Excellent food, polite waitstaff, and reasonable pricing, what's not to like? I've eaten here many times whether take out or dine in and I have never been disappointed. read more

Update: went on a Saturday. No lunch specials and hardly anyone there on a beautiful December day--perhaps that's why? Had Mongolian beef. Disappointing. Beef not fresh made; no flavor to this dish. Plus no appetizer nor egg roll /soup included with this $10 lunch. This visit was a 2 Star. We briefly considered going elsewhere upon seeing no lunch menu. Wish we had read more

Was in Iowa for a couple days staying out at the Iowa State Fairgrounds campground and had to pick some things up at Wal Mart. Looked over at a strip mall and saw this place. Was in the mood for Thai food so decided to try this place out. Sure glad we did! We started out with chicken satay and seriously it could have been a meal itself. The chicken was huge, tender and juicy. The peanut sauce was really good! My friend had the chicken curry and it came in a family size bowl. Enough for an army! She said it was a three out of 5. I had the honey chicken and it was amazing, again enough for an army. Parking was easy, service was a little slow, but in their defense they did have a rather large unannounced party of 15. I would recommend if you're in the area and will go to again if I am. read more

Pad Thai is really good and the lunch special includes a nice little appetizer teaser. Nice service, ok ambiance and a dependable stop for lunch. read more

Great service, our waters were never below half full. The crab Rangoon were not greasy and we are fairly certain that they were baked. Interesting flavor because they were mainly cream cheese and carrot inside. I ordered the honey chicken with steamed noodles. The honey chicken was not sweet at all, just spicy unlike the description. The chicken pieces that did not have any sauce on them were nicely coated and cooked well. There was not enough sauce to eat with the noodles. read more

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I really want to love this Altoona location, but the service here is sub-par, awful, nearly non-existent. 15 mins after seated and not even a chance to order an appetizer. When she finally asked(one waitress taking my orders... what's with that???) she skipped over one of us at the table. Sheesh. The Clive location is fast, friendly and enjoyable. Why would they allow this crappy service to wear their name???? Sigh. I guess I'll drive 25 mins to get food service. Every time. read more

Clean restaurant, courteous staff, excellent apps and excellent sushi rolls. Their hot wings are a hidden gem! Everything on their menu we have tried has been at least a 4/5 stars. Great chinese for Altoona! read more

I've been to the cool basil in Clive a few times and decided to give this one a shot since I was in Altoona, and this was one of the most disappointing dining experiences I've had in my life. Food was average at best, the portions were kid sized, and for 25$ including the tip I will never be back here again. To sum it up- this pls e was was overpriced, underwhelming, and if you're an average sized human being you will not be full after eating a whole entree. Avoid this place. read more

Everything about this restaurant was great service food clean friendly wait person. Offered explanation of heat factor. Would go again

Best Thai food I have had in Iowa. I like the taste of the food here better than the Clive location. Service was excellent and the chicken pad Thai and crab rangoon were both delicious read more

Around 11:45AM my boyfriend and I started to feel hungry. We looked at each other in mutual agreement that we should fill our famished bodies. Then came the dreaded question of, "Where should we eat?" Being in Altoona, Iowa, we had limited options but nevertheless, still managed to pick the worst of the bunch. And yes, this location is right next to an Applebees. Upon our entrance, we were greeted by a frantic and overwhelmed waiter despite only having two other tables to serve. Did I mention it is Lunch time? Two tables at lunch time? Hmm.. I ordered the Miso Soup and veggie sushi roll. **seaweed soup and spinach roll with a dash of rice. I had to destroy my poorly created sushi roll to pick my spinach salad out of it. After clearing out my bed of spinach, I was left with rice and a chunk of avocado. I could go more into detail about the pickings of my meal, but I'm too hungry to get my mind right. However, my boyfriend loved his entree of General Tao Chicken, so that is why I am leaving two stars. At the end of our meal, we were given fortune cookies with our fortunes basically telling us we were both dating and ugly personal. Anyways, I'm hungry still so I will leave it at that. Not going back. read more

Ordered via door dash. Door dash was fabulous. The food- no. No soy sauce, no sweet and sour sauce, no hot mustard included with delivery. But I got 6 forks! Food bland- and runny sauce in both items. Disappointing! read more

Worst service. While we were seated immediately, when asked if we wanted anything to drink my husband said he didn't want anything so they walked away without seeing if I did. Our appetizer came quickly as did my husbands order. However, my meal still hadn't been served while others who came in after us received their meals and my husband finished his meal. Server finally came to table to apologize but I said we'd just take our check as my husband had already finished his dinner. She went back t9 kitchen and I could hear her tell them "quit making they don't want it now" which tells me they hadn't even started my meal. Needless to say we won't be going back. read more

Gross. Hands down the worst place I've ever eaten. Plain Jane good to go with the plain Jane atmosphere. It's just very plain. No flavor.

This was my first time.. and probably last time Coming here. The service was okay.. but the food was below average. I ordered sushi and it kept falling apart. The ginger that came with the sushi tasted old as well. My daughter had the fried rice which included really large chunks of onions, a slice of lime and a piece of a tomato. read more

I come here often and their noodle and curry dishes are fantastic. The one time I got daring and tried their sushi it was not good. I was leery how fresh their fish would be considering they don't seem to be busy enough to go through it. Well, my concerns were validated as my spicy tuna roll smelled beyond fishy. But, since everything else I have ever had here was awesome, I still give them 5 stars! Just avoid the sushi... read more

It got the craving taken care of. Great service, friendly staff. Very clean. Food was decent but sauce on dishes was a bit runnier than expected for sweet and sour especially. Love some sticky rice though! read more

My roommates and I decided to try this location a few weeks ago considering it's closer to us than the Clive location. This proved to be a big mistake. We ordered multiple appetizers and took one bite of each before sliding the plates to the edge of the table. We all thought that maybe our entrées would turn our experience around, but unfortunately this wasn't the case and they ended up being just as tasteless. My shrimp Pad Thai was by far the worst Pad Thai dish I have ever eaten at a Thai restaurant. When it was all said and done each of us spent nearly $30 per meal for a grand total of 5 bites (if that). All of us actually ended up going through a nearby Arby's drive thru on the way home because our meals were that unsatisfying. Not to mention the staff was unapologetic about our experience and the service was slow despite the fact we were virtually the only people there at the time. This place was a major disappointment - especially considering I have always had a great experience at the Clive location. None of us will be returning. read more

Originally skeptical of this place since it took over a chinese buffett spot, but they really classed it up and keep things neat. The staff is super attentive and friendly. Have been here numerous times with the entire family and the owner has come over to chat with my little nephew. Great sushi as well! read more

Updating now because I've since come back here several times purely for convenience reasons, and then discovered the magic that is the green curry here. It is heaven. Far and away the best curry dish I've ever had (and add avocado to it!) So so good. And their service has improved in the past year, so I forgive their previous transgressions. read more

Cool Basil - Menu - Thai Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

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I am torn on how to rate this place because the food is always very good, however the service is always horrible. So choosing middle ground on this one. They are great at bussing the tables and seating you but little (1 sometimes 2 people) taking your order. So, I can't imagine how stressful it may be during busier times and would like to see some changes in this area, but have visited around 5 times in the past year and its always the same. Even when it's slow, service is bad. The girls don't seem to be too concerned about your presence or needs. Once you get your order, forget about seeing them again, we have even had to chase them down for our check and order several drinks at once because you won't be offered refills or a second drink. We would visit more often because in this part of the state, we lack flavorable options. If you go into to Des Moines, you will have more options that favor taste AND service. So maybe that is the issue, lack of competition equals no motive to improve their business? read more

If you want good Asian food and you are in Altoona then go here. They have a wide selection of Thai dishes as well as good sushi. They have a very quiet and comforting atmosphere. The staff members are extremely friendly and the food is made well. I had lived in Altoona for a brief amount of time and this would be my go to Asian restaurant. read more

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Not related to the cool basil on the west side of town. I like spicey food and they ask you how much spice you can handle before you order. The food was great but the service was a little uncoordinated. I've stopped here a few times. The food is good enough to make the stop but be patient with the service, if not, you won't like this place. read more

Cool Basil - The aftermath of goodness... - Thai Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

I loved this place! I was craving Thai food and decided to come here for lunch. The atmosphere was pleasant, and the server was extremely friendly. I received my food in a prompt time after I had finished my appetizer and it tasted delicious. I had the lunch special for pad Thai with chicken and it was really good. I also forgot my credit card on the way out, and the server ran outside to give it to me. Such a wonderful place! read more

This place is great for some tasty, great, relatively cheap Asian food. It presents itself as Thai restaurant but has a fusion of Japanese and Chinese cuisine in there as well. It's really fast and the servers were really friendly. Really clean restaurant and a great ambiance. I've had the Pad Thai and Kua Kai and I wasn't disappointed by either one. Their apps are great as well. read more

Cool Basil - Roomy, comfortable, nice ambience! - Thai Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

Large group- SLOW service. We called ahead & our table was ready but the 1 lady serving the whole restaurant wasn't ready for us. 20 minutes after being seated we asked if we could order dinner & drinks. When the food came it wasn't what we expected from previous visits. Mongolian beef was full of veggies & had a different sauce. It was okay- just not what we were expecting. The beef jerky appetizer was thick & fatty. We'll stick to Thai Flavors & Fawns. read more

Came here again. I should have read my prior review. This time I ordered Green Curry, and again, I ordered "5" on the spicy scale of 1 - 6. This is why I should have read my prior review. I've been known to order "4" and say "meh....." but I ordered "5" again and WISHED I had cut it down to 4 or even 3! I waffled between Chicken or Pork, finally decided on Pork, but lets just say, the sauce was so spicy I couldn't tell whether I got Pork or Chicken, they are both white meat! If you put the curry on the rice, it does tone it down some, but you still get "kickback" on the spice thing. "Kickback" happens at about 1.5 seconds. Let's just say, I could have used two scoops of rice to tone down the curry sauce, but they only give you one scoop. This time it was quiet as there weren't many in at the time I went. read more

Excellent thai food! I ordered Mango Curry. It was the best I ever had. Highly recommended place for food lovers!! Reasonable price, decent ambience, and great service!! read more

Cool Basil - Thai Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

When I was there with my family, we ordered three dishes and water. The water came right away like t normally would, and not even 5 minutes later (maybe less than that), the food was out, and hot. I got a dish with orange chicken. I was not really expecting what they gave you; they gave you a dish of chicken, white rice, and some broccoli. But all before the food came, they brought out a spring roll and a little bowl of soup. I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. I was really happy with their service and the tase of their food. Although the food tasted really good, it did not really seem like a place you would get Thai food. It was open with a lot of space, which was nice, but not a whole lot of people there so it felt a little uncomfortable. They didn't have a lot of decorations up, just some pictures that did not really seem to fit the theme and some banners. The music in the background didn't work that well either. It was what you would listen to on the radio, like pop music, just all the music was on a piano and no singing. read more

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Saw this place in a strip mall and thought I would give it a try. The first 2 things I wanted to order they did not have. I asked the waiter what things he liked he said he had never ate the food here. I ended up getting the yellow curry which was pretty good but didn't have much meat in it or much rice with it. The Thai tea I ordered was sour like it was really old. The waiter did not check one me at all during the meal. I ordered some mango sticky rice as well at the end of the meal. The mango was not fully ripe and the rice was green which I have never seen when ordering this dessert, but it didn't taste different so I'm guessing it was for visuals. Overall I will probably eat here again, and give it another chance. read more

Nice quick Thai food, has a decent sized menu. They do a great job on getting the spicy just right, I like 3 stars and they do it just right, for me at least. Been here twice both for lunch, walked away satisfied each time. read more

Food was delicious and in spite of previous reviews the service was good. It is located in a strip mall so my expectations were not very high. It was actually quite nice. Clean and quiet. read more

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Yum! Wide selection of tasty food. Fair prices and great service. Like that they let you decide the heat of the dish.

I arrived probably 30-40 minutes before the posted closing hours. At first I was told certain items were not available since they would be closing, but the sushi chef over heard and made me an avocado roll even though he cleaned up. Also ordered steamed broccoli with sauce and white rice. Everything was hot and fresh. I definitely felt rushed by the host and waitress, even though I was having a quick meal and was alone. I waited a long time for the food, and was again rushed by the staff to eat and leave. I was not even the last table seated, or the last table to leave the restaurant. I would probably give 5 stars if the staff was more patient. read more

Love the crab fried rice , never though this place would taste so good.. it's one of those hidden spots in Altoona...

Empty on a Sunday, ordered take out and had no issues with that but after getting home and eating my food, it didn't agree with me, so I ended up trashing almost all of it. read more

Good food, absolutely love it. However, customer service is absolutely terrible. It takes me about 25 calls every time to even put an order in. I am currently sitting in the lobby after ringing the bell to pickup 3 times with nobody coming to the front. The phone is ringing off the hook and nobody answers it. I don't like to complain as I love the food, but the service needs to be better. read more

The only good food item here were the rice and egg rolls. Everything else was disgusting. The chicken in the sesame chicken was small bits that looked like dry dog food kibbles and was stale and the crab Rangoon was like chewing on a rubber band read more

I called in an order of pad see ew and was told it would take about 20 minutes. I arrived to pick it up 20 minutes later and they hadn't even put the order in. They brought it out a few minutes later which was nice. This was the most bland Thai dish I have ever eaten. I did order it with gluten free soy sauce but that has never made a huge difference in taste at other Thai restaurants. This tastes like it was just sautéed in oil with no sauce at all. Would never order again. read more

I used to like this place, a lot.. Until we went there on Friday, February 14th. Few things that we noticed right away: the whole menu is changed and design updated. My only favorite item called Eggplant Delight with Duck is taken out of the menu, which I thought was probably one if my favorite Asian entrees from all the Chinese and Thai restaurants around Des Moines. So I was bummed. Okay, these guys were super busy that night because there were a lot of couples for Valentines day, I get it. But... On our table the soy sauce bottle was empty, so we had to ask a waiter for that plus chop sticks few times ... it took almost 40 minutes to get 3 sushi rolls because they only had 2 sushi chefs working which seemed weird at busy night like this, I'm pretty sure they usually have 4 chefs for sushi. Next: the food. I got salmon nigiri for myself and it was gross: the rice was warm, if you ever have a fresh fish in warm rice like this, it will make it taste fishy right away, it was awful. The same warm rice was used in the rolls with fresh fish which tasted horrible. Next, for entree I got their only duck dish in the menu, it came as a duck breast sliced in pieces on top of steamed broccoli and a side of rice. This is NOT the duck I have ordered few months ago at this place: it tasted like it was just taken out of the freezer and microwaved, very tough, very-very salty and basically didn't have the taste of duck as it was overpowered by saltiness and the fact it was an old cut of meat. I gave few if my pieces to my wife and the kids to try and they thought the same. Long story short, I have told my waiter that I am not satisfied with my dish and I do not want to finish it because it is unedible and it does not compare to the dish I have ordered few months ago. At the end she took my whole plate down to the kitchen and said that the manager said the best they can do is give us 10% off my duck dish... Wow, we told them we usually spend around 89-90 dollars in their place and this is so far the most disappointing dinner yet and they should really try harder to keep us happy. Also, why would she take my whole plate back and offer me only 10% off the whole dish? If I knew she would do that, I would have just boxed it to go... Anyways, we are not going to be back. The way they handled their dish is not right and they lost us as their customer in Altoona and we would suggest no one to go there and spend their money, I think they are going downhill from here, fast. When my wife was working as a waiter in Las Vegas restaurant, she had people giving her 25 cent tip just because she forgot to refill their cups with water, these guys need be trained for better customer service and stop makings crappy dishes. Our waiter should be thankful we gave her any tip. :/ I still feel like she just didn't want to refund me my meal because she would lose a good tip, well, he got a tip she deserved. read more