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Elena's, San Francisco, CA

Elena's

4.6
4.6
668 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 155 times today

About this restaurant

  • Lively
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
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. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you to Elena’s!

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri 11:30 am–11:00 pm Sat 10:30 am–11:00 pm Sun 10:30 am–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Delivery & takeout

What 668 people are saying

Elena's reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

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

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

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Francisco Bay Area

    Mexican

  • San Francisco Bay Area

    Most Booked

  • San Francisco

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Elena's offers a vibrant dining experience with "great food, great service and beautiful ambiance." Known for its "delicious" Tex-Mex options, highlights include the "amazing" coconut margarita and crowd-favorite enchiladas. Despite a bustling atmosphere, the attentive staff ensures a memorable visit. Reservations are recommended for this popular spot.
668 Reviews
  1. Thomas VIP

    San Francisco12 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The food is very good and there are plenty of choices without being overwhelming. Drink selection is very good for the same reason. The service is very friendly, if lacking in attention to detail. It’s a beautiful restaurant, a bit loud at times, but very fun atmosphere. The biggest knock is that it’s definitely overpriced for this type of fare. But that is standard for this restaurant group, all their offerings are overpriced.

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  2. Doris

    San Francisco2 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Customer service excellent, the building and decor beautifully done, food is good but pricy. If you are looking for a relaxing and quiet place, this is not the place it’s crowded and noisy. The wait is very long without a reservation. Street parking.

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  3. Laura VIP

    San Francisco2 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was disappointing. I ordered the shrimp tacos and there was not even 2 pieces of shrimp in each one.

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  4. Lidia VIP

    San Francisco11 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The two hostesses were amazing. We had executives add 2 more people to our party, and they did their best to accommodate us! The servers were constantly giving us chips and salsa and water. We felt very tended to. Thank you! and, of course, the food was pretty amazing!

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  5. Mercedes VIP

    San Francisco96 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A friend recommended me dining at Elena’s. I made a reservation with Open Table. So today we celebrated our friend’s 70th birthday lunch at this restaurant. We arrived early and I requested if we can get a table already. A friend was on the way to complete the party of 6 but we ended 5 as the other friend can’t make it. The hostess told me to hold on to talk to her manager. The manager Guillermo obliged our request nicely. We got our table by the window. The silverware was stunning. I liked the ambiance and the interior of the restaurant. The moment we sat down, we received two bowls of chips and salsa. They were delicious. The server Stevie took our orders. We did not have any drinks just water. We ordered the House Made Guacamole for the table, one Enchilada Combo (Shredded Chicken & Dungeness Crab) , Chili Relleno, Gracie’s Crispy Tacos, Burrito Bowl, another Enchilada Combo (Shredded Chicken & Beef). The food came piping hot and fresh and was so scrumptious. The server came to check on us at least 2x. All the staff was nice. We ordered House Made Churros for dessert to share. The dessert came with sparklers for the birthday celebration. We were all surprised. The prices were reasonable & the portion sizes of the food were enough, however, I did not finish my enchilada combo. The restaurant is good for larger groups. I don’t mind returning with my family!

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  6. Cristina

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I have now been here a few times and I have not been disappointed either times! The only negative is that it is so hard to get a reservation, so if you see one take it.

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  7. Marie VIP

    San Francisco7 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    I like Elena’s-my 4rth visit but there should be a stanchion set up with a sign that says “LINE UP HERE IF YOU HAVE A RESERVATION” and put another stanchion on the opposite side that says “LINE UP HERE IF YOU DONT HAVE A RESERVATION” This would eliminate wasting 10 minutes of time especially at lunch opening.

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  8. Robert

    San Francisco3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The service was excellent. I had the combo chicken enchilada and crispy beef taco dinner. the enchilada was topped with cheese, sour cream and a mild green sauce with blended spices, fresh squeezed lime, and blended cilantro. The kitchen attendant proudly served his creation to our table.

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  9. Ed

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food, great ambiance, great service and great portion-sizes. A bit pricey compared to similar restaurants in the Sunset-West Portal area, but we expected this. A great place to dine for a special occasion 1-2 times a year. We'll definitely be back!

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The foods was great everything we tried very good! The restaurant was beautiful but very nosy. Couldn hear over the muisc. Our server was very good as well!

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FAQs

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

Elena's is rated 4.6 stars by 668 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 155 times today
Google Map for Elena's

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

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Forest Hill / West Portal
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri 11:30 am–11:00 pm Sat 10:30 am–11:00 pm Sun 10:30 am–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Additional
    Wheelchair Access
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
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