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Elena's, San Francisco, CA

Elena's

4.7
4.7
465 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 91 times today
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
Welcome to Elena's -- a place where a family’s love for authentic Mexican food is celebrated and combined with California-inspired elements and signature Mexican-American dishes. We offer reservations for up to 8 guests via OpenTable. At the time of your reservation, we kindly request the entire party be present to be seated. Tables will be held for up to 10 minutes after the reservation time. For parties that arrive later, the table will be released but we will do our best to accommodate the reservation with the next available table. Reservation requests via phone or email are not available at this time. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you to Elena’s!

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 11:30–22:00 Fri 11:30–23:00 Sat 10:30–23:00 Sun 10:30–22:00
  • Phone number
    (415) 622-4440
  • Website
    http://www.elenasmexican.com/
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

Featured in

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 465 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • San Francisco Bay Area

    Mexican

  • San Francisco

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Elena's is a beautifully decorated restaurant offering "fantastic" Mexican cuisine with generous portions. Guests rave about the chicken enchiladas, "insane" empanadas, and coconut margaritas. Service is consistently praised, especially by servers like Flora and Kayla. Despite occasional noise, the vibrant atmosphere and "wonderful" ambiance make it a beloved neighborhood spot.

465 Reviews

  1. Holly

    VIP

    San Francisco

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fourth time I’ve been there. Had something different each time I’ve come and have enjoyed everything. The staff is wonderful and I’m looking forward to coming back again soon.

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  2. Julia

    San Francisco

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    The first hostess ( young girl) made us wait as she talked on phone even though tables were ready. My waitress never brought me a soda water which I asked for to add to my $20 cocktail that was too sweet. She was too busy. Heard her say she needed a break. She should have taken one.

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  3. Janice

    VIP

    San Francisco

    28 reviews

    2.0

    28 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Sorry to give our experience such a low rating. The restaurant is very beautiful and the holiday decorations were gorgeous. That said, the food did not live up to other reviews we had read. The dough for the empanadas and the crepe used on the tacos were very tough and difficult to cut with a knife; the pepper in the chile rellenos was not cooked through (it was raw) and the spicy margarita was overly sweet. Don't think we will return.

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  4. Deborah

    San Francisco

    18 reviews

    4.0

    18 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful restaurant. Great service. 4 of us dines. Guacamole had sour taste. Three of us returned main entree. Chiles Rellenos ice cold inside. Our steak fajitas had to also be returned as we ordered rare, were given well done. Were happy to redo and was perfect. Gracious hospitality.

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  5. Jea

    VIP

    San Francisco

    23 reviews

    3.0

    23 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Beautiful ambiance. Margarita is so so. To go food was poorly packed.

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  6. Dave

    New York City

    19 reviews

    4.0

    19 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    interesting place for mexican food, varied menu. fresh ingredients. nice environment. great service. good bar drinks. chips and chile relleno had an oily off taste. salsa excellent for chip dipping but a hotter one is really needed for food. good bit not great place.

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  7. Jennifer

    VIP

    San Francisco

    15 reviews

    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on 13 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    First time here, great experience from beginning to end. Our server was Laurel, she was amazing. The Christmas decor was nice, the food and drinks were great. Happy I was able to get a reservation.

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  8. Christine

    VIP

    San Francisco

    24 reviews

    4.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on 12 December 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The ambiance and service were excellent. Good portion (crab enchilada) was large with food to feed 2. In the future I would order crab tacos to avoid large quantities of beans, etc. - the crab meat was just sufficient. Cocktails were excellent.

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  9. Larry

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 12 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was my first visit to Elena's The restaurant is beautiful and the food delicious. I'll definitely come back.

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  10. Kate

    VIP

    San Francisco

    22 reviews

    5.0

    22 reviews

    Dined on 12 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Incredible experience - been there 3x in 4 months and already have made my next res for next month. Food, ambiance, service - 10 out of 10!!

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FAQs

You can order delivery directly from Elena's using the Order Online button.

Elena's is rated 4.7 stars by 465 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 91 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Elena's

255 W Portal Ave, San Francisco, CA 94127-1401

Additional information

  • Area
    Forest Hill / West Portal
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 11:30–22:00 Fri 11:30–23:00 Sat 10:30–23:00 Sun 10:30–22:00
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Additional
    Wheelchair Access

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