Thai Basil in Berkeley offers a convenient option for a quick Thai food fix. I tried their Basil Chili Chicken with fried egg, which was a decent portion size. The chicken itself was cooked well, but the overall flavor lacked the punch I was hoping for.The ambiance of the restaurant is pretty basic, with simple décor and generic Asian-style furniture. It's clean and comfortable enough for a casual meal, but the inside space may feel very crowded when you have a few occupied tables. There is open seating outside the restaurant, which is shared by all the other restaurants in that section, so it's available on a first come, first served basis.The service was fast but the staff could have been friendlier. When my friends and I asked for to-go boxes and utensils/napkins, we got an angry look from the staff. Please also note that the restaurant doesn't have a bathroom for its customers, so you'll have to find some place else if you really need to go.Overall, Thai Basil is an average option. The food is decent, but a little pricey for what you get. If you're in the area and looking for a quick bite, it's not a bad choice, but there are probably better Thai restaurants in Berkeley worth exploring.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Tyler A
Absolutely delicious vegan Pad Thai, some of the best I've had!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sarah Thomas
Best spicy food I have ever had. Super packed with flavor and absolutely satisfying! Words cannot describe how good it was.I now have my new favorite go to place. I will definitely dine here again.Vegetarian options: Spring rolls are vegetable only.Dietary restrictions: Not good for people who have peanut allergies.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Basil Chili Chicken, Fried Spring Rolls
H.J. Kim
Tom yom soup and pad see ew are my usuals for to go!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
rebecca roberts
It’s not what It used to be they don’t give you any real bowls or silverware and the proportions are small and too expensive! I ordered a 20$ soup it came in one small container! I hope they change again I miss the old Thai
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Anthony Krklinski
The closest thing to authentic Thai food I've had in California, since eating Thai food, in Thailand. Well priced too!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Danielle Drislane
Yellow curry & thai basil fried rice are out of this world
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Yellow Curry Chicken, Basil Chili Chicken with Fried Egg, Basil Chili Chicken
Mohammed Badra
Some of the best thai food I've had anywhere! From pad thai to green curry, everything is really good. Very friendly staff too :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lily V.
This has been one of my all time favorite Thai places since college days. I love the online ordering capabilities for a quick pick up. Pla Rad Pik the fried fish dish has the most awesome garlic Basil sauce. Don't miss out.The classic pad Thai and pad see ew are always good.
Emily Spradlin
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had the fried rice here. The Basil Fried Rice Chicken is soooooo good!It is a little pricey for rice, but they give you so much that it’s two meals for me. The staff can be intimidating, but I order takeout so it doesn’t bother me.Thai Basil is a staple of South Side!
Very poorly noodles and pad Thai. Simply serving low quality food because they are in a location where students will gladly eat what is made. A few times it has been ok, but today was not good. Will urge them to up their service quality.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Shelly Jenkins
Hard, flavorless, GMO meats. Fake crab meat. Soon will be lab cultivated meats and they won't tell customers either. Its all about the profit margin here. The food is ebible.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Mohit Gupta
The quantity. Its sooo much! But they don't sacrifice quality for that. So basically you get a lot of good food. Easily for 2 people worth in 1 dish.Order any of their curry and rice. I had the red vegetarian one. Amazing.The spice level is also spot on. Hot means you're ready to get some heat on your tongue and very hot is a real challenge in this August hot weather.Overall, really good food and service.Vegetarian options: A separate section of many vegetarian options with choice to have with or without egg.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pad Kee Mao
Criss Smith
Really bad food poisoning, you’ve been warned. And rude customer service. There’s a language barrier but I was acting very nice and they were not, and not just the register but all the staff.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jeffrey C.
Thai Basil may still hold a nostalgic memory for me but the restaurant is price jacking so hard. A pad thai that used to $7-9 when I was in college is now around $16 base price. Any substitutions of changing something from say chicken to pork which used to be of no charge is now additional $2-3. I fear this may be the beginning of the end for Thai Basil at Durant Food Court.
Thai Basil in Berkeley offers a convenient option for a quick Thai food fix. I tried their Basil Chili Chicken with fried egg, which was a decent portion size. The chicken itself was cooked well, but the overall flavor lacked the punch I was hoping for.The ambiance of the restaurant is pretty basic, with simple décor and generic Asian-style furniture. It's clean and comfortable enough for a casual meal, but the inside space may feel very crowded when you have a few occupied tables. There is open seating outside the restaurant, which is shared by all the other restaurants in that section, so it's available on a first come, first served basis.The service was fast but the staff could have been friendlier. When my friends and I asked for to-go boxes and utensils/napkins, we got an angry look from the staff. Please also note that the restaurant doesn't have a bathroom for its customers, so you'll have to find some place else if you really need to go.Overall, Thai Basil is an average option. The food is decent, but a little pricey for what you get. If you're in the area and looking for a quick bite, it's not a bad choice, but there are probably better Thai restaurants in Berkeley worth exploring.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Absolutely delicious vegan Pad Thai, some of the best I've had!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best spicy food I have ever had. Super packed with flavor and absolutely satisfying! Words cannot describe how good it was.I now have my new favorite go to place. I will definitely dine here again.Vegetarian options: Spring rolls are vegetable only.Dietary restrictions: Not good for people who have peanut allergies.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Basil Chili Chicken, Fried Spring Rolls
Tom yom soup and pad see ew are my usuals for to go!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
It’s not what It used to be they don’t give you any real bowls or silverware and the proportions are small and too expensive! I ordered a 20$ soup it came in one small container! I hope they change again I miss the old Thai
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
The closest thing to authentic Thai food I've had in California, since eating Thai food, in Thailand. Well priced too!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Yellow curry & thai basil fried rice are out of this world
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Yellow Curry Chicken, Basil Chili Chicken with Fried Egg, Basil Chili Chicken
Some of the best thai food I've had anywhere! From pad thai to green curry, everything is really good. Very friendly staff too :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This has been one of my all time favorite Thai places since college days. I love the online ordering capabilities for a quick pick up. Pla Rad Pik the fried fish dish has the most awesome garlic Basil sauce. Don't miss out.The classic pad Thai and pad see ew are always good.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had the fried rice here. The Basil Fried Rice Chicken is soooooo good!It is a little pricey for rice, but they give you so much that it’s two meals for me. The staff can be intimidating, but I order takeout so it doesn’t bother me.Thai Basil is a staple of South Side!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Very poorly noodles and pad Thai. Simply serving low quality food because they are in a location where students will gladly eat what is made. A few times it has been ok, but today was not good. Will urge them to up their service quality.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Hard, flavorless, GMO meats. Fake crab meat. Soon will be lab cultivated meats and they won't tell customers either. Its all about the profit margin here. The food is ebible.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
The quantity. Its sooo much! But they don't sacrifice quality for that. So basically you get a lot of good food. Easily for 2 people worth in 1 dish.Order any of their curry and rice. I had the red vegetarian one. Amazing.The spice level is also spot on. Hot means you're ready to get some heat on your tongue and very hot is a real challenge in this August hot weather.Overall, really good food and service.Vegetarian options: A separate section of many vegetarian options with choice to have with or without egg.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pad Kee Mao
Really bad food poisoning, you’ve been warned. And rude customer service. There’s a language barrier but I was acting very nice and they were not, and not just the register but all the staff.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Thai Basil may still hold a nostalgic memory for me but the restaurant is price jacking so hard. A pad thai that used to $7-9 when I was in college is now around $16 base price. Any substitutions of changing something from say chicken to pork which used to be of no charge is now additional $2-3. I fear this may be the beginning of the end for Thai Basil at Durant Food Court.