Everything Great Service food and very warm and inviting Barb&michael The owner has always been so welcoming read more

I went to the Basil Leaf Cafe for lunch with my mom. They are doing construction on the restaurant so they didn't have access to the pizza oven which ended up being a blessing in disguise. Rather than getting the pizza I ended up ordering penne a la vodka and it was the best I have ever had. The sauce was so delicious I can't find the words to describe it! I would have licked the bowl clean if it was socially appropriate! LOL The staff was lovely and the restaurant is beautiful. They served delicious bread upon sitting as well. I can't wait to go back for dinner! read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Penne Alla Vodka - Italian Near Me - Locust Valley, New York

Stopped here after a nice afternoon at golfing. The location is beautiful and it was a great spot to eat outside in the summer time. The tomato burrata salad was delicious and light for summer. I had a primavera pasta it was very good, but didn't have a ton of flavor. The pasta was buttery and cooked perfectly I just wish it had some red pepper. Our server was very good, and would go again for the ambience. read more

See all

Basil Leaf Cafe is not a venue you stumble upon while on a Sunday drive; you must deliberately drive to Locust Valley on the north shore of Long Island. But boy, is it worth it! On the evening my friends and I ate there, we were seated in the second building: a cottage adjacent to the main restaurant. The table settings and decor were perfect for the space. Our table was located in a corner and seating was comfortable, with table linens that smelled fresh from the laundry. Our server arrived swiftly and our glasses were filled with water, menus given, and drink orders taken. She read the daily specials to us, which included a pistachio ricotta cake and halibut, both of which I ordered. THE GROWS: It was a hot and humid evening. There was AC, but the vents were located at the peak of the ceiling, between two beams, and the air did not reach the corners of the room. Most of us at my table were uncomfortably hot. We asked if they could turn up the air or close the door so the cool air didn't seep out, but the uncomfortable heat put a damper on our evening. Normally I order coffee with my dessert, but I was so warm that I skipped it. THE GLOWS: The baked clams were whole with toasted breadcrumbs and an accompanying sauce with the perfect consistency to both coat the clams and dip your bread. The halibut special was parmesan crusted and served over spinach; the kitchen happily swapped out the spinach for escarole for me (I love both, but their escarole is something I order all the time because I love how it is prepared). The pistachio ricotta cake was the perfect fusion of a very light whipped ricotta with fresh pistachio flavors. For this foodie, I highly recommend this as a place to celebrate a special occasion or simply enjoy a meal with those you love. read more

See all

I came here on a date night with my fiancé and was not disappointed! We shared a Margherita pizza, the Pappardelle al ragu di salciccia e Porcini and Linguini alla Pescatora. The food was delicious and ambiance was perfect for date night. The service was slow at first but picked up towards the end, but always friendly. Can't wait to come back for our next date night! read more

It has quite a romantic ambiance. I know some people who go here often. I'm not too into Italian food but it was generally pleasant nonetheless. read more

The food was horrible for the price charged. The pizza was soggy and flavorless. The past had no flavor. The presentation of the food was average at best. The service was absolutely horrible. We had to keep asking for things over and over again when we would actually see our waitress. When you go to an Italian restaurant and you see fresh mozzarella on menu with pasta or chicken or veal you don't expect a few cut up cubes of the mozzarella thrown on the dish. Then they bring dessert and coffee doesn't come out until half hour later even though we kept asking for it. The people working there have no personality from the man at the reception desk to the wait staff. Not worth it at all. read more

Good food ! Minestrone soup is the best ! Raviolis are delicious Many vegetarian options read more

Basil Leaf Cafe is an absolutely incredible spot for lunch or dinner, my family and I went yesterday and we left with rave reviews, we will now make this spot our go-to lunch location. Located in Locust Valley, this quaint and charming restaurant has a wonderful appeal for a relaxing, intimate, and enjoyable experience, with delicious food to boot. We had reservations for 2pm lunch, and upon arrival we had the whole restaurant to ourselves, we were the only table. White tablecloth, nice plate-ware, cold water, and a tasty and fresh bread basket to start off, the cool relaxing classic rock playing on the radio, and our guests arrive. The service was prompt and professional, straight to the point, nothing personable but handled nicely. Waters refilled frequently, and attentive to our needs. We get: Calamari (Nicely cooked, not too fried) A Basil Leaf Salad (Very good, Artichokes Fresh) B Tortoni Eggplant (Delicious, Steaming Hot) A Ravioli in Walnut Cream Sauce (Outrageous) A+++ Had such a wonderful time enjoying each others company, no rush to leave, the lunch went for 2 hours and we had such a good time, we will absolutely come back soon. Highly recommend, very memorable place. read more

This is a local restaurant that makes me feel like I am going to a good friend / neighbor's house for dinner. We are always greeted by Adam and the entire friendly staff. Friendly, warm and comfortable environment especially when sitting on the side with the brick oven. Now the food... consistently good with healthy options, decent portions, lots of variety and with great specials. Don't forget to ask for some items that might not be on the menu... chicken parmigiana for example. Just ask. And if you are lucky Vito will be in and charming everyone. Enjoy. We go back regularly. read more

Took my Mom here for her 90th birthday lunch. The service was amazing our waiter Rob made the day. He went out of his way to make it special for my Mom. Food was delicious and we loved the open air seating. Will definitely be returning. read more

Awesome food! We had baked clams- ok. Tri color Salad was ok. Bread and homemade pastas are AWESOME! That is what you go there for! Pappardelle & Fettuccine dishes were excellent! They had a special white truffle sauce that I got on the side & added to my pasta, OMG AMAZING, Chocolate lava cake too dry don't bother, BUT the Tiramisu is a MUST, best one I've ever had! read more

Far from queens but worth coming out to. The location is unique, a farm and suburban vibe. Anyway the appetizers were delicious. Cheese less pizza, bruschetta and olives with cheese. You could taste the basil and other fresh herbs. The pasta was cooked aldente with a sweet and tangy sauce: very tasty. The mains were good too, light and fresh. The salmon was grilled and came with steamed vegetables. It wasnt overwhelmed with sauce but it needed the lemon it came with. The chicken was okay, not impressive, just cooked. The eggplant was tasty: full of their flavorful sauce with the creaminess of melted cheese. Mera's Tip: enjoy the saucy dishes read more

See all

I read some negative reviews on Yelp, and so was a bit apprehensive about dining here. But my wife said she's been here with her friends twice before and they all liked it. So, I gave it a try. Their steak was simply amazing! Done perfectly. Sauce was very good. The seafood linguine was very good also. read more

Good food, excellent service. Can be busy/crowded. Good meeting place for friends. Casual/neat attire.

We had the most wonderful party at Basil Leaf. All the food was great and the staff was attentive and friendly. Thank you so much!!

Just ate here a few months ago. The waitstaff was nice and they didn't rush you at all. I met a few friends for drinks and dinner. The food was ok. Nothing great but not bad. I would probably go back and order something different. I had the penne alla vodka. It was ok but a little too much sauce was on the plate. I did not have dessert so I can't comment! A few others had big salads and they seemed to enjoy them. read more

5 stars always!!! The food is amazing, and the atmosphere even better. I think over the years I've tried over 20 different pasta specials and loved every single one. We've become regulars because we love it so much!! Do yourself a favor and try the vodka sauce- it's the best. read more

See all

Cozy ambiance and good Italian food. You can't go wrong with any of the menu items - minestrone and carpaccio makes a great lunch!

Our friends hosted their engagement party here, and the accommodations were great. The food was pretty good for a large banquet-style dinner, but nothing to write home about. Based solely on the food, this place would probably earn a 3/5. However, the service bumps it up to a 4 easily. The staff worked hard to meet all our needs, and when it seemed like there would be more guests than seats, they quickly rolled out another table to ensure everyone had a place to sit. I would definitely recommend this place as a venue for large events. read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Italian Near Me - Locust Valley, New York

We really capitalized on the beautiful day and sat outside. They've got two indoor dining areas and a lovely outdoor patio in between. Food was fantastic. They have a delicious red sauce that accompanies the bread and they had a great bottle of Prosecco to enjoy while we awaited our food. The basil leaf cafe salad was really good. It comes with warm grilled artichokes and the citrus and the arugula went really well together. The seafood linguini comes in a red sauce and was full of clams, calamari, mussels and shrimp. Chicken rigatoni with the rabe was also excellent with crisp veggies and sun dried tomatoes. We ended lunch with a deliciously rich and gooey chocolate tart complete with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. A great Italian place worth a visit while on Long Island. read more

See all

Basil Leaf if one of my Family's Favorite restaurants. The food is always the highest quality. Adam and the staff go above and beyond.

Guys the secret ingredient here is RACISM. Please don't support this establishment. My friend and I are Asian Americans from the city and decided to take our mothers on a day trip to LI and found this place with the great ratings on Yelp. I called to make a reservation in advance for 4 people for dinner. He said he had a table. When we got there the owner/manager (picture below) gave us a small table for 2 with 4 chairs in a far corner. I asked if we could have the spacious 4 people table that was RIGHT next to us. It was literally twice as big and not shoved in the corner. He gave it to the caucasian family of 3 that came after us. This man (picture below) said if you don't want this table then go! Needless to say I said we'll go. I was about to just write him off as a standard jerk but he kept saying rude stuff to us on our way out. Then just when we were out of the ear shot of all his customers at the edge of the parking lot he said to me: I DON'T NEED BUSINESS FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU ALL. I walked up to him and asked - WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY PEOPLE LIKE US!? Silence. So I asked DO YOU MEAN THAT WE'RE ASIANS?! Trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. He then proceeded to take off his mask to show me that he was smiling, then walked over came up in my face standing a few inches away towering over me (I'm 5'0) and said quietly get off my property. At that point I took many steps back, felt incredibly threatened and took out my phone to take a picture of him. Lord I wish the whole restaurant had heard him. But that's just it - that's how racism often comes through right? Dished out by cowards quietly in some corner to people who they think are of no consequence... MY BUSINESS MAY NOT BE OF CONSEQUENCE TO HIM, BUT YOURS MATTER. Please consider other establishments in town because really, places like this has no place in New York. Having grown up here I've never encountered such blatant racism first hand. Today was a real learning experience for me. Unfortunately, he proceeded to show us how little he thought of us. My friend and I stood on the sidewalk shocked by what just had happened. We stood at the corner of the restaurant for a long time not sure what to do. Also utterly shocked by how seemingly sweet he was to all the customers coming in when just a moment ago he had just done what he did. Who do we report this to? What does one google in a situation like this? We didn't know what to do and were in shock. Are we overreacting? But why does it feel like we got punched in the gut and we shouldn't just let it go? Should we go around to tell the customers? Would they care? How do we report this? He came out and kept telling us to leave, trying to scare us off. The more he did that the more I realized - I had to find a way to make this public. I went back into the parking lot/dining area to take a picture of where the incident took place. He then marched up to my friend's car and took a picture of her license plate and said to her: I've called the police so you better run. Um. Ok mister. I'm sorry. I have to say - this is the part where I just loose it. Who did he think he was talking to? I guess he assumed we looked LIKE BUNCH OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH MASKS ON. My friend is a local 5th grade school teacher. I'm an economist in the city. But that shouldn't matter. SHAME ON HIM. Then I also called the cops. What makes me really sad is realizing how easily he could've bullied someone else who was truly vulnerable into silence. Our mothers stood there stunned. When the cops arrived I explained what happened to 3 police officers from the 2nd Precinct who were so incredibly decent and made us feel heard. I think for anyone who experience racism and injustice - they just want to be heard. The cops said "look unfortunately I can't write up a ticket for this owner being a jerk. My advice? DON'T support a place like this ok?" So we left and had dinner at Autentico, this amazing italian restaurant about 10 minutes away who's food did not...TASTE LIKE RACISM ----- In response to "Ash E"s fake review from "San Francisco" which is the manager/owner guy himself because only he took this photo. For anyone who wants the truth, please call Nassau County 2nd Precinct and speak to the 3 nice officers who came by. Manager or owner dude: Please stop spreading false accounts of what we and the nassau police did. Do you really think it's ok to falsely accuse the cops of coming into your restaurant to escort 4 women out of your restaurant? Really? YOU ARE A LIAR. We waited for them on the sidewalk so none of us were even in your restaurant when they arrived. The cops were professional, kind and decent and asked YOU to step aside so they can speak to us and our mothers first. Really, you need to do some deep self reflection of how you're behaving and choosing to handle this situation. read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Where it happened - Italian Near Me - Locust Valley, New York

See all

Came here with a friend from out of town..knowing they had outdoor seating..I've been here a few years thinking the food was good.. We both ordered a salad from the menu with salmon on the side.. the salmon piece was 1 inch x 3 and not exaggerating 2 tablespoons worth of salad.. (we said to each other weres the salad? I guess it a very small lunch portion) . until we received the bill.. They charged $39 for the smallest dish I've ever seen.. I understand everything has went up.. BUT THATS TOTAL INSANITY.. my glass of wine fell on floor.. due to lopsided table.. they didn't offer me another glass and had the audacity to charge us.. so basically a $168 with tip lunch.. Talked to manager.. was very rude.. looked at us and said these are the prices! Horrible customer service.. We could've eaten in some of the best steakhouses and it wouldn't of cost that much read more

My friend and I stopped in at 6pm on a Friday. We did not have a reservation and they inform us that there was no table available and we understood. We asked if we could stop by a little later just for drinks and the Dining Room manager agreed. Around 8pm we stopped back in and the manager had us wait for five minutes and then brought us to a table inside and we explained again that we just wanted to sit at the bar for drinks and dessert. He brought us back to to the bar and said ok. Twenty minutes went by, many people went in and out from behind the bar and no one attended us. We waisted a little over 30minutes of waiting and being ignored. Finally my friend and I walked out. read more

Food was the Best Ever,And so Was the service, And the Dining Room was just Done over I just Love this place

Very yummy and sure spot of to go a date. Loved the food loved the atmosphere! My wife snd I both had a very nice time spent read more

Food was delicious but the wait times were a disaster. Allegedly they ran out of glasses for martinis and my wife and mother in law waited a good 20 minutes for their drink to arrive. That's unacceptable on all fronts. Our entrees took a good 45 minutes to an hour to come out after our appetizers hit the table. It seemed they were overwhelmed. The food however brought this up to 4 stars because it was delicious. I had the stracciatella soup for app, my wife had the burrata and for main I had gnocchi alla vodka with shrimp that I absolutely loved and my wife had pasta with shrimp. read more

See all

Love this gem. Found it by accident. Always passed during long runs and finally went. Service is great. Good is great. Price is very reasonable. I like it so much we had my daughters graduation party there. If your in the area I highly recommend. Worth every penny. read more

Food was okay but the tall, bald, rude manager is an absolute disgrace. Went in there with my husband to meet family at 4pm. He basically saw us, rolled his eyes then rudely told me to leave my small stroller and carry my infant inside. He lied and said there was no room. Then tells me to balance her carseat on an upside down high chair....I told him no and proceeded into the EMPTY dining room with my kid. He glared at my table every time he walked by. Clearly this is not a family friendly establishment (trying to be high end i guess?) and that man should be fired immediately for the business' sake. Will not go back again. read more

Hands down the best Italian restaurant on Long Island. The staff is awesome. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by the restaurant manager, Adam. He makes you feel as if you are home. I highly recommend ordering Pizza Bianca, Burrata and baked clams as an appetizer. For your meal, you cannot go wrong with either the lamb chops, Branzino or a plate of pasta. You may get lucky if Malfatti is on the menu! For dessert, I recommend you try the flourless chocolate cake, lava cake or the sorbet. Thank you to Vito and his son, Alex for the wonderful environment that they have created. read more

We had the pleasure of visiting today for a spontaneous late lunch. From the moment we entered this delightful little restaurant exceeded our expectations. The service was of the highest caliber. The menu was a surprising mixture of Italian favorites. The food itself was delicious. The Tiramisu was the freshest I've had this side of the Atlantic (Made in house). For the reasonable price we paid, we left totally satisfied with such a wonderful visit. Thank you again for your wonderful service. read more

Always great food and service. They always have a variety of specials which are amazing. The decor is delightful since the renovation. A must go read more

After a long day traveling we wanted sustenance. Basil Leaf came to the rescue. Open until ten! We were seated in a more open area. The bread was warm and served with a delicious tomato spread. Our pasta dishes were tasty and the right size - Service was excellent. read more

All good things eventually come to an end. There is a new team and it is not the same any more.

Selected Basil Leaf cafe based on its great reviews. We were four who were dining and had mixed feelings about the food. Service: the servers were very attentive. For a pricey restaurant we would have expected them to be dressed more formerly. Maybe with a tie instead of a polo shirt. Appetizers: Basil salad and wedge were delicious. Our friend had the octopus and said it was dry. Main course: the mains were good but not excellent. Our expectations were higher due to the great reviews. We did not order dessert. Overall a nice restaurant, but I would not go out of my way to dine in. In the warmer weather ask to be seated outside. read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Artichoke Basil Leaf Salad - Italian Near Me - Locust Valley, New York

See all

I had the gnocchi with pesto which was delicious, the waiter was super snooty but cute spot, great date place for adults. read more

Basil Leaf Cafe - Gnocchi pesto -wasn't expecting a cream sauce but so yummy ! - Italian Near Me - Locust Valley, New York

Had the chicken portobello dish and it was so delicious. Would definitely recommend it and get it again. My friends were happy with their meals too but when they saw mine they wished they got it. The table next to us had such a delicious looking pizza. Waiters were attentive but not overbearing. I would prefer if the tables had a little bit more room between them. Bathroom was very clean. Would love to return in the warm weather to sit outside. read more

Went to dinner last night with another couple. The manager, Adam, seated us almost at the front door but we noticed there were those who he favored and received better seating. He spent most of his time kowtowing to his regular wealthy friends. Everyone else he couldn't care less about. Fortunately the food was delicious - appetizers, main course. Not the greatest but very good. Everything very reasonably priced. However, while that was my first time at this restaurant, it was also my last. I'm fully aware that the neighborhood and surrounding areas are filled with the wealthy who couldn't care less about pricing. But price gouging is in practice at this restaurant. I had two Long Island Ice Teas and my wife has two wines. I was charged $42 for my two drinks and $32 for the wines. I've been to chic restaurants in Manhattan and was never charged more than $16 for an LIT. And this little cafe has the nerve to charge $21 for a LIT in a small glass when most are made in a pint glass. HORRIBLY OVERPRICED. If you have to eat their food order take-out. The average person will go poor if a table of 4 has two drinks each. read more

Food was amazing. Top notch! Great atmosphere. If you go to this establishment you won't be disappointed.