I really love this place. I am semi bias because I am staying right next door for a month but I did try 2 other thai restaurants in the area and this is a favorite. I've only gone during lunch time. they have a little sign that says something along the lines of "if you value your time, this restaurant might not be for you...we have a small kitchen and staff and it takes time to make great food". I knew this was my kind of place when I was greeted by a friendly smile and a sign like that. :) I had the padsee ew, yellow curry, and cashew nut dishes, some of my favorites. Their lunch special portions are large in my opinion especially for the area and the price (less than $10.00). The Thai iced tea is really good. Their customer service is amazing. They are so friendly. I remember I ordered some food and there was going to be a wait so I went back upstairs to work on some things. I came back a little early and had no problem waiting around but they asked if I wanted to try a little bowl of soup while I waited. It was delicious! Long review short. Good solid thai food with decent portions, reasonable prices and top notch customer service. If they are busy, be prepared to wait a little but it will be worth the wait! read more

This really been the most consistently amazing restaurant in capitola or santa Cruz period, ive been long time local and its the one place that never fails and definitely best thai food in the county, everryything is amazing. read more

I have tried almost every Thai place in Capitola and this one so far is my favorite so far. I always passed by it and didn't give it a chance until today and I'm so happy I did. The staff is so sweet and friendly. The restaurant is a little small but they keep it nice and clean and very welcoming. The workers care a lot about customers they treat you with respect and make you feel welcome. The Thai tea is so good I had to thank her because this is the first Thai tea over here that I had to stop myself from drinking it all before my meal. Their food is super fresh I got a veggie dish it was super flavorful and all the veggies were fresh and not over cooked and spicy (how Thai food should be). I would recommend this place to anyone who stops in town! read more

Very nice server and good Thai food. Limited menu, but was excellent. My wife is Thai and new to the states and the server was so nice she went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed. We walked down to the beach after. Great location, parking is difficult. read more

Been going here for years when the owner would greet you every day with a smile and excellent service. Ever since her ? son(s) have let the place go down the drain regarding customer service. The last time I had to go there as no one would answer the phone for take out food. The response from the young kid who's the only stocky one there, "Yeah, we're tired of phone in orders." Really!??? I should have learned my lesson then. So, I got recently got take out and I asked if they could top off my to go soup as it was 3/4 full. I was told, by the same kid, "You're going to have to wait." Actually that was parroted by the cook who said it right in front of my face as I stood there! I replied no problem, I'll wait outside. Two min later he comes out with my order. The soup was super carelessly poured into a smaller container! The remnants of the Thom Ka soup were now covering the container. So now I have LESS soup! Is this the proverbial soup nazi! Did I do something wrong!? So this kid (prob early 20's) had this stacked on top of my pad Thai so now that container was literally drenched! Since I originally if they can keep the box they had put my meal in (to be respect of their supplies and environment) I asked if he could clean it off as I couldn't put it in my car like that. Again, NO JOKE the plastic soup container was drenched as was the top of my cardboard pad Thai...so much so that I didn't realize until I got home that it had leaked thru into that meal! So when I was handed the food, after barely cleaning up the mess they created, I said thank you and 1 second later this punk said, "Next time take your business elsewhere." DO NOT GO THERE!!!!!!!! Go to Sawasdee Thai right up the street! Much better food and customer service!!! read more

This is the best Thai food ever! Everything is homemade and fresh. So if your wondering why it might take longer to get your food than other places it's because they are preparing it all from scratch. Delicious and yummy definitely recommend this to everyone!! read more

This is my favorite place to get pad Thai! No other place in the area comes close to making amazing pad Thai! I just wish the portions were bigger! The waitress is always so friendly and the food comes out super quick. The yellow curry here is also really good but I always find myself ordering chicken pad Thai so I haven't tried out the rest of the menu. read more

Amazing food! We ordered eggplant-tofu, chicken fried rice, mixed vegetables in peanut sauce and chicken spicy noodles. All the dishes were good. One of my friends in the group, liked the eggplant-tofu so much that she asked the owner for the recipe! Will certainly come back when visiting Capitola beach. :) read more

oooo Hidden Gem Alert!! Trust me, I'm fat...I know what I'm talking about...On the edge of Craptrap Touristaland aka Capitola is some actual very well prepped, rich tasting, TRUE Thai food!! Thank you to whomever is in the kitchen!! You know what you are doing!! Patrons, don't be put off by the cheezy decor or bedroom sized single toilet; all part of the charm hiding The. Best. Thai. in Santa Cruz county. Trust me...(see above). read more

My Thai wife who is very difficult to please when it comes to eating Thai food away from home found the atmosphere and waitress enchanting and the Pad Thai the best she ever had outside of her house. Highly recommend this place for a true taste of Thailand. read more

Everything here, from the soup starter to the spicy noodle plate and when the Thai iced coffee, was packed with flavor. I was floored by how good this place was. Environment also a plus! read more

This Thai place is small, only total of 5 tables. We got there around 2pm Saturday afternoon, no waiting needed. The food were really delicious, we had green curry with tofu, pineapple curry with shrimp and Pai Thai. Everything was yummy! Except the portion was small. They don't have kid's menu, but my 5 year old ate the whole plate of Pai Thai, so you know it is delicious and not that much. :-) I will go there again for sure! read more

One of my favorite local places. Healthy clean food. Kind service. Great location for an after-dinner stroll to the beach or through the lovely Village of Capitola. read more

This is my favorite Thai restaurant. Everything is excellent but I especially love the eggplant with fresh tofu and the Pad See Ew. I highly recommend this place. read more

Very yummy curry. This and Kao Sook (in Scotts Valley) are the go-to Thai spots around the Santa Cruz area. The service was not the greatest, but that's okay when going to a small Asian restaurant. read more

Now if your in a rush. Then this is not the place for you, since it's a family ran business and is a small whole in the wall, So relax, and don't be impatient the food is the best thai food I've ever had! I absolutely love there food here, we order the pad thai with chicken and the spicy noodles level 5 and I swear it's the best and very affordable! everyone I bring here raves about it! read more

This place has the best Pad Thai I have ever eaten. The employees are super nice and the food is so delicious. They also have really good yellow curry and their peanut sauce is 10/10. Also, the food come out quickly! read more

I went back today and am finding it is my favorite Thai restaurant in the area other than Bangkok West. I have tried a few in the Santa Cruz area and others in Santa Clara, Milpitas, etc. the Pad Thai is great as are the curries and Panang. They could have been spiced more though. Coconut milk in the Ice Tea! Pleasant change from the usual. But the best Thai is The Old Siam in Sunnyvale! read more

This restaurant has ok Thai food. I think that it's in a great location so that gives it more credit. But overall I'm not sure if I would return. read more

prompt and friendly service delicious pinnaple fried rice underwhelming larb next time i will try sweet basil shrimp instead of tofu. not terrible, but not earth shattering read more

Yum! Minus one star for the decor, but, otherwise, this is the best Santa Cruz area Thai restaurant I've been to yet.

Not a date place. Not much of a decor. If you love Thai food and decent prices then come here. We ordered the Tom Yum Soup, Basil Beef, Yellow Curry, pad thai and thai tea. I would come here again, makes you feel like you are a family's house rather then a restaurant as far as the ambiance goes. read more

Amazing flavors at this Thai spot, great portion size and excellent value for money, Great location just by the beach as well.

You know, the food isn't really bad. It's cheap, a bit on the oily side, but not bad. it's the service that's a killer. We have had downright rude service here. The owner tries to cook, run credit cards, and take orders all at the same time. and she's not happy about it, at all. The final straw was when we waited like 40 minutes for her to run our credit card and walked out not only frustrated but with a parking ticket on our windshield. do yourself a favor, go up the road to star of siam. read more

I love Thai Basil in Capitola. The food is delicious and unique. Their Pad Thai is my favorite I have ever had. Also their Calamari Appetizer is outrageously yummy. read more

I love this place. Everything is reasonably priced, service is usually pretty good, and the food is amazing. The atmosphere's a little funky, but the food is definitely what keeps me coming back. read more

I have not been here in a while because it has been closed. After a stroll in the village I saw that it was open and thought hey its dinner time lets load up on some Thai food. We walked in and there were only 4 table in the restaurant. The place looked drab and it was a little depressing from my past experiences I knew the food would make up from there new drab decor. We orders veggies, brown rice and garlic sauteed broccoli. It literately took 40min to get this, the food was great not greasy or over sauced but the long wait kind of ruined it. We didn't get offered refills on are ginger tea or water. Sigh what a shame. read more

Good food. This place could use a few dollars to spend on cleaning and interior decorator. A little out of the way of the heart of Capitola Beach area but I'd recommend it. I had a fried noodle dish and my girlfriend had a salad. Both were very good. I'd probably come back if I were in the area and craving Thai food. I don't think I'd make a special trip for it though. read more

Yum. This is my favorite Thai restaurant in Santa Cruz. The food isn't loaded with sugar like so many other places and if you ask for spicy they really will make it hot! Dishes take a little while to come out which means they're making things fresh for you, so relax and enjoy. Try the fresh spring rolls, and the green curry is delicious! Very affordable lunch special. I definitely recommend. read more

I live in the village, and have to stop myself from dining here daily. They have the best cream cheese wonton's Yellow Curry, and Hawaiian Fried Rice I have ever eaten, and I have tried several several Thai restaurants. My only suggestion is to write down their number and give them a call before you head their direction...It is solely run by the two owners alone, and the husband, who is the cook, occasionally gets bad migraines, which sometimes prevents them from opening or to perhaps need to close early. If you've ever had one yourself or know someone close that is affected by migraines, then it is easy to understand the spontaneous nature they cause. A simple phone call to confirm they're there is easy. I am never disappointed in the courteous service, and great care given every time I dine here, and have turned many friends on to this place that are equally as happy with the delicious food and great service. Everything is fresh and served to order. Delicious!!! Call ahead to confirm they're open, but give them a try...you won't be disappointed! read more

Excellent Thai food and good service. We eat here every year the night before The Wharf to Wharf race as our pre race meal. The eggplant sauté with veggies was delicious. As was the Tom Yum soup. read more

This place is amazing. It's in the heart of Capitola village. The pad Thai is the absolute best I have ever had. I also love that when you order any entree they ask you how spicy you want it! The yellow curry is also really good. Lots of yummy veggies in all the dishes. Must try! read more

I highly recommend Thai Basil. It's definitely my favorite Thai place, and I'm not even a huge fan of Thai food although I've been to a number in the (south) Bay Area. I live in Cupertino, but I make sure to stop here whenever I'm in the Santa Cruz area. Very flavorful dishes, and good meat (something that usually bothers me about Thai restaurants). The veggies are fantastic, and perfectly cooked. The portions are usually too large for me to eat so I always have left overs. I usually get the Cashew Nuts or Pad Thai, with chicken. Oh, and their Thai Iced Tea is fantastic - make sure you ask for it with Coconut milk instead of the usual cream that most Thai places seem to use. Be aware that the service here can be slow at times (especially during dinner hours, as they do take-out too), so this may not be a good choice if you're in a hurry. It's a very small restaurant with just two people doing everything. However, I've found the fantastic food more than makes up for the occasional wait. read more

I just got back from a girls weekend at SeaScape. For dinner on Friday night we felt like Thai food and the concierge told us that Thai Basil was her favorite one around, so we headed over to Capitola (side note: very cute little town) and found Thai Basil. First impression was a bit funny - I have traveled a bit around Asia and pretty much felt that I was in some roadside Thai place in a random country - felt less like a restaurant than someone's kitchen with some random tables scattered around. We mulled over getting take-out but decided to eat in since my 7-month pregnant friend (okay, and the other two of us) really wanted to cap it off with the Dairy Queen down the road. Great choice. We had shrimp with red pineapple curry, a vegetable green curry and an eggplant dish - all three were super delicious both that night and the next day for lunch when we had our leftovers. Seems like it is very popular for take-out, and don't go in order to get to know the owners - definitely too busy cooking to be friendly, but the food was terrific and I would go again in a heartbeat! read more

This place a down the street from my house. I passed it many times never bothering to stop in because it was so small and always appeared empty. One rainy day while I was driving home and looking for food I found a parking spot right out front so decided to go in. I AM SO GLAD I DID. The food is super yummy. The staff is accommodating. The prices great. I am happy to have discovered this little gem. read more

We are in town from Chicago and used Yelp to look for a dinner place. I read the good reviews and we decided to try it. When we walked in, we were surprised by the "atmosphere." It feels like a fast food place and it's decor is 80s at best... DON'T LET IT FOOL YOU! This place is GREAT! We loved the spring rolls and wonton appetizers and all our food - 2 of us had pad Thai (one scallop, one chicken) and two had fried rice (one Hawaiian, one regular). Everything was amazing!!! Great Valentine's Day dinner! read more

So far this is my favorite restaurant in sc. Their panang curry actually tasted like panang curry (eureka!), they offer mock duck/chicken and are generous in the amount in each dish, good sized portions, and the service is fantastic. Minus 1 star because their drinks and sides are pretty expensive---the entrees themselves however are reasonably priced. read more

A little tiny and not impressive on the outside, but the food is worth it. Everything we ordered was excellent, and I would highly recommend it. Good prices and friendly service. read more

Just amazing food and service!!!! The orange chicken is cheap and amazingly tasty!!! The workers are so nice!!!

We come every time we visit Santa Cruz and it is always great food! The Pad See Ew is fantastic!