I’ve been coming to Basil Canteen for more than ten years, and I just realized I’ve never actually written a review… which feels almost wrong given how often I’m here.
This place is just solid in the best possible way. The food is consistently good — every time. The service is always friendly and on point without being overbearing. And somehow, no matter how busy things get, it still feels easy and comfortable to eat here.
I live just one block away, so Basil Canteen has become one of those places I don’t even think twice about. Quick dinner? Basil. Meeting a friend? Basil. Don’t feel like cooking and want something I know will be good? Basil. It’s dependable in a way that’s honestly rare.
Restaurants like this don’t stick around for years unless they’re doing a lot of things right, and Basil Canteen clearly is. Great people, great food, great energy — and the kind of neighborhood spot you’re genuinely grateful to have nearby.
Very overdue five stars from me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lucas Meaux
I really liked Basil Canteen. The space is not large so there's not a ton of seating, but the food is high quality and very tasty.
It's a good place to have in SoMa where there aren't a ton of food options at the moment. We'll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daria Kovalova
Very tasty food and a cozy atmosphere. We really enjoyed it - highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stanford Rosenthal
My new favorite place in Soma! Great veggie options, cocktails, and vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Paul King
My favorite Thai restaurant in the city
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Becca Gomez Farrell
Hit up Basil Canteen a couple weeks okay for Happy Hour and tried new-to-me Thai eats! Started off with the Thaiphoon with mekhong Thai rum, coconut milk, and Thai tea—fun, but not that memorable of a cocktail, honestly. But the sakhoo sal mu was delicious! They are steamed tapioca dumplings filled with pork and peanuts. Would eat again! For a main, I had the yum woon sen, a glass noddle salad with minced chicken and shrimp in a sweet–spicy lime dressing with peanuts and fresh herbs. Fresh and tasty!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jesse “Jay bird” Powers
Petty good very busy for folsum street fair
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Felipe Diaz
It’s okay be busy, but let your clients know. We wait 30 minutes after we order, then we ask about the food and in a rude way they said it will take like 30 minutes more. NO THANKS!
Service: 1
Chef Tony
I stopped by on my way home. This place has been here for years, and I didn't even know. I love finding great places close to where I live. The owner was very helpful in what was spicy to order. I will definitely be going back, and I highly recommend trying this place if you haven't yet. I had to come back, and the food was still great. The owner and I had a great conversation. He is a great man living his dream.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Milo E
I'm usually not a bad reviews person, but my squid was so tough and full of internal shell bits, felt like I was chewing on rubber and plastic.
average place. good location but food is small portion
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
jim hite
Great start for an evening of nightclubbing.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mark
We have had good meals here in the past, but this visit was a miss on several levels (most of the food, service). Hoping for better if we decide to try them again.
Colin Huang
Nice atmosphere/ambiance but food was just middle of the road and prices were high. It was about $15-$20 for a basic Thai dish such as pad Thai, pad kee Mao, tom yum soup, pad Krapow etc.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Chad
I ordered their Gra Prao Mu Grob for dinner and was informed by the staff that they were out of this dish approximately after 40-45 minutes. At this point, my party started receiving their meals and I had to wait for an additional 30 minutes for my dish to arrive. An apology was made but no other customer service measures such as a meal discount or free dessert was offered to address this matter.
I’ve been coming to Basil Canteen for more than ten years, and I just realized I’ve never actually written a review… which feels almost wrong given how often I’m here.
This place is just solid in the best possible way. The food is consistently good — every time. The service is always friendly and on point without being overbearing. And somehow, no matter how busy things get, it still feels easy and comfortable to eat here.
I live just one block away, so Basil Canteen has become one of those places I don’t even think twice about. Quick dinner? Basil. Meeting a friend? Basil. Don’t feel like cooking and want something I know will be good? Basil. It’s dependable in a way that’s honestly rare.
Restaurants like this don’t stick around for years unless they’re doing a lot of things right, and Basil Canteen clearly is. Great people, great food, great energy — and the kind of neighborhood spot you’re genuinely grateful to have nearby.
Very overdue five stars from me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I really liked Basil Canteen. The space is not large so there's not a ton of seating, but the food is high quality and very tasty.
It's a good place to have in SoMa where there aren't a ton of food options at the moment. We'll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very tasty food and a cozy atmosphere. We really enjoyed it - highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My new favorite place in Soma! Great veggie options, cocktails, and vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My favorite Thai restaurant in the city
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hit up Basil Canteen a couple weeks okay for Happy Hour and tried new-to-me Thai eats! Started off with the Thaiphoon with mekhong Thai rum, coconut milk, and Thai tea—fun, but not that memorable of a cocktail, honestly. But the sakhoo sal mu was delicious! They are steamed tapioca dumplings filled with pork and peanuts. Would eat again! For a main, I had the yum woon sen, a glass noddle salad with minced chicken and shrimp in a sweet–spicy lime dressing with peanuts and fresh herbs. Fresh and tasty!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Petty good very busy for folsum street fair
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
It’s okay be busy, but let your clients know.
We wait 30 minutes after we order, then we ask about the food and in a rude way they said it will take like 30 minutes more. NO THANKS!
Service: 1
I stopped by on my way home. This place has been here for years, and I didn't even know. I love finding great places close to where I live. The owner was very helpful in what was spicy to order. I will definitely be going back, and I highly recommend trying this place if you haven't yet. I had to come back, and the food was still great. The owner and I had a great conversation. He is a great man living his dream.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I'm usually not a bad reviews person, but my squid was so tough and full of internal shell bits, felt like I was chewing on rubber and plastic.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
average place. good location but food is small portion
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Great start for an evening of nightclubbing.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We have had good meals here in the past, but this visit was a miss on several levels (most of the food, service). Hoping for better if we decide to try them again.
Nice atmosphere/ambiance but food was just middle of the road and prices were high. It was about $15-$20 for a basic Thai dish such as pad Thai, pad kee Mao, tom yum soup, pad Krapow etc.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
I ordered their Gra Prao Mu Grob for dinner and was informed by the staff that they were out of this dish approximately after 40-45 minutes. At this point, my party started receiving their meals and I had to wait for an additional 30 minutes for my dish to arrive. An apology was made but no other customer service measures such as a meal discount or free dessert was offered to address this matter.
Loading...