Whenever we get back to W Htfd we have to stop in at Hot Basil at least once. Arguably the BEST Thai restaurant around. The staff is outstanding and very friendly. read more

When this place first opened, I went out of my way to go here. It was that good. Times change and the last few times I've been I keep hoping for those glory days. The stir fry basil is a good example of this. In its current form, it's trying to figure out what it should be. It's a decent mix of pork and vegetables (with decent yellow squash) but then it's just filled with a broth, almost like a soup. It's just not my thing. Service was quick and the food is otherwise fine. Just not unique anymore and given the competition, it just doesn't stand out like it used to. Sigh. read more

This was the first time I have ordered from this restaurant. I ordered on line and the order was ready at the time I had wanted. The food was excellent. Spring rolls and chicken mussaman. Maybe next time I will ask for a little extra spice (I like spicy). I also ordered Lo mein as my husband doesn't like spicy food. He loved it, much better that the one we ordered from a Chinese takout. Definitely will order again. read more

This was a great find-- I did takeout so can't comment much on ambiance but I will say I appreciate the staff's attention to detail. I ordered this dish because it sounded like a safe bet for a non-spicy option and put in the notes "not spicy please" to be safe. Upon receiving my order, I was pleased to see "Not spicy" written on the bag. Also, the meal was absolutely delicious, so a big win all around! read more

Hot Basil Thai Cafe - Peanut Stir Fry - Thai Near Me - West Hartford, Connecticut

We were excited to try a new place and ended up trying hot basil Thai cafe. We did a takeout of veg Spring Rolls and fried rice.However spring roll tasted good and we enjoyed but the fried rice had some kind of different oil which didn't suit me so well. read more

Hot Basil Thai Cafe - Vegetable Spring Rolls - Thai Near Me - West Hartford, Connecticut

See all

Hot Basil used to be in semi-regular rotation for my wife and me. After our 9 year old son was born and before our recent unhinged DoorDash spree, we were limited in the types of places where we were eating as a family. Because of Door Dash (Les Miserables Spoiler Alert) . . . restaurants we retired are popping up in our house like a dead character at the end of Les Mis. Tonight, my wife requested Hot Basil. We ordered Shrimp Pad Thai, Green Curry with pork, steamed dumplings with shrimp and salad. The highlight was definitely the shrimp pad Thai. The noodles and shrimp had great texture, and the delicious sauce had that classic sweet sour flavor. It had vegetables like green onions and bean sprouts. I didn't notice any egg, which seemed odd. Also, there were some crushed peanuts, but I would have liked more. I found the Green Curry with pork disappointing. The sauce was broth level soupy to such an extent, that it can't be entirely blamed on the delivery process. Aside from soup itself, it was the most soupy Asian dish I've ever had delivered. It was even soupier than some ramen I've had delivered. The pork was also unappealing. I assumed that it was going to be strips of pork, but it was coarsely ground pork. In addition, the squash seemed overcooked as well. The flavor of the sauce was decent, but I wouldn't order Green Curry from Hot Basil again. The steamed shrimp dumplings and sesame ginger salad were decent, but not remarkable. My DoorDash delivery experience with Hot Basil does not have me re-thinking my current Thai restaurant roster. Three Stars. read more

See all

2.5 stars. We ordered the pad thai, sweet soy noodles, crab rangoons, and pork dumplings. The pad thai was nice and sweet but otherwise lacking evert crucial pad thai sauce ingredient...it tasted ok, but not like pad thai. The soy noodles were very average. Pretty bland. The crab rangoons were decent. Nice Crunch and good amount of filling. The sauce was ok. And the pork dumplings themselves had basically zero flavor and came with a sauce that was so spicy I couldn't enjoy the rest of my food afterwards...I'd say it was at minimum a medium spice level, so if you have a low spicy tolerance, like me, you have been warned. Overall, pretty disappointing experience. We will not be ordering from here again. read more

See all

Consistently delicious! Friendly service at this family run restaurant. I can't think of a dish I have tried and did not like. I enjoy it all. Some favorites include vegetable spring rolls (much better than other Thai places in the area), ginger broccoli stir fry, mango curry, and mango sticky rice! Yum! My favorite entrée is definitely the ginger broccoli stir fry because the sauce is different than some of the other dishes and I love ginger. I know most people do take out here which is good for me because it means I can relax in a chill spot to eat in the restaurant. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner! Started with crab Rangoon, fresh rolls and dumplings. All delicious! Dinners were pork pad Thai, beef pad Thai, fried rice and a most interesting chicken salad. Everything was delicious with most delicate flavors. We were pretty full but needed to try the mango sticky rice and it did not disappoint! Mango was do fresh and the contrasting warm rice was devine. Best Thai food out in a long time. read more

We got take out and it was good. Very fresh and satisfying. The red curry was yummy with plenty of tofu and ginger pieces. The basil noodles were spicy and had tiny pieces of roasted broccoli. The small side of rice was sticky and enough for the dish. Hot, efficient, and quick. Thank you! read more

This is my new Thai restaurant spot! I chose to dine in and the interior was well decorated from the pictures to the plates. This place is locally owned. I believe the server was one of the owners so we received top notch customer service. The food came out timely and I left on a very full stomach. The food is flavorful, don't be afraid to order something you haven't tried before because it seems as if every dish was very good. The house salad was refreshing with the dressing and bit of crunchy toppings, and the best Vietnamese iced tea and coffee I've had in the area. I loved the mango with sticky rice, however I may order it with the coconut topping on the side. Overall, thumbs up for this place, I'll be back again. read more

See all

Not close to our home but definitely our favorite Thai restaurant. Pad Thai great. Sweet and sour stirfry is wonderful. Dine in or take out is good. read more

We picked up food for home last night. It was ready fast. Crab Rangoons were excellent Thai iced tea was okay, too much ice Red curry wasn't good, not worth the expensive rate. Mango sticky rice was good. read more

I tried their mango sticky rice which was delicious and the mango tasted fresh. Basil fried rice could've been spicy. The quantity was fresh for that price though and the delivery was quick! read more

Hot Basil Thai Cafe - Mango with Sticky Rice - Thai Near Me - West Hartford, Connecticut

See all

The server was quick and efficient. I ordered from The lunch menu which was simple and easy to read but had limited options however offered a variety of choices. I was going to order the Pad Thai noodles however previous reviews stated the noodles were subpar so I went for the Chicken Massaman Curry and for an extra $3.95 you can add two more items to make your meal a combo. The food arrived steamy and beautifully plated on decorative porcelain plates. I asked for chop sticks and enjoyed everything. I would say my favorite was the salad. The reason I gave the establishment 3 stars instead of 4 is because they were a few slow flying flies around the tables. There were 2 flies doing the ramba on the head rest in front of me and a couple flies bothering other customers. Flies are absolutely disgusting and it made me lose my appetite after awhile. read more

Hot Basil Thai Cafe - Massaman Curry Chicken with 2 veggie spring rolls from Lunch Menu - Thai Near Me - West Hartford, Connecticut

See all

Every time I drive by this place it seems empty and always has me thinking "how are they in business after all these years?". I decided to give this place a shot on a friday evening and it was well worth it as I got answers and I also got great food. Walked in and saw one dreadful carpet, luckily it was clean and was absoulety no issue but when restaurants have carpets it's very easy to judge their hygiene and cleanliness. I'd give them a 7/10 for that carpet, fairly clean but still could use an update. Everything else seemed in order, everything's nice, not perfect but nobody's perfect and money isn't unlimited so just leave all the judging for the food at this point. The service was very friendly and attentive as well. We were one of the two tables occupied when I was first seated but the restaurant nearly filled up completely and people were coming in and out constantly with take-out orders. Now I know HOW they're in business, but WHY? The interior is small and could use a slight update, though it's still very nice! What is bringing people here? It's the food, I'm not gonna lie, my Beef Drunken Noodles were phenomenal and I felt like they give me a little more than usual as well. Not super spicy but spicy enough, beef was tender and well seasoned, noodles had the PERFECT texture, chewy but not too chewy, not too light and thin either! The Beef Satay app was very good as well. Seasoned correctly, not overcooked or undercooked, very juicy and went well with the peanut sauce. The only issue I had was the quality of the chicken wings used for the Thai Chicken Wings app. The Thai Chicken Wings were amazing. Extremely spicy, sauce was amazing, but the actual size of the chicken wings and the quality of it was on the lower side. The chef absolutely saved the dish but it could be so much better and worth the money if they used better wings instead of super cheap wings. I don't think it's worth paying $8 for five small wings. Tasted great but we all know if the quality was better it would be juicier and tastier than ever. Fairly expensive considering the quality you get, luckily the chef knows what he's doing. Anyways, I'm glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised with Hot Basil and they definitely deserve 5-Stars but they need to get a couple things straight before they do. Those wings and if the carpet is old, it NEEDS to be spotless. I might become a regular here though, might be my new go-to for Thai. I really love this place. I think you will too. UPDATE 10/09/17: Interior has been updated with beautiful wood flooring replacing the dreaded carpet. My lunch here today was also on point and very cheap. Changing from 4-Stars to 5-Stars. Well done. read more

See all

When you go out to dinner, what are the component parts that make up your dining experience? Well you want the place to look pleasant, right? You'd like the wait-staff to be courteous and pleasant too. You want the food to taste great with bonus points for looking great. And lastly, you want the pricing to be right. So that's décor, service, food quality, and value. The Hot Basil Thai Café scored very high in all categories The restaurant looks great. As we approached the front door, I didn't expect the interior to be so big. It has a deceptively wide two sectioned dining room with maybe 20 booths and tables. Lots of red and golds and artwork on the walls with immaculate brown and white furniture. As for Hot Basil's service, we had barely finished settling our bodies into the booth when our water glasses and a carafe with more water were hustled out onto our table. The folks we interacted with were wonderful, sweet as could be, with genuine smiles and real personalities. No phony baloney smiles or robotic dialogue here. Now on to the food and the pricing. Go take a look at their menus. For lunch you can get a variety of noodle, fried rice, stir fry or curry dishes for about $8. The dinner menu is a lot more ambitious with six appetizers for about $6, three bowls of soup starting at $5 (how does Spicy Chicken and Coconut soup with three "hots" sound?), and three entrée salads for $12-$14 and a house salad with peanuts, bean sprouts, wonton strips in a peanut dressing for $7. You'll see five different noodle dishes ranging from mild to triple spicy with pork, chicken, beef, tofu or shrimp options- they'll run you $12 each for the chicken, pork or tofu versions, and $2 or $3 more if you want the beef or shrimp, Are you a curry head? Well they have five curries for $15 a pop (coconut, peanut with potato and onion, green, red, and panang. Same price points for the protein choice. They have three fried rice dishes too, regular, hot basil, and pineapple with cashew, these will set you back $11 plus $2 or $3 if you want to toss in beef or shrimp. Lastly, they offer stir fries in quite a bit of styles (all $14) - peanut, mekhong, sweet and sour, cashew, hot basil, and roasted chili - same pricing deal with the chicken, shrimp, etc. Our table had a variety of foods and everyone was happy with their respective choices We split a $7 plate of shu mai from the appetizers and received four pretty plump steamed dumpling beauties with ground chicken and ginger with a nice chili soy dipping sauce. Our table ordered three entrees, the first of which was the peanut chicken salad ($11.95) -it was a good sized portion of grilled chicken skewers over a mound of lettuce, peanuts, cucumbers, bean sprouts, carrots, and wonton strips with a peanut dressing. A very nice presentation plus a very friendly price plus great taste equaled a very satisfied customer. Next up was the mango curry with chicken ($14.95) - a very nice combination of sweet and spice that worked very well. My choice was the Hot Basil with chicken ($13.95) from the Stir Fry menu. It was a terrific combination of Basil, garlic, green beans, eggplant, squash, and red onions in a sauce that ranked a "two" on the hot meter. The chicken was tender and plentiful, the rice was perfect, and the overall dish was outstanding. I also had a Thai iced tea ($3.95) that was very good - pretty strong tea flavor prepared not too sweetly, with a layer of milk floating in the top of the glass. For dessert we split the coconut ice cream (three scoops for $6.95). It was delicious but the presentation was gorgeous, a real work of art. Think shredded coconut garnish, chocolate sauce squiggles around the rim of the plate, and two cookies for garnish. The only odd thing was that the ice cream was rock hard and took a lot of effort to scoop out a hunk with the edge of your spoon. Bottom line is this -for less than $62 before tip, the three of us had a very enjoyable meal in a very enjoyable place where we received excellent service. The price was right, too. All in all, I'd say my first visit to Hot Basil left me quite impressed. read more

See all

After reading numerous diner reviews, I was a bit surprised how small and run down this restaurant is both inside and out though someone has done a nice job decorating. On reviewing the menu, I was amazed, as were the people at another table, at the pricing which is high in comparison to other Thai restaurants we frequent. We ordered both the red curry and Mekhong stir fry with chicken. Neither dish offered much in the way of eye appeal because the ingredients were chopped almost beyond recognition. The overall flavors were decent, but the indicated spice level of medium for each dish was dummied down. Overall the meal was decent, but there are better options read more

See all

I would give this restaurant 3.5 if the had half stars. The area in which the restaurant is located is not very nice. The front of the building doesn't match the clean and inviting interior. I have some actual food prep complaints.The edamame was dry inside and out. However I liked the chicken satay appetizer, as well as, the fried vegetable spring rolls. The sauces for dipping for both were delicious. For my meal I got tofu Pad Thai and asked for a medium spicy. I really like my pad thai. The tofu chunks in their pad Thai were not fried which is healthier anyways. I liked the level of spice. The saving grace of this restaurant is their entrées. Unfortunately my coworkers ordered a warm banana desert and another ordered a mango sticky rice dessert. Those two desserts were not great. The warm banana dish was like you took a bowl of lukewarm sweet milk and had some banana slices floating in it. The sticky rice was not right either. It was almost savory and had a faint fish smell. The waitress was kind enough to take that one off the bill. read more

Hot Basil Thai Cafe - Pad thai with tofu - Thai Near Me - West Hartford, Connecticut

We came to Connecticut for business and had a brief meeting. After which the Administrator in Connecticut wanted to take us out to lunch. He recommended "Hot Basil Thai Cafe." Its a Thai food and my first time trying it. So I definitely wanted to go. Parking is directly off the side road. The building isn't big or impressive. However walking inside I was astonished with how beautiful it was. It had the perfect culture theme that allowed for full immersive experience. They played modern music to help increase your visit. The hostess set up seating for eight quickly. The seating was absolutely comfortable. I never ordered before so I only asked for it not to be too hot. I ordered sweet & sour with chicken. I was told my choice was great, but you know I decided with my stomach. We talked and discussed business while we waited. It didn't take long for the food to be served. At first glance, I wasn't sure if this was the meal for me. However after trying it, my opinion quickly changed. I was in love with the pineapple on the chicken, mixed with sweet peppers made for a tantalizing meal. The only negative is that it's not in New York. I recommend this place if you love Thai. I know now it is becoming a favorite of mine. read more

See all

The restaurant and service was great. I can't say the same for the food. Although, pricing was great but the quality of food was not. The first time, I thought it was because of timing ( was the last table of the day) but then tried a few more time ( take out). The dishes I have tried have been overly oiled and sweet. But I must say that the House salad and Papaya Salad were very good. I would definitely have them again. Although I have had better Thai food other places I think I would give it another chance. I will update the review once I do. Not sure if it will be anytime soon. read more

The food was okay. The sauces were rather watery and bland. The milk tea was the best part of the meal. 4/10. Overall, would not recommend unless it's the only available option. read more

This place is special. Best Thai food we've ever had, consistently. The Fried River with shrimp is so fresh, the Hot Spicy Basil noodle dish with beef was incredible. The chicken shumai are out of this world. The chicken satay is next level. You have GOT to try this place!! read more

The most magnificent Thai food you'll find in Conn. The roasted chili stir-fry is by far the most amazing dish you will have. Don't even bother trying it elsewhere because it wont compare. Lovely spot for eat in or get take out and share with friends, because you won't find Thai food like this anywhere else in Connecticut (believe me, I've tried) and food this scrumptious needs to be shared with people you love. read more

Hot Basil Thai Cafe - Roasted chili stir-fry, get two orders (you will want more the next day). - Thai Near Me - West Hartford, Connecticut

First visit yesterday at this tiny Thai restaurant with friends and we were all impressed with the experience and we will return. The fried rice and steamed dumplings were excellent exceeded only by the Stir Fried beef and shrimp dishes. The salmon was cooked medium but was slightly dry. The take out business was brisk an indicator of the quality of the food. Service was a little slow but friendly. read more

We ate there 12-31-21...the food and service was extraordinary! I love Thai food and I believe this is the best around. It is worth the trip from anywhere! The staff is very welcoming and the place inside is clean and lovely! read more

I love the food here I usually order the chicken noodle soup and OMG amazing specially when you don't feel to good those can revive you.. also the pineapple rice it's delicious read more

Overall I don't know if I would go out of my way to go there, but if friends suggest it next time we're in the area I won't object. I love Thai food, and this place does a decent job of it. Setting/Atmosphere: It's a little odd. Based on the neighborhood and the slightly rundown appearance of the building's exterior you might not expect the inside to be as well maintained and chic as it is. Since I'm going to mention Suhkothai in Manchester as having better food, I'll mention there that Hot Basil is a little classier overall and has a nicer appearance on the inside in general. Food: The food here was good. Flavor-wise I like Sukhothai in Manchester a little better, but this place has one nice special perks too (See "Drinks"). The presentation of the rice on my plate looked kind of stupid in it's upside down funnel shaped glory. I also didn't like how they cut up all the veggies, etc. in such small pieces, which to me detracts from the perception of being fresh and a little fancy. Drinks: They don't have a liquor license, so you won't be getting anything alcoholic from the menu. They do, however, allow you to bring in outside beer, wine, etc. for a nominal "corking" fee. (Though I believe we avoided that by opening it ourselves). There's a package store (liquor store or whatever you want to call it) conveniently in the plaza next door. Service: The service was good. Attentive but not invasive. Price: Reasonable read more

Stopped in on New Year's Day for a bite. Thinking we & 2 others would be the only patrons, but this was short lived. Everyone seemed to have the same idea! I was in a middle mood so Drunken Noodles & Chicken & an iced Thai Coffee fit my need to a tee. My wife enjoyed a Cashew & Chicken Stir Fry with an outstanding sauce. With permission I dipped my spoon more than once for the sauce. Our meals & the service then explained the sudden influx of patrons. Try it, you will like it. read more

I am never ever dissatisfied no matter what dish I decide to experiment with. I wouldn't mind if the peanut sauce for the satay was a little thicker. Overall I love Love LOVE this place. It's my favorite Thai restaurant in the area. read more

Fabulous food, service excellentatmosphere . The exterior looks like it's not much but inside is very nice. I'd recommend coming many times in the future read more

I had a craving for Pad Thai so my husband and I decided to try this restaurant this evening. We started off with edamame and spring rolls. My husband ordered the Drunken Noodles with beef and I had Chicken Pad Thai. The appetizers came out fresh and hot. The spring rolls were served with a slightly sweet sauce. The edamame were lightly salted. My husband really enjoyed the Drunken Noodles. He said it had some heat to it and really great flavor. My Pad Thai was sweet and delicious. The staff were friendly and attentive and the restaurant was very clean. It's a smaller restaurant. There were several parties there but we were seated right away. This is a great little place. I look forward to visiting again soon. read more

Have not been here in years. I Ordered takeout yesterday remembering they had good Thai. I eat Thai often and cook a couple dishes. It was horrendous. The drunken noodles dish had a slightly sour smell, the broccoli was very yellow and the tofu was very soft and mushy. The smell put me off so I threw it out but I remember them having good dishes a couple years back but upon review noticed a lot of people saying the food was going downhill. That are right it was not edible and the tofu seemed to be cut and thrown in uncooked. Terrible experience. read more

Great little hidden spot with great food and service order the pineapple fried rice and the coconut soup and don't forget their great selection of bubble tea read more

if you order from 'Blue Ginger Vegan Thai' on Uber Eats, it is NOT vegan. We order from Blue Ginger and I at my soup and it had while shrimp in it. Their vegetarian/vegan items are NOT as listed. I had not had meat in a decade and cannot believe they have a 'vegan' menu and are so careless. If you have a food allergy I would not recommend. The food also doesnt even taste good- the other things ordered (before I found out they literally had meat in them) had no flavor/spice. Not great thai food. Yikes! read more

Try not to let the size of this place deter you from giving it a go. I work nearby and always noticed how empty this place was and happened to be in the mood for curry so I stopped in. To this day, I'm glad I did because I am now a regular. The portions are extremely generous compared to other restaurants. Another yelper commented about the sweetness of the dishes and I agree. The pad thai was a bit too sweet for my taste, but still tasty. Overall a good bang for your buck with a hunger satisfying entree starting at only $10.95, and this is coming from a guy who eats a lot. read more

Parking is limited, but normally we order Take out. The pad Thai is FANTASTIC! My husband has also tried Panang curry and the drunken noodles. We didn't love those... but back to the pad Thai- this is the best I have ever had outside of Thailand. And it's my litmus rest for any Thai restaurant. If I were to make any suggestion I would say add egg and cilantro to the pad Thai. That's next level. Glad to have a go to Thai take out in our neighborhood. read more

I will never order from here again . My food ended up on the driveway of my house because they didn't pack it well I called the restatement to complain and the manager I spoke to could have care$ less read more

I'm no stranger to Thai food. It's hot, it's sweet, it's sour and complex. But Hot Basil is one of the few places that gets it right! I came here today with my mom because I wanted something that would properly clear out my sinuses. The first thing that struck me was the decor. There were plants everywhere! Due to this, the air in the restaurant was crisp and fresh, and I didn't realize how much I appreciated that until I left. The place was cozy but not cramped at all and I enjoyed the quiet buzz of conversation from the other patrons. My mum got the Thai iced tea and it was yummy and fresh. We got the chicken satay for an app and the peanut sauce that it comes with is nothing short of f&$king delicious. The lunch combo comes with soup and spring rolls. I opted for the tom yum chicken soup, which was hot, sour, and loaded with fresh veggies and tender morsels of chicken. I ordered the drunken noodles with pork, and holy hot sauce, it was packed with flavor. You could tell that the veggies were fresh and that everything is hand selected. My meal was about $15 after everything was said and done. I'm definitely coming back. read more

See all

So, over the years I have been here half a dozen times. For the skimmers: Possible Pros 1. All the noodle dishes are too sweet 2. The fresh spring rolls have a VERY cabbage texture Possible Cons 1. All the dishes are too sweet 2. service can be sloppy 3. $30 bucks for two diners (if they drink only water). 4. The fresh spring rolls require brotosaurean level chewing (due to raw cabbage) I recognize that these reviews are super relative. I did not appreciate that my hot basil noodles were sweet. I want a spicy savory dish when I order them. The fresh spring rolls had raw cabbage in them and to me this screws up the mouth feel of fresh spring rolls. Yes I like a crunch but I like it to come from fresh lettuce and sprouts. They are softer and do not require brontosaurean chewing while the rest (the rice noodles/wrapper and lettuce) are ready to be swallowed. I just made up that level of chewing to be super dramatic about what it is like to eat raw cabbage in the same bite as rice noodles. it's like a game of Thai Princess and the Raw Piece of cabbage somewhere in her bed. So much worse than a pea... The dining area is pretty, have to say. There's this cool colored print on the wall, in yellows/oranges, of a thai buddha statue that I could not stop staring at... If I was reviewing an art gallery it would likely be 4 stars. read more