I did zero research in advance as to the Vail restaurant scene, since my brain was mostly focused on trying not to eat it in preparation for a ski lesson the next day. All that's to say we went into lunch in Vail cold and picked Sweet Basil on a snowy weekday afternoon because there was steady foot-traffic in and out. We got a booth (came in without a reservation) but some of the tables facing the sculptures in the back had the primo views. Food here was excellent. Started out with the fois gras appetizer. I'm not a fan of it, especially knowing how the poor geese are treated, but I'll eat it if someone else orders it for the table. It always reminds me of a cross between butter and peanut butter. Anyway, two thumbs up, especially with the amazing sourdough toast on the side. I went with the winter cobb salad with the rotisserie chicken. Immediately, this was a dish that made me want to replicate it at home. All the ingredients were well-balanced and reflected an extra measure of attention, like the caramelized squash and the everything brittle. The chicken was tender and juicy, not dry at all. Husband's burger and truffle fries looked delicious. Overall, we wish we a) had more stomach space to try some of the other offerings, like the desserts, and b) had more time to spend in Vail. Definitely felt like an apres-ski spot. read more

Sweet Basil - *All American Double Cheeseburger + truffle fries - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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Most amazing dishes we've ever tasted! I wish I could remember what they were called, both a version of steak. So much flavor packed in every bite, I ate tiny fork fulls in amazement! Great oysters! read more

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I'll start with what's good about Sweet Basil. Nice welcoming atmosphere when you enter. It all went sideways to downhill from there. The waitress was not friendly and we felt as if we were imposing on what? I don't know. We were seated in the back. It's a separate room from the main bar and dinning room. Kind of their second dining room that can be used for private parties. At first, I felt like we did something wrong, so we were in the "alone" room with no other diners. It did fill up toward the end of our meal. Ah, let me check out the beer selection. Not much there and nothing on draft. If you like even a modest beer selection with your special meal in Vail, this is not your place. We tried two appetizers. The octopus dish included some delicious tortellini, but was light on octopus. The other appetizer was listed as heirloom tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. Some would just list "Caprese Salad" on their menu, but I guess they wanted to place an emphasis on the heirloom tomatoes, in which case they could have listed it as "Heirloom Caprese Salad". In the end, there were no heirloom tomatoes. These were just regular red slicing tomatoes. Short of minimal octopus in the octopus salad and notwithstanding no heirloom tomatoes in the heirloom tomato salad, it was pretty tasty. The presentation was nothing to write home about either. Main course, I had the Alaskan Halibut in a miso sauce with potato fingerlings and bok choy. Again, presentation was weak. On second thought, presentation was awful -- what a mess. The filet was minimal (again). It was tasty, but mostly due to salt. I could hardly taste any miso paste. More essence of miso or implied miso on the misleading menu. I'm not sure how this place received the high rating it currently has. Andy was our server and he was super nice, but didn't have much to say after I asked about the heirloom tomatoes. Good atmosphere. Nice layout and decor. We would never go back, nor would we recommend Sweet Basil to any visitor. Another overprice and very mediocre restaurant in Vail, CO. read more

Sweet Basil - Heirloom Tomato Poser - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

Everything was perfect, the food was fabulous and the entire staff and the management were so friendly and helpful to us and each other, a great team. The ambiance was warm and inviting! Deborah S. read more

Food is amazing Tried the grilled octopus tacos Service impeccable Ambience perfect Don't miss this place read more

Sweet Basil - Grilled octopus Delicious - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

Came in with very high hopes. Everything missed the mark. Service was just rude. Not friendly at all. Salmon made me sick I had to send it back. Fishiest i've ever had. Only good thing was the tenderloin. Really disappointed. Michelin recommended? No idea how. read more

Whole staff was rude to us Idk why. We were just there on a Friday night for a couples date. Hostess food runner and waitress were extremely short with us- it was a terrible vibe and experience Food wise, they were out of the snapper we wanted ,, gnocchi was just a block of cheese very bizarre and ahi tuna was served warm on the side like tomato paste. Would never recommend it - costs us half a thousand dollar for four people read more

This was our "fancy" dinner for our ski trip. People were definitely dressing up a bit here despite being on vacation. We ordered the lamb tartare and cacio e Pepe suppli as starters and the sturgeon, branzino and seafood tagliatelle as mains. The starters were good but not great New American/fusion style dishes. I wish they didn't fry the pasta in the Cacio e Pepe dish and just kept it simple. The mains were more interesting. I actually liked the pho broth paired with fish, it gave it a really interesting profile. The seafood tagliatelle was by far the best dish but the portion was too meager. Overall the food was solid but the service was slow. I also liked the quiet, intimate atmosphere. read more

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This place is a WINNER!! Corrine is the best server!! She was so friendly and helpful. She told us the best advice on food and drinks and shopping!! Loved our experience and can't wait to come back!! Thank u Corinne! Loved meeting u! read more

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Honestly this was our least favorite restaurant in Vail. The food is highly overrated. My son and husband both had the Wagyu steak, My sons piece was a terrible cut with a huge tendon running through it, Given that they slice in the back, they had to know. I couldn't help but wonder if they intentionally gave the crappy piece to a 12 Year old. My other son thought his chicken was very dry. I had the Alaskan cod and it was fine but nothing remarkable. For apps, the whipped feta was sickeningly sweet. It was not a balanced dish but others seem to like in other reviews so I wonder if the chef threw too much sweet stuff on ours. Tuna tartare had a decent flavor but also seemed oddly dry. The desserts were cute but they couldn't make up for the mediocre meal. The atmosphere is cute but I could not recommend this place to anyone. read more

We had the best experience here for dinner. Sat right at the windows overlooking the beautiful creek, our server was super attentive, and the food was INCREDIBLE. We enjoyed the oysters, caviar, and venison tartare to share - all perfect for 2 people. We had the venison meal - perfectly cooked! & the scallop meal - incredible flavors. For dessert we did the sticky toffee pudding - so light and fluffy with a great sauce. We ranted and raved the whole way home. Best meal we've had in a long time! Huge compliments to the chef! Only got a couple pictures... too busy enjoying. read more

Sweet Basil - *Venison Loin & *Sea Scallop Fagottini - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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The food was everything we expected- delicious, great presentation and very fresh ingredients. Very diverse menu that will surely delight most patrons. The staff was very accommodating when we requested seating much earlier than our reservation. Friendly and polite. Very good wine selection (I liked that they had a good selection but not endless pages of listings) The table waiting staff seemed a little stretched (as with so with many restaurants since Covid.) Everything considered, I was pleased with our service. Very nice environment (not over crowded or too noisy - ) good for intimate dinner or group conversation I recommend visiting here if you have the opportunity. read more

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Out of all the fine dining this was the second worst in vail. Food is fine and creative. Both fish dishes subpar. Too lazy to remove the skin from the fish? Service poor as well. 3 stars is generous read more

We had the most amazing experience at Sweet Basil. Not only was every dish one of the best things we've eaten, the service was incredible. We felt like royalty and like they really cared about our experience. The vibe was super cool, and overall just a great experience. read more

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My family and I visited here during our trip to Vail! We were able to get a last minute seating at around 830/9 - so if you want a normal spot make sure to put in a reservation ahead of time!! The service was amazing and interior was very cozy. Definitely one of the higher end restaurants in Vail Village! The food was delicious , but on the very high end price range. I ordered the duck - and it was soo good. Super tender with great sides and sauce, but the potion is definitely on the smaller & finer dining side. My husband ordered a pasta dish, and the serving portion was also very small. It was still delicious but maybe we aren't the super fine dining style? Overall the service and food was great - my biggest downfall was the price point for the amount of food! But it is still a great spot to visit in the village. read more

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Date: Saturday, March 2nd 6:15pm Reservation: A must We ordered the octopus ragu, carbonara and a bottle of wine to start. For our entrees, I got the Cod and he got the Scallop dish. And for dessert, although we were full there was absolutely no way we were going to pass on dessert! We got the no brainer STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING CAKE, however, there was a dessert called the "SNOWMAN!!!!!!!" and yes I had to ask if it was in the shape of a snowman and when our waiter, Esteban said Yes!, I said, we would like one of those as well please. I checked every review platform and could not find a photo of the snowman dessert so I have attached one to delight you, but oh my oh my, imagine if they made the snowman dessert like a baked Alaska style kinda like a flambé!!! Ughhhh it would've been a show too! So. To sum up, Sweet Basil is a Michelin Star restaurant. Location is nice and easy, hotel had their own car service for travel within Vail. Hostess was fine, but expected friendlier being the first point of contact. Woman at coat check was absolutely lovely, wish I got her name. Restaurant ambience, layout, color, where the wine collection was when you walk in, was nice and cozy, I even like the feeling of the ceiling being a bit lower. There was one issue during dinner with the lighting, not sure if the dimmer was glitching or there may have been a power flicker or outage, not sure but there were quite a few people who had to use their lights on their phones to look at their menus, and Ofcourse they kept it on which took away from our evening. Wait, Esteban, made amazing recommendations, wonderful smile, great attitude, timely check-ins, the wait staff and was great with the timing/sequence of the food as well. Dessert, Sticky Toffee was yummy it wasn't too sticky and it was moist definitely would get again I wouldn't say that I haven't it's the best I've ever had, but it was yummy. The snowman was yummy as well, totally wish they would think about doing it flambé or baked Alaska style, however it does come with a raspberry sorbet and OMG, the combination of that tart, refreshing sorbet and the chocolate ganache like cream snowman was just perfect. So overall, WORTH IT. DEFINITELY WOULD DO AGAIN. read more

Sweet Basil - The Snowman - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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The best restaurant in Vail, in the center of Vail Village. It's the place to take visitors from out of town, where everyone recommends and with good reason. In the highly likely event you cannot get a reservation, (it's often booked for weeks in advance) you can try bagging a seat at the bar and enjoy the same menu. Creative upscale menu, outstanding wine collection, clean, smart look and good people watching explain the appeal. Not inexpensive, but worth the experience. The wagyu steak, Alaskan halibut and Colorado lamb t-bones are standouts. read more

Sweet basil was my favorite restaurant i've tried in Vail! The Hamachi with the sweet basil was 1000/10! I was dying to try something with their signature sweet basil and it blew me out of the water mixed with the flavors of the hamachi! Super different and super great!!! The calamari was great too and a huge portion! Oysters were very fresh. The only critique is the ramen was a little salty but still delicious. Overall I would go back to try their dinner menu since this was only their lunch menu. read more

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Great food, slow service, NOT a single VEGETARIAN option in the entree menu. Very sad a one Michelin restaurant not to be inclusive to the vegetarians in our party. read more

We had one of the best restaurant experiences of our lives at Sweet Basil. The Perfect Margarita packed a serious punch that lasted through the meal. My wife enjoyed the Blood and Smoke. The whipped feta cheese appetizer was amazing. The sashimi was not up to the standards of the other food we ordered. My wife had the pork entrees, and I had the salmon. Both were top notch. For dessert, we enjoyed a blood orange concoction that was scrumptious. Our waiter and the overall service were outstanding. We never felt rushed, but never had to wait more than a few minutes for the next course. We each had a glass of wine recommended by our waiter, and the pairings were excellent. read more

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Everything is perfect and met expectations. Cocktails are creative, steak tartare with avocado was a light and refreshing opener and Truffle fries were addicting. Chose recommended pork chop which was tender and flavored exquisitely. Finished the night with the hot sticky pudding cake which was decadent. You won't regret a visit. read more

Fabulous afternoon on the patio! We enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Sweet Basil. The yellowtail crudo was so fresh, thin and tasty. Perfect really! We opted to add the fried shrimp and calamari - which turned out to be a lovely plate of fried treats including jalapeños, green beans onion rings with a tangy dip sauce. A few more drinks then the cheeseburger and heirloom tomato salad, add grilled shrimp. The ambiance was amazing, a crowd but not intrusive. Our server was attentive and guided us well. We enjoyed every minute of lunch! read more

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Sweet Basil delivers in regards to their lively entrees. Where they lack most is the service you would expect from a Michelin recommended restaurant. When ordering the wagyu steak medium rare, the waiter decided to express her personal opinions on my choice of cook on the steak. Waiter stated "Are you sure? I'm from Romania and that's not how it's cooked there" That left a bad taste to the start. Waiting 15 minutes for tap water while being tucked in the corner of the restaurant added to the dimming of my experience. Never felt the plus one service or the above and beyond experience. There's a reason why it's Michelin recommended but not yet granted its first star. Service. read more

Sweet Basil - Peruvian potatoes - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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The foie gras was a disappointment and does not warrant the $28 price tag. It was cold, unseared, and flavorless. Spend that money on drinks instead. The wagyu with its rich sunchoke puree redeemed the night. Very flavorful and filling. The ricotta malfatti were cute tiny balls of grilled cheese that worked well with the puree. read more

Sweet Basil - Foie gras - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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I have loved Sweet Basil for more than two decades. So, it pains me to write this. The poor service we experienced at our visit on 10/23/25 (server Shea) for my birthday compels me to write a bad review. The wait staff was ornery and rude. Every interaction was just generally put-out and visibly annoyed by having to wait on us. Cocktails came out within a reasonable time. However, our table mates didn't have their N/A drinks for 20-30 minutes after cocktails. And when we deigned to ask about the status of those drinks, we were abruptly told they were forthcoming. Except they weren't forthcoming, because the entire table received their appetizers before the N/A drinks were ever served. When we followed up about the missing drinks, Shea responded with an exasperated, "they're working on it." (Apparently a diet Pepsi and a Shirley Temple is quite the undertaking for Sweet Basil.) Shea then proceeded to place a plate in front of me by letting it drop to the table for the last couple of inches, making sure I felt her disdain. Sorry our large group was such a burden; we'll go elsewhere next time. read more

Got a burger and regular fries was delicious my friend got a mahi tacos she also like it! Great service she made a reservation for us. I had my baby with and was well accommodated. The ambience was super nice. read more

Sweet Basil - On my way to the sweet Basil only 4 min walk. That's sweet. - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

We've been coming here for many years and it's always been a good experience but this visit (Oct 6) we were blown away by how great the food was . I don't know if the recognition by the Guide Michelin has anything to do with it, but the menu showed a lot more inspiration.. We opted for Corn and Chorizo donuts - much lighter than we were expecting with a creamy filling and crisp chorizo morsels adding a great contrast. I had English pea lasagna - beautifully presented and tasted great. My husband had the fish (sturgeon) and chips - an innovative version with a superb crisp coating of batter and shoestring fries and pea purée ( a cut above British fish and chips with mushy peas) We had the Chocolate Mushroom for dessert the mushroom cap was chocolate mousse and its stem was marshmallow . The salted caramel ice cream with it was fantastic - the whole dessert exceptional. Can't wait to go back to try other options and with more people to try out the new fortified and sweet wine flights. Service and ambiance were great - as usual read more

Highly recommend Sweet Basil while in Vail! The food was exceptional. The service was attentive and well educated on the seasonal menu. It was simply beautiful and quaint! Loved it! read more

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Lunch: is out of this world (5 stars). we liked it so much we wanted to come back! Dinner: don't waste your time if you want good food. Went here for lunch and had the deviled eggs Caesar salad and the wife had the winter cob salad.... phenomenal!!! Dinner: The small plates were delicious, we had the tuna a and the whipped feta and we highly recommend BUT the main course was very disappointing, I had the wagyu steak (KC strip at best) , it came pre cut so I knew it was going to be bad! All I have to say is salt.... Lots of salt and that's it! My wife had the salmon and for some reason that was to salty as well. The ambiance was pretty great, service was on point and they have a great wine list. ReCap: Lunch: Great Dinner: Bad I would give 2.5 stars but thats not an option read more

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Poke bowl was great. Eat the bar. Cool ambiance, outdoor seating and long bar. It right off the Vail village main drag. Abit pricing but Michelin Star and it is Vail. read more

Sweet Basil - *Sesame Tuna Poke - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

We visited Sweet Basil in February 2020 and hope to visit again during our upcoming trip in February 2022. We are vegetarian (for the most part) so options were a bit limited, though we remember the Whipped Ricotta appetizer fondly. We also enjoyed the Toffee Cake. We enjoyed sitting up at the bar as we arrived without reservations. It is a very busy venue so reservations are definitely recommended. The service was fantastic. I will look to offer a five-star review after a second visit to confirm we have enough options to suit our needs. Ambiance and service already push this towards the five-star mark. read more

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Perfect lunch! Arrived w/o a reservation and was seated at a lovely table overlooking the river. Had the whipped feta which tasted as good as it looked. I had the peach, tomato, burrata salad and the flavors were so fresh and delicious. My husband had the Reuben which was tasty and plentiful. Dessert was a Nutella cannoli w gelato! Everything was delicious and we had the most personable waiter! Excellent experience on all fronts. read more

Sweet Basil - Whipped feta! - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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This is our second time at this restaurant. We went there last year and liked it. This year was a horrible. Waited over 20 min just to see our waitress. No bus boy with water, nothing. And when you're in Vail, you are constantly dehydrated and need to have water. Our starters were ok. For main, my daughter and I ordered pork chops. The meat was so tough, I needed a chain saw to get thru it. My daughter didn't even touch hers but the waitress didn't even bother to ask what's wrong. Mine had a piece of bone (and not on the chop side). My husband had duck and it was rubbery. Never go there again read more

What a fantastic restaurant! Sweet Basil is the premier restaurant on the main walking street in Vail for a reason. From the lovely welcome from the hostess at the door (Kaley) who answered all of our questions and made a wonderful suggestion to have a margarita she recommended at the bar first, to the bartender (Tiffany), to the excellent dinner and servers, this is a place we keep returning to every year. read more

We sat at the bar, Tyler and his bro Jack were great. Super attentive and knowledgeable. Will definitely be coming back soon! Thank you :) read more

Sweet Basil - Jack the bro, super sick - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

Super perfect meal presented in perfect ambiance. We had amazing appetizers, the mushroom pate and the whipped feta were the highlights. The scallops were great however, someone in our party got the halibut. Wowzers. That was perfection in how it was prepared. The fried lemon combined with the green salsa was so perfect!!!! That would be my recommendation to anyone looking for unreal halibut. Okay the end was the moment if joy. The sticky toffee pudding Is my wife's English family favorite. This one is almost identical to my favorite from this amazing pub in London. Big surprise was the toffee chunks tossed on top. Way to slay the STP to a new level. Nice work. Definitely a perfect place to eat in Vail- land of many restaurants. read more

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My wife and I decided to spend the afternoon in Vail shopping after a couple of days skiing the mountain. We ended up at Sweet Basil for a late lunch and couldn't have been more pleased. The atmosphere was great with a lot of positive energy and we were seated at a table overlooking Gore Creek which gave us a chance to experience the beauty inside and outside of the restaurant. Our waiter, Milos, was professional, witty and great company as we made our way through the meal. Lunch consisted of Spanish Octopus, Chicken Lyonnaise Salad and Tuna Tostada - one course better than the next. We finished the meal with one of the most delicious and surprising desserts I've ever experienced - the Lemon and Fennel (one you will need to try personally to truly appreciate). Loved it all - would definitely recommend! read more

Waiter knowledgeable and friendly. Manager helpful. Every single dish was presented with class and tasted great. Waiter refolded napkin and was very attentive to all guests. read more

One of The best restaurants in Vail! Always consistent quality and fantastic presentation of every single dish! Agnolotti with mascarpone cheese and cocoa are you die for and a must try! Caesar salad is awesome as well! Salmon dish is great! Shrimp dish excellent! Service was ok... the server could have been a little more friendly but overall a great experience as always. If in Vail a must try! read more

Sweet Basil - View from the restaurant - New American Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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I have to say this was our best meal on the trip. I looked on Yelp to find a fairly upscale place to eat and sweet basil came up with some good reviews. This was the end of May and there is still snow but after a day of activities we found our way into Sweet Basil and get seated immediately in a booth just be on the bar. We were tired and exhausted but craving some good food. After reviewing the menu briefly and ordering a beer to start we opted for the rabbit and foie gras appetizer which was absolutely delicious. Very well presented, generous amount of foie gras, flat bread to spread on . I ordered the Colorado lamb which Hass to be one of the best presentations and lamb I've had in sometime that I didn't cook myself. Perfect medium rare, excellent spices and veggies made this my favorite plate of the week. The other two with me both ordered the saffron seafood pasta which had ample amounts of scallops shrimp vegetables and was very tasty. All meals were ample for the price point so no complaintsFor me that this is above standard so expect to pay a little more. Although we were full we ordered the toffee putting rum cake and split it and it was absolutely fantastic. I'm not a big dessert guy but I ended up eating more than my share as it was very well-made with perfect flavors and textures that ended the night perfectly. Will certainly be back and highly recommend if you're looking for upscale, Well presented dishes with excellent flavor and service from the staff. Highly recommend! read more