Blue Elephant

Looks… can be deceiving.
I’ve heard and read a lot of great things about this place… but actually the taste was just so-​so. There are much better Thai places in Auckland! I ordered the fresh spring rolls and the green curry. The spring rolls were average. It was fresh, but almost tasteless… and when I dipped it in the sauce, the sauce was too overpowering. Certainly a bit of a let down.
The chicken green curry — portion size was good! You get a large bowl with plenty of meat and vegetables. However, the curry itself was too runny, and had a strange before– and after-​taste… almost chemically tasting??? I can’t quite describe it… but it wasn’t smooth nor creamy like how I imagined/​like my green curry. So… I probably won’t come back here again, but the atmosphere is quite good for a friends gathering. If you sit outside, they provide blankets and a really warm outdoor heater. The service was as expected.

It is not easy to find. The environment is good, and the stuff there are so friendly.
The food is tasty but the rice is not so good.

Delicious, authentic but creative Thai. Best we’ve had in Auckland. The stirfries were probably the lacking in lustre somewhat, but still tasty, stars of the show were the Chef specials. We had the special curry and seafood special and they were incredibly delicious.
Service was very friendly but also quite slow. Good wine list.
Décor is lovely.
Prices consistent with Parnell, but worth it for how good the food was. :)
Recommended.

Blue elephant is one of my favourite restaurants in Auckland. We went there a couple of years ago. We had one of the best dining experiences. And we returned to celebrate a special occasion. I have had my share of thai food experiences but I can hands down say these guys are one of the best in what they do.
We were a party of 4 so we could sample a wider spread than usual.
Entrée —
We had vegetarian Satay with peanut sauce, fresh spring roll and tom kha pak soup.
The satay was beautiful and a great start to the entire meal. The spring roll was fresh and beautifully presented however flavour wise it was the sweet sour soy sauce and the green chilli sauce combined that took it to another level.
I could write a whole chapter on the tom kha pak soup. It was so good I could have a happy cry. The flavours were incredible and stunning.
Mains —
Thai fried rice which was a great dish. Medium hot packed with flavour.
Vegetarian red panang curry — I sampled this based on the recommendation of other Unilocalers. I wasn’t disappointed. Lived up to it every mouthful. This is also on the must have list.
Peanut tofu sauce with veggies — the sauce again was incredible. Not a stand out dish like the red panang curry but almost there. This is a good supporting main for want of variety.
Dessert — Steamed sticky rice pudding served with banana and vanilla icebreaker. We ordered this the first time we went there and fell in love with this authentic thai dessert. We re — ordered it this time to experience the love again. But it was a let down. The first time perfect version was this warm steamed bed of rice pudding coating an almost mashed banana melting in the mouth with vanilla icecream. One has to taste it to appreciate it although it sounds simple.
This time we got a slightly on the dry side version and an undercooked banana which was a shame because if this was perfect like our first time we could have finished our meal on a high note.
Anyway having said that the staff hospitality is stellar and are very open to feedback. They are extremely helpful and also great at making suggestions. We were also treated to a nice hot lemon scented towel for freshening up mid meal which was a very nice touch.
Blue Elephant is a restaurant I would definitely go back to and I highly recommend.

This restaurant ticks all the boxes:
— authentic and fresh thai food (try the Aroy DeeThai herb wrap and the Blue Elephant friends… awesome!) The presentation of the plates is so delicate you almost don’t dare eating.
— a very attentive and friendly staff
— a romantic and cosy atmosphere
I tried three different thai restaurants in Auckland and this one is by far the best.

I had heard good things about this place but was unfortunately disappointed when I tried it out. I’m not sure if there just aren’t other Thai offerings available in Auckland, but I found it to be very average Thai food, and quite expensive to boot (20USD+ per entrée). The décor is very pretty, but IMO quite secondary when the food fails to deliver. The restaurant is very small so it may be advisable to make a reservation on busy nights. There are many establishments on Parnell Road and I imagine there must be better options available. If you are a Thai food afficionado, go elsewhere and save yourself the disappointment.

By far the best Thai food in Auckland. The food is always fresh, hot and so tasty that we will drive 30 minutes just to get takeaway. The staff are so friendly and it is our favorite place to eat in Auckland!

This little gem of a Thai restaurant is located down the cobblestone path from Parnell Road near the ANZ. Look for the painted elephant footprints on the ground and follow them to Blue Elephant. The interior is very well-​appointed with beautiful original timber flooring and makes you feel like you have completely left Parnell.
The staff is attentive, polite and quick in providing service. Where Blue Elephant excels is the quality of their food. In particular their Red Curry panang is the best I have had in Auckland. While their are other Thai restaurants in Parnell this really is the best of the bunch.
Honestly, just writing this review is making my mouth water thinking about their red curry…

I have no idea why it took me so long to go to this place. Since then have been back several times.
This is nicely tucked away off Parnell Rise, so it is nice and quiet. The staff are extremely friendly, and you are well looked after.
The menu is fantastic, not too many options, but each dish sounds great, and the few I’ve tried haven’t disappointed.
Be sure to book a table before hand, this is a very small space. Fantastic spot for a special occasion, a «fancy» date night, or you even just feel like splashing out of some fantastic Thai food.
Take-​away menu available as well.

Teaspoons, they give you teaspoons to use with dessert! I love teaspoons because I usually eat too fast, so this time I got to savor the taste of a delicious deep fried banana with ice cream.
Tablespoons, I’m glad I was given a table spoon for the Penang curry we ordered, I couldn’t get enough! It was the best Penang I’ve tasted… Ever.
I cannot fault the food served here, I told them to give compliments to the chef multiple times, it was that good.
Now that you understand how much I enjoyed the food, you’ll realize that when I say the quality of service from the staff was better than the food, that it was quite incredible. They were so friendly: making menu recommendations, explaining some Thai traditions, giving us good advice on where to spend our time in New Zealand; they were all wonderful.
All in all, you have to try it. I’ll be going there again.