I really don't like giving bad reviews but my first visit to Thai Basil will be my last. We went in on a Saturday evening around 6ish. One person at our table ordered a glass of wine and we had to remind the staff twice to bring it to her. In fact, we got our food before she got her wine. Once we were seated, it took at least 15 minutes before we were approached again. By the time we placed our orders, it had begun to fill up and the staff of 3 apparently were having a hard time keeping up. It was 30-40 minutes before we got our food which was, in a word, boring. None of us ordered any of the dishes mentioned in other reviews so if we had, my feelings might have been different. read more

Only ordered the takeout from here so I can't say anything about the atmosphere of the restaurant, but the food is well prepared. I usually get the Pad See Eaw with vegetable and tofu. The noodles have the perfect texture and flavor. I've also had their spring rolls and Thai dumplings, but I usually just order an appetizer to fulfill the delivery minimum. The appetizers are pretty average in my experience. Delivery time varies from 20 min to an hour. read more

Tom Yum and Tom Kha were great. Not a fan of the curry - it was way too watery and all the curries tasted the same. Tasted more like soup than curry. Wait staff tried, but we felt ignored and overlooked in many instances. read more

Pad See Ew is the only food I order at any Thai restaurants and this one's pretty good. It was a slightly different take on a normal Pad See Ew partly cause of the more squarish noodles but definitely worth my try. It was just slightly softer than an al dente texture and it had the perfect balance of sweet and salty. We also got the mango sticky rice and the staff added more mangoes cause she knew we were sharing it! read more

Have now had dine in and take out, and can say this is unequivocally one of the best Thai restaurants I've eaten food from. The papaya salad is top notch, bright and spicy with the right amount of juiciness and crunch. Their curries are perfectly seasoned and portioned with, and this is rare and important, lots of fresh delicious vegetables. Not just protein and a sad green pepper, but lots of peppers and snappy green beans. This is true for both the green and the panang. The Thai basil stir fry is very special as well again because of the brightness and freshness, signs of care that are reflected in the flavor. This is where I will be eating Thai food from exclusively from now on, for some in and delivery (which was super fast and delivered hot!) read more

Sweet neighborhood family- run restaurant. Good ambience. Possibly under staffed as servers seem overwhelmed sometimes. I had the green Curry which had really good flavor. I was disappointed that it said it included eggplant, but did not include eggplant. (Actually ordered this dish twice, and neither time did it include eggplant as advertised.) My husband got the traditional Thai basil. He thought it was amazing. My son got the pad Thai, and was very satisfied. The Tom Kha soup is also lovely and just what you expect. read more

I had an awful experience here. Not only had they lost my reservation when I put in several calls about it months prior to the event, but they made me wait for almost two hours outside only to call me during closing time saying they were available. No tact and business acumen at all on part of the staff and management and I would absolutely never go here again and would recommend others not to go on behalf of awful service. read more

This place is AMAZING. The ladies that work there are so fun, energetic, and lively. The food is to die for as well. It is some of the best Thai I've ever had. The Pad Thai is amazing!! read more

Amazing food. The drunken noodles and the panang curry was excellent. We also had the Thai donut's, which our kids could not get enough of and we had to order another one. Service was quick and courteous and the waiter was smart enough to remind us that their spicy was really spicy when my son wanted a level 3 drunken noodles. read more

Ordered takeout which was the best choice on a cold night. The Tom Yum soup and duck curry were absolutely delicious. The duck wasn't greasy, and the spice was just right. Didn't give five stars because the actual space is not impressive, and I'm not so sure I would have enjoyed my food so throughly eating in. Very nice staff though! Will definitely visit next time I'm in Ithaca! read more

fantastic place! Best Thai I've had in the area. We had the Thai wings which had a delicious spicy sauce and the red snapper was absolutely perfect! would definitely go back again and again. read more

We ordered takeout from Thai Basil last month. We got our order home, and discovered they had forgotten the rice for our curry dish. Fine, maybe they were just very busy that evening. We ordered takeout again last night. They forgot our spring rolls, which we had paid for. We called, and the person who picked up the phone was very apologetic, took my name, number, and address, and said they would deliver the spring rolls ASAP. The spring rolls never showed up. We stopped by the restaurant today; the waiter took my name, was very apologetic, and said the manager would call me immediately when he arrived after 5 PM. He never called. We will never order from Thai Basil again. read more

I love great Thai food, and if you do too, this is a place to put high on your list. In this unobtrusive new place, the food is absolutely delicious, the presentation superb, and the staffers are caring and diligent. I was recently there with my daughter for an impromptu dinner, and we loved our experience there. I had the duck curry and she had panang, and both of us pronounced that the food was off the charts delicious. If you like Asian food or just plain great meal, this is a 'must visit' venue. read more

Great, tasty food for very reasonable prices. Excellent service and helpful staff. The menu WA software decent size and all members of my party were pleased with their dishes. Would happily return. read more

I normally get the Pad Thai when I visit but this time I tried the duck salad. It was really good and have a bit of a kick to it. We also tries the spring rolls they were ok nothing special. Service was great as usual. read more

Amazing food, the young server was perfect. Although it was very busy we were seated and received our food fast highly recommend! My boyfriend and I really enjoy Thai and when he orders spicy dishes, sometimes we've noticed they (other thai restaurants) purposely make it less spicy even though we ask for a 3 or 4 spice. It was perfect, honestly I haven't been able to get it out of my head since I left! He wouldn't let me go back once more before we left the area but I WILL BE BACK :) read more

Amazing food! What a treat! The duck red curry is so good. Try the lobster pad thai and the NY Basil steak. Exquisite royal hot and spicy soup! read more

Thai Basil is good. Not great. I would not recommend it to a friend. The food was average. The wait staff were very nice though.

I'd absolutely recommend for a weekday lunch-very quick service. The Drunken Noodles were flavorful and downright excellent. Portion sizes are pretty big, pricing is reasonable AND lunch comes with soup!! read more

Drunken noodle, Thai iced tea, and Tom yum soup--all common dishes at Thai restaurants, so I've had my fair share of eating them. This restaurant definitely does them well! Beware of how spicy you request your food though--generally I like to think I'm moderately good at handling spicy but here, I stuck with a 2 out of 5 to be safe and give the food that extra kick. read more

I ordered the panang curry. It was a little on the stingy side as far as components go. It was basically curry sauce with a little bit of peppers and green beans (and a bit of shrimp since I ordered shrimp in mine). Curry is typically kind of like a stew when it comes to components. It's not all about the curry spice. I also ordered the thai doughnuts which were really good. They taste like the doughnuts they offer at Chinese restaurants, minus the overload of sugar. The dipping sauce that came with it was delicious. read more

The food was fresh and delicious. The price was right. I highly recommend this restaurant if ever in Ithaca

This is absolutely the best Thai food in Ithaca. Moving to Ithaca from a big city, I was worried that this place wouldn't be good after having some friends highly recommend Taste of Thai (which tastes awful and unauthentic). Thai Basil did not disappoint at all. In fact, it has some of the best Pad Thai that I've ever had in my life. This is now a weekly stop for my husband and I. read more

Food is decent, environment is addictive, but we waited for our food for at least half an hour. But that day there was a large party of birthday people, so that was understandable! read more

The Thai Basil chicken was unbelievable. A perfect balance of spice and flavor, fresh vegetables, and a big cone of rice. The lunch special was $8 and I would have gladly paid $15. If you find yourself craving Thai, this is the place to go! read more

Amazing food and service. Super authentic and fresh. This place was full the entire time I was there and several people waited for seats. That should tell you enough. If you're in town, eat here. Also, there were MANY vegetarian options! read more

Fantastic food. Very spicy, which I love. Very cheap for the amount and quality of food. Very prompt friendly service. One of the better Thai places in town. read more

I'd be ok bumping this to 2.5 stars, but I was mostly disappointed, so I am choosing to "round down" my rating. Spring rolls were blah. Tom kha soup was possibly better than average. Pad Thai was heavy and me and my fiancé independently debated the true identity of the supposed "beef" in the pad thai. Now, pad Thai can often be heavy because it's a rich dish, but in the end I still walked out knowing that I've had much better. This place may suffice for a region deprived of great food choices (yes, I can say that because I grew up close to Ithaca), but if you have eaten great food in major US cities, you'll likely be disappointed with Thai Basil. read more

Came here for a casual dinner. Nothing really special in this place, but relative to other thai places in Ithaca, this is not a bad choice and the food can be delicious. Food - 4 The vegetable tempura was good. Spring rolls were a bit bland, but the sauce made up for the blandness. Entrees were very good. I had some noodles and my partner had veggies in garlic sauce. Both of us liked our dishes. Sticky rise with mango while not quite like in Thailand was pretty good. Service - 5 Friendly and timely. Atmosphere - 2 First, the place didn't smell very well when we walked in. That's not very appetizing. The music sounded more Japanese and was a bit annoying (we were sitting relatively close to the speakers). Chairs were a bit dirty looking. Overall, the place would use a bit of care and updating. Value - 3 Prices hare relatively reasonable. They have a few more expensive dishes that i probably would not get here. The regular thai dishes are reasonably priced ($10-14). read more

Very tasty authentic Thai and lunch was excellent value. The red curry was exactly what I was looking for

Horrible Service. The food was quite good, but terribly over priced. First off, our food arrived much too late and well after other customers who arrived after we did. We ordered an appetizer that did not arrive until well after I had finished the entree. And when they finally brought the appetizer, each tiny spring roll was cut in half. Also, the entree was about half the size you would expect for a twelve dollar meal. We had to get their attention for them to bring us a check. I think the staff purposely ignored us because we were a group of college students. I believe they stereotyped us, thinking we wouldn't tip, because we were young. For the record, we did tip. read more

Very friendly staff, family owned and operated. They are happy to explain the dishes & offer suggestions. I enjoy spicy hot food and often order "hot" or 4/5, but here a medium or 3/5 is just right for me. I have enjoyed their Green & Panang curries, the Emerald Salmon, and their Drunken Noodles is excellent. My last time here I got Garlic Stir Fry and loved it! I feel the same about their Tom Yum Soup, it has a very nice balance of lively flavors. You need to bring your own alcohol if you want that with dinner. The Thai Iced Tea is what I usually get. Overall, the food is very good and it is very reasonably priced; it's now my favorite Thai place in Ithaca. read more

Today was the first time I've been there in several years, and I'm a convert! The food was YUM! I had the Green Curry with Tofu, and was NOT disappointed. The tofu was fried so it was crusty on the outside and soft and pillowy on the inside. I am a fan of the spice, so I ordered a '4' (they ask what level you want, 1-5) and then said, are you sure? I was sure. The spice was spot on, a perfect 4, letting all those beautiful curry flavors shine through while still making my nose run :) The salad starter was just right, with that yummy peanut/vinegar dressing and just the right size. The service was attentive without being annoying, and the icing on the cake, we had a Local Flavor coupon that made it even more affordable. People, Go there! Run, don't walk! read more

Delicious meal of larb and chicken green curry, both flavorful and a nice level of heat. Service was friendly and efficient.

Totally worth a visit! Dishes are so full of flavor! Drunken noodles and panang curry were great!

We are very impressed with their food and service. We ordered papaya salad, Thai basil fried rice and Kaprao. It did not take long for the food to come out. Everything was super yummy, authentic and totally satisfying my cravings for spicy Thai food. The waitress is also very friendly, attentive and helpful. My phone battery died and she let me charge my phone on the bar/counter. We would definitely return if we have a chance to visit Ithaca again. read more

First time at Thai Basil was great. Service was excellent with super friendly servers who were very nice to my young kids as well. Had dinner early and there were some other young families there- took a seat inside, but there was also some tables outside. Food came out quickly and was very good. I had the shrimp thai basil and the kids shared chicken pad thai (bonus for the kids - the bean sprouts that they didn't like were on the side). options to make food mild medium or hot which was helpful as well. read more

We were a little disappointed by this place. It wasn't bad, and the flavors were good, but the meat was a little tough and dry in all of our dishes. We got dishes with chicken and beef. The beef was a little better than the chicken, but not by that much. read more

This was our family's first Thailand food experience and I was bit hesitant to try something new, but that apprehension quickly faded! Once the food arrived at our table I knew we made a wise choice to dine at this establishment. The food was top notch as was the service. One of our children was celebrating a birthday and the staff made it a very special occasion. I would highly recommend this restaurant. Excellent food and excellent service. read more

I ordered food from Thai Basil on 10/27 for delivery. First problem is the food took very long to arrive. From the time I ordered online until delivery was about 1.5 hours. When the food arrived, it was cold - not just luke warm, but very cold. Cold fried calamari and duck are very unappetizing. I called the restaurant after the food arrived, but by that time, the restaurant told me that all the managers had gone home and that the kitchen had closed (this was at about 9pm on a Saturday), so there was absolutely nothing they could do. The was my first time ordering from Thai Basil - I was in town visiting. Next time, I will avoid! read more