Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro

The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro is a vegetarian restaurant serving Thai cuisine in Portland, Maine that opened in 2007 in the city's Arts District.[1] A second Green Elephant restaurant located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire opened in 2015.[2] It has received critical attention for its vegetarian dishes from non-vegetarians.

History

The restaurant was opened by chef Danai “Dan” Sriprasert and business partner Bob Wongsaichua at 608 Congress Street across from the State Theatre building. Sriprasert and Wongsaichua also own Boda, a Thai restaurant that serves some meat dishes. The restaurant is named as green represents vegetarian cooking and elephants are considered lucky.[3]

A 2011 The Maine Magazine review by Joe Ricchio reported: "Sriprasert’s mother, who owned a restaurant in Thailand, taught him how to cook from a very early age. Each morning, he would wake up and be put to task peeling garlic, chopping onions, making curry paste, and executing other tedious preparations. His mother never used written recipes, and by cooking alongside her he began to develop his own personal style."[4]

In 2016, the Green Elephant in Portsmouth was named Best Vegan Restaurant in the state by New Hampshire Magazine.[5] During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the Portland restaurant closed for a month and a half before reopening and gave all 40 of its employees a free box of produce every week while closed.[6]

The menu is appetizers, stir fries, curries, noodle dishes and desserts. All the food is vegetarian and most is vegan. The crispy duck, the char guay teow[4] and the chocolate orange mousse pie[7] have been mentioned by food reviewers.

Reception

The restaurant doesn't take reservations and people sometimes wait outside for tables.[8] In 2012, The Boston Globe travel writer Hilary Nangle said the restaurant "has persuaded many carnivores that going veggie does not mean sacrificing flavor."[9] In 2013, Travel + Leisure named the restaurant to its list of the "Best Vegetarian Restaurants in the U.S."[10] In 2016, the Maine Sunday Telegram's restaurant reviewer James H. Schwartz gave the restaurant three stars and wrote: "It’s fun, congenial and healthful, an easy place for vegetarians, dedicated carnivores – and the rest of us – to enjoy."[11] In 2019, The Daily Meal named the restaurant to its list of "The Most Vegan-Friendly Restaurant in Every State."[12] In 2020, the Portland Press Herald's vegan food writer Avery Yale Kamila called the restaurant Maine's "reigning vegetarian restaurant queen."[13]

References
  1. Brian, Kevin (June 8, 2015). "Maine's Best Restaurants for Vegetarians". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  2. Miller, Kristyn Lak (January 10, 2017). "Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro & Bar". Taste of the Seacoast. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  3. Anderson, Amy K. (September 20, 2012). "Green Elephant, Portland". The Maine Mag. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  4. Ricchio, Joe (April 7, 2011). "EAT-April 2011: Green Elephant". The Maine Mag. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  5. "New Hampshire Magazine's 2016 Best of NH Winners in Vegan|!!| Vegetarian|!!| Gluten Free|!!| Outdoor Dining". New Hampshire Magazine. June 16, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  6. Kamila, Avery Yale (May 10, 2020). "Vegan Kitchen: Are your favorite vegetarian or vegan restaurants open for takeout?". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  7. Rusley, Erika Blauch (August 30, 2013). "Good Eats | The best of Maine's healthy & vegetarian dining". The Sunrise Guide. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  8. Axelrod, Susan (July 31, 2014). "DINING GUIDE: 5 NOTABLE MAINE RESTAURANTS FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS". MaineToday.
  9. Nangle, Hilary (April 29, 2012). "10 Maine restaurants where vegetarians reign". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  10. Sarah L., Stewart (August 10, 2013). "Best Vegetarian Restaurants in the U.S." Travel + Leisure. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  11. Schwartz, James H. (January 24, 2016). "Dine Out Maine: Green Elephant in Portland". Press Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  12. Rock, Taylor (November 19, 2019). "The most vegan-friendly restaurant in every state". The Daily Meal. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  13. Kamila, Avery Yale (January 19, 2020). "Vegan Kitchen: Portland's vegan restaurant scene is red-hot". Press Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
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