Thai Basil

Definitely one of the most disappointing pad Thai dishes I’ve had. Why is it impossible to find a good pad Thai in Madison? Every place I’ve been to in Madison uses this sweet tangy orange sauce on the noodles that’s disgusting. It tastes like French dressing or some kind of salad dressing. I’m pretty sure they just mix French dressing and ketchup to make their sauce 🤮pad Thai shouldn’t be orange

Amazing food and service! Thai Basil instantly brought back memories of Thailand—the flavors are so authentic and delicious. The staff is super friendly and welcoming. Highly recommend!

Amazing Thai restaurant with a luxurious interior perfect for date nights or friend dinners! I finally ventured to dine in after many great takeout experiences and would recommend going in person too. I was really impressed with the large portion sizes, spiciness (level 4 is solid for me), quick and friendly service. The bar area is super aesthetic and has a pretty mirrored wall. Highly recommend the pad kee mao and pad Thai!

Fresh, Healthy, and Delicious! Absolutely loved the fresh and flavorful food here! The healthy menu options were a big plus, and the portion sizes were just right — we were even able to share an appetizer and entrée comfortably. The customer service was excellent — friendly and attentive without being overbearing. I’ll definitely be back soon!

Thai Basil delivered an excellent dining experience. The Pad Pak and Pad Thai were both delicious with just the right amount of heat—flavorful without overpowering. The crab rangoons were perfect: crispy, creamy, and satisfying. I also really enjoyed the open kitchen concept, which added to the great atmosphere. The servers were attentive and made sure everything was on point. Definitely a spot worth returning to.

Cannot express enough how incredible our experience was here!! Food was out quickly, yet still astonishing beautiful! Everything was delicious, especially the crab rangoons (we make a note to try the rangoons everywhere we can, and these ones were honestly our favorites!)

Came here in the summer time on a weekend day. Parking pretty limited. They were soooo busy! We actually had to wait to get in, so if you are wanting to come here you may want to book a reservation. There was a lot of people who came to do pick up as well. Food was great. Very delicious and flavorful. I will say, this restaurant is a bit more on the expensive side, so you will pay more and not get as much. For example, I ordered the seafood papaya salad, and it was pretty expensive, with just a couple of seafood meat with papaya sauce. Overall the food and environment was great.

I can’t say enough great things about Thai Basil 🖤 The staff are absolutely amazing—they remember me every time I visit, which makes the experience feel so personal and welcoming. I come here multiple times a month, and the quality never wavers. The food is always incredible, consistently delicious, and comes out quickly and on time. If you’re coming here for the first time and not sure what to get, I recommend the pad thai, it’s the best I’ve ever had. Overall, the atmosphere is perfect—inviting, comfortable, and truly enjoyable. I couldn’t recommend this place enough. It’s a gem!

Great little restaurant! When you walk into a Thai place and it is filled to capacity with mostly Asian people, you know it is going to be good! I had to wait only about 10 minutes for a seat at the bar. The food came out quickly and was delicious. Just the right amount of spice to make the flavor come through and not bury it in heat. I like spicy food, but not like melt your face off spicy. Portion size was pretty good, with plenty of rice served. And prices were very fair. Highly recommend it!

Excellent food and service. Large menu with reasonable prices. We had crab rangoon and Penang curry for lunch. We will be back to try other menu items.

Meh. Did not like the pineapple curry. Will need to try a few other dishes next time. Seems like a popular place.

Full disclosure: my go-to Thai restaurant in Madison is Sa Bai Thong, but they aren't always open for lunch service. Thai Basil is a good back-up option. My dining companion enjoyed their crispy spring rolls and the street food options. I'm a fan of their pumpkin curry. The Pad Thai was not served with what we've come to expect as part of the dish -- there was no discernible cilantro, no bean sprouts, and only a speck or two of egg (good if you don't like egg in your Pad Thai). This left us with a sense that the flavor profile was incomplete. Service was lovely, though, and the space is inviting.

My favorite Thai restaurant in Madison. This used to be closer to me. I would often order the evil jungle noodle for delivery. I have never been to the new location until recently. Their spring rolls are tasty and have the perfect dipping sauce. The Evil Jungle was delicious, but way too much vegetables and not a lot of noodles. Their sticky rice with mango is a nice dessert to end your meal. The service was great and server went over and beyond. Very charming location, nice place for a date night or small group.

Great food, and great service! Lovely dining room, and view of the kitchen from some seats. Charming, and tasty food.

So delicious! This is my go-to spot in Madison for Thai food. The service is very friendly and lovely and the food is so good. My favorite dishes are the Pad See Ew and Khao Soi. My friends and I also enjoy the Pad Thai and Pineapple Fried Rice. The only thing that was just okay was the coconut ice cream (I did love the jellies that came on it though). Highly recommend this place :)

We stopped tonight for dinner and weren't disappointed. The interior is decorated in a colorful and modern way. It was a hot day and staff was quick to supply cold water and refill our carafe. Food options were plentiful. Many Vegetarian options! The staff were super sweet and service was great! We will definitely be back!

Beautiful decor and meticulously clean dining area! Service was excellent, I was seated right away. First time here, so I had questions about lunch, special options. My servers were very attentive and answered questions, sharing with me their favorites. I ended up getting Pad See U with a level 2 spice. It definitely had a good chili kick, but I think I could handle a 3 to 4 level next time. My oldest child is a huge fan of spice, I cannot wait to bring him back here so he can test out the level 5 and see if it's hot enough!

My new go-to for Thai in Madison! Dining room is absolutely gorgeous and a great blend between modern yet traditional and comfy classy casual room Met the girls for a Saturday brunch and was not disappointed. The waiter was so personable and attentive without being overbearing, suggested the crab Rangoons to share since it had been made fresh that same day. Hugeee portion for pad Thai and definitely had yummy leftovers-- so worth the visit. I asked for extra peanuts of course. Noodles were so Al dente and freshly fried to warm perfection Sticky rice was gas, I can totally make this at home so I have high expectations but this is definitely worth the visit since their mango is so juicy and definitely not smth you can find Willy nilly in grocery stores Loved it and will come back with more friends to enjoy the good food and company in a tucked away comfy spot here

Decent Thai dining spot with good portions. The ambience is very much casual. The service was great. We didn't encounter any issues with seating or timing of foods served. The restaurant was pretty empty with just 3 groups, including us when we went in. Might go in again to try out other options.

DELICIOUS. Go now. Order takeout or delivery. You must try it out. They have a lunch menu too for weekdays. I really enjoy every thing that I've tried at Thai Basil. Parking: limited. Try carpooling because it shares a lot with Starbucks. Seating: limited, but they bring out food fast. So turnover may be good. I've never actually had to wait at either lunch or dinner, but during peak times i've gone, I've seen some people waiting. Service: GREAT. They service is wonderful and their staff are attentive. I've never experienced an issues. Food: So good. Highly recommend getting 3-4 stars for spice/heat. The curries are great. The sausage as an appetizer is delicious. I like their drunken noodle as well. I've also ordered for both takeout and delivery and the food was just as good. The prices are reasonable. Lunch portions are perfect and dinner is enough to finish or to have leftovers depending on how hungry you are. Enjoy! I'm already excited to go back again soon!

The food was really good but the rice needs a bit more flavor. The pad-see-gu was very tasty!

I had the pad Thai. The beef was tough and the noodles tasted like they were coated in ketchup. But they were fast enough and gave plenty of food.

Delicious, fresh food and great service. Very clean with a nice ambiance. Thai Basil is my favorite Thai restaurant in the Madison area!

New place on university ave a block from Bagels Forever. Good Thai food and quick service. Perfect for this area. There is a bar where singles can sit and they do have a couple of beers and wine. Only minor complaint was the silver wear. They are Gold and the handles are round and slippery and hard to hold. Get chopsticks if you can handle them.

The spring roll appetizer was not good. The inside was just mushy and not fresh. The noodles were a little salty but a great portion. The curry had good flavor and was also a nice portion for the price. Overall not bad for a Thai place, decent flavor and solid price to portion ratio. They were also very quick and friendly.

I took out lunch from here. The restaurant was spacious with enough seat. It was not too busy. I was in the mood for fried rice and was torn between basil fried rice and pineapple fried rice. When I saw pineapple friedrice has cashews, that set my choice. It was flavorfull with good amount of cashews and pinapple. I am sure basil fried rice will be atleast as flavorful, just without the cashews. For spice level, I went for Extra Hot and that was the perfect level for me.

The food was *so* good! It is a bit spicy, so just be aware. Service is efficient and very polite, and the restaurant has a nice chattery ambiance to it. People come in and out, but there isn't really a rushed feeling. Great spot for a casual yet slightly upscale lunch.

First I walked in with my service animal and they said no dogs allowed, the manager stepped in and said not a problem...the food was great, apps very good, curry was nicely spicy and drunken noodles were also excellent. Service was attentive and the place is well decorated.

First time a friend and I visited this restaurant. To kick things off, we savored the Paradise Wings--crispy, batter-fried chicken wings soaked in a special sweet and spicy sauce. For my main course, I opted for the Chicken Pad Thai, a delightful mix of pan-fried thin rice noodles, onions, eggs, bean sprouts, sweet radish, and tender chicken. Washed it all down with a refreshing lime iced tea. Every dish exuded freshness, arrived piping hot, and burst with delicious flavors. The staff's hospitality added to the wonderful experience. Foodie pro-tip: They offer a lunch menu from Tuesday to Friday, 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM--worth exploring!

Love this place. Great selection and very authentic. Efficient and friendly service. Yellow curry is delicious. Chow mein was pretty good. Love the fresh cucumber salad.

Been here a couple of times for lunch! Always good food choices and services! Could get busy during lunch and in the parking lot because of takeouts and in the same spot as Starbucks. Can't really go wrong with anything on the 'street food' section. They have a little thing of condiments container and that is legit. If you need more spicy, salty or sweet that will help any dishes. Enjoy!

Nice cozy restaurant off University and parking can be a challenge especially on a weekend. We were seated almost immediately and served with waters. Ordered drunken noodles and pad see euw were both good. Hot off the wok if you know what I meant. My only complaint is the level of noise. It's an open space restaurant and tables are quite close to each other. The neighbor who sat next to us had to ask us to move so she can head out. We can also hear the entire conversation and it was kinda awkward. Perhaps we will return on a week night or order to go. I thought the prices were ok for Madison's standard. Cute interior and you can see the chef cooking in the open kitchen.

Best Thai food I have had in a long while! We ordered three lunch combos: red curry, cashew nut, pepper and garlic. The spring roll was crispy and flavorful, even without the sauce. The rice was steamed perfectly, both firm and well fluffed. And all 3 dishes had the right amount of sauce with heat for our taste buds, medium heat was our selection. For carry out, this was an amazing meal. I can only imagine that dining in would have taken it up another notch. BTW, the gentleman that greeted us was also very friendly. I showed up only 15 minutes after ordering and they already had our food ready.

In a place like Madison, there are not too many options for quality, tasty Thai food. That was my consensus until I tried Thai Basil for the first time. Great service, and the vibe of the restaurant was elite. The price was very good for how good the food was, along with the hefty portions.

I went with my girlfriend and it was her first time trying Thai. She and I both really liked it and had plenty of leftovers

Great bistro ambience and service. Food was excellent. We had the chicken yellow curry, spring rolls, and papaya salad.

Went here for a date night. Shared the pot stickers and both ordered an entree. Lots of food, was delicious. They serve wine. Sat at the bar because it was busy...would try to get reservations in the future or come at a less busy time!

Best Thai food in a long time !! Will absolutely be back! It's a smaller place the employees were nice and the food was amazing ! Lots of flavor and not too pricey

16$ for 5 tiny pieces of meat Not worth it Had door dash deliver First time ordering

Had a lovely experience at Thai Basil. We went on a Saturday night and were seated immediately. The decorations are very cute well balanced. Service was great and timely. Food portions were relatively large and filling. Very yummy, overall great experience. Thanks!

If you're ever in the area this's a Thai place to visit, the food was delicious and the hospitality was amazing, I would definitely recommend this place

Beautiful restaurant! The people working seem to have a very efficient method getting your food as soon as it's prepared. The dishes came out piping hot! The food was delicious. I ordered my spicy basil tofu with medium heat and wowsa- it was perfectly spicy. We are already planning our next visit!

Thai Basil wowed our party with wonderfully prepared cuisine and attentive service performed in a beautiful room. We highly recommend Thai Basil for an enjoyable, memorable meal.

This place is wonderful! Fast service, food came out fast, and hot! I always worry about Thai food being too hot.. I kinda wish mine was a little hotter..spicier! But the flavors were fabulous, good portion size, and beautiful presentation. I will definitely come back.

First timer! Honestly was so impressed by the food quality, customer service and cleanliness of the space! 10/10 Everyone is so attentive. We decided to try an alternative Thai restaurant instead of our go to and honestly feel torn between both. This may be our new favorite Thai spot! 100% recommend trying!

Really enjoyed our dinner here. Good stir fry, pad thai, and Thai iced coffee. Very friendly and efficient service. The space is nice. We'll be back.

We used to get take out from the location all the time when they were Raymond road. That's why I was so looking forward to trying their restaurant and it surely didn't disappoint. We went on a Saturday night and even though there was a few people waiting- we were seated right away. The wait staff were all courteous and kind. The ambiance of the restaurant was very nice. We got a bunch of items to share starting with Tom yam soup, papaya salad both of which we asked for level 3 spice level which is quite spicy. Tom yum was tangy, spicy and had the right level of spice for me. The papaya salad was very refreshing. We had Thai fried rice, beef green curry and pad wood sen. the Thai fried rice was extremely flavorful and was not spicy at all. It's a great dish for someone who can't tolerate spice. The crispy deep fried pork belly was juicy yet crispy- it was a mouth full of flavor. The green curry had egg plant, beans, pepper and the perfect amount of coconut. We finished our meal with Thai shaved ice and sticky mango rice. The sticky mango rice brought back a lot of memory from our trip to Bangkok. I would go again to just get that. The shaved ice though was not something I go again. It felt like I was just eating ice with raspberry flavor with some chunks of strawberry and jack fruit. All in all, this is an awesome place. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Thai food. I am sure to be a regular here

Solid Thai option. Big menu . Friendly service. Online ordering is easy too. Parking lot has a hidden side entrance if you're coming from the east

I walked in for lunch not knowing that they were take out only, at least during the pandemic. The lady taking my order very kindly reminded me to wear my mask. I appreciated her being mindful of everyone's safety while doing so politely and courteously. I ordered a lunch portion of chicken Pad Thai, which came with an egg roll for less than $10. I forgot to ask for spicy and no "spice levels" were offered. The Pad Thai was definitely better than anything I had an my year-plus of living in Ann Arbor, though it would probably have been a touch south of average compared to my time in Seattle. Overall I was happy with the portion size and the food quality/value, which was more than I had been expecting for this hole-in-the wall. I would eat here again for a quick lunch if I had a hankering for Thai.

Somehow the food was worst. I won't be returning and will reminisce what the first Thai Basil location brought to Madison. I don't see this place lasting too long with the quality and mossing authentic flavors.

I ordered from here 3times. The first time the food was excellent. I loved it. The second time I ordered the same thing as the first and it was awful. The food lacked taste. I ended up throwing it out. i tried calling and no one answered. They have a "contact us" button for messages on their website. I wrote them about my food 3x. i did not get a response ever. The third time I ordered was bc my son was in town. He really wanted Thai. I was hoping my poor experience was a result of a bad day or a new cook. The food was awful. i tried contacting them again and no one texted, called or emailed me. It is listed as the best place for Thai and they do not seem to care about customer service or quality food. I am very disappointed.

An update for their new location - wow! i could not love this new place more! They now have seating in a nicely appointed small space next to a Starbucks. The dining area probably holds 50 max, but it's very open and comfortable. This was the first time we weren't eating our food in the car (we don't live close!), so it was especially nice. We stopped in for the SO's pad thai chicken (one star - we bring our own red pepper flakes to control the fire!) and I had their pineapple fried rice. I wish I had remembered to take a picture, because both were so pretty when they arrived! As always, the portions are generous, and mine was absolutely delicious - a sensational spiced rice with cashews, currants (maybe raisins?), chicken, pineapple and veggies. There were three pretty slices of cucumber and some carrot shreds as wel. I scraped every last grain of rice from that plate. Our server mentioned that they had mango sticky rice and she didn't have to say anything more. Holy smokes, that is one of my absolute favorites and it did not disappoint! Unfortunately, with the move and inflation in general, their prices have gone up slightly (I think our total was low $40s for two entrees and dessert at lunch. Totally worth it. Parking might be a bit crunched - there aren't many spaces on the west side of the building but there may have been more we didn't see. This is most definitely a keeper in our regular Madison rotation!!

TERRIBLE! We had tried it once before I did not like what I got but thought we would try again. The peanut sauce was terrible, veggies barely cooked. The veggie roll was terrible, too. Will never go back.

At last a Thai restaurant that is open for lunch hours and that also has parking available! This restaurant has been around for a while and has moved from my location further west onto this new location which is attached to the Starbucks across from UW credit union. They have very friendly staff who greeted me immediately upon arrival. The restaurant was open and clean. The kitchen is visible from several of the tables. You can see them preparing the food. The bathrooms on the left much to be desired. I'm going to give a one star on that. It was pretty disgusting and only two stalls, one of which, which was out of order. And I believe that same bathroom is shared with a Starbucks. They offered lunch specials which ranged from 1299 to 1499. They were all the typical items like the yellow curry and red curry and drunken noodles. I am a huge fan of yellow chicken, curry with potatoes and carrots and onions. I have had that dish at nearly every Thai restaurant in Madison. At this restaurant it is a very runny thin broth, and it only had the equivalent of a golf ball size of potatoes in it and a couple of carrots. The chicken was also very minimal and tasted more like something that you would cook at home. Compared to other restaurants in Madison, who serve the same dish, I would say that Thai basil Could have done a much better job with the curry broth and even amp up the potatoes a bit. Potatoes are so cheap, they should just fill the whole dish with them. By comparison, if you go to Sa Bai Thong across the street, the yellow chicken curry is divine. The only problem with them is that they don't open for lunch. So apples for apples this dish was really more of a two stars in comparison to the same dish served at monsoon Siam or Sabai thong. The decor is fine. The staff are very friendly, but I think the food is what really counts the most. I hope that these guys can up their game on the curry and I will go back there again.

Amazing food, quick service. Would be nice if there could be more space in between tables. Could use more vegetables in the noodles dish.

The food here is one of my favorites in Madison. It's always consistently delicious. The prices are also pretty good for the amount of food you get. I crave the yellow curry ALL THE TIME.

4.5 stars. Will probably bump this up to 5 after I try other things here. My biggest regret is not reading reviews before I came to try this place out so I did not realize it was not a sit down restaurant (well, maybe it is, but there are only two tables and everyone just used them to sit and wait for their takeout order). In hindsight I should have done one of two things: 1) called and ordered ahead 2) order delivery and tip generously. It is a small place meant for takeout and delivery. We tried the tom yum with tofu and pad thai with chicken. The tom yum was delicious and exactly what I was craving. Pad thai was good too. I've had so many different versions at this point that I'm glad this tasted similar to the original one. Obviously I want to try more things on the menu, but they are a go for me. Prices are very reasonable and I can see why people like them.