Now this restaurant is an excellent choice for dinner, I was here with my son and I ordered Chicken Marsella and it was excellent! The sauce and chicken were outstanding, it had artichokes, mushrooms, baby tomatoes and was just so tasty!! My son ordered Butternut Ravoili and his meal was excellent as well! We could finish our meals and took the rest home! The service was excellent, the waitress was very attentive and soooo pleasant and beautiful! I told her she should be a model or on TV! And she said does work part-time in the modeling field! We will decently be back for their excellent meals! read more

Had a wonderful dinner at Basil Leaf! Nice decor and friendly service. Had lamb lollipops for an appetizer and they were perfect. My entree was the linguine carbonara (recommended by our delightful waitress) and it was a winner! Chicken Parmigiana was also very tasty. My wife's angel hair pasta with grilled chicken was mediocre . Enjoyed the warm rolls with olive oil with spices which were brought to our table upon being seated. All in all a very good restaurant. Suggest you give it a try! read more

Our go-to Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. Pleasant ambiance and great service. Delicious food--we particularly enjoy the bruschetta, butternut squash ravioli, and rigatoni sausage. Rolls are tasty as well when you eat in as they are warm and fresh. But they become rock hard if you leave them out for more than an hour or so. Not a big deal. Overall, we definitely enjoy this place more than Casati's (overpriced) and Pasta Bowl (very mediocre) across the street. read more

The food here is amazing, service and drinks are fantastic it's so lovely in here. Nice but not terribly uppity. The lunch special is an AMAZING value the portions are huge!! You can taste the ingredients freshness. I would absolutely recommend giving this place a try. read more

I came here for dinner recently and was a little disappointed. It wasn't crowded at all and they have a line of tables along the street where you're basically sitting outside with the windows open. Only one table (of maybe 5) was occupied at it was 7PM on a Saturday night. They refused to let me and my husband sit at one of the empty tables because they were set for 4. Keep in mind- it wasn't busy. The rest of the restaurant had ample 4 seat tables. The bread is served one roll at a time which is actually nice because it's warm and you know they're not wasting bread like most places do that put an entire basket out. They serve the bread with an herbed olive oil which was the highlight of the meal. We had the caprese salad to start- good, not overwhelming. Our entrees were ok- I had the salmon which was overcooked but not terrible. My pasta was fine but being advertised as a dill sauce this was 100% cream with little flavor. My husband got the Fettuccini Pesto which looked amazing. He gave me a little to try and it may have just been that particular bite, but there were approx. 8 noodles clumped together- it was so dense, at first I thought it was a piece of the chicken. Maybe we caught them on an off night so I'm open to trying it again but between the seating issue and the hiccups with the food, I really can't recommend this place with Sappori Trattoria and Topo Gigio so close by. read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Grilled Salmon - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I came here with a friend to grab a salad and glass of wine on a hot summer day. It was a Thursday at 5pm, and most of the tables were taken. Basil Leaf Cafe is definitely a spot to try if you're in Lincoln Park look for a great dinner spot. Service was perfect. It's fancy, but not too fancy, so perfect for lunch and dinner. read more

I had been to the Basil Leaf Cafe Several times before the pandemic. I just came back and revisited with two friends. I tried the chicken picante. I don't know if I ever had it before but this was AMAZING. It had capers, mushrooms, cut up tomatoes, pasta and peas and of course chicken with other ingredients. It was steaming hot when it got to our table and absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this dish and Basil Leaf. We had a very friendly waitress whom I forgot her name. We kidded her because she looked like the actress Dakota. The fresh hot rolls they serve to start with are also soft and delicious with the wonderful butter or olive oil mixture if you so choose. My friends got the white fish and loved it as well. We all said we would be back. Wonderful quality, prices and huge portions. I took leftovers home and ate it for a day after. DELISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

WILL NEVER RETURN NO KINDNESS Many in my family have worked in the restaurant business from dishwashers to owners to corporate hospitality executives. Their successful history was mainly linked to the excellent customer service and treatment of their guests. Today I was expecting to have an enjoyable lunch as I have been a customer when they were at their original location and now more frequently since places have been emergIng from Covid. I have rarely given any socialI media reviews, but the rudeness and condescending treatment I received today cannot be overlooked. I arrived for a small milestone birthday celebration early and told the waiter who has recently frequently taken care of me that we were having a small celebration but with a different group of friends that I usually have had lunch with there . These were new friends I was introducing to the restaurant. My usual waiter would not be the server today. Instead a pleasant young lady who just started last week was our server. So prior to my friends arriving I asked her if she could bring something that the restaurant GIVES to someone celebrating their birthday after we ate lunch. Everything was fine until the check came and I saw I was charged for a Royale. I am not cheap and this was not a cost issue. I did not order a Royale. I asked to talk to the manager who now apparently is the waiter who always took care of me. I was shocked at his behavior because in the past I always tipped him generously. When I inquired about the charge he raised his voice and was trying to engage me in an argument near the cash register while friends were still at the table. I told him I would like to talk with the owner but waited until my friends left. I spoke to the owner who basically threw the new server under the bus because there was a miscommunication. She did not ask the manager or owner what the restarant usually gives to guests on their birthday. Apparently they give nothing, but the owner said the next time I came in he would give me a free dessert. Why did I need to wait until next time? He continued to give me a myriad of excuses about why he would not write off the charge for the Royale instead of just being a good host. I gave the new server a decent tip, she was new and trying her best. The owner needs to learn manners on being a gentleman and a good host. We all have been going through tough times. People go to restaurants for good food, but mostly good treatment and service, not to be embarrassed in front of their friends or treated without kindness. read more

Came in for lunch today around 3.. it was midday so the place was pretty empty. Nice and quit. The service was good. The waitress was nice and attentive which is rare when getting a table for one in a restaurant and just ordering a couple sides. Started with a bread roll and basil dipping sauce. The bread was classic rustic Italian roll. The dipping sauce is pretty unique. Basil and misc herbs in a clear olive oil. It has a fresh taste. Not as strong as the regular oil / balsamic mix most places give you. I ordered the spring salad (half order) and cup of tomato soup. The salad was fresh. Had mushrooms, walnuts and gorgonzola. Comes with balsamic vinaigrette. I had it put on the side. But its was good. The tomato soup was called creamy basil. It wasn't as creamy or sweet as normal creamy soup. It was chunkier and had a more earthy sweetness. I think the tomato was toned down with black pepper and carrot. Really hearty. Good taste. read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Bread and basil dip - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Recently went here for an early dinner and it was great! Started off with the fried calamari and ordered the rigatoni for my main and they were both super yummy! I also tried a bite of my friends tortellini which was also awesome. The portions were pretty big and I was able to take home leftovers. Service was super friendly. Good windows for people watching. Will definitely be back! read more

My daughter has a lot of food allergies and Basil leaf cafe was very accommodating. We felt very safe eating there and she had so many good options to choose from. I had their salmon with pasta and it was so delicious, the salmon was grilled and full of flavor. lots of options for lunch with something for everyone. Portion sizes were generous. Our server Albert was so professional and helpful. Highly recommend! read more

I have lost count of the number of times I have gone to Basil Leaf Cafe. So I will not rattle of exact menu items that I have had. Suffice it to say, I have had everything on the menu except for menu items that had nuts in them. The only one with nuts in it that I had was the berry salad, and that was because I requested the salad without the walnuts. Starting with service, I'm in love. It may be that I usually go with one other friend or solo, so I don't end up with an exasperated server who has to figure out the whims of a large party. Everything comes to the table without incident on the server's part or complaint on my part. The quality of the food has never faltered, as far as I have experienced during my visits. I don't go to Basil Leaf Cafe often, but when I do, I'm always glad that I did. I don't leave frustrated and I am alway stuffed to the point of having to waddle out of the restaurant. So, if I had to sum up Basil Leaf Cafe in one word, it would be "Bravo!!!" read more

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Basil Leaf is a mix between the cozy neighborhood Italian hangout and an upscale restaurant. This is probably not a place that an out-of-towner would find or choose if visiting Chicago. Our friends who lived nearby wanted to take us to their mice go-to restaurant on a Saturday night. Being from San Francisco I was also intrigued by Game 5 of the World Series. Half the restaurant is a bar and there were few people paying attention to the game. The restaurant side of the establishment was full with about 90% of the tables occupied. The menu is pretty traditional Italian fare and as I had already stuffed myself with pizza and brats the previous night, I decided to have a little lighter fare with a caesars salad which was quite large, along with a butternut squash aioli. The owner, Shawn (sp) was quite attentive and kept asking how we wee. The server, Sara, a petite red haired dancer fro Wisconsin was also personable and kept us updated on food progress. shawn also kept coming by to discretely give me score updates. In the end I guess my friends were normal regulars there as we were given a complimentary tiramisu which we all ate with tons of guilt. If you want to get away to where locals eat in Chicago, this is a great find and not far from Wrigleyville and other bars. read more

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Food is always excellent as is service. The ambience is simply a beautiful Italian bistro! That warm bread for openers...so wonderful. The perfect spot. read more

I've been here on quite a few occasions over the years and I have to say that this restaurant has immensely improved its menu over the last 4 years. The ambiance is great, white table clothes, candles on the tables, and the staff is excellent. They're attentive and accommodating. Great for a family dinner, date or catching up with friends if you want a fancier vibe without an outrageous prices. read more

I love Basil Leaf! The angel hair pasta with chicken and tomatoes is phenomenal, and this is what I always order. The wine is also very good and reasonably priced, although I've found that some of the pasta dishes are slightly overpriced (only by a couple of dollars though--and the taste makes up for it, which is why I'm not taking off a star). My husband's favorite here is the linguine carbonara. Basil Leaf is nice for a date spot or a family dinner. There is no parking and street parking in this area is extremely difficult, so best to walk, take the bus, or Uber/Lyft here. Tip: regardless of what you order, ask the waiter for extra parmesan cheese. The parmesan is very high quality and pretty phenomenal here. read more

We love Basil Leaf, it's our regular neighborhood spot. The food is consistently delicious and the service is wonderful. Basil Leaf is also gluten free heaven! Everything breaded is gluten free. It's the only place I've been able to find gluten free chicken parmigiana, fried calamari and ravioli, all amazing. read more

Really enjoyed every aspect. Large, airy room, well-stocked bar, outdoor dining... But the most important part was of course the food: I had a really wonderful salad to start, with gorgonzola and walnuts and a dressing that was hard to describe, but delicious. A waiter came out with a fresh (hot) roll each time i finished one. For entrees i had the sauteed trout with oven potatoes and spinach. My dining partners had pasta dishes. My trout seemed to be more deep fried than sauteed, but it was delicious nevertheless. My only quibble is that they mix the potatoes with the spinach... why? Anyhow I got to taste my wife's penne with broccoli and pesto and it was awesome: I'm getting that for sure next time. And there Will be a next time - soon I hope. We don't live in the area, but the next time we come cross-town for a visit, we'll be sure to come back - and save room for one of their delicious-looking desserts. read more

Delicious meatball dish. Delicious coffee. Delicious goat cheese salad. Great service. Definitely will keep going back. read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Meatball dish. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delicious pasta and bread in a cute venue! Would highly recommend for Italian food enthusiasts. Vegetarian friendly as well read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Gnocchi Ala Vodka - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very enjoyable dinner. We ate early due to concert tickets. I made a reservation but it wasn't crowded might have been able to walk in without one. Service was great everyone was very friendly. Warm rolls, fresh homemade pasta, delicious! read more

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Had a great mid-afternoon snack at Basil Leaf Cafe back in September. My daughter and I had spent the day walking around the city and fancied a drink and a nibble. We split the Greek salad and an order of crab cakes and we each had a glass of wine from the expansive and very reasonable wine menu. The Greek salad was very generous, as were the crab cakes. Both were absolutely delicious. Because of the weather, all of the windows were thrown open and we had a nice, airy window seat. There was outdoor seating but at the time we arrived, but it was in full sun so we opted to sit inside at a window seat. Hand sanitizer was readily available and staff wore masks and were very conscientious about safety. I couldn't help but notice the very busy takeout business the restaurant was doing. Recommended. read more

The staff here is great. They are friendly and super attentive. The food and drinks are really good. The oil and bread are addictive. It's probably the best thing here. read more

Loved my experience here! Walked in on a Saturday with 5 people and we were seated right away. The restaurant is very open and calm/quiet. Their Bloody Mary's are HUGE and so tasty! One of the best I've had in a while. The server comes around and gives you a very fresh roll of bread with an amazing mix of EVOO and other spices. The server came over to us immediately after we finished our rolls and asked if we wanted another. We ordered the Calamari as an app which was huge and delicious. I ordered the greek salad with chicken. It was so filling, fresh, and yummy! Their menu is big but not too big. I love that they have a salad/soup & sandwich combo option. Overall the food, drinks, and service were great! We will definitely be back! read more

So good I was ready to go back the next day. Great spot for a date or friends night out.

The bread and wine were both amazing, penne al la vodka with salmon was really good, chicken parm was a little disappointing, but still good! I definitely recommend the baked goat cheese and calamari, 4/5 read more

Love this place! For appetizers, I ordered the Gluten Free Caprese and for mains, I ordered the Grilled Salmon with Asparagus and Peapods in a Creamy Dill Sauce. I immensely enjoyed both the dishes and would definitely go back multiple times! read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The service was great and they took great care of us. However we found the food to be mediocre in comparison to other Chicago area Italian restaurants. We ordered the chicken picatta and the sausage rigatoni with peppers. We struggled a bit to find a pasta dish without marinara sauce that sounded good, however the rigatoni was the best dish we ordered. The chicken picatta lacked flavor and the chicken was dry. The location is great, and we thought the lunch sandwiches may be good, however we will not be returning for dinner. read more

Lovely, roomy dining room which can open onto the street on sunny, breezy days. The food is. . . fine, not exceptional or memorable, but also not exceptionally pricey. Linguine with Shrimp & Scallops was was satisfying. Chicken Marsala was pretty standard, though the sauce was a bit oily and the the linguine was more artichokey than mushroomy (seriously, too much artichoke). Carbonara (like so many restaurants) wasn't really carbonara: just pasta with salted pork added to a sauce that was more cream than egg. read more

My favorite restaurant in Chicago after living here for 6 years. Why? - The food is absolutely amazing every time I visit. It's not cheap, but it doesn't taste cheap either. - The serving sizes are very generous. - Excellent service. Our servers and the wait staff have always been friendly, polite, prompt, and had a great knowledge of the menu (both food and drink). - It's a simple atmosphere inside but it's warm, inviting, and I feel like the noise level is always good for dinner conversation. Loud enough not to hear your neighbors and vice versa, but quiet enough to comfortably hear your table-mates. - They also will make almost anything off their menu gluten free! I really appreciate this as a gluten intolerant person myself. I wish I could remember the staff who've served us over the 5+ times we've been here to give them all the credit they deserve, but I can't recall. read more

Amazing food every time I've been there. The decor is casual and classy, service is faultless.

Wonderful spot to dine. Large enough where you can usually get a table without an issue. Portions are generous and the drinks are great! Wish the main dining room was a bit darker. read more

We were out with friends on a Saturday afternoon on Clark Street, looking for a lunch spot. Lucky for us we stopped in at Basil Leaf Cafe. Superb service, thank you, Onur. Everything we ordered was terrific...and more than enough. I got the mozzarella sandwich; my husband got the linguini with clams. It was the best meal of our four days in Chicago. The name of the restaurant makes you think it might be Asian food but it's straightforward Italian food and really good. A really nice experience. (oh yeah, pistachio gelato...almost forgot!) read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - linguini with white clam sauce...terrific! - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Bad cobb salad - gritty lettuce. Expected better given prices and internet reviews.

I always forget about Basil Leaf Cafe and I think everyone else must as well because it's very easy to get in on a Friday or Saturday night. They don't take reservations and it's a pretty small restaurant, but they always seem to be able to fit us in. We had dinner here last night with 2 other couples and as always it was very good. I had the salmon, which was delicious and very filling. Everyone else at the table had pasta dishes, which is 75% of the Basil Leaf menu, and I enjoyed all the tastes I had as well. The atmosphere is adorable and they have a great outdoor patio for the summertime. It's a great atmosphere for a date, but also good for a group of people. The prices are also very reasonable. Last night's dinner included 2 bottles of wine and it came out to approximately $60/couple. I don't think Basil Leaf Cafe is as good as La Scarola, Rosebud, and some other favorite Italian restaurants in Chicago, but it's still very good. read more

As I pushed open the door to this little Italian cafe on Clark street, I wondered how I had never seen it before. After all- I have been on this stretch of Clark time and time again. But all of that confusion quickly faded as I entered the bar area, saw my friend already seated and waiting for me and was served up a beer by a friendly bartender who was laughing at the antics of my friend and me. The room was nice- casual and comforting with high top booths along the wall and a more casual feeling that the restaurant area in the next room that felt a little more formal with it's white linen topped tables. We had asked to be seated by the windows in the main room but since those were all 4 tops and we were only a party of two- we were seated "close" to the windows but more in the middle of the busy room. Oh well. Maybe if you go on a less busy night or bring a larger group- you can sit in the windows! Our server, Lucy, was the highlight of my evening (well, after my much sought after entree, anyway!). It was her first night- and had we not asked- we never would have known this as she was "on her game". She knew the menu, made some great suggestions and had that kind of pleasant personality that all servers should learn. We talked a bit throughout the night long enough to know a little about each other and she even asked us our names so she would know us the next time we came in. Loved it- she really made our night! How about the food? The food was great! They had one of my all time favorite foods as the special of the day -soft shell crab. Even more special since when I had been at Shaw's the night before- they were totally out of it. And being they are only in season for a couple of months- I try to get them as often as I can when they are in season. We started with an appetizer of the Cajun calamari (a suggestion by the table next to us). Delicious! Next up- a Caesar salad which, while predictable was quite tasty and then, of course, the entrees. The soft shell crab was clearly the winner (served with linguine and spinach ahhhh) as my friend's gnocchi was drowning in a marinara sauce that was only okay. Also know that the hot bread that they serve, is liable to ruin your dinner, it is that good! And it is replaced as soon as you eat it so know that you have been warned! Just say "no" or you will keep eating it as we did! Parking in this area is a bit of a challenge as most of the side streets are permit parking only. My suggestion? If you drive- there are spots at the grocery store up the street ($18 for the evening) or at the Children's Hospital lot after 7. A better idea? Take a cab. Dinner with drinks was about $100 for the two of us. Great service, good food and an ambiance an encourages you to sit and linger awhile. Check out the Basil Leaf Cafe. And bring a party of four so you can sit by those big open windows in the front! read more

Eek I did not love Basil Leaf Cafe. I've walked past here countless times, and after an appointment across the street, I felt like it was fate to finally check this restaurant out. In one word, it feels homey. It's not modern, and looking around the restaurant, it was mostly an older crowd. It was also pretty empty. But the staff were really friendly and down-to-earth, and I was excited that they offered gluten free pasta! The food, however, wasn't great. My alfredo pasta was really really runny, and the chicken on top was chewy in that frozen and reheated sort of way. The gluten free bread was a nice touch, but it was really dense and flavorless. I feel bad that I didn't love this place; the people really seemed like they're trying. But the aesthetic and the food just didn't cut it for 2018, when a city location like this offers so so much more for the money elsewhere. read more

My favorite part of the whole meal was the lovely hot bread that came at the beginning of our dining experience. I can see the appeal of this place. The decor is clean and modern. There are plenty of dish options (even gluten free). It's convenient if you live in the neighborhood, but boy oh boy was the pasta dish excruciatingly hard to eat. I honeslty couldn't wait to write about it. I was flabbergasted that it was served to me. Eighteen dollars for some pasta and sauce - you would expect the pasta to maybe be homemade, but no sir. Definitely not. The sauce (alla vodka), was just a regular tomato base. There wasn't even any cream in it! Appalling. It came with full strips of asparugus and PEAPODS. What do you think of peapods in a dish? I think of asian inspired cuisine, not Italian. If you want an upscale version of the Olive Garden, then you will love this place. read more

The good: Great service. Didn't have to wait on a Saturday night during prime time and the waitress was attentive. Water, drinks, and bread were prompt. The atmosphere is good, but it's awkward walking in through a bar to get to the more intimate part of the restaurant. Huge portions and a ton of options. The bad: When it comes to Italian, this food is pretty bland. Didn't taste or feel authentic. Everything about this place is 4/5 stars, but the food was so bland I just couldn't justify a 4. Overall: Good portions, selections, and service. Average Italian taste. Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Service: 9/10 Food: 6.5/10 read more

We enjoyed the pub like atmosphere of the corner room, which affords a great view of the colorful neighborhood. Salads were fresh and excellent, and there are some nice wines on their list at good prices. Service was inexperienced but well intentioned. read more