Let I've been a customer at Basil Tree for many years. I've chosen it for my birthday celebrations, family celebrations, large dinner parties, date nights, etc. It's one of the gems in Dixon as there is not many restaurants that are locally owned and the Basil Tree is actually quite nice for Italian cuisine and is rather known and established. I would say that I've never had a terrible experience there, quite the opposite, up until last Thursday. I ordered the salmon picatta. A dish I've ordered several times prior. Salmon in a wine and lemon based sauce with sauteed spinach and capers. It was delicious. However, our poor waiter was doing the majority of the work for the busy restaurant, rushing meals up and down flights of stairs while his female counter part was largely chit chatting. I felt rather sorry for him, tipped him well although we were late to the other plans we had that night. Roughly two and a half hours later I was so sick. I instantly knew I had food poisoning. I spent the remainder of my night and the entirety of the following day bawled up in a mess on my bathroom floor. I couldnt move andnnearly called an ambulance on several instances of illness: did you know a common side effect of food poisoning is numbness in the limbs and face? I didn't either. Literally thought I was having a stroke. I contacted the two other guests I went to dinner with once I was capable of handling a cell phone again. One did not have the same dish as I and the other did. Guess what? The other guest who ordered the same entree had the same side effects, while the guest who ordered spaghetti remained symptom free. Basil Tree was contacted and notified. Not to protect us, to protect THEM. However, we were met with "its fresh " "that's never happened" "no problems in 11 years". No offering to protect future customers. And for that, they may ultimately kill and elderly or immunocompromised customer. I will NEVER eat there again and their reputation will have some stains on it when I chat with other locals about their service. read more

Loved the chicken parmigiana! Big portions good food.Nice atmosphere and wait staff appetizer fell a little short for me but overall a good enjoyable experience read more

I discovered this place by sheer chance while in Dixon, and what luck that was. I realize this will all sound like a bogus review, but I don't know how else to say it-- the food is excellent, the portions decent, the prices fair, the atmosphere inviting, and the service wonderful. After coming here once in December, we came back 5 more times in the following few months. I just wish I still had more frequent reasons to be in Dixon, so I could visit more often! read more

5 STARS!! Our third time here for a reason; finally decided to put out this short review.. My wife, 2 daughters, and I believe its the best true Italian dining in our region. Basically the food, the wine selection, and the service are top notch. The atmosphere is cozy, quite upscale, and very confortable. We highly recommend Basil Tree for a delcious Italian dining experience. read more

The restaurant was closed for in-person dining, but they are open for curb-side and outdoor dining. There are patio heaters available and staff was very attentive to the comfort of outdoor diners because of the cold. The bruschetta was delicious. We ordered pasta with vodka sauce, tortellini marinara, and Chicken Vesuvius. All were great with large portions. Great dining experience and staff is following Covid protocol which is refreshing. read more

A really nice place with authentic, delicious Italian food. Service was slow at first but picked up. Wish we had more time to sit and relax-food was outstanding. Definitely worth a stop in Dixon. read more

Sweet little Italian family-owned ristorante! LOVE this place, and just wish it was closer to the big city, I think I would want to eat in this place several times a week! Great atmosphere with a family-style touch but still very nice for formal occasions. Took my father here for his 87th birthday, and they treated us VERY well... each dish was prepared individually and with fresh ingredients ! I loved my homemade gnocchi with their special vodka sauce (with extra mascarpone!!!) and salad of tomatoes with onion and gorgonzola...simply delicious! Nice wine list and fabulous family running this establishment. Warm & friendly... definitely check this place out. Buon Appetito! read more

Cute little place... food was delicious. Do yourself a favor and don't skip dessert. The tuxedo cake is what dreams are made of.

Went here on a weeknight date. Very good food and decent service. I had the veal franchese which was fantastic! I would definitely go back. read more

An enormous THANK YOU to the Basil Tree chefs and owners for the recent take-out order we got. You really went out of your way to prepare a delicious meal for our elderly mother and her sister. They thoroughly enjoyed every bite. What big hearts you have. Can't wait to visit when the dining room is open once again! read more

My husband and I discovered this small town, fine ding restaurant to be a true gem! Excellently prepared Italian cuisine and superb service by our server (Nick?). Loved the Diablo pasta sauce over scallops. The wine flight was great & the minestroni w/ warm bread was a great start. Will return! Try this place--very unassuming building, but a very nice interior w/ lovely background music & excellent food. read more

This place is always a pleasure for dinner. Quiet music from Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra create an ambiance perfect for a date or a meeting of friends. Pasta and sauce selections make this establishment easy for return visits without having the same dish twice. The wine list is limited, but decently priced. Energetic wait staff are attentive to the table needs while also eager to provide recommendations if you are having trouble deciding on a meal choice. I haven't tried the desserts, but I am positive with the rest of the dinning experience, this place wouldn't sell you short! read more

My first time at this restaurant and it was delicious. It has a quaint and humble atmosphere. I love the fire pit that is going outside as you are walking in the door. The staff is very friendly, and the service was excellent! My Chicken Marsala was fantastic, and they are definitely not skimpy on the portions that are served. Wine list and wine was very good. I would go back again on my way to Galena. read more

Incredible! Ambience, food and wine. Great vegetarian options! Wonderful date spot within a small town, who would have guessed?! This is your go to spot for any occasion in Dixon. You will not be disappointed. Large party room available otherwise large dining room accommodates 100 or so patrons. There's a full bar as well. read more

Average food, attentive staff. I think that this is probably one of the better restaurants in Dixon, but nothing to write home about.

Went here twice for buffet over the summer. I think it has spoiled me for other restaurants, especially Italian. Buffet seems to be an excellent deal, since it is a modest price with a superb experience. 3 main aspects that come to mind are: food, environment, and service all of which I'd put at 5 stars (this is coming from someone who has done his fair share of eating out, but almost never to high end restaurants, and isn't a picky eater). I'd say the service is most noteworthy, about as close to impeccable as you can get. Very professional, attentive, and knowledgeable. When we'd take a trip to the buffet and happen to take a smaller salad plate for the entrees, the guy at the bar would always encourage us to enjoy a big plate :) Food on the buffet was great, 5 dishes plus salad and soup. They keep smallish portions of the entrees out so they can frequently add freshly made. The selection varied between the 2 times we were there which was good. My favs so far: beef tips and mushrooms in brown sauce and cheese ravioli in vodka sauce Environment is near perfect, especially a well done interior. Update 10-2013 I understand they no longer offer the buffet (weekday lunches), which is rather disappointing. However I've been there for dinner on a Sat (twice I think) and it is no less remarkable. read more

My colleague and I were in town on business and came to this place based on the yelp 4.5 star rating and lots of good reviews. Let me just say... The food was amazing and the portion was very generous. for the price you pay you couldn't get this high quality food anywhere else. Definitely recommended if you in the area. read more

Ok, so maybe our waitress wasn't on her best game today, but she definitely left a lot to be desired. She continually tried correcting my pronunciation of caprese (it is NOT pronounced caprees). Multiple times she tried correcting me. The caprese was also pretty drowned in olive oil. The food my companions had looked pretty good though. Also, the atmosphere is very nice here. I feel like the place definitely has potential, I think I just didn't luck out on my particular expe read more

Was really tasty for a small town. The soup was to die for! The pasta was a bit over cooked.

Dinner was very enjoyable! Would have been better if my Mostaccioli Monte had more than 4 pieces of shellfish in it... Hubby's Chicken Vesuvio was great! read more

We went here tonight for a nice Friday night dinner as a couple. Our first time to this place. We went based on favorable Yelp reviews. I had the clam and mussel pasta, my wife had the salmon over sautéed spinach. The pasta was by far the best seafood pasta I've ever had. A huge amount of clams and mussels in a great light garlic and oil sauce. My wife's salmon had great flavor, was tender, mild, and cooked perfectly. The spinach was excellent. The server was efficient, pleasant, and attentive. Couldn't have been better in a great Italian atmosphere! read more

Let me state first that i always give a place more than one shot. I realize everyone has off days. However, his is the third time i have been to Basil Tree and my experience each time has been roughly the same. My husband and i dined on a Saturday evening. We were ushered in by a pleasant hostess and showed to our table. The decor was pleasant and it was dimly lit to facilitate a date night. The music was nice, jazzy 40's-era. Shortly we were attended by a waiter. I asked if it was possible to sub something on the menu. He said, "First, before i answer your question, let me introduce myself and explain the specials". This was said in a very condescending and snotty tone, with a smug smile. I asked if the minestrone was any good. He replied," I don't know. I don't eat vegetables," and smirked. He brought our first course pretty quickly- we had both ordered the pasta fagioli. The noodles and beans were overcooked but the taste was ok. He also brought bread to the table that i expected to be homemade. If it was, it was day-old or more. Not impressed. The olive oil for dipping had good flavor. Our main course- again, we ordered the same thing, the Chicken ala Basil Tree- followed in good time. However, the chicken was rubbery, the "lemon butter sauce" had an off-putting flavor reminiscent of bottled, low-quality Italian salad dressing and the artichokes were canned. The spinach tasted fresh. My husband had a side of penne pasta and the sauce was like it came from a jar of Prego. I had a side of Vesuvio-style potatoes which were cold and bland. They seemed as if they had been sauteed and then stingily sprinkled with dried parsley and set in a warmer hours previously. We did not order dessert. So to recap: Hostess nice Server snobby Food bland, overcooked, overpriced (for the quality) Decor and music pleasing read more

The veal special was excellent and the wine was perfect. Excellent service. A hidden gem in Dixon.

Great pasta, I always get the create your own and mix it up. The service is superb and the atmosphere is very nice.

The waitstaff was very friendly. The seafood grill appetizer, veal Marsala and chicken parm were so yummy. Each meal came with a side of pasta, fresh bread from oven and soup. Very filling and best of all they had gluten free options! Solid 5 stars. read more

From the time you walk through the door, until the time you leave, you are treated as a king (or a queen as the case may be) The restaurant is beautifully decorated, clean, and very inviting. The hostess was very nice and sat us very quickly. Our waiter was prompt to come to our table and introduce himself, tell us the specials and explain each one. He took drink orders and gave us some time to look. We still hadn't decided when he brought our drinks, and I needed some help, which he happily gave me. I decided on Pollo Ala Basil Tree. Which is slices of chicken breast cooked in a white wine and lemon sauce and served with manicotti. Both were delicious and served with bread. I would definitely suggest Basil Tree and I will definitely go back. read more

For a small town, I was totally impressed. Everything was well prepared and the service was excellent. By the glass wines were so-so but that's my only complaint. It's not 5 stars because I reserve that rating for places that really blow me away. read more

Came up from Chicago expecting to just have an average dinner. Was way off this place is legit! The vodka sauce is top notch. Great service as well! Next time we are back in Dixon we will be heading there! read more

Wonderful service. The Chicken Parmesan I had was one or if not the best I have ever had. The chicken was so tender I cut it with just my fork. I highly recommend trying this restaurant out. Cheers! read more

Had a nice dinner! Food is better than average, great atmosphere, service was a bit slow but they were busy so will cut them a break.

Always a special treat with authentic Italian cruising from scratch. Superb service and very pleasant ambiance. Definitely give this one try. My best choice for fine dining in Dixon read more

One of the best Italian restaurants I've been too!! Great atmosphere & the tiramisu is DELICIOUS!!!

Our experience was not good. The mozzarella sticks were low quality and the marinara sauce was like Prego Weren't impressed with the chicken Marsala Staff was friendly read more

Yummmmmy is all I can say. Their gnocchi is decadent and rich. The calamari is delicious and perfectly fried. The chicken Parmesan is perfection. This restaurant is comparable to any in Chicago for Italian cuisine. Large portions and wonderful service. read more

Excellent food and staff. I got the Chicken Masala and my girlfriend got the Chicken Parmesan and both were EXCELLENT. Definitely going to return. read more

Wasnt that good. Honestly I have had better and the price was pretty high so I have mixes feelings about this place. I guess if you have never been in Italy and never had this kind of food in an actual local family place then it is good. Seeing how I dropped close to $100 for two with dinner, drinks, and dessert that's my problem. The food was cooked very good and had good flavor but not worth what I paid. read more

What a wonderful small-town dining experience! The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, the mixed drinks were delicious and the food was great. A unique gem in a rural area. I had the veal parmesan and my friend had the special (some steak dish that he liked too). Nick, our waiter, was very helpful and attentive. We were very full and happy by the end of the meal. read more

Last time I was here everything was delicious! Authentic Italain for around here. And the atmoshpere is nice too. Good for a date ;)

This place is OUTSTANDING! I am from Chicago the home of fine dining and this little place is great. The calamari appetizer was fantastic and the atmosphere is delightful. The staff was very kind and courteous and the price was very reasonable. If you are ever in Dixon Il you must stop by and visit this great gem. Adam From Iowa read more

The food was phenomenal, the waitresses were very kind, the bread oil was a little iffy tho, a good place for a fancy feast or a date night!