The Smiling Elephant

Best Thai food in Nashville, hands down. They never miss. The portions are always super large, so a lot of my friends have leftovers to bring home. This is authentic Thai Food, and you can tell because all the servers and cooks are Thai. Their Pad See Ew is 11/10, just PHENOMENAL. The wide noodles are almost melt in the mouth, and the flavor just brings it to comfort-food elite level.I know they also have won awards upon awards for their Pad Thai, which seems to be the best in Nashville as well. Any noodle dish here will please. My friends have also gotten their fried rice and loved it. Also, their Thom Kha Kai (coconut curry soup) is delicious as well. You really just can't go wrong with The Smiling Elephant.The only thing I wouldn't get again is their Cashew Chicken, but that's just because I was spoiled with some of the best Cashew Chicken I've had when I went to Thailand, and this doesn't compare flavor-wise.We also got the Mango Sticky Rice once, and it came with a whole half mango. I mean, come on.There is usually a bit of a wait, around 20-40 minutes depending on the night, but I really do think it's worth it. There is a bench outside to wait on if it's not too cold. The parking situation is a little weird, since their parking up top is pretty limited, but they have a whole parking lot down a little hill that always has room.

The food was good. The green bean noodle is a bit too firm, get the regular rice noodle. Food came out fast. Good service. Reasonable prices. The only thing I didnt like was the pad se eww used pad thai noodles and the pad thai used pad se eww noodles. It was a bit strange

Very fast and nice service. The chicken pad Thai was delicious and the servings are pretty big ( I had plenty of leftovers). Parking lot is a little difficult so I recommend getting there when they open.

Here we go again - looking for great food before a Nashville SC game at Geodis park and decided we'd try some local Thai food just down the street....here's what we found:Ambiance: Super quaint but difficult parking for this place. Thankfully we weren't in a rush and we found a spot right up top. Very basic interior filled with all kinds of magazine awards and "best of" awards covering the walls as well as your traditional Thai decorations (Royal Family / King, etc...) however I did not see the golden cat with the waving arm....lolFood:Great food regardless of what you order....clearly we did not have everything on the menu but from what we could see around us many different plates were evident and everyone was enjoying to the Nth degree! The potstickers were awesome and the ginger sauce was top notch - i added it to my pork and fried egg dish which was also amazing! Highly recommend!Price:A bit pricey for Thai but for all their awards and "best of" clearly they can charge a bit of a premium! Pay it - you won't regret it!Service:Typical - not overly friendly but again it's cultural and a business they are running which they run on efficiency, speed and quality. This is what you come here for - not to be best buddies with your server or bartender (which they don't have anyway as they don't serve alcohol$.Summary:COME HERE / EAT THE FOOD and ENJOY! A GR8 PLACE! KEEP MUNCHING!!!!

Great spot to get Thai food, their coconut custard is incredible. They are one of the more known spots in Nashville with all their awards and nominations hung for everyone to see. The food is always fantastic and the service is outstanding. Only down side is their parking lot which for the overflow is literally down hill.

Just wanted to add photos of my recent order. I stepped out of my comfort zone and ordered something I've never had! I ordered Pad Kee Mao and it was different but so good! It did need a little salt but once I added salt it couldn't be more perfect. Just a comforting dish of stir fried noodles and veggies! I got Thai hot but thankfully they gave me a few little sides of spicy so I can make it spicier. I love super super spicy tho. And I ordered the sticky rice in Banana leaf which I think had red beans in it and some sort of yummy filling, it was truly delicious! And I ordered the coconut custard which as always delicious. It's super light and subtle in flavor, slightly sweet. Literally love this place. And the customer service is so great, they are super friendly!! The authenticity here will always bring me back!

Amazing food, service was excellent and the dining experience was perfect from beginning to end!

If I could give 11 stars I would, OMG! THE BEST PAD THAI I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE! We thought the name was so cute, but when we left we were two smiling elephants. On the negative side, if you happen to sit the far left and the back corner next to the wall and window, there's no insulation in all your food will get cold really fast.I even asked the waitress if everybody that sits here first orders, hot tea, and a hot soup The soup is OK I just got cold really fast so I couldn't finish it but thatPad Thai Oh my goodness still dreaming about it. The place was packed, a line out the door . Who would've thunk it I'd have the best pad Thai I've ever had in my life in Nashville Tennessee.

Great tasting food that is packed with flavor without over seasoning. Highly recommend to anyone in the area.

If you're looking for very authentic Thai food in Nashville, look no further! It was super busy on a weeknight so be sure to arrive early to put your name on the list. Every dish was packed with flavor and care. The interior is tightly packed, it gets a little loud and crowded, but it's all part of the charm and the food is well worth it!