Elena's Mexican Restaurant

I was initially disappointed to see that for a nicer and new restaurant in SF, they had such limited vegetarian and no plant based options. I thought they would at least offer grilled veg as a protein add-on option to their standard fare, but nope. Cheese enchilada, cheese quesadilla or one veg taco option. Oh, there was the standard chile relleno too - more cheese. So I got the mushroom and squash tacos. The filling was fine, but no salsa (upon second look at my photo, it seems there is a tiny drizzle of what might be salsa macha but seemed non existent when eating) and no lime made a pretty dry and bland taco.

Decor/ambiance is really nice and service was good, so I give this place some stars for that. Gratis chips and salsa were good too. Pleeeeease give us more creative vegetarian and some plant based options, then I would love to try this place again.

The Duggan family's, original Joe restaurants are an institution in SF . Elena steps out from their signature Italian with this new place serving Mex fusion.

Hesitant at first, I was wowed by each plate that I ate!
The "cross over" works! I loved that the ingredients used were good quality and fresh. Yes, it's Mexican fusion but tastes wonderful.

Restaurant with high ceilings and tall green vegetation sets a lovely tone for the space.

Ambiance: 4 1/2 stars
Enchiladas: Green sauce 4 1/2 stars
Red Sauce 4 1/2 stars
Fajita: chicken was a little dry and overcooked 3 1/2 stars
Soup: 4 1/2 stars
Guac: 4 stars
Corn: the rock star of the table 5 stars
Drinks: 4 stars

Best upscale Mexican fusion food, set in a vibrant environment called Elena's in West Portal. First saw this restaurant featured on a television clip showing West Portal, described as the most happening invisible community in San Francisco. Is it expensive? Well, it's not cheap. But it's the perfect gathering place to celebrate great food and great friends!

Started off with the most delicious fresh made tortilla chips and homemade salsa. So good, we had to ask our Food Server Natasha C, what the secret to the deliciousness of the salsa. And this is what she told us... all fresh vegetables are fire roasted and then put through a dedicated meat grinder to produce just the perfect texture and flavor. Seriously sooo good! It's dangerous that the chips and salsa are bottomless. I could dine just off of that and be happy!

And even though my dining partner and I are not much alcohol drinkers, the descriptions given of the two house special cocktails captured us! Yes, Natasha was that good of a server.

Friend got the house special "Epazote" consisting of tequila with white peach juice, lime juice, and muddled epazote leaves. Had a sip and it was good.

My choice was the "La Maracuya",
Mezcal, passionfruit juice, lime juice and bitters. With a rim coated with salt and tajine. For me... Perfection! My new favorite cocktail! And will be yours if you like mezcal and a little dry/bitter.

Sizzling tostada came next. And tasty that was! Served with chorizo giving a burst of flavor.

Natasha was right when she asked us if we had room for more (we did not but we didn't want the evening to end so...), onto the
combo w/dungeness crab enchilada, crispy taco, chile relleno or pork tamale w/pinto beans & rice was ordered and a side dish of black beans and rice came next.

We tapped out before dessert and took leftovers home. Thank you Natasha for the amazingly great service. I watched as she covered many tables, each with amazing grace and efficiency, making each feel like they were her guests in a private home.

Thank you Elena's and dining partner for the most memorable evening! And true to special on West Portal, there was a line waiting to get in @ Elena's when we left!

Interesting, I don't normally venture to a hispanic restaurant other than the tried and true mission, but it's good to see how the other half lives.
First of all this place is extremely noisy, pretty hard to carry a normal conversation. The staff is very good, once you put in your orders, they pretty much leave you be, which is wonderful. If everyone orders and add a couple appetizers, be sure you have a large table, we had to consolidate plates in order to fit in the booth tables.
I need to mention, we noticed a asian lady on the other side of the bar, she needs to be paid double, she was the only person drying and stacking ALL the dishes for service by herself, she never stopped from what we observed, at one point we even noticed her bringing out food. She appeared to be doing the job of three people.
Now let's get to the most important part, the food. The food was much more different than the fare you would get in the mission, in other words much more emphasis on fresh ingredients, my only complaint is they use very shallow plates and in my opinion they really skimp on the rice and beans for what they charge. I had the combination of pork tamale and of course chile relleno. It was good but it didn't really wow me, the tamale was the size of a taquito, the chile relleno was pretty good. With the assortment of dishes we ordered, I really can't say it was all that impressive, I guess it's hard to be impressed since I grew up eating at hispanic restaurants in the mission.
I might add they certainly did not lack in the service people department, that is why the food was so promptly served. They appeared to have a lot of service people working for them and they were fantastically efficient.
I do have to add that this is a very expensive meal for mexican food. I would love to go back but my tastebuds are more accustomed to mexican food from the mission or a mexican supermarket that has a taqueria.

2nd visit but first time at a table. One thing that is always understated at all the Duggan family restaurants is the Michelin class service (but with a less stuffy and more friendly smile) in a great family restaurant. Elena's has brought Original Joe's SF Classic dining to Mexican cuisine in West Portal.

While the fanfare has died down, the place is still packed and the place was loud on a Friday night with people enjoying the end of the week (add a Blake Snell no-hitter to the TV above the bar and it was a good time for all). Blake needs to come by and add a photo to the Wall of Fame. Joe Montana has already been spotted here.

Our attentive service was brought to us by Michelle who made sure our glasses were full, our table was always clean and that we never had to flag anyone down for anything.

My Coconut margarita was excellent, followed by perfect steak and shrimp fajitas and the my churros for dessert with chocolate sauce. Pricey? Yes. $123 before tip for two. Well worth it with healthy portions which gave way for leftovers. Great way to start the weekend.

Only weird thing is when we walked in is first junior person said 30 min wait and while she was talking yo the next person her supervisor grabbed two menus, handed her two menus and had us seated. By the way found a metered parking spot in front for 1 hour on a Friday night at 5pm....Lucky Friday.

We stopped by on a Monday night and had to wait ~ 30 minute for a table which wasn't terrible. I will say, it is beautifully decorated inside. They gave us complimentary chips and salsa after ordering. We ordered the:

- Coconut Margarita - pretty strong and sweet
- Spicy Margarita - filled with ice so the drink watered down quickly
- Esquites - slightly spicy and sweet, very good
- Crispy Taquitos with Potato - very bland, covered in lettuce and sauce which made them become soggy fast
- Cheese Enchiladas - not terrible but nothing amazing, sauce had a slight spice to it which was nice
- Butternut Squash and Mushroom Tacos - 2 tacos, pretty decent, it just need a sauce to go with it because it tasted dry
- Wet Veggie Burrito - green sauce was slightly more sour than I would have liked

Overall, the vegetarian food here is very mediocre and definitely not worth the price point. I hope they come up with more tasty vegetarian options, because the ambience and decor were great!

Walking into Elena's is instantly a mood booster. The beautiful ambiance and amazing vibe walking in was exactly what every restaurant needs.

The wait was about 40 minutes for 2 but it went fairly quick. My husband and I started with a drink from the bar while we waited. Initially sitting down I couldn't help but notice the beautiful plates!

The menu had lots of options and some things I'll definitely be back to try! We started with the guacamole and some chips and salsa. But there were so many more appetizers I wanted to try!

Hubby got a trio plate with a chicken taco, enchiladas & a chile relleno. I got the steak and shrimp fajitas and they were probably the best fajitas I've ever had. So much flavor and a ton of food.

The Elena Margarita was perfect & definitely a no brainer. Definitely went well with my meal.

We can't wait to come back!

Finally got a chance to try Elena's! Came by at about 9pm on a Saturday night and was able to get seated right away. Our server was Natasha, and she was so wonderful! The aesthetic of this restaurant was also very beautiful.

We started with the queso con chile app - highly recommend! For our entree, we shared an order of steak fajitas. This was perfect for sharing between both and it was delicious!

Definitely will be back soon!

Elena's Mexican Restaurant is relatively new and seems to be the hottest restaurant in the West Portal area. Each time I pass by, I see it packed with people dining and waiting. I came to Elena's on a weekend morning, right when they opened. There was already a line and everyone ahead of me was seated, however, the staff let me know it would be an hour wait. Apparently, those customers before me had made reservations. I tried making reservations earlier that morning, but there was nothing available. I waited about 45 minutes before we were seated.

I ordered the steak and shrimp fajitas ($36), which came with rice and beans, sautéed onions, bell peppers, tortillas, salsa, and sour cream. The steak and shrimp fajitas were pretty good. They reminded me of the fajitas from Chevy's. It was a good portion and very filling. The complimentary chips and salsa were really good! Especially the chips.

Friends also enjoyed the Dungeness crab enchiladas ($39) and Carnitas Tacos ($16). I tried the passion fruit mocktail ($12) and it was tasty.

The restaurant itself is a little more upscale and has a great, spacious vibe due to the tall ceilings. The employees were busy and the restaurant gets crowded. I would recommend making reservations in advance or else be prepared to wait. Elena's is a nice new restaurant to dine in on West Portal...prices are a little high, but the food is good and the ambiance is very pleasant.

Had lunch down town but couldn't resist dropping in after seeing some counter space around 3 pm on our way home. Lovely interior. Elegant and classy. We ended up getting some drinks and some Apps.
Comp chips & salsa - warm & fresh
Norma's mini scopes $17 - good
Cerviche Tostada $18 - light & tasty
steak carne asada tacos $16 - great
Coconut margarita $16 - excellent
Food was nicely presented and very delicious. Wished we could try more but way too full from lunch. The bar staff were attentive and friendly and often checked in with us. Great ambience with light music in the background. Definitely will return to have a proper sit down dinner.