Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. San Francisco
  5. Forest Hill / West Portal
Elena's, San Francisco, CA

Elena's

4.7
4.7
582 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

Make a booking

2 people
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
19:30
Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 165 times today
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Lively
  • 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!

Order delivery or takeout

Restaurants you may also like

View all

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
    (415) 622-4440
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 582 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
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • 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 "fantastic" dining experience with "excellent food" and a "beautiful ambiance." Guests rave about the "inventive delicious drinks" and "stellar service," describing the restaurant as a "neighborhood gem" with "perfect" margaritas and "delicious" dishes. While reservations may be challenging, the "vibrant" atmosphere makes it worth the effort.
582 Reviews
  1. chris

    VIP

    San Francisco

    13 reviews

    4.0

    13 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Fun atmosphere, excellent service, solid Mexican food

    Is this helpful?

  2. Maggie

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    3.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    This was my second visit to Elena’s. Expectations were high as my first visit was fantastic. Food was okay to lackluster. The fish tacos were okay, not as good as my first visit and the potato taquitos tasted like cheesy mash potatoes with no discernible chili verde flavor. We ordered Chico flan and churros. Again not as good as first visit with churros a bit overcooked. I had talked these up as well. However,salsa and chips were very good. Service was definitely not up to par. We asked for water several times as initial request was either forgotten or ignored. No one was unpleasant but certainly not the attentiveness we’ve come to enjoy from this family of restaurants. Hopefully it was just an off day.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Robert

    VIP

    San Francisco

    16 reviews

    4.0

    16 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    First time there and it was busy, but the place is outstanding the music is everything’s energetic  the food was great. The service was awesome. We will be back for sure. 

    Is this helpful?

  4. Tad

    VIP

    San Francisco

    34 reviews

    5.0

    34 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What can I say, the food was great, the service was exceptional, and the price was very reasonable.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Jonathan

    San Francisco

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Overrated. Food was over salted and terrifically overpriced for what it was. Staff was wonderful.

    Is this helpful?

  6. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Service was great, food was amazing. Mixed drinks were excellent especially the coconut margarita. We celebrated my dad’s birthday, and loved it. My mom is very picky when it comes to eating Mexican food in a Mexican restaurant because she doubts it’ll be as good as her cooking. Needless to say, she loved everything we tried. Pozole, carnitas, branzino, and the enchiladas verdes were amazing. If you enjoy seafood, definitely try the ahi crudo. LITERALLY AMAZING !! And I would even say the pozole is better than my moms which is saying a lot lol We will definitely be going back for another special occasion.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Odessa

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We made reservations two months ahead and drove over from San Rafael so we were really looking forward to this! The design of the space is beautiful and modern! Stunning! Our table was right next to the host stand and front door crowded with people waiting in line and for tables and chilly. The music was really loud so we could talk and hear one another but we had to talk very loudly over our little table for two. The cocktails were delicious, the house made chips, salsa and the chili con queso app was amazing! The dinner came and we were both disappointed with our mains. The fish tacos were a pile of pretty cabbage with some bland fish. I added some salsa which made it better. My husband’s chili relleno was essentially a glob of cheese in a soggy chili. We had higher hopes for the food and ambience. If you’re looking for a beautiful and happening bar vibe for some apps and drinks this is an excellent spot (if you can get in!). Beautiful service and space! Food needs some attention.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Paul

    San Francisco

    10 reviews

    3.0

    10 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Server was very busy in her section. Maybe she had too large of a section to take care of. Service was not as good as I expected, but the server was very friendly, polite and cordial. Hostess was very professional and pleasant. Busboys were efficient.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Nicole

    VIP

    Las Vegas

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Crudos were super fresh not fishy tasting at all with great fresh flavors around. Excellent corn and grilled cod tacos.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Cory

    VIP

    New York City

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 2
    Amazing food and service as always! The quesadilla and crudo tops!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

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

Elena's is rated 4.7 stars by 582 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking


Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 165 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 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
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2024 OpenTable International Ltd. Alphabeta Building, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo