Thai Basil

For the past 4 years my husband and I have been weekly customers of Thai Basil. For the past few months we were noticing inconsistencies with the spices, and the portions were getting smaller. We adjusted our orders accordingly when ordering and enjoyed our meal. Last nights interaction ended our patronage of Thai Basil. Our family placed a larger than usual order for a party we were having. We SPECIFICALLY STATED numerous times that we needed it to be very mild. This is how we have always ordered from Thai basil and for the most part we received edible dishes. We could not touch last nights dishes. They were caked in red pepper flakes. Like anyone would do, we called Thai Basil and I explained that our $ 60 order was not at all prepared the way we requested. The gentlemen on the phone recalled our order and asked the kitchen how it was prepared. The kitchen said that at a mild (a one star) they put 1 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes in each dish. 1 tablespoon is NOT mild, and when we’ve ordered mild before it has NOT ever looked or tasted the way the dishes did last night. Anyhow, the guy answering the phone told me he would have the dishes remade. I asked him to deliver them since we didn’t care to head out again to pick them up and he told me i would have to wait an hour. I said we would come back to the restaurant and he told me to bring the uneaten dishes. I thought the issue was resolved until the owner told him to tell me he was not making any of the dishes over and that I should «probably stop eating their food.» Well Mr Owner, you got your wish. I will stop eating your food, and I will make sure everyone I know also stops eating it. I was willing to look over the lack of consistency with the dishes but the complete unprofessionalism & extreme rudeness was the icing on the cake.
Upon reading other reviews it seems that the owner does this often.

Terrible terrible Service from the owner! Food ordered asked for mild spice and was scorching with red flakes of spice! Called to ask what to do and the owner was willing to do nothing! Told are large group of regular customers (visit weekly) «to stop eating there food!!» All we can say is WOW… Never been talked to like that :) very rude customer service and not willing to stand by their food service. Try elsewhere for Thai!

Consistently the best Thai restaurant in the area. Crab Rangoon is the best I’ve ever had and you must finish with the sweet rice with mango.

I’m new to Madison, been here a month, and already eaten here 4 times. I’m not that familiar with Thai food so been trying a different dish each time. They have all been great. The Garden Rolls are cool, lettuce stuffed with veggies and wrapped in rice paper. The entrees are very filling and affordable, about $ 8 will feed two people easily. It’s not really a sit down place, more of a take out joint though there are two little tables if you want to eat there. Service is fast and friendly.

I love Thai cuisine and I want ethnic businesses to succeed, but I must be ill-​fated with Thai cuisine. Perhaps it was an off night, but I placed a late (8pm) weeknight takeout order for yellow curry and pad see-​u with sticky rice. I paid extra for a larger container of sticky rice only to open it up at home and find two containers of old, chewy plain white rice. I even remember telling the lady taking the order twice that I wanted sticky rice!
There was no flavor to the pad see-​u. Presentation was great, the noodles were brown and oily with a good amount of meat. If they had added just a little bit more sauce, it would have been better. The yellow curry was the highlight of the meal and we ended up sharing that dish.
The next day, my co-​worker ordered takeout for lunch and it smelled amazingly good in the staff room. I asked her if she liked her meal, and she said it’s one of her favorite places for lunch.
I’m still holding out for this place and will give it another shot.

I had seen this little restaurant on my way to work a million times but it was only one of the many I saw everyday and I never paid «real» attention to it. Once my hubby and I decided to check it out we were absolutely hooked, that was last Saturday, it has been only one week and we had been there three times already, I think that means a lot of love right? I really hope it never breaks our heart.
I have a deep fascination for curries, they are so comforting to the soul, for me, it’s an exotic mix of aromatic herbs that makes you fall into a trance whenever you are eating them, in a good way though :)
So far, we have been hypnotized by the pineapple curry (with shrimp), I think the mild seafood flavor it’s what makes it great.
Also, The Panang Curry, which I think it has the base as the pineapple one (only without the pineapple and tomatoes). They both come with red and green bell peppers, carrots and Thai basil leaves, they are very good and sooo aromatic, mmmmmmm.
The Green curry it’s also good and very different from the other curries because it combines herbs with a beautiful roasted Thai eggplant flavor.
Also, you have to have their Crab Rangoons! Golden brown and crunchyy with a nice cream cheese filling; Acompannied by a glossy honey sauce with a few red pepper flakes on it, perrrfect.
You have to try this place by yourself and maybe, just maybe think of me a little bit whenever your senses feel spoiled ;)

One of our favorite Thai/​asian places on Madison’s westside. They deliver which is nice and never takes too long. Usually they are here sooner than they say. We also pick up a lot and the owner is usually there and very friendly.
I really enjoy their pad Thai and spicy fried rice. My husband always gets the spicy basil with chicken. The green curry is also very good.
The crab rangoon is also pretty good. The filling isn’t to sweet like other places and there is a decent amount in them.
Overall good food and service.

My brother and I love this place!!! Pad Thai is amazing. Spicy Basil is our favorite for sure. Tom Kah and Tom Yum soups are very good. The staff are always so friendly. Their delivery service is great and always arrives hot.

We ordered take out (they only have take out or delivery). the time quoted was accurate and the food arrives hot. I got the pineapple fried rice with tofu instead of meat and got it medium. It was very flavorful and not too spicy. However someone else got he pineapple curry medium and it was significantly hotter-​does not seem to be consistent with levels. Also for having a pineapple dish, there was only about two pieces of pineapple in it which was pretty disappointing.

Thai basil is our to-​go takeout place. The food is pretty authentic– it is owned/​run by Thai people, unlike many Thai restaurants. While I’m not Thai, my family has lived in Thailand for a decade, and Thai Basil offers the best Thai food in Madison. Definitely call your order in ahead– it can take 20 minutes to prepare on a busy night. The staff is always friendly and courteous, and the food is delicious! My only complaint is that they don’t offer Massaman Curry.

I LOVE Thai Basil!
Seriously, this is my go to food. Whenever my boyfriend and I don’t want to cook and are really hungry, or want to treat ourselves we look at each other and one of us will undoubtedly ask «Thai Basil». YES always YES!
I love Thai Basil so much that as I am writing this I know what kind of food I will be eating tonight!
Try it!
The shrimp Tempura is amazing.
The wontongs… oh my gosh!
and I love love love the Spicy Cashew Chicken.
The people working there are really friendly.
If you like Thai food you will love it! :)

Definitely the best Thai food in Madison!
I would strongly recommend pad Thai (that no place could beat), drunken noodle (go with a slight spicy level) and Satay chicken (it’s amazing with that peanut sauce and pickled cucumbers).
The only thing to complain about is, there will always be a long wait. The best way to get your food is to call and order in advance, then pick up.

Yes, yes, and yes! After moving here from Denver 3 years ago I was desperate to find a good Thai place. Fortunately the first place I tried was Thai Basil, unfortunately it was not the last. After trying at least 3 other Thai places, Thai Basil still has the best Pad Thai in Madison. Regular is delicious and if you say you want it spicy then expect it to be spicy! Noddles are never soggy or mushy like other places we’ve tried. Price is great and the service is always friendly. Even after we moved from Fitchburg to near down town, we still make the drive and it’s well worth it.

Good food. Decent prices. Quick pick up usually only 15 minutes. But if you want a plethora of veggies and or meat you won’t find it here. Maybe I’ll ask for double veggies and meat next time I order. Stingy on rice with only one container for two curry orders at dinner… Come on… But obviously it’s good enough that it keeps me coming back 4 – 5 times a month. Tip: when you say extra spicy they bring it and mean it but regular is mild. Hot also means extra spicy to them

I have been going to Thai Basil since it was Thai Orchid. The menu is expected with great descriptions and prompt delivery. I am only giving 4 stars because to me «native Thai» usually offers some heat. This Basil’s 4 star heat was not even warm.

The food here is excellent. I have previously worked for this place, and seen what goes on behind the scenes, and know how fresh they keep their ingredients as well as the skill care and attentive nature they pour into every dish. It is as authentic as you can likely get without heading yourself over to Thailand itself. They can kick the heat up on *any* dish you order as hot as you can handle, and iIve had a good number of their dishes, not a single one i was disappointed with, my personal favorite is their Pad Woon Sen with chicken, kicked as high up on their spicy as they will go.
The only minor downside is they do not yet have a dine-​in option, but considering they are specifically carry-​out, hard to fault them for a service they don’t advertise.
Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys this type of food, spicy or no.

Two stars seems harsh but truthfully, I have experienced better. Much better. Whenever I get Thai food I always get the green curry. Always. If I’d eaten the green curry from Thai Basil without knowing what it was I sincerely doubt I’d have ever guessed it was green curry. I’m not sure I’d have even guessed curry of any kind. Flavorless curry is certainly an achievement, but not one I’m keen to have again.
That said, the staff were super friendly and my order was ready super fast.

Great place to get some Thai takeout…
Lemme tell you, if you ask for ‘extra spicy’, be prepared to get what you asked for… I got an order of larb that was so hot it made my eyes water & my lips were on fire for about an hour! Man was it awesome Good though…
I try to eat here at least once when I am in town.

Pretty good food, nice people, small small restaurant. Disclaimer: you cannot eat in this restaurant. Take out, pick up, or delivery ONLY!
I came here after a cold night at elver park. Parking was pretty difficult and annoying to find (most spots are reserved for neighboring restaurants). It wasn’t until I asked that I realized that patrons aren’t allowed to eat there (no dining license). I was slightly disappointed, and my friends and I just had to order and leave.
The menu has the staples of Thai food: pad Thai, pad see ew, tom yum soup, etc. I ordered the spicy basil with a spice level of 3. Food took around 10 minutes to make. Friends ordered different menu items, and we all received a to-​go box of rice.
Spicy basil dish with chicken was pretty good. Mixing the rice and sauce at the bottom made it pretty amazing. Also, very very spicy. If you can’t do spicy, I’d recommend a 1 or 2.
Best part of this dish was eating it the next morning. Something about eating this meal with the rice soaked in all the sauces overnight made it better than eating it fresh. I recommend mixing the rice in right away and letting it sit as long as possible.
Overall, I liked this experience. I don’t like the location, parking, or the inability to eat inside, but the food makes up for it. I wouldn’t say it’s authentic Thai food, but it’s still pretty good!

I will never spend another dollar at this establishment after how I was treated today. I located Thai Basil’s menu online to order dinner. I called the number on their website and a man answered. I told him I wanted to place an order for delivery. He asked me my address, which is about two miles from the restaurant. I placed my order and he told me it would arrive in 15 minutes to one hour.
I waited an hour and when my food still hadn’t arrived, I called the restaurant. The man I spoke to earlier said the delivery person was out sick and it would be an additional 30 – 40 minutes; their delivery was very slow. I asked why he hadn’t told me about that earlier – I would have ordered carrypit otherwise – and he proceeded to yell at me and hang up. I called back again and he hung up on me again after proclaiming that the store was too busy and he had no time to talk to me.
I then drove to the restaurant; the owner claimed it was extremely busy (it wasn’t) and said that the delivery person hadn’t even showed up to work until 5:30pm. I reminded him that he told me the delivery person was out sick and he denied it, claiming I called before the delivery person arrived. I showed him on my cell phone where I called to place my order at 6:31pm. The owner screamed at me, put his hand in my face, and refused to give me my food. I demanded my order and he eventually gave me my food, prepared the wrong way and stone cold.
I will not tolerated being disrespected and lied to, especially by an establishment I *choose* to patronize. I’d give this place zero stars if I could.