Blue Elephant Thai Restaurant sits on Clevedon-Kawakawa Road in the village at the Clevedon Hotel, bringing Thai cooking to one of Auckland's prettiest rural corners. The restaurant was established by Karen and Wayne, whose passion for hospitality and dedication to customer satisfaction shape everything from the welcome at the door to the last course — their stated wish is that every visitor enjoys delightful cuisine, a joyful ambiance and exceptional service.
The team set out to blend innovation with authenticity rather than follow the standard Thai template, and the menu shows it: alongside the classics sits a whole family of dishes carrying the Blue Elephant name, from Aroy Dee Thai herb wraps and Northern Thai-style sausage to the Red Duck Curry and Chubby Young Blue Elephant. Seafood is a genuine strength, with snapper, Hapuka, salmon, scallops and king prawns prepared in sweet chilli, tamarind and choo chee styles.
There is a full vegetarian menu with tofu or mock chicken, three set menus for tables of four or more, and desserts like sticky rice with banana. Takeaways run from 5.30pm to 9.30pm, and the restaurant is recommended on Tripadvisor.
On Clevedon-Kawakawa Road, in the heart of the village at the Clevedon Hotel, Blue Elephant Thai Restaurant has made itself a destination for Thai food on Auckland's rural southern edge. The restaurant was established by Karen and Wayne, and the pairing says a lot about the place: their passion for hospitality and dedication to customer satisfaction run through everything, from the welcome at the door to the last course. Their stated wish is simple — that every visitor leaves with delightful cuisine, a joyful ambiance and exceptional service behind them.
What the team set out to do differently, they say, is blend innovation with authenticity. The menu runs deep, and while the Thai classics are all here, a whole family of dishes carries the Blue Elephant name — sauces and recipes developed in-house rather than lifted from a standard template.
The entree list alone is worth the drive. Alongside spring rolls, chicken satays and Thai curry puffs you'll find Aroy Dee Thai herb wraps — duck or prawns bundled in a spinach leaf with roasted peanut, ginger, red onion and plum sauce — plus Northern Thai-style sausage and grilled scallops on coconut cream casings. A mixed entree or a platter for two sorts out a table quickly.
Soups cover the two greats: Tom Yum, hot and sour with lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime, and Tom Kha, gentler with coconut milk. Both come with chicken, prawns or mixed seafood. Salads lean North Eastern — the minced chicken Larb Gai with mint, chilli and ground roasted rice — along with duck, prawn and seafood versions.
Curries span green, panang, a slow-cooked Massaman lamb and the house Red Duck Curry, its sliced roast duck partnered with pineapple, grapes, lychee and longan. The seafood kitchen is a real strength: whole snapper or Hapuka in sweet chilli and tamarind, Choo Chee salmon and king prawns topped with traditional red curry and kaffir lime leaves, and Spicy Scallops tossed with basil and fresh pepper.
Stir fries and noodles round things out — cashew nuts, basil and chilli, ginger and oyster sauce, sweet and sour, peanut lovers — plus Pad Thai, Thai fried rice and a sunny pineapple fried rice topped with cashews.
A few dishes have become the restaurant's calling cards. Blue Elephant Friends pairs deep fried chicken breast with almonds and the house sauce; Spicy Crispy Pork does the same for house-made crispy pork with basil and fresh chilli; and Chubby Young Blue Elephant — lightly battered Hapuka with cashews and water chestnuts in a delicate chilli sauce — is the dish an entire set menu is built around.
For groups of four or more there are three set menus: the Basic, the Chubby Young Blue Elephant and the Blue Elephant Parade, the latter a full run of entrees, tom yum prawns, four shared mains and dessert with rice and tea or plunger coffee. The kitchen invites diners to flag any allergy requirements, and there is a full vegetarian menu with tofu or mock chicken options from entrees through curries and noodles. Desserts stay true to form: sticky rice with banana, deep fried banana with ice cream, and a lychee and longan fruit salad.
Hours split across the week: dinner only from 5pm Tuesday to Thursday, then Friday to Sunday adds lunch from 11.30am to 3pm before dinner resumes at 5pm, running to late. The restaurant closes on Mondays and public holidays. Can't make it in? Takeaways run from 5.30pm to 9.30pm through the online ordering system.
Reservations can be made through the website, where you'll also find vouchers and a drinks list that leans on New Zealand and French wines, from Marlborough sauvignon blanc to Burgundy. The restaurant is recommended on Tripadvisor — and with Karen and Wayne's hospitality at the helm, it's easy to see why Clevedon locals and country-drive visitors alike keep the elephant on their route.