What a find this place is! I was happy to see so many restaurants with a good variety of vegan offerings, but this place was a step up from the usual Asian fare you can find in most towns-- and good service to boot! Prices were not out of line, nice place, good food. What more could a hungry traveler ask for? My wife & I liked it plenty.
Pros: Great food, Reasonable prices, Nice vibeGreen Elephant in Portland, Maine is one of my very favorite vegan restaurants! They also offer a few entrees that are vegetarian. The meal I usually order is one of their wonderful soups or their oyster mushrooms as an appetizer (be ready to share, as the oyster mushroom dish is plenty for two people), and then the Peanut Curry; it is the best curry I have tasted anywhere, even in Thailand! Green Elephant also offers a few organic, vegan wines; the waitstaff will bring you a small glass to taste first to make sure you are happy with your choice.
Vegan or not, I tell everyone about Green Elephant if they are anywhere near Portland, as their food is perfectly prepared, absolutely delicious, and beautifully presented. The waitstaff is courteous, kind, and knowledgeable. But make reservations; this small restaurant is always full for dinner, and at most lunchtimes.
Our party of three had two vegetarians and one omnivore who's happy to
eat veg (and indeed picked out this place).
We all instantly agreed on the brussels sprouts appetizer, which was
indeed very good. We had intended to have only one appetizer, but one
of their specials was the Tempura Asparagus Salad with fiddleheads
taking the place of asparagus, and all three of us are fiddlehead
fans. We were still reluctant, but the waiter pushed us a little, so
we gave in to temptation. However, the tempura completely overwhelmed
the fiddleheads, resulting in a generic tempura taste and an otherwise
unremarkable surrounding salad (though the ingredient quality was
indeed quite good). That was our only odd note.
My partner had the Hot and Sour Noodle Soup and reported that it was
very good. I had the Tofu Tikka Masala. If you don't have strong
expectations based on having eaten authentic chicken tikkas before, or
at least are willing to set them temporarily aside, this is a very
good dish (though the masala sauce was just a bit too sweet, in the
way US cooking of Indian food can often be).
We didn't have any dessert, being full from the extra appetizer. The
beer on tap was good.
I wouldn't rank the dinner as spectacular, but perhaps it was my fault
for veering off the Thai theme on my main dish. It was certainly very
good, and a good all-veg concept: enough fake meat for those who want
that, enough food without fake meat for people who don't. As a
result, Green Elephant will probably be my first stop the next time in
Portland (though I'll be hoping for slightly more wow the next time).
The food was healthy, presented beautifully and delicious. I had the green rolls and spring rolls, my husband had the panang. For dessert we had the seasonal mango sorbet. Everything was excellent, really clean and refreshing.
Pros: healthy, friendly staff, good valueOUT STANDING FOOD,GREAT SERVICE,CANT WAIT TO GO AGAIN,
Pros: EXCELLENT FOOD, HEALTHY, FRIENDLY STAFFThe green elephant has my favorite dish to date. I have been there numerous times and NEVER disappointed. Taken many meat eaters there and they also loved the food. Wish I was staying in Portland. But, this resturant would make it worth a return visit.
Pros: Food, Service, Friendly staffWonderful vegan friendly menu, and excellently prepared food. Small, friendly cafe environment. Portion sizes are perfect, and the freshness of the food is excellent. Attention to detail in the menu, ingredients, and preparation is wonderful, and ~invisible~ if you know what I mean? When in Portland, Green Elephant is my restaurant of choice.
Pros: Chef!, Menu, DetailEven my meat eater friends are always blind-sided by this place's awesomeness!
My husband and I ate at the Green Elephant twice during an Acadia/Penobscot Bay vacation in July. Our plan had been to try it and Silly's during our two stops in Portland, but we ate at the Elephant on our first night and were hooked. We enjoyed our first dinner there with a non-vegan friend, and she is STILL talking about it as one of the best meals she's eaten in a long time, if ever. We loved the decor and ambience, the staff was courteous and attentive without being intrusive, the restaurant and restrooms were very clean, the portions generous and prices reasonable, and the food - oh my! We could hardly wait to go back. Between us on our two visits we had the Far East "Duck" (that was me both times, and just the thought of it has me drooling on my keyboard!), Tofu Tikka Masala, the Tofu & Vegetable Teriyaki, appetizers of Roti Chanai and Green Leaf Wraps with Mango & Herbs, and the Chocolate-Orange Mousse and Key Lime Pies. Everything was utterly delicious and beautifully prepared and presented. Their online menu doesn't include the desserts, I think because they change with the seasons, but I can tell you there are no words to describe how elegant and divine ours were. (Rich, too!)
We appreciate that all their "meats" are made from locally produced, organic soy, and that their menu is all vegan (with one very easily veganized exception.)
My only "con" is that we don't have daily access to The Green Elephant! (Which may be a good thing financially, since I doubt I could stay away!) :-)
Pros: The food! (All vegan w/one exception), The ambience & service, Locally made organic soy "meats"We loved the food and atmosphere. Portlanders are lucky to have such a great restaurant!
Pros: Food, Choices, ServiceSought out this restaurant in Portland for VEGAN food. Had a wonderful experience, and highly recommend this restaurant. Great atmosphere, very clean, really helpful and friendly staff. We had appetizers and an entree for a good price and although we were too full from our meal to have desert that night we returned on another night and got the VEGAN pumpkin cheesecake to go-awesome! Wonderful meal. Enjoy.
This is my favorite veg/vegan place to go ever. I am from Boston and I thought they had the best places ever, but when the Green Elephant opened it put them to shame. Adorable place, clean, great service, and the best vegan food I've had in my life. It's almost all vegan, a couple of the dishes come with egg but you can order them without egg and it's vegan. Must try SOY NUGGETS!
Pros: amazing food, great location, cool atmosphereI was in Portland for a meeting over the weekend, and had both lunch and dinner there on Saturday. The restaurant is clean, nicely furnished and conveniently located. The food was fresh, tasty and nicely presented. The service was friendly and paced just right. Both desserts I had were excellent. I found the prices fair for the amount and quality of the food. My only complaint is that they are not open on Sunday, as I would have returned to try other items on their extensive menu. Their menu is broad enough so that a raw food vegan would be able to order a couple of appetizers and salads, and a transitional vegetarian would be able to order dishes with mock meat.
Pros: friendly staff, cleanliness, quality of foodMy fiance and I ate here in September 2008. The menu is mostly vegan...there are only a few items that are not. The choices were amazing - everything was!
The atmosphere is beautiful, service was very good, and the food was amazing - they even had vegan desserts!
This is one of the best Asian-fusion veg restaurants we've been to, and that includes NYC and Boston. The food, atmosphere, location and service are all excellent. Some of the best "Soy Nuggets" anywhere ! Everything we had was top notch, and the place is packed every time we've been by there, now we know why. From what I've been told, the owner checks each dish on the way out of the kitchen. A fantastic arrival for the Portland area veg community.
We were in Portland for a conference for 5 days, and this restaurant was not listed on HappyCow yet because they had just opened that week. We just happened to walk by it. Wow, what great food, excellent service, and a lovely atmosphere. Such a treat for a vegetarian from the land of BBQ and meat (Alabama). This rivals any veg restaurant we have been to in Chicago or NYC. Good prices, super fake meat, and very creative menu. I can not recommend them enough.
Pros: NoneThe green elephant has charm, Excellent service, and very good food. The elephant has a pleasant atmosphere nice for a date, business meeting or a family meal. The service is wonderful. I was served by Katie and Amanda who couldn't have been any sweeter or more helpful. The food is served in a very aesthetically pleasing manner. We tried the teriyaki tofu which was cooked well and very tasty . The Vege Pho was a little bland but had good content, and Citrus Spare Ribs had a great zesty flavor. As for appetizers the roti cania was okayish but a little boring and the fried wontons were superb. The hot and sour soup was probably the only dish i didn't enjoy there as the broth was almost like it came from an instant soup. All in all (besides the soup) everything was delicious with flaws. The vegetables amd mock meat in the main dishes tasted fresh but i think their choice of vegetables takes away friom the authenticity of their predominantly asian menu (for example someone in the kitchen seems to be infatuated with butternut squash?!?). I also feel that while some of the flavors were great nothing was exceptional. My biggest complaint here is that it is definitely slightly overpriced. As of now the main dishes for dinner range from 9 to 13 dollars, if they were to lower their prices for everything by between 1 to 2 dollars it would really raise this restaurants standing in my eyes and I bet this would catch on as a place not for an occasional meal but a regular or weakly one. Due to these flaws i am not sure i would be quite as satisfied with this restaurant if it was in a more vegetarian city, but for portland maine this is a jewel that must be cherished.
Pros: very nice atmosphere, Quality, diversified food, A++ service
In my mind, restaurants that do an extensive amount of vegetarian offerings have a better sense of creative cooking. This is just a good restaurant, period. I don't eat in Portland all that much, but it's among my favorites...right up there with Asmara, Street and Co., Fore St., and Pepper Club.
Pros: Good Value (Nothing over $15), Excellent (and creative) food
Given the choice to eat anywhere in the Portland area this would be my first choice. My husband and i are both vegans and it makes it hard to find trust worthy places to eat out. I love that the menu marks "vegan" on all items that are vegan so there is no question. In addition everything on the menu is vegan or can be made to be vegan, which is awesome. The resturant is very nicely decorated, the wait staff has always been nice and helpful and never to in your face like some places. The prices aren't to bad. I reccomend the peanut curry! hope this place makes it and sticks around for a long time, i know we will continue to come back at least once a month.
Pros: tasty!, great atmosphere, lots of vegan foodMy husband and I ate here for the first time and were, at first, almost overwhelmed by the choices. So many times when we go to a restaurant we eat not what we might choose but what is available for vegetarian fare. Everything on the menu looked appealing. We began with the Spicy Salad which lived up to its name. In addition to the great dressing, there were nicely fried tofu pieces and light crispy noodles on top. My husband had the Masala curry which was well spiced and very tasty. I was intrigued at the sound of duck on watercress flambe. While the taste was great, it was not as I envisioned it so was slightly disappointed. I love watercress but never had it cooked before. This may also be a different variety of watercress than the one I am used to. It seemed to me to be a bunch of stems, a bit tough and chewy for my taste. Had I not expected it to be different,however, I might have been quite happy with it. The garlic sauce was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the "duck" and brown rice. A side of squash had amazing flavor.
The room is attractive and we enjoyed seeing the cars and passersby on Congress Street. The waitstaff was pleasant and did a fine job.
We hope the Green Elephant does well as we hope to come back frequently.
Pros: lots of great choices, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, good valueMy husband and I just went to the Green Elephant last night and had a great meal. It was particularly impressive because unlike alot of veggie restaurants, this place is a complete package.
The waitstaff wasn't zoned out, the restaurant wasn't messy, the menu selections weren't limited, and the prices weren't bad.
Instead, the waitstaff were sincere and personable -- not overbearing. The place was without pretense, the menu was well focused, and while the prices weren't dirt cheap, they were appropriate.
In other words... these folks know what they do well, they know their target audience, and they get a nice crowd. Their wine list is also well selected and very reasonable, price-wise.
Oh yes! The food! It was right on.... I mean... well executed, not gratuitous, and you could tell their hearts were in it. The menu is southeast asian, and they have a limited but tasty dessert menu. The vegan cheesecake was clearly homemade and quite satisfying. Right now, this is definitely in the top tier for New England, in my opinion.
Pros: nice wine list, knowledgeable waitstaff, authentic food
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I'd like to let you know that The Green Elephant's open on Sunday for dinner from 5pm-9pm. Monday we're closed. Thank you very much for your great review.