had such bad service in my recent memory. They forgot one of my group's meals,it took 20 minutes to get a drink, and they never refilled my water, despite my request. Nothing special here.
(3)
Christine D.
I love this place. I don't get what people are eating that they find mediocre - I have tried lots of Thai places in this area and Elephant Jumps is right up there with the best. After finding this place on yelp one afternoon, it's become a tradition for us to go here after giving blood nearby. They have awesome lunch specials, where you can get a ton of food for $8 or $9, the best being the green curry or drunken noodles. I have to say I haven't tried any of their "east meets west" dishes.. that seems weird to me. I will keep these separate, thank you very much! The staff is always super nice - one time we were there, when BF ordered curry, the owner offered to switch the menu item out for what the cooks made for themselves (also a curry) - very authentic! They do things a bit spicier here, but that's more traditional Thai food, with lots of spice. If you haven't gone - go NOW and don't believe these crazy reviews hating on their food!!! Super delish.
(4)
Edward C.
Man, this one is tough. I want to pretend that I've found a gem of a Thai restaurant and not tell anyone about it so that I can keep it to myself. But, judging by the throngs of buzzing followers and National publications raving about this place, I doubt it will remain my secret for long. And since I definitely don't want this 5 month old fledgling restaurant (and it's green curry) to fold, here goes... I love this place. Tucked away (and I mean, really tucked away) in a shopping plaza off of Gallows Road, there exists a small restaurant (6 four-seater tables and 4 two-seater tables) that somehow perfected authentic fusion Thai food. What do I mean by that? Well, there's 2 kinds of fusion: the gimmicky ones, and the ones that get all the tastes right. This here elephant, then, is the one that jumps in all the right ways. We were immediately seated by a super friendly server, smiling ear to ear. We started with a Thai iced tea and for our appetizer we shared a Roti Green Curry Chicken. As an entree, I got the Burrito Satay Chicken and The Other Half got the Drunken Spaghetti Chicken--both from the "East Meets West" menu. Our friend ordered a Pad Thai, and for dessert we shared a Mango Sticky Rice. The Thai iced tea was good; a little stronger than your run of the mill Thai iced tea, but otherwise just a good tea. The Roti Green Curry Chicken really got the night rolling. Unlike some other places that pre-make their roti (see: Sweet Ginger, Vienna, VA), this roti was fresh, hot, chewy, and delicious. The green curry was the star, though. Easily the best green curry I've had in DC, the flavors were balanced, hearty, and it had a real kick to it. Onto my entree: the Burrito Satay Chicken. It may sound like a gimmick, but thought was clearly put into the dish to create a coherent meal with quality ingredients. The filling was a concoction of Thai sticky rice cooked with Satay Chicken, and the wrapper was nice an thin; the dish came with a refreshing side of salad in a peanut dressing. The few tastes of the spaghetti and pad thai that I got were equally awesome. Then, the dessert. It's pretty hard to mess up sticky rice with mango, and this Elephant surely didn't. The perfectly cooked rice was served alongside a side of sweet, fresh mango. This was truly a great meal, served in a bright, happy space. There are so many things to like about this place: the genuinely super-nice owner, the neat menus, the innovative dishes, the spot-on flavors, the happy servers, good service, and great prices (our meal came out to $50 and change!). The best part might be that the buzz isn't qite out there, yet, so there isn't the mandatory 2 hour wait associated with every place in DC that is deemed "the next big thing." In the words of Borat, "very nice!"
(5)
Mi Mi T.
I had the Herb Rice Chicken Aroma and Thai Iced Tea. The herb rice was good but the grilled marinated chicken was dry and didn't have much flavor to it except when dipped in the sweet chili sauce. The Thai Iced Tea was alright, needed a bit more sweetness to it.
(3)
Rodrigo M.
Really good food. Their menu is extensive and the service can be slow at times but if you're in a rush go to McDonald's. However, if you want great Thai food please give this place a chance. My personal recommendation is their aroma chicken with coconut rice. Then again, I have a very personal love for good coconut rice so I may be biased.
(5)
kem p.
I agreed with the other yelpers, their tilapia crispy basil is not worth ordering. So a couple things that disappoint me: 1. Chicken satay. The peanut sauce is watered down. 2. Crab fried rice. Rice was mushy, and not tasty. Service was great considering our waiter had to take care of 5 tables. At the end of the meal, i felt like i was robbed. I should have cancelled the crispy tilapia. Luckily their sprite was good, it has fizz and tasted like the real sprite.
(1)
Layla L.
The pad Thai had no flavor whatsoever. Its so weird, usually pad Thai is either really good to really bad but this just had NO flavor. It was like eating something when i have a cold. I think they forgot to put peanuts in the sauce or something , its definitely missing a key ingredient. My coworkers really like this place so I'm sure I'll have their food again but I won't be ordering the pad Thai.
(2)
Seong L.
ordered Pad Thai and Pad See Ew. Thought never go wrong with Pad Thai until this. Noodle was overcooked and all stuck together. Very dried due to overcook. However, Pad See Ew was good!
(3)
Tri T.
Yearning for something hearty on a cold night, we opted for some take away Thai and had a pretty decent experience here. Although, it's worth noting that on this Saturday night and walking in to pick up my food, the restaurant was packed with people waiting at the door. This alone makes me want to try other dishes. We ordered the SenYai Pad See Ew Moo Mug (damn that's a long name for a dish), green curry and panang curry and all were decently flavored and what I would expect. Very middle of the road Thai but definitely reasonably priced.
(3)
Trevor M.
Very impressed with my entree and the service. This place is in a Nova shopping center right near the Fairfax hospital. I asked the waitress for a recommendation and she suggested the one of the pork specials. The name was SEN YAI PAD SEE EW MOO MUG. It was a lot like drunken noodles which was perfect for me. It was very casual and reminded me of a local deli. It was an off night but the waitress was very attentive. I enjoyed my meal and I plan to return!
Ordered take out and not only did they get the order wrong, it also was mediocre Thai food. Their only saving grace was the decent pad see ew. Other than that, the Pad Thai was flimsy, flavorless noodles that stuck together. Unless you're in the area, don't bother unless you're starving.
(2)
Em S.
I visited this place for the first time today with some friends. I was starving and my only request was that we didn't eat greasy food. I must say Elephant Jumps lived up to my only request. I ordered the Spicy Salmon Mango sauce Thai spicy. The salmon was moist and the batter was so soft. The sauce was very spicy, which I asked for. Next time I will order it the way they normally prepare it to compare. As a table we ordered the Dancing Ladies and sautay (not sure if I spelled it right). Both appetizers were good and I will be visiting this place again.
(5)
David C.
I've eaten at all the local Thai places and this is authentic and delicious. Get the green curry, charm tools pork, tom yum soup. All great.
(5)
Jenny P.
My brother took our family here, claiming it was one of the best Thai places in the area. I went in slightly suspicious of his statement and holding on the idea of the best one being Tong Thai near GMU. Our order list went as follows: Appetizers: - Golden Triangle (Fried Tofu)- These never have any flavor and I have yet to discover why we order these every time, but we do. - Roti Green Curry Chicken with Fried Pancakes- I'm so psyched about this and if my brother's girlfriend was not there I would have declared this dish solely mine. The curry boasted a satisfying balance of cream and spice and the pancake added a delightful dimension of crispness to each bite (and there were many). I'm drooling a little, days later. - Thai Chicken Satay- Another mindless order that makes me scratch my head, wherever we go the chicken is always dry and overcooked. All the more reason to drown it in the peanut sauce, I suppose. - Yum Pla Dook Foo.. Deep fried ground fish with a mango spicy salad. Yeah, um. Not my thing. Was an odd texture- it wasn't flour but didn't seem like fish. Entrees: - Pad See Ew- A favorite, love the smoky/sweetness to it. Was disappointed that stayed near my dad, who has difficulty chewing most foods. My hopes sank as my mom wrapped up the leftovers cheerfully, declaring that it'd make for a fine lunch. - Ka Na Neua (Chinese Broccoli, Marinated Beef, Ginger, and Oyster Sauce)- My brother's favorite, pretty good but not particularly memorable. - Gang Hung Lay (Slow Cooked Pork Curry with Sticky Rice)- HO! This was bangin'. The pork fell apart in my mouth, the only drawback that it was a tiny bit on the sweet side for me. - Prig Sod Moo (Green Peppers, Onion, Pork) - Again, pretty good but nothing of note. Spicy. - Crispy Tilapia with Crispy Basil- Stayed by my dad's side, would have liked to try more. Oh I will definitely be back.
(4)
Karisa D.
Elephant Jumps is a wonderful restaurant in Merrifield. However, I had no idea it was in Merrifield and how close it was to the Mosaic District. It is a small restaurant in a strip mall and from the outside, it appears understated. Do not be fooled. On the inside, Elephant Jumps is warm, inviting, and the food is anything but ordinary. Like I mentioned it is a small restaurant (i didn't count but maybe less than 15 tables). Luckily, we were just a group of two and they seated within minutes of walking into the restaurant. They explained their menu this way: they have a menu with more traditional Thai dishes and a menu with more familiar Thai dishes. We both ordered from the traditional menu. I essentially ordered the Pad See Ew Moo Mag which is a noodle dish and my fiance ordered the Gang Hung Lay which is a slow cooked pork curry. I tried both dishes and they were fantastic. They were flavorful dishes and well executed. I thought they were spicy but not too intense and you did not lose the flavor. The Gang Hung Lay comes with sticky rice and lettuce leaves so you can build you meal. My did not have any complaints and said he enjoyed the meal. Everyone is friendly and helpful and the service was very good. There was never an empty table while we there and there was wait. In some cases it may not be a good thing but here, I would wait and I will definitely come back.
(4)
Teresa L.
My family was looking for a Thai restaurant with unique, street-food dishes when my aunt stumbled across Elephant Jumps. It's a small restaurant tucked away in an older shopping center but has some wonderfully different Thai dishes :) As advised by other Yelpers, we ordered dishes off the chalkboard in addition to the main menu. We ordered: - Papaya salad: one of my favorite Thai dishes; has a nice spicy kick! - Dumplings(?): I'm not sure what they were called on the menu since my aunt ordered but nothing too special - Banana blossom salad: we were all intrigued by this dish; a tasty medly of cooked, shaved coconut with shrimp and chicken. a must try! - Fried scallops: delicious! eat while still warm :) - Drunken noodles: standard Thai drunken noodles, still tasty - Gang Hung Lay (slow cooked pork curry): delicious!! the pork was so tender and crumbled in my mouth with every bite - Fried flounder: comes with sticky rice; absolutely must try with the sauce (beware it has a kick to it!) - Thai ice tea: serving was on the smaller side so I'll probably pass on this next time I will be back for the specialty/traditional Thai dishes!
(4)
Helena G.
This is one of my fave restaurants in DC. Food is great. Attentive service. We tried the fried whole fish with chili garlic sauce ($24). It was terrific, the fish was very crunchy and the sauce was fresh and flavorful. I highly recommend the hua plee to start, a salad with shrimp and chicken. And durian with sticky rice for dessert.
(5)
Faysal I.
This is the best Thai food I've had in the DMV area. The service is above-average, and the food is delicious. Try to slow-cooked pork: This was unbelievable tender, and perfectly seasoned. It's also quite a generous portion. As for fish, the fried tilapia with garlic and chili is the one you want. Not the healthiest dish in the world, but amazing. To drink, I recommend the palm juice beverage - the name escapes me. We didn't have a chance to sample the dessert including the stinky rice - but if it's anything like the other courses, it's excellent.
(5)
Bruce K.
Thank you, Gary Leff. Gary's a travel blogger and he said that Elephant Jumps was THE place to go to in the DC suburbs for Thai. And he was right. Wow, just awesome. I had a Singha - Thai beer. And then ordered my starter, Crispy flat bread shrimp. Extremely tasty, really good stuff. But before I could even finish the first one, my main course arrived. The drunken chicken spaghetti was simply excellent if perhaps a little bit spicier than I would normally have. I managed to get my way through it okay though. Lots of tender chicken, spicy veggies and pasta in a great sauce that left me wanting more. My only complaint was that the entree arrived too quickly. Everything else was perfect. Elephant Jumps is easy to miss as it's in a storefront in a corner of the shopping plaza with another Asian restaurant right in front. Skip them, go further back. You'll be very pleased.
(5)
Lilli M.
The conglomerate of unique flavors here will blow your taste buds. This place is tucked at the far end of a shopping plaza, facing away from the road. Basically, nearly impossible to spot unless you're already looking for it. The restaurant is family-owned and the inside is clean and rather modest-looking. I've been here only once before and remembered just ordering some standard Thai dish, like Pad Thai or something, and having just an a-okay experience. This time, I ordered off the much-raved about chalkboard menu and based off the owner's recommendations. The owner and his wife are the main chefs here, and he came around our table to greet us and give us some recommendations, upon our request. We tried the much-Yelped about papaya salad and this chalkboard appetizer that has banana blossoms, shrimp. This banana blossom appetizer had an abundance of spices and flavors I can't even pinpoint, but my taste buds absolutely loved it. Both appetizers are served with a small basket of sticky rice. We then ordered the tuna curry, ginger pork (super tender!), and another chalkboard-menu entree, the bitter melon curry. I initially thought there were chickpeas with the tuna curry, but it turns out they were small fish balls. We also tried the durian with sticky rice for dessert. I was hesitant at first to try the durian dessert b/c durian can have a very pungent odor and taste, but the coconut cream/sugar/sticky rice really toned that down so that you could really enjoy the durian flavor. The three entrees, two appetizers, and dessert came out to about 75 bucks. My only criticism is that they give you dispensable chopsticks here, and I think providing real ones would enhance our eating experience. Plus, real chopsticks are a dime a dozen from Great Wall supermarket, which is almost literally across the street. That aside, I would love to come back and sample more chalkboard and chef-recommended items!
(4)
Laurie W.
My husband says that this restaurant has made him "re-like" Thai food, and I agree - so much, in fact that we've literally been there for lunch three times over the past two weekends, so this review is only for their "lunch deals" right now since that's the only thing I've had. So far, I've had the Thai Basil Chicken, the drunken noodles, and the Pad Thai. Out of those dishes, the Pad Thai was the only one I wasn't super impressed with - I found it bland (adding some of the chilies they keep on each table. The Thai Basil chicken was delicious (the chicken wasn't dry at all) and I thought the execution of the drunken noodles was near perfect. My husband had the green curry, panang curry and the drunken noodles and loved them all, although he can't tolerate spice like I can, which is why Elephant Jumps is nice - no problems at all customizing the spice level. And as others have mentioned, I love that the food isn't oily. Portions for the lunch specials are hefty - I struggled to finish both times. I also really like the salad with the peanut dressing, and the shrimp cakes have a nice crunch. Service is quick and efficient. I look forward to my next visit!
(4)
Bryan L.
Best Thai food in the DMV. Don't bother with the regular menu. Order off the special board or special menu.
(5)
Manool F.
Our office has ordered food from here at least three times. Each time, the delivery man is very rude and abrasive. The food is mediocre too. You order from here when it's just convenient to do so. We've stopped ordering just because the food got to be way too mediocre.
(2)
Jazz C.
My family and I have dined here several times over the past several months. I can say that the food quality has gone downhill, much to my disappointment. The first time we came here, we ordered the authentic pad see ew, which was quite good. However, subsequent times, the food was either cold, or the proportions were way off. For example, one time we ordered the dish and there were 4 small pieces of green veg amidst a sea of flat noodles and pork. The other side dishes (forgot which one, but two were veg), were pathetic. Portions were tiny and for the amount that we paid ($12-13), it was a terrible value. The food was also over-salted and the kitchen was not willing to change the seasoning to accommodate our need. The bill was over $50 and we felt cheated given the poor quality and small portions we received. What started out as a great Thai eatery is now no longer a place I can recommend to friends and family.
(2)
Shaynna F.
Got the veggie pad thai and spring rolls. Came in at lunch so surpised I still managed to pay 15 bucks at 1145am. I am a pad thai connoisseur and eat it at least 2 times a week so id say i know good thai. This place was just ok. Wish they would have told me the pad thai came with huge chucks of tofu as I am completely repulsed by the stuff and am not seeking replacement sources of protein simply because i ordered veggie. I just like vegetables. The spring rolls were just crispy wrapped....noodles...then fried? Most spring rolls have vegetables in them so I was a bit confused on this one as well. I typically get my pad thai 'thai hot' but when trying out a new place I scale it down to 'hot'. Id say their spicy scale is on par with others in the area. Overall, I was underwhelmed and will stick with the thai that I know and love.
(3)
Alexandra J.
Who would have thought that some of the best Thai food I've ever had would be served at a strip mall in the D.C. suburbs? Every dish was absolutely packed with flavor. We had the papaya salad and Thai dumplings to start, and shared the slow cooked pork curry and the salmon in mango sauce, with sticky rice (included) to sop up every last bit. All of the above were perfectly balanced dishes, not at all boring straight ahead Thai food, and each possessed a flavorful, delicate heat. Note: many of these dishes came from the traditional Thai menu they offer, in addition to more familiar, American-ized options. They also offer little dishes of wonderfully spicy peppers on the side, if you want to kick it up a notch. We like spicy (more accurately, we like tears in our eyes) so we used quite a bit of that. Oh, and fried bananas for dessert, artfully dressed up with a cherry blossom branch garnish made out of sauce. Yum. The service was prompt, thoughtful, and fast. Try this place if you're interested in stepping outside the basic comfort zone of Thai food for something really special.
(5)
Jessica M.
I ordered takeout from Elephant Jumps. It was the first time I have every been there, and I was the only one in the restaurant when I went in to pick up my food. That made me nervous, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got home and tried my food. I ordered a spring roll and vegetarian panang curry. The food was very good. The curry was full of vegetables and yummy fried tofu, and it had the perfect level of spice. The spring roll was pretty standard, but it was still good.
(4)
Xtine C.
The entrance to the restaurant is deep in the corner and you can almost miss it if you're not looking for it! Had a hankering for Thai food and decided to stop by since it was so close to home. Upon entering, the place was so cute! The menu is not your average Thai menu you find at common places around here. They had a good mix of authentic Thai food that I've never seen or heard of before. They also had daily specials that sounded amazing. We decided to be real simple and got the green curry roti chicken, basil fried rice, and chicken pad thai. Green curry roti chicken was so good! The roti was so thin yet chewy and soft that tasted like butter! The green curry was perfect in flavor with bits of chicken, eggplant, and mushrooms in the slurry. I wish we had more chicken in it though, I felt it was more saucy than meaty. The basil fried rice was our favorite by far! So simple yet it was bursting with flavor! Bits of scallions, onions, and basil with slightly chewy chard rice was the perfect combo. We added chicken as our meat of choice. The pad thai was good too! It came out more red in color than I'm used to but that's mainly the tumeric powder I think (or red curry paste?) either way, the flavor was good. They gave a side of peanuts and bean sprouts but no lemon/lime. I like acid in my pad thai and was used to getting this on the side but they didn't offer it. I still ate it anyway, it was very good and had good flavor as a unit. Service was good and they constantly refilled our waters. I wouldn't mind coming back here for a quick bite of thai food since it's so close by!
(4)
Robert P.
As someone who lived in Thailand for 15 years, I can attest that this is excellent Thai food. Kids love the Spicy Salmon with Ginger Sauce and the Mu Yang. Definitely worth a trip!
(5)
Pamela C.
I have only been here for lunch. Their menu is very affordable and very very flavorful. Great size. Ambiance is on point, clean and very unique a little bit of Thailand. It's my go to place for Thai food. Their coconut fried shrimp is super delicious. I would strongly recommend this place.
(5)
Kristin A.
Why haven't I heard of this place sooner!!! In the past week and a half I visited 3 times. The first time was for an iced ginger tea, the second was for a Thai Ice Tea, and today I finally sat down and enjoyed the food. As the other reviewers mentioned this place is tucked away in the cut, but once you find it I doubt you'll ever forget it. Luckily, I was able to take advantage of the lunch special and save myself a couple of dollars. I decided on the Basil Fried Rice lunch special which came with a small tofu soup and two fried things (I can't remember what they were but oh so delicious). I also opted for a Thai Ice Tea since I'd been craving one from earlier this week. This will definitely be my staple Thai restaurant since they're across the street from my job!!! In regard to service, they were nice and prompt; can't beat that with an hour lunch frame!!! I can tell that it gets a bit crowded so be sure to come ahead of the actual lunch crowd or a little bit afterwards. I believe the $9 lunch specials end at 4pm. They also have a small patio area that will be very nice for the upcoming weather. I also believe I overheard a patron saying that they were featured in the Washington Post today, not sure if that's true, but its worth the Google.
(5)
Jini K.
After reading the rave reviews, my husband and I ventured out on an evening when the wind chill was below 10 to try this place out. We figured piping hot thai food was just what the doctor ordered! When we arrived on a Friday evening, we were struck by how quaint the place was. Although the place was packed, we were thankfully seated immediately, which was a bonus since we didn't have a reservation. The waitress was prompt in taking our food/drink orders, but didn't seem too helpful in terms of helping us navigate the menu or offering suggestions. We ordered the house salad with peanut dressing, vegetable spring rolls, vegetarian drunken noodles, and vegetables and tofu in peanut sauce. The dish that was most disappointing was the drunken noodles, and only because we ordered it the exact way it was described on the menu in terms of spice level and it was so spicy that I literally could not take more than one bite. My husband loves spicy food, so much that he asks for extra thai chillies, habaneros, etc, wherever we go and he too felt the dish was too spicy. It would've been nice if our waitress could've done her due diligence and warned us of the spice level, so we didn't leave a dish nearly full on the table. The remaining dishes were solid, but not spectacular. I think in terms of portions, taste factor, and friendliness/helpfulness of the staff, there is another Thai restaurant in the area that has already won my heart, but if convenience and solid, but not spectacular food, is your cup of tea, then by all means proceed with this option.
(3)
Matt D.
We've ordered delivery from Elephant jumps about half a dozen times over the past year. Each time our experience gets better and better. The other night we decided to order a handful of appetizers. Delivery was promised within 45 minutes and arrived right around 30 minutes. The food was hot; flavors were fantastic. We ordered a couple of items that included shrimp. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and tasted fresh. Keep up the great work Elephant Jumps. We will be back!
(5)
Nixia T.
I'm a drunken noodle kinda gal, and it's the only thing I usually order at a Thai restaurant, simply because it's good almost every Thai restaurant I have been to. Everything has changed since I tried the pineapple fried rice with chicken at Elephant Jump. It was so good, now it's the only thing I get from them. The curry flavored fried rice with onion, peas, carrots and my fav, pineapples. Omg. I'm addicted. I also tried the mango sticky rice which is seasonal and loved it. The sticky rice is soaked in coconut milk, and a bite of mango and sticky rice together just so satisfying. It's rich in flavor but not sickeningly sweet. Love love love.
(5)
Nat W.
This place is probably more like 4-4.5 stars but I am compensating this for the relatively low rating here. I am Thai and know Thai food and this place offer a uniquely refreshing menu items that are difficult to find elsewhere. Lunch is a great deal and a lot of Northern-styled Thai dishes are spot on!
(5)
Kristina P.
Ate dinner here with a friend last night. I'm a Thai food lover and have been on an odyssey of Thai restaurants lately. I was attracted to this place by the unusual dishes they serve. The place was full at 7:00 on a Saturday night (expected), but we didn't have to wait long for an empty table. The service was quick and attentive, and our waitress was able to answer all our questions about the food. Started with the hot tea. Wow, I'd never had tea like that before! It had pieces of dried ginger floating on top and had a surprising sweet-spicy ginger flavor. Perhaps it was sweetened with honey? It was served in a large blue and white china cup with matching china cover. Then had the Tom Yum Goong (spicy shrimp soup) and Elephant Jumps salad as apps. I really wanted to try the Tom Kha soup, but it came only with chicken. Very glad I went with the Tom Yum as the spices were spot on, and the broth was so delicious that I didn't even miss the coconut milk. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, and the tails had been removed so I didn't have to pick the shrimp up with my fingers (a pet peeve of mine)! OMG, the Elephant Jumps salad was awesome. It was shrimp, roasted coconut, and slivers of green apple and red onion, coated in a seed and herb mixture (including coriander?), and dressed with lime juice and chili. The flavors were so fresh and satisfying, and there was just enough spice to make things interesting. The serving was hefty and came in a super-sized Old Fashioned glass, a very nice presentation. The dish had a sweetness to it too and could have doubled as a dessert. I ended up eating half as an app and saving half to eat at the end of my meal. Wonderful! For an entree, I had the Ka Nom Jeen Num Ya (spicy tuna curry over noodles with fish balls and separate garnishes - bean sprouts, diced green beans, pickled chopped Chinese broccoli, and a few fresh basil leaves). The curry was served in a small highball glass next to coils of the noodles (like angel hair pasta) and small dishes of the garnishes, a very pretty presentation. I asked for "3-pepper" spiciness, but, after finding out that this was my first visit to Elephant Jumps, the waitress strongly recommended 2-pepper spiciness, so I accepted. NOT SPICY ENOUGH! The owner came by, and I asked him for the condiment tray. He said, "No, you should have some of the roasted peppers that we used to cook this curry." I agreed, so he brought me a small dish of the dried, roasted red peppers. I put some in the remainder of my dish and thought they might infuse flavor into it, but they didn't. So, I ate one and was surprised to find that it was totally edible (unlike the dried red peppers in Kung Pao) and delicious with a rich nutty flavor (in addition to a nice spicy heat). I put them all on my dish and ate about 5 of them with bites of curry before I was totally stuffed (of course, I took the rest home!). The owner told me that they dry the peppers themselves and then deep-fry them, which is why they chew so well and have such a nice flavor. In the future I will order "3-pepper" spiciness and ask for the roasted red peppers on the side. The owner was very funny and asked where I had practiced eating such spicy food. He was surprised that I had eaten the whole peppers and asked if I'd been to Thailand because that's what they do there. I said I hadn't been to Thailand but that I was introduced to spicy food at the Thai Room in DC over 30 years ago (it closed about 10 years ago). He said he'd heard of the Thai Room. I also said that I was a huge spicy food fan and have an extensive collection of hot sauces. The curry was solid, but with the way it was served with all the ingredients in separate containers, it was lukewarm by the time I mixed everything together and began to eat it (it didn't help that, with the small size of the restaurant, a blast of cold air hit our table every time the door opened). I also would have preferred a thicker noodle than angel hair pasta. The pasta was too soft and had no "chew." Although my friend and I were stuffed, we ordered the pumpkin and cream dessert special. Very unusual. It was large chunks of fresh pumpkin stewed in a thick coconut milk sauce that was like a sweet cold soup. The sauce was delicious, but I didn't particularly like the pumpkin chunks. I'd never eaten plain fresh pumpkin before and thought it was starchy and bland. My friend had the Tom Kha Gai soup (very creamy with lots of coconut milk), Lady Dancing app (5 shrimp on skewers with peanut sauce and cucumber sauce), and Pad Thai with shrimp. In the Lady Dancing, a slice had been cut from the top of an orange, and the skewers were stuck vertically around the rind - very decorative. She enjoyed the Pad Thai and took a lot home as it was a huge serving. This restaurant serves fresh, bold, and unusual dishes not found at other Thai places, and the staff pays painstaking attention to detail in the food and presentation. Will be back!
(4)
Helen P.
This place is my favorite Thai place in Falls Church for sit down and takeout! I've eaten here more than I can count. Majority of the time, I order Pad Thai with chicken which is consistently good! I've also had the Panang Curry and Pad See Ew -both of which also taste great! You will not be disappointed!
(4)
Jazmin P.
Very loud extremely Greasy!! Pad Thai was the worst I have ever had! Only ate the side salad and shrimp toast which was also very greasy. Did not eat food but still made us pay for food. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!
(1)
Nat M.
Incredible, creative Thai. Service was top notch. Two of us split the ground tuna salad appetizer, which sounds weird but was just amazing. We had to stop the waitress from taking away the bowl because we just had to have the last bite! For entrees, we had the pork curry (hung lay...) and the pad see ew from the specials menu. Again, delicious. The pad see ew was like a perfectly executed drunken noodle, with spicy vinegar splashed over the top at the table. I can't wait to go back!
(5)
Dann S.
Food is good, it's a family run place, service is quick but the food can be spicy sometimes, good for lunch, office lunches, small space, can get crowded sometimes
(3)
Dan R.
Drove over to VA to check this place after seeing one of their dishes highlighted in a Washington Post section. In short, I was underwhelmed. Pad kee mao was spicy but also kind if dull. The appetizer highlighted in the newspaper was just OK. Will be sticking in Rockville area which still has three of the best Thai restaurants in the area.
(2)
Aaron A.
I have always heard great things about Elephant Jumps but was still surprised by the exceptionally tasty food. The service was great too, and I particularly like that they pushed their more exotic dishes over the tried-and-true Thai standards, which proved to be the right choice. I enjoyed the spicy tuna curry over noodles (Ka Nom Jeen Num Ya) as well as the Ka Na Neua, a marinated beef dish with broccoli and ginger in a smokey sauce, and only tremendous self-discipline kept us from ordering more. One of the day's specials, a whole flounder with spicy dipping sauce designed to be picked and eaten by hand was recommended as a shareable appetizer and looked particularly intriguing! One problem common to most restaurants serving southeast Asian cuisine was the lack of any real guidance as to the degree of spiciness one should expect from a given dish. Both of our entrees were ordered "medium" spicy, whatever that means, and could have used a little more heat. I will try to convey that intent the next time and see what happens. Elephant Jumps is right right of Hwy 50 just beyond the Beltway. Even at rush hour it was tremendously easy to pop out for a delicious meal. Their new patio dining area is supposed to open soon, and I can't wait to return to check it out.
(4)
Nalee E.
While the food was not bad, I have experienced better elsewhere. I ordered two of the most common Thai dishes - Pad Thai with chicken and the Panang Curry. Boy, was I disappointed...the flavors were all there, but the rice noodles used for the pad thai were very thin! It's like using angel hair pasta in place of regular-sized spaghetti noodles for a basic spaghetti and meatball dish. Since they used the very thin rice noodles, the pad thai was very clumpy because the noodles all stuck to each other. The PANANG CURRY was also a disappointment partly due to the fact that it came out warm like it had been sitting in the back for awhile. Yes, the curry tasted fine, but there was nothing in the dish besides chicken. No mushrooms, no green veggies at all...not even one piece of potato - it was a very boring curry. C'mon people, cook like you would cook at home! Service - 1 star. Our server never came back once after he dropped off our food. I had asked for some red chili pepper condiments when he dropped off our food - he turned to the table next to us, interrupted and asked them if they were done with the chili rack (THEY SAID YES), then grabs it and hands it to us. I just think there should be enough chili racks for all the tables, because it is very tacky and poor in taste to take it from one table and give it to another when people are in the middle of dinner. Their sign says opened til 9:30 pm on Sunday, but they locked their door at 9 pm to prevent patrons from entering. So, I had to unlock the door myself. There was a table that came in right before they locked their doors and that table was guilted into ordering their food as take-out. I have always said, even if service was terrible, if the food was great then the restaurant would be worth coming back to. Unfortunately, I won't be going back. I had expected better authentic food from a reputable restaurant with such high ratings.
(2)
Chelsea C.
Wonderful little Thai restaurant in Merrifield! Unexpectedly sheltered away in the corner of a shopping center next to 495, this little gem of a restaurant specializes in northern style Thai cuisine which stands out from its southern counterpart, the style of Thai food you will most often find in the area. Here the spices and style differ from their southern counterparts but are even more complex and appealingly unexpected. The variety and subtlety of flavors should entice the adventurous palate. Order a variety of appetizers or one of their specials and give everything a try! If you're an adventurous eater, don't pass up Elephant Jumps!
(4)
Jodi R.
This is the best thai food you will find in the DMV. When they say spicy they mean it, and the food is always very flavorful. If I'm getting takeout I love the pad thai, but they also have great dishes that are better for a dine-in experience.
(5)
Chris S.
This is a decent little Thai restaurant located among many other Asian restaurants. In that little corner, you can get Thai, Chinese, Japanese and pretty much every Asian style in this area of the shopping center. The inside is small and seems to be more of a carry out place than dine in but on a Saturday night it was good crowd and was pretty full. The layout is simple but clean. I really like their menus even though mine was falling apart. The menu is fake bamboo with a elephant on the cover. Service was good, waitress was friendly and kept the water glass full while being friendly and attentive. Food was just okay, I had the pineapple fried rice with beef. My food was very dry and lacked flavor. They do however give you a quality portion so I left full. I wish the food had more flavor and the rice wasn't so dry, I feel like it was mad early in the day and sat out for many hours before I was able to eat it. While service and decor was nice, food ultimately let me down. I won't be in a rush to return.
(2)
Alex H.
We visited this place last Friday, April 3rd, for dinner. Place was full but still had two empty tables--one was reserved and the other was open. my wife and I were waiting to be attended and be seated when we came in, but all the servers and host were too busy attending to the customers seated. Then we hear the phone ring and the host picked it up and then put a reservation sign on the open table. Then she approached us and said whether we have reservations. Apparently they don't take walk-in customers and only take phone reservations. We went in here because of Yelp reviews was good, but left disappointed with their practices of ignoring walk-in customers and taking higher priority for phone in reservations. They should have a sign on the door that only reservations are allowed. Not worth our time going back to this place and spend $$$.
(1)
Ed M.
Of all the new restaurants (and old) in the Merrifield area, Elephant Jumps has become my favorite. Every dish that I and my guests order is not only good, but distinctive. The big surprise is the wine list. A quality light Austrian wine at $6? There are only two of the now numerous restaurants in the area that can compare for quality of cuisine. The slow-cooked curry pork is superior. As are any number of other dishes. The service is gracious and helpful.
(4)
Charles C.
I got the pad tai with chicken. I was just okay and was a little overcooked. Not discouraged from trying other dishes from here though.
(3)
Ross M.
This place has lost it. Loyal customer here for a years, always tipped over 20%. The take out portions have been skinnyed back, and the service has gone down hill. I got two pieces of broken lettuce for my lettuce wraps and only 1 bag of sticky rice for 2 orders. I'm done with this place. I can't wait until Thai by Thai opens up and puts them out of business. Not recommended. Land of no smiles.
(1)
Cat P.
I beg to differ from the majority. Five enthusiastic stars! I'd give more if I could. I visited for the first time about two or three years ago after reading spectacular reviews online and was pleased with all the flavors. My second time around did not disappoint. I definitely see that this restaurant caters to Western clientele, but I feel like the flavors were far from sacrificed for the sake of tailoring the menu to non-Thai diners. We came on Sunday because Tom N heard of a special weekend-only menu with unusual Thai specialties. I am not Thai so for all I know these dishes could be invented by the owners of the business; however, I could care less about the authenticity because what I do know is that my taste buds were dancing last night. Oh yeah! While possibly offensive to a native Thai, my entree was right by me. This special menu featured dishes such as "Jungle curry beef," or tuna and minced fish balls with vermicelli noodles in a spicy sauce (don't remember the exact name). Of course I had to get the tuna noodles because I had never encountered anything like that before, and I fell in love with my dish. It was a tad too fishy for sir, but I barely noticed the fishiness. (The fishiness shouldn't be an issue if you're also a fan of Bangkok Golden.) From the presentation to the seasoning, this dish was heaven on a plate for me. And it was definitely Thai hot! I was fanning my tongue for sure. As mentioned earlier, this special isn't for you if you're not a fan of fish, but it should not be missed if you are. There are a few things that impress me about Elephant Jumps. For one, the service is fantastic. The servers are friendly and attentive and helpful, too. Secondly, I love the presentation of the food. Honestly, Elephant Jump's presentation is what I would expect from a fine dining establishment. Take my tuna noodles, for example. The tuna in a piquant curry sauce was contained in what looked like a wide-mouthed wine glass, sitting on a crisp white plate next to little platters of garnishes (bean sprouts, picked veggies, and scallions). And these weren't just any plain jane platters. Instead, they used fish-shaped mini saucers and other quaint tableware. A++ for gorgeously plated food. Another winning point is that Elephant Jumps is impeccable and the elephant theme is consistent. I recently reviewed another restaurant that was less concerned with consistency (see Yves Bistro). Despite being a casual dining experience, Elephant Jumps is elegant in an understated way, and it's obvious that the proprietors do pay attention to details. And of course, the food is phenomenal (to me). I think the flavors are on-point and carry the essence of what you would expect from Thai food (an appeal to all five tastes). Maybe it's not exactly like grandma's, but Elephant Jumps makes my tummy and wallet happy.
(5)
Jeff K.
I'm from out of town, and I visited Elephant Jumps on a Thursday at 4:45,so there was no one else in the restaurant and the service was quick. I started with the Thai Beef Jerky, and I have to say, it was pretty darn tasty.. Even the sauce was excellent. Then I ordered off the "special" menu - the Gang Hung Lay (curry pork w sticky rice). The flavor was excellent, and the pork consistency reminded me of short ribs that has been simmering all day. The sticky rice was a nice bonus. I would definitely recommend coming here if you like authentic Thai food!
(4)
Pragna H.
Pretty standard Thai fare with your usual curries and stir fries. Although these are delish, it's worth venturing out into their authentic Thai menu. Among entrees, I have only sampled the green curry (usually not a fan but this was is pretty good with chock full of veggies, multi-layered flavorful coconut milk based sauce and as spicy as you want it), the drunken noodles (pretty standard, so probably won't get again) and the Ka Na Neua (chinese broccoli, marinated beef, ginger, oyster sauce). The latter is one of the best dishes I have had in a Thai restaurant ever. There is a good balance of meat to veggies to sauce. The sauce definitely has a smokiness to it, but it's not a thick sauce like the curries. It's more of a brothy consistency with a good bit of ginger to it with the bite cooked off. I have also had the Thai seafood soup with basil and it is yum yum yum. It's a brothy soup and not a thick one with a good kaffir lime, lemongrass and basil flavor. There is a generous amount of seafood in the soup with one giant mussel on the half shell. I have heard generally good reviews for the other stuff this restaurant sells. The lunch boxes are definitely a good deal if that's what you are into. The dinner portions (if you are getting from the authentic menu) could be a bit on the smaller side of a really hungry person, so plan accordingly. Solid place in Yorktown plaza. Probably the best Thai place in a few mile radius.
(4)
David H.
Very fast and friendly service along with a tasty and filling lunch. The beef drunken noodle lunch has some heat and lots of flavor without being too spicy. Drunken noodles are wide flat rice noodles in a chili, onion, basil flavored sauce. It comes with a couple of shrimp flat bread pieces and soup but I subbed in salad with ginger dressing. I wasn't a big fan of the shrimp bread but the salad was enjoyable. This is a FILLING lunch, especially if you do like I did and try the Thai iced tea which is almost like a sweet dessert. It goes well with your lunch and kills the spice some if you ordered something that's too hot to handle. This is one of the better lunches in the area for the price. I'll be back here.
(4)
James G.
On our first day in the DC area our friends took me to dinner at this place in an unassuming strip mall in the Virginia suburbs. The dishes on offer are not your typical Thai restaurant fare, instead they have a very enticing selection of seemingly authentic dishes, including a changing array of specials that are listed on a blackboard (though rather unhelpfully they are listed only with their Thai names, which are completely unfamiliar to most diners, I suspect, so you have to have them explained to you by the waitresses, some of whose English can be a bit hard to comprehend). But the food when it comes is fantastic--very well presented and delicious, with a good amount of spice (though I could have stood for it to be spicier). And if you're at all familiar with the ethnic dining scene in DC, then you'll be impressed to know that Tyler Cowen is a fan, and was even dining at the next table the night I was there!
(4)
Dana Z.
I was recommended to come here from a co-worker. He totally talked up the spicy chicken salad. I ordered it Thai hot, which delivered on the heat. Loved that aspect. But overall was disappointed. Same with the drunken noodles. There wasn't very much beef. Even though I live within walking distance, I probably won't be back. They don't hold a candle to Bangkok 54 in Arlington.
(3)
Sanjay V.
I have always liked this restaurant but they have been really slacking recently. The other day they took 55 minutes to get a to go order ready(for one person) and made me wait for 25 mins on that at the restaurant. Today, they messed it up again and did not give the lunch portion that I requested for and gave me just the green curry, No rice on the side either like they usually do. They better get their game up.
(1)
Charry L.
Their pad thai and green curry are the bomb! Their pad thai is so delicious. Panang curry comes with variety of vegetables. Comparative to other THai restaurants, their serving sizes are just enough for one person (less than other restaurants). But they taste great - delicious. Server was kind too. The location is tucked in the corner so not many people seem to visit; but I would recommend this restaurant.
(4)
Gabe S.
This place has a great, whimsical name and I really wanted to love the place, but the food is just so-so. There are definitely better thai restaurants in the dc metro area. One of the things I expect from thai food is a very flavor-forward taste and this was really muted. Will probably not return.
(3)
C P.
I love this restaurant. They deliver to my house and prepare some of the tastiest Thai in Fairfax county. I am partial to the Panang Curry, Drunken Noodle, and Thai Basil Fried Rice, though I've never had anything bad. Did I mention that they bring delicious food directly to my house? The soups are also excellent. The sticky rice is tops. My only criticism would be the spice level. I love spicy food. Being a Louisiana native, I grew up eating spicy food. Elephant Jumps offers 4 levels of spice. Mild, Medium, Hot, and Thai Hot. I am a big fan of the Medium or Hot here, but my wife can't handle either. So she orders everything Mild. Sometimes it's perfect, sometimes it completely lacks spice at all. So really, I think everything should be shifted slightly down, so that Mild is without serious spice, but Medium has just a small amount of kick. Also, in response to a previous reviewer who said Thai Hot wasn't hot enough, the owner should just make Thai Hot burn your asshole hot, and not accept any send backs. Anyone who orders the hottest spice level in a Thai restaurant should regret it for days to come.
(5)
Kathy M.
Back to Elephant Jumps for lunch, brought a friend to help me give this little gem another shot. All is well!! The food was hot off the grill and both our dishes were very good. My drunken noodles were nicely spicy and the shrimp pad thai very tasty too. The service was outstanding!! The owner of this business is very interested in providing a high quality eating experience. He really listens to his customers. Go eat awesome Thai food at Elephant Jumps!!
(4)
Raul G.
Excellent food. Their coconut chicken soup and pineapple fried rice is outstanding. They deliver within 3miles and are quite quick about it usually. Nice place with pretty cool ambiance. Highly recommend. Pros: perfect for delivery or pick up when they are busy. Price appropriate. Cons: they don't answer phone calls when it's busy $20 min for delivery.
(5)
Alex S.
I went with several coworkers for lunch, one of whom had recommended the place. The restaurant is tucked away in a corner of Yorktown Square (?) shopping center at the intersection of Gallows and Rt 50, right between the optometrist and an AT&T store. My coworker said the place had not been open very long - my guess is only a few weeks. We all ordered something different. I went with the pad thai shrimp lunch special, which included a small salad and shrimp flatbread for around $8. I'm accustomed to seeing pad thai served with everything more or less layered on top of the noodles. But here everything was tossed together, leaving me to wonder if there were really any mung bean sprouts or egg in it. Thankfully, there was. It was reasonably good - not the best I ever had but clearly not screwed up. (I get pad thai whenever I go to a new thai place, figuring if they can't get that right, there's no hope.) The salad was a few bites of iceberg lettuce topped with corn, beans, cucumber and a peanut dressing. It wasn't much, but the side salads seldom are. The shrimp flatbread was surprisingly good. The bread itself might not be anything special (reminded me of naan) but it was topped with a shrimp mash (not a paste or whole shrimp, but something in between) and appeared to have been baked or broiled. In a word ... nomnomnom! I'd make a trip out there just to have it again. It's a little greasy to make a meal out of it, but it's yummy. The menu isn't up on their site yet, but they had some of the usual thai fare along with a few "east meets west" entrees, including a basil burger and drunken spaghetti. They're too new to warrant 5 stars, but definitely worth a look.
(4)
Hannah B.
a) It's tiny, so you don't really need a reservation b) the staff is very nice c) the food was good. we had the usual pad thai, drunken noodles and spring rolls d) be careful getting in here from 50/495 the loops are confusing
(4)
Susan S.
We tried this restaurant for the first time tonight and we can't wait to go back. First, the menu is extensive and creative. I've never been to a Thai restaurant that served American food that actually tempted me, but a "croissant basil beef sandwich" sounds like something I have to try, though I'm going to explore the curries first. Tonight, I went with my husband and a friend. We started with the Thai Fresh Roll, which was delicious and very light, and the Roti Green Curry Chicken, which was a little spicy for my husband, though my friend and I loved it. The spice on the Pad Thai was a little higher than I like it. Their "medium" is still a little spicy, but the overall quality of the pad thai was excellent. My husband had fried tofu in brown sauce. He noted that the brown sauce was really nicely done and managed to be flavorful without being too heavy The service was quick and attentive and we got three entrees and two appetizers for less than fifty bucks. Wild horses couldn't keep us from coming back.
(5)
T V.
Okay, let me start off by saying that I have read almost all of the reviews and I'm not sure how the rankings are so high. My wife and I recently moved to Fall Church and I was excited to hear that we had a Thai place this close with reviews this good. We ordered delivery and I was very underwhelmed. I wrote the place off, but then while out with friends of ours they mentioned having great Thai food near our home. I was astonished when they said it was Elephant Jumps. We decided that it may have been the "take out" factor. My wife and I checked it out in person. Even more disappointed now. This IS NOT good Thai food people!!! I am Thai and have gone out of my way to try just about every Thai place in DC, MD and NOVA. This was such a disappointment that I will never give them another try. We tried 3 dishes including the Pad Thai. I would say that it almost doesn't even qualify as Thai food. In contrast Thai Noy, in Arlington has some of the best Pad Thai I have ever tasted. If you really want to treat yourself to AMAZING Thai and you find yourself out in Burke VA, Panisa Thai Dining is probably the best place in NOVA. I would say Thai Noy is a close 2nd. If in DC, Teakwood. In MD, Thai Gour. If you like a bad interpretation of Authentic Thai Food, enjoy Elephant Jumps...I will not be seeing you there.
(1)
Kelly H.
Not impressed. We've ordered from them about 5 times, and each time our experience is worse. The portions are tiny, and the food tastes Americanized and always like it's missing something. Recently they've discontinued selling green curry dishes, and this was really the only good thing they had going. We give up, and will not be going here again.
(1)
Christina B.
I was thrilled to finally have a good excuse to visit to our new neighborhood Thai restaurant. We sooo desperately needed good Thai food here in Annandale/Merrifield. We happened to be in Yorktown center picking up meds for my daughter and decided to go with the kids to try Elephant Jumps. The inside of the restaurant is very clean, comfortable and the service was great. They had highchairs available to us and super nice to the kids. We had Pad Thai Chicken and Thai Beef and Basil (Krapow) and they were both outstanding. I ordered a tom kha gai (coconut chicken spicy soup) and it was exquisite. I only wish I had the option for a bigger bowl, I could have eaten 2 soups. The other thing I liked is having a small spicy tray on the table already. Whoever is doing the cooking really knows his Thai dishes. Looking forward to trying the rest of the menu. The bonus is that they are now delivering and you can see the menu online . I gave them 4 stars because I have only tasted 3 things of the menu.
(4)
Lisa R.
Had the druken noodles (aka Pad Kee Mao) It was good, but didn't really show the balance between sweet and salty I look for in this dish. It lacks depth, but it was Thai hot, and still worth trying. I'll probably come back next time I'm craving Thai in the area, and try a curry dish. I will say that Pavarotti playing in the background was odd, but pleasant.
(3)
Christina N.
I've been to several Thai restaurants and think Elephant Jumps is the best in terms of budget dining. Its dishes are cooked differently than other Thai restaurants so it's not as generic which I find to be really important - I mean, their entire East-Meets-West menu evidences that! The portion size for their dishes might be on the smaller size but doesn't lack any flavor whatsoever. Their noodle dishes, on the other hand, are way more than enough to get your filling. My favorite to eat would be the Stir Fry Noodles in Brown Sauce (Lad nah) and also the Pad See Ew. Chicken Taro Nest is my favorite outside of the noodle realm. The staff are incredibly nice despite it getting a lil' crazy on some nights, but that's to be expected of a smaller establishment. The owner is very sweet and courteous especially when the food might be too spicy for some customers ;)
(5)
Todd Y.
Great food. Service is variable. There's a shave-headed guy who actually didn't give appropriate service, but the food is still great. Highly recommend.
(5)
Livia M.
Amazing food. Can make it as spicy as you want. Everything sounded awesome. Thai basil was great. Pineapple fried rice was amazing (got it extra spicy). The fried watercress was strange yet delicious!
Oh My Yum! We will be driving here from Ashburn OFTEN! What a gem of a restaurant tucked away in the Plaza. Tiny stuffed pastry shells and spring roll appetizers, a beef dish, fried Tilapia, scallops to-die-for, scrumptious pad thia shrimp, and then of course Mango and Sticky Rice for dessert. What a foodies delight! We wish for many to enjoy the delights of the Elephant Jumps.
This place has potential. The green curry roti was very good as the appetizer. I ordered the Chicken Satay Burrito and my wife had the Drunken Spaghetti. The Burrito was kind of bland since it only had the chicken and rice inside. The lettuce and corn was on the side. They should have put the veggies inside the burrito to offset the rice. The drucken spaghetti was quite good but it was not as juicy as I would expect. Service was very nice and if we are in the area, we would definitely try it again.
(3)
Bill P.
WOW......read Tom S.'s review and headed straight over. He hasn't inked Thai since Panisa in Burke 2 years ago?.....nice small quaint place with Tom owner up front and one server on a brisk Saturday afternoon. TWELVE salads on menu is #1 amongst Thais I know of and 17 apps.....only trails Thai Tanium's 18. Seven desserts on menu also impressive. :) East meets West section of menu looks great and different from 99% of all Thais....Rice in DC does have something similiar to the SPAGHETTI GREEN CURRY CHICKEN $9.95 stir fried spaghetti, green curry, eggplant, mushroom, chicken that I ordered but Elephant's was a large serving and very tasty. I think the spaghetti was wheat based. I will def. be going back to try the sandwiches with croissants and the burritos......what the ?????? Good start and nice bump from Post.....my OTHER Thai friends and owners are LIKE WT ????? How lucky is that? It is skill my friends Tom the owner got the BUZZ going quickly......
(5)
nicole h.
I've been going to Elephant Jumps fairly often since it opened since it's just down the street from me and there's a big dearth of good takeout options for there being so many restaurant options. Also dined in and occasionally done delivery, always been fine on all those fronts. Favorites of mine include the chicken cashew with taro nest (never had taro before and it's potatoey, also awesome) and the fried tilapia with ginger sauce. Ordered both a number of times and it's always been consistent. I've jumped around on the apps and enjoyed the snow white soup, papaya salad and elephant jumps salad. I ordered the fresh rolls once and they sliced them up into many small slices... but the knife was obviously dull so the unfried wrapped stuck together and the whole thing fell apart. Aside from the mess, the flavor wasn't really interesting, so I've never been tempted to order them again. Several friends have ordered the green curry and loved it. The only dud I've ever had was their Chicken Pad Thai. Ordered it for takeout and opened it 20 minutes later. The noodles look like they were sauteed in burnt oil and the whole thing was one gelatinous blob. I needed a knife to cut into it and there wasn't a lot of chicken. Cafe Asia definitely has them in this regard. Overall it's a great mom and pop shop, which I love, and everyone there seems dedicated to doing a good job with their customers. Noise level is reasonably, the place is clean and tastefully decorated. Parking is usually not a problem either.
(4)
john d.
This Authentic Thai Restaurant can really brighten your senses. I feel relaxed when I'm there, even if its packed. I had the Spicy Coconut Chicken Soup for the first time today. The soup is so rich in vibrant flavors: Thai herb for spiciness ( I prefer Thai Hot), Rich coconut milk, galanga that taste so good you can chew on the marinated root after wards, and melt in your mouth chicken. I am glad I do not have to travel all the way to Thailand to eat good Thai when I can just elephant jump my way over to Elephant Jumps and eat some unforgettable Thai.
(5)
Corina M.
Look, I'm just saying - if it's Saturday afternoon and you're looking for me, I'll probably be at Elephant Jumps, basking in the joy of lunch and jasmine tea. I'm never in Falls Church, but we drove by on the way home from a regular Sat afternoon appt, and stopped in because I've been pining for green curry. The name caught our eye; we were greeted by the owner and discussed spices and such, ordered some curries, soup, sticky rice for dessert, and kicked back into the mellow vibe. Love the snow white soup, the perfect soup for a gray winter day, warm and light and delicate, slightly sweet and savory; my partner thought it a bit bland, but raved about the ginger tea - made with actual ginger slices, he is inspired and thoroughly now enamoured of all things ginger. S got the lunch box special, including some egg rolls and a salad that must have been wonderful, as I didn't get a chance to sneak a bite before they had disappeared. Both the red curry (his) and green curry (mine) were delicious - I'm persnickety about the texture and consistency of curries, and these were lovely and thick. And perfectly spicey. So, we'll be there again, after next weekend's appt .. and the one after that, and the one after that ...
(5)
DJ T.
Amazing restaurant! I was in the area and felt like eating Thai food for lunch. I got on my mobile Yelp app and chose this place based on the great reviews. It certainly deserves its excellent rating. Elephant jumps is in very new shopping center and the dining room is small and clean. I went with a group and we had drunken noodles, spicy fried rice, and green curry. Everything was absolutely delicious. While those three dishes are very universal across all Thai restaurants, Elephant Jumps really excelled at preparing them w/ a complex depth of flavor I haven't experienced elsewhere. I eat Thai food all the time, and this restaurant really stands out from the pack. I spoke to the owner for a while after our meal. He seemed very passionate about his food and was a genuinely nice guy. I look forward to going again and seeing what else the menu has to offer. Note: I am a big fan of spicy food and definitely can stand up to some heat. We asked for our food to be prepared spicy and were given the choice of getting our food prepared between 1-4 on their spiciness scale. We chose 3 and were sweating and had a hard time w/ our meals despite the fact the food was delicious. I will definitely take it down to a 1 or 2 next time!
(5)
Dan G.
Got takeout as we wanted to try this place for awhile. Portions were large and very good! We got a variety of entrees and apps as we had 3 adults and 1 kid eating. We also got 3 of the 4 spicy levels. Thai hot, their hottest, was hot but still allowed you to taste the food-something not always capable when getting a Thai restaurants hottest spicy level. Definitely would get takeout, delivery, or eat at this restaurant again! Really looking forward to having food from here in the near future!
(4)
Sherrie G.
i dare venture to say this is THE BEST THAI FOOD in va and likely the best deal too. looking forward to a return visit to try all the dishes! thumbs up: - crazy long menu selection - clean and well lit - friendly service - excellent food for great value (most items under $10)
(4)
Dane C.
Well this was the 3rd time I tried the food here. (See my other review for the first time). The 2nd time I ordered the chicken panang. I asked for American hot and it was too spicy for me to eat. The 3rd time tonight I ordered the shrimp panang again...this time med hot. The flavors were almost there & it was the perfect heat however the dish very much lacked. There were no veggies, no herbs, nothing that would add texture to the dish. It was just broth (which was more watery than other panangs I've tried) & shrimp. The shrimp hinted of a little fishy aftertaste. If I were to drive a little further to Thai by Thai in Fairfax I would've save $2 for same dish that would've gotten me bigger shrimps, veggies, thicker broth & toast to sop up the leftover broth. This will be my last order here.
(1)
Christine G.
Good Thai food. The drunken noodle and Thai basil chicken were delicious. Peanut sauce dishes were not as good as the others. Ordered takeout, and the restaurant is set up odd as you have to walk through all the tables to get to the register. The restaurant was packed, and everything on the people's plates looked amazing. Wish the portions were a little larger.
(4)
Rhonda B.
Great meal! Good service! Especially liked the drunken noodles, eggplant, and elephant jumps salad! The dumpllings were also good. Easy to order to many fried dishes, but they were mostly good. The fried watercress just tasted like deep fried anything. Disappointed that they didn't have mango sticky rice. but appreciated that they told us that they didn't use the mangoes because they weren't good. We'll definately go back!
(4)
Be Z.
It's OK, but expensive for just ok food. It's very inconsistent, sometimes it's good and other times, it's greasy and very mediocre. Their food is exceedingly spicy hot. If you don't like really really hot, make sure you tell them mild (even the med. will have you sweatin).
(2)
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Address :8110 Arlington Blvd,Ste A
Falls Church, VA, 22042
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Hunter A.
Best Thai food in DC-area. Sour Bamboo Curry was absolutely delicious. Pad Thai was solid as well.
(5)Justin B.
Wow! Tried the Gang Hung Lay and it blew my mind! Absolutely delicious blend of slow cooked pork in a ginger tamarind reduction. I've ordered lunch here a few times and had amazing food and the dinner tonight was beyond my expectations.
(5)Em S.
Been here more frequently lately and the service has gotten much better. Since that was the only thing holding them back from being an exceptional establishment, I've now upgraded my rating to five stars. This is a great eatery. A close family friend is Thai and owns a Thai restaurant in another state. We brought him here and he said that the food is excellent and of high caliber. It was a ringing endorsement.
(5)Uno Tres Z.
Amazing Thai restaurant! Delicious and authentic- I'm a fan - try the grilled pork appetizer along with the fried watercress.
(4)Lata A.
I love this place - definitely our go to for Thai. Their Thai basil fried rice is definitely worth a try (fair warning - they do not hold back on their spices!). Their traditional Thai menu is great as well - if you are feeling adventurous. I would definitely recommend it.
(4)Melissa F.
This is my favorite place to order take-out from in the Dunn Loring/Merrifield area. At first I was disappointed because I had ordered the pad thai. But since then I've learned their best dishes feature their green curry. The green curry tofu is yummy! I also like their Thai iced tea. Friendly staff. Their delivery is always super speedy.
(4)Suzy D.
3.5 stars plus an extra half solely for creativity. The creativity: besides the name, which left me counting elephants instead of sheep that night, there's an entire, albeit small, section of fusion dishes on the menu. I had the peanut chicken croissant sandwich which came with salad and cold peanut sauce as the salad dressing. Other options included typical Thai noodle dishes with spaghetti substituted for the usual noodles and some Thai-ish burritos. Paula and the vegetarian had more traditional dishes: beef and broccoli and drunken noodles with fried tofu, respectively. Paula almost licked her plate, though I think it was more because she was famished and it wasn't a very big portion. The vegetarian's noodles were a little off in my opinion. They were definitely prepared well, so I summed up the abnormal taste to the fact that it didn't have meat in it. Elephant Jumps is located in a strip mall, and at dinner time it seemed like there were a lot more take out orders than diners in the restaurant. It's hard to find your way into the right driveway without getting back on the freeway, and GPS wasn't incredibly helpful, so after you do your loop back on, turn around, come back, and actually find it, you'll have a pretty good dinner...especially if you live a little outside the box and get one of the "east meets west" dishes.
(4)Starr C.
I was here months ago and forgot to write my review, whoops! We had a large party, so we made a reservation. I didn't quite understand why until we reached the restaurant and I saw that it was pretty teeny. Our party of 8 took over most of the restaurant. We all ordered Thai milk teas and several dishes to share family style. AMBIENCE-- The restaurant was pretty cozy and had fun elephant-themed items. FOOD-- Thai milk teas were delicious. It was my first time having Thai tea, and I am glad that I succumbed to the peer pressure of everyone else ordering a glass. We ordered our food to share family style, so everything was a bit of a blur, but I'll do my best! We had a papaya salad? that had a bit of kick that went nicely with the overall fresh taste. Very very yummy. I definitely remember Golden Triangle, which was fried tofu triangles served with sweet & sour sauce. Pretty tasty, but nothing really special. Most memorable to me was the chicken satay burrito. I have never had Thai fusion food before, so getting this was really fun for me. All in all, I had a great time here. The food was delicious and I only wish that the portions were bigger so that sharing family-style allowed me to have MORE IN MY MOUF.
(4)Minh T.
Very limited seating. Could maybe fit two-three elephants in there. Four at most. But then they would be bumping into each other all the time and it would be hard to eat. Food was decent - got the crab fried rice. Good amount of crab meat but I found it lacking in flavor. Kept having to add fish sauce and at one point considered pouring the whole thing in. But they do give a generous amount of food. Not sure about the price, because I brought my sugar momma and she paid.
(3)Jo K.
I really want to give 3.5 stars. I read Tyler Cowen's review. Had a friend who liked it alot. We love Thai food. We tried this place about a month ago. I started with the shrimp papaya salad. It was really good. Full of lime & fish sauce flavors, great heat to it. My husband who is not a huge citrus flavor fan didn't like it. I ordered Hung Lay curry. I liked it. It didn't blow me away. My husband ordered his go-to minced chicken basil (pad kra pao). The assumed owner who's been explaining the menu to us in fine detail says we should have come when they had the real thai basil last week. Authentic thai only should be made with real thai basil, he says. A little strange but OK....still want to order it. Also asked for thai level HOT. The owner says "people usually order thai hot and send it back b/c they can't handle it." OK....still want to order it. It was definitely hot, but not the hottest we've ever had. Best was the dessert: sticky rice & mango. It was beautiful. Rice was perfect. Mango was perfect. This was equal level dessert to Thai X-ing in DC. It was that good. Service was good. I need to go back and try the drunken noodles before rating it higher.
(3)Rebecca R.
The food was yummy and a little different than your typical Thai restaurant. Appetizers were Spicy Papaya salad, which was very spicy and the Yum Pla Dook Foo, which had a nice crunch. The Gang Hung Lay was a delicious main course - slow cooked pork curry!
(4)Tom C.
MY GAWD, ELEPHANTA JUMPS. I came here for a lunch date with a friend and the positioning of the sign relative to the actual location of the restaurant is slightly misleading. Walk 25 feet down and BOOM you're there. I really liked the food and the set-up inside so this place is going on my casual date list. Crispy Flatbread Shrimp 4/5 Pad Sew Ew Moo Mug 5/5
(4)Christopher S.
There are a lot of Thai restaurants in the DMV area, especially NoVA... When I am not making my way out to try a new Thai restaurant, Elephant Jumps is usually my go-to, fallback choice. Mainly, I order from them because it seems that they use a little more aromatic components than other restaurants; there is also a hint of citrus to contrast the brown sauces and Thai chilli pastes which is nice...it definitely makes a play on Western taste buds. I would like to mention again: when I am not searching for the most memorable, fecund flavors of Thai cuisine, I am A-OK with just ordering take-out or delivery from EJTR. Unfortunately, I have never had a chance to dine-in since I think the dine-in area is way too small.
(3)Albin H.
I Should of listened to the lower rating comments, but I choose to ignore them like many of you will. I read the Pad Thai would be lack luster and dry; however i didn't think they would taste burned. They were dry, tasted burned with not enough pad thai sauce. The funny thing is they charge around 10.00$ for a burned pad Thai. Lower your price elephant jumps you have nothing but your unique facade to convince people that your food is any good.
(2)Piya V.
Definitely a go place especially for the lunch special. If we are in the area and want Thai food we'll stop by again. I like every dishes we had here. -drunken noodle -basil fried rice -yum pla dook foo ( fried catfish) When you ask for spicy it is Thai spicy
(3)Sasha R.
really is a 3 1/2 star. I think that this is the sort of place where you have a good experience if you order the right thing, but it's so easy to be led astray by the 'decoy' dishes that appear to be meant to appeal to the crazy masses ('croissant thai sandwich'?? begone!). the sun-dried/fermented beef appetizer is delicious. as is the papaya spicy salad (do NOT get the fried version). and any of the deep-fried entrees are tasty, just make sure to order the sauce on the side or the light fluffy batter will be lost in a soggy mess. on the ++ side, service is attentive and sweet, parking is plentiful (strip mall), and the bathroom is clean.
(3)Andrew R.
Best Thai food I've had in Northern Virginia. Found this place on Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Food Blog, and he was totally right. They have the Thai food you normally get in restaurants, but it pays to be a little adventurous. My favorite dish was the Hung Lay Curry -- unbelievably soft pork cooked in a sweet, rich brown curry. Everything else we had was wonderful too, from appetizers to dessert, even the rice. Beautiful presentation, also. It was quiet when I came, but the service was impeccable too. Attentive, not overbearing. But they were also proud of their food, and when it became clear that we wanted to experience their menu, they guided us through an amazing (and affordable) three-course dinner. It may not be Thai X-ing, but it's pretty f-ing great.
(5)Carrie M.
First time here and loved it. Ordered the fried watercress salad to start. So delicious. I had panang curry, figuring if this isn't good we cant come back. Also amazingly delicious. The bf got Thai basil stir fry with beer, he loved it. I can't wait to come back.
(5)Anthony L.
Not worth it. With so many Thai options in the area, please explore. The girlfriend and I ordered delivery from here one night. The lady who picked up asked us to hold, which is fine. What's not fine is that she proceeded to hang up on us. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have called back. We did anyways, and got a different lady who barely spoke English and had no business answering the phone. What followed was of string of "hello?" before the initial lady grabbed the phone back after realizing what she had done. Delivery was timely, if I remember correctly. Portion sizes were terribly small and not worth the prices at all. Both the Drunken noodles and basil fried rice were overly greasy. This place is less than five minutes from our home, but we will never try them again. Disappointing. What I've learned from Yelp is that every Thai place has at least 3.5-4 stars. I don't know what it is... maybe bad Thai food is still good Thai food to Yelpers? "Has exotic spices... 4 stars!"
(1)Mischita H.
I never knew that this place was here - I discovered in a yelp search yesterday so I decided to order take out. I tried the thai spring rolls, fried shrimp and thai spicy shrimp soup -- all were pretty good. The fried shrimp were not too greasy but I would have preferred meatier shrimp in the soup (at first glance I thought they had given me thai spicy mushroom soup!). The inside is very small (unless there is an upstairs that I missed...) -- good for those dinning solo or small groups. Service was quick and the cashier was soft spoken and very nice.
(3)Jeff H.
I'm typically not to exotic when I order Thai food. I took a chance and ordered Lad Na Moo Mug. . It was the most delicious dish is I'd ever had.
(5)E M.
My favorite thai place! I always get pad thai, drunken noodle, green curry, or pineapple fried rice. May be small, but the food is amazing. Service is GREAT, and I even love their interior design.
(5)Tj K.
Like another reviewer said that this is solid 4-4.5, all things considered, Elephant Jumps is a great Thai place to go for lunch or dinner. The menu offers authentic Thai dishes, including popular items one would expect at a Thai restaurant. What I love about this place is actually not on the menu, despite my liking to their drunken noodles. The service is great, fast, and casual. It is a small restaurant, cozy and tucked away, but efficient which is what I have come to appreciate more and more these days. While for the very discriminating, ambiance may not be up to their snuff - this has come to be one of my favorite take out places!
(4)Matt T.
We ordered take-out. Food was ready in 15 minutes. We had the Drunken Spaghetti Chicken, Crispy Scallops, and the papaya salad. All of it was really good. We will definitely be back. Highly recommended if you want some good Thai.
(4)Jerry J.
This is by far one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been to. I haven't ordered a single meal and not wanted more!!! The owner is a sweet heart I absolutely adore him!! The staff are very accommodating, fun, and humble! I would recommend this place to anybody and EVERYBODY!!! Seriously go NOW!!!
(5)Colin C.
I heard a lot of great things about the place but found it to be just so-so. The biggest problem was my vegetarian curry. I'm not a vegetarian but often order it at thai restaurants so you dont end up with a pile of dry chicken in curry, noodles, or rice with no veggies. Order the vegetarian and you will have well cooked tofu and a bunch of vegetables for a real meal. Problem was that here they must not know how to cook it because the curry came out extremely watery. I rarely send things back but this was inedible. Came back again the same way and they said it is just how they make it. Ummm, then you make it wrong.... Some of the other dishes I tried were ok, nothing spectacular, and the service and ambiance were mediocre at best.
(2)Gabriel N.
I love spicy food, so whenever I see a Thai place I'm compelled to try it. I hit this little restaurant (it is tiny) for lunch before the weekday rush came in. They seated us quickly and were very attentive during the entire meal. Drunken Noodles (aka Pad Kee Mao) is my go-to dish whenever trying a new Thai place. Elephant Jumps had a nice lunch menu that included Drunken Noodles in a sort of "set" with a soup and shrimp toast. The heat levels are one through four starting at mild and ending at Thai Hot. After asking if they used fresh peppers (they do) I decided on Hot (level 3). What I instantly loved was that they don't mess around when it comes to spice. The heat was immediate and flavorful. The noodles were a little greasier than I'd like and I skipped the soup entirely, but I really enjoyed the meal overall. I will definitely return to try the other items on their lunch menu.
(4)Trisha H.
Checked this place out without even knowing it existed, but was very happy with the experience. The staff was very friendly, the atmosphere was lovely for an intimate dinner, and the food was delicious. Thai beef jerky was amazing, especially with the spicy chili sauce. We also had the panang shrimp which was very enjoyable as well as another curry dish. The thai fresh rolls were also very yummy. I would definitely go back here.
(4)Sherry L.
You'll experience a longer than usual wait for your food, but it's well worth it. The dishes are well prepared and thoughtfully presented. Try the seafood salad or the Elephant Jumps salad. Both are pretty good. Per usual, I ordered the pad thai, and I definitely thought it was better than most of the other places I've tried in DC. Don't order take-out though...they package the foods way too hot off the stove and my styrofoam containers were half melted through the bottom. CARCINOGENS!!! X__X
(4)Andrew C.
Stopped for lunch; waitress was incredulous when I asked for Thai Hot curry... And brought out flavorless, mild curry. I got tepid water with no ice, waitress rolled her eves when I asked for chopsticks and never brought them. I waited most of my meal to get attention of waitress to ask for more chilies. She brought them after a long wait. Not impressed.
(1)Lisa A.
The food here is fantastic! Still dreaming about the sour bamboo curry and mango sticky rice. Service is really great. Not the best ambiance (in a strip mall, outdoor seating is right by parking lot), but the food is so good it almost doesn't matter.
(4)Omar S.
I've been coming to Elephant Jumps since they opened. I've never had "real Thai" food myself, so I can't comment on the authenticity, but I do know that they take their spice levels very seriously. It's great to know that I can go to a place, and get spicy food- most other Thai restaurants in the area tell you they'll make it hot, but don't really add enough (or anything) to do it. Anyway, I've bounced around between the curries, fried rices, and more recently the Herb Aroma Chicken dishes. I've always felt that they've provided excellent food if you dine-in. I talked to the owner recently, and he explained how they were working on making their carry-out a better experience- they're well aware that it can be oily at times, and somewhat messy. It sounds like they're pretty close to sorting that out though, which is great. I saw some comments about the servers below, and I'd like to mention that I've never had any issues getting service. I usually roll in pretty late (after 8:30), so that could be part of it, since I'm basically the only one there. But from my experience, they've always been very nice, and fun to chat with.
(5)Lisa H.
Excellent lunch meal for $10. Although the one pepper was EXTREMELY spicy, it was delicious. And my mouth and sinuses calmed down within minutes of finishing eating. Enjoyed a nice get-together with 2 friends. Since it wasn't packed, we stayed 2 hours. Attentive service throughout. Since the lunch menu was available we ordered off of that but the regular menu was extensive. I had drunken noodles with beef and the portion was very adequate. I will definitely go back.
(4)Amanda B.
Great place! Easy to miss in your typical suburban strip mall. We went with a small group and tried to order things we wouldn't normally have, and I'm glad we did. While I love a some good pad thai and pineapple fried rice, we had a delicious pork curry, super delicious curried sour bamboo shoots, the watercress, and pad sew ew moo mug. All of the food was awesome, but the highlight for me was the "Siam Street Ice Cream"-- it was ice cream over sticky rice with cashews, red kidney beans, and yellow corn-- an odd combination that works incredibly well! We went on a Friday night at around 7, and had to wait an hour or so for a seat, so we waited at the sports bar around the corner. Worth the trip to the 'burbs!
(4)AJ A.
Lived in Singapore and Thailand for a number of years. Very good Thai food at Elephant Jumps. Highly accommodating to your preferred spice level including "Thai Hot". Papaya salad is a gem as is the Thai Basil Chicken with extra chicken. Off the beaten path a bit and not glamorous but excellent value for good food and service. Highly recommend.
(4)Valencia W.
I love Thai Food. I must have Thai Food at least once per week so you could probably say that most of my funds are allocated to Shoes, Clothes, Travel -- and yes Thai is in that group. I recently moved to the area and was in desperate need to find a decent or even great Thai food spot that I could go to. I looked on Yelp and fellow Yelpers lead me to Elephant Jumps but I found it weird how plenty were not happy about their dine in service so I avoided that and got take away. I called in, they took my order and I was on my way. The restaurant is tucked in a small shopping center and even I have to check again to make sure i am not walking past it. I had the Pad See Ew and it was really good. I'm used to amazing Thai Food (see Thai Cuisine by PK) so the family atmosphere and more importantly good cooking is a big deal to me. I waited to write this review until I had tried this place 4 times ordering Pad See Ew and Spring rolls. The spring rolls suck but the main dish was really good. I would much rather prefer the appetizer to suck than the main dish to suck so that was good for me. Each time I went for lunch it was packed which is a GREAT sign. I love seeing packed places. I have now added their menu to my refrigerator and glad I was able to enjoy some Thai food. 3.5 Stars for now but bumped them up to 4 because I'm in a good mood. Don't worry if something doesn't work out I WILL readjust this rating appropriately but so far, it's been good experiences.
(4)Brenda D.
Ok, what kind of Thai restaurant doesn't have pad-see-ew? Isn't that a regular like Pad Thai? Well, I didn't see it on the menu so I asked if they could make it. They said yes and ended up bringing me drunken noodles. Yes, it's the same kind of noodle, but the whole reason I wanted pad-see-ew was because I don't like spicy food =/ Anyway, the food was just ok.
(2)Andrea M.
This was a great find. It's in a strip mall, and let's be honest, many of the best, most authentic places are. The Elephant Jumps Salad is an amazing starter. It has shredded apple, roasted coconut, shrimp, fresh lime juice and chili. It is a little bundle of goodness. Word to the wise: trust them on spicy. I ordered the Drunken Noodles for my entree. They measure the amount of heat on a scale of 1-4. When told the Drunken Noodles were a 2, I asked for a 3. It was a mistake: I couldn't even get a quarter of a way through it, it was that spicy. And trust me, I love spicy food (Little Serow anyone?) so just trust the waiter when he tells you things are really spicy. Enjoy eating there.
(4)Ron H.
Elephant Jumps is a great name for a Thai restaurant, but unfortunately it fails to live up to the name. It's not that its BAD, it's just very mediocre for the fantastic cuisine that should be Thai food. I've been to this restaurant before and tried some of Chicken (Panang) Curry and found it without the mouth-watering kick from the broth that I'm used to with this dish - very bland by my previous experiences from other Thai restaurants. This time for this review I tried something more simple - I got the Drunken Noodle (wide fried noodle) and my wife sampled the Shrimp Pad Thai. This is like the Kung Pao and Lo Mein of Thai food...you really can't screw it up. The Drunken Noodle was great, but the Pad Thai was dry and lacking true flavor with six medium size shrimp. The location is hard to find as it is tucked in the back corner of Yorktowne Square Shopping Center next to the Pho Cyclo and Jasmine Garden. The dining area is tiny and very open, harsh lighting and just seems very uncozy to me. As I said earlier, it's not awful to eat here, but it's just "meh". I would give it 2 and a half stars if I could, because in my book it barely makes it to three.
(3)AL K.
FORGETTABLE. Came here for a quick lunch had the papaya salad and fresh spring roll. The spring roll was a rip off because there was nothing in it except for a few slices of tofu like 4 julienned pcs and the rest were plain bean sprouts. ugh! it was tasteless and expensive. The papaya salad lacks seasoning and had very few garnishes. Overall, the quality of food is subpar to the rest of the thai places I've dined in. They have a catchy name and nicely themed interior, too bad the food isn't as good.
(2)Bryan C.
Really great Thai food. As others have mentioned, its a mix of northern and southern Thai cuisine. Highly recommended.
(4)Annie K.
I should have stopped myself from going here after taking a look at the menu online, but I had to drop off something next door at UPS so I decided to check it out. I'm half Thai, so I'm very particular about the dishes that I eat. Elephant Jumps caters to an Americanized crowd -- there is NOTHING on the menu with their original Thai name whatsoever! I had to ask the server to make sure I was ordering the right thing. (Apparently "minced spicy chicken" is larb gai and "grilled spicy beef" is num tok) A good thing about this place is that they have lunch specials, which consist of the usual curry, pad thai, basil fried rice, and drunken noodles. I opted for the papaya salad and lunch special #6, which were drunken noodles with snow white soup and crispy shrimp flatbread. The papaya salad was a small portion, and consisted of more tomatoes and an overdose of peanuts more than anything else. It was actually more sweet than spicy... perhaps to cater to the American crowd? I always have to ask for "Thai spicy" whenever they ask about spice levels, but they didn't this time around so I assumed it'd be Thai spicy. The drunken noodles were pretty bland -- they were skimpy on the meat, and I had to ask for crushed red pepper to top on it. The snow white soup (pretty much a mix of broth with tofu and spring onion) and crispy shrimp flatbread were decent. The service here was spotty. They never refilled our waters, we had to ask for straws, and it was slow in general -- although our server was nice when we did encounter her. I don't believe I'll be trying this place again, unless I'm really desperate for Americanized Thai food.
(2)Joshua B.
I absolutely love Elephant Jumps. I live nearby, so I eat there often, and I have never been disappointed. I always order carry-out, so I've never had an in-restaurant experience. That said, the dining room is small, but well appointed and has an open feeling the service is always with a smile, and my order is always ready within 10 minutes. The food is delicious. I typically order a lunch set (served til 4), with comes with a small salad (with beans and corn), a crispy shrimp roll OR a spring roll and the entree. I think the panang curry chicken is delicious, with just enough kick. The pad thai is hands down the best pad thai around. It's made with smaller noodles, and perfectly flavored. Delicious. I rave about this place to all my friends.
(5)Andrew J.
Amazing food. Worth the price; just make sure you speak clearly and try to understand the waiters. It's not hard.
(5)Alan S.
Very greasy. Not my favorite. The pad thai i got was swimming in grease... def the oiliest pad thai I have ever ordered. Not going back..
(2)Chris C.
This is really a 4.5, but I'm rounding up to plug this great local restaurant. It's hard to find authentic Thai food out in the burbs, but Elephant Jumps is about as close as you can come. Venture away from your usual pad thai, and try some of the items on their special menu. The Hung Lay curry is spicy, incredibly tender, and delicious. Other standouts include the Yum Pla Dook Foo and the Pad See Ew Moo Mug. The mango sticky rice is also seriously outstanding. I'm not sure where they get the mango, or whether they do something special for the ripening process (just a paper bag + apple?), but when they say the mango on a particular night is good, it's really good. They recently added their special menu items to the carry-out / delivery menu, for even more convenience, so give them a try!
(5)Lisa N.
**3.5 stars** I've been back twice because it's so close to my house and I've decided the dishes are a hit or miss. My favorites are the flavorful CRISPY SCALLOPS ($14) (crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside) and the FRIED TILAPIA ($14). The lunch specials, at $8.50/each, are a great deal; it comes with the entree, an egg roll and salad. The GREEN CURRY wasn't great... it had too many eggplant/onions/veggies and not enough curry. The FRIED RICE was decent. Beware, this place gets really busy during lunch time, so service is pretty slow... especially on the patio!
(3)John Z.
Look, if you're looking for top-notch cuisine, you simply don't go to the Yorktown Shopping Center. The folks that do come here to eat work in the various office buildings that immediately surround the strip mall. In other words, they can walk there during a lunch hour. In terms of food, this place does a serviceable job, but I've found the portions to be somewhat small. I typically stick with the drunken noodles or panang curry at a Thai restaurant. Their versions we okay, but didn't knock my socks off. Service here is hit or miss. Sometimes I've been in and out in thirty minutes with a colleague. Other times, we've spent over an hour here having lunch and trying to flag down a waitress for refills or the check. If I'm busy and need to walk down to the strip mall for lunch, this place does in a pinch... but if I've got a full hour, I'm driving somewhere else for Thai. Oh, and the seating is pretty minimal, so I don't suggest this place for a party larger than four.
(2)KtMila F.
*Delivery Review* Placing my order over the phone was simple and the woman offered recommendations since I wasn't sure exactly what would be the best choice. I ended up with an extra spicy green chicken curry, Thai fresh rolls *(the website still sais there's sausage in the rolls but it has been changed to crab meat..yay)*, and spicy shrimp soup. My grand total only came out to 20.00! My food was delivered in a timely manor..about 15/20 mins and I was impressed with the flavor. The food was great and arrived hot. Will be ordering again while in town.
(5)Serena G.
Update on my review. Portion size has drastically decreases and food has changed in quality. This is no longer our go-to place
(3)Gay C.
The food was excellent and the plating was artistic and elegantly unpretentious. We ordered the charbroiled pork and fresh rolls for our appetizer which were excellent along with the exotic Thai sauces. The pad Thai noodles were Cooke perfectly. We ordered the curry with red curry sauce served with sticky rice in a beautiful native basket. For dessert we had sticky rice with durian. The service was a bit slow though but at least you are assured the food is freshly prepared and nicely plated. If you are iv Falls church and just want to have a nice dinner, you've got to try this place!
(4)Richard D.
My wife and I went to Elephant Jumps for her birthday after seeing good reviews for the restaurant, but we were terribly disappointed. We ordered the Basil Sea Scallops and Pad Thai. The scallops were deep fried so dark and hard we couldn't barely find the tiny scallops in the burnt batter. When we also found burnt tilapia in the dish, the waitress gladly had the chef remake the meal, but the scallop dish came back the same way. To our surprise, the table next to us got the fried tilapia dish, which was golden brown, flaky and looked great. So what was that in our dish and why was our dish so heavily fried and inedible? Then there was the Pad Thai, which was so mushy the noodles were sticking together. Zero for two. The manager was apologetic and waived our bill, but this meal was so bad we were going to refuse payment anyway. We left a small tip for the waitress and went home to have birthday cake.
(1)Brian G.
After taking forever to find the place we were pleased to sit down and have a nice dinner. My daughter and I started with the crispy shrimp bread which was very good. We both ordered the Pad Thai despite other negative reviews on yelp regarding this meal in particular. Sadly the other reviews were correct. The Pad Thai was absolutely flavorless and the noodles they use are so thin that they just clump up. My 8 year old who loves all kinds of foods, especially Pad Thai, was also disappointed. She even remarked that the fried tofu tasted like nothing (I always say that about tofu anyway) because the food had no real taste. The only reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 2 was that the appetizer and service were both good.
(3)Shereen R.
We came here at that late lunch/early dinner hour; they were set up mostly for dinner, but had a few tables still available for lunch. We were seated and attended to rather quickly. First off, I like that there are lunch specials *every day*, not just M-F. It's a nice touch. The lunch plates come with two sticks of Crispy Flat Bread Shrimp with cucumber sauce + salad. Huge portions, enough for two people or meals. Pad Thai was tasty and the shrimp was light and flavorful, a great addition to the dish. We also ordered the Crispy Tilapia with crispy basil and chili sauce. It was nomtastic and had a nice bite to it. Last was the Eggplant Basil, and I liked that the preparation wasn't oily like at some other places. The waiter/host/owner(?) was really helpful and accommodating. When we asked for a take-out menu, he offered to circle some recommended dishes. Bottom line -- Excellent food at great prices.
(4)Lena E.
I always order drunken noodles at any Thai place, but this place totally kicks butt! I don't think I can order drunken noodles anywhere else. It was tastier, had more beef, and the noodles were just incredible. I was distracted by how amazing all the dishes on other tables looked. And I also wanted to eat my friend's food, some sort of spicy shrimp dish. These were plump juicy shrimp, so I'm sure all shrimp dishes are amazing. At the end of the meal the owner came over and introduced himself. I was very impressed by the attention because the place was completely packed. Anyway, this was a week ago but we are going back tonight. Too many Thai dishes and not enough time!
(5)Sara O.
Elephant jump is one of my favorite restaurant in the merrifield area, the location is very convenience ( located in the same shopping center as CVS and Staples!) The decor is very simple, not overwhelming at all. My all time favorite dish has to be the drunken noodle, it's a must have dish for all the newbies.
(4)Amanda P.
Oh my precious Elephant Jumps! I love this place, some of the best Thai food in the area. I'll admit, I'm not very adventurous when it comes to Thai food. I think I've only ever gotten the pad thai with chicken here, but I haven't wanted to try anything else, because it's THAT GOOD! A lot of other restaurants don't flavor the chicken enough and it comes out really bland, but EJ does it right! All of the appetizers I've tried have been wonderful too, especially the dumplings and spring rolls. This is my go-to delivery place in the area.
(5)Marc L.
This is my new favorite Thai restaurant. Period. (My previous one, which is still excellent, is Nava Thai in Wheaton MD). Great location at Route 50 and Gallows Road in Falls Church, lousy location within the strip shopping center (restaurant is in a corner and can barely be seen from the parking lot). Once you're in, however, it's great. Small place, maybe 20 tables. Great menu selections. Range of spiciness from gringo to Thai, and they will customize to your taste. I usually get a spicy fish dish, and everything I've had (including a visit with my family) was wonderful. Good service, nice wait staff. I found out about this place from Prof. Tyler Cowen's ethnic dining recommendations, and then it was also recommended by Washington Post Tom Sietsema. I see the varied reviews of other Yelpers, and don't know what to make of it. I've eaten here 2-3 times for lunch and 4-5 times for dinner, and it's been consistently excellent. I am a non-meat eater, so I'm eating fish/vegetarian. The dishes I typically get are Thai Spring Roll, Fried Curry Fish Cake, Panang Curry (vegetable/tofu) and my favorite CRISPY TILAPIA WITH CRISPY BASIL SAUTEED.
(5)Chris C.
Elephants Jumps Thai Restaurant is a decent Thai option in the Fairfax area. My friend and I went on Friday night and it was definitely busy. There are about 10 tables so after we finished, there were a few people who had to wait. This place is tucked away in a small shopping center and be tough to find. Overall, I thought the food was on point and pretty affordable given the prices in the area. However, I did have some issues with Service. - We planned to order an appetizer but was told it was discontinued and they are in the process of transitioning to a new menu. In my opinion, it's important to always keep your menu up to date -- you should never have anything on your menu which you cannot serve. - The waitress remembered my entree but forgot my friends dish. Unfortunately, she didn't realize this until after we asked about it and had already finished half of the first entree. It was only a party of 2 and we ordered 2 entrees. We didn't have a big group. This should never have happened. Other than the 2 previous experiences above, everything else about service was good. The food was delicious and I will be back but paying attention more to service next time.
(3)Christiane V.
i started eating here shortly after it opened and was featured in the washington post. now, i eat here more for convenience because they deliver. i have had some excellent meals here and some terrible experiences as well, that being said, it is not very consistent. my favorite dishes are the chicken roti, the shrimp toast, the tom yum soup, and the basil fried rice. lately though, the rice in the basil fried rice has been a little soggy. everything else is kind of mediocre. i wouldn't order the pad thai unless you like plain food and i wouldn't order the eggplant in brown sauce unless you like a lot of oil in your food. my bad experiences? well i ordered for the office once, my bill was $79 but i got charged $790. it was a holiday weekend and it wouldn't clear until 5 days later. traumatized. the manager/owner was nice and gave me a gift card. i also had a rude server once too. they have good lunch specials and it gets very busy. i recommend getting there any time before noon, even 11:59 is good.
(3)Courtney R.
Sauntering up to EJ, I heard a guy blurt out "delicious" as he was leaving. A good sign. True, I'd probably frequent this spot if I lived nearby, but I don't, so I won't. Interesting menu (I had the curry and pancake app, pork larb and mushroom soup). The soup was borderline amazing, the curry chicken app interesting and the larb was, as another reviewer said, painfully hot. I love spicy but this was pretty overdone to the point where one can't enjoy the dish. The level of spice was pretty inconsistent too, as most of the other dishes were bland or even sweet. I tried my friend's pineapple fried rice--def a pass. We also had the elephant jumps salad--kind of like papaya salad but with apples. The service was really friendly.
(3)Brendan H.
This place is great. Yesterday my partner, Lucas Wright, and I went in here for lunch. He ordered the drunken noodle lunch set, I got the Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice. Both came with little cup of soup and some shrimp cake thing (shrimp cake sounds horrid to me but it was actually really good). When placing my order I asked "Can you make that extra spicy please?" and the waitress looked at me like "Hell yeah I can." And guess what, she did. I love spicy stuff, I'm pretty insane about it, and the amount of heat they put in this dish was perfect. It had the perfect balance of spicy-as-hell while maintaining the flavor of the dish. By the end of the meal I had some nice sweat under my eyes (I wasn't crying... I wasn't...SHUT UP!) The waitress was super nice and saw me clearly being impacted by the heat and asked nervously "Is everything okay?" To which I responded "This is so damn perfect. I love this." The amount of rice they gave me was a pretty solid portion. I was definitely far from hungry after eating it. You should definitely check this place out, tell them I sent you and that'll get you an awesome "Who the hell is that?" response.
(5)Curtis M.
Outstandingly attentive service; just tip-top. Nice ambiance; not too big, not too small. Nicely QUIET (for a restaurant). Nicely varied menu. Food available at four levels of "heat" (although next time, I'll ask for a 5th level, "Thai Hot" - the top level - is still not zippy enough for me...but then, it's been years since I got the heat I wanted). A seafood soup: very savory. "Elephant Jumps" signature salad was outstanding; drunken noodles, only so-so and the fried scallops were burnt nuggets of teeth-breaking protein, fried in week-old fat: essentially inedible (we shoulda sent it back). Don't know how this made Washingtonian Magazine's top 50 list. A real find was, the Great Wall grocery 1/4 mile away.
(2)Ninja E.
My office is 5 minute drive from this restaurant so I usually go here for lunch with my coworkers. Mediocre thai food but good lunch combo specials. Because of its location the restaurant can be crowded during lunch hour which will cause the service to be extremely slow.
(3)Yan W.
I expected very little from this place, since i didn't read the yelp reviews beforehand. However, upon arriving, I was impressed by the fresh decor, the great service and hospitality. Went here on a Sunday night with a group of about 10 folks and the kitchen really did a good job of accommodating. We ate family style so I can say the beef appetizer and pad Thai was good. Like in some of my other restaurant reviews, since I like big flavours, I would have preferred a spicier Pad Thai and a stronger coffee, but again, that's just me. Will definitely be back (and I'll ask for more spicy)!
(4)Stephen S.
Never have given any place 5 stars before. This is what a little ethnic neighborhood restaurant should be. The quality, presentation, service, and results never disappoint. You must go, place is usually empty, that will not last long. Do not get it spicy, their Thai spicy is like a blow torch to your lips.
(5)Jared B.
I guess this place was well received by the Post and has had a lot of buzz recently. I don't really understand why. We arrived for a late lunch on a Wednesday. Service was decent. The restaurant is really small -- maybe seating for 30 total? The dining room doesn't get a whole lot of natural light being buried in the shopping center. I ordered the drunken noodles with tofu and wasn't too impressed. I've had more flavorful and less oily noodles elsewhere. This was spicy, but lacked real substance. The menu seems to have a lot more variety for omnivores, even though this is my go-to dish at any Thai restaurant. With at least 10 Thai restaurants within a few miles of this place, I won't be returning.
(2)A B.
I love this place. Delivery and dine in have both been amazing. The slow cooled pork is to die for. Very spicy though. I recommend getting "mild" unless you really want some heat.
(5)Darren E.
This is by far the best Thai food that I have had in Annandale. I love spicy but FEAR Thai hot!!! It's pretty intense.
(5)John D.
If I were to rate this restaurant on food alone, I'd be able to give it 4-5 stars. However, if all that I wanted was great food, I'd simply cook at home and accomplish that. First experience: We ordered delivery. I had to repeat every word three times. It was so annoying, that my girlfriend actually took a video of me ordering because she was laughing hysterically. Glad that I provided some amusement. To make things simple when there are communications barriers, I like to order by the letters/numbers that they assign on the menu. This wasn't working, as the person couldn't seem to find the corresponding items on their menu. Naturally they took down my credit card number wrong and had to call me back to get the correct info. That resulted in our food being cold, as it was already prepared before they realized that they got the wrong number, and didn't send it out for delivery until I called back. To make matters worse, they screwed up the order and gave us the wrong items. Second experience: We stopped by on a Sunday evening. We stood at the entrance for 5-10 minutes while waiting for some acknowledgement from anyone who works there. Turns out, they have one person who is the hostess/server/busser. That's great if it works, but she was clearly overwhelmed. We figured out what we wanted, closed our menus, and waited 10 minutes to be greeted and place our orders. We both ordered the same entree, and when I ordered, the server asked me if I only wanted one entree. Well yeah, why would I order two? Turns out she was talking about total for the table. When our food comes out, they bring out one entree, and I have to place another order and watch the other person eat. The food was great both times, but the service needs work.
(2)Margaret C.
My husband and I dined here for the first time last night. It's a small, but clean outfit in a random strip mall off 50 near Merrifield. What it lacks in ambiance it makes up for in outstanding food and friendly service. We shared the Roti Green Curry Chicken appetizer. For an appetizer, it's really big. Although it claims to be spicy, I found the spice to be pretty mild, but the flavors were big and delicious. It's served with a fried "pancake" (think fried tortilla cut quesadilla style) which was good, but a little greasy for my take. Even though I really enjoyed it, I had to stop eating it for fear it would ruin my appetite for our entrees. We ordered two entrees to split: Pad Thai with chicken and Gang Hun Lay (roasted curry pork) with stick rice. The Pad Thai (always my go-to in a new Thai restaurant) was great. The noodles were a little thinner than other Thai places I've eaten (thinking Dungrats), but the dish was very flavorful with the right amount of sweetness and savory tastes. The pork dish was outstanding. I haven't had many Thai curry dishes, but this was not like Indian or Thai green curry dishes. The sauce was brown and did not have a curry flavor at all. I would definitely go back and highly recommend all our dishes.
(5)Maddy P.
This place rocks. The fried watercress salad and crispy flatbread shrimp are fabulous. The east-meets-west menu is interesting and worth checking out. The restaurant is small but you can make reservations in advance if you're worried about getting a table. Definitely a hidden gem!
(4)Jas M.
This place is grrreeattt. The Thai basil is awesome, make sure you're a fan of spicy food those because the food here really is Thai hot. I'm also a fan of the coconut shrimp curry.Not as spicy as I like but still a good option for those who don't like to have tears coming down their eyes as they digest their nutrition. Crab fried rice is also a good alternative to those who don't fancy hot food. Their tofu doesn't suck which is the case with A LOT of Thai tofu places. Elephant Jumps fries it just right! The Thai iced tea is really good too. Customer service seems ok I've never had any problems, I get take out mostly. The inside is really a cute setting that's inviting and they really pay attention to detail with the decor.
(5)Mike R.
The only thing I didn't like about this place is it's a bit of a trek from where we live. We ate here 2 or 3 months ago and I've been dying to go back. I don't remember specifically what we had, but I remember it was tasty and it was hot...very hot. They do ask you how hot you want it on the spicy dishes, so we got what we asked for.
(4)Jenny J.
Great service, delicious food, quiet atmosphere on a Saturday night. What more could you ask for?
(5)SD H.
I don't understand how this place gets such great reviews!? I ordered carryout from here and was totally disappointed. Panang Chicken was rubbery chunks of pale white chicken floating in a very very watery pinkish orange liquid. There was no flavor, no heat, just watery tasting chicken in weird colored liquid. It was so unappealing - I ended up throwing it away. The Pad Thai was edible, not bad, but the noodles were incredibly thin - didn't feel like authentic pad thai. The fried shrimp roll appetizers were pretty gross. I love shrimp, but these were crazy fishy tasting!! I didn't mind the spring rolls, they were pretty standard, gobbled them up. The place is hard to find, tucked back in a weird shopping center. Took some wandering around to figure out how to get to the place. I wouldn't recommend. With all the amazing Thai places in Falls Church like Vannipa or Dungarats - there's no reason to bother eating crappy Thai food like they serve here.
(2)Janet D.
On a recent getaway trip to the DC area, we came to this restaurant by chance. I am a Thai Food Enthusiast and found it to be one of THE best restaurants for Thai food that I have had. An imaginative and creative menu. Unlike the other Thai restaurants that offer the run of the mill fare, Elephant Jumps had a special menu with soups, appetizers and entrees that are one of a kind. I had an awesome mushroom soap and a slow cooked pork dish with sticky rice that left me wanting for more. The dessert a coconut custard Thai version of flan was scrumptious. Best yet was the kind and attentive server who took the time to explain everything I wanted to know especially the specials. I would highly recommend this wonderful Thai restaurant. Try it!!
(5)Kim H.
Meh, not really too crazy about this place. I've been here a few times and nothing has really stood out. The chicken cashew in taro nest sounds like it would be a great dish but I was disappointed by how oily it was. Falls Church has a plethora of Thai places, I would recommended driving out towards rte 7 for some better places.
(3)Krystal L.
Such a great hole in the wall!!! Went here with an out of town friend. Apparently due to it's location it gets a lot of out of town business types, next to hotels and international companies. It was late 9:50pm and the guy was nice enough to keep the kitchen open for us. Sadly my palette is comparable to a new born baby so I am pretty sensitive to spices. But the server and the guy in the kitchen simple said "Not a problem!" and helped me through all the dishes. I got the snow white pea soup, yummy yummy tofu, plus the warmth helped with the cold outside. Then I got the chicken aroma coconut rice, which is apparently their most popular dish. It was very yummy, and the cook even made the spices mild for me which was very thoughtful. The presentation really surprised me too. Nicely arranged, and plentiful. A very nice experience, especially the staff. Very attentive, extremely polite and made great conversation. FYI: It was called Elephant Jumps because elephant is the symbol of the nation and jumping means that it's happy. Cute, no?
(4)Kristin R.
This is a pretty standard looking strip mall Thai restaurant but the food is really fantastic. Service is super attentive. We had the shrimp toast, papaya salad, panang shrimp, and the authentic pork pad see ew. It was the best panang I've ever had. Yum.
(5)Jennifer R.
Not wild about this place...the charbroiled pork appetizer was so full of gristle that I had to spit it out in my napkin. I couldn't even chew it. The other things we ordered (basil fried rice with beef and stir fried Thai basil chicken) were just OK. They were VERY spicy, which is fine, but it also has to taste like something other than just hotness, which they did not. Doubt we'll go back.
(2)James S.
Finally a great Thai restaurant in the Merrifield area. This place has only been open for a few months but folks are already raving about the food. During my most recent visit there was a Washington Post photographer there taking pictures of dishes for an article which should appear in the Sunday Washington Post magazine in the next couple of weeks. Tom, the owner/manager, was bursting with pride over this coup, with good reason! The food here is very well done. Chicken with Basil boxed lunch provides a wonderful spicy kick and comes with a crispy spring roll and side salad - all for under $9. Salmon Rolls with sweet and spicy dipping sauce were a wonderful starter and slightly reminicient of Philipino lumpia. The Tom Kha Gai (chicken coconut milk soup) was wonderful and I had them add a couple of shrimp for a dollar upcharge. The rich flavorful soup had a nice undertone flavor form the glangal root and also a nice spicy kick. I love that this place doesn't "tone down" the spice as so many Thai restaurants tend to do. If it says that it is spicy on the menu - you can be fairly certain it will have a kick. I am looking forward to visiting this place many more times in the future and am also looking forward to checking out the upcoming Washington Post Magazine article.
(4)Lily Z.
I hate to be the voice of dissent here, but I didn't enjoy my lunch at Elephant Jumps. The chicken panang was dry and tough while the sauce wasn't anything different than what I make at home using canned curry paste from Great Wall. It could be the quality of the meat or maybe they didn't velvet the meat properly or it was left simmer on low heat for too long. The sundry beef jerky was on the bland side and very tough to chew and if you ever had the sundry beef at Thai Square, you know it is suppose to be a little chewy and bursting with beefy and herbal flavors. The beef drunken noodle was fine, although I wish they didn't skimp on the basil.
(2)Tucker H.
3.5* This seems to be a pretty new restaurant in the Yorktown Plaza, and it's a nice addition. The interior is quite pleasant, small but nicely decorated, and the service was with a smile. The green papaya salad was good, but nothing special, as was the chicken pad thai. However, the Roti Green Curry Chicken appetizer was delicious. I would happily have eaten it as a main entree, and will probably do just that next time we go. I don't recall ever having roti before, so I have no idea if it was particularly good as far as roti goes, but it was really tasty, especially wrapped around some of the chicken and dipped back into the green curry sauce. We finished the meal with the mango and sticky rice (my favorite asian-style dessert by far), which was a bit above average, especially because they were pretty generous with the sticky rice, which some places are a little skimpy on.
(3)Glenn W.
It's OK in a pinch. There are plenty of Thai places to choose from and I find myself liking this one a little less each time I go. I only keep trying it since it got such rave reviews a while back. But like other reviewers here ... not sure why.
(2)Lulu T.
Green Papaya Salad was very good and super spicy, just how I like it. The Phad Thai was made very well. It had just the right amount of moisture in the noodles and flavor. Perfect. The fried fish with mango citrus salsa was a disappointment. It is literally a piece of battered fish that you spoon salsa on. It was underwhelming. The restaurant is located in a strip mall. The atmosphere is your typical strip mall like restaurant.
(3)Samantha E.
Pretty good Thai food but I think they had smaller delivery portions than some of the other places I have ordered from in the area. My ginger chicken was great but the shrimp toast fell a bit flat.
(3)Anna Y.
Really!? Tom Sietsema was wrong. What a sad day for dc foodies. I do not understand how Thai food this mediocre tastes so bad. In short, they fall short in every way. We ordered: - SPICY HERB SALAD WITH MINCED PORK- The pork was tough and far too spicy for the average person. It was much too heavy on the red onion. Needed to take a sip of my fried's thai ice tea to put the fire out. -PANANG CURRY (SHRIMP)- Although the shrimp was of good size, there was a complete lack of vegetable in this dish. I am talking about nothing but shrimp and sauce. It was not even that much of shrimp and sauce either. It looked like it was someone's leftovers... -DRUNKEN SPAGHETTI CHICKEN- Not spicy enough. Curiousity led me to order this. You know that saying, curiousity killed the cat. Well, the cat probably at this. It tasted like someone tried to make it at home but did not have the right type of noodles and was missing a few ingredients. -BEEF DRUNKEN NOODLE- Eh... If you go to a really good Thai restaurant, they will get the char that you need from a hot wok. This tasted like it was cooked in someone's nonstick skillet. If the only enjoyable thing was the steamed jasmine rice on the table, then you know that you will probably not be returning. So many other good Thai restaurants (Sakoontra and Thai Basil), why go back?
(1)Amanda M.
This place was so awesome that I went two days in a row! I was a little skeptical because it was in a shopping strip mall in the corner and the restaurant itself is very small but if you love Thai food you have to try this place out! Coconut Chicken Spicy Soup $3.95 *coconut milk, galanga, thai herbs spicy soup I love this soup! It has so much flavor and tastes very different from all the other Thai restaurants I've had this at. Burrito Satay Chicken $7.95 *grilled chicken and rice in peanut sauce The burrito is a good portion and it comes with a side salad and peanut sauce. Burrito Green Curry Chicken $7.95 *green curry chicken, rice, mushroom and eggplant. Spicy and yummy! The burrito is a great portion and it comes with a side salad and peanut sauce. Fried Ice Cream - :( *I was very disappointed. It had a great presentation since it's on fire but it tasted terrible. This has become one of my favorite places to eat now! I can't wait to try everything on the menu!!!!!
(5)Heather V.
Ordered take out twice. First time: ordered the Pad Thai, Tom Yum, Tom Kha, and spring rolls. It was pretty good! I like the skinnier noodles they use in their Pad Thai. The Tom Kha was perfectly spicy and tangy. I def wanted to try something else. Second time: ordered one of my all time fave dishes. Panang Gai (chicken). Oh my goodness. DO NOT GET THE PANANG GAI. It looked like it was already chewed up and spit out and tasted just as bad. So disappointed and unsatisfied. Given my most recent experience, I most likely not returning again unless I need pad thai on the fly.
(2)C S.
Excellent food. My husband I recently went here. We had the tuna starter and one of their special curries. The food was unlike anything I've ever eaten and it was exquisitely good. I can't wait to go back. It's hard to find -- the signage isn't great. But it's across the outdoor hall from Jasmine Garden or whatever that other Chinese place is. Ask for their special non take-out menu. Ask the waitress to choose your food. It won't disappoint.
(5)Haimy L.
I ate here for the first time with my husband but also not expecting much, based on other reviews. I like to eat at Thai restaurants and I've eaten my fair share, so I knew a fusion-type Thai cuisine wouldn't be good, but I was in the area! We ordered a Panang Chicken Curry from the lunch menu, and basil beef? I don't remember... But it was generally "spicy" cooked beef. My chicken was seemingly-dry, with a strange texture, and all my portions were all mixed together! It looked like a buffet plate... Overflowing curry top right, small salad top left with red beans, corn, and some sweet-tasting sauce [supposed to be peanut], small portion of rice on the bottom right, and a sea of sweet and sour sauce on the bottom left with a spring roll sliced in 2. My rice was mixed in sweet and sour sauce, and curry. I liked the spring roll, salad wasn't very tasty, curry was bad [but nice spicyness], so I ate his beef dish, which gets 3 stars. I looked at the dessert menu but they were 5 bucks+ and didn't seem very promising. The dishes were pretty pricey, and it's not much.
(3)D B.
Food is sooo good, we ordered the dumplings and chicken wings for appetizers and curry and flat noodles for main dish, all was delicious amazing flavor. The place is pretty small though so be prepare to have a meal on an odd time or wait for a table.
(4)Sachiko Y.
I had lunch there. I ate one of the lunch menu, herb chikin, dericious! The side dish, fried toest with shrimp pasted, I guess, was tasty, too! Fried banana...Love it. Good for people who have tongue for Asian cuisine. The volume is not huge but good for me. The interior is nice. I want to go dinner time next!
(4)Jeremy C.
Elephant jumps is a restaurant that serves up decent curry. This restaurant is pretty much located in my backyard, in the corner of Yorktown plaza (near UPS). My gf and I decided to try this place for dinner on a weeknight. When you walk in, the place is pretty small, but clean and has Thai inspired decor. It was a bit quiet for comfort, but we gave it a try. I got the Panang Curry w/ chicken & my gf had the green curry w/ chicken. Thai restaurants will ask for your spiciness preference, but mine was not as spicy as I would have liked it. I prefer my curry to be a little bit more creamy, whereas this was slightly watery. This place can be a little pricey for the amount of food you get, but a good option to try if you are in the area and craving Thai. However, I can't say this is the best thai curry I've had. Pros: clean/tidy, good service, easy parking Cons: slightly pricey, limited curry options (vs. other thai restaurants) Overall, a decent place to try if you are nearby but not worth driving across town for.
(3)Rojé G.
Ordered the Burrito Satay Chicken from the "East Meets West" section of the menu. The description was misleading. I thought everything would be included in the burrito including a side salad. Instead it was just chicken and rice drenched in peanut sauce wrapped up into a burrito. I couldn't even finish it. The rice was bland and I just got sick of the peanut sauce. Also the menu is seriously lacking on noodle dishes. Everything is rice. This place is a poor excuse for thai food.
(2)Juliana M.
I was so excited to finally have a Thai place so close to home. The waitresses were polite , friendl & sweet.. Their shrimp soup was the best. Chicken coconut soup was tasteless. The spring roll had no veggies-- just clear noodles-- so why call it Vegetable spring roll? The Pad Thai-was clumpy-- obviously not well mixed-- & was skimpy on everything- including the vegetables, - like spring onion-, shredded carrot egg & tofu--that was the worst,.The chicken cashew tasted like a chicken stew- not much flavor either. I would rather drive to Arlington or Shirlington to spend the same amount of money but not be embarrassed by the measly vegetables that accompany the dishes. I had to apologize to the guests I took with me. Next time I would drive to eat better THAI!!!
(2)Hai S.
Elephant Jumps was a surprise. A pal and I needed a quick bite to eat after a trip to Fairfax Hospital and this stip mall was just down the street. The restaurant was small and empty but the Thai food was excellent! Not a washed out American version but actual spicy Thai cuisine. I will be a repeat customer
(4)Ryan K.
Love this place- Penang shrimp curry (#4 spicy) is so good and the chicken fried rice was perfect. Can't wait to go back!
(4)Howard F.
There's a fair number of good Thai places in NoVa -- in fact outside of Thailand Thai in Fairfax which really sucks one of the great things about Thai is that you can try a new spot and rarely get a bad meal. Based on our one visit Elephant jumps towards the top of the list. On the downside the place is ridiculously small and the tables are really tightly spaced. If you need to use the WC you have to sort of dance your way through the tight spaces dodging waiters and patrons on the way. And its pretty sparsely decorated - not much atmosphere. Ahh, but the food is excellent. We had the dumplings, the shrimp flat bread, the drunken noodles and the fried scallops with basil. All just delicious. Appropriately spicy (i have an asbestos mouth and can absolutely do 'thai" spicy but not in the presence of the wife). But the waiter asked "spicy/"; wife said sure, and what came out was what I'd consider perfectly "American" spicy. The only nit was the miniscule bowl of rice. But maybe thats' their secret because for everything above and 4 beers (including nice portions on the entrees unlike some places) the tab was $60 with tip. I guess once other nit is that that while the food was served promptly it took 10 minutes to get silverware. But scat happens. Heading back soon to try more.
(4)Kelly K.
Very friendly and quick service. Had the pork curry. It was good but could have used more chili. It was very, very mild. They were helpful to make it without bell peppers. I would return if in the mood for thai and in the area.
(3)Carolyn C.
Absolutely delicious. Prompt delivery (I'm in the 3 mile required radius). Will order again.
(5)Cadence R.
Wow, this place has some incredibly varied reviews so I will throw in my two cents - LOVED IT. We started out with the spring rolls which I thought were great and I loved the sauce on the side. For the main course I ordered the drunken noodles which were tasty, had a great char, and had a good spice level. Definitely not the spiciest I've ever had, but I prefer when spices enhance the flavor, not merely overwhelm the dish. The prices were incredibly cheap for the area (mine was under $10) and the service was excellent. I would highly recommend Elephant Jumps and look forward to my next trip there!
(4)Kelly R.
I was amazingly impressed with this place. It's not often that I rush home to write a good review of a restaurant, but I had to give this place 5 stars immediately! The food was amazing. People who are saying it's "too spicy," obviously didn't listen to the very succinct explanation of spiciness offered by the server. I got hot (one step down from the hottest), and while it was definitely spicy, it wasn't unbearable. The flavors were amazing, and there are some really unique items on the menu. The service was fantastic--everyone was kind and attentive. I cannot wait to go back and try more of the menu. The pricing is very reasonable--an appetizer and 2 entrees cost only $24. I am definitely recommending this place to everyone I know!
(5)Row Bear F.
Mediocre thai food. The flavors aren't that imaginative and the curries don't taste very fresh. Tough to get excited about this place with so many other great thai joints in the DC area.
(2)Jason K.
Hands down, amongst the top three Thai restaurants in the DC-MD-VA area! I've been there twice. The spicy papaya salad is a classic dish that I think of when I hear the phrase "Thai cuisine" and they do it justice with the right amount of spice. The Elephant Jumps Salad is not what you'd expect of Thai food, with crispy apples, sweet coconut and shrimp. What about main dishes? The Panang Curry is delicious with the right amount of sauce. The Drunken Noodle is quite tasty, too. You know a restaurant is good when a lot of people from the ethnicity are there.
(5)Jenny S.
I was pretty impressed with this restaurant. I have to say, there aren't many good-tasting Thai food restaurants in the area. Most of them are just "ehhh...okay" but this one was actually really good!! First off, the place is very clean and tidy. No complaints there. But the servers were a bit awkward. I mean don't get me wrong, they seem like nice people and they were very attentive, but there's just something...weird. Anyway, so we started off with the Crispy Flat Bread Shrimp appetizer and that really delicious. I mean if it says crispy, it has to be fried! It came with this sweet, sticky cucumber sauce and that created an amazing combination! As for our entrees, we had the Pineapple Fried Rice, the Chicken Cashew in Taro Nest, and the Drunken Spaghetti Chicken. They were very delicious as well. The Drunken Spaghetti Chicken was from their "East Meets West" portion of their menu (it included things like burgers and burritos). I recommend all of them. I will most likely come back here and this time, I'm going to try their Thai Iced Tea and the Chicken Aroma Coconut Rice. Can't wait!
(4)Jeremy W.
Best Thai restaurant I ever been too. This is my co-workers and I go to spot on fridays to have lunch. The Thai basil chicken is my favorite
(5)Noyb U.
Their menu has some different dishes than I've seen at other Thai restaurants, especially with seafood and salad entrees. It's a very tiny restaurant, maybe a total capacity of 30, which lends to the great service we received, but so it's also wise to make reservations. The decor/environment seemed odd in that it was stark, with only 2 miniature salt and pepper shakers on our table. One paper napkin allotment per customer; if you ask for extras, you get one more. We had two appetizers -- the Spring Rolls -- average, and Spicy Seafood Soup With Basil -- outstanding and hot! My wife's entree was Crispy (Fried) Salmon with Ginger Sauce -- outstanding but it lacked vegetables. Huge piece of salmon for sure, but can't they balance out the plate with a few cheap florets of broccoli or something other than a measly slice of orange? It lacked presentation, but it was delicious. I ordered the Peanut Sauce Sauteed with Pork. I ate some but sent it back -- way too sweet, and I felt it needed more pork pieces and vegetables. That's when I ordered the Spicy Seafood Soup to save the night. Will we visit again? I'd like to give it another shot, in light of the other ratings here.
(3)Eric J.
This is our favorite Thai restaurant in the D.C. area and one of our go to spots. Even the 45-minute wait the first time we went on a weekend was well worth it. One of my favorite dishes of all time --and the best under $20 -- is their soft shell crabs with black pepper sauce, which is a frequent special. Also highly recommended are the Tilapia, green papaya salad and panang chicken. The more adventurous dishes generally outshine the standards, such as pad Thai. Service is friendly and fine, if a bit slow when packed. The tiny room can also be noisy when crowded.
(5)Michelle S.
Don't order the Pad Thai delivered. It was the worst Pad Thai I've ever had. Also, the crispy salmon with mango sauce is not the crispy sauce you would normally expect. It is just deep fried chunks. This may have been a one time fluke but I will not be ordering delivery from here again.
(2)Lindasauce B.
I have tried this place twice. I'm sorry, but this is a VERY mediocre Thai restaurant. I ordered the Panang Curry and it was sweeter than what I'm used to. &, the second time I went here, I ordered the Drunken Noodles w/ Beef-- the noodles were stuck together. &, the Snow Pea soup was just OK. :)
(2)Graham E.
This is my favorite place for Thai food in NOVA! Finally a place that gets it right. The coconut soup is devine, the pad thai is delicious and the panang curry jumps right off the plate (in a good way). If you love Thai food you MUST try this place!!!
(5)Elizabeth B.
Ordered delivery for the second time tonight. Can I tell you how excited I am to find another Thai restaurant that's less than 3 miles from my house (aka, the delivery zone for most places). First order, Thai Spring rolls, Stir Fried Thai Basil w/ Beef, and Chicken Drunken Noodles. Tonight: Thai Spring rolls, Stir Fried Thai Basil w/ Beef and Chicken Pad Thai. Delivery is fast and easy (once you promise you're w/in 3 miles of the restaurant). Food has arrived warm and well packaged. The first time they forgot the steamed white rice for my Beef which was disappointing, but mistakes happen. Spring rolls, crispy (even after traveling), not overly greasy, really tasty. Thai Basil w/ Beef is really good w/ just the right amount of spice -- which since they haven't asked, I assume is their mid-range level of spiciness. The pad thai tonight was ok, but seemed to have been made with spaghetti instead of rice noodles which caused it to clump up pretty badly. Taste was good, but texture was a little odd. I was also mildly disappointed in the size of the portion of rice that came with my Beef...there was maybe 1/2 a cup, I'm going to have to make rice tomorrow to eat with my leftovers. But, overall all, good food, reasonably priced, and did I mention, they deliver to me? That rates an additional star all on it's own!
(4)C G.
I've eaten here at least 5 times for lunch. While I agree with most of the reviewers that it's better than most, it's not quite good enough to get my 4 stars. I think this restaurant is perfectly acceptable, just not spectacular. At most restaurants I get my typical order: Tom Kha Gai and Pad Thai (chicken) along with an appetizer which is usually spring rolls. Spring rolls are very good here. Served warm every time I've eaten here and very tasty. Tom Kha is good but not great. I prefer my Tom Kha a little on the creamy side and certainly should include both coconut and lime. This Tom Kha certainly filled the sour/coconut side of the equation but simply not creamy enough for my liking. Pad Thai: Average. I normally eat my Pad Thai thai spicy ++. It has been spicy but not spicy enough for me. Lack of spice isn't enough for me to downgrade the rating. I think EJT's pad thai is average on my scale. Good enough, just not great. I would recommend this restaurant. My 3/5 means the place is good. .chris
(3)Tiffany S.
This place is a real pity. I discovered it a couple years ago and was wowed by how delicious it was. I used to come here to get their lunch special that had a salad, a small appetizer, and your choice of delicious entrees, then finish it off by sharing a mango sticky rice with my companion. I was amazed at how good the food was, each dish was more delicious than the last! Unfortunately, I went back a couple times in the past few months (I kept thinking I was experiencing a fluke) but there is no doubt: something has happened and this place is no longer any good, which is SO sad because it went from being my favorite Thai places to a place I avoid entirely. I'm guessing the chef quit, or maybe the management changed. A couple months ago I ordered the same lunch special (I usually get the penang curry chicken and my mother the pad thai, and we share because they were so good we couldn't pick one). The food just wasn't very good. Thinking it was a fluke, we went back again for the same dish and this time it was completely inedible and we had to send it back. The last straw came when I went in for the mango sticky rice ONLY, knowing their food was bad but remembering their sticky rice fondly. It was $6, and in previous times that bought you a large place of sticky rice and a couple slices of mango. This time I went, and for $6 I got a mound of rice in a circle that was, absolutely no exaggeration, 1/2 an inch tall and 3 inches in diameter, with a tiny slice of mango that was bigger than the rice itself. This dish that used to be perfectly portioned for 2 people has become too small for my toddler son. What an absolute rip-off! I couldn't believe it. What happened to this place? Recently I found that it's emptier, so I don't think I'm the only one who has noticed. A real shame.
(2)Diane C.
Affordable lunch menu with quality Thai food. Drunken Noodle was definitely spicy. Pleasant staff as well.
(4)David J.
Saw Tom Sietsema's article that identified Elephant Jumps as one of his 40 favorite restaurants in the DC area. We tried it a week later for lunch. Excellent. We had three appetizers and two main course and all were 5 star items. I'd recommend Elephant Jumps to anyone.
(5)Mona D.
Stopped by at the Optometrist office and thought I would surprise my husband with Thai food for dinner. The hostess was very courteous and kind. There was only one customer in the restaurant. The first negative... she had a bad case of the sniffles. Not very appealing when you are ordering food, but I convinced myself it was okay because she wasn't preparing the food. Got home and opened up the bag and I had to wonder where the food was. The portions they served were ridiculously small for the amount they charged. I ordered the panang curry. I'm sorry to say, this was the absolute worse panang curry i have ever had in my life. It was watered down and extremely bland. We also had the Papaya salad which would get 4 stars if this was all I had ordered. My husband's dish of Peanut Sauce Sauteed was average at best. And if it couldn't get any worse, I found a nice long hair in my food which I didn't see it until I was almost done. Needless to say, we will not be ordering from this place again.
(1)T L.
3.75 stars! Is it just me or does the restaurant look odd? Like it seems to be missing something? I think they should have something to block the draft from the door every time it opens especially in the cooler seasons. We had to move tables because it got too cold. The roti green curry chicken and chicken tom yum soup were delicious! The boyfriend and I decided to stay away from the usual Thai dishes and try something new. Once again, a major fail on his part- he ordered the croissant satay chicken sandwich. It was like a chicken salad with peanut sauce. The crispy salmon with mango sauce on the other hand was yummy! My choice prevailed!
(4)Mandi B.
This place is food court good with restaurant prices. There are two Thai places in Woodbridge that I like better, so I wouldn't go out of the way for the Elephant Jumps again, but I wouldn't object if a friend wanted to try it out. The menu has items that I've never seen before, which is why I decided to try it in the first place. I had the aroma chicken on coconut rice and it was good but I felt the portion was rather small for the price. The thai beef jerky was decent, a bit tough and barely a big enough appetizer for two people. The thai fresh rolls were a total disappointment. One entree and two appetizers cost me $30 which is a little excessive for small portions of mediocre taste in my opinion.
(2)Chris T.
Have yet to dine in but have ordered out four times now... Dig the flavors. Will definitely dine in one of these days...
(4)Russell A.
You gotta check this one out! This place has only been open 6 weeks or so but our entire family is crazy about it! My brother turned me on to it two weeks ago and we have since been twice (driving in from Leesburg) while they have returned five or six times to enjoy this wonderful new spot. Everything I have tasted has been wonderful including a full array of appetizers and several various entrees. The sauces are simply divine. Whomever is in the kitchen knows what they are doing! They are working to make the front end more professional - but they've got the food thing down! Enjoy!
(4)Kristina M.
Awesome first experience. #ElephantJumps delivers, which is huge, since we don't have many quality food delivery options around us since we moved further out in the burbs. We are hard core Thai fans and miss our old delivery faves of #ThaiThai in N. Arlington and #ThaiSquare in S. Arlington on Columbia Pike - Thai Square being perhaps best Thai food in region. But Elephant Jumps provided outstanding spring rolls, chicken sate, pad thai and penang chicken curry (figured we'd start with basics) - we are thrilled! Only suggestion would be on portions - entrees are decent size but apps run a little small for price.
(4)naeem a.
Been here twice for lunch and had a good meal each time. Would say it is one of the better mom and pop thai restaurants in the area. I would still go to Thai Basil if I am craving some pad thai, but the drunken noodles at Elephant Jump hit the mark This is a good lunch time spot. The staff and owner are very nice and your food arrives in a timely manner not rushed like it was heated up in a microwave or anything.
(3)Isaiah N.
Food and service was very good. I got the pad Thia and requested it be spicy. The server recommended medium. I love very spicy food and this was very spicy. It really was the perfect amount of spice. My girlfriend got the drunken noodles and these where also very good. Both the noodles in the dishes were cooked perfectly. For dessert we got the sticky rice and mango. I must say it was amazing. The mango was perfectly ripe and the sticky rice was very rich. Everything was well priced and definitely worth the price.
(4)Calvert T.
The Watercress salad is an absolute MUST, holy smokes! Truly, the service is terrible. Not only did every entree come out at it's own time, one entree never showed up, nor did a glass of wine. The whole Flounder was crispy and wonderful and huge, it even tasted great, though the super spicy sauce fell far, far short of "spicy"- it had visible peppers, but no fire whatsoever. They definitely need more service staff on Friday nights, but the food is worth a trip.
(3)Frank W.
The place does not have a lot of charm buy the food is excellent. All dishes were very tasty and service was good as well.
(4)Cliff A.
The pad thai is good. The chicken panang was disappointing. The chicken was pretty dry. Also, the spring rolls were greasier than others I've had.
(2)Kristen L.
Great Thai food. Loved the sticky rice. Reasonable lunch specials that come with just enough food, including salad and spring roll. I will definnitely be going again.
(4)Brian B.
I really enjoyed the Panang Curry (chicken) lunch appetizer. It normally comes mildly spicy, but for those more adventurous types, you can order it "Thai hot," which is a point or two higher on the Scoville scale. The lunch specials are a great deal. Best part is that they serve proper portions. You don't walk away feeling like a glutton.
(4)Amy K.
I had croissant green curry sandwich ($8.5). It was so good that I had to close my eyes for a second when the flavors exploded in my month. And when my husband tried for a bite, he couldn't talk for a few seconds. My friends loved their orders too. We will definitely come back. If you have a tolerance for spiciness, be adventurous and order the croissant green curry sandwich!
(5)Ross A.
I am SO HAPPY that Elephant Jumps has come to town. Their food is fresh, and absolutely excellent. The service has been very friendly (I have been several times already during their short tenure in Merrifield). Make sure you find time to check out this gem of a restaurant. I wish them great things to come!
(5)C H.
Delicious food, good service, and pleasant atmosphere.
(5)sano s.
this place is very good! it's a casual thai restaurant, nothing fancy. it's good for carry out. the prices are pretty good, they have a great lunch deal. if the menu says spicy, the dish is definitely spicy! i normally don't believe places that say their dishes are spicy because I eat very spicy food - but this is definitely spicy so be careful! the ginger chicken, thai basil, and panang curry are favorites. good thai iced tea as well!
(5)Diane G.
My favorite new thai place. Great flavors.
(4)nikki t.
I saw all the good reviews and decided to try this place out. they do have a small area and it was super busy when we got there. after some time it felt very claustrophobic. But yes, green curry chicken and roti appetizer is great!!! the food was just ok and a bit much oily for my taste. i have had better thai food at other places around the area.
(3)P M.
Home cookin' Thai style. The food is really good and fast. Since I live close to this place it serves its purpose to satisfy my Thai food hunger (in leiu of Crystal Thai that is too far for a quick meal). However, if you think that you are eating a healthy meal you may want to re-evaluate your approach to healthy eating. Still, I will be back again and again.
(4)Paula W.
I really like this place. I've liked everything that I've tried. I'm no Thai food expert but this is yummy. I ordered it out for a work meeting and the consensus was that it was pretty good and we are a tough crowd. The mango and sticky rice dessert was really good too.
(5)Farrah K.
Everything here is good. Great classics and some updated classics. Beware of spicy level - order less spicy than normal. Have come twice within a month - it's that good. Go for the Thai iced tea and mango sticky rice.
(5)Andy M.
Best small Thai restaurant I've visited in the area. Lunch specials are just the right size and are made with high quality ingredients. The shrimp sticks are phenomenal. I will definitely be back!
(4)Mike T.
this place is quite good. I usually do tara thai, but this may be my new thai joint of preference.
(4)Gessica S.
The staff were very attentive there. My husband & i went for dinner on Thursday. The restaurant was small but simply decorated. I ordered a Thai Sweat Tea-It's hard to explain but it was surprisingly good! Its not our American 'tea.' Its mixed with evaporated milk. I ordered the Eggplant in the Veggie section. Although the description did not state it was really spicy 'hot'. It did clear my sinuses thats for sure. My husband ordered curry chicken burrito-good but need more of sauce to dip in. Had fried banana dessert-ok-needed a little more flavor in dough. Overall good place to try out
(4)Lionel L.
A simple decorated restaurant in a strip mall. Food was decent and service was good. My only gripe was the relatively small serving portions. Go to most other Thai restaurants and you get a bit more bang for the buck.
(3)S6 5.
great thai food; i would give it #2 in the wash/metro area; nava thai being #1. but for VA, this place is pretty darn good warning; if you ask for spicy, get ready to be punished restaurant is small so get there early or get take out.
(4)K M.
Great food, great service and good prices... Location is right next to a chinese restaurant and a vietnamese restaurant, if you're in the area - check out the thai place. Impressed with the cleanliness of the dining area and bathrooms as well as the low cost and good food.
(5)Jacquelyn K.
I don't even like Thai food that much and this was great. The vegetables were so fresh and everything was delicious!
(5)Sana Z.
4 stars reallly???? I would argue with the three stars!!! First of all how do you SCREW UP PHAD THAI???? It's the most basic Thai dish that defines Thai food!! The phad thai was made with some crappy noodle, it wasnt even the normal rice noodle that's used. The friend I went with ordered the green curry, which has NONE of the normal flavors that comes from the spices at all. It was the blandest green curry I have had probably in my life. AND then we ordered the scallop dish, which on the menu sounded amazing...but it was basically like fried popcorn shrimp. It was one of the pricier dishes so we thought it would be awesome but it was pretty miserable. Anyways, I really dont know how this place for 3 or even four stars! You're better off (not to be mean or insulting) but HONESTLY going to your local Trader Joes, go in their frozen section and purchase their Thai food meals. They are first of all AMAZING less than 5 bucks, and DEFINITLY better than this place.
(2)Gary B.
Super friendly service. I stopped in here on a late night and boy was I glad I did. The greeter/waitress was very nice, she recommended a few of the better dishes (I ended up choosing something else) and the owner came out and greeted me and my friend and was quite personable. I had some basic Thai items all of which were pretty good. I had the Red Currry String bean with shrimp and the shrimp were cooked perfectly, sometimes they are overdone but not here. The Red Curry was very spicy (some Thai places tone down the spice for American tastebuds) so I was pleased with that. Lots of string beans also. I am going to return once more and try to add more to my review but I hope people in the area come out and support this gem of a place...a great alternative to trekking into DC for Thai.
(5)v o.
Brand new thai restaurant in merrifield. Very affordable and they owner is extremely attentive. The panang curry was very good, the fried flounder with chili garlic sauce was excellent, and the pad thai was solid. Overall, would definitely recommend.
(4)Josiana Janel L.
I was visiting Falls River for a NIH meetings with 9 others from my company (President, VP, two physicians, and two directors). I chose this restaurant due to proximity to our hotel, ratings, and a strong need for Thai food (the nearest GOOD Thai restaurant to Louisville is Indianapolis, 2.5 hours away). I was nervous. The decor was simple but clean and well kept. The restaurant smelled good. The menus were unique and interesting (my boss all ooh'd and awed over the menu's). Service was a bit "slow' but that was fine as my entire group was enjoying great conversation. The Thai iced tea was superb! Great wine menu. Great menu selections. The special of the day was Flounder; which was PHENOMENAL. Everyone enjoyed their meals. Two individuals ordered the soft-shell crab; they could not stop talking about how delicious it was! The flavor was out of this world! Best of all...everyone one said it was the best Thai they had and complimented me on my great choice of restaurants (pity it doesn't come with a raise). Even when we got to the hotel, my bosses were exclaiming over the food and great choice. The owner called us a cab back to our hotel and waited outside until our cabs arrived. We had great service; a bit slow however it seems to be a "mom and pop" operation. Wouldn't be shocked if the owner was also the chef and the waitress was also the sous chef and dishwasher. Great choice if you are looking for Thai in this part of Metro DC.
(5)Tommy M.
A great, outside of the norm menu, but with all your favorites. Good people and terrific and unexpected delights. Reservations a good idea as the place is small and fills up. My new "go to" Thai restaurant.
(5)Foodie C.
Great !! Very Authentic this is a definite place I will frequent. Service GREAT Food GREAT Tip there are only about 10 tables and it seems the portions are bigger if you dine in. So Yelpers let management know we are on to them or plan ahead to dine in
(4)Kasha W.
Wow - amazingly good Thai (veggie/tofu green curry) - tucked in a little strip mall. Nice for business lunches - very convenient right off beltway and Rt. 50.
(4)Charlotte B.
As far as a small mom-and-pop Thai place goes, this is just perfect in every way. The roti green curry chicken appetizer is just as good as you'd think, and since I'm not a big spicy food person, I asked them to make it mild and it was FANTASTIC. Note that it is in a weird location, my GPS was completely stymied. If you just drive back and forth on Arlington Blvd., you will miss it--you need to get off at the exit for this streetcorner, which is high above the rest of the street.
(5)aura e.
I went in hoping that the reviews on here were right, and Elephant Jumps exceeded my expectations. We arrived at around four p.m. and were immediately welcomed by the waitress. First impression: it's small! There are about ten tables in a small main dining room. It's not cramped, though... it's nice and comforting. The waitress was extremely helpful. I was torn between two sauces for my entrée, so I finally chose one. I was pleasantly surprised when my entrée arrived with the "other" sauce in a little dish on the side! There were a few of those little moments that really enhanced the experience. The waitress was attentive, yet she didn't come around too much. The pace of the meal (dictated by the diners) was easy and casual. Okay, the food. Great! There were some unusual options on the menu. It was nice to see the classics as well as some "fusion" dishes available to choose from. The presentation of the food was elegant but not overstated. It was actually beautiful. You could tell that it was carefully plated to be visually appealing. Oh, by the way, everything tasted great! Overall, a lovely dining experience. I will definitely be back.
(5)Dave M.
My wife and I tried out Elephant Jumps for the first time tonight. It was a great experience. It wasn't very crowded, and at first, rather intimidatingly, it seemed we had the undivided attention of the whole staff. As it turns out we were able to talk with the waitress and owner quite a bit about the menu and get quite a bit of information about their style of food. The chalkboard on the wall said they offered "Authentic Kra Phao" which we asked about since it sounded familiar. He said that kra phao is an herb used to season Thai stir fries. Most American Thai restaurants sell dishes made with Thai basil as "kra phao" but in fact it is a different herb, very hard to get in this country. Authentic kra phao (according to wikipedia it is known as Holy Basil in English) has recently become available in the summertime in this area, so he is able to offer it. But, he wanted us to understand that it is NOT Thai basil. We ordered it in a pork stir fry which was served with rice and a fried egg! It was great. The kra phao is not as aggressive a flavor as the usual Thai basil, but is grassy and a little bit bitter. The fried egg was a brilliant accompaniment. The other dishes we ordered were the crispy egg rolls which were much as they are everywhere, and one of the house specials called Chicken Aroma Coconut Rice (or some combination of those words). This also was an outstanding dish, although the chicken was definitely in third place as a component, behind the coconut rice and the spicy papaya salad. At the instruction of our host we ate it by putting the rice on top of the chicken and the papaya on top of that, and then eating them all together. That was a big yum! I'm still tasting the coconut and the fish sauce and the hot red peppers bits on the ends of my moustache hairs as I type this. We had a novel experience at Elephant Jumps, enjoyed talking to the staff and ate a great meal to boot. We'll definitely be going back. Maybe we'll see you there?
(4)Stephen C.
Good authentic Thai food. Drunken noodle and tilapia are our favorite.
(5)Alison S.
OK. So, I heard such raves about this (new) Thai place for sometime so was very curious to check it out. I'm always looking for a good Thai place. I would say it depends on ones' expectations. In terms of the flavours, I would give it a 4 stars. The appetizer salad I ordered was good and spicy. Portions however are rather small. The menu reads like the type of Thai restaurant that tries to Westernize their dishes and serving style. There were a few Spaghetti Pad Green Curry and that sort of thing. I feel that they try to cater to local office workers in the area who might come in for a quick lunch. The space is very small but very nicely decorated with an elephant theme (of course). Let's say if I worked or lived near by I would be a regular here but I wouldn't make a special trip for it. "Thai Square" (Arlington) still reigns supreme!
(3)Gregory P.
Decided to try this place based on the yelp reviews and the Tom Sietsema review. Ordered the fried papaya spicy salad to start. In Sietsema's review, he says it's topped off with a "few pearly fried shrimp", however the shrimp on top of our salad weren't fried, looked more like poached. Regardless, the dish was tasty, but not something I'd say was actually spicy. The crunchy papaya was an excellent vehicle for the tasty fish sauce. Great appetizer, as it definitely left us satisfied yet hungry for more. Next we had the crispy fried salmon. We selected the ginger vinegar sauce instead of the mango sauce. The salmon was a thin piece, covered in a nice light batter that had a really great crunch to it. The ginger sauce comes on the side, and was really delicious. Finally, we had the panang curry chicken. We ordered it spicy, and it definitely had a nice slow creeping heat to it. The chicken was tender, the curry sauce was delicious, not too cloying or thick. I also had a thai iced tea, which was a nice sweet counterbalance to the spicy curry. During our meal, a gentleman whom I assume is the owner, came over to make sure we were enjoying everything. Very pleasant and quick with the water refills. The check came out to $35.02 without tip. Definitely worth it.
(4)Mike B.
The food is good. Nothing unbelievable. It's good, but I thought it would be better, based on the reviews I read. The service however, was horrible. I have not had such bad service in my recent memory. They forgot one of my group's meals,it took 20 minutes to get a drink, and they never refilled my water, despite my request. Nothing special here.
(3)Christine D.
I love this place. I don't get what people are eating that they find mediocre - I have tried lots of Thai places in this area and Elephant Jumps is right up there with the best. After finding this place on yelp one afternoon, it's become a tradition for us to go here after giving blood nearby. They have awesome lunch specials, where you can get a ton of food for $8 or $9, the best being the green curry or drunken noodles. I have to say I haven't tried any of their "east meets west" dishes.. that seems weird to me. I will keep these separate, thank you very much! The staff is always super nice - one time we were there, when BF ordered curry, the owner offered to switch the menu item out for what the cooks made for themselves (also a curry) - very authentic! They do things a bit spicier here, but that's more traditional Thai food, with lots of spice. If you haven't gone - go NOW and don't believe these crazy reviews hating on their food!!! Super delish.
(4)Edward C.
Man, this one is tough. I want to pretend that I've found a gem of a Thai restaurant and not tell anyone about it so that I can keep it to myself. But, judging by the throngs of buzzing followers and National publications raving about this place, I doubt it will remain my secret for long. And since I definitely don't want this 5 month old fledgling restaurant (and it's green curry) to fold, here goes... I love this place. Tucked away (and I mean, really tucked away) in a shopping plaza off of Gallows Road, there exists a small restaurant (6 four-seater tables and 4 two-seater tables) that somehow perfected authentic fusion Thai food. What do I mean by that? Well, there's 2 kinds of fusion: the gimmicky ones, and the ones that get all the tastes right. This here elephant, then, is the one that jumps in all the right ways. We were immediately seated by a super friendly server, smiling ear to ear. We started with a Thai iced tea and for our appetizer we shared a Roti Green Curry Chicken. As an entree, I got the Burrito Satay Chicken and The Other Half got the Drunken Spaghetti Chicken--both from the "East Meets West" menu. Our friend ordered a Pad Thai, and for dessert we shared a Mango Sticky Rice. The Thai iced tea was good; a little stronger than your run of the mill Thai iced tea, but otherwise just a good tea. The Roti Green Curry Chicken really got the night rolling. Unlike some other places that pre-make their roti (see: Sweet Ginger, Vienna, VA), this roti was fresh, hot, chewy, and delicious. The green curry was the star, though. Easily the best green curry I've had in DC, the flavors were balanced, hearty, and it had a real kick to it. Onto my entree: the Burrito Satay Chicken. It may sound like a gimmick, but thought was clearly put into the dish to create a coherent meal with quality ingredients. The filling was a concoction of Thai sticky rice cooked with Satay Chicken, and the wrapper was nice an thin; the dish came with a refreshing side of salad in a peanut dressing. The few tastes of the spaghetti and pad thai that I got were equally awesome. Then, the dessert. It's pretty hard to mess up sticky rice with mango, and this Elephant surely didn't. The perfectly cooked rice was served alongside a side of sweet, fresh mango. This was truly a great meal, served in a bright, happy space. There are so many things to like about this place: the genuinely super-nice owner, the neat menus, the innovative dishes, the spot-on flavors, the happy servers, good service, and great prices (our meal came out to $50 and change!). The best part might be that the buzz isn't qite out there, yet, so there isn't the mandatory 2 hour wait associated with every place in DC that is deemed "the next big thing." In the words of Borat, "very nice!"
(5)Mi Mi T.
I had the Herb Rice Chicken Aroma and Thai Iced Tea. The herb rice was good but the grilled marinated chicken was dry and didn't have much flavor to it except when dipped in the sweet chili sauce. The Thai Iced Tea was alright, needed a bit more sweetness to it.
(3)Rodrigo M.
Really good food. Their menu is extensive and the service can be slow at times but if you're in a rush go to McDonald's. However, if you want great Thai food please give this place a chance. My personal recommendation is their aroma chicken with coconut rice. Then again, I have a very personal love for good coconut rice so I may be biased.
(5)kem p.
I agreed with the other yelpers, their tilapia crispy basil is not worth ordering. So a couple things that disappoint me: 1. Chicken satay. The peanut sauce is watered down. 2. Crab fried rice. Rice was mushy, and not tasty. Service was great considering our waiter had to take care of 5 tables. At the end of the meal, i felt like i was robbed. I should have cancelled the crispy tilapia. Luckily their sprite was good, it has fizz and tasted like the real sprite.
(1)Layla L.
The pad Thai had no flavor whatsoever. Its so weird, usually pad Thai is either really good to really bad but this just had NO flavor. It was like eating something when i have a cold. I think they forgot to put peanuts in the sauce or something , its definitely missing a key ingredient. My coworkers really like this place so I'm sure I'll have their food again but I won't be ordering the pad Thai.
(2)Seong L.
ordered Pad Thai and Pad See Ew. Thought never go wrong with Pad Thai until this. Noodle was overcooked and all stuck together. Very dried due to overcook. However, Pad See Ew was good!
(3)Tri T.
Yearning for something hearty on a cold night, we opted for some take away Thai and had a pretty decent experience here. Although, it's worth noting that on this Saturday night and walking in to pick up my food, the restaurant was packed with people waiting at the door. This alone makes me want to try other dishes. We ordered the SenYai Pad See Ew Moo Mug (damn that's a long name for a dish), green curry and panang curry and all were decently flavored and what I would expect. Very middle of the road Thai but definitely reasonably priced.
(3)Trevor M.
Very impressed with my entree and the service. This place is in a Nova shopping center right near the Fairfax hospital. I asked the waitress for a recommendation and she suggested the one of the pork specials. The name was SEN YAI PAD SEE EW MOO MUG. It was a lot like drunken noodles which was perfect for me. It was very casual and reminded me of a local deli. It was an off night but the waitress was very attentive. I enjoyed my meal and I plan to return!
(4)Natasha G.
I really enjoy Elephant Jumps! I've been here a few times, and I've always had great service, food, and experiences. I LOVE the tom ka gai, vegetarian spring rolls, and chicken with coconut rice. The soup is filling (even though it's a small portion) and the spring rolls come out nice and piping hot with a tasty dipping sauce. The rolls are good to share between two people. The chicken entrée is absolutely AMAZING! The chicken is pounded out flat and has wonderful lemongrass flavor. The coconut rice is rich and is the perfect amount; it pairs perfectly with the chicken and sweet chili sauce. The papaya salad has a great initial flavor as well, and is a larger "side" portion than expected. After a while though, it gets to be a tad bitter when eaten on its own. It's better when eaten with other items on the plate. So I tend to like spicy food, and this dish isn't spicy enough for me, but the flavors are super delicious! The mango and sticky rice dessert is decent here too, but I've yet to have one that left me dissatisfied. And it's nice to see such a pretty plate! One thing to note: this restaurant is definitely crowded during the weekday lunch rush, so plan on a solid hour-long meal. Dinner time isn't as busy. Right now, the menu offers a sugary, traditional Thai drink - it is very tasty alongside a salty, spicy meal. It comes by the bottle, and it's only there for a limited time! It's a must try. I really like how I feel when I'm in this establishment - its small size isn't overwhelming, so you'll see several individual diners swing by. The homey atmosphere exists both in the overall air as well as the food. Furthermore, the menu is different. Take, for example, the Elephant rice bowl - pork with rice and mayonnaise - very unique and well made! Bottom line: there is something for everyone here, and you will leave feeling full and happy. It's a popular place, and the low-key atmosphere allows for a calm and relaxing meal.
(4)Jax L.
Ordered take out and not only did they get the order wrong, it also was mediocre Thai food. Their only saving grace was the decent pad see ew. Other than that, the Pad Thai was flimsy, flavorless noodles that stuck together. Unless you're in the area, don't bother unless you're starving.
(2)Em S.
I visited this place for the first time today with some friends. I was starving and my only request was that we didn't eat greasy food. I must say Elephant Jumps lived up to my only request. I ordered the Spicy Salmon Mango sauce Thai spicy. The salmon was moist and the batter was so soft. The sauce was very spicy, which I asked for. Next time I will order it the way they normally prepare it to compare. As a table we ordered the Dancing Ladies and sautay (not sure if I spelled it right). Both appetizers were good and I will be visiting this place again.
(5)David C.
I've eaten at all the local Thai places and this is authentic and delicious. Get the green curry, charm tools pork, tom yum soup. All great.
(5)Jenny P.
My brother took our family here, claiming it was one of the best Thai places in the area. I went in slightly suspicious of his statement and holding on the idea of the best one being Tong Thai near GMU. Our order list went as follows: Appetizers: - Golden Triangle (Fried Tofu)- These never have any flavor and I have yet to discover why we order these every time, but we do. - Roti Green Curry Chicken with Fried Pancakes- I'm so psyched about this and if my brother's girlfriend was not there I would have declared this dish solely mine. The curry boasted a satisfying balance of cream and spice and the pancake added a delightful dimension of crispness to each bite (and there were many). I'm drooling a little, days later. - Thai Chicken Satay- Another mindless order that makes me scratch my head, wherever we go the chicken is always dry and overcooked. All the more reason to drown it in the peanut sauce, I suppose. - Yum Pla Dook Foo.. Deep fried ground fish with a mango spicy salad. Yeah, um. Not my thing. Was an odd texture- it wasn't flour but didn't seem like fish. Entrees: - Pad See Ew- A favorite, love the smoky/sweetness to it. Was disappointed that stayed near my dad, who has difficulty chewing most foods. My hopes sank as my mom wrapped up the leftovers cheerfully, declaring that it'd make for a fine lunch. - Ka Na Neua (Chinese Broccoli, Marinated Beef, Ginger, and Oyster Sauce)- My brother's favorite, pretty good but not particularly memorable. - Gang Hung Lay (Slow Cooked Pork Curry with Sticky Rice)- HO! This was bangin'. The pork fell apart in my mouth, the only drawback that it was a tiny bit on the sweet side for me. - Prig Sod Moo (Green Peppers, Onion, Pork) - Again, pretty good but nothing of note. Spicy. - Crispy Tilapia with Crispy Basil- Stayed by my dad's side, would have liked to try more. Oh I will definitely be back.
(4)Karisa D.
Elephant Jumps is a wonderful restaurant in Merrifield. However, I had no idea it was in Merrifield and how close it was to the Mosaic District. It is a small restaurant in a strip mall and from the outside, it appears understated. Do not be fooled. On the inside, Elephant Jumps is warm, inviting, and the food is anything but ordinary. Like I mentioned it is a small restaurant (i didn't count but maybe less than 15 tables). Luckily, we were just a group of two and they seated within minutes of walking into the restaurant. They explained their menu this way: they have a menu with more traditional Thai dishes and a menu with more familiar Thai dishes. We both ordered from the traditional menu. I essentially ordered the Pad See Ew Moo Mag which is a noodle dish and my fiance ordered the Gang Hung Lay which is a slow cooked pork curry. I tried both dishes and they were fantastic. They were flavorful dishes and well executed. I thought they were spicy but not too intense and you did not lose the flavor. The Gang Hung Lay comes with sticky rice and lettuce leaves so you can build you meal. My did not have any complaints and said he enjoyed the meal. Everyone is friendly and helpful and the service was very good. There was never an empty table while we there and there was wait. In some cases it may not be a good thing but here, I would wait and I will definitely come back.
(4)Teresa L.
My family was looking for a Thai restaurant with unique, street-food dishes when my aunt stumbled across Elephant Jumps. It's a small restaurant tucked away in an older shopping center but has some wonderfully different Thai dishes :) As advised by other Yelpers, we ordered dishes off the chalkboard in addition to the main menu. We ordered: - Papaya salad: one of my favorite Thai dishes; has a nice spicy kick! - Dumplings(?): I'm not sure what they were called on the menu since my aunt ordered but nothing too special - Banana blossom salad: we were all intrigued by this dish; a tasty medly of cooked, shaved coconut with shrimp and chicken. a must try! - Fried scallops: delicious! eat while still warm :) - Drunken noodles: standard Thai drunken noodles, still tasty - Gang Hung Lay (slow cooked pork curry): delicious!! the pork was so tender and crumbled in my mouth with every bite - Fried flounder: comes with sticky rice; absolutely must try with the sauce (beware it has a kick to it!) - Thai ice tea: serving was on the smaller side so I'll probably pass on this next time I will be back for the specialty/traditional Thai dishes!
(4)Helena G.
This is one of my fave restaurants in DC. Food is great. Attentive service. We tried the fried whole fish with chili garlic sauce ($24). It was terrific, the fish was very crunchy and the sauce was fresh and flavorful. I highly recommend the hua plee to start, a salad with shrimp and chicken. And durian with sticky rice for dessert.
(5)Faysal I.
This is the best Thai food I've had in the DMV area. The service is above-average, and the food is delicious. Try to slow-cooked pork: This was unbelievable tender, and perfectly seasoned. It's also quite a generous portion. As for fish, the fried tilapia with garlic and chili is the one you want. Not the healthiest dish in the world, but amazing. To drink, I recommend the palm juice beverage - the name escapes me. We didn't have a chance to sample the dessert including the stinky rice - but if it's anything like the other courses, it's excellent.
(5)Bruce K.
Thank you, Gary Leff. Gary's a travel blogger and he said that Elephant Jumps was THE place to go to in the DC suburbs for Thai. And he was right. Wow, just awesome. I had a Singha - Thai beer. And then ordered my starter, Crispy flat bread shrimp. Extremely tasty, really good stuff. But before I could even finish the first one, my main course arrived. The drunken chicken spaghetti was simply excellent if perhaps a little bit spicier than I would normally have. I managed to get my way through it okay though. Lots of tender chicken, spicy veggies and pasta in a great sauce that left me wanting more. My only complaint was that the entree arrived too quickly. Everything else was perfect. Elephant Jumps is easy to miss as it's in a storefront in a corner of the shopping plaza with another Asian restaurant right in front. Skip them, go further back. You'll be very pleased.
(5)Lilli M.
The conglomerate of unique flavors here will blow your taste buds. This place is tucked at the far end of a shopping plaza, facing away from the road. Basically, nearly impossible to spot unless you're already looking for it. The restaurant is family-owned and the inside is clean and rather modest-looking. I've been here only once before and remembered just ordering some standard Thai dish, like Pad Thai or something, and having just an a-okay experience. This time, I ordered off the much-raved about chalkboard menu and based off the owner's recommendations. The owner and his wife are the main chefs here, and he came around our table to greet us and give us some recommendations, upon our request. We tried the much-Yelped about papaya salad and this chalkboard appetizer that has banana blossoms, shrimp. This banana blossom appetizer had an abundance of spices and flavors I can't even pinpoint, but my taste buds absolutely loved it. Both appetizers are served with a small basket of sticky rice. We then ordered the tuna curry, ginger pork (super tender!), and another chalkboard-menu entree, the bitter melon curry. I initially thought there were chickpeas with the tuna curry, but it turns out they were small fish balls. We also tried the durian with sticky rice for dessert. I was hesitant at first to try the durian dessert b/c durian can have a very pungent odor and taste, but the coconut cream/sugar/sticky rice really toned that down so that you could really enjoy the durian flavor. The three entrees, two appetizers, and dessert came out to about 75 bucks. My only criticism is that they give you dispensable chopsticks here, and I think providing real ones would enhance our eating experience. Plus, real chopsticks are a dime a dozen from Great Wall supermarket, which is almost literally across the street. That aside, I would love to come back and sample more chalkboard and chef-recommended items!
(4)Laurie W.
My husband says that this restaurant has made him "re-like" Thai food, and I agree - so much, in fact that we've literally been there for lunch three times over the past two weekends, so this review is only for their "lunch deals" right now since that's the only thing I've had. So far, I've had the Thai Basil Chicken, the drunken noodles, and the Pad Thai. Out of those dishes, the Pad Thai was the only one I wasn't super impressed with - I found it bland (adding some of the chilies they keep on each table. The Thai Basil chicken was delicious (the chicken wasn't dry at all) and I thought the execution of the drunken noodles was near perfect. My husband had the green curry, panang curry and the drunken noodles and loved them all, although he can't tolerate spice like I can, which is why Elephant Jumps is nice - no problems at all customizing the spice level. And as others have mentioned, I love that the food isn't oily. Portions for the lunch specials are hefty - I struggled to finish both times. I also really like the salad with the peanut dressing, and the shrimp cakes have a nice crunch. Service is quick and efficient. I look forward to my next visit!
(4)Bryan L.
Best Thai food in the DMV. Don't bother with the regular menu. Order off the special board or special menu.
(5)Manool F.
Our office has ordered food from here at least three times. Each time, the delivery man is very rude and abrasive. The food is mediocre too. You order from here when it's just convenient to do so. We've stopped ordering just because the food got to be way too mediocre.
(2)Jazz C.
My family and I have dined here several times over the past several months. I can say that the food quality has gone downhill, much to my disappointment. The first time we came here, we ordered the authentic pad see ew, which was quite good. However, subsequent times, the food was either cold, or the proportions were way off. For example, one time we ordered the dish and there were 4 small pieces of green veg amidst a sea of flat noodles and pork. The other side dishes (forgot which one, but two were veg), were pathetic. Portions were tiny and for the amount that we paid ($12-13), it was a terrible value. The food was also over-salted and the kitchen was not willing to change the seasoning to accommodate our need. The bill was over $50 and we felt cheated given the poor quality and small portions we received. What started out as a great Thai eatery is now no longer a place I can recommend to friends and family.
(2)Shaynna F.
Got the veggie pad thai and spring rolls. Came in at lunch so surpised I still managed to pay 15 bucks at 1145am. I am a pad thai connoisseur and eat it at least 2 times a week so id say i know good thai. This place was just ok. Wish they would have told me the pad thai came with huge chucks of tofu as I am completely repulsed by the stuff and am not seeking replacement sources of protein simply because i ordered veggie. I just like vegetables. The spring rolls were just crispy wrapped....noodles...then fried? Most spring rolls have vegetables in them so I was a bit confused on this one as well. I typically get my pad thai 'thai hot' but when trying out a new place I scale it down to 'hot'. Id say their spicy scale is on par with others in the area. Overall, I was underwhelmed and will stick with the thai that I know and love.
(3)Alexandra J.
Who would have thought that some of the best Thai food I've ever had would be served at a strip mall in the D.C. suburbs? Every dish was absolutely packed with flavor. We had the papaya salad and Thai dumplings to start, and shared the slow cooked pork curry and the salmon in mango sauce, with sticky rice (included) to sop up every last bit. All of the above were perfectly balanced dishes, not at all boring straight ahead Thai food, and each possessed a flavorful, delicate heat. Note: many of these dishes came from the traditional Thai menu they offer, in addition to more familiar, American-ized options. They also offer little dishes of wonderfully spicy peppers on the side, if you want to kick it up a notch. We like spicy (more accurately, we like tears in our eyes) so we used quite a bit of that. Oh, and fried bananas for dessert, artfully dressed up with a cherry blossom branch garnish made out of sauce. Yum. The service was prompt, thoughtful, and fast. Try this place if you're interested in stepping outside the basic comfort zone of Thai food for something really special.
(5)Jessica M.
I ordered takeout from Elephant Jumps. It was the first time I have every been there, and I was the only one in the restaurant when I went in to pick up my food. That made me nervous, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got home and tried my food. I ordered a spring roll and vegetarian panang curry. The food was very good. The curry was full of vegetables and yummy fried tofu, and it had the perfect level of spice. The spring roll was pretty standard, but it was still good.
(4)Xtine C.
The entrance to the restaurant is deep in the corner and you can almost miss it if you're not looking for it! Had a hankering for Thai food and decided to stop by since it was so close to home. Upon entering, the place was so cute! The menu is not your average Thai menu you find at common places around here. They had a good mix of authentic Thai food that I've never seen or heard of before. They also had daily specials that sounded amazing. We decided to be real simple and got the green curry roti chicken, basil fried rice, and chicken pad thai. Green curry roti chicken was so good! The roti was so thin yet chewy and soft that tasted like butter! The green curry was perfect in flavor with bits of chicken, eggplant, and mushrooms in the slurry. I wish we had more chicken in it though, I felt it was more saucy than meaty. The basil fried rice was our favorite by far! So simple yet it was bursting with flavor! Bits of scallions, onions, and basil with slightly chewy chard rice was the perfect combo. We added chicken as our meat of choice. The pad thai was good too! It came out more red in color than I'm used to but that's mainly the tumeric powder I think (or red curry paste?) either way, the flavor was good. They gave a side of peanuts and bean sprouts but no lemon/lime. I like acid in my pad thai and was used to getting this on the side but they didn't offer it. I still ate it anyway, it was very good and had good flavor as a unit. Service was good and they constantly refilled our waters. I wouldn't mind coming back here for a quick bite of thai food since it's so close by!
(4)Robert P.
As someone who lived in Thailand for 15 years, I can attest that this is excellent Thai food. Kids love the Spicy Salmon with Ginger Sauce and the Mu Yang. Definitely worth a trip!
(5)Pamela C.
I have only been here for lunch. Their menu is very affordable and very very flavorful. Great size. Ambiance is on point, clean and very unique a little bit of Thailand. It's my go to place for Thai food. Their coconut fried shrimp is super delicious. I would strongly recommend this place.
(5)Kristin A.
Why haven't I heard of this place sooner!!! In the past week and a half I visited 3 times. The first time was for an iced ginger tea, the second was for a Thai Ice Tea, and today I finally sat down and enjoyed the food. As the other reviewers mentioned this place is tucked away in the cut, but once you find it I doubt you'll ever forget it. Luckily, I was able to take advantage of the lunch special and save myself a couple of dollars. I decided on the Basil Fried Rice lunch special which came with a small tofu soup and two fried things (I can't remember what they were but oh so delicious). I also opted for a Thai Ice Tea since I'd been craving one from earlier this week. This will definitely be my staple Thai restaurant since they're across the street from my job!!! In regard to service, they were nice and prompt; can't beat that with an hour lunch frame!!! I can tell that it gets a bit crowded so be sure to come ahead of the actual lunch crowd or a little bit afterwards. I believe the $9 lunch specials end at 4pm. They also have a small patio area that will be very nice for the upcoming weather. I also believe I overheard a patron saying that they were featured in the Washington Post today, not sure if that's true, but its worth the Google.
(5)Jini K.
After reading the rave reviews, my husband and I ventured out on an evening when the wind chill was below 10 to try this place out. We figured piping hot thai food was just what the doctor ordered! When we arrived on a Friday evening, we were struck by how quaint the place was. Although the place was packed, we were thankfully seated immediately, which was a bonus since we didn't have a reservation. The waitress was prompt in taking our food/drink orders, but didn't seem too helpful in terms of helping us navigate the menu or offering suggestions. We ordered the house salad with peanut dressing, vegetable spring rolls, vegetarian drunken noodles, and vegetables and tofu in peanut sauce. The dish that was most disappointing was the drunken noodles, and only because we ordered it the exact way it was described on the menu in terms of spice level and it was so spicy that I literally could not take more than one bite. My husband loves spicy food, so much that he asks for extra thai chillies, habaneros, etc, wherever we go and he too felt the dish was too spicy. It would've been nice if our waitress could've done her due diligence and warned us of the spice level, so we didn't leave a dish nearly full on the table. The remaining dishes were solid, but not spectacular. I think in terms of portions, taste factor, and friendliness/helpfulness of the staff, there is another Thai restaurant in the area that has already won my heart, but if convenience and solid, but not spectacular food, is your cup of tea, then by all means proceed with this option.
(3)Matt D.
We've ordered delivery from Elephant jumps about half a dozen times over the past year. Each time our experience gets better and better. The other night we decided to order a handful of appetizers. Delivery was promised within 45 minutes and arrived right around 30 minutes. The food was hot; flavors were fantastic. We ordered a couple of items that included shrimp. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and tasted fresh. Keep up the great work Elephant Jumps. We will be back!
(5)Nixia T.
I'm a drunken noodle kinda gal, and it's the only thing I usually order at a Thai restaurant, simply because it's good almost every Thai restaurant I have been to. Everything has changed since I tried the pineapple fried rice with chicken at Elephant Jump. It was so good, now it's the only thing I get from them. The curry flavored fried rice with onion, peas, carrots and my fav, pineapples. Omg. I'm addicted. I also tried the mango sticky rice which is seasonal and loved it. The sticky rice is soaked in coconut milk, and a bite of mango and sticky rice together just so satisfying. It's rich in flavor but not sickeningly sweet. Love love love.
(5)Nat W.
This place is probably more like 4-4.5 stars but I am compensating this for the relatively low rating here. I am Thai and know Thai food and this place offer a uniquely refreshing menu items that are difficult to find elsewhere. Lunch is a great deal and a lot of Northern-styled Thai dishes are spot on!
(5)Kristina P.
Ate dinner here with a friend last night. I'm a Thai food lover and have been on an odyssey of Thai restaurants lately. I was attracted to this place by the unusual dishes they serve. The place was full at 7:00 on a Saturday night (expected), but we didn't have to wait long for an empty table. The service was quick and attentive, and our waitress was able to answer all our questions about the food. Started with the hot tea. Wow, I'd never had tea like that before! It had pieces of dried ginger floating on top and had a surprising sweet-spicy ginger flavor. Perhaps it was sweetened with honey? It was served in a large blue and white china cup with matching china cover. Then had the Tom Yum Goong (spicy shrimp soup) and Elephant Jumps salad as apps. I really wanted to try the Tom Kha soup, but it came only with chicken. Very glad I went with the Tom Yum as the spices were spot on, and the broth was so delicious that I didn't even miss the coconut milk. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, and the tails had been removed so I didn't have to pick the shrimp up with my fingers (a pet peeve of mine)! OMG, the Elephant Jumps salad was awesome. It was shrimp, roasted coconut, and slivers of green apple and red onion, coated in a seed and herb mixture (including coriander?), and dressed with lime juice and chili. The flavors were so fresh and satisfying, and there was just enough spice to make things interesting. The serving was hefty and came in a super-sized Old Fashioned glass, a very nice presentation. The dish had a sweetness to it too and could have doubled as a dessert. I ended up eating half as an app and saving half to eat at the end of my meal. Wonderful! For an entree, I had the Ka Nom Jeen Num Ya (spicy tuna curry over noodles with fish balls and separate garnishes - bean sprouts, diced green beans, pickled chopped Chinese broccoli, and a few fresh basil leaves). The curry was served in a small highball glass next to coils of the noodles (like angel hair pasta) and small dishes of the garnishes, a very pretty presentation. I asked for "3-pepper" spiciness, but, after finding out that this was my first visit to Elephant Jumps, the waitress strongly recommended 2-pepper spiciness, so I accepted. NOT SPICY ENOUGH! The owner came by, and I asked him for the condiment tray. He said, "No, you should have some of the roasted peppers that we used to cook this curry." I agreed, so he brought me a small dish of the dried, roasted red peppers. I put some in the remainder of my dish and thought they might infuse flavor into it, but they didn't. So, I ate one and was surprised to find that it was totally edible (unlike the dried red peppers in Kung Pao) and delicious with a rich nutty flavor (in addition to a nice spicy heat). I put them all on my dish and ate about 5 of them with bites of curry before I was totally stuffed (of course, I took the rest home!). The owner told me that they dry the peppers themselves and then deep-fry them, which is why they chew so well and have such a nice flavor. In the future I will order "3-pepper" spiciness and ask for the roasted red peppers on the side. The owner was very funny and asked where I had practiced eating such spicy food. He was surprised that I had eaten the whole peppers and asked if I'd been to Thailand because that's what they do there. I said I hadn't been to Thailand but that I was introduced to spicy food at the Thai Room in DC over 30 years ago (it closed about 10 years ago). He said he'd heard of the Thai Room. I also said that I was a huge spicy food fan and have an extensive collection of hot sauces. The curry was solid, but with the way it was served with all the ingredients in separate containers, it was lukewarm by the time I mixed everything together and began to eat it (it didn't help that, with the small size of the restaurant, a blast of cold air hit our table every time the door opened). I also would have preferred a thicker noodle than angel hair pasta. The pasta was too soft and had no "chew." Although my friend and I were stuffed, we ordered the pumpkin and cream dessert special. Very unusual. It was large chunks of fresh pumpkin stewed in a thick coconut milk sauce that was like a sweet cold soup. The sauce was delicious, but I didn't particularly like the pumpkin chunks. I'd never eaten plain fresh pumpkin before and thought it was starchy and bland. My friend had the Tom Kha Gai soup (very creamy with lots of coconut milk), Lady Dancing app (5 shrimp on skewers with peanut sauce and cucumber sauce), and Pad Thai with shrimp. In the Lady Dancing, a slice had been cut from the top of an orange, and the skewers were stuck vertically around the rind - very decorative. She enjoyed the Pad Thai and took a lot home as it was a huge serving. This restaurant serves fresh, bold, and unusual dishes not found at other Thai places, and the staff pays painstaking attention to detail in the food and presentation. Will be back!
(4)Helen P.
This place is my favorite Thai place in Falls Church for sit down and takeout! I've eaten here more than I can count. Majority of the time, I order Pad Thai with chicken which is consistently good! I've also had the Panang Curry and Pad See Ew -both of which also taste great! You will not be disappointed!
(4)Jazmin P.
Very loud extremely Greasy!! Pad Thai was the worst I have ever had! Only ate the side salad and shrimp toast which was also very greasy. Did not eat food but still made us pay for food. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!
(1)Nat M.
Incredible, creative Thai. Service was top notch. Two of us split the ground tuna salad appetizer, which sounds weird but was just amazing. We had to stop the waitress from taking away the bowl because we just had to have the last bite! For entrees, we had the pork curry (hung lay...) and the pad see ew from the specials menu. Again, delicious. The pad see ew was like a perfectly executed drunken noodle, with spicy vinegar splashed over the top at the table. I can't wait to go back!
(5)Dann S.
Food is good, it's a family run place, service is quick but the food can be spicy sometimes, good for lunch, office lunches, small space, can get crowded sometimes
(3)Dan R.
Drove over to VA to check this place after seeing one of their dishes highlighted in a Washington Post section. In short, I was underwhelmed. Pad kee mao was spicy but also kind if dull. The appetizer highlighted in the newspaper was just OK. Will be sticking in Rockville area which still has three of the best Thai restaurants in the area.
(2)Aaron A.
I have always heard great things about Elephant Jumps but was still surprised by the exceptionally tasty food. The service was great too, and I particularly like that they pushed their more exotic dishes over the tried-and-true Thai standards, which proved to be the right choice. I enjoyed the spicy tuna curry over noodles (Ka Nom Jeen Num Ya) as well as the Ka Na Neua, a marinated beef dish with broccoli and ginger in a smokey sauce, and only tremendous self-discipline kept us from ordering more. One of the day's specials, a whole flounder with spicy dipping sauce designed to be picked and eaten by hand was recommended as a shareable appetizer and looked particularly intriguing! One problem common to most restaurants serving southeast Asian cuisine was the lack of any real guidance as to the degree of spiciness one should expect from a given dish. Both of our entrees were ordered "medium" spicy, whatever that means, and could have used a little more heat. I will try to convey that intent the next time and see what happens. Elephant Jumps is right right of Hwy 50 just beyond the Beltway. Even at rush hour it was tremendously easy to pop out for a delicious meal. Their new patio dining area is supposed to open soon, and I can't wait to return to check it out.
(4)Nalee E.
While the food was not bad, I have experienced better elsewhere. I ordered two of the most common Thai dishes - Pad Thai with chicken and the Panang Curry. Boy, was I disappointed...the flavors were all there, but the rice noodles used for the pad thai were very thin! It's like using angel hair pasta in place of regular-sized spaghetti noodles for a basic spaghetti and meatball dish. Since they used the very thin rice noodles, the pad thai was very clumpy because the noodles all stuck to each other. The PANANG CURRY was also a disappointment partly due to the fact that it came out warm like it had been sitting in the back for awhile. Yes, the curry tasted fine, but there was nothing in the dish besides chicken. No mushrooms, no green veggies at all...not even one piece of potato - it was a very boring curry. C'mon people, cook like you would cook at home! Service - 1 star. Our server never came back once after he dropped off our food. I had asked for some red chili pepper condiments when he dropped off our food - he turned to the table next to us, interrupted and asked them if they were done with the chili rack (THEY SAID YES), then grabs it and hands it to us. I just think there should be enough chili racks for all the tables, because it is very tacky and poor in taste to take it from one table and give it to another when people are in the middle of dinner. Their sign says opened til 9:30 pm on Sunday, but they locked their door at 9 pm to prevent patrons from entering. So, I had to unlock the door myself. There was a table that came in right before they locked their doors and that table was guilted into ordering their food as take-out. I have always said, even if service was terrible, if the food was great then the restaurant would be worth coming back to. Unfortunately, I won't be going back. I had expected better authentic food from a reputable restaurant with such high ratings.
(2)Chelsea C.
Wonderful little Thai restaurant in Merrifield! Unexpectedly sheltered away in the corner of a shopping center next to 495, this little gem of a restaurant specializes in northern style Thai cuisine which stands out from its southern counterpart, the style of Thai food you will most often find in the area. Here the spices and style differ from their southern counterparts but are even more complex and appealingly unexpected. The variety and subtlety of flavors should entice the adventurous palate. Order a variety of appetizers or one of their specials and give everything a try! If you're an adventurous eater, don't pass up Elephant Jumps!
(4)Jodi R.
This is the best thai food you will find in the DMV. When they say spicy they mean it, and the food is always very flavorful. If I'm getting takeout I love the pad thai, but they also have great dishes that are better for a dine-in experience.
(5)Chris S.
This is a decent little Thai restaurant located among many other Asian restaurants. In that little corner, you can get Thai, Chinese, Japanese and pretty much every Asian style in this area of the shopping center. The inside is small and seems to be more of a carry out place than dine in but on a Saturday night it was good crowd and was pretty full. The layout is simple but clean. I really like their menus even though mine was falling apart. The menu is fake bamboo with a elephant on the cover. Service was good, waitress was friendly and kept the water glass full while being friendly and attentive. Food was just okay, I had the pineapple fried rice with beef. My food was very dry and lacked flavor. They do however give you a quality portion so I left full. I wish the food had more flavor and the rice wasn't so dry, I feel like it was mad early in the day and sat out for many hours before I was able to eat it. While service and decor was nice, food ultimately let me down. I won't be in a rush to return.
(2)Alex H.
We visited this place last Friday, April 3rd, for dinner. Place was full but still had two empty tables--one was reserved and the other was open. my wife and I were waiting to be attended and be seated when we came in, but all the servers and host were too busy attending to the customers seated. Then we hear the phone ring and the host picked it up and then put a reservation sign on the open table. Then she approached us and said whether we have reservations. Apparently they don't take walk-in customers and only take phone reservations. We went in here because of Yelp reviews was good, but left disappointed with their practices of ignoring walk-in customers and taking higher priority for phone in reservations. They should have a sign on the door that only reservations are allowed. Not worth our time going back to this place and spend $$$.
(1)Ed M.
Of all the new restaurants (and old) in the Merrifield area, Elephant Jumps has become my favorite. Every dish that I and my guests order is not only good, but distinctive. The big surprise is the wine list. A quality light Austrian wine at $6? There are only two of the now numerous restaurants in the area that can compare for quality of cuisine. The slow-cooked curry pork is superior. As are any number of other dishes. The service is gracious and helpful.
(4)Charles C.
I got the pad tai with chicken. I was just okay and was a little overcooked. Not discouraged from trying other dishes from here though.
(3)Ross M.
This place has lost it. Loyal customer here for a years, always tipped over 20%. The take out portions have been skinnyed back, and the service has gone down hill. I got two pieces of broken lettuce for my lettuce wraps and only 1 bag of sticky rice for 2 orders. I'm done with this place. I can't wait until Thai by Thai opens up and puts them out of business. Not recommended. Land of no smiles.
(1)Cat P.
I beg to differ from the majority. Five enthusiastic stars! I'd give more if I could. I visited for the first time about two or three years ago after reading spectacular reviews online and was pleased with all the flavors. My second time around did not disappoint. I definitely see that this restaurant caters to Western clientele, but I feel like the flavors were far from sacrificed for the sake of tailoring the menu to non-Thai diners. We came on Sunday because Tom N heard of a special weekend-only menu with unusual Thai specialties. I am not Thai so for all I know these dishes could be invented by the owners of the business; however, I could care less about the authenticity because what I do know is that my taste buds were dancing last night. Oh yeah! While possibly offensive to a native Thai, my entree was right by me. This special menu featured dishes such as "Jungle curry beef," or tuna and minced fish balls with vermicelli noodles in a spicy sauce (don't remember the exact name). Of course I had to get the tuna noodles because I had never encountered anything like that before, and I fell in love with my dish. It was a tad too fishy for sir, but I barely noticed the fishiness. (The fishiness shouldn't be an issue if you're also a fan of Bangkok Golden.) From the presentation to the seasoning, this dish was heaven on a plate for me. And it was definitely Thai hot! I was fanning my tongue for sure. As mentioned earlier, this special isn't for you if you're not a fan of fish, but it should not be missed if you are. There are a few things that impress me about Elephant Jumps. For one, the service is fantastic. The servers are friendly and attentive and helpful, too. Secondly, I love the presentation of the food. Honestly, Elephant Jump's presentation is what I would expect from a fine dining establishment. Take my tuna noodles, for example. The tuna in a piquant curry sauce was contained in what looked like a wide-mouthed wine glass, sitting on a crisp white plate next to little platters of garnishes (bean sprouts, picked veggies, and scallions). And these weren't just any plain jane platters. Instead, they used fish-shaped mini saucers and other quaint tableware. A++ for gorgeously plated food. Another winning point is that Elephant Jumps is impeccable and the elephant theme is consistent. I recently reviewed another restaurant that was less concerned with consistency (see Yves Bistro). Despite being a casual dining experience, Elephant Jumps is elegant in an understated way, and it's obvious that the proprietors do pay attention to details. And of course, the food is phenomenal (to me). I think the flavors are on-point and carry the essence of what you would expect from Thai food (an appeal to all five tastes). Maybe it's not exactly like grandma's, but Elephant Jumps makes my tummy and wallet happy.
(5)Jeff K.
I'm from out of town, and I visited Elephant Jumps on a Thursday at 4:45,so there was no one else in the restaurant and the service was quick. I started with the Thai Beef Jerky, and I have to say, it was pretty darn tasty.. Even the sauce was excellent. Then I ordered off the "special" menu - the Gang Hung Lay (curry pork w sticky rice). The flavor was excellent, and the pork consistency reminded me of short ribs that has been simmering all day. The sticky rice was a nice bonus. I would definitely recommend coming here if you like authentic Thai food!
(4)Pragna H.
Pretty standard Thai fare with your usual curries and stir fries. Although these are delish, it's worth venturing out into their authentic Thai menu. Among entrees, I have only sampled the green curry (usually not a fan but this was is pretty good with chock full of veggies, multi-layered flavorful coconut milk based sauce and as spicy as you want it), the drunken noodles (pretty standard, so probably won't get again) and the Ka Na Neua (chinese broccoli, marinated beef, ginger, oyster sauce). The latter is one of the best dishes I have had in a Thai restaurant ever. There is a good balance of meat to veggies to sauce. The sauce definitely has a smokiness to it, but it's not a thick sauce like the curries. It's more of a brothy consistency with a good bit of ginger to it with the bite cooked off. I have also had the Thai seafood soup with basil and it is yum yum yum. It's a brothy soup and not a thick one with a good kaffir lime, lemongrass and basil flavor. There is a generous amount of seafood in the soup with one giant mussel on the half shell. I have heard generally good reviews for the other stuff this restaurant sells. The lunch boxes are definitely a good deal if that's what you are into. The dinner portions (if you are getting from the authentic menu) could be a bit on the smaller side of a really hungry person, so plan accordingly. Solid place in Yorktown plaza. Probably the best Thai place in a few mile radius.
(4)David H.
Very fast and friendly service along with a tasty and filling lunch. The beef drunken noodle lunch has some heat and lots of flavor without being too spicy. Drunken noodles are wide flat rice noodles in a chili, onion, basil flavored sauce. It comes with a couple of shrimp flat bread pieces and soup but I subbed in salad with ginger dressing. I wasn't a big fan of the shrimp bread but the salad was enjoyable. This is a FILLING lunch, especially if you do like I did and try the Thai iced tea which is almost like a sweet dessert. It goes well with your lunch and kills the spice some if you ordered something that's too hot to handle. This is one of the better lunches in the area for the price. I'll be back here.
(4)James G.
On our first day in the DC area our friends took me to dinner at this place in an unassuming strip mall in the Virginia suburbs. The dishes on offer are not your typical Thai restaurant fare, instead they have a very enticing selection of seemingly authentic dishes, including a changing array of specials that are listed on a blackboard (though rather unhelpfully they are listed only with their Thai names, which are completely unfamiliar to most diners, I suspect, so you have to have them explained to you by the waitresses, some of whose English can be a bit hard to comprehend). But the food when it comes is fantastic--very well presented and delicious, with a good amount of spice (though I could have stood for it to be spicier). And if you're at all familiar with the ethnic dining scene in DC, then you'll be impressed to know that Tyler Cowen is a fan, and was even dining at the next table the night I was there!
(4)Dana Z.
I was recommended to come here from a co-worker. He totally talked up the spicy chicken salad. I ordered it Thai hot, which delivered on the heat. Loved that aspect. But overall was disappointed. Same with the drunken noodles. There wasn't very much beef. Even though I live within walking distance, I probably won't be back. They don't hold a candle to Bangkok 54 in Arlington.
(3)Sanjay V.
I have always liked this restaurant but they have been really slacking recently. The other day they took 55 minutes to get a to go order ready(for one person) and made me wait for 25 mins on that at the restaurant. Today, they messed it up again and did not give the lunch portion that I requested for and gave me just the green curry, No rice on the side either like they usually do. They better get their game up.
(1)Charry L.
Their pad thai and green curry are the bomb! Their pad thai is so delicious. Panang curry comes with variety of vegetables. Comparative to other THai restaurants, their serving sizes are just enough for one person (less than other restaurants). But they taste great - delicious. Server was kind too. The location is tucked in the corner so not many people seem to visit; but I would recommend this restaurant.
(4)Gabe S.
This place has a great, whimsical name and I really wanted to love the place, but the food is just so-so. There are definitely better thai restaurants in the dc metro area. One of the things I expect from thai food is a very flavor-forward taste and this was really muted. Will probably not return.
(3)C P.
I love this restaurant. They deliver to my house and prepare some of the tastiest Thai in Fairfax county. I am partial to the Panang Curry, Drunken Noodle, and Thai Basil Fried Rice, though I've never had anything bad. Did I mention that they bring delicious food directly to my house? The soups are also excellent. The sticky rice is tops. My only criticism would be the spice level. I love spicy food. Being a Louisiana native, I grew up eating spicy food. Elephant Jumps offers 4 levels of spice. Mild, Medium, Hot, and Thai Hot. I am a big fan of the Medium or Hot here, but my wife can't handle either. So she orders everything Mild. Sometimes it's perfect, sometimes it completely lacks spice at all. So really, I think everything should be shifted slightly down, so that Mild is without serious spice, but Medium has just a small amount of kick. Also, in response to a previous reviewer who said Thai Hot wasn't hot enough, the owner should just make Thai Hot burn your asshole hot, and not accept any send backs. Anyone who orders the hottest spice level in a Thai restaurant should regret it for days to come.
(5)Kathy M.
Back to Elephant Jumps for lunch, brought a friend to help me give this little gem another shot. All is well!! The food was hot off the grill and both our dishes were very good. My drunken noodles were nicely spicy and the shrimp pad thai very tasty too. The service was outstanding!! The owner of this business is very interested in providing a high quality eating experience. He really listens to his customers. Go eat awesome Thai food at Elephant Jumps!!
(4)Raul G.
Excellent food. Their coconut chicken soup and pineapple fried rice is outstanding. They deliver within 3miles and are quite quick about it usually. Nice place with pretty cool ambiance. Highly recommend. Pros: perfect for delivery or pick up when they are busy. Price appropriate. Cons: they don't answer phone calls when it's busy $20 min for delivery.
(5)Alex S.
I went with several coworkers for lunch, one of whom had recommended the place. The restaurant is tucked away in a corner of Yorktown Square (?) shopping center at the intersection of Gallows and Rt 50, right between the optometrist and an AT&T store. My coworker said the place had not been open very long - my guess is only a few weeks. We all ordered something different. I went with the pad thai shrimp lunch special, which included a small salad and shrimp flatbread for around $8. I'm accustomed to seeing pad thai served with everything more or less layered on top of the noodles. But here everything was tossed together, leaving me to wonder if there were really any mung bean sprouts or egg in it. Thankfully, there was. It was reasonably good - not the best I ever had but clearly not screwed up. (I get pad thai whenever I go to a new thai place, figuring if they can't get that right, there's no hope.) The salad was a few bites of iceberg lettuce topped with corn, beans, cucumber and a peanut dressing. It wasn't much, but the side salads seldom are. The shrimp flatbread was surprisingly good. The bread itself might not be anything special (reminded me of naan) but it was topped with a shrimp mash (not a paste or whole shrimp, but something in between) and appeared to have been baked or broiled. In a word ... nomnomnom! I'd make a trip out there just to have it again. It's a little greasy to make a meal out of it, but it's yummy. The menu isn't up on their site yet, but they had some of the usual thai fare along with a few "east meets west" entrees, including a basil burger and drunken spaghetti. They're too new to warrant 5 stars, but definitely worth a look.
(4)Hannah B.
a) It's tiny, so you don't really need a reservation b) the staff is very nice c) the food was good. we had the usual pad thai, drunken noodles and spring rolls d) be careful getting in here from 50/495 the loops are confusing
(4)Susan S.
We tried this restaurant for the first time tonight and we can't wait to go back. First, the menu is extensive and creative. I've never been to a Thai restaurant that served American food that actually tempted me, but a "croissant basil beef sandwich" sounds like something I have to try, though I'm going to explore the curries first. Tonight, I went with my husband and a friend. We started with the Thai Fresh Roll, which was delicious and very light, and the Roti Green Curry Chicken, which was a little spicy for my husband, though my friend and I loved it. The spice on the Pad Thai was a little higher than I like it. Their "medium" is still a little spicy, but the overall quality of the pad thai was excellent. My husband had fried tofu in brown sauce. He noted that the brown sauce was really nicely done and managed to be flavorful without being too heavy The service was quick and attentive and we got three entrees and two appetizers for less than fifty bucks. Wild horses couldn't keep us from coming back.
(5)T V.
Okay, let me start off by saying that I have read almost all of the reviews and I'm not sure how the rankings are so high. My wife and I recently moved to Fall Church and I was excited to hear that we had a Thai place this close with reviews this good. We ordered delivery and I was very underwhelmed. I wrote the place off, but then while out with friends of ours they mentioned having great Thai food near our home. I was astonished when they said it was Elephant Jumps. We decided that it may have been the "take out" factor. My wife and I checked it out in person. Even more disappointed now. This IS NOT good Thai food people!!! I am Thai and have gone out of my way to try just about every Thai place in DC, MD and NOVA. This was such a disappointment that I will never give them another try. We tried 3 dishes including the Pad Thai. I would say that it almost doesn't even qualify as Thai food. In contrast Thai Noy, in Arlington has some of the best Pad Thai I have ever tasted. If you really want to treat yourself to AMAZING Thai and you find yourself out in Burke VA, Panisa Thai Dining is probably the best place in NOVA. I would say Thai Noy is a close 2nd. If in DC, Teakwood. In MD, Thai Gour. If you like a bad interpretation of Authentic Thai Food, enjoy Elephant Jumps...I will not be seeing you there.
(1)Kelly H.
Not impressed. We've ordered from them about 5 times, and each time our experience is worse. The portions are tiny, and the food tastes Americanized and always like it's missing something. Recently they've discontinued selling green curry dishes, and this was really the only good thing they had going. We give up, and will not be going here again.
(1)Christina B.
I was thrilled to finally have a good excuse to visit to our new neighborhood Thai restaurant. We sooo desperately needed good Thai food here in Annandale/Merrifield. We happened to be in Yorktown center picking up meds for my daughter and decided to go with the kids to try Elephant Jumps. The inside of the restaurant is very clean, comfortable and the service was great. They had highchairs available to us and super nice to the kids. We had Pad Thai Chicken and Thai Beef and Basil (Krapow) and they were both outstanding. I ordered a tom kha gai (coconut chicken spicy soup) and it was exquisite. I only wish I had the option for a bigger bowl, I could have eaten 2 soups. The other thing I liked is having a small spicy tray on the table already. Whoever is doing the cooking really knows his Thai dishes. Looking forward to trying the rest of the menu. The bonus is that they are now delivering and you can see the menu online . I gave them 4 stars because I have only tasted 3 things of the menu.
(4)Lisa R.
Had the druken noodles (aka Pad Kee Mao) It was good, but didn't really show the balance between sweet and salty I look for in this dish. It lacks depth, but it was Thai hot, and still worth trying. I'll probably come back next time I'm craving Thai in the area, and try a curry dish. I will say that Pavarotti playing in the background was odd, but pleasant.
(3)Christina N.
I've been to several Thai restaurants and think Elephant Jumps is the best in terms of budget dining. Its dishes are cooked differently than other Thai restaurants so it's not as generic which I find to be really important - I mean, their entire East-Meets-West menu evidences that! The portion size for their dishes might be on the smaller size but doesn't lack any flavor whatsoever. Their noodle dishes, on the other hand, are way more than enough to get your filling. My favorite to eat would be the Stir Fry Noodles in Brown Sauce (Lad nah) and also the Pad See Ew. Chicken Taro Nest is my favorite outside of the noodle realm. The staff are incredibly nice despite it getting a lil' crazy on some nights, but that's to be expected of a smaller establishment. The owner is very sweet and courteous especially when the food might be too spicy for some customers ;)
(5)Todd Y.
Great food. Service is variable. There's a shave-headed guy who actually didn't give appropriate service, but the food is still great. Highly recommend.
(5)Livia M.
Amazing food. Can make it as spicy as you want. Everything sounded awesome. Thai basil was great. Pineapple fried rice was amazing (got it extra spicy). The fried watercress was strange yet delicious!
(5)Tom N.
Elephant Jumps looks almost as busy as Pho Cyclo during lunch. The decor and setting inside is beautiful. I was disappointed by the Fried Papaya Spicy Salad appetizer; gimmicky battered deep-fried shredded papaya tasted like potato sticks and not spicy at all. Panang Curry has a very slight kick and was not "Thai hot" as advertised, though cooked very well. Pad Thai tasted fresh, but was probably not the best dish here. I ordered poorly considering all the of innovative menu options. Next time, I'll be trying some of the East meets West entrées. They sadly ran out of mango over the weekend, but Fried Banana stuffed with cheese tasted interesting as a dessert. I've never before ran into any Asian dishes with cheese. Look at their menu online and tell me it's not creative.
(4)Bethany C.
Oh My Yum! We will be driving here from Ashburn OFTEN! What a gem of a restaurant tucked away in the Plaza. Tiny stuffed pastry shells and spring roll appetizers, a beef dish, fried Tilapia, scallops to-die-for, scrumptious pad thia shrimp, and then of course Mango and Sticky Rice for dessert. What a foodies delight! We wish for many to enjoy the delights of the Elephant Jumps.
(4)Linda Y.
Delivers!! Chicken with sautéed ginger was a bit salty but good. Pad Thai was good but seemed more Chinese than Thai. Sticky rice and custard is awesome.
(3)John L.
This place has potential. The green curry roti was very good as the appetizer. I ordered the Chicken Satay Burrito and my wife had the Drunken Spaghetti. The Burrito was kind of bland since it only had the chicken and rice inside. The lettuce and corn was on the side. They should have put the veggies inside the burrito to offset the rice. The drucken spaghetti was quite good but it was not as juicy as I would expect. Service was very nice and if we are in the area, we would definitely try it again.
(3)Bill P.
WOW......read Tom S.'s review and headed straight over. He hasn't inked Thai since Panisa in Burke 2 years ago?.....nice small quaint place with Tom owner up front and one server on a brisk Saturday afternoon. TWELVE salads on menu is #1 amongst Thais I know of and 17 apps.....only trails Thai Tanium's 18. Seven desserts on menu also impressive. :) East meets West section of menu looks great and different from 99% of all Thais....Rice in DC does have something similiar to the SPAGHETTI GREEN CURRY CHICKEN $9.95 stir fried spaghetti, green curry, eggplant, mushroom, chicken that I ordered but Elephant's was a large serving and very tasty. I think the spaghetti was wheat based. I will def. be going back to try the sandwiches with croissants and the burritos......what the ?????? Good start and nice bump from Post.....my OTHER Thai friends and owners are LIKE WT ????? How lucky is that? It is skill my friends Tom the owner got the BUZZ going quickly......
(5)nicole h.
I've been going to Elephant Jumps fairly often since it opened since it's just down the street from me and there's a big dearth of good takeout options for there being so many restaurant options. Also dined in and occasionally done delivery, always been fine on all those fronts. Favorites of mine include the chicken cashew with taro nest (never had taro before and it's potatoey, also awesome) and the fried tilapia with ginger sauce. Ordered both a number of times and it's always been consistent. I've jumped around on the apps and enjoyed the snow white soup, papaya salad and elephant jumps salad. I ordered the fresh rolls once and they sliced them up into many small slices... but the knife was obviously dull so the unfried wrapped stuck together and the whole thing fell apart. Aside from the mess, the flavor wasn't really interesting, so I've never been tempted to order them again. Several friends have ordered the green curry and loved it. The only dud I've ever had was their Chicken Pad Thai. Ordered it for takeout and opened it 20 minutes later. The noodles look like they were sauteed in burnt oil and the whole thing was one gelatinous blob. I needed a knife to cut into it and there wasn't a lot of chicken. Cafe Asia definitely has them in this regard. Overall it's a great mom and pop shop, which I love, and everyone there seems dedicated to doing a good job with their customers. Noise level is reasonably, the place is clean and tastefully decorated. Parking is usually not a problem either.
(4)john d.
This Authentic Thai Restaurant can really brighten your senses. I feel relaxed when I'm there, even if its packed. I had the Spicy Coconut Chicken Soup for the first time today. The soup is so rich in vibrant flavors: Thai herb for spiciness ( I prefer Thai Hot), Rich coconut milk, galanga that taste so good you can chew on the marinated root after wards, and melt in your mouth chicken. I am glad I do not have to travel all the way to Thailand to eat good Thai when I can just elephant jump my way over to Elephant Jumps and eat some unforgettable Thai.
(5)Corina M.
Look, I'm just saying - if it's Saturday afternoon and you're looking for me, I'll probably be at Elephant Jumps, basking in the joy of lunch and jasmine tea. I'm never in Falls Church, but we drove by on the way home from a regular Sat afternoon appt, and stopped in because I've been pining for green curry. The name caught our eye; we were greeted by the owner and discussed spices and such, ordered some curries, soup, sticky rice for dessert, and kicked back into the mellow vibe. Love the snow white soup, the perfect soup for a gray winter day, warm and light and delicate, slightly sweet and savory; my partner thought it a bit bland, but raved about the ginger tea - made with actual ginger slices, he is inspired and thoroughly now enamoured of all things ginger. S got the lunch box special, including some egg rolls and a salad that must have been wonderful, as I didn't get a chance to sneak a bite before they had disappeared. Both the red curry (his) and green curry (mine) were delicious - I'm persnickety about the texture and consistency of curries, and these were lovely and thick. And perfectly spicey. So, we'll be there again, after next weekend's appt .. and the one after that, and the one after that ...
(5)DJ T.
Amazing restaurant! I was in the area and felt like eating Thai food for lunch. I got on my mobile Yelp app and chose this place based on the great reviews. It certainly deserves its excellent rating. Elephant jumps is in very new shopping center and the dining room is small and clean. I went with a group and we had drunken noodles, spicy fried rice, and green curry. Everything was absolutely delicious. While those three dishes are very universal across all Thai restaurants, Elephant Jumps really excelled at preparing them w/ a complex depth of flavor I haven't experienced elsewhere. I eat Thai food all the time, and this restaurant really stands out from the pack. I spoke to the owner for a while after our meal. He seemed very passionate about his food and was a genuinely nice guy. I look forward to going again and seeing what else the menu has to offer. Note: I am a big fan of spicy food and definitely can stand up to some heat. We asked for our food to be prepared spicy and were given the choice of getting our food prepared between 1-4 on their spiciness scale. We chose 3 and were sweating and had a hard time w/ our meals despite the fact the food was delicious. I will definitely take it down to a 1 or 2 next time!
(5)Dan G.
Got takeout as we wanted to try this place for awhile. Portions were large and very good! We got a variety of entrees and apps as we had 3 adults and 1 kid eating. We also got 3 of the 4 spicy levels. Thai hot, their hottest, was hot but still allowed you to taste the food-something not always capable when getting a Thai restaurants hottest spicy level. Definitely would get takeout, delivery, or eat at this restaurant again! Really looking forward to having food from here in the near future!
(4)Sherrie G.
i dare venture to say this is THE BEST THAI FOOD in va and likely the best deal too. looking forward to a return visit to try all the dishes! thumbs up: - crazy long menu selection - clean and well lit - friendly service - excellent food for great value (most items under $10)
(4)Dane C.
Well this was the 3rd time I tried the food here. (See my other review for the first time). The 2nd time I ordered the chicken panang. I asked for American hot and it was too spicy for me to eat. The 3rd time tonight I ordered the shrimp panang again...this time med hot. The flavors were almost there & it was the perfect heat however the dish very much lacked. There were no veggies, no herbs, nothing that would add texture to the dish. It was just broth (which was more watery than other panangs I've tried) & shrimp. The shrimp hinted of a little fishy aftertaste. If I were to drive a little further to Thai by Thai in Fairfax I would've save $2 for same dish that would've gotten me bigger shrimps, veggies, thicker broth & toast to sop up the leftover broth. This will be my last order here.
(1)Christine G.
Good Thai food. The drunken noodle and Thai basil chicken were delicious. Peanut sauce dishes were not as good as the others. Ordered takeout, and the restaurant is set up odd as you have to walk through all the tables to get to the register. The restaurant was packed, and everything on the people's plates looked amazing. Wish the portions were a little larger.
(4)Rhonda B.
Great meal! Good service! Especially liked the drunken noodles, eggplant, and elephant jumps salad! The dumpllings were also good. Easy to order to many fried dishes, but they were mostly good. The fried watercress just tasted like deep fried anything. Disappointed that they didn't have mango sticky rice. but appreciated that they told us that they didn't use the mangoes because they weren't good. We'll definately go back!
(4)Be Z.
It's OK, but expensive for just ok food. It's very inconsistent, sometimes it's good and other times, it's greasy and very mediocre. Their food is exceedingly spicy hot. If you don't like really really hot, make sure you tell them mild (even the med. will have you sweatin).
(2)