Our server was attentive and courteous, which we appreciated. However, the overall experience was disappointing. The ambiance felt cluttered and lacked cohesion, making it difficult to relax and enjoy the meal. The food was served in large portions but fell short in quality. The Steak Frites was overwhelmingly salty and bitter—unfortunately inedible—and had to be returned. The pasta dishes were overly heavy, lacked flavor, and did not meet expectations. We had originally planned to celebrate a birthday, but opted to skip dessert and leave early. Sadly, this turned out to be one of our most disappointing dining experiences in the Greater Boston area.
Archie
Sweet Basil never disappoints , celebrated a birthday and the service was excellent, the food as always exceptional , we sat outside in a beautiful Sunday evening , live music inside , best part was we had the owner Dave as our waiter , fun night will be back soon .
Steven
All 3 of us had really excellent meals: buratta shared app, veal chop, lamb, chicken parm. Generous servings of delicious food. Very attentive, but relaxed service. The live music was a plus. The atmosphere is almost cozy. Anything but modern sterile. Thumbs up!
Judith
The salmon was excellent. You can't beat their bread and pesto. The mussels were outstanding. Bolognese is top notch. We have long enjoyed this food and will continue to do so. Waltham location is way easier to get in to than Needham! Worth the drive.
Donna
We had an enjoyable and delicious birthday dinner for a friend. It's a lovely place...love the decor!
Michael
This is a great spot for a business meeting with great food at a reasonable price. Service was spot on and friendly as well.
Carolyn
Lovely atmosphere. Really nice decor and vibe. Quiet. Our waitress and service was excellent and so friendly. Bread with pesto is delish. Food was very good overall. Not like amazing amazing but tasty and huge portions. Will 100% return
Lee Chaissan
Definitely would not recommend. Ordered the eggplant caponata app, way too salty. Then the rosemary chicken entree, waaaaaaay too salty, and the pancetta was over cooked to the point of being rock hard. My wife ordered the salmon, which was over cooked, and she couldn't tell the difference between the roasted potatoes and the brussel sprouts, both over cooked and too salty. Two in our party ordered the ravioli, and it came out with cold marinara sauce - like refrigerated cold. After sending it back, the waitress said that someone didn't realize that the chef had just taken it out of fridge and poured it onto the dishes and served it that way. Who cooks ravioli that way? The only good thing was the free olive lemon cake they comped us for the ravioli debacle.
Greg Little
As a party of ten we had a variety of drinks, appetizers, and entrees. Everything was delicious and the portions were large. The service was friendly but not intrusive. The decor was attractive and interesting. The noise level was reasonable even with the restaurant full due to tables being spaced well apart, soft materials used in the decor to absorb sound, and no loud music! All-in-all we were quite pleased with the evening. We'll go back and also recommend it to others.
Greg
As a party of ten we had a variety of drinks, appetizers, and entrees. Everything was delicious and the portions were large. The service was friendly but not intrusive. The decor was attractive and interesting. The noise level was reasonable even with the restaurant full due to tables being spaced well apart, soft materials used in the decor to absorb sound, and no loud music! All-in-all we were quite pleased with the evening. We'll go back and also recommend it to others.
I've dined at this location and the one in Needham several times. We were lucky to catch a live reggae band during our visit, which made the evening even more enjoyable. When the band was playing it was loud but before it was an enjoyable atmosphere. The wait staff was incredibly patient with our table as we spent time catching up. That night, the chef was a bit heavy-handed with the salt, so while my meal was good, it wasn’t quite as exceptional as I’ve come to expect. Still, I definitely recommend this place and look forward to returning. Forgot to mention the bread service, the pesto and bread were delicious.
Jonathan
We took another couple to Sweet Basil in a Monday night. They were impressed right away by the vibe - arty & chill. They were impressed by the bar - interesting and reasonably priced cocktails & wine. They were especially impressed by the service - one of our guests has severe food allergies. Not only did the server address them head on, but the manager came over to confirm - and best of all, the special dish they made for her was great! Very impressed!
Florine
I love the atmosphere the live music the drink the only thing I was disappointed with was the food but after that everything was pretty good
Alison
Great value with a fun atmosphere especially on Sunday night with live music. Equally good for families or an adult date night.
Wai Lai
Food was OK. Not bad but not so great that I would drive to eat here again as I do not live near by. The staff was great. Menu choices a little limited on the seafood side of things. One thing that did stand out was the sausage in the Clam linguine. It was very good. There was plenty of seating when we went around 7pm on a week day. Don't take this as a negative review. It was OK!
Our server was attentive and courteous, which we appreciated. However, the overall experience was disappointing. The ambiance felt cluttered and lacked cohesion, making it difficult to relax and enjoy the meal. The food was served in large portions but fell short in quality. The Steak Frites was overwhelmingly salty and bitter—unfortunately inedible—and had to be returned. The pasta dishes were overly heavy, lacked flavor, and did not meet expectations. We had originally planned to celebrate a birthday, but opted to skip dessert and leave early. Sadly, this turned out to be one of our most disappointing dining experiences in the Greater Boston area.
Sweet Basil never disappoints , celebrated a birthday and the service was excellent, the food as always exceptional , we sat outside in a beautiful Sunday evening , live music inside , best part was we had the owner Dave as our waiter , fun night will be back soon .
All 3 of us had really excellent meals: buratta shared app, veal chop, lamb, chicken parm. Generous servings of delicious food. Very attentive, but relaxed service. The live music was a plus. The atmosphere is almost cozy. Anything but modern sterile. Thumbs up!
The salmon was excellent. You can't beat their bread and pesto. The mussels were outstanding. Bolognese is top notch. We have long enjoyed this food and will continue to do so. Waltham location is way easier to get in to than Needham! Worth the drive.
We had an enjoyable and delicious birthday dinner for a friend. It's a lovely place...love the decor!
This is a great spot for a business meeting with great food at a reasonable price. Service was spot on and friendly as well.
Lovely atmosphere. Really nice decor and vibe. Quiet. Our waitress and service was excellent and so friendly. Bread with pesto is delish. Food was very good overall. Not like amazing amazing but tasty and huge portions. Will 100% return
Definitely would not recommend. Ordered the eggplant caponata app, way too salty. Then the rosemary chicken entree, waaaaaaay too salty, and the pancetta was over cooked to the point of being rock hard. My wife ordered the salmon, which was over cooked, and she couldn't tell the difference between the roasted potatoes and the brussel sprouts, both over cooked and too salty. Two in our party ordered the ravioli, and it came out with cold marinara sauce - like refrigerated cold. After sending it back, the waitress said that someone didn't realize that the chef had just taken it out of fridge and poured it onto the dishes and served it that way. Who cooks ravioli that way? The only good thing was the free olive lemon cake they comped us for the ravioli debacle.
As a party of ten we had a variety of drinks, appetizers, and entrees. Everything was delicious and the portions were large. The service was friendly but not intrusive. The decor was attractive and interesting. The noise level was reasonable even with the restaurant full due to tables being spaced well apart, soft materials used in the decor to absorb sound, and no loud music! All-in-all we were quite pleased with the evening. We'll go back and also recommend it to others.
As a party of ten we had a variety of drinks, appetizers, and entrees. Everything was delicious and the portions were large. The service was friendly but not intrusive. The decor was attractive and interesting. The noise level was reasonable even with the restaurant full due to tables being spaced well apart, soft materials used in the decor to absorb sound, and no loud music! All-in-all we were quite pleased with the evening. We'll go back and also recommend it to others.
Restaurantji Recommends
I've dined at this location and the one in Needham several times. We were lucky to catch a live reggae band during our visit, which made the evening even more enjoyable. When the band was playing it was loud but before it was an enjoyable atmosphere. The wait staff was incredibly patient with our table as we spent time catching up. That night, the chef was a bit heavy-handed with the salt, so while my meal was good, it wasn’t quite as exceptional as I’ve come to expect. Still, I definitely recommend this place and look forward to returning. Forgot to mention the bread service, the pesto and bread were delicious.
We took another couple to Sweet Basil in a Monday night. They were impressed right away by the vibe - arty & chill. They were impressed by the bar - interesting and reasonably priced cocktails & wine. They were especially impressed by the service - one of our guests has severe food allergies. Not only did the server address them head on, but the manager came over to confirm - and best of all, the special dish they made for her was great! Very impressed!
I love the atmosphere the live music the drink the only thing I was disappointed with was the food but after that everything was pretty good
Great value with a fun atmosphere especially on Sunday night with live music. Equally good for families or an adult date night.
Food was OK. Not bad but not so great that I would drive to eat here again as I do not live near by. The staff was great. Menu choices a little limited on the seafood side of things. One thing that did stand out was the sausage in the Clam linguine. It was very good. There was plenty of seating when we went around 7pm on a week day. Don't take this as a negative review. It was OK!
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