Based on other Yelper reviews we decided to hit Basil. We have been looking for a cheap Malaysian place in central CT and since there really was not a lot to choose from we said ok to this Asian fusion place (Cantonese, Malaysian, Thai, Japanese, etc). I think they are Cantonese because... I understand their language! (maybe Chinese-Malaysian?) The best apps were turnip cakes (fried and crispy outside- almost as good as those in dim sum places but too moist in center so these fell apart with chopsticks), Shanghai dumplings (juicy inside but no soup dumplings on menu) and roti with curry dip. Scallion pancakes were overcooked and squished flat and dry. Avocado boba tea was very refreshing and creamy. Like nothing I ever drank before. I did not like the huge grape-like bunch of boba at the end. Like boba poop. I would have preferred to just drink avocado milkshake. Crispy pan fried noodles (Cantonese dish) had like two small shrimps with tails in it with lots of bok choy. However, noodles were very crispy and tasty. Their famous dish is the salty fish, chicken and Chinese eggplant casserole in clay pot. I am used to the pow of the salty fish but non-Asians may find it too salty. The beef redang in clay pot was the highlight of the entrees because the beef were soooo tender and I wanted to drink the sauce with the boba straw! Indonesian mee goreng with pork was ok but it looked like pork lo mein. Chow tueh teow was tasty with broad flat noodles and bean sprouts just like chow fun but with different spices. The ma po tofu had a tasty spicy sauce but the peas and carrots were probably from Birdseye (off putting). I prefer Hao Sichuan's Chengdu version. The prices were very reasonable for the mid sized plates. You would definitely pay more for the big platters you get in Chinatown. 6 dishes with 4 apps among us 7 persons were very reasonable for $137. No wonder the place was packed with Yalies! This fufills our Cantonese and Malaysian ethnic eats. Check! read more

It was East Melange. When we found it as suggested by a friend who came here very often when he studied in Yale U, we found the owner's changed. It serves Thai food, Chinese dim sum and other southeast asian food. We like the food. It's cheap, costed us $18 incl. tax and tips for 2 entrees. read more

Basil Restaurant - Asian Fusion Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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The roast pork and roast duck rice I had here was really good. The taste is very close to the kind I have back in Singapore, and the chilli paste they have is also what we have back at home. Pretty surprised to find such good Singaporean/ Malaysian food here in New Haven. I didn't try their other dishes (they have plenty!), but I reckon they would all be pretty good, given the two dishes I tried with a friend were very legit. If you're looking for authentic Asian food, this place is highly recommended! read more

Basil Restaurant - Roast duck and roast pork rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Great prices, good food. They are happy to accomodate any special dietary needs. My fave dish is the basil eggplant. They cut their eggplant small instead of huge chunks, which I actually prefer. I judge all other eggplant dishes from this one. Service is super quick. I went here with family on Christmas and it was a great experience. read more

I'm going to preface this by saying that my standards for Asian food are pretty high, having spent the last year or so eating it almost exclusively in Alhambra/Monterey Park outside of LA. Having said that, the drunken noodle dish was not that great - not what I'm used to, and instead of soft tofu (which I requested) they gave me fried tofu. Meh. The scallion pancakes were okay (they were either deep fried or shallow fried, and not the korean style ones that have a slightly glutenous texture...which I adore). The soup dumplings were really good though! Better than ones I had at Evergreen in NYC with a friend. Their turnip cake had shredded turnip in it and was really greasy and tasted slightly burnt, which was...just odd. And undesirable. But yay for good soup dumplings! I'll be back for those. My husband had the beef redang dish which he said was quite good but was a small portion. Edited to add that the curry chicken was quite good. Maybe 3.5 stars now. read more

Great food. quick service and lots of options. We were very pleased with the scallion pancakes, mango chicken with brown rice and chicken chow fun. Nothing was too greasy and not too heavy. Perfect snowy Saturday night meal. Oh and it was perfectly priced!!! We spent 25 on 2 entrees, an appetizer and a pot of tea! read more

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Not gonna lie - this was the worst meal I've had in a long time. Scallion pancake was way overdone - all you could taste was "fry", and the dipping sauce did little to help. Avocado salad was decent - good dressing but tomatoes were a bit sketchy looking. For the main course, I got the Sesame Chicken "over" brown rice (they were actually completely separate on either side of the plate). I asked if it came with broccoli and it did - 3 tiny undercooked florets to be exact. The chicken itself was inedible - completely overcooked with a very unwelcoming sauce. The rice was also not good. I've never eaten cardboard before but this plate is what I'd imagine it to taste like. Big disappointment. Woof. read more

The special draw here are the prices (for me at least). Thai red curry with chicken at Thai restaurants in the 'burbs will typically set me back $11. Basil Restaurant charges $5.95 for theirs. I've ordered that dish a couple times for take-out and it's been pretty good. It's a little bit on the runny side, but fine for mixing with rice. The serving size isn't huge but it's just enough for one person. Their dumplings and mini shanghai buns are good too. The only downside to Basil is that there's no place to park which is a concern for us folks from the 'burbs looking to grab quick take-out. That corner is a little too busy to consider double parking. On the plus side, the inside is very clean, they're open late, and the staff is always friendly. read more

Basil is a spectacular restaurant given the niche it occupies both in terms of cuisine and price point. I just moved away from New Haven and, to be honest, I don't know if I would have survived if not for this place. I ordered from here 4-5 times a week, so I've tried a good deal of the menu and found it consistently high-quality given their inexpensive prices (most entrees are $6.95 and would qualify as a pretty substantial dinner). My recommendations: Appetizers - Vegetable Spring Rolls Entrees - Basil Chicken, Chicken & Broccoli with Garlic Sauce, Red Curry, Massaman Curry, Sesame Chicken The restaurant is run by the family that owns it. The interior is simple but attractive -- it does not look like a hole in the wall, unlike other Asian food spots in town that have similar prices. Service is really, really quick -- an entree turns around in under 10 minutes, and if I ordered takeout, I'd typically wait at home for under 5 minutes before walking over to pick it up, and it'd be ready when I got there. read more

I love Basil. It's cheap and delicious. Be warned though, if you order something that's not that popular, like duck, quality and freshness definitely go down. Stick to stir fry and noodle dishes. The drinks are quite mediocre- they make the bubble tea as slushies with boba and the Thai iced tea is sickeningly sweet. All that said, they have a lot of my favorite Asian food. I love the teriyaki eel, chinese sausage and salty fish fried rice, and tom yum soup. Service is always fast no matter how busy it gets. read more

I LOVE BASIL RESTAURANT!! This is owned, operated, and run by the same great people who owned Kari Restaurant on Whalley Avenue (now called The Thai, and it is just not good...) The dishes here are so well priced, I almost feel bad, as if I should tell them to raise their prices. The amount and quality of food that you get is far beyond what I expected for a dish that can easily be made into two, and for under $8-!! They have updated their menu to suit many palates, they now offer Chinese and Thai, and even have bubble tea! Does anywhere else in New Haven even have that!? If so, probably not as good, or as economically priced. If you have some old time Kari favorites that you dont see on the menu, just ask and they will be happy to make it for you (literally, they are always smiling and happy!) - my personal favorite is their vegetarian Mee Goreng, which in my opinion easily rivals Bentara's (my all time favorite New Haven restaurant...). The roti chanai is different than Kari's was, but still very, very tasty, although it is an unusually small portion so I would recommend ordering one each :) , and now you can also get the ever delicious scallion pancake here too! Their pad thai is quite delicious, and I have to say I think it is my favorite in the area, and its even better warmed up the second day... because unless you have a hefty appetite you will probably be bringing some home for work the next day. They are some of the nicest people, serving some of the most delicious food in the area. Take a date here, and for $20- bux youll even have money to splurge on some Ashleys afterward - and the ice cream will probably even cost you more than the meal! Sit back with some hot ginger tea, and slurp up some noodles. This is a place not to be missed! read more

Food was very good, but not the best. On the other hand the service was just outstanding. Super-friendly, family oriented and very clean. I found the portions to be very reasonable and perfect for not overeating. For appetizers I ordered a Mango Salad, which I loved, loved, loved!!! I strongly recomment to try it if you like mangoes. The mangoes on top were just the best mangoes I have ever tried - ripe and flavorful. The dressing that came with it was also very good, sweet and just a drop bitter, which complimented the arugula in the salad perfectly. We also ordered Scallion Pancakes for appetizers. Tasty, but a drop tough for me. For entrees we ordered Drunken Noodles and Roasted Duck. The Drunken Noodles did not have as much flavor that I would expect in a drunken noodle dish and the duck was delicious, but dry. For dessert we had an Exotic Bomba, which is a combination of 3 ice creams inside a white chocolate ball. A perfect ending for a Thai meal! read more

I have been going here for years and the food is always delicious! My favorite is the chicken coconut curry noodle bowl and the hot sesame wonton appetizer! I order these both every time. The prices are more than fair and the staff is friendly. Great boba tea too! read more

I can't fully express how much I love Basil. I loved it when it was East Melange, but I love it more now. Where else can you go with a friend in New Haven, order a huge variety of dishes, and get out stuffed and happy for 15 dollars? (nowhere) Here's what to do: go crazy on the appetizers, they are why I love this place so much. You MUST get the roast pork buns and roti canai, and if you have room for more, the turnip cake, scallion pancakes, fried dumplings and bok choi are to die!! Then share a curry. If they brought me massaman curry with a straw I'd be happy. Do note that they don't bring things out in any order. If you want your dish last, order it when you're eating appetizers. They also have the best bubble tea I've ever had. The bubbles are the perfect consistency, and they have a wide variety of flavors. I go to Basil because I dream about those appetizers. The unbelievable price is an added bonus. read more

I prefer Basil to the previous restaurant, East Milange. For apps I recommend the turnip cake or scallion pancake. Any of the noodle soups are good. The beef chow fun is too greasy! For drinks, I love the milk tea with boba either hot or cold. It's a good place to meet up with friends for quickly/casually before going back to work, and the prices are reasonable-just how me likey! Oops, had to revoke a star because me and my two friends ordered the same soup, but mine came out 15-20 min later...I had to be somewhere so had to take it to go. read more

Awww how many of us miss East Melange. On the plus side, Basil is pretty much East Melange, only a little bit worse with better customer service (despite being the same waiters and cooks). Their scallion pancakes are still just as delicious and the best in the New Haven greasy Chinese food scene, that have a light crispiness, are not overly greasy or floury, and are served with a tasty sweet soy sauce. The food is incredibly cheap and not that good, but when you need a fix for greasy Chinese... read more

When it comes to rating this Pan-Asian joint I am somewhat torn (though not laying naked on the floor!). You see Basil and I go way back. I mean we didn't go to high school together or anything, but I used to visit the owners' previous Whalley Ave. Malaysian Restaurant and I also chowed down at this locale when this storefront was under different management and known as Noodles for All (the so-called communist noodle.) The menu is a virtual jaunt across the Pan-Asian landmass-- you got Thai, Chinese, Malaysian and other assorted treats, you got your boba teas-- I recommend avocado--you got noodles, rices, entrees, curries, roti, satay, steamed buns,.... I mean if they get a sushi chef and put some teriyaki and bulgogi on the menu they've got most of the continent covered. The food may not always be foodgasmic but it'll give the Chapel Ave thai spots a run for their money. Speaking of money, also very important are the grrrrreat (to cite T. Tiger) prices! Move over Ivory Tower Noodle-- there's a new sheriff in town and he's not on the take. Let's just say the prices are about 2/3 of what the other like-flavored noodle houses want to charge you for exactly the same thing. You go home full and you might even have some money to chow down on some Fro Yo on the way home. Now that's what I call a win-win situation and what my nutritionist calls another step closer to heart disease and diabetes. So why am I torn? Well I meant I hate to bring up past disagreements but the last time I went, the drunken noodles were terrible. I mean just straight up gag-me yucky. That was their first eff up in 5 visits though so the more I talk this over, I'm starting to think Basil needs another chance. Maybe I'll go visit them tomorrow and see if they'll take me back. Four thumbs up. read more

This was one of my favorite Asian fusion places when I was at Yale. I have had so much chicken and broccoli in this place it's a wonder my hair isn't a big green tree. I love coming here. The service is good (not great), there's a wonderful selection of rice dishes and a variety of noodles. Also food service is generally quick -- even if you order brown rice -- and the noise is never too bad, even when it's full. Oh by the way: this place is CHEAP! I recently revisited after a couple years' hiatus and was actually shocked to recall how inexpensive it is for really, really good Asian fusion. I love this place. Makes me miss the 'Have. read more

I come here for their Soy Sauce Chicken Wonton Noodle Soup. Has been a reliably great lunch spot for years, with prompt service, solidly good food, with flavors that make me think of my childhood Chinatown. The beef chow fun (rice noodles) is also stellar, their flavors on point and the meat tender. It's simple but on par for the great price point. read more

It's a pretty good restaurant with a solid selection of vegetarian and vegan food. Love their eggplants and dumplings, portion size is totally ok. Quick service. Even though they're open until 11 they'll only allow sit-in till 10, after that it's only to go. The pricing is totally reasonable (for the US), if you don't each huge amounts you can probably get away with 6-8$ for an entire meal. read more

Spent the summer in New Haven and would eat at Basil's every weekend. Great food for a good price with efficient service and friendly staff. My go to order is cold noodle and the salmon teriyaki. I also recommend their curry soup. read more

One of the best mixes of Asian cuisine under one roof. They have everything you could imagine and it's all pretty good. Try some bubble team too read more

Great value here. I come for the beef stew noodle soup. It's not quite authentic Chinese beef noodle, but it's not far off, and certainly closer than any of the other wannabe noodle options in town. Most importantly, they use very little MSG (same can't be said of other wannabe noodle options). It's a refreshing dish, and it's a no brainer to come here when I'm in the mood for some beef noodle soup. read more

Great prices! This restaurant falls into the same category as York Street Noodle House and Ivy Noodle of lots of noodles for low prices. I'd rank it in between the too (York Street Noodle House then Basil then Ivy Noodle). The food is decent, the bubble tea okay. Not a fan of the set-up of the room, and the service can be slow, so I prefer to come here just for take-out! read more

I was visiting Yale for a weekend and found myself hungry late one night for some noodles. Luckily for me, this little place was right around the corner from the hotel I was staying at. The menu is expansive with all sorts of Asian and Asian-fusion food, but as I was craving noodles, I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai. The noodles were oddly pale when I got back to my room which should have warned me about the taste and flavour. Overall, the noodles were bland, among the least flavourful Pad Thais I've ever had. Even squirting on the slice of lime didn't do much to boost flavour. On the other hand, there was a good amount of chicken, egg, bean sprouts, and other veggies in the decently sized dish. It was also a good value overall at under $7. The restaurant itself is clean, nice, and has a decent amount of seating in its small dining room. Also, there's a nice Indian restaurant right next door in the same building which was kinda cool. Everything considered, I would give Basil Restaurant two stars for the Pad Thai plus one additional star for the expansive selection and good value. Given the large number of high reviews, I have hope that the other dishes could be of higher quality. My advice, just avoid the Pad Thai. read more

This is a new place we decided to try this week. Great location, no problem parking, and the restaurant itself is very clean and bright. Service was great and our waitress was attentive. The prices are great for downtown. Our scallion pancake appetizer was fantastic. The best I've ever had. They were tasty, soft in the middle and crispy on the outside. I ordered the pad thai and was a little disappointed. I ordered it with the mix of meats, seafood and tofu, and I must say, they loaded it. The problem I had with it was how sour it was. The sauce was borderline unpleasantly sour. Our other entree was the General Tso's Chicken. It's a nice size portion, well cooked and saucy, but again, I didn't really care for the sauce's taste. We'll go back again, and I'll try something new, but for now, only a three star place. read more

Basil is located right of Broadway and is my favorite place for Thai downtown. I have always dined-in, although I know take-out is available also. I love there Thai-style curry- great balance of flavor and vegetable cooked just right (not overdone and mushy!). On my last trip we have the spicy won-tons for an appetizer and they were very good, but indeed quite spicy. Also liked the pork shumai. My boyfriend had drunken noodes which were good, but on the sweeter side and we prefer more heat. Restaurant itself is clean and bright. Limited seating but have never had to wait at lunch time. Service is very good and quick. Pleasant waitstaff. Basil remains a favorite! read more

Basil Restaurant - Asian Fusion Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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The customer service at Basil Restaurant is superb. A group of us from the Yale ED had ordered from here on UberEats around 716pm and was never delivered (scam by driver). Since we are currently on COVID restaurant restrictions, the restaurant closed at 8 and when I had tried to reorder on UberEats, I was unable to do so. I called the restaurant and explained the situation and the lady that had answered the phone was so understanding and helped me replace the order through UberEats even after the restaurant had closed. The food was PHENOMENAL and so reasonably priced. Couldn't be more grateful for their understanding and caring during this trivial time. read more

I've frequented Basil a lot during undergrad and it was a decent place for cheap Asian fusion food. However the quality is quite variable. In terms of food they have some decent apps. You can't go wrong with scallion pancake. Their pork buns are also decent. They have a lot of noodle dishes and food over rice. Most recently I got the three kinds of meat (chicken, pork, duck) over rice. Several other people got the same thing and the amount of meat varied greatly among the dishes. The meat had a lot of bones in it but was flavorful. Service was fast and the food came out quickly. I would avoid getting the boba. Most of their bobas are slushes or have way too much ice and the bubbles freeze in the glass. They were soft for the first 5min but quickly hardened. Overall, a decent place for a cheap Asian fusion meal. read more

Again (see my posts for Taste of China, Chao Restaurant, etc.), I lament the availability of good, affordable, and authentic Asian food in New Haven. Why, I ask, why?? My pain is only made deeper after living in Singapore for 9 months before returning to New Haven. Now there's a country that understands Asian food, boasting nearly every combination and permutation of Asian cuisine (all cuisines, really) you can think of. It's so delicious - And cheap! Basil is another one of these pan-Asian casual restaurants that aims to cater to the student clientele (I remember it being another Asian noodle place back in the day). Its menu has a range of Asian cuisines, from Thai to Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Taiwanese, and Singaporean (I likely left out a few), so it's sure to please everyone's taste buds. My group and I decided to eat Western style (e.g., everyone fends for herself), so we got to sample quite a few dishes. Here's a few notes: - Udon - two people raved about it. A healthy portion size and an option to include a protein. - Xiaolongbao (Shanghainese dumplings) - were mediocre. - Scallion pancake - like the other person who complained about it, I wasn't impressed. Was overfried and hard. Flavorless. - Three kinds of meat on rice - he seemed happy with it. - Sesame chicken - I went for an Chinese-American dish, it was actually hot, crispy, and not too overwhelming on the sauce. Not overly sweet either. - Thai green curry - with so much Thai food competition in New Haven, it didn't stand out. - Crispy noodles with chicken - very Americanized, think of those times you saw 'Asian Chicken Salad' on a menu and found it it meant 'Regular chicken salad with friend noodles on top' It was affordable and fast. I also saw bubble tea on the menu, but after living in Asia and the land of fresh, amazing Taiwanese bubble tea, I couldn't stomach any potential disappointment. read more

I know 3 stars is not a *great* rating, but don't get me wrong; I liked it. It's a solid place to go in downtown NH: cheap, pretty good portions, lots of variety. It's probably one of the better Asian options in town, but the thing is that I'm used to really great Asian food, which I guess seems to not be so available. Friendly staff, and good service, although when we went we were the only ones there, so no reason not to have had good service. Had the roast duck, which was a tiny bit overcooked, but still good. It would have been nice to know that the roast duck already came with a bit of bok choy on the side before I ordered a whole plate of bok choy with oyster sauce. Maybe I just missed it on the menu that it said that? Shrugs. Well, FYI the roast duck already comes with bok choy. It didn't stop me from still eating the extra I'd ordered, though. =) The veggies were decent; no complaints. Bubble tea was not good, but not terrible. I don't know what it was about it, but it had this weird aftertaste... maybe from whatever tea or tea syrup they were using? I make my own bubble tea as well as having had it from a lot of different places, so I know the difference in tastes when it's fresh tea vs. syrup, and that wasn't what was going on there. I'd say pass on it unless you're really dying for a tapioca fix. read more

Food was great! No liquor license but the pop was fun! The food was outstanding!! Def will go back!

The price is amazingly cheap for the quality. Don't expect fine dining. This is a casual restaurant. read more

I've been to Basil a few times. Came here today with a group of nine for lunch. It was busy, but not packed, so we got a table pretty quickly. It's easy to get to. Right off Broadway, easy walk from downtown or Broadway parking. They've got a fair amount of space inside (maybe room for 40+?). The service is pretty fast, it didn't take long to get our food after ordering. And the food is great. Definitely try the roast pork buns. I had the Chicken Tom Yum soup, which is pretty spicy, but worth the pain (though you could probably ask for it to be toned down a bit). Good prices too, after tax and tip, I spent $12, totally fair. read more

From 2013 --- Food -- Moderate prices, perfect portion sizes. And brown rice sub for no additional charge! I always go with the curries as I find Thai noodle dishes to be predictably better spiced at the plethora of Thai restaurants on Chapel street. Bubble tea -- Probably the worst bubble tea I've ever had. I got the taro--made from powder and nondairy creamer. Plus the stiffest pearls ever. I threw half of it away. Tummyache Town!!! read more

I ordered via Uber Eats at around 5:10 on a Saturday. Order was placed and processing by 5:11 and delivered by 5:35 which seems almost a little too quick. Ordered drunken noodles with chicken and got tofu. Noodles were fairly dry. Seaweed salad was delicious. read more

My favorite dish is the beef chow fun! I have come to this restaurant several times and i would get that dish every time. I have tried the fried dumplings as well which was great. Next time i am looking to try the soup. read more

I tried the salty fish, chicken, and eggplant casserole which was bad. I had 2 bites (the second after salt and pepper with no improvement). It's nothing like a casserole. The roti canai was nothing but pancake and a drop of sauce. I'm used to the coconut curry sauce having at least potatoes in it. Usually it's chicken and potatoes. I'm always open to trying new things, and the waitress recommended the entree and said there was no bacalao (saltfish) in it, so I gave it ago. The most disappointing part to me was the lack of attention and service. Even though the place was nearly empty, my waitress took forever. I had to flag her down for the check, and she didn't seem to give a hoot that I was leaving behind a plate full of untouched food. I just wasn't in the mood to fight or have the replacement meal potentially spat in. I don't know how their other dishes are, but this experience was enough to keep me from coming back. read more

This place is either really over hyped by college kids on yelp or we ordered the wrong things...Unfortunately it was not so great. We came around 6:30 on a Sunday and it was not crowded at all. So we should have gotten great food and excellent service! My date ordered Chicken Pad Thai , What happened here, I can make a tastier dish than this. It was very plain,no sauce at all, not flavorful, barely any chicken and they tossed in chunks of tofu? We ordered CHICKEN....maybe they ran out and thought we wouldn't notice?...sigh... My order was interesting, Chicken with Brown Rice and Yellow Curry. The yellow curry sauce was decent and flavorful, thank goodness, and there was a good amount of chicken and fair amount of rice to add to the bowl.. However, there was TOO much Curry sauce , it was more like a soup and it had a random mix of vegetables and fruits and things floating in it...Let me explain, There was a few mushroom, bell peppers slices,( sounds normal so far right?).... 1 Random NOODLE!,....2 cubed chunks of pineapple??! ONE wedge of a TOMATO?! and Broccoli.. Very strange! It's like they collected things at random in the kitchen and tossed them in my bowl. The service was not very attentive like others have said. NO one asked how the food was, or refilled our drinks.. We will not be returning and are sticking to one of our favorites Thai Taste. read more

I love the mango juice they have on their menu. I also love the chicken curry with brown rice, which is amazing!! Great combination of sweet and spicy. Jem read more