My husband and I just went there to celebrate our anniversary dinner. It's a Sunday night at 6 pm. The place was not that crowded on both sides of the property. When we arrived, a tall skinny man with an accent approached us, already aggravated. When my husband asked if we could sit side by side instead of across from each other he proceeded to walk us to a table where that was not possible. My husband asked politely again for a table side by side. This person turned nasty and replied I can't accommodate you. He said ok and walked away. I explained that we come here frequently and can we go to the other side. He said NO. ITS A STEAK HOUSE! Well! As a patron and in the restaurant business for over 20 years not only myself but my family, I was shocked at his behavior and his demeanor to us as customers. Maybe that is not a big deal to most of you who read this post but as a patron in the neighborhood and the other waiters in the past accommodated us , there is no reason to be treated with that type of demeanor. My husband said are you having a bad day and he just turned around and said goodbye and we left. Will NEVER GO THERE AGAIN. But the kicker is that my sister booked a party there and as tomorrow he will be out an event. Your thoughts ? read more

Excellent restaurant. Impeccable service. Very impressed. Our food was delicious. Staff was great. Very nice atmosphere. All positives. read more

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! read more

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! read more

Went there today with my wife. I don't mind paying for good food and this is not a Covid related issue. Suffice to say the best part of the meal was the cappuccino and coffee at the end and the location and atmosphere are great. We ordered 2 salads and 2 pizzas. The iceberg lettuce salad was turning brown and we needed a microscope to find the pistachio nuts and gorgonzola. After they picked up the salad plates....(the place was not terribly busy either).....we waited over 30 minutes for 2 simple 10 inch pizzas. Both were sub-par. No drinks, and 2 bottles of sparking water. Out the door for close to 130.00 with the tip. I am sorry....but there was absolutely no value here. Almost felt a little taken advantage of. The service was average and not one person asked us how our meal was, or offered an explanation for why 2 10 inch pizzas that took over 30 minutes to serve. Don't think I will be back. read more

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

Absolutley love this restaurant! It's in a cute little area in Locust Valley, owner is truly a nice person & every time I've been there with my family & friends I've always had an amazing experience! The food is delicious, & I'm pretty fussy. The waiters & staff are on point & very respectful. Great location! Love eating outside during the warmer weather. It's like an up-scale restaurant but priced fair. U have to try this place, especially if the weather is nice, eat outside! My favorite dishes, well there's so many, but the rigatoni Bolognese is amazing & they're knoki is made fresh & u can get it in a yummy pesto sauce or really any sauce u prefer! Great place for date night or family night. read more

The Basil Leaf has been the defacto venue for our extended family dinners for the past ten years (at least). Though I wouldn't have minded a bit of variety in our choice of restaurant, we continue to go there because of the consistency of the food, and the amazing staff. Feeding our family is not an easy feat: we have food allergies, particular temperaments, finicky eaters, and food snobs (all at one large table). And yes, I am the aforementioned food snob :) Yet, in spite of all of this, every individual enjoys their meal. The service is efficient, and the waitstaff and chef are more than willing to assist in altering menu items to accommodate our allergies. The food is a bit pricey for what it is (thus 4 instead of 5 stars), and the menu isn't anything astounding. However, you will never leave disappointed or hungry. read more

I have gone to this place many times in the past... back when I was in college. I went there today for the first time in maybe 10 years and boty has it changed. Visually, it is the same place, but somehow the "magic" was gone. The staff was very nice... no complaints there at all. The food was just okay. Apps were boring and the wine was sub par too. The main pasta dish wad pretty good but the rest of what made this place special for so many years is long gone. Would I say "stay clear of this place?" Not at all. Completely acceptable place. Just sad that it wasn't as good as it used to be. read more

It's been over 30 years since I've been to the Basil Leaf Cafe. Last night I went there with 4 friends. I was so pleased with the entire dining experience! It was a very busy night, we had reservations, and were seated promptly. Bread, butter, olive oil etc were provided as soon as we sat. The drinks were delicious. Water glasses were kept full. We asked for some changes in the dishes we ordered, and we were accommodated without question. Everything we ordered was perfectly prepared and seasoned, and so flavorful! The service was possibly the best I have experienced in years. I'm looking forward to going back, and exploring the menu. read more

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. read more

Went here for the first time with my family on Christmas Eve and was glad we did. Food was very good. Staff very pleasant. It was interesting how the clientele changed as the evening progressed but this is a place we will be returning to often. read more

The Basil Leaf continues to impress. We went on a Saturday for lunch with 10 people and the service and food were top notch. From start to finish the staff was attentive and on point. The food choices of our group ranged from pizza to a seafood special and each of us was satisfied and full! Magnificent dessert selection as well. Well done! read more

Four of us at dinner last night shared a lot of dishes and we all loved everything! A truly delicious memorable dining experience. And the people that work there are lovely. Highly recommend! read more

So disappointed, small portions and nothing to write home about. There are lots better in the neighborhood. Skip this one

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. read more

This restaurant is a true gem of Long Island's North Shore! Food was fresh with original and authentic Italian flavor. For appetizer I had grilled octopus over bed of vegetables, and for main course I had orecchiette di rapa with toasted bread crumbs. For sure it was the freshest and best pasta that I have dad in a long time. Bravo to chef from Bari! Was not crazy about their sliced bread, but that is probably just me. Staff was amazing too, especially our waiter Daniel. This will be our regular spot and cannot wait to go back! read more

Great atmosphere and good food. A very relaxed country like setting with outdoor dining option. Our server was very friendly and attentive. Quite a few specials so along with the regular menu you have a wonderful variety of meals. I had the Halibut which was delicious and my wife had Suppe De Fish (an assortment of shellfish in a tasty broth) which she enjoyed. Prices are reasonable with some pricey exceptions mostly on the fish specials. Family friendly especially if you want to dine outdoors. This was my second visit in the last month and I would definitely return. read more

It was wonderful. The will make any dish you ask for. The food was exquisite and the service was excellent.

I just don't know where to start.. we made a reservation at this restaurant as it was close to a relative's house and we wanted to meet them for dinner. I had a reservation for 7:30. We got there to find the place very crowded. It is a small restaurant with very little room to move. We stood at the bar and had a drink. The ONLY good thing about this place was the bartender. He is very nice. I asked the mgr. at around 8pm. How much longer it may be. He said we were next. Great! There was a table paying that was by the bar. The mgr. walked past the table called my name and said "next". Well, much to our surprise, after the table was cleared, he sat other people there! When I questioned what he did, he told me that we had to request a table in the bar area when we called. How the Hell would I know that! I didn't know that there was a seating hierarchy. We were given a table in the main building, which apparently is the less desirable area. The entrance area stunk of mothballs. The small dining area was extremely loud. I now know why it is the less desirable dining room. The waiters were stressed and overwhelmed. We were given menus, we sat, and sat, he never came back. I had to flag him to take our order. If we wanted something, we had to flag the waiter. I had the macaroni and meat sauce. It was good, not great. My husband on the other hand, had the spaghetti and white clam sauce. Well, it was spaghetti with clams on top, no sauce to speak of. How the heck,can you screw that up? It is an Italian staple. Needless to say, I will not return and will not recommend this place. read more

It was delicious. Service was friendly and attentive. Look forward to coming back. My mom had linguini in clam sauce and did not want clams in shells. They happily accommodated her. read more

Not a big fan of this place. Have been here many times but had great food one time but all other times the food was way below expectations. The owner is a very nice man but unless you know nothing about good food you would be ok with this place. read more

I was not expecting 5 star service and food. I love when restaurants surprise me! Had the wild mushroom pizza, side of asparagus, and burrata app. Cocktails were also very good. Just moved to the neighborhood and will be back! :) read more

Glad we stumbled upon this place for lunch! It caught the corner of my eye as we were driving by, so we decided to stop by and take a peek at the menu. We decided to give it a try especially after we saw the outdoor tables. It's a very cute and inviting restaurant with two indoor sections separated by a lovely outdoor area with about 8 tables. We were immediately greeted by the kind waiters and given warm bread with butter(@ the perfect temperature) and a delicious tomato spread! The olive oil they served was definitely not your average and went well with the spread! I honestly could have eaten that as my meal. We ordered the margherita pizza and their basil leaf salad. The pizza was very tasty and perfectly crisp right out of the brick oven. I could have used more basil but it was still tasty regardless. The salad was simple but very delicious. It contained artichokes, pine nuts, and shaved asiago drizzled with a light lemon vinaigrette. I didn't know salad could taste this good with very few ingredients! I can't wait to come back here! read more

I have had great pleasure to frequent this restaurant with my family on many occasions. You will never be disappointed with Basil Leaf this is one of the few last restaurants that continues to deliver constant great meals with excellent service. Whether your in the mood for baked clams, steak, or a pasta dish please be ready to enjoy the great flavors Basil Leaf delivers. Basil Leaf is definitely in my top 3 favorites in the New York area. read more

I have been going here since I was just a little kid, and their brick oven margarita pizzas still remain just as crisp and full of traditional italian flavor, with a warm atmosphere, the Basil Leaf Cafe makes the perfect evening, especially with their iced cappuccino for dessert. read more

I love Basil Leaf. Food is always very good and staff is friendly. Can't go wrong with this place.

The perfect place for a private luncheon. After searching the area, and dealing with people who were rude and restaurants that smelled like bars, finally we found the Basil Leaf. We were unable to provide a specific number of guests attending our luncheon and the Manager was very accommodating and flexible with our plans. They were ready when we arrived, the room was beautiful and had lots of windows and the food was delicious. The staff was attentive and courteous. It was just perfect. read more

This restaurant is a gem and beloved by all in the neighborhood. The food and spledid staff transports a diner to a realm similar to Italy. Best Italian food on Long Island! read more

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! read more

Anybody who rates this restaurant with less than 5 stars is crazy. This place is amazing. The food, the staff, and the service is top notch. They really care about their customers and make you feel right at home. The food is unbelievable. They make their own pasta which is perfectly prepared. Desserts are out of this world! They will not disappoint! One of my favorite places to spend time with my family. read more

I had a reservation and was on time and still had to wait over 30 minutes. The host did not even address us for 10 minutes until we complained to a server walking by. There is a separate section were we ate and the women complained because you had to walk back outside to the other building to use the bathroom which is not great in winter weather. I had spaghetti with shrimp which tasted great but was completely overpriced and the portions were small. The waiter forgot to bring us water after asking for it twice. Two others had penne ala vodka and were not impressed. The room was cramped and my seat was almost pushed up against the table behind us. Aside from enjoying my meal I did not enjoy the loud atmosphere, slow service and large bill. read more

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. read more

My family has been coming here for over 20 years. It has become one of my favorite restaurants. The restaurant has two different dining areas with a different vibe, however both are comfortable and you feel like you are eating in someones home. Do not expect Italian-American food on this menu. If you frequent the Matteo's restaurants you will not be happy here. For one this neighborhood is very exclusive and the clientele is made up of people who have eaten at fine restaurants around the world. This food is gourmet and what you would likely find in a restaurant in Italy. Red tomato sauce cannot be found on this menu. Basil Leaf has a loyal following and it is obvious by the interactions of different parties. This is not intimidating however, and everyone is treated just as well. The service here is in my opinion half of what makes this is great restaurant. Every plate is brought out at the same time, silverware is changed with every course and your leftovers are handed to you at the door when you leave. The menu has not changed in the past few years but I would recommend the specials when it comes to the desserts. I have rarely ordered the red meat here but I notice that it has a following by the regulars here; the pastas are what I typically have, they are clearly homemade and sauces are unique. Don't forget to try a brick oven pizza; have half of one as an appetizer. read more