The Thirsty Elephant in Rhondda Cynon Taf

Lovely food, great coffee and the atmosphere is relaxing.

Wow, what a great find/recommendation! The fact you can't book tables and that the queue was out the door by 12pm shows how well loved this place is!! We recieved a super friendly welcome, as a party of 6 we knew it would be a big ask to get us seated but it wasn't a problem for the staff at all, they asked to wait (literally 10mins) while a few people finished and the tables were cleared away. The whole atmosphere is just warm and inviting and everyone seemed to be enjoying! The coffee is absolutely delicious- the best around! We tried a few things on the menu, the breakfast was great and the breakfast bap was delicious and the little hash brown bites were super tasty! Overall a lovely little place, good food, good coffee, friendly staff and reasonable prices!!!

Excellent, just so busy you might have to wait for a table for a short while, but worth it 👌

We had a great night, the food from Ych A Fi, was really tasty and we will definitely look out for them when they visit as a guest kitchen again. The service as always was excellent, great atmosphere for a cheeky Thursday night out. See you soon!

wow... lovely brunch out with my husband. 1st time visit WONT be the last ! stunning atmosphere, service, and food

Fab night out, friendly helpful staff, great vibe, delicious food 🤤... Planning to go back on the regular

attended the STRAIGHT OUT OF CANTON sitting, if it wasn’t for the onion bhaji taste on the chicken burger I’d never would have associated it as a Punjabi Bbq offering, Not sure how £5 for a little bit of dry rice nor £5 for coleslaw or the £5 for 8 baby new potatoes was acceptable. It felt like nothing compared to what they advertise on their INSTAGRAM, and just felt completely let down, thirsty elephant as a bar, service was phenomenal , but queuing for ages to order a drink when you’re inside a restaurant already eating seems very inconvenient as you leave your food to go. Surely a QR code ordering system is better! The people queuing and knocking the table we sat at by the toilet wasn’t the best atmosphere, not having to stare into the toilets when people come in and out. Not sure I’ll return

Best vegan breakfast I have had

Wonderful evening, great staff.

Really nice place. Cwchirota provided some lush mexican street food. And nice drink here. Thoroughly recommend

Food was amazing, vibes are good and service is great 👍

Thanks for a great evening last night. We all enjoyed the food & service. Great to have such a fab place in the village 🥂

Lovely little bar with a few seats available. Booked for a pop up kitchen. High chairs available for the baby. Good atmosphere and facilities.

Supported the thirsty elephant from day dot and it’s great to see it doing so well but you just cant get a table anymore. Tried to get a table for brunch today and there’s no room at the inn again. They need to sort out a booking system for daytime. I’ve now reached the stage where I won’t drop in for a sit down anymore. The place seems to have a very healthy instagram clientele, taking photos of their food and lattes. Anyway, went to ground control, which is now my go to. Sadly they don’t do coffee but I can at least go there knowing that I’ll be able to get a table

Beautiful. Simply beautiful, from the excellent staff being charming and accommodating. The wonderful decor of the cafe and good vibes and the simply delicious food thoughtfully prepared and very good value considering the cost. A must visit for anyone in the area!

Excellent breakfast and the staff coped very well with the surge of people at 9am on a Sunday.

Vegan filth was cooking the menu last night, one word…fantastic

Amazing night. The staff went over above for us

They really know what they’re doing when it comes to coffee. I mean it’s really good, tasty and silky. They have an amazing La Marzocco machine producing the goods and they use Clifton Coffee. If the pancakes were as good as the coffee things would be amazing, however they’re just ok. Great atmosphere and lovely staff.

Great venue, Great atmosphere the food the drinks and the customer service are always 5*

Great place for a cuppa, will look to go again soon and discover the street food evenings

We had a great night. Was really busy, but the staff were brilliant and had it all under control, and still had big smiles on their faces. The food was great value, and tasted great. Cant wait for our next visit. Keep doing what you’re doing 😀

Brilliant place. Fab food, great staff, can't fault it.

Absolutely love this place ❤️ My friends and I missed out on ordering Egyptian waffles last night as we lost track of time! As well as a last drinks bell, could you maybe also do a last food order bell? We were gutted 😂

Really fabulous All Day breakfast at lunchtime. Absolutely delicious

Amazing food, great cocktails and lovely service! Couldn't ask for more :)

Lovely atmosphere and food. Very busy at lunch time so wise to book

dined at ringos dirty diner and it was excellent !! the customer service was brilliant and one of the tastiest burgers i’ve had in a long time , loved ringos !!

Came down when the Ringo’s pop up was there and it was amazing. Best burger I’ve ever had and staff were absolutely lovely.

Best of the best! TTE quickly became a regular pit-stop on my daily dog walks due to having the friendliest staff, great coffees and an incredible food menu. The shop has a great atmosphere day and night, and the Food Trader Takeovers are an incredible way to try out local small businesses (a shout out to Ringos Dirty Diner, my current obsession *chefs kiss*).

The BEST cafe, bar, brunch and varied evening street food takeovers. The staff are all super friendly and make it a special community hub. Shoutout to Tasha of Ringo’s Dirty Diner takeover for the best burger I’ve ever eaten, and the most perfect chocolate mousse cake 🤤

Our favourite Ringos Dirty Diner was in this weekend and we had the most amazing burgers, cheesy waffle fries and popcorn chicken! Honestly have no idea how Tash makes the burgers taste so good! And she’s always got a smile on her face even when it’s super hectic! Service was excellent as always.

Got a takeaway burger from here from the Ringo’s pop up. Service was super quick and Tash was lovely as always! One of my fave street food companies for a reason 🤤

Ringo's Dirty Diner is the best thing here! Love that place!

No reservations set up when we arrived, took 15 minutes to set up tables, which in turn made ordering food late. We can clearly see on the reservation boards you put out the next people would want the table at 6, we didn’t need reminding that there we people coming in. The delay in getting our table meant there was a delay in ordering food which lead to us having to rush our food. Very disappointed and found the place lacked strong management last night.

Amaing food and drink thanks guys will be back x

I love the Thirsty Elephant but last night was so disappointing. I booked 4 weeks in advance and asked for a specific table by the window. Sadly we were given a table right at the back that was dirty and had not been reserved for us ( bookings are chalked onto small board on the table). My friend was visiting from London and of all the nights....... Then we went to place an order for food at 8.30 and the kitchen had closed. No notification from Ringo's and so we left. We weren't the only table to go. The staff though are lovely and so welcoming and make one hell of a good Aperol Spritz! I know the food truck shutting wasn't their fault but we were really looking forward to our evening. We will be back but not when Ringo is in the house!

Small cafe/bar with really friendly staff and really tasty food. Will definitely come back here again

Wonderful! Delicious brunch, friendly staff, cosy, rustic decor. I had eggs benedict and a chai latte - both highly recommended. An amazing array of deodorants in the toilet that made me giggle. I will definitely be returning here :)

Wonderful! Delicious brunch, friendly staff, cosy, rustic decor. I had eggs benedict and a chai latte - both highly recommended. An amazing array of deodorants in the toilet that made me giggle. I will definitely be returning here :)

Food and atmosphere were great. Only complaint I have is that we were left with the empty containers we had our food in on the table all evening .

Really enjoyed bar got really crowded and difficult to get served occasionally

Had breakfast here with my family this morning. Was very busy and helfull but found us a table. Had an awesome breakfast and milkshake! Great service and friendly staff. Highly recommend, thanks

Great atmosphere and service. The breakfast is incredible. A must visit place in Pontyclun 😊

Had a breakfast bun and excellent coffee, friendly atmosphere

Visited as the food looked really good on social medium. My Latte was luke warm, avocado on toast was average and carrot cake was extremely dry. Wont be going back. Other eateries in area better food

The coffee was amazing, food was top notch and the atmosphere was everything you would want it to be for enjoying brunch! The staff were super friendly and very efficient. Would highly recommend checking it out!

My fave place in the whole world 🫶

I love this place… the eggs benny is bang on! And the staff are always so friendly… highly recommend! 🥰

Great setting. Checking in, ordering food, drinks and paying bills at the same point resulted in long queues and time away from friends. Think table service would be better.

We went in the evening and so it was street food which on Friday 10th May was South Indian and personally I wasn't impressed with the food.....BUT the cocktails were amazing and it was a lovely place to visit while on holiday.

Staff were lovely and working very hard behind the bar. The cocktails were lovely and so was the food.

As always spot on great addition to the area

Visited on Saturday for Breakfast/Brunch with some friends after following on social media for ages. Luckily we got in just before the long queue formed, there was a bit of a wait for food but it was honestly worth waiting for. We all opted for the breakfast and it did not disappoint (apart from the super salty spinach not sure what that bit was about) The coffee was amazing, would highly recommend, worth a visit :)

Great brunch!! Great coffee, highly recommend this place for a coffee, cake, brunch, cocktails. They also have pop up street food from Thursday to Saturday

Lovely place with lovely, attentive staff. Ate on the night the 'Filthy Vegan' was there and the food was absolutely amazing! Cocktails were lush too :)

My 3rd visit & always enjoy the cosy atmosphere,pop up food & the cocktails are great!

Just love it here! We are so lucky to have this venue in Pontyclun

Excellent place. Would highly recommend

A great coffee spot in the area, quick service during a period with a queue out of the door, food was excellent and the choice of sweet treats and pastries were great. Happily going to visit again in the future

Lovely Thursday night out with the girls. The food from Holy Cheesus was amazing and who’d have thought a cheese toastie could be so filling! The staff were very friendly and helpful and we were seated and served promptly. Cosy atmosphere with the music at the perfect level to still be able to talk. We will definitely return to try another guest chef. Thank you for a wonderful evening.

We went to a food takeover and the food was amazing. the staff are always friendly but the only thing i dont like is people standing for drinks - the space is so small it makes it too crowded

Nice little bar, however, when it's busy the wait for a drink can be a while...

I visited today with a friend. No tables available on arrival but the staff were attentive, friendly and very helpful. We were seated as soon as a table became free and the coffee and food were incredible. Will definitely visit again soon.

Booked a table for Sunday BH weekend. Service, food and atmosphere great as usual. There were 2 staff, they worked extremely hard , keeping the drinks flowing and the queue down. They were very polite and helpful.

Visited this cafe two mornings in a row (Saturday and Sunday) and the breakfast was amazing both days . Service from Henri and Phoebe was great . All other staff were amazing but didn’t catch the name of them all ⭐️. Saturday I Opted for a full English breakfast I got a kids portion and added on extra bacon rashers . I felt that was more than enough as I just about finished it 🤣. I got a red velvet cake slice aswell which was great . One pet peeve would be that when I asked to take the cake away , instead of it being in a container of some sort or wrapped , it was just placed in the paper carrier bag 😬. Would advise to get take away stuff for cakes. Sunday , I tried a new breakfast, the cinnamon spiced toast. It was 10/10. I felt there was too many sultanas/ raisins though . I personally don’t like them but I just avoided them throughout the dish . Chantily Cream x French toast combo is amazing . When I next visit south wales I will return to this Cafe again . Ambience was great and interior aesthetic is lovely . ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Vegan Filth were stunning as always! Lovely cocktails too!

Came here for a Vegan Filth Kitchen event on 31.03.2024. -Very busy evening -Seemed to be short staffed -Not very organised -No vegan wine 🍷 available -Burgers were tasty but not the best vegan burger 🍔 I had -Onion rings were tasty 😋

We went for the Vegan Filth pop-up and it did not disappoint. Funky venue, nice vibe and insane food!

It was nice, like that feeling when you wake up 3 hours before your alarm goes off and you know you have a decent sleep ahead of you.

Vegan Filth food was amazing, I hope they come back again soon.

Amazing place to go if you fancy a drink, food or only a coffee Staff are all extremely friendly. Tonight we came for the popup kitchen the Vegan Filth : https://www.veganfilth.co.uk/ So good 👍😊 Another Vegan filth evening. Such a nice ambiance :) love it

Lovely venue. A bit disappointed that the gluten free options for the Vegan night were so limited (fries only) as the breakfasts have great gluten free options. The Thai fries were amazing though 👌🏼! Atmosphere was great until a huge group of 18yr olds turned up and spoilt the vibe by being very drunk and shouty.

I had been excited to try this location for a while. It was a lovely venue and I love the fact it dogs friendly! Overall, the drinks and food was great. However, the Shakshuka was unfortunately watery in comparison to others that I have tried elsewhere.

Can't fault it, staff, food and atmosphere.

Perfect lil setting. Drinks and service was amazing. Cozy atmosphere...

It’s so busy it would be nice to have one additional team member to look after patrons.

We are daytime regulars at the Thirsty but had never been there in the evening. We fancied trying the Mexican pop up and we enjoyed what we had. However, there is a 'but'. First of all we weren't given a menu when we were seated at our booked table so we had to find one. We weren't told that we had to order at the bar and neither were we told that it was a small dishes menu because we would have ordered more if we had known. We didn't order more because we would have had to queue at the bar again. I know that it's meant to be an informal set up but a bit of explanation would have been much appreciated.

Great food from Roti Shack, and service was fab. Only downside was a group of drunk, loud men who would have been fine in a Wetherspoons but in such a small venue where people are chilling and waiting for food on a Saturday evening it was just too much. The bar staff were great though in trying to deal with them even when they spilt beer over another customer. Nevertheless, it’s lovely little place and we will definitely be back

Absolutely marvellous a first class experience and the best break fast ever , I lived in llantisant 40 years ago, came back to visit as my old school was ypant , now in Portsmouth, this place is the best 👌 👍 ever seen in my life 😀

Fabulous evening at TTE, the atmosphere great as usual and Roti Shack’s food delicious!!

Ordering food was a chore as the signal to connect to the online ordering system is poor. Then we discovered that the menu is limited to burgers and waffle fries in takeaway cartons. This wasn't what we were expecting given the photos of the types of dishes they serve on their webpage. Our wine and beer also weren't great, but I must give credit to their cocktails. So all in all, I'd only recommend if you were looking for a trip for decent cocktails. Edit: the cafe's response suggests that I should have done my research about the food before coming which I did, hence my issue. I booked a week in advance given their popularity and I based it on the photos on their website. How was I to know they would have a different menu? I don't appreciate blaming me as the customer.

Honestly? The best brunch I have ever had❤️I live in Somerset and was visiting my daughter. Brilliant service, excellent value. The BEST coffee. The food was sublime. We will be back. A hidden gem xx

Great little coffee shop serving delicious freshly cooked food and drinks. Nice ambiance and always busy! Was a bit chilly today so could have done with being a little warmer but not noticed this before.

Absolutely love it at the thirsty elephant it’s great for an evening meet up as well as a brunch get together!

Great evening. Perfect atmosphere 👍🏻

Love it here .. food, service, atmosphere.. always fantastic!

Lovely brunch here. Ordered the vegan avocado on toast and vegan chocolate cruffin (I was intrigued as to what it was... so good!). Delicious. Great coffee. It was packed which was a good sign. Lovely decor and vibe inside. Female blonde member of staff could be friendlier. I cleared my table for them after we'd eaten as I could see they were busy, but she didn't crack a smile or seem at all grateful. Will be back for the food and coffee though for sure!

Went there for gluten free brownies for my daughter. The staff are very friendly would definitely go there for a drink and food

First time visiting and we were super happy with our experience! Service was fast and everyone there was happy to help. Food was brilliant and you can tell how popular it was as tables were full by the time we had our drinks. Highly recommend!

Went to the thirsty elephant for brunch today,my granddaughter had a lovely full English breakfast,I had a lovely glass of wine and my daughter had a oat latte,well impressed with the service and the politeness of the gent that took our order,will be back soon

When you find yourself waiting in line for breakfast on a Wednesday, you know you've stumbled upon a great place. Despite waiting for about 25 minutes, the experience was well worth it. The food was fresh and sourced locally, creating a delightful culinary adventure. Moreover, the ambiance of the place was pleasant, and they even welcome dogs, adding an extra touch of warmth and friendliness to the overall atmosphere.

Lovely little cafe/bar. We went for the vegan filth pop up event but we would definitely visit again for coffee or drinks

Cocktails are the best! Friendly service! Lovely atmosphere!

Went here for lunch ,great food, lovely staff

i wanted to visit the thirsty elephant as they had a heavy social media push which caught my attention. id been wanting to go for a long time and had my eye on the full breakfast. it was very average to say the least and expensive. the house beans seemed to be a miss on a lot of peoples plate as i seen a handful of peoples plates empty with the full pot of beans. lovely decorated inside and the staff were lovely, but the food was not as nice as it looks on instagram.

The food was beautiful. However the bar was very very busy. Had to queue once to get menu ( as not on table or available to pick up on way in) and then queue again to order food. There were at least 6 to 8 people in front each time ordering cocktails and most of the time only 1 person mixing them with someone else occasionally helping if not collecting dirty glasses and taking glasses out of dish washer. It was extremely noisy due to a large group of partygoers. We’ll go again as normally great time but not that close to Christmas again !More staff were needed.

Great food from Ychafi, definitely worth a repeat visit! Service a little slow and haphazard (no cutlery, drinks took ages)

Lovely décor, lots of smile and fab food, skilllfully presented too....top notch Sunday Brunch, thankyou!! 😊

Went Saturday evening for pizza street food and it was amazing!