There is a slice of heaven on Lake Avenue here in St.James and it's called Basil Café. Guys, run don't walk to this warm, sophisticated delight. From start to finish our visit was perfect! The attentive, friendly service is not second to our amazing meal but equal to it. The food was so delicious that halfway through our dinner we were planning our return visit. Portions are generous and the prices are very reasonable. Do not skip the jeweled rice, you will not be disappointed. Are you still sitting there? Go already!! read more

Excellent! We've been there twice. Food (and presentation), service and ambiance are all top notch. No liquor license but they invite to bring your favorite adult beverage and you'll see a bottle of wine on most tables. I prefer beer and I bring it. Fantastic little hidden gem in St. James. read more

So so so good! Love to come here for lunch with my daughter and she loves to come here with my friends! We get different things every time because everything on the menu is amazing. You have to step out of your comfort zone but you'll be glad you did, both food and the service are absolutely great!!! read more

The lamb was delicious!!! The atmosphere is beautiful, it's very well decorated. We had the pleasure of meeting the owner she was so accommodating and pleasant. read more

Nothing about this place seems Persian, Mediterranean, etc.... At first glance, nice decor & table settings...I definitely wasn't expecting the lousy lunch I received. I knew the meal was going downhill when I literally saw them open up a snack sized bag of Utz sour cream and onion chips and dump it on my plate. Wow. Silly me, I was actually expecting this nice sit down restaurant to be MAKING their own chips.... My soggy grilled chicken sandwich came complete with an un ripe tomato slice and a few limp pieces of iceberg lettuce. My friends grilled veggie pita was no better. Dry and bland. To top it all off, she got a wine glass of club soda, and we were charged $4.99 for a half liter "bottle" of Pellegrino....that never showed up. What did you guys do with the rest of the bottle? Was it even Pellegrino? Are you saving it for the next table that comes in asking for club soda? Needless to say we left hungry and disappointed. 2 stars bc our server was nice. read more

Basil is a hidden gem. It's an intimate spot with a rustic yet elegant feel inside. Every dish comes out feeling like the chef really poured his heart and soul into it. The Spicy Chicken Flatbread, Lamb Shank and croissant bread pudding were some of our favorites but truly everything was delicious. We will certainly be back! read more

Basil is absolutely the greatest gem in St James. The food is amazing and perfect everytime. And there is definitely something for everyone to like. The owners greet you as soon as you get there and are so nice and friendly its honestly refreshing to go to dinner and be served and welcomed like your eating dinner at their dinning room!!!! I would recommend everyone go there and make reservations too!!! read more

We have had a long history of going out for early dinner on Christmas eve. When we were ruefully disappointed by a restaurant we'd been not only visiting during the rest of the year but made special arrangements to go to last Christmas eve, we decided to find a new place. Enter Basil. This Persian influenced delight is in a twinkling little building smack-dab in the middle of Lake Ave in St James. Thank God they have the fairy lights outside otherwise you might miss it, it is so small and intimate. They did not do as other restaurants do on a holiday and have a 'pre fixed' menu; a deplorable, mechanized practice that many restaurant owners have adopted over the years. Boo. Hiss. Give me your regular, excellent menu and maybe a few delightful dishes you prepare for the especially for the holiday, that I can choose from - not one of these chicken, steak or fish options that makes me feel like I'm at a bad wedding. Basil was none of those things. Ira and our waitress were lovely and greeted us as old friends - admittedly, we'd visited them at least five times over the last few months. But that's just the way they greet their guests, as friends. Everything from the tasty flatbread to the appetizers, salads and steak and salmon dinners the four of us ordered were cooked to perfection and presented beautifully. If I had one critique, it would be that there was a little too much dressing on my spinach salad - and really that isn't a much of a much. They do not have a liquor license and cannot allow 'hard' liquor from what we were told, but will cheerfully uncork the wine you bring in without a corking fee. We own a small business in the area and will be talking up Basil to as many of our customers as we can. We'd like to continue the tradition of Christmas eve - or any eve, for that matter - dinners as lovely as the one we had on Christmas eve. Thank you Basil. read more

We picked up dinner curbside from Basil tonight, everything was absolutely delicious! The Greek salad was fresh and crisp and the grilled chicken entree and sides were cooked perfectly! Can't wait to go back! read more

This restaurant was fabulous. I loved the outside Dining. Loved the shrimp appetizer and hummus. I loved my dinner lamb special was delicious and I never eat lamb. Was so good went back a week later . Yummy read more

We ordered take out for 4 people Saturday night - when we got in the car, I checked the order - one of the entrees wasn't included (good thing i checked!) - although they didn't initially charge us for it, we had to wait in the car for several minutes for them to prepare it - the woman finally came out to the car and wanted full payment for the $28 entree - we were annoyed that they didn't cut us a break, but went ahead and paid it - the greek salads were mostly lettuce, just awful for 11.99 apiece, and the side of asparagus had 7 stalks (could they spare it??) - salmon was pretty much tasteless - it seemed like our order was just thrown together - we won't be going back. read more

Beautiful ambience inside; unfortunately, the seating was very uncomfortable (perhaps just where we were sat, but it was so bad that it affected our entire experience). We started with the marinated shrimp skewers, which were okay (a bit dry), and the sauteed eggplant, which was better. For dinner, I was excited to order a real Persian dish, as we typically have to travel to Huntington to get a good Persian meal. Because of that, I ordered the zereshk polo. I was underwhelmed with it. The chicken was incredibly dry (I couldn't finish it), and the rice was lacking in flavor (some salt and butter would have gone a long way). The barberries (zereshk) were not the star of the show as there were so few of them. I would not order this dish again. My husband had the grilled wild salmon and enjoyed it much more than I enjoyed my meal. We had the homemade bread pudding for dessert, which was a great way to end an otherwise mediocre meal. It was fantastic! I might try this restaurant again, but I wouldn't bother order from the Persian selections. If you can't get zereshk polo right, you probably can't get the others right as well. read more

Delicious. Delightful little place to eat, and most importantly the food is absolutely delicious.

This place is truly a hidden gem! The food was amazing and the staff from the owner to each and every waitperson were exceedingly charming! I had the Cornish hen special with the jeweled rice-truly outstanding-our waitress Nikki recommended it and she was right!! She also rocked our dessert choice -the bread pudding! Also amazing. They are working on what will be a beautiful back patio area -we sat there for about 20 min last night and when we got too cold they graciously made room for us inside! I can't say enough good things -and as an extra bonus it is BYOB! We are already planning our next night there! read more

This is one of the best restaurants on LI! Delicious, quality food, wonderful staff. Highly recommend! Make a reservation, byob and enjoy!

Great food and I love that you could bring your own wine. I brought prosecco and the server offered a champagne glass. Lamp chops and bread pudding were delicious. In the warmer months, can sit outside in the back or front. Friendly host. read more

Just had an exceptional dinner at Basil - we started with the eggplant appetizer, my wife had the blackened chicken over pasta and I had the rack of baby lamb chops in a mustard sauce with a side of rice and string beans we finished off with a nice spin on an apple cobbler. The service was excellent and Chef Ray made it a point to come over to make sure everything was to our liking. Total tab was very reasonable $63. We will definitely be back and recommend to our friends. read more

Food was great and staff definitely had good suggestions

The food and decor were great. The space is pretty small which I like. The staff is attentive. However, we were sat right next to the fireplace and half my body was uncomfortably hot, so we kind of shifted the table a little to get some relief. We took a chocolate lava cake to go - and it was AMAZING and I want another one right now. read more

My boyfriend and I went there and it was awesome! It is a smaller more intimate restaurant, but the owners seems very involved from seating you to taking your order. Also, the food is AMAZING!! The owner is the chef, and you will not be disappointed! You should for real do there!! read more

Not sure how the bride found out about this place but she knocked it out of the park. BYOB....Love it. Hate selecting from a wine list. Would rather bring what I know. Friendly staff and an excellent meal. We'll be back read more

Excellent food and service! We have eaten here a number of times and thoroughly enjoy the Persian dishes (beef kabobs and lamb shank). Everything is cooked to your specifications and is very tasty. You can BYOB which is also bonus. Highly recommend this restaurant. It's truly a hidden gem!! read more

My wife and 16-year-old daughter dined at Basil for the first time last night and we will definitely be returning. I had a Persian dish called Soltani, which is a combination of grilled beef tenderloin ("Barg") and ground beef skewers ("Koobideh") (each of wish can be ordered separately) with jasmine rice and a yogurt sauce on the side. Perfectly cooked and seasoned with appropriate portion size. These are just a couple of the Persian dishes, but the menu is very diverse and includes various contemporary and mediterranean seafood, chicken, pork and pasta dishes (my wife enjoyed her Chilean sea bass, and my daughter her wild mushroom ravioli). For desert we shared a baklava and a homemade bread pudding, both of which were delicious. It's a small (and stylish) place so you'd be wise to make a reservation. I would be remiss if I did not mention the competent, attentive and pleasant service staff who who enhanced our dining experience. Thank you, and see you soon! read more

Nice atmosphere, great food and service run by a friendly local Smithtown family. Will certainly go again. The lamb and jeweled rice was perfectly cooked with tons of flavor. Bring your own wine and enjoy your evening. read more

We were here today for lunch, and usually I'm not the review kind of guy, but I will tell you that this place, warrants it, we had an amazing lunch. The service, food quality, desserts were all on point! I usually am not the, I can't wait to go there for dinner kinda guy, but I am excited about my next experience there... If you want a great treat, and by the way, the owner tells me that we can BYO adult beverage, it will be totally worth it! Forgot to mention that if you dine outside,they have a quaint greenery surrounded beautiful court yard...Thanks for the great experience... read more

The food here is out of this world. Excellent service to boot. Every dish has its special flavor. The chef/owner works magic with his culinary skill! read more

I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at Basil--everything from the warm ambience and accommodating staff to the delicious food. The lamb chops were absolutely superb and one of the best I have had in a very long time. I left the restaurant craving more of their mustard red wine sauce. I give Basil my highest recommendation and look forward to trying more dishes there soon! read more

Ate here tonight and it was without a doubt one of the best meals I've had on long Island. We are at the age where we go out to eat mostly once a week. Their food was spectacular, I had Barg, now it sounds bad but it was dynamite, my wife had a Cornish hen which I tried and was also very very good. Our server was Nikki, very sweet and attentive. Oh and bring your own bottle as they do not have a liquor license. read more

Very fair pricing! quite frankly it was deicious; I ordered from the persian side of the menu, but i understand the Strip sirloin was also great. the Zersehk Polo is what i would recommend on the persian half. read more

A lovely little Italian Persian place. A little crowded, with a small amount of Persian items on the menu. However, what they did have was fantastic! The barg was a fantastic dish, and all of my party's food was fantastic. The service was excellent, and the decor was lovely. read more

Definitely a hidden gem. I dined here last night with 12 friends. The restaurant was super accommodating and had actually set up a table inside and outside so that we could choose which we liked best. The outdoor garden was super cute, but it started to drizzle just as we were about to sit, so we moved inside. The food was fantastic. Everyone enjoyed their meals. I ordered the Zereshk Polo which was well portioned and extremely tasty. The bread pudding I ordered for dessert was by far the best I've ever had. As the restaurant does not have a liquor license, you are allowed to bring your own wine. They do not charge a corkage fee. The service was exceptionally good. The waitress and the owner took their time explaining different items on the menu and making recommendations. They were very attentive. And to my liking, they didn't clear plates until everyone had finished eating (major bonus points). I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant and am looking forward to going back with my husband so he can experience the deliciousness. read more

Fabulous food and the service is Great!!! Nicki was wonderful!! I've been there when it was ZAR and Basil and just as fabulous!!! Glad it's still in the family!!! Would recommend highly. Wonderful neighborhood bistro in the heart of St. James!!! read more

How can you trust the food in a restaurant when they can't even handle a reservation. Made a reservation for 6 and when we showed up they claimed they didn't have my reservation. Good thing I used my cell - showed them I called twice. Once to make reservation and once to confirm. Their response - oh well so sorry. Can't accommodate you. Left us stranded on a sat night. Very difficult to get other reservation elsewhere. Be careful with them. read more

Simply Fabulous. Food, service and ambiance were all perfect. The husband and wife owners were welcoming and friendly. Sauteed eggplant appetizer, wild salmon with potatoes and vegetables, lamb shank special, and cornish hen with jewel rice were all extraordinary. Finished with baklava and apple blossom desserts. Will definitely return. read more

Just went to lunch here with family and had a nice experience. The appetizers were fantastic! I would definitely recommend the crab cakes, flatbread, and kale salad. We ordered a chicken and rice entree to share and loved the rice!! The chicken was a little bland, but overall a nice meal and would come back!! read more

This is easily the best Persian food restaurant in Suffolk county. I grew up eating Persian food frequently, and I can assure you that this is the real deal read more

After much research on yelp we decided to try Basil Cafe last weekend and loved it! The host was very attentive and sweet, and the food was fantastic. We especially like the shrimp appetizer and New England clam chowder. The atmosphere was comfortable with its own personality that calm but present. Best of all we felt like regulars who have been going there for years. read more

Local gem. I had the most elegant and delicious birthday dinner party at Basil. Ray and his staff were not only attentive but professional in all ways. The restaurant was set up beautifully to accommodate our 25 guests. Yes, it is small, but mighty (good). My guests enjoyed family style appetizers, which was great, because it gave everyone a chance to chat and have multiple tastings of his unique and large portions before the individual dinners were served. There is a charming courtyard in back on a nice day, take advantage of alfresco dining. Thank you Ray for a birthday I will fondly remember always. Carol M. read more

Lovely little restaurant in St. James. The food is absolutely delicious and the owners are very friendly and charming. The desert that we had (homemade chocolate bread pudding) was "to die for". read more

We tried Basil after driving by and seeing it on Lake Ave. in Saint James. Our meal was not very tasty and I didn't like mine at all. We were hoping Basil might become a place we would frequent regularly but we won't. The only high point was our waiter, who was very nice young man who treated us well- the really only good thing about our experience. Thanks Joe. read more