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    Basil Canteen

    3.9 (639 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Cocktail Bars
    Open 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Waitlist - Basil Canteen

    Live Current wait: under 5 minutes

    Basil Canteen Reservations

    Order Basil Canteen Takeout or Delivery

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    BASIL CANTEEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Basil Canteen

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    Stair entrance
    Erica R.

    A cute and exquisite gem, Basil Canteen has the vibe and the food down. You cannot go wrong here with so many options on the menu, authentic Thai cuisine with fresh ingredients, and welcoming service. I had a reservation at 5p (their opening dinner time), and got there a little early. The staff were so gracious and allowed me to use the facility while I waited for opening time to start. The tables and chairs are perfect size and spaced out. The interior of the building is magnificent with tall ceilings and large windows. You can tell that the cooks and servers put a lot of effort into making your experience one to remember. We had green beans with aioli and pork dumplings to share -- amazing! I had the pumpkin curry (sub shrimp for $3) and it was perfection. You can tell this is a popular place for both small and large parties. I will be dining here again -- what's not to love!

    Papaya Pok Pok Salad
    Suzanna Z.

    Walked in and got greeted. The environment was really cute and warm. Our server was attentive and food came out quick. As for the food, the papaya salad was underwhelming. I would skip. The Tom yum mussels were my favorite. Had a little kick of spice, but the flavor was mouth watering. Next would be the kao soi. The sauce wasn't too thick and was more on the sweeter side. The fried egg noodles gave a nice crunch and added texture. I would order this too. Parking wasn't too bad since it's located in Soma, but i would come here if you're looking for a good Thai restaurant.

    Andrew R.

    This place is definitely a hidden gem, and I'd highly recommend checking it out! The restaurant itself is beautiful and the service was great. The food was all delicious. I tried the pumpkin curry with shrimp and a side of coconut rice, and oh my it was so flavorful. I also tried a pork dish, which was also so tasty and the meat was cooked perfectly. I will definitely be back here and look forward to trying more of the dishes on the menu!

    Donovan L.

    Love the Decor of this restaurant. Be sure to ask the Server for any recommendations. We Listened to her. No Regrets at all....From Start to finish. we finished all the food we order ...Attached were the very good suggestions they gave us.

    Menu
    Tatiana N.

    I went for dinner the other night and it was delightful all around. I love that happy hour went to 6:30 and included some of their appetizers. I treated the table to popcorn chicken which was served with a tasty zingy sauce. We all had either pad thai or pad see ew. I loved the spice level of my pad see ew. If you aren't into spicy make sure to ask them to tone it down. Almost off of the items on the menu can have their spice level adjusted. I can't forget to mention the super kind staff!

    Shrimp rice wrap
    Liliana H.

    Lovely experience for Valentine's Day 2025. Servers were wearing pink! Very mindful and checked on us a good amount of times (not too much) - got the table overseeing the place in the corner. Everything we ordered was amazing and we were very full at the end of it. Industrial modern space. Considering to reserve for a big party in the future.

    Delight cocktails that are more confection!
    Peter M.

    I just love this place!! It's the perfect location for a quick and tasty dinner if you're hitting Oasis for a show! The cocktails are bright confections that will perk up even the toughest day. The food is fresh, tasty and fast with the right amount of spice. The servers are lovely and friendly. The restaurant is airy and brights d perfect for two or a group! Always a great choice. Get the cashew chicken or the pork belly and the corn fritters to start!!

    Large party dining

    Delicious food, amazing service, great for large parties. Our server Benny was an utter gem. I was there with a party of 17 people. Everything came out quickly and was delicious. The atmosphere is classy industrial, with a sultry, dark feel to it. We went there before going out to an event nearby and I'm so happy we chose this restaurant. It was an incredible experience and added so much to the entire night.

    Sakoo Sai Moo: Steamed Tapioca Dumplings w/ pork, peanuts, lettuce wraps | 5 pc-$10
    Cherylynn N.

    3.5 STARS Server: "How spicy would you like it?" Me: "Extra spicy please (no Thai spicy on the menu). Server: "Extra spicy? You sure?" Me: "Yes, please." If it doesn't burn my bunghole, I don't want it. J/k! Basil Canteen is the closest Thai eatery from the office so thought I give them a shot when the spicy craving hit. They're open for takeout, delivery, and dine-in. No outdoor seating. Central location to the bars/clubs in the area making it a good option before getting your drank on. M E N U Standard Thai fare with some modern twists; i.e. taro fries, tom yum baked mussels, etc. Spice levels: Mild, medium, spicy, extra spicy. No lunch specials. HH specials 5 pm-6:30 pm: discounted apps ($8.50), beer, wine, and cocktails. Full bar. F O O D * Sakoo Sai Moo: Steamed Tapioca Dumplings w/ pork, peanuts, lettuce wraps (5 pc-$10): https://tinyurl.com/495jajbw Chinese chiuchow dumplings meets Viet bánh bột lọc, the Thai steamed tapioca dumplings have a mochi-like chewy wrapper with a sweet peanut filling. Couldn't taste the pork and the filling ran too sweet. No accompanying peppers so I asked for hot sauce (only sriracha available). * Gai Pad Krapow: Wok-Fried Minced Chicken w/ green beans, chili, fresh basil ($17.95): https://tinyurl.com/4393wc2x --Sub white rice for coconut brown rice (+$1) --Add fried egg (+$3) --Request extra spicy The gai pad krapow was Americanized, running more sweet than spicy. The extra spicy was about 4-4.5/10 so hot sauce was def needed for heat. There's more white onions than actual basil which wasn't really integrated into the stir-fry. Odd because pad krapow means stir-fried holy basil. The coconut brown rice was properly cooked and the fried egg had an oozy yolk so yay for that. S E R V I C E The owner and staff are SO nice and accommodating. I was several minutes early and they let me sit inside. However, food service is soooo slow. It was completely empty the first 20-25 minutes (weekday lunch) yet the pad krapow took an unusually long time; 30 minutes. A M B I A N C E Spacious two-level corner loft space with high ceilings and exposed brick walls. Hip vibes compared to the Thai restos in the TL. P A R K I N G Metered street parking that can be challenging. Overall, good hospitality but the food ran too sweet and lacked bold Thai flavors, at least to me. And, with the snail-paced lunch service unfortunately, I have to round down.

    Baked Mussels Tom Yum
    Nicki A.

    We came to Basil Canteen in a pinch for time bc we had a show at the Orpheum right after but I really really wanted to try their Tom yum mussels -- I'm so glad we were able to make it! Mom loves Thai and it was her birthday so ofcourse we tried a new spot. Basil Canteen was clean, nicely decorated, had the friendliest staff, and the food was served fairly quickly. We ordered: - Tom Yom Goong Soup (8/10) a classic we always get, theirs was a bit tomatoe-y but good! - Pad Ped Pla Duk (6.5/10) Spicy Wok style crispy catfish with green beans in spiced kaffir red curry sauce. I wanted to try something new and it didn't disappoint but there was also another dish I wanted to try which I think I might've liked more (will come back to try their 3 Flavors Shrimp). The sauce for this was yummy but I may have eaten green peppercorns (?) that I probably wasn't supposed to which might've affected my appreciation of the dish. - Baked Mussels Tom Yum (10/10) Baked New Zealand green mussels with "Tom Yum" aioli. This is what drew me in to try this place and I'm so happy we tried it! It was delicious and rich (I liked it more than my mom did, so could depend on the taster) Overall, I really liked this restaurant and hope to come back soon to try more items as their menu had a diverse selection while also including the classics. Thanks for the yummy food and great service :)

    2Pac alley of his video" Brenda's got a Baby"
    Juan V.

    What can I say about this block. Always active for decades. Whether it's your favorite rapper ( Nas) or musician ( Prince) this place was frequently played or visited by all . Slim's and the DNA lounge was the spot for all types of late night madness. My grandma lived about 3 blocks away so I was exposed early of the nightlife early. Today there are day parties at Audio and night parties still go on here at DNA Lounge. This 11th street corridor still the place remains active and I always enjoy a good happy hour. The drinks they offer at Basil Canteen are a variety . I like my go to beer Trumer Pils ( Steve Kerr's favorite also). Then there is my always my go to Pinot Noir red wine. Then there was an intermission of the Hybrid which is Thai tea & Coffee , Cream and Whipped cream. Cocktails all aboard . This is a good start me up drinks and dinner place which located next door to the location where 2pac filmed his video" Brenda's got a baby". Lots of old and new memories going on around here. Music everywhere. On 11th street in San Francisco get drink and food that's sweet and sour On Folsom and take advantage of Happy Hour

    Bake mussels topped tom yum sauce and Thai style steam dumplings
    Sanguan L.

    Nice ambience, easy to find a parking, friendly and helpful service. Food is great and delicious.

    Chicken red curry

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    8 months ago

    Food is delicious. The waitstaff is really nice. A little pricey, but Totally worth it

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    2 years ago

    Pretty good neighborhood Thai place. Not a huge menu, but enough to keep it interesting. Pad Thai was a little different than I'm used to,

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    The food was wonderful and servers were great. We had a big group and it went really well.

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    Page 1 of 16

    Ask the Community - Basil Canteen

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    A friend of mine told me about this place so she reserved a table for us. The place has a cool vibe…read morewith the music playing in the background and the inside is nice. They have seating inside and in the patio area which is heated. We arrived on time but had to wait a little bit before getting a table. We sat in the patio area and they had to turn off the heat because it was too hot. Better to be too hot than cold. We ordered a couple drinks to start and they brought us waters as well. For our appetizers and entrees which we shared were french fries, UNI AMAEBI DONBURI, PORK JOWL, and the SHOJI BURGER. The fries came out first and were cooked perfect crunchy, and the sauces that came with it was a nice addition. The Uni Amaebi Donburi came second and it was really good, light, fresh, and overall delicious. Too bad it was a small dish with a big price. The Burger came out afterwards and it was delicious. The burger was cooked perfect, and the cheese flavor was very tasty. It was a great burger. We didn't order desserts so that will have to be next time. The service was really good because they were really busy. I would recommend reservations. The price is a little high so be prepared. i'd still come back to try other dishes because the food and service was excellent.

    I have been wanting to try Shoji for a while now, but haven't had a chance to as the buzz when they…read morefirst opened was crazy with long lines. I finally got to try it and walked in on a Saturday right at opening for a party of 2. We waited probably about 15 minutes and were sat in the back patio. The interior space was beautifully done and looked very elevated. The back patio also looked nice, but definitely gave off a different vibe. The service was great, no complaints there. Everybody was super nice and attentive. The food also came out fairly quickly. What we ordered: - Donburi ($53) - 5/5 - Pork Jowl ($28) - 4/5 - Akazu Fries ($10) - 3/5 - NA Cold noodle mocktail ($18) - 4/5 - NA Dashi Apple mocktail ($15) - 5/5 - Shoji Burger ($28) - 4/5 - Ceviche ($25) - 4/5 Total after tax/tip - $236.50 Objectively, the food and drinks were pretty good. Our favorites were the donburi (of course) and the dashi apple mocktail. Some cons: - how expensive it was for the amount of food. Some reviews mentioned the donburi was tiny (which it was) - no bigger than my hand. - Almost all the dishes we got were finger foods but kind of hard to eat. The ceviche with the nori chips would fall apart. The dark nori seasoning got all over our hands and was difficult to get off with just the cloth napkin. The shoji burger was covered in cheese which we assumed was finger food since they didn't offer any knives. The donburi was filled to the top in this bowl which was small so you have to be very careful scooping out. In addition, the seasoning from the seaweed was a bit oily as well. Maybe offering a wet wipe or napkin at the end of the meal would be a nice touch. I guess it was a bit confusing given the elevated / upscale vibe it was giving off but could improve in the small details. Not sure if I can say I recommend or not but would be willing to give it another chance. Perhaps try the experience inside instead.

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