Oriental Basil Taiwanese Restaurant 阿鈜滷肉飯 is one of the most authentic Taiwanese restaurants in the GTA. One of the most popular dishes here is their popcorn chicken 盐酥鸡 because it's crunchy, lightly battered and juicy. It's a must try, along with the braised pork rice 卤肉饭 or the soup filled dumplings 小笼包 which are always on point. Well known for their beef noodle soup which is tasty. The beef was very tender, the broth had a nice flavour and the noodles had good texture. Their oyster pancake was not as flavourful as the ones I've had at the night markets in Taiwan but it's nice to have this on the menu since not all Taiwanese restaurants in Toronto offer it. Located on Yonge Street, north of Elgin Mills Road in Richmond Hill, it is a great place for takeout, dine in or delivery. read more

Oriental Basil - Beef noodle soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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This place has been on my radar for a while... as they have hand pleated XLB! Actually I came here a few weeks ago (weekday, may be Tuesday?) but learned that their XLB is Friday and weekend only.... I tried again on Saturday! I am a XLB stalker!!! This place was almost full. Couples, large family with children in high chair, solo, pick-up customers. A good number of staff members are on the floor serving customers with smiles. One step in, I was impressed by the warm atmosphere. I was here for pick up # XLB # Pan fried dumpling While I was waiting, staff offered me a seat, asking if I would like some tea - again, this place was very busy when I came here, but they treated me with such a sweet/kind manner. XLBs were very good!!!!!!!! Though the seasoning was very moderate, each piece was beautifully hand pleated. The wrapper was very similar to that of the famous chain (DTF), thin and strong. I can feel a pleasant "bite" in the soft, thin layer. Delicate. The meat filling was tender, melt in the mouse with soup - whole integration was excellent. Satisfied! Pan fried dumpling had a thin wrapper. Because my preference for Pan fried dumpling is thick and chewy (like Northern style) and meaty one, I was not as impressed. But it is good for those who like thinner wrapper and healthier option as it had a lot of cabbage inside. This was also moderate seasoned but came with dipping sauce (vinegar & soy & chili). This place made me want to come back - next time for eat in, and love to try a popular noodle item (Beef noodle)! read more

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Good Taiwanese eatery type restaurant. Service is very good and fast. Foods quality is good, portion size is average. I do think the price is above average since this is a small and more of fast food feel. read more

Oriental Basil - Taiwanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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A+ beef noodle soup. The noodles are not freshly pulled but they were perfectly al dente. The soup tasted like they've been cooking it for days. The spicy garlic chicken was also great, although I got one piece of cartilage so I would advise to chew thoroughly. I also got some rice with Taiwanese sausage and pork to go and it was just ok. I don't think it's by any means their star item. Would come back. read more

Oriental Basil - Taiwanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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I'm having a high expectation before I went there, and I have tried the crispy chicken and minced braised port rice. The rice was so good and amazing. Their portions are definitely enough! We are a bit disappointed with their oyster soup vermicelli and the bento. The staffs were good and friendly. The restaurant was located a bit far away from North. However, they made the environment looking more like Tai Wan! read more

Oriental Basil - Taiwanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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Great place if you enjoy Taiwanese dishes. These are classics and served hybrid food court style. Staff is polite and friendly and food is excellent. Decor is meh but I come for the food. And price is more than reasonable. Would recommend for sure. read more

Oriental Basil - Fried octopus balls and R01 - Taiwanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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Food 4/5 Service 3/5 Vibe 3/5 Came back again since im in the area! Can never say no taiwanese food. Their minced pork rice is always delicious, but the taiwanese sausage kinda looked like someone snacked on it. Still good, just funny haha! read more

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Very good comfortable Taiwanese food! Their noodles and popcorn chicken was delicious! Will be returning to try more! read more

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Came here recently for lunch when I heard it was a new Taiwanese restaurant and was the same owner as The North Taiwanese cuisine. Love, love Taiwanese food! I came here on a weekday for lunch and it wasn't too busy so we got a comfortable spot for the two of us. The menu had all my favourite food so it was so hard to decide. We got the minced pork on rice for $6.99...wow, what a deal! We also got the beef egg pancake and oyster omelette. I was a little disappointed with the oyster omelette as there wasn't a lot of oyster and the oysters were overcooked but it was flavourful. I will definitely be coming back to try all the other dishes like 3 cup Basil chicken and braised beef soup noodles. read more

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service was fast and polite, even for a larger group. the restaurant reminds me of an asian canteen, with brighter lights and classic asian decor. it was clean as well. food was pretty good, with large portions. our popcorn chicken rice even has an egg and lots of veggies. i would totally come back for popcorn chicken! read more

Oriental Basil - popcorn chicken rice - Taiwanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

A hidden gem for authentic Taiwanese food. The interior gives a feeling of school cafeteria, it's clean and bright though. The service is always warm and feel at home. The food choice is not that many, but well balanced. They have bento, noodles, snacks, recently added crispy and salty Nanjing duck, we tried crispy duck and it was so yummy, the skin is crispy and inside is juicy. We loved it. We will come back to try more of the other dishes. read more

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First time trying this new restaurant in the hood but it felt like a food court more than a restaurant. Service was quick and all the waitresses kept on asking me if I already placed an order. The place was clean and not too loud. Got couple of dishes to try at home. Dumplings are always better at the restaurant, so I didnt have high hopes it would taste good at home. The 3 cup chicken rice and beef noodles were both decent. The cold noodle was kinda sad because it didnt come with any dipping sauce. I've never tried taiwanese cold noodles before, so maybe it was meant to be this way? It was basically just noodles and toppings lol I would come back to try other things. There's no reason to consistently compare different taiwanese restaurants like one of the reviews. Every single restaurant has their own uniqueness. read more

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Food: portions are big, food is yummy and hot Service: efficient and friendly staffs Ambiance: tables are clean, but I notice there is always a lineup, there are 2 times I ended up getting takeout cause I have to go back to work..lol read more

Oriental Basil - Front: Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Bento Back left: Egg Pancakes Back Right: 3cup Basil Chicken Bento - Taiwanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

VERDICT: not worth the hype, but if you live close, it's an alright choice. Tenren at Langham has the exact same quality. We came here because we heard such sky high praises. The restaurant claims they do traditional Taiwanese dishes so maybe I like modded dishes lol. I don't know what to say about the food... It's honestly the same quality as Tenren's at Langham Square. The chicken tasted exactly the same. So did the veg and the rice. It was good, just didn't stand out and probably not worth the 27 min drive. Service ladies were very nice but service was slow. It was a full house so maybe that's why? They weren't slacking, it was just busy and the kitchen couldn't really keep up. The good thing is that the food came out hot, which is unlike tenren. Drinks are relatively cheaper here ($4.99 max for cold) so that's a sweet deal. Their xlb was not what I was used to. The wrap was a little thick, and the meat inside had some tendons. I think they're better with their rice dishes. Very casual 大排檔 feel. They had metal chairs and basic tables. Their utensils were solid and stainless steel. I do like that they're very into cleanliness! read more

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Came here with a group of 4 to try the Taiwanese dishes and overall we all thought the food was pretty good. We got two Braised minced pork and Taiwanese sausage bento and two Taiwanese braised beef noodle soup, as well as popcorn chicken and pork floss pancake. The popcorn chicken was probably the best popcorn chicken I've had - freshly cooked and not too oily. The pancake was decent but nothing memorable. For the mains, I enjoyed the bento more than the noodles. The bento had a lot of variety and the portion was big, whereas the noodles were too hard for my liking and the soup was nothing special. read more

Oriental Basil - Taiwanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

Don't be deceived by the restaurant name, this is actually a Taiwanese restaurant. Most of the Taiwanese restaurants are near Metro Square so it is nice to see one uptown. We ordered one of their combos which allowed us to try several dishes. Overall the flavours were decent, good portion size and quick service. Their beef noodle is worth trying. It was not overly salty and had lots of QQ noodles. It seems like they got ride of some of their combos so the photo might not be accurate anymore. read more

Oriental Basil is a new local Taiwaese restaurant that has recently opened in Richmond Hill. It's very spacious inside, however when we came on the weekends, it was a full house with a line forming. Their menu offers a variety of classic Taiwenese dishes, as well as combos and drinks to choose from. You write the order down yourself, and hand it over to the servers. When we got our dishes, I was very empressed with the flavours of the minced pork rice with Taiwanese sausages, and especially the popcorn chicken which was lightly battered, crunchy, and fresh out of the fryer! My plan is to order the minced pork rice with just a plate of popcorn chicken as the portion is pretty big! However, the only downside is that we had to wait at least 20 minutes for our dishes - but it could be due to the fact it was still a soft opening, and the staff inside were still learning. Hopefully the wait time will improve overtime. We will definitely return to this spot as it's nearby our house, and has authentic great tasting dishes! IG: Ayeween read more

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We have decided to check out this newly opened Taiwanese restaurant after hearing from my aunt. We visited on a Friday afternoon closer to lunch time, and was surprised how deserted it was. Perhaps the restaurant size was quite spacious and bright to give this "deserted" impression, but my aunt told us that when it first opened, the line was out the door so we would have thought to be a bit busier. The menu consist of items that were authentically Taiwanese as I recognized most dishes that I saw in Taiwan. We ordered the following and here's what we thought: - N02 Taiwanese Oyster Soup Vermicelli w/ Pork Intestine: a classic Taiwanese noodle dish that has a thick soup with very thin vermicelli. The oysters were mini sized ones but they tasted quite fishy and strong. Disappointingly, there were many intestines and the taste was quite bland. - N20 Taiwanese Cold Noodles: a bowl of cold noodles with shredded egg omelet and carrots. It also came with shredded cucumber but since I'm allergic to it, we opted that out, and you mix everything in a sweet sesame sauce. NO MEAT IN IT!! It's quite refreshing in the hot summer days, the sweetness from the sesame sauce mixing with the noodles and eggs were quite pleasant and the shredded carrots added a little crunch to each bite. However, it would have been perfect if it has some sort of meat... shredded chicken or minced pork would bring this dish to the NEXT LEVEL! - E02 Corn Egg Pancake: it's scallion pancake on the outer layer, with an egg crepe, and sprinkle of corn, drizzled with a sweet sauce over the dish. It was a fun dish to enjoy, a little sweet and savoury goes a long way! read more

Service was quick. Easy grab and go too.. The shop has lots of sitting and spacious. The signature braise minced pork and rice was on point good. Milk teas was good. It was only 6 bucks and 4 bucks for each item. read more

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Want there because people said it's the same as my favourite Taiwanese food place "The North Taiwanese Cuisine" 老北肉羹. which permanently closed. I ordered 紅燒牛肉麵 Taiwanese braised beef soup noodles, the soup base not rich enough, beef just so so and the sad thing is the noodles texture so flat and too soft. Very disappointed. Not as authentic as The North Taiwanese cuisine at all. The air conditioning is not enough too. Sorry! read more

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Food 4/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 3/5 We are glad this Taiwanese restaurant opens up north of Richmond hill giving us another choices of Chinese food. Their Taiwanese food is pretty on par. Reasonable price and portion, excellent pepper salt chicken and braised fatty pork belly with rice. Their service is great no attitudes. read more

This NEW authentic Taiwanese restaurant has quickly become everyone's new favourite. It was previously located on Hwy7, and they've moved up north and renamed it as Oriental Basil. Of course I ordered the signature braised minced pork on rice. It was delicious, hearty and comforting. The Taiwanese popcorn chicken was deliciously crunchy. I think seasoning was perfect, but I could use more basil. I'm definitely coming back for more braised mince pork on rice. read more

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Reasonably priced and very delicious. We ordered two dishes (R03 and N01) and an appetizer (A12), and I must say that we were very happy with our choices, among the many other great selections that were offered through establishment. The spices were just right for all of the dishes, and from what was explained to me by my dining companion, the flavors were indeed authentic. The staff members were friendly and accommodating to our dining needs, with the food service itself being expedited in a timely fashion. I highly recommended this location to anyone wanting to try Taiwanese cuisine! read more

Taiwanese restaurant in Richmond Hill serving authentic dishes. The restaurant quickly filled up for Saturday dinner after we arrived past 6 pm. Service was friendly and the food arrived quickly. We ordered minced pork on rice and it did not disappoint. We tried the cold tofu with century egg and it was good. The braised beef noodle soup was ok only since the noodle was undercooked. We enjoyed our experience dining. They also accept credit cards except for Amex. The restaurant was brightly lit which provided a food court ambiance. read more

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We got braised pork rice, noodle, popcorn chicken and fish belly soup. The popcorn chicken was fried to the perfect spot with the exactly needed seasoning. Very well done. The pork in the noodle, on the other hand, has a tiny bit of blood taste. Overall authentic and good quality for the price. read more

As a Taiwanese, I can tell you that Oriental Basil has many traditional Taiwanese dishes. The food is of high quality and very affordable price. You don't need to go to Taiwan now. read more

It's nice to see a real Taiwanese restaurant opens up here. Their popcorn chicken is the star. The rest of the food is decent, unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try their home made soup dumplings they were out at that time. Inside decor is simple and clean with nice open kitchen. The service is excellent with proper responses. read more

Food not authentic. Lack services. Inconsistent size, they give different amounts by customer sizes, dine in or take out.

From The North to Oriental Basil, this place has been consistently good. My favorites are beef noodles soup, pop-corn chicken and traditional egg pancakes. Besides, service is always good and servers have good memories. That makes me a regular there. read more

My second time visiting here. Of course I had popcorn chicken as always. And tried their spicy Zhajiang noodles, it tastes nice. I hope there are more choices of veggie dishes like Choy Sum, Bok Choy, etc. read more

The food is delicious. We had Taiwanese minced pork bento, popcorn chicken and pancakes. The service is amazing as well. Highly recommend!!

I like the food here! The bento is quite big, I can't finish it myself. I would suggest come with friend, so as to try more dishes. To avoid lining up, I visit during the weekdays now. I came on Saturday last time, it was a big line-up. read more