The Golden Elephant in St Albans

We arrived at what appeared a charming, characterful, old building. That was the highlight! Inside is the opposite and we were greeted with "your table is down there, second on the left" To give you some insight, I have been to Thailand many times, have many Thai friends and have eaten Thai cuisine with them, in Thailand and many Thai restaurants. The food we were served in the Golden Elephant is not representative of Thai food nor good, well cooked fresh food of any description. The Chinese mushrooms with bamboo shoots was in fact 3/4 of one close cupped mushroom with some very soggy out of date bamboo shoots. The Weeping Tiger that we asked to be cooked med rare was cooked until it was crispy. The chicken with ginger was slimy and bland. The sizzling seafood mix was 4 prawns and a few half scallops in a bland sauce. The aromatic duck was overcooked and nothing about it was aromatic. Each portion was small, bland, over cooked and failed to taste like fresh ingredients that were stir fried by a competent Chef. I know that my Thai friends would have sent it all back as would I if I hadn't been taken there by friends who have not before eaten good Thai food and I didn't want to offend them. There are many good Thai restaurant in Hertfordshire but stay away from this place.

Quite simply the best Thai restaurant we've ever been to, and one of the very best restaurants full stop. Outstanding quality of food and excellent service. Please visit.

I was disappointed with the evening. I had recommended this restaurant as I have been before and it was excellent food and service, however this time it was the opposite We waited a very long time for our order to be taken, I’m pretty sure they had forgotten us, other guests who had arrived after us were served before us, in the end we had to ask for our order to be taken. We asked for a set meal for three with an additional dish, only to be told that would cost more! Of course it would cost more! We wanted extra rice, recommended not to have as we had plenty of food. In addition the vegetarian meal for one we order,only part arrived, completely forgot to cook it. Food was average, small portions. When drinks were delivered, I was asked if I wanted to quote “glug” down my existing drink!! 😳 My husband was told to clam down and relax when he went to pay the bill. Such a weird unpleasant experience, with two hungry men to-boot.

Glorious place attentive and welcoming staff, food was very good and reasonable priced. One of those places you are so pleased you’ve found

Pretty average Chinese/Thai restaurant. Nothing wrong just didn't excell in any way. P.S. mind your head !!

I live in the village, and for a year since moving here, I have been interested in eating at this place as I love Thai food, and the building looked so intriguing. Their website didn't indicate that booking was required, so we walked in and asked if they were open for dinner. I was asked if I'd booked, and I thought we should turn away at that point, but he led us to a reserved table in the back and removed a reserved sign, which I assumed was left for people who didn't know they needed to book. On learning that we wouldn't be ordering wine (for medical reasons), our waiter became punitive in his treatment of us as if we were suddenly naughty children. As the restaurant began to fill with customers, we noticed that others were receiving items at the table that had never been brought for us—a basket of what I think were rice crackers, a carafe of water and glasses, etc. We asked for water in the beginning, but it never came, and I understand this may have been because the waiters were very busy. The menu is hard to read and seems to need a new printing, as the ink is worn off and old. There is no accommodation for anyone with allergies or dietary restrictions, and the food on the menu doesn't match the food that arrives. When our waiter collected our plates, he remarked on the uneaten shrimp, which I'm allergic to. If I'd known it was in the dish, I wouldn't have ordered it. Only when we were paying our bill did our waiter take an interest in us and engage us in conversation. I will avoid this place now and hope I don't have the unfortunate experience of running into the waiters/owners in the village.

Very good food reasonably priced

We didn’t book and were kindly accommodated despite how busy the restaurant was. It’s not a huge restaurant but had a fantastic buzz and lots of authentic decor and beams from being converted. We ordered mussels and satay chicken to start, both of which were great and arrived promptly. We shared a selection of mains such as sea spiced chicken and honey lamb - all of which were delicious. Really appreciated being slotted in and will definitely visit again!

I recently had an evening meal here, and I can't thank joe and the rest of the staff enough. They really made our evening special

Quaint restaurant with friendly staff, tasty food and fair prices. Best vegetarian spring rolls I ever had! We would definitely come back 😊

The restaurant is difficult to find. No 43 is an alleyway between 2 buildings. There is plenty of off street parking but we did not know this till we found the alley way and had parked about 100m away. The staff were busy with several larger parties than the three of us. Many seemed like regulars and the staff seemed to devote more time to them. The food was delicious and good value (5*) but the service not so (3*). We were not asked if we wanted a dessert and had to ask three times for the bill. In the end I went to the desk to ask for the bill after the other 2 of our group left.

So consistent. Excellent food, excellent service, and a lovely relaxed atmosphere. This is why we keep going back. 10/10

I took the family there to celebrate my 80th birthday. Great food, good service, and very friendly and helpful staff. Everybody, bar none, had a very enjoyable evening. Will be back.

First visit to this restaurant, really impressed, lovely food, great wine and all very reasonably priced. Staff were friendly too.

Best thai food I've had in UK - recommend the crispy aromatic lamb and chicken masaman

Had a beautiful meal here for our Anniversary. First time visiting this lovely restaurant for us and will not be the last. The food was delicious, service was excellent and such a beautiful building.

Dining out is a rare treat now and given the opportunity we will head to the Golden Elephant in Wheathampstead . Our meal this evening was perfect 👍 Excellent food and choice , freshly prepared and beautifully presented, the service great and welcoming Thank you Joe, Wing, the lovely lady serving ( sorry I didn’t ask your name ! ) and compliments to the chefs too - a perfect evening 😊

5 of us went for birthday meal. Service from the 2 guys was helpful and attentive. Extremely well priced and excellent food. We ordered 3 of the set meals and 2 of us had vege/prawn dishes. Excellent service, hot tasty and fresh food. Think this place is a well kept secret- quite a few tables were reserved. They brought out the birthday cake we’d brought with us, served on a glass cake stand, cake slicer and plates, together with candle! Great local place and looking forward to going back soon.

A real hidden gem. Food and service are great.

Food was excellent, the chaps serving were a little surly 😠 but everyone else made up for it 😀

Excellent meal for our annual Scouts post Christmas bash Good food friendly staff and reasonably Priced enjoyed by all

All the dishes were gorgeous but the honey crispy lamb with a seaweed side was amazing. Excellent service, atmosphere and quality of food at a very reasonable price.

We went for a birthday, arrived at 6pm 5 adults 2 children restaurant was soooo cold We ordered drinks then food First two courses came quickly but main came 45 minutes later !! We ordered 2 x 4 set meals portions were so small Had to keep asking for drinks not much attention paid to table !! Absolutely no recognition for a birthday celebration Service charge was added witch we paid but on reflection the amount they took wasn't worth the service given.

Great service, menu and execution. It's always an enjoyable evening out here with friends or family.

Great food great service , thrown off your table to the garden to finish our drinks , ruined a great experience. If this was explained when booking no problem

Just had a wonderful meal to celebrate my birthday. The food was delicious

We love this restaurant! The service is great and the food is fantastic - probably the nicest tofu dish we've ever had (the yellow bean tofu). It was perfectly cooked and had a great sauce. The atmosphere is nice too and usually peaceful. Prices are also pretty reasonable. Definitely recommended!

Past 3 takeaway orders have been incorrect - meat in vegetarian dishes. Never any apology for the inconvenience when you have to return it for the correct dish. They also ensure the wrong dish is given back, so you can bet it's given to someone else 🤮

Excellent small restaurant Good value & quality

Excellent food and service at reasonable pri es

Great ambience. Car parking available. Food was good. But service with a smile would have better.

The food here was mainly tasteless. We had 6 dishes and found the quality worse than the cheap Chinese takeaways. The staff were mostly friendly but one lady questioned why we didn't finish one of the starters in a rude tone which we didn't appreciate. It's such a shame as the decor is really nice.

Food is okay, the waitresses are all nice and friendly. Unfortunately the waiters are not. Check your bill before you pay. And owner please update your menu and website to avoid disappointment!

Food is fantastic, female staff were super lovely, male staff were rude, think one was the manager, we were rushed and the bill was bought to us before we had even asked for it, before we had finished our drinks and we weren't offered dessert, such a shame cos the food is banging ....

Nice atmosphere and good service. Good starter.

Very reasonably priced. Portions on the small side. Some of the food was not hot.

Truly terrible. The worst pad thai Ive ever eaten. Rock hard, dry and inedible ribs and satay. Watery green thai curry with a couple of tofu pieces. Disgraceful

This has to be one of the best thai restaurants I have been to. Their green curry is brilliant. I have been to many of the best Thai restaurants in Hertfordshire and I taste this one higher than both the halfway house in Rickmansworth and the nascot Arms in Watford.

Used to be a favourite of ours. Won’t be visiting again the food was at best poor. Sort of slimy and tasteless. The portions are small and therefore poor value. To make it worse the staff couldn’t be bothered with us.

We literally came across this place by accident. it is tucked away and not really advertised. I booked a table and when we arrived all tables had reserved on which was a good sign. the head waiter is lovely, all guests seem familiar with him. The food was very good we decided on a light dinner, we had the sharing platter and a pad thai each with pineapple rice. Food was delicious - i cannot wait to go bck

Welcomed us warmly. Excellent food and excellent service. The place was charming, but you are cautioned to duck your head for the low ceiling beams if you are more than 5 ft. 9 in. tall.

Had a meal with friends there last night. Food was excellent, staff attentive and helpful and the speed of service was spot on. Would highly recommend the pad Thai and the sizzling platters.

Excellent selection of food, properly cooked and served. The menu is comprehensive, and the service was very attentive.

Good food, service and atmosphere was very nice indeed

We had a lovely meal today. The food was fab, service was great. Very attentive and couldn't fault anything.

Superb service and greeting, absolutely lovely character building, vast menus and always on hand to advice. Fantastic authentic Thai/ Chinese food fresh and loads of flavour. Good size portions and piping hot when served. Don’t expect the usual Chinese tasteless greasy food, This is in a class of its own outstanding.

As always you can always rely on The Golden Elephant for delicious food and excellent service. In all the years we have been going there I can honestly say it always delivers.

Like a lot of us at the moment, eating out isn’t so often and it is a real bonus when a meal out is the treat it should be when times are tough for the trade ! Thank you Joe, Wing and kitchen team for a lovely meal, good food and wines and a welcome smile .

Good restaurant with nice food and good service (mostly ;))

Had a wonderful family lunch. Delicious food, great service and good value. Will definitely go back, well worth the 20 minute drive

Fabulous restaurant with great food and amazing service. I would thoroughly recommend this place and go there every time I visit Wheathampstead.

If you enjoy really greasy food then this place is for you! That might sound harsh but unfortunately we had high expectations of this place and they were far from being met. The takeout food was, on this occasion, sub par. Because we draw comparison with The Giggling Squid, Bangkok Lounge and Oriental Aroma (all local, competing Asian food establishments), it was incorrect of the proprietor to dismiss our feedback, claiming we were 'unfamiliar with the menu'. In their defence, a full refund was offered without fuss. However, would be happier if our constructive feedback was acknowledged and they made positive changes as a result. Without wanting to labour the point, mixed h'oeuvres was the main issue; evidently frozen, deep fried and extremely greasy. The hot and sour fish was similarly disappointing. There was seemingly very little fresh food in our order. Two stars because we were refunded.

Excellent food and service. Lovely atmosphere.

We absolutely loved our visit to The Golden Elephant last night. We went as a family of 5 and it was excellent. The building is beautiful and has a very homely feel. The food was incredibly tasty and even though we are not local, we will be coming back and I have already recommended my close family to come. The lobster was delicious and we loved the wasabi prawns! Great texture and flavour throughout and we are fussy. Highly recommend even if you aren’t local. It’s worth the trip!

Lovely local secret. Great menu and excellent custumer service would reccommend

A lovely restaurant with amazing food. Will definitely be back again!!

Ordered takeaway to be delivered waited nearly 2 hours when food turned up COLD and Tasteless. That bad even the dogs didn’t eat it. Stay away

Walked in, with no reservation, hoping for a table. They were busy, but kindly accommodated us. Which we were grateful for. This, our first date in years & out to celebrate our anniversary. The food was amazing! The portions perfect. The servers friendly & efficient. A hidden gem in Wheathampstead. We recommend you go find it!!!! 🙂

Absolutely delicious. Easily the best Thai we’ve had in a long time! Gorgeous building and courtyard. Wish we lived closer - will definitely return when we are in this direction!

Usually dine in but have had collections too which have been excellent. New menus and choice and variety, superb.

We had a pleasant meal here. It was very busy and local people obviously enjoyed coming. Our starters were a little dry and disappointing but the mains were delicious and we were well looked after. The restaurant is in a Grade 1 listed building and has a nice feel to it.

Been meaning to visit this place for quite a while. Cut a long story short. Food was absolutely delicious. Freshly cooked proper ingredients. Best Chinese/ Thai we’ve had inn memory. Special mention to the Shredded chilli beef. Brilliant service in a great old building and had time to speak to the owner at the end. Highly recommend.

Fantastic restaurant in a beautiful setting. Service was very efficient, the food was served promptly and was delicious...couldn't fault the soft-shell crab. The owner was extremely friendly and welcoming

Beautiful restaurant with lovely staff. Food was delicious

Excellent food friendly staff and lovely old building, though if you're tall you will need to duck

Very friendly service, beautiful setting but, unfortunately, not very practical for clients with mobility issues

Fabulous Thai restaurant in Wheathampstead. The food is good, the staff very welcoming and extremely helpful. Worth booking ahead as it can get busy. Highly recommended.

Sadly it was bad service confused Got overcharged and called back to try and get a refund ! Green curry was like water ! Left hungry Don’t visit

We have eaten here before and was pleasantly surprised really good fresh food probably one of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve been too. So we booked our birthday meal here and Jesus Christ. Everything was soaked in oil the calamari was the worst I’ve ever...

Haven't eaten there yet but food looks amazing

Went for set menu . Delicious food, relaxing atmosphere and fantastic service. Meal was excellent value. Definitely return

Excellent as always. Great food, superb location and lovely staff.

I've been there for lunch and loved the place. Stylish, old house with low beams, nicely renovated and with a lot of character - watch your head as some beams are really low. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, great food, resonable prices - all you need to spend quality time. They have their own car park which is easy to miss as you have to go through a narrow driveway from the main road, so keep an eye on the satnav and where it asks you to walk the last 20 meters, actually turn into the access road. Recommended.

Owner/ manager was rude and rushed us to order, the food was not authentic Thai or nice for that matter. Small portions and left feeling disappointed- the saving grace being the other staff members were very nice and attentive.

The restaurant is in a very old conserved building and very well decorated. Feels like a typical, cozy Thai place. We are vegetarians and I don’t think it’s a great place in terms of choices for us. The dishes may not be strictly veg either under the veggie variety. I felt some of the curries like bean curd cashew were very very small portions and had almost no gravy. Was difficult to eat along with the rice. The spring rolls were nice but portions were small. The green curry was good but not sure if it’s fully veg (May have non veg sauces or stock). Happy to be corrected.

I've never left this resturant feeling less than amazed by the food and quality of ingredients and yesterday was no exception...joe and his team run a fabulous resturant with authentic food coupled with top rate service. Is simply the only place we go for the...

This is our local Thai restaurant and it consistently produces first class food and first class service. The mixed hors d'oeurve, and the crispy duck are our favourites as starters, with sizzling lamb or chicken, and their various thai currles as mains - the food...

Excellent food. Lovely setting. Would go back.

I have eaten here several times and initially really liked it. Yes the portion sizes were small but the food was delicious. However we went there a week ago as a group of 6 and now the portions aren't just small, they are insulting. This...

I think the chef has changed. Food wasn't as great as previous visits. Portions were small even when asked for rice for the table for four people, only two portions came out. Had to ask for extra portions of rice and noodles and some food was dry as if it had been waiting to come out.

We had a very good dinner here. Lots of choice and friendly staff. Entrance rather dark off the main road, opposite the church.

We visited with some friends and had a fantastic meal, the food was perfect. Service was impeccable as always. Will be back again soon.

A great restaurant enjoyed by the local community. Out of the way and a very pleasant experience.

Seeing the number of positive reviews, my partner and I were excited about our visit to The Golder Elephant. Sadly the experience left us a little underwhelmed. Lovely setting, very welcoming and super friendly on arrival and have to say throughout. However, we were there...

Avoid.. we regularly eat out in St Albans ,Hertford etc and this is the worst place by far. The owner / manager is arrogant and the food is mediocre at best. eg. We asked for one of those mini chocolates with coffee after our meal but were told that was extra... deplorable

I have been here twice now and on 2 occasions I’ve witnessed what I believe is the manager rude to his staff.. the 2 ladies that were there the night I came were absolutely lovely and gave amazing service.. Food was lovely!

We attended for a small private party at lunch time. Throughout the meal the proprietor and his staff were very welcoming, helpful and attentive. The food was excellent and plentiful. A lovely experience.

Amazing food & service always! You can order seafood in advance ( at least 24hrs) & the chef will prepare & cook to your desired taste. Lobster, Wagu beef, lamb cutlets, roast duck, mango & passion fruit prawns & fresh crabs are my favourites. Plus many more dishes you can explore in every visit! Just let the owner Joe know what your favourites are & enjoy!

Lovely little Chinese Restaurant set back away from the road you could almost miss it , good food and fantastic hospitality

Lovely Ambience and decor. Food very tasty especially the passion fruit prawns. Service excellent, will definitely return

Invited to join family so this review is as a non contributor High chair provided eventually despite being booked with reserved table, from asking can we order and waiter deciding to take order to long with young children My host ordered what I considered to...

The restaurant has its own courtyard for parking. It’s a tight turn down a narrow alleyway. You can see a neighbour ironing his shirts. The meeting / greeting lady was lovely and friendly. The service was very relaxed but it didn’t matter to us, we...

Great place to eat, great atmosphere, food excellent....would go again....

Amazing food, excellent service. We don’t live local but been coming here for over 5 years now as it is well worth the journey best Chinese ever

OPEN FOR TAKEAWAY!!!! I have been going to the Golden Elephant for years everything about it is AMAZING. Joe and the team are incredible and the food is absolutely amazing . I was so happy to find out it was still open for takeaway during...

OPEN FOR TAKEAWAY!!!! I have been going to the Golden Elephant for years everything about it is AMAZING. Joe and the team are incredible and the food is absolutely amazing . I was so happy to find out it was still open for takeaway during lockdown. We rang and ordered a takeaway for pick up. We were able to get all our restaurant favourites. I usually find that with takeaways the quality isnt as good as the restaurant but this was NOT the case, the food was honestly amazing, just like being in the restaurant piping hot and so tasty. We tried a few different dishes the black bean squid was the best black bean sauce i have ever had we also had smoked duck which i would have again and again. The smoked chicken was so tasty and the chicken chow mein and beef massaman curry were out of this world. I could honestly go on about how good the food was but if you want authentic, amazing thai food THIS IS THE BEST place to go. Definitely go and check it out and support local!!!

Had been here before a few years ago for a sit down meal a number of times, and it was lovely. Tried a takeaway more recently in lockdown 3.0, and it was pretty poor and lacking flavour. Real shame.

We have struggled to find a decent Chinese take away since Po Che closed. We have tried several and none have lived up to it-until now. We had a fantastic meal last night- the shredded chilli beef was the best. Portions were generous too. We...

We had a take out delivered and it was absolutely delicious. It was piping hot and full of flavour. The dim sum was divine and my prawn with ginger and spring onions was one of the best I’ve had.

Love the food here - such a variety and the staff are great! Been getting take aways during the pandemic.