The Elephant Walk

We hosted our rehearsal dinner at Elephant Walk last week and I’m so glad we did!
We had a private room downstairs with personal, attentive waitstaff. The prix-​fix menu was incredible and the prices were great. They even personalized the menu for our event. All of our guests were happy with the food, which isn’t easy with 40+ people!
Julie was one of the best event coordinators we worked with in our entire wedding process.
Thank you!

A few years back, I went to Elephant Walk, and found the cocktails to be lacking alcohol and the entrée portions to be small. Not so anymore! Now the cocktails are perfect and the plates maybe too large, making a doggie bag perfect for a second meal at lunch the next day.
This is a great place to go for delicious, inspired, healthy food. And it’s great for vegan diners and folks looking for gluten-​free options. Highly recommended!

I hadn’t been here in years; for some reason it had fallen off my radar. Returned for a large birthday party, and I’m so glad I came back! Great service, delicious and varied dishes, interesting cocktails, and a nice wine selection.

Inspite of making reservations at this place I had to wait for really long. We had a Saturday dinner at 8 pm. The food was ok except for their soups. Its a bigger place and you see lots of family dining ambience.
I tried the typical Cambodian entrée with shrimp sauteed with spicy cambodian satay sauce which was good. My friend had a Tenderloin steak which was ok.
They seem to have ample parking options so that was good but besides that they are conveniently located close to Porter Square T Stn. or Davis Square T.

I had the prix fix menu at lunch and it was wonderful. Refined and tasty three course meal for $ 25 seems very reasonable to me. Beautiful interiors and good service rounded out the experience.

Love this place. The service is always on point as well as the dishes!
Last night I had the spring rolls (for the 3^rd time!) They are just too good to resist. Seriously people, these aren’t your average buffet spring rolls, these come with mint and bean sprouts and an excellent sauce to dip in!
I also had the fried cat fish special. That was outrageous as well. It wasn’t spicy but with the tomatoes and cilantro there was a very strong broth that bounced perfectly off of the mildness of the fish.
I also had a bite of the short ribs which were served in a rich almost sweet sauce. I recommend all of the above!!!
And if you keep your eyes peeled you can have all that with a groupon for just $ 7. #winning
Even without the groupon I would absolutely be back. It’s a little pricier with the entrees mostly being $ 20+ but so far everything I’ve tried has been delish. nom nom nom.

Very disappointed in this once-​great establishment. If three stars = adequate, then elephant walk deserves two stars at best. The appetizer (a shrimp soup) was the one highlight.
We had to send the trout dish back, it was distinctly «fishy»; obviously not fresh. The other orders we had were barely worth the time it took to eat them – not disgusting but not worth the price.
This place used to be wonderful-​flavorful and fresh. Now it’s not even hitting the quality of decent take out. Management needs to come in and bring back flavor, creativity, and style.
I woke up today after having eaten there, paid nearly $ 200, and told my wife «that dinner sucked».
Service was fine. Good wine offerings – thank god because you needed something to take your mind off the food.

I have loved this place for years, but recently it has suffered. The Cambodian Salad which was a favorite — lots of chicken and peanuts — was dreary and dry. Too much liquid in many dishes. Not sure what’s going on here. Go, but be critical. They need to not be lazy and return to their former glory. Freindly staff.

It’s been over a week since I have been to The Elephant Walk, but it was so memorable that I had to follow through with this review. I went in on my birthday for dinner, and I was extremely excited because my friends had explained how much I would enjoy this restaurant. I was pleased beyond my expectations!
My friends and I shared all that we ordered. We had a wonderful bottle of wine, which the server recommended one of the two Malbecs they had to offer. My favorite entrée was the Loc Lac, everyone would love that entrée, with the exception of Vegans.
Our server was exceptional! I cannot wait to go again! Happy Dining!

What a fantastic experience! We did the prix fix menu with four courses and oh boy was it amazing. I had the Roleaux with pork, the duck polenta, the quinoa/​eggplant lasagna and the passion fruit tart. If you’re not drooling by the end of this then you don’t know what you’re missing!

After my rave first review, naturally I made multiple return trips. My last few experiences were «eh.»
I didn’t experience anything completely horrible, but on my second to last visit there, service was SLOW. It took awhile for our waitress to acknowledge us, and this went on through our entire meal.
I’m not too excited over the menu anymore. I typically get the luc lac (cubed beef with jasmine rice over lettuce), which is pretty good. The meat is juicy and marinated well.
My boyfriend got the spare ribs, and his dish looked nothing like the picture we saw on Unilocal.He only got three tiny pieces of meat. Not worth 19.50.
I’ll only go here if I get a Groupon deal (which is what we have been using on previous visits). Otherwise, this place is slight overpriced for what it’s worth. This has become the place we go to when we have no clue where else to go rather than when we want a unique dining experience.

Was a little hesitant, French /​Cambodian? But it works and works well. Very nice décor and trendy atmosphere, the restaurant is deceiving in size and we sat in the downstairs cellar area, pretty cool with original stone walls peaking through in some areas.
We tried spring rolls and duck crepes for apps and both were incredible especially the rolls.
For mains, Boeuf bourguignon was outstanding, i’ll run back for that alone, however it was impossible to choose which was the winner from the 3 we tried, the short ribs were juicy and sticky sweet with a slight kick, the Loc Lac were delicious morsels of beef also juicy and popping with flavor.
All our mains were served with fresh jasmine rice, an excellent sponge for the tasty sauce on the bourguignon and short ribs.
Prices were reasonable and service was prompt and personable, plenty of parking at the rear of the building, all in all a great dining experience.

I tend to agree with most other reviewers, but I think they are too harsh/​and /​or too cheap.
The appetizers are great — especially the rolls.
The main dishes were good too.
I think the issue arises from too many Cambridge-​centric guests who expect cheaper prices. Its a legitimate restaurant with a nice interior, and they are charging as such. If you want cheaper food, that’s less interesting, go elsewhere.
I would go again.

Staff was good. There is no question about that.
The two stars is for the food.
My party of five ordered a good variety.
Here’s my meal:
Duck with lobster ravioli
Duck was really dry, thank goodness for the skin left on it or you would be chewing forever. Te lobster ravioli was the worst offender. We got two portions of this and both had hard and almost stale ravioli.
The veggies were good though. The sauce did seem out of place but that’s a personal note.
My girlfriend got the lok loc, and it was really bland. The rice came out overdried, perhaps too long under the heat lamps. The veggies were wilted, old, not fresh.
Besides the taste being average, I’m not even going to complain about that. But the fact that it’s served with old wilted veggies and dried rice really made this experience poor.
For the price, I really expected more food quality from this restaurant. I hope the owners can learn from this review to increase food quality.
The good stuff:
That duck appetizer with the shiitake mushrooms was amazing. If the whole meal was like that, this would be a four star meal.
Shame.
Desert came: the sorbet presentation was cute. And tasted good!
Our party of five: Four voted 2
One voted 4
She ordered the Cambodian trout and the cured salmon appetizer. So… I’d go with her picks of you go.

I wasn’t too impressed with my meal here. The food is quite pricey and the portion was below average. The Amok Royal was decent and pretty unique of a dish, I would recommend trying it. The dish I got had sliced beef, bell peppers and rice and was just okay. The atmosphere also wasn’t intimate or romantic as you would expect from a higher tier priced restaurant.

My boyfriend is not a picky eater — he actually only despises two restaurants, one of it now being this establishment.
We bought a Groupon after hearing much hype about this place — I’m Vietnamese so I was excited to try a fusion restaurant. We ordered: Loc Lac, Nyoum Sarai (spicy salad), pork spare ribs, duck crêpe, and the Chimera cocktail. The only thing we liked was probably the salad.
The loc lac is also a Vietnamese dish and for 7 dollars in Dorchester, you can get a tastier, more tender version of this failed attempt at fusion or basic steak cooking. The pork spare ribs come out with 3 inch-​sized cubes with a smattering of rice. The duck crêpe, although innovative, was sadly too salty to actually taste anything.
As with other reviews, the place was crowded so make reservations. It’s conveniently located right outside a bus stop or near the Porter T station. Service was very spotty to non existent — I think the water guy was more consistent than the waitress.
In essence, it’s a terrible value. You really do expect more flavor, if not quantity, for a steak dish that costs $ 18. The value and the pretentious vibe with incredibly forgettable flavor makes this place a pass.

I have to say I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. We went here for dinner, and while the overall experience was okay, it could have been a lot better. I had called in to make a reservation, but the employee up front forgot to enter it into the computer. We ended up waiting about 15 minutes for a table, which isn’t terrible, but pretty unexpected given the price of the restaurant. They didn’t handle it up front with much grace, but the floor manager did apologize to us before seating us. My fiancé thought they probably should have offered us a free dessert to make it all better (and if I were manager I would have), but alas they didn’t.
The appetizer spring roles were really good and my dinner was amazing. My fiancés fish though, while costing $ 23’s, was honestly sub par. We make fish every once in a while at home with nothing special and honestly the fish here simply didn’t taste any better than what we make (maybe even worse). So my experience was pretty good, but my fiancés not so much.
It is a beautiful restaurant with a nice bar downstairs. The service was okay, nothing special though. Honestly, it’s a 3.5 star quality restaurant from our experience.

Really good food but slightly overpriced. The loc lac is a hit as is the rouleaux appetizer. K got a really kick ass noodle dish with chicken but I can’t remember what it was called. I got the strak with fingerling potatoes which was also delicious and cooked very nicely. Definitely worth checking out, maybe a good idea to make reservations.

I’ve been here several times and usually order the Salade Cambodgienne «Shredded cabbage, carrot and chicken with red bell pepper, onion, crushed peanut, mint, asian basil and tuk trey» this is the best salad EVER!
However, this last visit I decided to try something new so I ordered Amok Royal «A cambodian signature dish — a spicy, steamed, custard-​like preparation of fresh crab, shellfish and asian grouper with coconut milk and complex khmer seasonings; garnished with cilantro and red bell pepper» OMG I think I was fed a can of Fancy Feast. It was the worst meal I’ve had in a really long time. The fish mush was dry and the flavors didn’t sit well with my palate.
Fortunately, I had I wonderful server who noticed I didn’t enjoy (left it on the plate bcz I NEVER send food back) the meal and offered me a free appetizer so I ordered my favorite salad and the night ended pleasantly.
Pros:
Location
Parking
Amazing fresh bread
Nice unusual dishes
Great ambiance
No reservation needed
Cons:
Luck of the draw with the dishes
A bit pricy (if you’re looking for cheap eats)

I was disappointed with Elephant Walk especially after the fantastic appetizer! We ordered the duck crêpe, which although a bit heavy for an appetizer (make sure you share), was absolutely delicious. The sauce for the crêpe was very well done and savory. Then things went downhill with our dinner. I ordered the noodle dish which was greasy and not all that flavorful. The tofu mixed in with the noodles was extremely thin and chewy. I also had some of my boyfriend’s Amok Royal which was described as spicy and «custard like.» The dish was none of those two things. Instead it was more like ground fish mixed together. I expected more from Elephant Walk.
On the plus side, the service was decent and the décor was warm and welcoming.

Was there for a bridal party. Awesome food and wine. (White Pinot from Oregon is a must-​try). Great staff too.

i love the elephant walk. it is seriously amazing. i definitely need to talk up two of the things on their menu: the filet de thon saisi aux deux coulis pimentes and the vegan rouleaux. the filet de thon saisi is tuna in these delicious sauces with these big, crispy ravoli filled with pear and scallions. think: scallion pancake dipped in delicious curry sauces. so good. the rouleaux are basically fancy egg rolls, but you wrap them in greens and dip them in a delicious, thin sauce. mouthwatering.
i agree with others who have said that the price is a little high for what you get and for the atmosphere. dont get me wrong, its a great meal, but its not something i get that frequently. with that said though, i have been to all of their locations in boston and the greater boston area, and i havent ever left disappointed. the décor is a little cheesy, and i think that considering the prices, it could stand to have a little more romantic of a feel to it. i dont think that the décor really trows off from the experience though.
in general, i love this place and return when i want a good meal that i can count on or if i want to treat guests from out of town to a unique, delicious meal.