Elephant & Castle
424 Clay St
(between Battery St & Sansome St)
San Francisco, CA 94111 (415) 268-3900
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
126 Reviews for Elephant & Castle
A great selection of finger foods & complete dinner menu from burger to chicken wings, from Ruben sandwich to chicken salad! Everything under $20! Lots of draughts including the German Pauliner beer! 4 small TVs to watch games! A decent pub to chill with colleagues.
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E&C is a super cozy! I can't believe I didn't know about it sooner. It's a British pub right next to The Punch Line. The wait staff is super friendly and the bar crew always seems to be fun no matter what night I stop in. The drinks and bar selections are always awesome and strong! Don't knock the menu, it is exactly what they say it is... good typical British pub style foods that usually save me after a few strong drinks. I personally love the sweet potato fries and get them with everything! I think this place is definately worth checking out if you are in the area and looking for something more kick back and less North Beachy. The crowd is usually a mix of out-of-towners on business who stay in the affilated hotel next door or locals. You never know who you are going to meet here and what kind of stories you'll hear! Cheers!
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Lets preface this by saying it was nearly 11, it was a Sunday night, we were staying at Club Quarters, we'd gotten back from a tiring day at Golden Gate Park and hadn't eaten since 11 that morning.
"OMG room service!" I exclaim.
"Arm and a leg cost..." he continues.
"Shepherd's pie!" I refute.
Him: "Can't possibly compete with my mum's"
Me: "Bangers and Mash! Fish and Chips! Ploughman's Platter!"
Him: "hrm..." he wavers a little in his convictions.
Me: "Hot toffee bread pudding and baily's irish cream cheesecake... and it's only served until 11" I respond, pointing at the clock that we have 10 minutes to call down and make an order.
Him: "Won't it look a little odd that i'm the only one supposed to be staying in this room, and yet I'm ordering an entree and two desserts?"
Me: "Will that matter if so many of them have whipped cream and chocolate and other fun things so we don't have to end our wonderful day just yet?"
Him: *Hastily picks up the phone to order a plate of Fish and Chips (thank god for real food) and 3 different desserts*
I really don't know if Elephant and Castle was any good. The toffee bread pudding was amazing and still warm when it came to our door. That was the only spectacular part of the food itself. But based on the circumstance and the fact that it came to our hotel room late at night with very little markup...they are quite an awesome place.
It was my first time visited the bar for work "Happy Hour". It wasn't so call it happy hour because they didn't have one. The bar is so-so. Looks pretty British and attached to a hotel and next to Starbucks. So, convenient, I guess if you're drunk (stay at the hotel) and need to sober up (get some tea or coffee)!!
The bar doesn't have good appetizers or bar snacks although the staff are friendly and the bar is decent. At least it's clean, feels cozy, and the people who go to the bar are decent and business people around the area.
I had Mango mojito- it wasn't good at all. I had to ask for more mint and added more sugar to my mojito. It was very okay and on the verge of bad mojito, tasted so watered down. Anyway, wasn't like I expected. Thought mine is better!
So... I'm not sure if it's the food itself, or if E&C is simply trying to evoke the overall crappiness of English cuisine, but I'm not a big fan of their menu. Nothing has been overly horrible... just overly English, I guess.
There's a decent enough ambiance for the after-work crowd, I suppose, but it's certainly not "hip" or "cool" or anything of that nature. Basically, I have no reason to ever return, but if you're a suit and loves you some Shepherd's pie, than step on in.
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we didn't eat here, just a few cocktails post-work. Service was a bit slow (friendly though). We were sitting outside so that might have had something to do with the delayed service. The outside tables weren't the most comfortable. When we asked for an ashtray, the poor waiter lugged over one of those HUGE freestanding jobs that sit near building entrances - dude, invest in some little tin ones at your local restaurant supply store... nothing worse than seeing the waitstaff who umm, brings people food, full-on hugging an ashtray the size of her torso. My first G+T came without a lime!! That's not right.
My review is actually on E&C at Toronto (King St.), right across the street from TSO, so good for some drinks before/after the concerts
very nice atmosphere, cozy feeling, guess esp. in the chilly winter time
good place to drink solo at the bar, quibble or quiesce with friends at a table at the elevated platform
though i usu. don't like balls-freezing places like Toronto, this def. is a cozy corner/shelter
bang on
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I came here last night for happy hour with a coworker and the two martinis I had knocked me on my ass! This place serves it up with a heavy hand, that's for sure. My friend ordered their mango mojito which was really tasty and refreshing. I'll definitely be ordering one the next time I come here.
We ordered a sampler and the three items we chose were: potato skins (yum) sausage roll-ups (uber yum) and the veggie spring rolls (had to get some fiber in their, right?). Can't go wrong with alcohol and fried food at the end of a long day at work. It really hit the spot.
I came here on Tuesday for drinks after work. The interior has a comfortably tacky, yet old-fashioned feel (think 65% Cheers, 30% Chili's and 5% Denny's). It's in a very convenient location in the financial district, my drinks were strong, and these components alone make it a decent spot to unwind after work. It is part bar, part restaurant tables, most of which were completely empty at 7pm on Tuesday. The bar however was popular and slowly became more so as the night wore on. It was actually relatively busy at 9pm when we left, I guess this would have been the after-work crowd.
My rum and coke was quite good, on the strong side, which I appreciated. I was not carded, and that is always exciting for me. Some girls were going around handing out free samples of a new kind of beer, along with a little neon light-up bracelet (you know the kind people fling around at raves while they're dancing and it looks cool), so I downed the beer, which was pretty good seeing as it was free. I then had two vodka-cranberries, moderately strong but not so strong that I couldn't taste the cranberry, and appropriately sized. I left feeling pretty good, and that is really all I look for in a bar on a Tuesday night.
This isn't the hippest bar I've ever been in, but I was glad to be here on Tuesday night, unwinding a bit before I headed home. They were playing some good classic rock (I definitely heard Bad Company, "Shooting Star" and Tom Petty "You Don't Know How It Feels", which is one of my favorite songs EVER, so that made me smile). I would certainly come here again for drinks after work. I might even grab a quick bite. It's the kind of place where you won't stick out like a sore thumb if you're eating alone. As an occasional loner by choice, I always take mental note of such places. Also, the bartenders were pretty girls, and everyone loves a pretty girl right? Yay for beautiful people...I would always prefer to order my drinks from someone who's nice to look at.
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This place was fucking deserted when we went in here. We went here in order to find a place that has strongbow on tap. It was more of a challenge than a true craving for strongbow.
I was amazed that they had it here, and that's why it gets three stars.
The rest of the 'pub' was topped off by a lone flamboyant bartender (ok, all Brits may be gay, but they are on the low about it), so this could be a recreation of a pub in soho. The only other peeps in there was a dude at the bar and some bulldykes that came in after us. Me and my friends collective homophobe alarm went off, but we decided to have more strongbow.
The funny thing is that I recall Elephant and Castle being an area of London that was pretty ghetto.
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It was great to be in the warmth of good ol' British comfort food again! Nothing takes the SF foggy chill off like warm Shepperd's pie, creamy mashed potatoes and a thick hef! Yum! My date and I both couldn't resist the Shepperd's pie, so I don't know about the rest of the menu items, but I am very eager to come back and try them out! Good service, not remarkable, but no complaints. Very large interior, I expect it would be good for groups.
I feel slightly uneasy giving this place 3 stars. I felt like I was in off-the-strip Vegas' take on Ireland with a bunch of guys who like the Yankees and girls who get date-raped at frat parties.
We wandered around the Embarcadero and just couldn't figure out what to do with ourselves. Purgatory? Emburgatory.
And yet... the food was pretty decent. The service was okay. And it was cold and rainy outside. Gah! Must...justify...3...star...rating!
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Of all the fake British pubs in town, this is certainly one of them.
Listen, kiddies, here's the story. Drinking at a fake British pub is a lot like having the butseks: no matter what your high-school boyfriend told you, it doesn't happen to anyone by accident. That being the case, if you decide to drink at a fake British pub, let's set honest expectations about your experience there.
There are 4 metrics that are used to rate the quality of any fake British pub:
1. On-tap beer selection. E&C does a good job here, with many authentic British beers on-tap.
2. Scotch selection. Once again, E&C scores well both in selection and pricing.
3. Fish & chips. E&C has totally decent fish & chips.
4. Presence of actual leprechauns. Sadly, my visits have failed to turn up any honest to Erin leprechauns, therefore I had to deduct one star.
Otherwise, E&C is a pretty good bet when looking for a decent fake British pub experience. Which should be good news for all you fake British pub fans.
Fake British pub.
I had to say it one more time.
Fake British pub.
Okay, I'm done now.
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Hooray for beer. They have beer. It is hoppy. I got drunk.
More seriously, it's a decent "English Pub" attached to a hotel. As far as fake English pubs go, it's pretty fake, but also pretty decent.
Elephant & Castle is reliable go-to bar in the Financial District for those nights where you work late and your office has run out of beer.
Their motto is "Bang On". That's what the stars are for.
They have a couple of vegetarian options and probably 5-6 different wines by the glass. But by and large it's just like Harrington's and Royal Exchange except you can separate yourselves from the drunken shirts drinking Coors lite out of buckets if you're eating. (The bottles are in buckets, by the way, its not like they are literally drinking draft out of buckets. Just to clarify.) The bathroom, which is downstairs, is difficult to get to if its busy. Just keep that in mind before you order another drink.
Food came fast, decent service.
By the way, Alissa K, the after 5 FiDi north of Market purgatory is embarkatory, and that was MY line!
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It was a Sunday night when we came upon this place so it was pretty empty, but I liked the casual pubby feel of it. Super long bar and a few tables scattered about.
Only reason we ended up there is because we were waiting for some friends who were staying at the hotel next door. Seems they were on Italian time so that translated into a 2 drink wait which ended up working out well. ;-)
Con was that they were out of tons of different beers on draft, but the hub was able to find one he liked. I was happy they had chopin so I was set.
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I had high expectations based on reading the menu online, but the food just isn't very good. It is below average - similar to frozen food that you can buy on sale for 2 for $5.00. I would go back if I had to go with a group, but I wouldn't choose to go here just to give it a second shot.
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The Elephant and Castle is not a castle nor are there elephants.
It's a standard English pub, with standard English beers, with an above standard menu selection. I mean yes...typical English fare like shepards pie, and fish and chips, and Yorkshire pudding and onion soup. But what you don't expect is the ENORMOUS space, and awesome specials like apple cider glazed pork, or the make you drool by even reading about it meatloaf. I suggested we come here...I had never been here...I wasn't disappointed. This is by far the most useful review I've written in a while. Please...acknowledge the lack of funny...I dare you.
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I went into this place afterwork last night for a quickie bite to eat and maybe a glass of wine or two. I looked at their menu full of sausages and meat. I asked if we should try the indian curry, and that would be a no. We thought about the nachos but ended up ordering sweet potato fries, bangers in blankets (sausages in buttery crust - bite sized), and chicken kabob. They have a "shared" list and it's three items for $16. The portions aren't skimpy either. I also got a side salad which could have served two people but it was nothing spectacular. I was very impressed with their perfectly fried sweet potato fries and the sausages in blankets, just cause I was craving something fatty and bad for me. The bar was filled, but not crowded. Dining tables were totally open. Service was good, except my salad was forgotten, but no big deal since there wasnt enough room on the table for a little while anyway.
I'd go back for more calories and the sweet potato fries.
I met a large party here before a show at Punchline for a few drinks and I wasn't really impressed...it is a large space, with typical pub decor and english fare, but nothing really stood out compared to the pubs in London or Ireland.
What really disappointed me was the pour of Guinness...
Tilt pint glass at 45 degrees and fill to 3/4 full, let sit for 90 seconds...then pour straight into pint glass....to get the perfect head....
i guess there are other places to get perfect head int he city....but elephant and castle isn't the place. I had more than a quarter of my pint be head.
Dont get me wrong, i love head...but not taking over a quarter of my beloved Guinness.
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Eh, I could take it or leave it. It was nice...maybe for after work happy hours. Food wasn't great, but it was good.
I had trouble choosing a star-rating. I wanted to go with three stars based on price, ambiance, and general douchebag content. But there are things that push it toward four stars, like the same friendly, semi-cute waitress I've had the three times I've visited. I suppose what put 4-stars over the top was the fact that I have never paid for a single thing while at Elephant & Castle, thus price can't really fairly factor into my rating (thank you copy vendor).
The cocktails are really hit or miss. I've had a few excellent whiskey sodas, an single decent manhattan (and about 3 not so decent manhattans) and about a liter of swill, mixed drinks thrown together without any care or attention. People claim to like the mojitos, but they were a bit sugary for my taste buds (but I suppose, that's what they're supposed to be).
Mostly I suppose this is your standard financial district pub. Kinda expensive, kinda slow, kinda full of semi-richie looking people, totally a chain, and without a doubt crowded.
Would I go here again? Probably if you pay for it.
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FiDi watering hole. I've only been here for corporate happy hours. It's just... whatevers... nothing special.
This felt like a tourist trap misplaced within the Financial District. The layout of the place is okay at best but basically a very generic take on a British pub; the service pleasant enough but rife with "flair" and manipulative cleavage, and frankly the Cod & Cheddar sandwich tasted way too much like a McDonald's Filet-o-Fish. Nothing special happening here, but at a minimum its a quiet, easy to get seated place for lunch, which is where that 3rd star comes from.
I've only ever been to this bar for trivia nights, which are Thursdays, I believe. You need a reservation in order to sit-down on those nights. Crowded, with FiDi-folk. This can be good or bad, depending on your degree of tolerance for them.
Plenty of good beer on tap, including some of my personal favorites, and they tend to serve them in their actual, properly-designated glasses (ooooh, classy). Blue Moon, Boddington's, & Fat Tire are on-tap here!
It's a lively atmosphere for trivia & plenty of space too. Good crowd of smarties, but the music round can be hard to hear if you are seated towards the back. Get there early for choice-seating options. Trivia starts at about 6:15pm. Parking can be rather tough down yonder...
A bit pricey, but the food is quite tasty to compensate. GREAT finger-food appetizers--fit for sharing or hording. French Onion, I believe is served here, and it's mediocre, unfortunately (small portion too). I haven't eaten the dinner entrees here yet, and I'm tempted to come back for another try.
The only reason I docked the place is due to being over-charged for split-tables & taxed for service despite having split checks (split checks, and 18% service auto-charged for each of our checks... not cool). The service was a lot lamer than 18%-worth as well. That was a bummer. They do their best, however, and I do sympathize with the difficulty of serving large groups. The loooong trek from the outer-Rich is worth it only on occasion.
Vibrant feel in this place, but perhaps it's the thrill of trivia in the air?
I came here famished after two hours of smacking people around at the Pillow Fight Club (and catching enough of a "contact high" from some well-prepared pillow fighters to further aggravate my appetite).
Nothing really stood out about this place - it's an English pub, with English pub favorites on the menu (we had shepherd's pie - average, fish & chips - average, and bangers & mash - great bangers!). It filled me up, as did the beers we ordered, and that was pretty much it.
I did notice that the menu offered "sharing plates", which run 6.50 each or 16 for 3. If I ever find myself back at this place again, I'd like to give that a try. Maybe those items - steak crostini, baked brie & cranberry toast - won't give me the runs the way the shepherds pie did!
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A quick bite to eat after work accompanied by a few drinks. This place is really crowded, especially right about the time everybody gets off work. Although we were stuffed into a teeny table in the back the food was everything you would expect from your local pub and it did its job. I ordered champagne cocktails which may not have been the best choice but I was in the mood. The bartender didn't know how to make them right...but that is kind of what I get for trying to order champagne at a pub, right? Stick to the beer and fish n' chips and you will be a happy camper!
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Oh my, my my. Best.Sweet.Potato.Fries.Ever.
The chicken kabobs were the definition of "meh"
You cannot screw up brie and cranberries on toast....
but those damn sweet potato fries.
Oh sooooo good.
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Pub Trivia combines two of my favorite pastimes-- drinking and thinking-- to produce an unparalleled Tuesday night experience.
What other activity helps you strengthen a select portion of your brain cells while simultaneously chugging enough beer to kill off their weaker counterparts?
Regular pub quiz goers, therefore, often display a heightened knowledge of pop culture and useless facts, but this comes at a cost to lesser brain areas such as "Common Sense" and "Math".
At least, that is what I tell myself to feel better when I come to Elephant and Castle talking a big game and then get my ass kicked by Pub Quiz.. And be doubly warned if you come with coworkers, because if you suck at trivia (like me), but are also uber competitive (like me) it is no fun at all to have your new office-mate reassure you that "there's always next time to get one right"
Beyond Tuesday night Pub Quiz, Elephant and Castle is a pretty solid if unremarkable scene. Spacious enough to accommodate the happy hour crowd, good downstairs area for private functions, good beers on tap, delicious sweet potato fries.
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Before last night, I'd been here only once, a few years ago. I remember an after-work crowd, a good selection of beers, and a decent selection of unhealthy beer-absorbing bar food. I think we had unhealthy beer-absorbing nachos.
My temp agency had its holiday party here last night. It was exactly as I remembered it, after-work crowd, good beer selection, unhealthy beer-absorbing bar food--only this time we had the whole downstairs to ourselves and the beer and unhealthy beer-absorbing bar food were free. I ate my fill of quesadillas, chicken wings, bacon-bit-sprinkled potato skins, and jalapeno poppers, then went home where I drifted off to sleep and dreamt of a naked drifter offering window-washing services.
As much as I enjoyed the beer and unhealthy beer-absorbing bar food, that's the last time I'll drink beer and eat so much fried food so close to bedtime.
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Food kinda sucks since they changed the menu, but they have lots of whiskey and a pool table. And a pub quiz if you are so inclined.
Only sampled some of their appetizers and the fish and chips. The seasoned 'chips' were great! The atmosphere was cozy and not crowded, which is nice after driving from the East Bay to meet up for happy hour.
Thanks to the napkins and a-frames, Bang On, became the word of the night!
I really really like this place.
I have been here twice and had a great time both times. They serve high-quality British pub food and have a terrific atmosphere - cushy booths, dark panelling, a huge bar, and pool table in the basement. The first time I went here they were packed to the gills and had an awesome pub quiz going on, it was way fun to listen to all the hillarious team names and the guess the answers to the questions (my friend and I got there too late to play ourselves - lame!). The second time I went there it was much less crowed and we got seats right away, and got to enjoy some delicious grub. I absolutely loved the waiter we had - he was attentive without feeling fake or pushy, it was perfect. A great place to enjoy an after-work drink and bite to eat.
Last night I sat at the bar of Elephant & Castle and had myself a big glass of Irony.
http://www.ironywine.com/
It tasted completely opposite of how I thought it would.
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Real rating: 3.7
Dropped in at Elephant and Castle in the city last night:
Wibbly wobbly table, acoustics that allowed us to hear the bartender from far away, 80's music at a volume where I can hear lyrics (hadn't heard that Thompson Twins song in a long time...), cheerleader waitress, hanging TVs playing college basketball, and many dudes who are most likely Entourage and Jennifer Aniston fans.
...all of these things strongly suggest a properly dressed Appleby's for frat boys who still air guitar to Led Zepplin. You know those guys--Wannabe metrosexuals. Fantasy baseball. Black leather couches. But this is no Appleby's!
Had I not been to the Elephant and Castle in Chicago a few years back, I may have assumed as such.
In my memory, Chicago was FREEZING. It was the adjoining restaurant to H's business hotel. All I remember were perfectly fried chips and a tasty shepherd's pie. I remember feeling warmed by the Guinness on draught and the dark wood tables and furnishings.
Last night it was nearly 7.30 pm--the $8 plate specials ended at 7pm across the street at the Le Meridien bar and bistro. Damn. Looking across the street, wild horses wouldn't have held me back from the promise of a frothy beer and perfectly fried British chips.
H got a nice NY steak with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans with a lot of flavor and a large mug of beer. I got Halibut and Chips and was immensely satsified.
After a week plus of Barbie portions of sushi and sashimi in Japan (utterly satisfying despite the artistic flair), this was very gratifying.
Have I mentioned a detail about H? The woman has food tastes like an 19-year old British boy who plays rugby on weekends.
I LOVE that.
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For being a chain, this place does pretty well with food. Ambiance is fun. Beer. Pool table downstairs. Servers are pretty nice. We had the ploughmans platter, shepherds pie and fish and chips. Not the best of any of these that I have ever had, but I had low expectations going in and I was pleasantly surprised.
I would go back out of convenience of being in that area, I just would never crave this place. I will note that it was one of the only places open in that part of town on a Saturday afternoon so it gets some points for that too.
The rating is closer to a 3.7. . .
The food is pub-worthy, if that says anything. It's edible and satisfies hunger strikes when the wide booze selection settles in.
It's a pub: no more, no less.
Decent Fi-Di option for post-work cocktails and bar food. Nicer-feeling and lighter than Harringtons and Royal Exchange, about the same as Norton's Vault. If you're working late, you can also order take out. Try the steak salad.
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It was the only place close to our hotel open for dinner. It was packed full of party goers so it was a pretty fun scene. We were hungry so we were seated in the back dining area and had good pub food and amazing electric lemonades.......they make strong drinks here:)
They also had pretty darn good music playing and a pool table downstairs too.
We ordered breakfast from here two mornings later and I appreciated their breakfast potatoes.
Pricey food though.......makes you think you are in the UK hhahahaha
Cheers.
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I'm not sure that you can review the Elephant and Castle for its food - it serves British food and the brits aren't known for great food.
They do meat and gravy right, but you come for the beer. And obviously lots of other people do too. The bar was crowded on a weekday night (and some nights they do trivia, so I bet it is even more crowded)!
They have a nice selection of british ales and stouts, more than I could sample in the one night that I had in the City.
They are conveniently located (share a door) with the Club Quarters hotel, so if you end up drinking too much, you can stagger back to your hotel room without having to step out on the side walk even.
When traveling, this is a good place to get unique and good food and drink.
