Basil Leaf Cafe

This place has excellent customer service!
They really make sure that you are taken care of the entire time you are there!
I had pizza and my husband had pasta. Both were delicious!
Other than it being on the more expensive side, I give this place 5 stars!

Disappointing. Hoping they had an off-​day. Nice restaurant, food was pretty good, waiters were trying but the bald-​headed manager was definitely NOT accommodating at all and very RUDE. We came in when there almost no one in the restaurant except 2 people sitting by the window and he would not let us sit where we asked and was even a bit nasty about it. He then told us that the table we ask for was reserved for 4 (even though it was 2 tables pushed together) — later after an hour and a half just before we left, finally two people came in which he placed at a table for 4 — later telling us it was supposed to be a party of 3 but only 2 showed up? He just made that up and we could see that the 2 people seated were even surprised by what he said but kept quite because he knew them. If that is the case, why bother going to this restaurant when he is working there unless he knows who you are before he can even try to be nice to a customer? Poor customer service.

My favorite all time place of all they always make me feel like family! the good is amazing, and every time I bring someone there who has never been they love it and then they go with their friends too. Its casual elegant and always a fun atmosphere. I just adore it!

Always a battle with the staff for a decent table for two unless you are bringing in a group of kids for pizza.
My wife and I usually look forward to a peaceful cocktail before dinner and a nice bottle of wine.
The bum’s rush seems to be standard operating procedure which we resent since our tab for two is in many cases higher than tables of four.
Food is salty and no doubt contains additives for flavor enhancement.
After our last visit we walked out before sitting down because we were once again placed at a table next to the toilets while the restaurant was relatively empty.
I guess management was waiting (and hoping) to fill up tables of four so why try to accomodate two good guests that are already there.
Based on my last few unwelcoming experiences here I will not return.
Visited June 2015

Had a party here for my daughters communion. It was fabulous. Food was great, hot, tasty. Atmosphere was comfortable, friendly. Service was top notch. Not cheap but you wouldn’t expect it to be, you get everything you pay for!
Highly recommend

Went last week. The restaurant wasn’t full, we had a 7pm reservation but were asked to wait a few minutes for our table. After a short wait we were shown to our table. There was almost zero elbow space between the next table to us and ours, and we had a problem hearing ourselves due to the level of noise coming from that table.
We ordered baked clams, calamari and salad. they were average nothing special. I’m a person that enjoys fresh pasta as opposed to dry, I ordered linguine pescatora — dry pasta which is a little too al dente is not my cup of tea.
I’ll give them another chance maybe this was an off day for them or maybe I was just expecting more from this ‘gem’

I live in Locust Valley I have no idea why I don’t stop in here more often?
Food is excellent. We had the linguine with white clam sauce. Pasta was
cooked to perfection. Service was outstanding. The cappuccino was the best cup I have EVER had! We will be back.

The pasta, OMG. So good. A very nice restaurant with friendly service and consistent quality.

If I had to choose where my last meal would come from, it would be The Basil Leaf Café. It’s a wonderful dining experience. There are two indoor places to dine: the largest being a lovely little cottage that is beautifully decorated. The smaller is where the bar and kitchen are housed. There is also outdoor seating in the courtyard, which is lovely.
The quality of food and service has been five star every time I have come here. I’ve been patronizing this fine establishment since 2000 and it only gets better!
The salads are delicious and distinctly different. My favorite isn’t on the menu now, but they make it for me anyway. It’s a warm shrimp and white bean salad with arugula, and a bit of tomato. Add grated cheese and a slice of their delicious Italian bread and its a perfect lunch!
Highly recommended are the brick oven pizza, any shrimp dish (but shrimp fra diavolo and pasta is spicy good), osso bucco, any homemade pasta (yum), homemade soup, especially minestrone. The desserts and drinks are a wonderful way to round off a delicious Italian meal. My favorite Italian restaurant on Long Island!

This restaurant is not respectful of food allergies.
I have a gluten allergy and ordered a pasta dish gluten-​free. They confirmed gluten-​free and then brought out a whole-​wheat version of the pasta. After the mistake was corrected (we had to ask 2 people before we could get someone to ask our waiter what was on the plate) there was very little apology and the manager did not seem to care that the restaurant had made me sick by misrepresenting the food they served. In the past, I have been a big fan of this restaurant and loyal customer, I guess now I will be finding other places that respect my food allergies.

I have friends whose opinions I respect, so I’m going to rate this experience as maybe an «off-​day» for this restaurant and come back another time to give them another shot. Maybe it was one of the first days of Spring with outside seating or perhaps it was the large baby shower guests that decided to hover near the patio seating and yell very loudly to each other– not bothering to respect the other patrons and their desires to have a nice quiet meal. Either way, we had a meal that was «good» when we were expecting even better. The help was nice not overly friendly but nice. And our food was good. But just that– good. We promise to come back with fresh eyes and mouths and give them another try because they deserve more than a three star review and should get it.

The owner and staff are so nice, this is a charming little restaurant in the charming village of Locust Valley. The food here is amazing and it is so worth it to discover — salads, pasta, fish, desserts. It’s all great here. Best Italian restaurant on LI.

This place is delicious. Their basil leaf salad is amazing, and their Alla Vodka is the best I have ever had! The owner is incredibly generous and you can tell always works hard to keep the restaurant at it’s best! This is definitely one of the best restaurants in this area!

Lovely place with great outdoor seating that is NOT on a street or parking lot. Our post graduation dinner was a 5:30 on the Thursday so we had the whole staff attending us.
The service was excellent and the food just delicious.
We had a very leisurely meal that was not rushed in anyway.
With 7 diners at the table, every dish was exceptional.

Fantastic, consistent and always reliable! We have been dining here for over 25 years! We have been through 2 owners and have never been disappointed! Food is fresh, unique and very tasty. Service is professional and attentive without being intrusive. Only problem, we don’t come here enough! That will change, now that my son is older! Looking forward to more visits!

Came here for a birthday party on a weekend. The party room was a comfortable size for 7 tables (9 ppl each). For a starter we had bruschetta it was pretty good. For our dinner we had a choice of salmon, veal, eggplant or chicken. I ordered the chicken it was really good probably four stars, however the portion was not that big, it was one piece of chicken, 3 quartered pieces of roasted potato and some vegetables. I tried the eggplant and found it plain, my Italian grandmother makes it better! The wait staff were nice but certainly not the fastest. I think it could have been different if I had just gone there for dinner. Overall it was good food though.

Homemade pasta was yummy!

This is one of my favorite restaurants on Long Island– the food is consistently good, the staff is friendly, and the prices are right! It is a neighborhood spot, so you may just know the person walking through the door or over a cocktail at the bar, meet them. Also, love the glow from the lighting and candles.
It contains serviceable renditions of earthy delicacies from all over the Mediterranean map. The Basil Leaf is delicious with creative Food. I bring friends all the time and everyone wants to come back.

This place is tucked in a small group of stores and looks a bit small to be a full restaurant from the outside! Inside it’s bigger than it looks. and is a nice place with a nice vibe. We had a good friends birthday dinner here a number of year back, and they were willing to create the right sized tabler for 12 or so. Very nice place, quality is good, good for lunch, better for dinner.

Hidden Italian.
The Basil Leaf Café is a sweet little spot hidden in a small shopping strip — you can blow by it in a second if you are not looking for it.
The restaurant is small, but not teeny. The bar is pretty small — but you can still pop in there and have a glass of wine.
There are a couple of dining rooms and a patio area in the summer — but it is the food that is damn good here.
Actually– beside the yummy food, the prices are pretty decent especially when you factor in the area where it is located. Personally we love the pizzas that come from the wood fired oven — but everything we ever had was good.
Definitely a place to hit when in the area.
Parking lot in front