What a hidden gem! The food and service were great, but the ambiance was my favorite. Grab your girlfriends and make it a date...you won't regret it! read more

Busy day, stopped by and picked up the special chicken salad and fruit to go. The staff recommended the fruit, they were kind and my order was promptly ready to go. The food was delicious and I look forward to going back and eating there, such a cute place! read more

Sweet Basil Alabama, Inc. - Sandwiches Near Me - Florence, Alabama

Their food is phenomenal and service is always friendly! One of my favorite restaurants in the area, easily. 4 stars for price. I'm not sure, but it seems they have gone up. Items pictured were $21 and some change before tip. I would have at least expected meat for that price. read more

The food and atmosphere was excellent! My husband and I ate there 3 days in a row while visiting our daughter and son in law in Florence.

Great food selection and service from staff. The food is really tasty. I will becoming back!

The food here is actually southern food the way it should be done. Every single thing they serve here is great and the peach sweet tea... omg I can't. Just making this review, I have to go now since I've mentioned it. The service is great they don't bug you to death while you're trying to eat and they have a set up where it's easy to order and get in and out. The ambiance is kind of that of a 90s mom cafe (which is nice). It has a nice open floor plan and just all around my absolute favorite food place in Florence, AL. I HIGHLY suggest you try this place if you haven't and try the orzo pasta. read more

Okay, wow for a lunch place. They had a very diverse lunch menu, so I ordered the weirdest thing I saw: Grilled Chicken Benedict. I like grilled chicken, I like eggs Benedict, so why not? So this is a grilled chicken sandwich served on a croissant with asparagus tips and apparently hollandaise sauce. They had 4 different sides, so I choose the fresh fruit just to see how fresh it was. This was a great lunch! The chicken wasn't dried out, and the flavors of the sandwich were unique, but balanced and quite good. The fruit was all really fresh (no fruit cocktail in sugar syrup here) which is usually what restaurants serve as their fruit salad. The food was impressive, but at 12:15 I think the service should have been faster (it is lunch and we only get 30 minutes after all). Took between 20 and 30 minutes for the food to come out. I'd come back for sure, if I have time. read more

Sweet Basil Alabama, Inc. - Grilled Chicken Benedict with asparagus tips on a fresh croissant with fresh fruit. - Sandwiches Near Me - Florence, Alabama

Went here for lunch and got the tomato pie to go. It did not disappoint!! So good! There are a lot of different salad options that also sound amazing. I'll definitely be back to try out more of the menu. Cute decor and ambiance too if you have enough time to stay and eat. read more

Sweet Basil Alabama, Inc. - Tomato Pie - Sandwiches Near Me - Florence, Alabama

I came here because of the reviews I saw on Yelp. The menu is quite large and took a little time for me to study. I decided to try one of the Farm to table specials: Tomato Pie which came with Red, White, and Blue salad. I love tomato pie when it's done right and based on the reviews of this restaurant I had high hopes. It did not meet my expectations. There was way too much cheddar cheese on top which was not melted well and tasted much like eating spoonfuls of chunky cheese. Once I removed some of the cheese I could taste the tomatoes, basil, and crust a little better which redeemed the entrée slightly. Unfortunately, the portion was not heated all the way through either, not ice cold but not warm at all in the center. The Red, White, and blue salad was fresh greens topped with slices of strawberries, blueberries, chopped pecans, and crumbles of bleu cheese with a poppyseed dressing. It was VERY good, much better than I expected it to be. Everything tasted so fresh and the amount of each component was perfect. Each ingredient was well represented and tasted wonderful together as a group. I can understand why this is a popular item. I might would return if I were in the area but I wouldn't make a special trip to come back. I definitely wouldn't get the tomato pie again. They had some neat items in their "gourmet grocery" section. Prices were a little high, especially since you order at the counter, fix your own drink, and seat yourself. I felt the price unreasonable for the tomato pie but not for the fresh r,w,b salad, if that makes any sense. read more

Sweet Basil Alabama, Inc. - Tomato pie with Red, white , and blue salad - Sandwiches Near Me - Florence, Alabama

My SIL and I were visiting the area and were lucky enough to have found this gem for lunch. It had an extensive menu, including a large selection of entree salads. I had a hard time picking one as they all sounded fantastic. I ended up going with the Poached Pear salad and was not disappointed. It was so pretty and so delicious! In addition to a beautifully fanned out poached pear, the salad included bleu cheese, strawberries, pecans, and moist grilled chicken on a bed of fresh greens - and came with a yummy blueberry vinaigrette on the side. My SIL loved her soup and sandwich combo. Added bonus: the owner is as sweet as can be. I highly recommend this place! read more

Sweet Basil is awesome for many reasons, but here's two: 1. They make and sell just about everything in the store (except their wine selection, which is pretty extensive I might add). But it creates a homey atmosphere of "what's ours can be yours", and they make some good stuff, I'll tell you. Buy their poppy seed dressing, it's out of this world good. 2. Their sandwiches are crazy tasty. Most recently I ordered the White BBQ Chicken sandwich on a multigrain roll. The chicken was good and blackened, and had great smokey flavor, and their homemade white bbq sauce was outstanding. It also had lettuce, tomato, and bacon on it. I highly recommend it. But I've never had a bad sandwich here. One of their sides of the day was sweet potato fries. They were great: very well cooked to a crisp, and had that nice sweet/salty flavor. One thing I do wish they did differently is make their own bread. The bread they use is good, but you can see it sitting in the kitchen in the wrappers they bought it in. Truly great cafes bake their own bread, and that sets them far apart from the rest. But overall, Sweet Basil is an awesome cafe, and about as good a lunch as you'll find in the Shoals. read more

I have eaten here many times and everything is always great. But decided to write a review because I think it has changed hands and somehow it has gotten even better! It just has a new vibe and energy! Delicious food, great service- definitely a favorite, highly recommend! read more

It kills me when people say restaurants such as Ricatoni's or City Hardware are the best that Florence has to offer when the obviously haven't tried Sweet Basil. I first fell in love with this place several years back when my supervisor took the office here for lunch and have been a frequent patron ever since. From the cakes, cookies and bars to the soups, sandwiches and catering services, I have yet to find anything about this establishment that I don't like. They have an affordable lunch menu that is just as delicious as it is fulfilling. During lunch they usually have some tasting of different things they sell in the store that is free to sample. Mentioning that, this isn't just a restaurant but a store as well with both local and international offerings. I love looking through the shelves to see what new sauce or seasoning mix they may be carrying. They're catering services are also very affordable and just as tasty as eating in the restaurant itself. They offer catering services as well as grab and go meals that you can prepare at home. The staff is very friendly and more than happy to help you pick from their expansive menu. It's also a nice touch to be able to observe the kitchen preparing your meal. Sweet Basil Café is an eatery that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a fairly nice, pleasant and delicious meal. read more

I had the BBQ chicken with white sauce and crumbled bacon on a bed of cornbread. WOW, this was a flavor explosion, very peppery white sauce. A very eclectic menu. Super friendly staff. I highly recommend this place. read more

A hidden treasure in Florence! The food is absolutely delicious and the atmosphere is cozy. Prices are impressive for the quality and portion size of food! The white BBQ is to die for! Must try if your in Florence!! read more

At one time was really good place for froofroo sandwiches and salads along with cooking classes. Change of ownership saw a significant drop in quality and menu specials. That said, it's still one of the few lunch places that doesn't come with a drive thru window and your entree in a cardboard clamshell box. The daily specials are far less adventurous than they once were but it's not a terrible place. Folks are nice, service quick and parking easy. In a larger city with more options, it'd be a solid 2 star but because of the area it gets 3. read more

I love their red white blue salad! Great sandwiches It is all good. Great atmosphere.

I'm so glad I found this place. Gourmet sandwich shops are my absolute favorite. I almost wish i could have a party or wedding here just so they could cater. They also have a nice gourmet food and wine selection. read more

My favorite restaurant in Florence. I'm an extreme foodie and this place Never disappoints. The shrimp burger is my favorite sandwich and of course the red, white and blue salad is to die for. The homemade desserts and fruit teas your taste buds will be thanking you for stopping here! read more

Always top notch. I had the Crawfish Etouffee served over Cheese Grits. UNBELIEVABLE! My wife had the chicken tortilla soup which she said was superb. Just a great place for lunch. read more

Love the gourmet chicken salad on crouisant roll. Chocolate covered strawberries are divine!

The service is awful!!! People who came in long after us have eaten and are about done yet we haven't even received our meals!! Even if the food is fabulous, which I doubt, we wouldn't come back!! read more

Great place for lunch, a little crowded. The prices are a little high compared to other gourmet shops. The red, white, blue salad and the cheeseburger soup is really good. The tomato pie was a little greasy. I have been here several times, but it's just to pricey for a daily option. read more

Enjoyed lunch at Sweet Basil today. Had the salad plate combo. Chicken Salad offered nice big chunks of white meat & celery, but dressing was a bit runny for my liking. Tomato Aspic needed a bit more seasoning (lemon, perhaps?) and firmness. Fruit Salad was fresh & tasty. Service was excellent, prompt, friendly. Store was clean and inviting, with many appealing choices. I'd certainly recommend this cafe for a luncheon. read more

Sweet Basil is a great cafe for anyone. I really enjoy the Red, White and Blue Salad. Everything is always fresh and the staff is super friendly. I eat there often and I would recommend it to anyone! read more

We had such a great lunch experience at Sweet Basil today! Not only was the food exceptionally delicious and promptly served, their customer service was out of this world! A member of our party lost a diamond earring down the restroom sink, and the staff worked quickly to retrieve it, taking the sink completely apart! They went above and beyond to help her, and they did it with such calm efficiency and graciousness! Thank you, thank you not only for a delicious lunch, but for coming to our rescue as well!!! Today was an amazing example of a business doing their very best to assist their customers!!! Those of you in the Florence, AL area need to support this awesome cafe! read more