Elephant

Great food. Horrible service. Rude, slow. Too bad because the food has always been excellent.

We went in and got just a drink and an appetizer. The rather large fellow in the back wearing cargo shorts said something along the lines of «if I wanted to serve 6 dollar meals I’d open a [expletive] food truck». He also, rather loudly theorized with his coworkers our food intake earlier that day. Chill dude… I just wanted an app. Why so hostile? A definite undesirable detour of our day. Will most definitely avoid in the future.

Elephant now offers entrees, so we stopped back in to try them. The salmon with lentils was actually very good. We ordered a few tapas items. Also, good. The service remains the issue with this place. When our waiter approached we asked what the fish of the day was. He turned to go check. Stopped, came back and blurted out, «well yes, but are you going to order drinks?» Well, yes actually we were, but now we’re not, because… awkward. I kinda wanted to know the answer to my question. We also asked for more lentils as a side as they were delish and there were very few with the salmon. We were refused. Weird. You’re not a rigid Michelin 5 star or anything, after all. It felt like a bad first date. Just super awkward.

I ate here for the first time about three years ago. A local chef treated me to a delicious small plate experience. When I head they were closed for renovations to put in a bigger/​better kitchen I was in great anticipation.
I ate at Elephant for the second time about three months ago. It was underwhelming. I would like to see some more creativity and wow factor dishes.
I will try again.

All lovingly crafted and delicious. A festival of incredible meet dishes. Try the pâté.

What was one of our favorite places in Kingston has changed it’s menu, much to our chagrin. Most of the tapas are gone, replaced w/​small plates of appetizers and pricy entrees. The wine selection is still nice, but prices have gone up. The music has changed, as well. More rock ‘n roll, which is OK, but not what I want to hear when dining in an upscale place. The sofa seating we liked so much has been replaced with more tables & chairs. More seating = more $$, but loss of ambiance/​charm. When we could get the server’s attention, service was great. But we were often ignored while she chatted with friends at the bar. Perhaps they are regulars, but we felt as though the server didn’t really care about us. It was hard to get her attention. We shared the Caesar Salad, which for $ 12 was tasty but not exactly a generous portion. Also shared the whipped cod, which was excellent. Small, but satisfyingly rich with a nice, creamy texture. Next, I had the Portuguese style little neck clams. Over salted, but tasty; however, for $ 12 I would have liked more than 4 small clams in sauce, although the sauce was good. (We ate at a new place in Hudson last week and my $ 13 little neck clam dish was loaded w/​clams & sauce, and came w/​a side of toasted baguette slices). My husband said his pork tacos were tasty, but again, for $ 12 he would have liked more than 3 teeny-​tiny tacos. Still hungry, we ate the entire bread basket, mopped up with the sauce from the clams and called it a night. My husband would have ordered the truffled mac ‘n cheese if it was offered as a half dish, but it’s offered only as a $ 19 entrée. He was afraid he’d pay almost $ 20 for another stingy portion. So: 4 glasses of wine and 4 small plates cost almost $ 100 with tax and tip. The young lady who wiped our table down and brought us the check actually asked us where we were going for dinner. LOL: If not for the bread basket, we might have stopped elsewhere for a slice of pizza.
I hope they bring back the wide array of tapas & go back to being a tapas bar. Who knows? We won’t be returning any time soon. Too many other local restaurants where the portions are more in proportion with the prices charged and the menu just as interesting and well prepared. And have wait staff who don’t ignore you, even if you are not a regular or a friend.

Gone downhill. Tapas menu is all but disappeared, the old records were not being played but had been replaced by rock tunes, the food was underseasoned, and the staff a bit aloof. What a disaapointment. Such a great space and atmosphere.

While the food is outstanding on more than one occasion my friend and I have made to feel that we were intruding on a private club and served as an after thought. If this is not a deterrent then go and enjoy the excellent food. It is just tiresome to be ignored and when you gain the attention of the server receive a look of annoyance for interrupting their socializing. This also the attitude of the owners

This hidden gem on Wall Street in Kingston is a standout food and wine bar. Described as «vaguely Spanish, totally Kingston», this excellent spot is a foodie haven… without being pretentious or elitist.
The story goes that the chef started making food on a hot plate in the back. Whether or not this is true, what I can attest to is the quality of the food. The meats, vegetables and breads that came together to make my dish and the others on the table were all top-​notch.
I went for the Campanelli Farms Pan Fried Chicken (complete with rosemary-​orange glaze to die for, tapenade, goat cheese, fingerlings and summer squash). This dish was not only superbly plated, but was the exact amount of depth for a dinner without being heavy or overdone. It’s a perfect summer night’s meal. The other two at the table opted for the Bacon Cheddar Burger, perfectly cooked and juicy at medium-​rare. (The Chicken was my favorite of the two). It all washed down perfectly with a Red Sangria.
We ended the meal by getting the Chocoflan for dessert (chocolate cake topped with flan and gooey goat’s milk caramel). It was superb.
Don’t miss this unique spot where you can taste and see the careful attention to detail that goes into each dish.

Another amazing experience last night.
We ordered:
Apps:
1. Stuffed peppers
2. Sautéed seasonal ramps with fresh asparagus — cooked perfectly!
Entrees:
1. Braised Berkshire Pork which was served with baked white beans, pomegranate molasses, pickled chillies, salsa verde and yogurt.
2. «The Ferraro» which was truffled wild mushroom Mac and cheese with artisanal pasta, roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, cream, Gruyère and manchego.
Call ahead for reservations on the weekend; it was packed!

The food was delicious. Small tapas servings, but all excellent.
The elephant burger is one of the best burgers I’ve ever had – really! Generous serving of Sangria. Small restaurant. The staff was helpful, friendly, and personable. Highly recommend for Kingston area.

My favorite restaurant in Kingston! Unique tapas mostly for the adventuresome eater but anyone that isn’t picky can leave very happy from here. Snail toast is great and anything with the salt cod is amazing. Just come here with an open mind and ready for it to be a little noisy and crowded and you will be happy.

What a fucking joy this place was (wait for the pun) Classy, dark, records, playing Joy Division. Spanish tapas were on point. Perfect before a show at the BSP. If you’re trying to save money gtfo. 2 glasses of wine and 2 small app 30 bux.

I can’t say enough good things about this place. If you haven’t come here yet, believe the hype and just make a reservation. The service is outstanding and the open style kitchen creates a unique atmosphere.
Must tries:
Elephant Burger — if you love cheeseburgers as much as I do, get this. Walk, run, just get there and eat it
Pork Belly Tacos — my other favorite. The meat, the cilantro, the jalapeño… SOOO good.
Bikini Queso — a must for any grilled cheese lover.
We had the French onion beef stew and it was fabulous !! The broth is so rich and tasty.
The Lamb Ragu is another favorite! If you want pasta, then this will fill your desire.
For dessert I recommend
–Bread Pudding with goats milk caramel (to die for)
–Nutella cookie sandwich with chocolate milk shot … Enough said.
One of my FAVS!!!

This was my third time eating at Elephant. Each time the meals have been consistent. Last night we had the squid ink risotto, the pork belly sausage and the lamb «goo.» Each of them fabulous in their own way. The chef has a talent of creating such a depth of flavor in everything he makes.
We were both very satisfied with our meal. I look forward to my next visit.
I recommend friending them on Facebook and Instagram so you can see pictures of the food and see what the new menu items are.

Elephant is the most casual tapas bar/​restaurant I’ve visited to date. Some tapas places are meant for large, rowdy crowds; Elephant is for a more relaxing experience with small-​to-​medium sized groups. Add to that a location in the Stockade district of Kingston, and you have an enjoyable evening.
Service here is consistent with the casual atmosphere, though quite friendly, informative, and attentive. We were given as much time as we wanted to look through the menu as well as additional information on the evening’s charcuterie and cheese specials. The beer and wine list was smallish, in step with the cozy size of the place. For a change I opted to pass on wine in favor of a beer, and I was very satisfied with the Spanish Estrella Damm ($ 5).
We did experience mild «sticker shock» with regard to how much you got for certain items compared to the price, especially when compared to some larger tapas restaurants in larger cities. But any concern was negated upon tasting each item as it was delivered — quality trumps quantity. I would have had no regrets ordering seconds of any item here regardless of price. I’d probably start with seconds on the pork belly tacos and the beet-​lentil salad.
My only complaint is that there is not always enough «table real estate» for smaller groups seated at smaller tables to accommodate all the plates. We were constantly playing the staging game with menus, plates, glasses, etc., and hoping no one was seated at our spillover table, so that everyone had a chance to sample all the great food here.

So four months after this horrible experience at Elephant, I get a Unilocal message from someone who, from the tone, I can only assume is the aforementioned chef or one of his minions, admonishing «to hell with your gluten-​free demands and high-​end demands, stay home and don’t go to a restaurant and expect whatever you want.»
Wow. First off I never asked to be allergic to gluten. Second, I never asked them modify any creations, only inquired about gluten content in dishes. Third, I can’t stay home when my job requires travel. And finally, if this message WAS from a principle of Elephant they definitely have issues with the concept of customers as their guests, are lacking a compassion gene and/​or have mental illness problems.

Visiting a friend who lives in the area — this is one of her favorites. We had a very enjoyable evening — dinner at the bar.
Wine list is ample and good values are to be had.
We shared the deviled eggs, clams, sausage w/​potato salad, and the tar tar.
All were quite good — the sausage was probably my personal favorite.
Music was extremely interesting — a spectrum that even contained some Edith Piaf.
All in all — a good evening — I would return.

Do not go there !!
I’m from NYC and this is not tapas
This is the worst meal I’ve had in a long time
Tge shrimp was rubbery, the snails are chewy, the place just doesn’t feel right. Not fresh. If you are looking for a place to eat and you are stuck in the area don’t consider this place

Took the Mrs. here for her birthday. We had a great meal and a great evening. The wine list is robust. She had a wonderful Albariño, I had a pretty nice Rioja.
The best dish of the night was the house made pâté, made with chicken livers, pork shoulder, and pistachios. It was well balanced and very refined.
We also had pork belly tacos, grilled cheese with Serrano, and chorizo and chocolate — which was fantastic. The chorizo and chocolate was a great surprise. It was semi-​sweet dark chocolate with an aged chorizo on a crostini style bread. The combo of the dark chocolate and the savory flavor of the paprika in chorizo was like a deconstructed mole. Count me as a fan.
All of the food we had was well prepared, and ‘felt like’ Spain (and yes we’ve been to Spain). The prices were very reasonable, and our waiter did a great job taking care of us.