This was my 1st time here. Sunday night 8:30 every seat @ the bar was full but there was more than enough room to be seated (mostly tables). Very comfortable though. Dim lighting quiet atmosphere. Our waitress was attentive knowledgeable and had a great personality. Bread w/garlic oil is provided. We ordered a bottle of prosecco (great price) & calamari for an app. The calamari comes w/a spicy sauce. So good. I even dipped the bread in it. Entree tortellini w/chicken & chicken marsala w/side of broccoli rabe. The chx marsala was stuffed w/cheese & mushrooms. Chx is pre stuffed so can't get w/o provolone. (I'm not a fan of provolone) but still amazing not overpowering. Tortellini also yum!! Broccoli rabe was a little too bitter for me. Overall I'm already planning my next visit. read more

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Fun Fact: Basta is the Italian word for Enough. Makes sense. When we left Basta last night, we had what can only be described as "that Thanksgiving feeling" (aka: stuffed & needing a nap). All bites and sips at Basta were incredible. There was a brief moment where I thought I would be giving 4 stars due to the price$$$, but every dish delivered. Fresh ingredients, good portions, and amazing flavor combos. Specific Highlights: _ Calamari appetizer. Amazing. Some of the freshest calamari in recent memory. And the sauce was so good I began dipping the complimentary bread in it. _ The margarita pizza w/ chicken. Though the chicken was a little too charred, the pizza itself was supremely flavorful, filling, and (again) fresh. _ Ravioli. My husband loved it. A lot. He particularly (and consistently) commented on the amazing ragu. The cocktails were also great, as was the prompt and friendly service by Michael, our waiter. Basta is officially leading the pack of my favorite Italian restaurants in Rhode Island. Partire! (That means "go" in Italian.) read more

Basta - Looking up. Great garden! - Italian Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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The best. Staff is so nice. Food is great and the drinks are excellent. They treat you so well evetytime you go!!

So glad our favorite place is open during this pandemic. Always the best service and food at Basta. Never a disappointment. Great atmosphere and even better staff, from Krista (who we've had multiple times for a waitress) all the way up to the G.M. - Mike, doing excellent job running the place. Will be back soon. read more

Basta - Wine - Italian Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

Food is good. Service is ok. Very loud. I would say it's really kind of over rated.

Service was great; Sammy was very attentive. Mike the manager also stopped by and helped with wine recommendations. Perfect night. read more

Terrific place for any occasion. We've been to Basta many times and always have great service and great food. The "Basta Chop" is possibly the best meal available to humans. Last night was my daughters 17 birthday and Justin facilitated a wonderful memory. He took our reservation, got us a great table by the window and even sang happy birthday with some other staff!!! Just go here ...it's the best . Thanks Justin!!! read more

Me and my wife just went to this restaurant tonight, we had reservations for 7:45, but got there half hour earlier, i approached the host area and introduced myself to Michael who sat us within a couple minutes, first great impression, but that was just the beginning of an amazing night, with amazing food and of course amazing service from our waitress Gaby and the GM Michael, who took the time to chat with us and treat us like family. Thank you so much to you Michael and Gaby for making this an amazing experience, we will recommend all our friends and family members to come experience what we just did, service, food and atmosphere, second to none. PS: see you soon Your friends Dewey and Maria read more

Basta - Italian Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

For someone that is a huge fan of this place and on had all amazing experiences at this place. i am so dissatisfied with today's experience. One, we ordered the antipasto board, and the bread was like a hockey puck if not a rock, you couldn't even bite into it, and it was hard to break in half, even the waitress was embarrassing. Lastly the Crème Brûlée was so over cooked, that it tasted like boiled eggs. The waitress i will say tried her best to please us, but when she wanted to take the board off the order, she was told by the manger "she can't take it off the check, but she can offer you fresh bread. Which never came. I am so upset with todays experience. read more

5 of us went to Basta last evening to listen to Tom Conlon who we love. We had never been there before. The hostess was so welcoming. Our Server, MichalA was fantastic, very attentive. The food was so delicious. I had the Linguini with a Dozen fresh clams on top. It was the best I've ever had. My whole table was completely satisfied with their choices. Even the fresh bread & dipping sauce was delicious. We all shared a few desserts which were also very good. The outdoor patio and entertainment were perfect. read more

So disappointed. Been there many times over the years. Ordered the seafood CIPPONO it was ridiculously small and unsatisfactory. Three clams, three scallops and three mussels for 35.00 dollars. When I saw how small it was, I requested some pasta for which I am still waiting. As if the food wasn't bad enough our waitress Marissa was equally bad. Took 15 minutes to get a cocktail three requests for bread and she would disappear behind the bar for what felt like hours. The only thing quick was the check. Truly a forgettable experience. read more

I'm giving it a 3 star review because of the service and ambience was great, food I would give maybe give 1 star, calamari soaked in oil, the chicken you couldn't cut through it, tough and bland, tortellini was chewy, vodka sauce was an Alfredo sauce, best part of the meal was the bread... cocktails were good read more

Good sized portions and delicious fresh bread. Prices are on par with similar restaurants in the area. Service was on point, albeit a lengthy wait for the check at the end of the evening. Cute neighborhood establishment- we will return! read more

I've been to Basta a few times and have always really enjoyed the food, ambiance, and service. The most recent visit really went above and beyond. Not only was the food delicious (pasta is always PERFECTLY al dente), but the service was excellent. We ran into the tiniest hiccup (sauce modification was incorrect when served) but it was quickly corrected. The manager, Mike, stopped by to make sure everything was going well, which is always a nice touch. We were a table of that ordered dessert drinks, and 2 agreed to split a scoop of gelato. The manager ended up bringing over a complimentary dessert "because one scoop wasn't enough for the table". I will be adding this into my regular restaurant rotation and highly recommend you do as well! read more

My first time at Basta. My wife made reservations for our anniversary 4/22. When we arrived we were seated at a reserved booth with a sign saying Happy Anniversary. We were given two glasses of Prosecco to start our night. Our server, Phoebe was great. She gave us time to look at the menu, then spent time talking with us. We ordered apps to start. Clams Casino for Marion, Oysters for me. The clams were the best we have had, tender sweet and so tasty. The oysters were great Phoebe told me were they were from and the flavor to expect and she was right on. We ordered wine, great selection as well as different size pours which is a great choice to have. We split a plate of Panzaroti filled with Buratta with a cream sauce that was delicious. We ordered the Basta veal chop for our main. It looked amazing and was quite impressive but after a few bites we decided it was not for us. Michael the General Manager came with a menu for us to order a different plate which we did. The veal parm was perfect. I really enjoyed their red sauce (gravy for us Italians) very fresh and sweet. Lastly dessert, Chocolate mousse and Cappuccino for Marion and the Lavender corn cake with grapefruit granita and a double espresso for me. Marion's mousse arrived with a flaming sparkler in it for our Anniversary, a wonderful surprise. A glass of house made Limoncello to finish. What a great night thanks to the excellent staff at Basta, my first time there but most certainly not my last read more

Always excellent service and delicious food. Very friendly bar tenders. Try their veal m, it's a house special, the portions are very large, I usually leave sated and take home lunch for the next day. Great restaurant! read more

We have been going here for years. The outdoor seating is like being in Italy. Great Italian food without having to deal with the city

This place is amazing! The food was great, service was great. Michael was very attentive and introduced himself to us as being the general manager. We ordered drinks which tasted amazing. The lamb my wife ordered was absolutely cooked to perfection. We will definitely be coming back soon. read more

Enjoyed a most fabulous dinner with my husband. The cioppino and linguine e vongole we're out of this world! We have been going to Basta for years and it keeps getting better. From the service to the atmosphere, it is always a 10 out of 10. The service can't be beat and the food is phenomenal. read more

Basta - Cioppino - Italian Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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The food here was above average, the service was excellent. The wine list offered a couple selections of interest. The outdoor dining looked fantastic, but our little table in a quiet corner was just as nice. I'd definitely return. The fresh bread alone was worth the trip! read more

Had dinner and drinks with my best friends tonight and Christi was our server. Everything was perfect, start to finish. Food was amazing and Christi was the best, so attentive. Will request her every time. Can't wait to come back. 10/10 recommend. read more

The food was excellent, a little pricey but unfortunately most are. Not rushed, nice atmosphere, pleasant server.

Basta was a bust. Nice environment and a decent if strongly priced winelist. But, not a single item we ordered was spot on. Some not even close. The Orcchiette with ground sausage and broccoli rabe was fine, nice even, but those little pasta were shells, not the thicker and denser bowl shape typical of orecchiette. We added an order of chicken to the Tortellini, which was served grilled, sliced and unseasoned set ontop of the vodka and basil, tomato cream sauce. No effort was made to incorporate the flavorless chicken into the dish. The Vitello Saltimbocca was dreadful. The veal, thin as a wafer, was cooked to the texture of shoe leather, with a hard browning in places. The prosciutto above it cooked to a crisp. The whole thing buried in super thick blanket of mozzarella goo. My favorite part of the meal was the bottle of wine, which in fact was a substitute, as they were out of the wine I had placed the order for. All in, quite a disappointment. read more

Basta - ORECCHIETTE - Italian Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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Service was amazing! Server was very attentive and informative. Manager came by a few times to check in. Definitely recommend. Food and drinks were on point. Give it a try read more

Could Be Better I am reviewing this honestly. My review could be swayed seeing that the manager comped our apps seeing we waiting 45 minutes to be seated with a reservation. The waiting is not the issue. A restaurant being busy is good thing for business so I can't fault them for that. Went with another couple and we ordered a few apps and couple of pizzas and an entree. Apps: Calamari: very good, well cooked, good spice Meat and Cheese Board: big letdown, seeing this a staple at most italian restaurants in the state, this was a major letdown Caesar Salad: nothing special Entree: Veal Saltimbocca: very weak, we were going to send it back 2 Pizzas: absolutely delicious, if you goto Basta you have to get a pizza! The service here was excellent, our waiter was on point. So to summarize, Basta is a nicely decorated restaurant that is doing most things very well. However; they missed on a few items, which could easily be fixed. We'll definitely be back, especially for the pizza. Thanks read more

Went to Basta last night for dinner with colleagues after many years. The menu is fabulous, everything in the menu looked so good!! Manager Don made sure we were well attended to and made us feel very special and welcome. The calamari were crisp and fresh, the best RI calamari I have tasted in years. I ordered the Georges Bank scallops dish. It was out of this world! My colleagues' dishes were also delicious and each of us was raving about their choice. Tiramisu dessert came beautifully presented. The service was excellent and friendly. I highly recommend Basta restaurant if you are craving upscale Italian food. They have a free parking lot in the back, which is a plus. I will go back soon with my husband! read more

Basta never disappoints! Always a great meal with excellent service. We dined last and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We started with the antipasto platter, then the stuffed chop (my husband's favorite), the bolognese, the veal saltimbocca and skirt steak. All excellent. The gnocchi side was not gnocchi - it was a mashed potato but still tasty. I enjoyed the special cherry espresso martini and my husband enjoyed wine. Don't order the decaf coffee - very bitter and they said it was freshly brewed. We had the sorbet for dessert and the server forgot to ask what kind we wanted but also when read it off the menu we thought it would come with a scoop of berry and lemon. It only came with berry and my daughter was really looking forward to the lemon. But when I said something to our server, she happily brought out some of the lemon as well. We will be back! read more

I went two weeks ago with friends and it was delicious! Loved it so much My boyfriend and I decided to celebrate our first anniversary there last night and I think it was even better (which I did not think was possible!) First of all, we walked in and ended up seeing so many people we knew dining there also (great minds think alike). The service was great, our waiter Vinny was very attentive and friendly. The first time I went the owner told me "You can't go wrong if you start with a pizza and finish with the cheesecake and order anything else in between." Both times I took his advice and was not disappointed! We started off with a margarita pizza which was perfection and a shrimp wrapped in prosciutto appetizer that was to die for! For our entree we shared the Veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and cheese then topped with shrimp and a lobster sauce,,, honestly I think it was the BEST meal I've ever ordered.... EVER!!! The portion was enough for 3 people. For dessert we had the cheesecake.... amazing!!! Top it all off with a few glasses of killer white sangria... Perfect! read more

Basta - Veal Chop & Cheescake mmmmmmm - Italian Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

Had one of the best overall experiences in a restaurant that I have ever had dining at Basta. With the given curveballs that the restaurant industry faces during these times, it brings me joy knowing that places like this are flourishing responsibly while maintaining a laidback and enjoyable element. From the food to the service, everything was immaculate. Gabby and Michael made us feel relaxed and not rushed during a busy Sunday night on Valentine's Day, while staying attentive and recommending appetizer and dinner specials with confidence. If you have not had the pleasure at dining at Basta, I highly recommend visiting. Will absolutely be back in the near future to enjoy hand made pastas and traditional Italian entrees. read more

Special Valentine's Day menu, beautiful ambience and wonderful mood for a Valentine's Day with my beautiful bride and our wonderful friends. read more

Basta - Beautiful Valentine's Day for myself my wife and our wonderful friends. Fantastic food, wonderful ambience, special day. - Italian Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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Nice restaurant interior design but I find it to be pricey and don't find the food matches what they charge. Service can be slow.

An Italian restaurant that would not be at all out of place (or less crowded) on Federal Hill or the North End in Boston in Pawtuxet Village? An outdoor patio in a parking lot that feels like you're at a very hip eatery in Boston or New York? Pizza that's made in 90 seconds that is among the best 100 in the country? Yes. Yes. Yes. Basta is a great little place that's actually a pretty big place when you factor in the large bar area, two dining rooms and outside patio that all make you feel like you're in a cool little find. Upscale in atmosphere and lively, it's got a great feel, but you're here for the food. And what awesome food it is. I had veal parm, and it was outstanding. A super bright, fresh, incredibly tasty sauce covered the thin, crispy veal also topped with fresh mozzarella cheese. The pasta side was cooked perfectly and al dente, but for some reason, the sauce was either not the same or not nearly as flavorful and delicious on the pasta. I happily used some of the crispy, fresh foccaccia bread that came first to sop up what little remained of my veal gravy. The pizza is cooked in a 900 degree oven and with the freshest and highest quality ingredients. It has been recognized as one of only 100 restaurants to have that high a quality. The service is extremely professional, super friendly and very much on top of your needs without being at all intrusive. You'll be seated quickly, served in a timely manner and we'll taken care of until you're ready to leave. But you won't want to. Basta has a great atmosphere, outstanding professional service, food as good as anyone in New England, with really inventive specials that truly are special, all in a pleasant indoor or very appealing outdoor seating on their patio. It's well worth the trip to enjoy a truly outstanding, professionally run restaurant. read more

I would like to thank the management and staff especially Jim, Gabby and Ibis for helping make my daughter Haleigh's bridal shower such a success. The service and the food were excellent. read more

I'm so happy we choose this restaurant for our meal during this tough time for restaurants. They handled precautions very well. Service was top notch and the food was excellent! Can't wait to go back. Thank you! read more

The calamari is a must order! We come almost every Saturday night and are never disappointed. Delicious drinks, and you can't go wrong with any entree but my favorite is the salmon. Amazing service, and the general manager Mike goes above and beyond to make sure your experience is one to remember! We had delicious homemade zeppoles tonight for dessert, highly recommended! read more

Basta - Zeppole - Italian Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

Great service and as always, great food. Even with COVID, I felt safe. Veal Parm chop was top notch.

I must say, I'm all about giving businesses a second chance. And I'm glad I have because my two recent experiences at Basta have been exceptional. The manager, Michael, exemplifies what a true Manager should be. He's truly attentive and you can tell he treats the restaurant as if it were his own. I was there for an outdoor party and everyone from the hostess to the bartenders and servers catered to our every need. The food was fantastic, from the seafood towers to the meatballs and veal chop. It was the perfect evening! My experience was so good that I went back later in the week with a friend. Both the beet salad and spaghetti and clams were delicious and our server was very friendly. I am going to add Basta back to my list as a place I can certainly go and have dinner at the bar by myself or join friends for an evening out. read more

I'd come to Basta again before I return to Al Forno. It's a beautiful restaurant and so much easier to get a table, of course with a reservation! I have to say, service was a bit slow though. Got there at 7 and didn't get food till about 8:15 pm. Let's talk about the food. Warm crispy bread to start, good stuff...but only have a piece if you're going to have a big meal like I do. Oysters on the half shell: good for the most part. I had one bad one. I wouldn't normally order the Caprese but they rave about their tomatoes so I tried it. The tomatoes were bland. I wouldn't order it again. Everything else about it was good but I could make it at home with more flavorful tomatoes. The Margherita: flavor was awesome!!! Every single bit of it. My only complaint, crust towards the center was flimsy and tortilla thin but maybe that's how people like it...? Star of the night: the lobster/burratta ravioli!!! 5/5 stars. The only thing I would omit were the tough little vines that were placed on top. Big plus: wine flights at $13! Big thumbs up. Will return for sure. read more

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I ordered takeout here. Overall, the food is good. We had the Monkfish, Ponsotti di buratta with shrimp added to it, and a side dish of risotto. However, the biggest issue I had for which I took away a star was when I went to the restaurant after 30 - 40 minutes after I ordered and I got a text stating my order was accepted, they hadn't even started cooking my order yet. A gentleman I can only assume was the manager was apologetic about the situation. He stated they use a third party to accept online orders and that my order got "hung up" in their system. I was also offered a free drink to which I politely declined. When I received my meal, I stated they did not have disposable silverware. I asked for some and the same gentleman gave me some silverware. My recommendation is if you do order take out, call ahead about 5 minutes afterwards to ensure they have your order. And may I recommend to the restaurant that they have disposable silverware for take out orders. read more

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We ordered Thanksgiving Dinner from Basta this year. It'll go down as one of the best Thanksgivings our family has had. The food was delicious. The staff was accessible to answer any questions we had with cooking the turkey. All of their staffs hard work ensured our family could just enjoy the day and not worry about the stress of cooking. Basta has long been one of our favorite restaurants. They continue to set the bar high for their competition. read more