New Thai Elephant has been pulling in solid reviews since opening on Bay Street in North Beach — a 4.7 on Google, a following of regulars who come back specifically for the pad kee mao and yellow curry, and a location that puts it within easy walking distance of Fisherman's Wharf tourist traffic and a dense residential neighborhood. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Department of Public Health walked in for a routine inspection and found a facility with rodent droppings in nine distinct areas of the restaurant, live cockroaches in multiple locations, spoiled food at unsafe temperatures, a broken refrigerator, standing water around a water heater, and a dead rat on the floor. The health permit was immediately suspended. The closure placard went up.
What the Inspection Found
The SFDPH inspection report, available through the department's inspection database, reads like a facility that has been losing a long, simultaneous battle on multiple fronts.
On rodents: Inspector Michael Mooney documented droppings on the clean drain board of the dish machine, on the tray where tea is prepared, under the three-basin sink, in the corners of the kitchen near the door, under a table holding boxes of noodles, in the basement under shelves, and in corners of the dry storage room. Then there's the dining room — droppings on the lids of dry storage items in the hall, under the bar, along shelves in the hallway leading to the kitchen, and behind the booths where customers sit and eat. A dead rodent was found on the floor under the shelves next to the exit sign.
On cockroaches: live roaches were observed under a prep table in a corner near the prep top, with heavy cockroach droppings in the same area. More roaches in the wall of the hallway shared with the cook line, in the door frame behind the mesh, and on adhesive boards under the bar and along the wall near the kitchen handwashing sink.
Salad dressing, cut tomato, shrimp, and spring rolls were found held between 48°F and 52°F for more than four hours — well outside the 41°F maximum for cold TCS food. Those items were voluntarily condemned and discarded during the inspection. The salad prep top was holding at 50°F and was taken out of service. The facility was also cited for knives and peelers stored with food debris on the blades, raw meat stored without separation by cooking temperature, and a heavily greased kitchen that the inspector noted needs deep cleaning throughout. The water heater in the basement has standing water around it. The refrigerator gaskets are damaged.
The report also carries a citation notice: an Abatement Conference has been scheduled for failure to comply with Health and Safety Code sections, meaning this isn't the first time some of these issues have come to the department's attention. To request reinspection, the restaurant must first submit documentation of water heater repair, pest control treatment, and refrigerator repair.
A Neighborhood Thai Spot With a Good Reputation
None of what the inspection found is reflected in the restaurant's public-facing reviews, which is both a testament to how invisible back-of-house conditions can be and a reminder of what those reviews can't tell you. New Thai Elephant is located at 393 Bay Street in the North Beach neighborhood, a short walk from both Coit Tower and the waterfront. Reviewers consistently cite the generous portions, authentic flavors, and attentive service. The chef is described in the restaurant's own materials as having 20 years of experience in fine dining.
As the SF Standard reported in February 2026, rodents are a persistent fact of life in San Francisco's restaurant industry — "generational rats from the Gold Rush," in the words of one food safety consultant — and a single finding doesn't necessarily indicate a chronic problem. What the New Thai Elephant inspection found, however, is not a single finding. Droppings in the dining room behind customer booths, on the tea prep tray, on the lids of dry storage items, and on the drain board of the dish machine — alongside live cockroaches, a dead rat, a broken refrigerator, and condemned food — paints a picture that goes well beyond an incidental encounter with SF's urban wildlife.
The restaurant's current status can be checked at the SFDPH inspection database. New Thai Elephant can be reached at (415) 818-8999.
