Siam Elephant

This place is GREAT! I live down in Santa Barbara which is about a 25 minute drive from this Thai Restaurant in Carp, but I would drive down every week if I could. This little restaurant has such a great vibe and authenticity to it that many others don’t have. The service is amazing and I leave with a smile every time.
Whether it is for take out or dine-​in the food here taste amazing. I’m usually pretty boring with Thai food and order a pad thai or pad see ew, but this restaurant makes DELICIOUS PAD SEE EW. The noodles are very soft and chewy and the egg, chicken, and broccoli are surrounded by a wonderful amount of soy sauce. Other dishes I’ve tried was the spicy fried noodles and boy was that delicious, but super spicy!
What I haven’t tried yet is their curry, which I will soon, but I definitely recommend this restaurant if you’re in Carp!
— J

WHAT A GREAT FIND!
Ever get that sharp pain in your stomach, the one that almost makes you double over and cry out for mommy? Ahhh!!! An empty stomach having a canipshin because you have been neglecting it far too long. Either that, or the Scooby Snack you had on trail has since wore off. The latter is what happened with me and The Crew. Our morning stroll through the Coronado Monarch Butterfly Preserve and along the beach left our tummy’s HANGRY!
Thanks for the mighty Unilocal app. we found ourselves here. The filters on the app are a god send when having to find eateries extensive enough to accommodate preferences, food allergies, and wallets, Siam Thai met everyone’s criteria.
Located on the main drag in the charming little beach town of Carpenteria, Siam Thai’s interior is modest in size but their newly added back patio is grand and a great place to enjoy yummy eats while soaking up some Vitamin D. The interior is decorated with gold colored elephants, statues, and figurines.
With so many peeps in attendance, I’m not going to list the dishes ordered, however, I will say we ordered a few appetizers, soups, entrees, including curry’s, fried rice, noodles, and vegetarian dishes. Entrees, curry’s, and, noodles come with a choice of chicken, beef, pork, or tofu, up-​charge for shrimp or seafood. Not only was everyone WOWED! by the friendly staff members ability to take our orders expeditiously, but also deliver each dish quickly and accurately. And let me tell you, some folks order the an item straight from the menu, only to ask to hold this or that, this or that on the side, and substitute this for that. Oy!!! We did not receive one dish incorrectly. Portions were plentiful and all hot dishes were served hot, all cold dishes, served cold, and beverage glasses were kept full.
STAFF EARNED IT!
Free public parking lot nearby, as well as, free street parking, as it should be, Siam Thai was such a great find. Our server was so accommodating, instead of one long arse check, she combined four orders per check. Phew! That many peeps all on one check can be an accounting nightmare. Server and her staff so deserved the well over 20% tip we left. Great place, ya’ll should check it out. Hopefully, you will have the same experience me and The Crew did.

Ordered green curry, chow mein and sticky rice. delicious.

I have been to this restaurant several times when I am in town. Sometimes, I will make my way from LA or San Diego just to stop by the beach and Thai food. I’m Thai and it’s hard to find a good Thai restaurant to my standard. The quality of food is higher than many Thai restaurants I’ve been to. My favorite dish is Seafood Spicy fried Noodle! I enjoy New Zealand Mussels, shrimps and they throw crab claws in this dish. It’s fancy and delicious! Staff always work so hard to get customers in and out quickly. Friday and Saturday are always packed. The service is fast and excellent. I highly recommend Siam Elephant and it always is my favorite Thai restaurant.

Excellent food! I’ve tried all the local spots and this one was especially delicious! Great service too!

Customer service on the phone — so-​so… the person taking my order seemed short with me.
Arrived at the restaurant and my food was ready —
Got the food back to my room and found that there were no utensils or napkins —
Food was okay, and about average amount per order

Came her with my wife for lunch. The outside patio area was recently remodeled and is nice. For the price, the food was disappointing. I ordered Thai Basil Leaf beef. The dish was subpar and tasted more Chinese than Thai. My wife ordered Pad See Yeow and it was the only good thing I tasted. The Fresh Spring Rolls were average.

Walked into Siam Elephant with great expectations, but was sadly let down. The service was totally inattentive. The server seemed unhappy about a single customer — and gave a displeased look before deciding where to seat me.
Easier summarized as follows.
1. Did not ask for anything to drink.
2. Made me wait for 10 minutes before I caught her attention to order. Did not ask for anything to drink then too.
3. Got my coconut juice and forgot to get me a straw.
Food was okayish. Got the combination special with Pad Thai. House salad was just some lettuce with crispies and a slice of tomato. The main dish Pad Thai was greasy and flavorless, and the chicken in it was chewy and rubbery. Oily vegetarian roll and the shrimp was okayish. Seemed chewy too.
Price wasn’t worth for what I ate. Ended up spending $ 22 (with tip). Expensive for the poor service I got, and the meh food I ate.

Great food buy eat it there– they don’t seem equipped for take out, and the Panang curry spilled everywhere.
Order it medium hot or it’s a bit bland, shrimp is perfect

I had the chance to visit California’s central coast over winter break with my gastronomy hungry parents. We decided to visit the Siam Elephant after our first night at a local bistrot and a second evening of tasty seafood, both of which would come to pale in comparison to our third and final night’s dinner.
The entrance gave to a modest welcome sign in the main eating room. A server immediately suggested two tables for our party out of a dozen or so indoors. I decided to try a thai beer which my server selected for me. It was light and had an idiosyncratic sour taste which I found far from displeasing. My parents ordered hot ginger tea which was equally novel and enjoyable.
I typically have a hard time deciding for items on a large menu, so I simply asked my server for «what do you have with shrimp and spicy?» After a moment of reflexion, he took down my order which he said was «not on the menu.» I was excited. After patiently hearing the story of my parents’ Thailand trip for ten minutes, he left for the kitchen.
I was quickly presented with a starter coconut and mushroom soup. Perfectly heated, sour yet full, it was nothing short of delicious. The main course arrived soon afterwards. It consisted of a ball of steamed basmati rice, a small selection of deep fried specialties and a shrimp curry that would set the standard for all to come. Keeping a conversation was difficult as this was the sort of meal one savours in silence.
I am typically not a dessert person, but decided to ask for the menu once more out of curiosity. Coconut ice cream, green tea ice cream, mango and sticky rice; we decided to taste some of each other’s desserts. My ice cream had the texture of a sorbet but a rich taste, which combined with the sticky rice was simply delightful.
The total came in to just around 30 dollars per person including the 20% tip which, on the California coast, is completely reasonable. Set in a charming location and accompanied by a friendly staff, the Siam Elephant serves food that truly does justice to thai cuisine. Nothing comes to mind that could tarnish this great experience, and I therefore deem this restaurant worthy of the best rating.

The food was good and we’re heavy Thai food goers. we especially loved the asparagus and avocado salad which boasted a perfectly grilled asparagus (not to be taken for granted in a Thai restaurant… historically speaking)
Service and ambience were awesome and friendly
We debated if it’s a 4 star or a 5 star. We would have put the 4 star but decided we wouldnt be the ones pulling the rating down (as of now it’s slightly over 4).
Will definitely come back

Service was quick and very attentive. Never was my beverage glass empty.
Food was very good. My dish was spicy. It was a moderate level spicy dish and it was hot like I like it. So be careful on the spice level of what you order if this is not your thing.
If you’re looking for lunch the combination specials are the way to go. Soup or salad and a main dish with a roll and deep fried shrimp. I would recommend the soup. It was a coconut chicken soup with mushrooms. Very good.

I will definitively be coming be coming back when I’m in the area again! My experience was very nice, and the staff were so accommodating and sweet.
I was camping nearby at Carpinteria State Beach, so Siam Elephant was literally only 2 streets off of my campsite. Truly more than convenient. My party and I had a dog with us, and of course our dining choices varied by who was accepting of animals. Siam Elephant said they gladly accepted dogs on the patio with a leash and whom are well behaved.
When we got there to check into our reservation, they were so incredibly kind enough to pull out a fold-​able table and chairs, to create a table specifically for my party and I with our dog. It was something that wasn’t necessary by any means and it was TRULY appreciated. We joked about it being a «VIP» table. LOL.
The food was fantastic, along with the Thai iced tea (the best). Food was prepared in decent time, and the presentation was absolute mouth watering. Prices are on the higher side of things, but it’s expected in a touristy area. Absolutely worth every penny, and wish they weren’t over an hour away from my home otherwise I’d be here weekly!

Siam is the best place in Carpinteria for Asian cuisine.

I absolutely love Siam Elephant! I lived in Carpentaria for a little over a year and was a regular here! The service is great and the family running the business is great too! Very friendly and hospitable!
My favorites here are the pumpkin curry, golden fried shrimp, the spicy basil noodles and Tom kha soup! I’ve eaten a variety of stuff here but don’t leave this place without tasting the pumpkin curry! :D
Love these guys!

what a find! this place was SO delicious. We stopped here on our way back to LA, starving, from a quick weekend trip to Big Sur with the kids. I’m so happy we chose this thai spot. It really was delicious and authentic. The place was packed but we arrived at the exact minute a booth opened up, thankfully because we were exhausted and beyond hungry. We couldn’t have managed a long wait, although a long wait would have been worth it. It was that delicious.

Came here on a Saturday evening — the restaurant was medium filled. They have a cool patio with nice little roofed tables. They have a pet friendly patio and we were able to sit there with our dog.
Food selection is pretty standard for a Thai restaurant. The Pad Thai was pretty good but oddly sticky and a little sweet. Tom Yum Gai was a little off in flavor and not very spicy, but as a bonus it came in a hot pot that kept it warm even though it was a relatively cool evening. Downside to the pot was that after a while it made it hard to scoop out any more soup. The pork and eggplant stir fry that we ordered had maybe two pieces of meat in it, which was a bit of a disappointment. Portions were adequate for the price. Service was a little slow, especially on the patio.
Overall the food was pretty good, and the nice patio is definitely worth a visit.

Great service, food, and price.
I came with a party of five, which was too large for the restaurant to accommodate indoors (four or less) — but the outdoor seating in the back garden was cuter anyway.
At lunch we ordered the satay (5 skewer) combination, the yellow curry combination, and the spicy fried rice. We were surprised that the combinations came with spring rolls and fried shrimp (we were expecting to make a choice) as well as either soup or salad. In the end we had so many types of food on the table it looked like a feast — and it was all delicious. Our total for all of this plus 5 nonalcoholic drinks was just $ 55 ($ 11 each) and we were all satisfied, so it was a great value.
Highly recommended!

Dining Alfresco
When we arrived, we were given the choice of indoor or outdoor dining. The weather was perfect, so we chose to dine on the patio.
Pad Thai
We had a very friendly server. His familiarity with the menu and gluten-​free items were a relief. I ordered the Pad Thai (rice) Noodle with chicken, bean sprouts, onion and topped with crushed peanuts. One of the sides was not gluten-​free, so he made a switch for a fresh summer roll and my other side was steamed rice. My entrée was delicious, the chicken tender and everything was flavorful. Yum!
Sweet & Sour with Beef
My husband ordered the sweet & sour with beef. His beef was tender and included bell peppers, onions, pineapple and carrots. His sides were fried wontons, a spring roll and fried shrimp, along with steamed rice. He enjoyed his entrée, too.
Entrées included either soup or salad with house dressing. We chose the salads and enjoyed the light flavor.
Overall, the food presentation, deliciousness of the food and the customer service were excellent. The only negative is this restaurant is too far from my home :(

I really enjoy most Asian food! And although I don’t have it too often Thai food is awesome. I like that sometimes it has a little kick to it! I enjoy the curries and I like the coconut.
Santa Barbara has a few Thai restaurants, I think Your Place was the first and then Your Choice, another one on lower State street as well. All of them are pretty decent or at least OK but Siam Elephant has to be the Grand Poobah of local Thai food! Their food Rocks!
If you go sit in one of the two pagoda tables out on the patio. It makes the food taste so much more authentic. We started with the Tom Kha Kai which is a spicy coconut soup with lots of mushrooms and chicken. Then we had the Fried Gyoza which was very nice. For an entrée we had Pad Prik Tai Dam. We ordered it because it had two bad words in the same dish, Prik King would have been our second choice. Pad Prik Tai Dam was chicken with a comfortably spiced black pepper sauce, some veggies and a lot of mushrooms. It was delicious. We washed the whole meal down with some hot Sake.
I guess there was celebrity in the restaurant named Brian Gosling or something… didn’t know who he was so I didn’t recognize him. But hey, if celebrities eat there it has to be good, right?
Five Stars all the way!