The single best and authentic Thai restaurant in the whole Capital Region. Not only is the food fantastic, the people who work there are incredibly hospitable. 5 stars every time. read more

Servers affect was very flat upon arrival. Not busy at the time. Seated myself where I desired. Had to request a menu. Waited about 15 minutes to have order taken. Food was tasty (7 out of 10), portions reasonable. No follow up after receiving food (drink refill, anything we can do, etc). Had to request bill after prolonged wait. read more

The food was really good, specially the thai fried rice . The dinner portions can be easily shared as well.

Very bad service. Very rude lady at the register that told me I couldnt eat my food at her restaurant after i paid for her overpriced, underwhelming food. I'd hate to bring race into it but I truly feel i recieved service like this because I am a large black man and that must be intimidating to the owner. A friend of mine gave me, who's also black, gave me a similar review not too long ago about his experience there. My advice, dont come here if you're black or you'll be treated like garbage. I dont recommend. read more

Great food! But one of those places that doesn't stick to their posted hours. It gets really annoying after a while. You're running a business, not an underground club.... read more

Excellent Food, great atmosphere and pleasant staff. Wonderful flavors, reasonable prices!! My new favorite place to eat- I will be back again!! read more

Sweet Basil - Spicey Sweet Basil Duck - Thai Near Me - Albany, New York

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Outstanding food. This was my second time here with my family in a little over a month and everything was excellent....nice warm atmosphere and very attentive staff. I recommend the Sweet Basil Duck, the Seafood Adventure, and any of the green and red curries. The chef does not spare the spice for American tastes, which is so refreshing ,(but will be accommodating). Very attractive plate presentation. Conveniently located right down the block from the Spectrum 8 Theatres, on the right side of Emack & Bolio, across the street from St. Francis (nee St. James). Our new favorite Thai place in the Albany area! I want to go back tomorrow for more red curry noodles...the sauce is so good! read more

Probably the best thai restaurant in Albany. I am a bit picky because I lived in Manhattan prior to moving here, and there are awesome places there. But, best in Albany. I love the drunkman noodles, my fave. It's a little small, but the waitresses/owner? all seemed very nice. read more

Albany was the last place that I expected to enjoy real Thai food. On past visits to my hometown what tried to pass for Thai was Chinese with more pepper. Sweet Basil is as good as any that I have had in So Cal, Including Tao in Hollywood which touts itself as the originator of Thai food in America. And is light years ahead of the Lark Street joint I ate at the week before. Who's name I forgot as fast as I forgot the mediocre food. The only thing I do remember is the $65 parking ticket that I got on Spring Street. Sweet Basil is tucked away in the Saint James neighborhood on Delaware Ave. It's an old house next to an ice cream parlor. The portions are huge. The people are glad you came in. They were waiting for a beer and wine license which comes on their one year anniversary. Now there is more to eat in Albany than great Italian food and terrific pizza which is on every corner in that town. read more

Expensive for Thai, but worth it occasionally. Excellent food, service, and atmosphere.

Sweet Basil is an excellent place to go to eat. I am crazed about customer service and I am happy to say that the waitresses there fully comprehend that. The food extravagant! I could not even choose what to eat after going there the second time. I oredered Crab Rangoon as an appetizer, fresh cold glasses of water to wash down every everlasting bite of quality food. I then ordered Talipea fish that was had this very sweet, but faint kick of spice with peas, onions, red peppers (not the spicy ones) and a side of white rice. The place is superb my friends; the ideal place to take your woman or man. My better half was very satisfied with what we were served. Five stars! read more

Sweet Basil is an Albany gem! Authentic, delicious Thai food and a cozy atmosphere. I try something different each time I go, and I'm never disappointed. The curries are deeeelish, and the crab rangoon and spring roll appetizers are favorites. Portions are generous, and dishes are made to order. Service is always very friendly and attentive. The outdoor dining in the summer is a nice bonus. The dining room is small, so I'd recommend making dinner reservations. read more

Small and intimate environment. Food was great. We had Red Curry noodles and the Drunken Noodles. Both were extremely tasty. Definitely would come back. read more

The food here is fantastic. I loved the atmosphere and the service too! The massaman curry is a must order here.

sweet basil is by far one of my favorite restaurants in albany. everything is absolutely delicious, i don't have a single bad thing to say about anything. definitely recommend! read more

I went here with my co workers for lunch today and as always, was very impressed with everything. We got there at 11:30 (which, was not a minute too soon because it filled up almost at noon on the dot..so if you're going for lunch I recommend going early). We were greeted right away and shown to our table. The very sweet waitress came over and gave us waters within a minute or two. Her promptness in taking our orders was especially appreciated since some of us had to get back to work for meetings. Our food took only about 15 mins and our waters were re-filled by the waitress in the meantime; a service detail that often gets overlooked. This is noted especially since at that point the [very small] restaurant was completed full save for maybe one table, so she was very busy but not frazzled at all. Their menu is extensive and authentic, and they offer lunch-sized portions (which are actually quite large, I took half home). We started with the Tempura Battered Calamari which was just killer. I'm not sure how the calamari is actually cut, but it wasn't the small rings or tentacles you normally get at most restaurants. It was shaped differently and much more meaty. It was served with a delicious plum sauce that everyone loved. For my entree, I had the Red Curry with Chicken. You can get it vegetarian or with chicken, duck, scallops or a seafood variety. My dish was served with fresh vegetables and chicken that sat in a red curry coconut sauce broth that gave the illusion of a lighter cream sauce, and aside a size able scoop of white rice. The dish was slightly spicy, but not overpowering (although I'm a spicy food fanatic so my friends/family don't allow me to calibrate the level of spice anymore). Overall all of the flavors worked so well together. My co-workers were also very impressed with everything, though all I can remember is someone ordered the mango curry chicken which looked awesome and he loved it. Overall the highlights are: attentive service, authentic well-prepared food, great lunch spot, (provided you get there early or don't have any time constraints or would mind waiting for a table), good sized portion. I forgot to mention that my good-sized entree was only $8. So prices are reasonable as well. Downsides are: the restaurant is very small, so the atmosphere seems a tiny cramped when it's full. I'm a big craft beer fan, so it would have been great to have a beer with lunch, but I understand that it's just not that kind of place. Overall, I highly recommend Sweet Basil. read more

Finally visited here after living in Albany for a couple of years...hands down the best pad Thai I've ever eaten. Huge portions for good prices, fresh food, and the sweetest woman working the whole front of the restaurant by herself just put a smile on my face the way she seemed to love feeding people. I'll definitely be back to try more menu items! read more

The restaurant itself is pretty small so plan accordingly. My mom had the lad na which was pretty average as it was too sweet, however I had the pad thai and I have to say that it was off the charts! read more

The food is tasty although quite expensive.$20 for an entree especially if you are coming for dinner. Drunken noodle is not spicy even though it should be. The other thing, even though the website and their menus says they are open till 10 pm this is not true. They close at 9:30 pm read more

As an Albany native who as since moved, Sweet Basil makes the list of what I miss from Albany. Their service is fast and always uberly polite. Their menu has plenty good options but is not overwhelming or difficult to read. The curry is a must. I've been searching for curry like Sweet Basil's and have found comparable dishes only in the LA area. The Thai ice tea is authentic and delicious, too. read more

Second time here. First time blew me away , amazing fresh ingredients, excellent flavors good menu. Tonight the experience was only okay. Wait staff was not aroind, noodles were wet and over cookes, ehhhh. Going from a five to a three, so average it to a 4. Hope next rimea better read more

This is the best Thai food in Capital region. The service is tops. It is a very small place so on the busy dining out nights, I can only imagine that the wait for a table would be long. All of the dishes were top notch. Spouse ordered Duck. She loves Duck and she really loved this one. Pad Thai was very good. Spouse loves her asian soup and she LOVED the Tom Yum soup. This is a great place. I look forward to the day when they move to a larger dining room. But don't change anything else. read more

A friend of mine is lucky enough to live within walking distance of this lovely little restaurant. It's an ideal place for lunch. Although it's small, there was plenty of room for a Friday lunch crowd. Although I only ordered very standard fare (basic red curry with chicken), I was pleased. Surprisingly, the dish had more chicken than vegetables, although the chicken was tender and cooked just right. The vegetables were nice and crisp, and the sauce was flavorful. As others have said, it was on the mild side, but it had a noticeable little kick to it, and I appreciated that it did not overpower the flavor of the vegetables and chicken. Even such a simple dish was beautifully plated. The portion was on the light side, but that is fine with me because I would much rather have a tasty, well prepared dish than a heap of forgettable food on my plate. This restaurant also wins points for ambiance -- very clean and filled with light, with subtle and tasteful decorating. read more

This place is great. We recently moved to the area from the west coast, where Asian food is top notch, and haven't found any place in the capital area that serves Thai food even close to the quality of Sweet Basil. Highly recommended! read more

Food was great! Chicken entree and noodle dish were each $12. The hostess was really accommodating even though they were packed. Food came quickly. Probably the best Thai I've had in Albany so far. Girlfriend forgot purse (go figure...) and they were kind enough to set it aside for us. read more

Wow, how obnoxious can someone be to not only knock a decent hard working restaurant, but also an entire region of people, in multiple posts no less? That's just not nice. Sweet Basil deserves a nod for their extensive and creative menu at reasonable prices. Yum! read more

Great find, so happy I stumbled upon this place after another nearby restaurant was full. Small converted home with only a few tables, great food and the service is genuine. Can't say enough about it, highly recommend. read more

The food here is always solid, but the service knocks this place down. Often nobody picks up the phone for take out orders. Last time I was here, they forgot half of my take out order and when I called to complain, they weren't helpful at all. While I think this is the freshest Thai in Albany, a few bad experiences have me switching to other restaurants. read more

Finding great Thai food after I left DC seems to be my personal Moby Dick - always just within reach, but then.... crushing disappointment. Sweet Basil is another chapter in this saga. While I really really wanted to like this place - the cozy atmosphere and comprehensive menu were promising - it was just another average Thai restaurant. We tried the green curry, fish curry, pad thai and the basil chicken. All just mundanely average. I was really disappointed with the use of baby carrots instead of chopped whole carrots. They just don't taste the same; an unfortunate short cut. The pad thai was soggy and overly sweet, and the basil chicken - ordered spicy - was simply not. Because of the cute atmosphere and the large menu, I will give it one more try - maybe the Masaman as folks recommend? - with severely decreased expectations. And maybe they will use fresher veges as they come into season? One can hope. But not the whale of a place I was seeking - the quest continues! read more

Best Thai food I've found in Albany so far. Prices are high. No delivery.

I'm always on the hunt for a great Thai restaurant, so when we were in Albany we stopped at Thai Basil. They had most of my favorite dishes, including Chicken Satay, Pra Ram beef (beef and vegetables covered with peanut sauce, the vegetables here were a good medely), Pad Thai, and Thai Iced Tea. The prices were reasonable but on the higher end. And the atmosphere was nice except for the fact that the ice cream place next door was having karaoke and there were some pretty bad singers. We would definitely return, but if it's karaoke night we would opt for take out (which many people seemed to be doing)! read more

Great food with authentic tastes and good portions.Friendly service.I had the mango curry with chicken and ordered it spicy. Really enjoyed it. I would recommend this place if you like to try something different. I will be going back again. read more

Good stuff! We are from SoCal and stopped based on the Yelp score! Another good job by fellow Yelpers.

Excellent food! I highly recommend their mango and papaya salads. Their mango sticky rice is amazing and so is their pad Thai.

Food is amazing compared to the other Thai resturaunts in Albany. Prices are a bit high but it is worth it. I would definitely go back and order something new. read more

This was a phenomenal find, after many hours of travel in the car. I cannot express enough how wonderful, fresh and authentic the food is at this restaurant. You would be hard pressed to find better Thai food ANYWHERE! Both the service and atmosphere were excellent! Hope to be back again, the next time I'm passing through Albany. read more

Great authentic Thai food - nothing out of a box! They have a creative, delicious unique menu, with their own twist on some of this standards. We can't wait to come back in try more items on the menu! read more

Outstanding food!! Used Yelp to find it and was not disappointed! Fresh and delicious. If looking for great Thai - this is your place!

Started out very promising. We were able to sit outside and then ordered some edamame. Pretty good, but could have stood another dash of kosher salt. Service was a little slow (there was only 1 waitress). The entrees then came out (Panang Curry with Tofu for both, one with Noodles, one with Rice). We waited a solid 10 minutes for the rice and noodles to come out. When the sides finally came, we were served a bowl of straight up linguine. I guess I was thinking more of a vermicelli. The food was tasty, but I expected a little more, especially for the price. read more

Food and service were both excellent. Just what Delaware Ave needed!! Went the first Thursday in September and of course ate outside on the porch (Sit outside whenever you can!!). Very quaint place, and the food is definitely worth the price. Would go back any day. read more