I have been frequenting this place for years. It is a simple concept. They have a handful of curries and you add the protein. I like the seafood mix and the yellow curry, but I have tried them all over the years. Duck here is fairly good as well. Sometimes it is hard to get very crispy duck in Albany, and these guys do a good job. The dishes are cooked to order, though I would assume the curries just await, and there are plenty of appetizers that keep you busy, shout-out to the crab rangoons. The service on the slower side, and this has to do with it being a small family place, with a small staff. They are always pleasant, but I would recommend a reservation as the place is small, and tables get snapped up quickly. There are various noodle dishes that use the same 5-6 proteins and tofu. The noodle dishes are good, but I come for the curry. For first timers I recommend the green or mango with seafood. read more

This place has amazing atmosphere and a lovely menu! Try the Ground Chicken Plate (GaiGapow) I ordered it spicy and it was hot but not overwhelming. Nice level building heat. read more

Sweet Basil - Ground Chicken and Peppers Place (Gai-Groupon?) - Thai Near Me - Albany, New York

Came here last night with friends that recommended Sweet Basil. Easy enough to find but parking can be challenging. Also, it's TINY! 7 or 8 tables total. But, we got right in and had a chance to catch up with our buddies. There happened to be a lot of take out orders, so it was exceptionally busy with all of the tables full...and people standing in the single aisle to pick up their food. Also, there were a couple of screaming babies there last night, which my friends said was unusual....but they eventually settled down. FYI - no alcohol and if you want to bring your own - you can't. (Someone at an adjacent table tried to enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner but were promptly told that they couldn't...no liquor license here). But come here for the food. I read about the mango curry when I heard that we were going here for dinner...and that's what I ordered. Delicious, generous portion of curry with a heaping side of rice. I also tasted the drunken noodles....it was divine (but I would have liked both the curry and noodle dish a bit spicier....but that was my fault for not ordering it up a couple of notches...). Noodles were not as broad as I've had at other places (or in Thailand) and they were gummy in consistency (which is a preference of mine). Appetizer was the fresh roll - beautifully prepared; perfectly crisp and refreshing. My friends had a crispy chicken app that looked delicious...drizzled with some kind of a mayo-based sauce along with pineapple fried rice and spicy chicken/basil. Happy campers all around. Due to how busy it was last night (so much take-out!!), our food took a rather long time. They apologized for the delays...but since we were hanging with some of our favorite peeps, it just gave us more time for good conversation and some extra laughs. I would definitely come back here and sample some of the other dishes. Mmmmm...Thai. read more

See all

Cute small interior. Staff is very friendly and you feel welcomed. I ordered takeout- the green curry with chicken. It was good/average but not as flavorful as expected. The Thai pierogis were also a little dry. The iced coffee was a tad bit sweet for my taste. I wish it had a stronger coffee flavor. I would still come back here to try different dishes because I like the inviting feel of the restaurant and the quality of the dishes are good. read more

All of their food are amazing! Love their curry dishes and sweet and sour fish! It would be nice if they have off street parking.

Strangely, I haven't tried Sweet Basil in the years that I have been in Albany. I went with a friend on a Friday evening, and it was a little squishy because there were a lot of people. The servers were really friendly, and they were really good at recommending dishes. They definitely helped us figure out what entrees and supplementing sides. Papaya Salad: I was initially super nervous about getting this because I don't like papaya. However, according to my friend, the papaya salad is made of raw papaya, which doesn't taste the same at all. I was very much surprised of my enjoyment of the appetizer. The texture of the salad was very crisp and refreshing while the vibrant tang of the sauce was playful and pleasant on the palate. There was an abundant of toppings, too! Spicy Tofu: I forgot exactly what this was called, but it was done quite well. The sauce was pretty strong, so it made for a good rice-dish. I'm usually not a fan of tofu (unless it's mapo tofu), and I probably wouldn't order this on my own, but it's a really good vegetarian dish. It had a lot of diverse vegetables in the dish, and they balanced out well with the saute sauce. Green Curry: Loved this dish! I wish I made it spicy, though. There were lot of excellent vegetables, and the sauce wasn't too creamy or strong. I appreciated how they didn't overload the curry with a bunch of potatoes to skimp on the vegetables. I'd like to try this again with chicken, but it's great as a stand alone vegetarian entree! In general, the service was quite good, and the portion sizes were very generous. I wish the place could be a little bigger with slightly quieter music, but this is definitely another Thai restaurant to add on my cravings list! read more

See all

The food was good! I enjoyed the Tom Kha soup (coconut with veggies) and the spring rolls were delicious as well! The dish I ordered was a little sweet, and wished it was more spicy- but still delicious! My boyfriend ordered basil noodles which were delicious and spicy! Overall I enjoyed our dinner. read more

See all

I've tried this place a couple of times trying to figure out my feelings about it, and I think that it's just not the right Thai restaurant for me. The reason is in the name: all of the food I've had here has been very mild and sweet. I know that a lot of people love that, but my preferences for Thai food lean more toward the spicy/pungent/funky side of the cuisine with some sweetness for balance, and here the scales are tipped too far toward the sweet for me. Even my pad kee mao was more sweet than it was spicy or ... basil-y, to the point that I briefly wondered whether we might have received the wrong dish. Also, the noodles in the dish were very soft and had fallen to pieces a bit, when I was hoping for a bit more to chew on. The food isn't BAD, and the pleasant ambience (love that porch!)/lovely service makes this a nice place to go for a meal out, but if you're craving really big Thai flavors this wouldn't be my first recommendation. read more

I would have loved to cancel my order but I was ordering for the office so I just had to leave it. While ordering, I was asking for items that was on their website and she kept saying "we don't have". Finally, she said that's not our website, google just sends people there. Ok??? So a couple of things 1. You're yelling me you're aware that google is sending people to the wrong website and you have attitude with me? 2. Why don't you get someone to correct it? 3. Why does the website have your business's phone number and address?! That's where I got YOUR information from lady! After ordering, I ask her to confirm the food order just in case, since it wasn't a straight forward order and she says "Oh my God" under her breath. Am annoyed but as I said I couldn't cancel because it would have caused too much chaos getting everyone to order from a new place. I just confirmed and she hung up, no thank you or goodbye!!! Well you have lost our office's business and clearly you don't need it or your representatives wouldn't be so RUDE to customers. Finally, my representative went to pick it up and said there were only two people there... well ding! ding! ding! Customers like to be treated nicely! AND surprise surprise one order wasn't right. We asked for the rice to be replaced with vegetables BUT there are no vegetables in sight!! read more

Sweet Basil - Screenshot of website with all their info... - Thai Near Me - Albany, New York

Sweet basil came highly recommended, and I was NOT disappointed! Super tiny spot- whole restaurant serves maybe 25 peeps max? And one woman serving. But it helps add a really home-y, intimate feel that I personally really dug. I made a reservation at 330 or so for 6 pm, and I was glad I did bc the place was full. We started with edamame and the sweet basil Perogis. The perogis were drizzled in some kind of delicious sweet and sour sauce. The Thai iced coffees are nice and rich and delicious. Now, the entrees! I ordered the mango curry with chicken, and asked for it medium spicy. The hype did NOT disappoint- it was DELICIOUS. Our group tried yellow and massaman curries as well. It's really nice that they let you pick what meat option you want for Any of their curries- chicken, pork, beef, seafood, or tofu for our veggie friends. I also sampled my friends pad Thai, which was so delicious. All of the portions were so huge none of us finished more than half of our orders. Definitely recommend to satisfy that Thai craving- I believe they also deliver! read more

See all

First time going was dining in and the front lady was really kind and the food came pretty fast. The servings were generous and overall it was tasty. Second time takeout- again kind server and tasty food. Recommend coming here for lunch. read more

Small restaurant with an open floor plan. Spectacular and friendly service! The food was excellent.

Sweet Basil is consistently my boyfriend and my "go-to" when we want to get takeout during COVID-19 times. We've ordered from here on 3 different Fridays over the past few months, and while the wait is long (1-1.5 hours) it is absolutely worth it. Not to mention a long wait (usually) indicates the food is being made fresh to order, and it sure tastes that way! I have been ordering Pad See Ew the past few times and it always comes out hot (so hot it is still steaming after the drive home), and my boyfriend loves their Pad Thai (which is truly amazing-- a perfect blend of sweet and salty and sour, with crunchy peanuts and perfectly cooked rice noodles) or Panang Curry (which is great for a cooler day with the rich, but surprisingly light, coconut based sauce and slightly spicy kick). Vegetables in all of the dishes are never overcooked-- the chefs at Sweet Basil know exactly how to cook the broccoli so it's JUST cooked perfectly and still has a toothsome bite. I love Sweet Basil for its consistently delicious food, friendly staff, and I will definitely be ordering from there again soon. read more

This is my place to go for comfort food. My favorites include pad kee mao, mango curry and pinneaple fried rice. Their som tam is also good but not exceptional. Overall, when I dont want to cook, I always order from Sweet Basil. Their food are delicious. read more

I was in the area after my visit to the dentist and decided to take my fellow yelplings advice and check out Sweet Basil. The first thing I noticed was that other than parking it is a nice space. They have a handicapped friendly ramp to a two story building and the interior was really nicely decorated. I'd consider taking my wife there for a romantic dinner some time. Each table had a pretty flower floating in a heart shaped water container and there was a lot of tasteful art with scenes from life (in Thailand I assume). I ordered the Mango Curry, some Pad Thai, and Mango Sticky Rice. Apparently, they only had enough mangos for the curry. I also asked for rice with the curry. The portions were generous except for the rice. I would have liked more since the mango curry was very soupy and the rice would have helped to soak it up. While I liked the flavor, the chunks of pineapple overpowered any hint of mango and it may as well have been pineapple-curry. The texture of the pineapple also threw off the rest of the dish since it was the only firm element in an otherwise mushy and soupy dish. Once I made it through the chicken and chunks I basically used a soup spoon to drink up the rest of the curry. It was sweet, creamy, and only a little spicy but it didn't feel particularly distinct from a Panang or red curry dish. Perhaps this was due to mangos being off season? I don't know. The Pad Thai was just ok. I enjoyed the slightly sweeter flavor it had than typical Pad Thai but I personally prefer a richer more spicy flavor to my Pad Thai and this was a bit on the bland side. Over all I give them 5 stars for atmosphere and 2.5 for food so I split the difference and settled for three. Perhaps if I visit them again sometime and try some other dishes I will change my mind. After all, this was only a single visit. read more

Sweet Basil used to be my favorite Thai restaurant in the area, but it has changed. The dishes have become blander. The curries are creamy but lack depth. Spring rolls are probably frozen and reheated, and not worth ordering. On the plus side, the dishes with vegetables use quality, fresh produce, not canned. The rice is very good. Unfortunately, the last time I went there was a strange chemical smell in the dining area that will keep me from eating there again. read more

After a long day in Albany, I took myself out to Sweet Basil. The restaurant is small and very intimate, with low lighting and Thai decor and traditional music playing in the background. I was seated next to a couple and could hear their entire conversation, which could either be awkward or fascinating depending on who you are. I ordered my usual, drunken noodles with chicken and Thai iced tea. The Thai iced tea was really good - better than others I've had since moving upstate, which have had strange aftertastes. As for the drunken noodles, I asked the waitress for the meal to be spicy and boy, did they deliver! The heat was perfect. The rest of the dish was pretty good, but the carrots and broccoli were a bit undercooked and the flavor was a little lacking. Since the portion was huge, I cooked the noodles in a non-stick pan for a little while the night after, threw in a touch of soy sauce and a little olive oil to revive them, and they were so good! I guess that's what they needed for me personally. Overall, spending close to $20 wasn't ideal for me but Sweet Basil is a quaint, intimate place to go for a night out. If I'm in the area again, I'd love to come back and try some of their other dishes... maybe even get ice cream next door. read more

Whoa! I ordered lunch for everyone at the office. They couldn't say enough good things about this delicious, fresh food! It was so good. I ordered a bunch of different dishes and apps to share. Crab Rangoon anyone? Yes! I can't wait to order again. Accurate and on time and just so good!!! read more

Sweet Basil - Thai Near Me - Albany, New York

Ordered the mango curry as everyone had raved about in the reviews and it did not disappoint. Curry was rich and the mango was a great addition to add a sweetness to the rich red curry. Delicious! Also got a pad Thai which was good, a little on the sweeter side. Definitely try the Tom Yum soup!! The Thai ice coffee was good, but had too much condense milk so if you're someone who does not enjoy overly sweet drinks, you can skip this one. Also I tried paying with my chase sapphire card and the waitress kept saying it did not go through and asked for another card so I paid with a different card. However, afterwards I got a text notification from my phone saying my chase sapphire card was charged and it also showed up on my bank account as well. Asked the waitress about this and she kept denying it saying it did not go through. Just a FYI, if you're looking to pay with credit card, do not use your chase sapphire one. read more

See all

I love sweet basil!! I have been here a few times with various friends and family and never been disappointed. Got the drunken noodles tonight which were super flavorful, came out piping hot and was so large in portion size I have enough for two more meals :) I love this place and I called ahead to reserve a table just in case as there isn't a huge seating area and I'm glad I did as there weren't any open tables when we arrived. I love coming here for an awesome Thai meal! read more

Sweet Basil - Drunken noodles - Thai Near Me - Albany, New York

The food was delicious but the service was slow. After we sat down the menu came out 5minutes later. Waited around for 20minutes before she took our order and at the 30min mark she poured us our water... The waitress was also the host and when she was no where in sight... I felt like she was helping out in the kitchen. Who knows? But I know they need to hire more people to work there. Great portions, large and flavorful. So 4 stars food. 2 stars service speed. Friendly but under staff read more

Food is good although I'm not a huge fan of the appetizers. This is my definite go to place for takeout Thai. read more

See all

The foods are great and it look great! Quality is excellent but when they're busy, They're really busy. I think they need to start having two waiters/waitress at least. I saw a couple waiting for their card to be return for a good 15 minutes. We were waiting for the waitress to bring the water for good 20 minutes. The waitress came back 30 minutes after she took our order and said did I already take your order .. she asked what we wanted again... then we asked if they started making the food she said no. My date and I left. read more

Absolutely delightful. Pleasant and swift service. Food is great. I can't wait to go back and try other items on the menu. The dining room is small, (about 5 tables of different sizes) but they also have a porch in front with 2 or 3 tables. Decor is simple. Real plants on the table are cute. No drinks listed on the menu, but we only wanted water. They do a lot of take out business, and can get pretty busy with people picking up or DoorDash drivers. read more

We were planning to meet 5 friends for lunch. Parking was not an available and we couldn't wait for spots to open. Walking from across the street was not an option. We had to leave. Disappointed. read more

Sweet Basil is our go-to Thai restaurant in Albany and they have been in heavy rotation during 2020 for take-out. Love the fresh rolls, so light, crunchy, and delicious with a flavorful tamarind sauce. My favorite entree is definitely the red curry with tofu, which I think we get every single time we order. Other faves include the Pad Thai, and the Drunken Noodles. It can sometimes be tough to get your order in by phone (they are definitely popular), but keep trying, as it's so worth it! read more

I'm a big fan of this restaurant. I no longer live in the area but make it a point to come here when ever I can. Tonight we sampled a bunch of appetizers, some better than others. The crispy spring rolls are amazing - best I've ever had and the creamy plum sauce is amazing! They're so good. Alone, they are well worth the 3 hour round trip. The chicken satay is also very good. The dumplings are only ok. The shrimp tempura is...very different from Japanese shrimp tempura. There's a lot of breading, I don't think they're really worth it. The crab rolls were decent, but not nearly as good as the crispy spring rolls. Tod Man Fish was not what I was expecting, I really disliked it. Their mango curry entree is outstanding! read more

We were on a road trip and punched in the address. It took us to a residential neighborhood. We were starting to question our selection, but took a chance. The cafe was clean and neat and the food was great. I had the soup and the fresh roll. I eat vegan. read more

It's such a great little place. Emphasis on the little! I've been here a few times now, and the food is always... Always amazing. The wait can get long, especially during busy times. The poor waitress who has to run the whole front of the house, from answering the phone, to seating, bussing, and waiting on everyone. She was a bit frazzled last night, but that's to be understood. So, here we go: The Good: The food. Dude... It's some of the best Thai I have ever had. They use quality ingredients. The veggies are always fresh. The spices flavorful. The people. They're really nice. Prices. Seriously? Expensive? Not for what you get. The portions are HUGE and the quality is good. The decor. It's pretty. Nice touches with the plants and elephants. The music is good, too. The bad: Oh, it's small. Seriously. There's like 10 tables. There's not a lot of space to walk around them. If you're claustrophobic this will not be a great time for you. You WILL be able to hear the people at the next table. This is a bit better in the summer with the porch seating. Parking can be a nightmare. There's no lot. Street parking only. In a heavily trafficked mixed residential/commercial area. They clean the tables with Windex. In a busy rush they do this immediately before you sit down at the table. I find this sort of repulsive. This is a favorite spot for my sweetie, so I know I will be returning again and again. We had one of our first dates here, so it has a really romantic feel to me. read more

It is a quaint little place next to emack and bolios. I have hopes (more than the Boston place that was here a few years ago and as much as the sushi joint from last year). Robert really dug his larb gai, Mike scarfed his pineapple fried rice and gives it thumbs up. And my pad see ew was the best I have ever had, the noodles were suffused with flavor and I have a ton left for lunch. We decided to come in based on the rave reviews of the group leaving and of the couple still eating on the deck. The smells inside were very inviting and the other diners were looking quite happy. We say outside and were serenaded by the dulcet Times of the open mic couple singing Irish folk songs next door. The spring rolls were fresh and tasty read more

Sweet Basil - New Thai restaurant on Delaware. - Thai Near Me - Albany, New York

Small restaurant with just 22 seats. I tried the curry puff and mango curry chicken. The food was so good, I was trying to give 5 stars until the not that happy ending. I wanted to get some dessert, but only Fried Ice Cream was available, no Thai custard, no Fried Banana. read more

See all

First and foremost: they do not serve any alcoholic beverages. Unconfirmed if it's a BYO, but will find out before returning. If it is a BYO, I will add a ! I don't know about you, but when I'm ordering spicy Asian foods, I prefer a chilled white as its companion. Sweet Basil knows Thai food. Damn this food is SPICY! I ordered it my Gapow (Thai basil with chicken) spicy and they delivered! That said, my meal was tasty however saltier than normal. My boyfriend's meal of the Twin Tails (duck and shrimp along with a delicious curry sauce) was tasty, but the duck pieces were hard to cut with just a fork and spoon and I do not like duck skin. Prior to our entrees, I had a house salad with ginger dressing which had a bit bore of a mayo consistency than I would prefer. My boyfriend ordered the Tom Yum soup (hot and spicy) with shrimp - he said it was tasty, but I declined to taste because of my cold. We will return, but I will make sure I can bring a tasty bottle of white wine! read more

See all

This was my first time here and WOW! I loved the ambience, I love the decorations, I loved the staff recommendations and I truly loved the food. One of my friends got the mango curry which had the right amount of sweetness and warmth. The other orderd something I cannot remember but she ordered it with duck and it was cooked so well. Finally, I ordered the sweet basil eggplant and let me tell you I've been craving another dish of this since I've left. The eggplant was soft but not mushy, the vegetables were tender and the sauce was the not too hot or overpowering. It came with jasmine rice and this all just was a powerful combination. I am going back here, I can taste this food in my dreams. read more

See all

So good! Tried the potstickers, spring rolls, shrimp rolls and fried calamari. The pad thai was amazing (very large portion). The fried rice was also perfect! The thai custard and sticky rice was the best dessert I've ever had. Very cozy place and the waiter was so attentive. Recommend 100%. read more

See all

Very small but cozy Thai restaurant. Soft Asian music playing in the background with plenty of East Asian decorations around the place. The service was adequate and my meal was prepared and served quickly. I ordered duplins with red curry chicken. My meal was just spicy enough for my tastes with plenty of fresh vegetables in my plate. Overall this satisfied my desire for some good Thai food. I will return here again. read more

Sweet Basil - Red curry chicken with noodles - Thai Near Me - Albany, New York

I think Capital Thai just got ousted by Sweet Basil as my new favorite Thai restaurant in Albany. After hearing my boss raving about dinner here and seeing the glowing Yelp reviews, I had to try it out. The restaurant is small and cozy. They have eight tables inside and an additional two outside. I thought their interior decor was really nice (especially the ceiling tiles). We were immediately seated but it took a few minutes to be given menus, which was fine because we were in no rush and it seemed like there were a lot of take out orders being processed. The waitress apologized once she came over. We decided to start with the sweet basil rolls, which were awesome. It's very simple but the freshness of the vegetables (I love a good crunch in my veggies) and the plate presentation really impressed us. My soup came out a few minutes later. They give you a very large portion considering it was included with my entree. It had shiitake, tofu, clear noodles, peas, cilantro and finely crushed peanuts. The cilantro really shined through. I could easily eat the soup and an appetizer and be fully satisfied. We ordered the sweet basil chicken and the pad see eww with beef. Both were delivered to us straight from the kitchen piping hot. The chicken was presented beautifully in a hollowed out pineapple. How often do you get to eat out of a pineapple!? Freaking cool! The noodles were delicious. Spiced perfectly. Normally we don't eat dessert, but after overhearing the glowing reviews from the table next to us, we decided to splurge. It was well worth it. The sticky rice with mango was enough for both of us, but we also ordered the custard because we were curious. Both were again plated beautifully and delicious. They really know how to make some awesome sticky rice. One appetizer, two Thai iced teas, two entrees and two desserts cost us $50. A bit more expensive than other restaurants but it was totally worth it because we enjoyed absolutely everything. The quality was top notch. Try this place. I can guarantee you will love it. It was one of the best meals I've had in Albany in a long, long time. read more

See all

I have had the pleasure of visiting this quaint establishment a handful of times. It is one of our cycle of restaurants to eat at while in Albany. Sweet Basil is in the cycle with Albany Ale and Oyster, Cardona's Market to name a few on this side of town. Sweet Basil has not ceased to disappoint--the curries specifically are so delicious. What really sets their curry apart is the time they take to make it less of a watery, to a thick consistency. The type that allows is to stick to rice in sweet harmony, or the chicken and vegetables for that matter. Their dumplings are fried to perfection, and their fresh spring rolls make me want to be a better man. All in all, a very worthwhile restaurant in my favorite neighborhood in Albany! read more

I have one word to describe Sweet Basil: outstanding! It is without a doubt the best Thai in the Capital District (and I'm a BIG fan of Thai food and have tried pretty much everywhere). I was super excited to try this place and it definitely exceeded my expectations! It's pretty small inside with only 6ish tables but it's very cute. Despite it being small it was actually pretty quiet and I didn't really notice other people talking. Parking is a little annoying since you have to park on the street, but no big deal. Since it is very small I was worried that when the door opened we would be freezing since it is the winter, but they had it at a perfect temperature and it wasn't a problem at all. The menu has a lot of Thai options--curries, noodle dishes, house specialties, soups, salads and apps. The crab rangoon is without a doubt the best I have ever eaten. The other appetizers that I've tried have also been really good. I am impartial to red curry and it's my absolute favorite, so it's what I get every time. It is the best red curry I've ever had. The other entrees dining companions have gotten have also been great and they have raved about them. The portions are pretty good sized, they definitely don't skimp on the meat. Everything is super fresh too. I don't think they have their liquor license as I did not see any alcohol on the menu. The prices are extremely fair for the quality and portion size. Two people can each order and appetizer and entree and only spend about $50. The service is friendly and attentive. If you want the best Thai food in Albany, head here! I cannot say enough good things about it and it is definitely now my go-to place for Thai! :) read more

The food is quite expensive here. I got massaman curry with scallop and half of the bowl were potatoes, huge bulks of bland potatoes, of which I couldn't even finish one. It's almost 20 bucks including tax and tip...for flavorless potatoes? Maybe I got the wrong dish. I just think at least the potatoes should have a little bit of curry flavor. If the chef could throw them in there earlier to let them cook longer... That's what I would do. The rice is also not high quality rice either. It's like rice from Walmart or something. read more

Sweet Basil - Sweet basil noodles- $20 - Thai Near Me - Albany, New York

See all

This restaurant is very quint. There service is great and the food is delicious. It is also very beautifully decorated, making for a relaxing and exotic but homey ambiance. We ordered Tom Kha soup which was delicious, vegetable rolls and shared drunken noodles. Everything was well seasoned and very tasty. read more

Sweet Basil - Tom Kha Soup! - Thai Near Me - Albany, New York