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Elena's, San Francisco, CA

Elena's

4.7
4.7
438 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 109 times today
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
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. Reservation requests via phone or email are not available at this time. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you to Elena’s!

Order delivery or takeout

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 438 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
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Francisco Bay Area

    Mexican

  • San Francisco

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Elena's is a beautifully decorated restaurant offering "fantastic" Mexican cuisine with generous portions. Guests rave about the chicken enchiladas, "insane" empanadas, and coconut margaritas. Service is consistently praised, especially by servers like Flora and Kayla. Despite occasional noise, the vibrant atmosphere and "wonderful" ambiance make it a beloved neighborhood spot.

438 Reviews
  1. Kelsey

    Boise

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Elena’s is my new favorite restaurant! I haven’t had such a lovely, joyful, and delicious dining experience in a long time. I cant wait to be back - there’s a special vibe here that I recommend to anyone and everyone.

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  2. Brian

    San Francisco

    27 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    27 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    My sister and I had lunch here recently and enjoyed the tortilla soup and chips and salsa and cocktails. The disappointment was the Pollo Brasas because the one half of the cut up chicken was pretty dry. The leg and thigh portion was moist thankfully. For the price charged it should have been a 100% enjoyable chicken dish. The rice was fine but white rice is white rice. The interior is quite beautiful. May give it another try.

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  3. Debbie

    San Francisco

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The empanadas were fabulous. I had the Tosada salad which was very good. The front desk was very attentive and sat us quickly. Waitress was very efficient and didn’t rush us.

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  4. kathy

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    the music is way too loud…cannot have a conversation…otherwise excellent. kathy

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  5. Quennie

    San Francisco

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Had a fine meal but I don’t know what all the hype is about. Food and drinks were fine but nothing unique or anything worthy to write home about. One area they did excel was service. Glass of water was never empty and service was prompt.

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  6. andy

    New York City

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I went for a birthday dinner & everything was excellent - great food & setting

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  7. Agustin

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    3.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Lovely space, airy and well lit. We needed to speak loudly to one another to be heard across the table while dining. Average food, good service, high prices.

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  8. Paula

    San Francisco

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A lovely, upscale, Mexican restaurant, with dishes taken to another level. Ambience is great, as well as the service. I got a last minute reservation, and we will be back often…you won’t be disappointed!

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  9. Arjun

    San Francisco

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful restaurant, great food. Highly recommend the Quesabirria tacos and Calamari!

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  10. Kim

    San Francisco

    26 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    26 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    This is the hottest place in West Portal for sure. Delicious margaritas and they make them frozen with seasonal menus. Their service needs work or at least operations at the front desk to seating and getting service. For us, we have 2 kids and waited over 45 minutes to order. They did not notice us, which is a little frustrating with kids. Cannot complain on food and ambiance, A+.

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FAQs

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

Elena's is rated 4.7 stars by 438 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 109 times today

Order delivery or takeout

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
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
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