Thai Basil

So I’ve been going to this restaurant for years. It’s very close to the Copley branch of the library and so conveniently located and just a super reliable spot for lunch. Probably my default option when I’m looking for something near Copley. Today I had the spicy tofu lunch special which came with some small pork dumplings (I could have had spring rolls instead). The flavor of my meal was spot on, just the way I like it. Tofu wasn’t great by themselves but the flavor was there. Dumplings were also just fine. From prior experience I would recommend the basil fried rice and they have this eggplant thing which I think is my favorite thing I’ve tried there. Also the fresh Basil rolls are also really good. I will say, it’s extremely standard Thai food and I don’t think it cracks my top three Thai restaurants around boston, but it is tasty, reasonably priced, and great location. I’ve probably eaten there close to twenty times. For me it’s a comfort lunch at this point.

Ok they didn’t have flat noodles that’s why it’s 4 stars. But over all pretty good flavors. I ordered the late which was good. And yes they adjust to your spice level.

Love the food. Drunken noodles is a must. Great service and friendly wait staff

We ordered the Combo Platter and Shumai to try a variety of dishes, and everything was delicious. The service and ambiance were decent as well. However, the space between tables was a bit awkward. We had a middle table for two, and with the place being so busy, the tables were uncomfortably close, making it feel crowded.

Cozy restaurant with delicious food! Service was great! Highly recommend for their vegan options! They were happy to customize the food per our dietary needs.

Great and calm atmosphere. Nice and friendly staff. I had a tom yum shrimp soup and it was pretty good, I liked that it was medium spicy. The salad was way to spicy I could barely eat it. The portions are good and prices are fair. Overall everything else was very good.

This is the first time here in the US, I found an authentic smokey Asian-style fried rice. It was delicious, and their spicy chili on the side is burning and I love it. The curry puff was super!

I didn't realize how much of an issue tipping was here! Was about to leave a review about their behaviors around tipping and realized so many customers have complained about it. We witnessed the waitress hounding a customer to tip more and chasing him out. When we left the table, one of the waiters who didn't even serve us swooped in to check our bill and tip, and had even circled the tip section of the bill to make sure we had tipped. They didn't chase us as we left a 20% tip, though I think we were honestly too generous with the tipping considering how terrible the service and food was. I've never seen such vulture-like behavior around tipping! To add to the bad service, the food is very mediocre. Pad Thai was bland and too sweet. Tom yum soup had nothing in it except mushrooms, and a very small portion. Not a great experience and definitely would not recommend people to come here!

Nice spot on Newbury street, easy to walk past because it's in a basement. We got the treasure bags, siam fried rice, and Phu-ket noodles. The treasure bags were kinda fun, and tied together with lemongrass which was nice. The filling wasn't dry and went well with the sauce. The fried rice was pretty good too, and was quite sweet (it tasted like cane sugar); it was well fried though, without clumping, and seasoned well. My noodles came with thin pad thai-style rice noodles devise they didn't have any large flat ones, but i didn't mind that much. It was spicy, and was a ton of food for the price. I also got some tea, though it was not steeped well and tasted more like hot water. I would recommend everything else. Service was very friendly and accommodating. If you're in the area and want some Thai, I'd recommend.

Great Thai spot nestled away on Newbury Street. The entrance might be hard to miss because you gotta walk downstairs from the street level but the restaurant itself is pretty nice and casual. Lots of servers were around so service was pretty fast if you were to wave someone down for help. The food was also great and classic with some tom yum noodle soup and beef pad thai. The Thai iced tea was a great refresher as well.

This was in a really cool area of town, downstairs, which just seems cool on its own. My adult kid found this spot and I'm so glad. Staff were super helpful and patient as we tried to figure out what we wanted. Their Pad Thai was delish, as was the fried rice. The soup was just the right spicy in my lips and (although I avoided the mushrooms due to my texture issues) was absolutely delightful. They were happy to let us share, and to give us the to-go container and a bag for our little bit that was leftover.

I was referred here by someone at Salon Monet after expressing my desire for a good Thai meal. The local is solid - I'm told the area is called Back Bay. So many shops, people watching, buzzing vibe, and great walk score. This place is popular with a diverse array of customers. And lots of solo eaters which felt very comfortable as a solo eater myself. I chose one of their lunch specials - Spicy Tofu - with spring rolls. I don't need to ask for additional chili here - the flavoring was perfect for me. The serving was perfect size for me, didn't leave me wanting or stuffed. Prices are reasonable as well. I really enjoyed this dining experience - one of my best in Boston.

Amazing establishment I loved the food it's something good and quick to eat. Service was good came in a Monday so it seemed dead but food was good.

Love!!! This is probably my favorite Thai spots in Boston! Everything I've tried has been super flavorful and genuine! The portions are generous and service is great. My favorite is their shrimp papaya salad and their drunken noodle - just yum! I've tried their tropical fried rice, pad thai and pad see ew and I'd def recommend those too. This spot is usually full during busy hours, so get there early! P.S. their thai tea is also fire

* Uber Delivery Review * Love the food here. The delivery was fast and everything we ordered was hot and fresh. Our selections: Chicken satay Shumai Fresh basil rolls with shrimp Chicken pad thai Everything was so good. So tasty. The pad Thai could have been spicier but we asked for no spicy. So that's on us. They gave us what we ordered. My bonus was the Thai iced tea. Such s treat.

While Asian, and more specifically Thai, restaurants can sometimes be hard to run into, especially depending on the area that you're in, Boston has plenty of choices to pick from and I was lucky enough to have this place recommended to me by a fellow co-worker who frequents this restaurant quite a bit. Known for authentic Thai cuisine and some delicious Thai Iced Tea, I might add, I had the opportunity to visit this place and see what all the hype was about. Let's take a bite into, Thai Basil. The Place (4 out of 5) - Thai Basil is located in the Back Bay neighborhood and is within walking distance from a lot of places (i.e. hotels, office buildings, shopping, etc). The nature of the buildings can make this place a bit hard to find, but having it in your GPS will definitely help make sure you stop at the right place. As with most of the buildings in the area, you walk down a few flights of stairs to get to the entrance of Thai Basil. Nothing too special about the space, but what's there is clean, pleasant, and quaint. There's plenty of tables to accommodate for a lunch rush and space can be made for large parties. In general, it's a bit small so if you happen to come and the restaurant is full, it can feel a bit cramped, but definitely not deterring by any means. The Service (4.5 out of 5) - The service is exceptional! Everyone is really friendly and very respectful. I didn't have any issues and, from what I gather, is a family owned restaurant. They greeted me as I walked in and promptly showed me to an open table. The food came out on time and my drinks always stayed filled with the staff coming around asking if I needed anything else regularly. The Food (4 out of 5) - Right off the bat, the food was every bit as exceptional as I was led to believe! I had a few offerings starting with the crab rangoon. They were fried to perfection and crispy; the filling was sweet from the cream cheese and the dipping sauce added a perfect tangy/spicy profile to each bite. I definitely could've had another of these all to myself. For my main course, I went with the Pad Kee Mao w/Crispy Chicken. Talk about comfort food on a plate. This was the ultimate comfort food that you could get, imo. The flat noodles were filling, seasoned well and the chicken was super crispy, tender, and gave a nice contrast in texture to the saucy noodles. To drink, I had a thai iced tea, and let's be honest, you can never go wrong with thai iced tea at a Thai restaurant. Refreshing! Overall (4 out of 5) - All in all, Thai Basil will definitely satisfy your craving for Thai cuisine. If you ever find yourself in the Back Bay area and are wanting some delicious, home cooked, comforting meals, take a trip here! Looking forward to visiting the next time I'm back in town and trying the other things on the menu. In the meantime, thanks for the hospitality, Thai Basil!

2.5* Ordered takeout. Didn't do my research, and the food didn't hit even though I was starving (you know how it is, anything is delicious when you're hungry- not in this case). Ordered drunken noodles with chicken. It had a lot of vegetables which I loved, but the dish lacked flavor and was very oily. Had to add my own garlic powder. Also got the mango avocado salad and it was quite disappointing, just avocado with one slice of tomato and a few chunks of hard mango on a bed of lettuce. Definitely not worth the $12. The peanut sauce also has a very strong, strange coconut flavor. Probably will not be ordering from here again, but if I do it will be something else.

A co worker picked this spot. Food was ok nothing to cheer about. The ambiance was really nice and the location makes them a gem. The service was good but again nothing to fave about . I kept it simple with a fried rice plate. The rice was a little too soft for my liking but the flavor was good.

Honestly, this was probably the best basil fried rice I ever had lol I ordered through GrubHub and had it delivered to our clinic in Chinatown. Everything came as requested. It came on time and well packaged. Just confused why restaurants sometimes don't give you utensils lol I even requested it on the app. But I can't penalize them for that and ruin this review. I requested my dish to be spicy. Most Thai places either don't read the request or they just don't do it. But Thai Basil, compliments to the chef. Mine was cooked with the perfect amount of spice. I was super impressed lol the rice was well fried. The amount of crispy chicken they gave me for this lunch menu item was generous. It also came with an egg omelette at no extra charge. This was ONLY $14.95. Highly recommend coming here. Will definitely order from here again!

Little pricey and food is just ok. Tom Yum soup has shrimp paste kinda weird. Chicken basil has lots of water. We asked for jalapeno and the waitress said that all the restaurant has. Very cheap way of doing business, it may cost few cents but restaurant may gain trust and get referrals but they decide not to serve customers even though some jalapeño. Then the waitress rush us to leave, keep checking if we finish. I would not recommend this restaurant.

Stopped here for a quick bite while browsing Newbury and it was a great choice! We tried their dumpling (both steamed and fried) and pad see ew. For two people, this was plenty to fill us up. Their dumplings were so tasty, and I think I prefer the fried version a little bit more. The pad see ew was also great, very saucy and classic. This restaurant is the perfect place to go if you're craving Thai or in the area!

The food was decent, but could have been more flavorful. Big portion. Service needs some work! We came during non-peak dinner time, there are only a few other tables, but the waitress looked obviously annoyed when I called her to ask for things (such as chopsticks). Given this experience, I probably won't come back

I've been to Thai Basil in person before, but this time, I ordered it through a delivery app. From what I can recall, the service and ambiance were pretty nice. This is a great place to deliver from, too, as the food is nicely packaged and it came pretty quickly. The food was still hot, too! Everything I've tried from this place has been pretty delicious. For appetizers, we went with the Steamed Delight (dumplings) and Fresh Basil Rolls. Both were really tasty and hit the spot. If you're a fan of peanut sauce, definitely order some extra for the rolls. The Drunken Noodle was also really great and had a really nice flavor to it. It had just the right ratio of noodles to protein to vegetables. All in all, just what I needed for some Thai delivery!

TONS of gluten free options. The staff was very accommodating with our restrictions. The food was excellent!

I ordered (take out) the pad see ew twice and it is so good. I love that they can make it vegan. The tofu is perfect and just the right amount of sauce.

Always great and possibly the best takeout option for 50 miles.. every entree is high quality

Always a great time at a classic Thai place! Near newbury st, this hidden gem is passable if you aren't paying attention on the street. I highly recommend. They have all of the classics and huge portions. I got the Tom Yum soup to start, drunken noodles, and my friend got the classic pad Thai. The place was super cute and has art along the walls that explained what roots and veggies help with certain systems in our bodies and the healing properties. Fully enjoyed it!

A mainstay of Newbury street for a reason, this place has a big menu and good food. I think the menu is a bit out of date by a dollar or two. I thought my crispy chicken pad Thai would be 13.95 but the bill was due for 14.95. please keep this in mind when looking at their menu photos. Be clear with your ordering. The order of which you say your words is important because so many menu items sound alike. I would recommend eating in there, it's cozy and the food is peak fresh. I saw a lot of food deliveries go out though, they might be serving more take out than in person diners. Crispy chicken pad Thai passes my high bar. Almost as good as Thai Garden in Noho and on par with Rod Dee Thai 2 in Fenway.

Cute little place with separate gluten free menu and flavorful food. We had mango juice and the Thai Iced coffee to start and the presentation was lovely. The people who work there are also kind. Unfortunately had to remove one star because I requested no bean sprouts on the pad thai and they were all through the food making it challenging to eat but the server did not check back soon enough to ask it to be remade so I tried to eat around it.

Love the location and so glad the food and service were just as wonderful! I had a lunch special of pad Thai with pork dumpling (I am normally a curry girl). The pad Thai had a wonderful sweet flavor and not too saucy and the chicken was tender. The pork dumplings were served with a yummy sauce! The service was great and all the staff made it a point to check on me. I was dining alone so I felt they really made an extra effort even though they checked on the other diners just as frequently.

I would say it's a pretty good Thai restaurant. I got a rather reasonable portion of the Pad See Ew and it was very flavorful. I would also say they have a rather large menu and haven't tried everything to give it a more cohesive review. Service was very kind in helping me decide what dishes to select and I greatly appreciate that. Overall, I'd say it's a solid Thai spot.

Can I give a zero? Got takeout twice, first off, both times they put in wrong the drink. It matters when it comes to Diet Coke or Coke. Some of us can't have an ingredient in one of them and it's dangerous -- so if that's your attention to detail, where you got it wrong 2 out of 2 times, I will now let everyone I know they shouldn't go to your place of business. Second, I got a shrimp in my Panama chicken order. Again, I'm not allergic to shellfish but since so many people are, I have to point this out. Third, when I called to let you know, you said I was looking for a refund which I wasn't. Just letting you know I found shrimp and check it out so it doesn't happen again. So you don't even seem to care. You're putting people in danger. You're 0/3 with me. That's pretty sad.

We were looking for Thai food and found this gem for a date night. Our waitress was lovely and attentive, the food was fantastic!

It's been years since I've been to Thai Basil. My cousin from NYC came down for the Boston Marathon, and he selected this place for lunch. Thai Basil still pulls in tourists due to its location. After so many years of not having the food and experiencing it again, I still think there are better Thai places in Boston. The food is not terrible but not sensational either, but my cousin enjoyed it, and that's all that matters. I will say the wings were meatier than many of the other wings I've had at other Thai places, but the most popular dishes, such as the Pad Thai and the Tom Yum Noodle Soup, I've had better. However, the staff is friendly, and the place is busy, and I'm sure there are people out there that make this their go-to Thai restaurant.

My young children and I visited the restaurant while cruising around Newbury Street, we got seated fairly quickly. We ordered a noodle dish, a green curry and an avocado mango salad, all were relatively nice, fresh and with lots of fresh vegetables. Flavors were nice but not exquisite and the prices were ok. What I didn't like is that the restroom is not clean and the Resturant is a bit old and dark which can hide some accumulated dirt.. what I didn't like is that at pay time the worker forced me to tip a certain amount, then she said it can't be less that 15%, which I could have given anyway but it's just the attitude and honestly tipping is for when you get special and attentive service and not a given to give high tips, where I come from we tip, but it can be 8-10% for regular service and above based on how beyond basic they were. overall it was ok and given the location and the options in the menu I would visit again

#YasssPadThai Reasonably priced food, flavorful pad Thai, good service, and a great lunch combo. I got chicken pad Thai lunch combo with the pork dumplings and they hit the palette well. The helping was quite large and very filling. A really quaint spot in the streets of Boston, right in a very cute area of town! The music ambiance in there was on the quieter side, so good spot for conversation. Friendly sit-down spot for solo sit-in eats! Definitely a good "go-to" kind of place.

Tucked away under the basement in the middle of newbury st, this Thai restaurant knows how to deliver flavor and service to their diners. Came here for dinner and tried their Pad Thai, basil fried rice and mango sticky rice. At first, I had doubts about the flavor of the pad Thai Bc it was so white rather than the more yellow to orange color I'm used to seeing. However, all the flavors were still there... sweet, sour, and a bit salty. It was very delicious. They did not have pineapple fried rice, so I opted for the basil fried rice There were strong thai basil flavors and the sauce was great with the crispy chicken. The mango sticky rice was a perfect dessert to end the meal. The sticky rice was chewy and mango with coconut condensed milk was a great combo. I recommend this restaurant!

If you want to get diabetes get the Pad Thai, it was so sweet it could be easy mistaken for a dessert. It was overpriced, paid $21 for the meat and shrimp pad Thai I was fine with the price but to get only 6 shrimps and some meat with it is unacceptable. Never going back, wish I could safe my past self from ordering here.

Excellent Pad Thai and Tom Yum Soup. Have been eating at this place for over 10 years and it never disappoints.

I stopped in here one night to escape the cold while family was in town. My cousin loves Thai food, so she chose this as her birthday dinner spot. We ordered a good variety of menu items to share amongst the table, and everything we had was good. I don't think anything blew us away, necessarily, but nothing got left behind. The highlights for our table were the Pad See Ew and the Basil Fried Rice. I wouldn't come back for those alone, but the staff was super kind and inviting, so I'd give them my business again for the hospitality they provided.

Thai Basil is always excellent. We regularly order from here for lunch, and they are able to accommodate everybody's dietary restrictions (of which there are many). As someone who cannot tolerate spice, I do very well with their pad thai and pad see ew. For those who like spice, there are of course many options as well. Food is always tasty and prompt, made with fresh ingredients.

Great restaurant on Newbury St! It's not usually too busy, so food comes quick!! I love their fried rice, and portions are always large!! I highly recommend if you're in back bay!

Very good spot with great food. The massaman curry was super tasty and had the right texture. The employees let my charge my device while I was eating which was really helpful since I was running low on battery. The Thai iced tea had a splendid sweetness to it while not losing its original taste. The interior is interesting with designs of multiple Thai herbs on the walls and displays of them in real life around as well.

Easy place to walk in for a casual meal without a reservation. Ordered the pad see ew, basil fried rice with crispy chicken, and the pad thai. The star of the show was definitely the crispy chicken. The savory Thai basil flavor pairs perfectly with the juicy chicken. The crispiness of the chicken also adds a wonderful texture to the dish. I usually stray away from the Thai basil fried rice because I don't think the spice adds much to the dish but I actually really enjoyed the combination of spices they used to enhance the dish. The pad see ew was also delicious, cooked with enough oyster sauce to make the dish flavorful. The vegetables are stir fried well and there is enough to complement the noodles. Very solid dish and would definitely recommend if you're looking to satisfy a pad see ew craving. Would not recommend the pad thai. The flavoring was primarily sour and didn't have much complexity to it at all. The coloration of the noodles is also white which makes it a less appealing dish to the eye. From the Thai restaurants I have been to in Boston, this has definitely been up there for me. Would definitely come back for a quick meal when I'm in the area!

Place is not good. Portions are small and it's expensive with no quality. Area is filled with students so expectations are low. Would recommend 9zaab in Cambridge or Rod D in Brookline.

Food was fine, but the lady running it chased us down outside the door because a couple people in our party didn't tip. Very insistent for 15% tip. I'm poor af and only like to tip for unusually good service, which is definitely not what we received... pretty uncomfortable. Charge what you say you'll charge, if you want more money, raise the price so us poors know not to go there. Pad Thai Cafe nearby will give you food that's just about as good for less money and most importantly won't hunt you down once you leave 'o_o

Great food courteous service. Definitely recommend!! Have enjoyed Thai Basil for years.

Very good food and service. Pad Thai Noodles and chicken fried rice were very good. Will come back many times

Terrible experience with this restaurant. It's a low end dining environment, but the attitude towards their customer was even lower. Not recommended at all.

Came here on two consecutive days because I was craving for thai food. Have to say it was an absolute steal because it was both a lunch deal and I was able to get 45% back on surge from Seated. I have never ordered Penang curry before because I am a red curry person but they didnt have red curry for their lunch menu so I tried their Penang curry. It was really good- creamy, flavorful, but not as spicey ad red curry. I think they have successfully converted me into a penang curry person! Their yellow curry is good too but I think it tastes more like Indian curry with the herby flavors and I lean towards Penang curry more. For spicey lovers, the chicken hot basil is a great choice and it has so much flavor! Will definitely be back!

We were starving did take out delivery. The spring rolls looks like 5 pencils in a Bag. Pad Thai tasted like all peanut butter. I got cashew chicken. That was ok but bland. After all of the tiny dinner 70$ they couldn't even fill the jasmine rice to the top of the box..

I stopped by for a Friday work lunch at noon. I received prompt seating and put in an order for the Bangkok noodle soup w/shrimp ($12.95) and some hot sake ($10). The menu described the Bangkok noodle soup as simple stock. Even for a simple stock, it was far too anemic. That, along with a wad of rice noodle, a few pieces of shrimp, and a paltry sprinkle of scallion and fried garlic, seemed mediocre at best, and hardly worth its price. Perhaps this is an off item on the menu, and others are better. The saving grace was that the establishment served hot sake and that the server checked up on me multiple times.

The food was okay, however, the waiter and the owner were very rude and after the check was paid, they came behind us to ask for more tip. Infact they were trying to be hesitant that we tip higher even after a generous gratuity. Very sad experience after a decent meal.

Thai Basil is one of my favorite Thai spots in Boston. I've been coming here for the last 8 years. Even their gluten free fried rice is great. If you work in the back bay area, Thai Basil is perfect for lunch takeout or even dinner takeout after work. The service is consistently good and they always serve large portions. One of the reasons I keep coming back here is for the fried ice cream, since I haven't been able to find a place that makes them this good. The inside is cozy and laid back, a perfect stop for lunch while shopping at newbury street.

The food was pretty decent especially for its quantity! The Tom Yam Noodle Soup and the Pad See Yew did lean towards the sweeter side of what I had back at home but still is solid. The service there was very good and I appreciate the amount of food they give! It's in a cozy setting down the stairs of Newbury Street and had enough tables to seat people on a semi busy day. I would 100% come here again to try other dishes.

I had a very bad experience. My Pad Thai had definitely been reheated and when I asked for another dish, they initially said no, and then agreed to but it took 15 minutes. My friend got vegetables with white rice, and the portion was very small. They argued with her and finally brought her a small bowl with 6 pieces of broccoli. In the past the food was really fresh and tasty, but this time it was not and we were treated poorly. I will not return.

Excellent food. No wait. Great service. Loved the currys. Thai tea was great. Great experience.