Ordered takeout. They said it would be ready in 30 minutes. It took almost an hour. The braised chicken pasta and chicken parmesan pasta were ok. The rosemary chicken pasta was very salty. The shrimp scampi pasta had a clump of one tablespoon minced garlic that was not mixed with the pasta. The handmade ravioli and wild mushroom pasta were good. read more

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Great restaurant with great Italian food. Portions big enough to share. Highly recommend.

Wonderful delicious food I always get pad Thai and never disappoint. Also they have massage downstairs it's amazing.

First time getting food from this place. I got the bolognese for takeout, and it was good.

Love this place! Food is so good and consistent and the staff are wonderful. Not a huge place so be prepared to wait if you come at peak times. read more

BYOB or it was when I lived in Needham. Always excellent and worth the wait. I think I saw a smaller one on Moody Street.

Great COVID set up with outdoor seating! Love the pesto and bread. Amazing food, big portions

Outstanding food and great service. The price is very reasonable and the portion is big. I have been a long-time customer and will continue to be so. read more

Incredible food, ambiance and drinks. I've been to almost everywhere in the North End and by far Sweet Basil has my favorite pasta dish. Love it here so much. The pastas are so incredibly rich and flavorful. read more

YAYYYYY!!! finally a good restaurant in BOSTON...my boss recommended me to try this place out...when i heard they serve bread and fresh pesto for starters i was sold...being an avid foodie i will travel far and beyond for food...we went for dinner we parked on the street...stepping out of your car you can smell roasted garlic it was just heavenly...thank goodness i brought an appetite...everyone was so friendly and cheerful when we walked in...the place was packed so we waited for 20 minutes or so...i was surprised to see the dishes coming out of the kitchen were huge!!!...the portions were huge!!! ATMOSPHERE: i really loved how intimate and quaint this was...it's a no frills type restaurant but the feel is cozy and a bit rustic...the waiters were attentive and super nice FOOD: MUSSELS- if you ate this alone...this could very well be your dinner...the plate was huge and was packed with mussels...each mussel was sooo plump and fresh...i sopped the rest of my juice with the bread doused in pesto Rosemary chicken with crispy pancetta, tomatoes and asparagus, in a creamy parmesan cream sauce tossed with ziti - This dish was amazing...yet sooo rich i was sooo full on bread and mussels i took about 4 bites and i was tapped out ...this was amazing...the ziti was cooked al dente...the cream sauce was rich and garlicky.... this is my def. go to place if i am craving for awesome Italian and a romantic evening with a beau read more

Sweet Basil - the pesto and bread for starters...YUMMMMY - Italian Near Me - Needham, Massachusetts

Sweet Basil is honestly my all-time favorite Italian restaurant. I came in on a Thursday night with 10 other people, and because this restaurant doesn't take reservations, we were prepared to wait. However, the restaurant was even more packed than we had originally anticipated and it ended up being about a 1 hour 30 minute wait. Normally, waiting this amount of time just to get seated would make me really hangry (hungry + angry), but not going to lie, this is the first restaurant where I actually had an exceptionally great experience BECAUSE of the wait. The owner was beyond kind and brought out appetizers for us to snack on while waiting (since he understood how dangerous it was being the only thing standing between 10 hungry college students & their food) & taking our orders beforehand so that we could have the food brought out the minute we were seated. Also, huge plus, they have great substitutes for pescatarians!!! My favorite is the Rosemary Chicken - meat + shrimp. read more

Needham on a sunny warm Sunday night is a delight. Many of the businesses put out seating. I had a supper engagement with a friend at this highly rated restaurant. They don't take reservations; it's first come first served from 4 to 10. First, I'll tell you what I liked. It's unpretentious and comfortable. The cloth napkins are tied in a knot. Water is poured from a plain bottle. Wonderful chewy bread is accompanied with a tasty bowl of presto. Very different. The service is attentive. My friend and I both ordered the ravioli. It's the best I ever had, savory, served in a shallow earthenware bowl. GREAT! I'll tell you what I didn't like. Someone should be checking for set ups. I shouldn't have to ask for silverware: my friend had no spoon. While the food was absolutely excellent, it's too pricey. $22 for a bowl of raviolis? When the meal came, our server took my plate of bread away. Hey! When we finished, our server incorrectly asked if we wanted the remainders to be combined. Why would he suggest that? Presumtuous. Finally, for a high end restaurant, why put what I want to take home in a plain plastic container like supermarket potato salad? My friend and their raviolis made the evening. The experience at Sweet Basil not so much. read more

The food and service are wonderful! Get here early if you don't want to wait. Gets busy! There is a parking lot nearby that's free which is great. The pesto is as good as everyone else said it was. It's great that they give it to you with bread to start. They had several specials to go along with their menu which is nice since the menu is pretty small. The rosemary chicken was delicious. The sauce was creamy and garlicky and the pasta was thick and cooked perfectly. And BYOB! read more

Sweet Basil - Rosemary chicken - Italian Near Me - Needham, Massachusetts

Early Saturday Meal, Have to say that if you don't want to wait, come early. Dinner was excellent, I had the Bolognese, my wife had the Ravioli. Plenty of food. easily could have been two meals, had I not been a glutton and finished to a polished plate. Felt a little rushed to get up after we ate, not by the staff, but from the hungry people waiting for a seat. Its also a bring your own wine place, which I wish I had known prior. They do have soda and plenty of water. I also like fresh Pepper and parmigiana grated on my pasta, which wasn't offered, maybe they don't do that. Not really a complaint as the flavor was Great. I will go again, when I am hungry at 5:00. read more

Excellent! Regular stop for us when back visiting family. Staff is super welcoming and attentive. Smallish menu but have never made the wrong choice. This time the risotto of the day was a big hit! Folks also had the bolognese, chicken parm, chicken Marsala and the short rib ragu special - all excellent. Tons of leftovers. read more

The quality of food at this place and hectic multitasking of the staff reminds me of the petit and fantastically tasty restaurants nestled in the old cities of France. I have my countries wrong though, because this is inspired Italian food. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and flavors are bright with fresh herbs ... each bite was a joy. Table bread was paired with a freshly processed pesto for dipping. A tip for ordering: portions are pretty large ... a couple can share an appetizer/salad and share an entree ... and it's plenty. We even took home extra pasta. The arugula salad was served with wedges of oversized pickled beets, apricots, goat cheese, and a wonderful vinegrette with a hint of dijon (great autumn harvest salad). The gulf shimp scampi showed that they weren't afraid of garlic, and I loved them for it, wonderful! No desserts served here ... move on to your dessert wine, or to the rest of you plans for that evening. So back to the beginning: while you're waiting, probably for at least 30 min. for one of the 10 tables or so, the hostess might suggest visiting the nice bar next door (because sweet basil doesn't serve alcohol). Well Sweet Basil is a BYOB and I prefer to stay there, have them bring up a couple of glasses, pull the cork on one of the wines I've brought along, and we can drink wine, chat and look over the menu while my hunger grows from the smells of the open kitchen and memories of my last visit. /tom read more

Always fresh ingredients. Always delicious. It's my go-to especially for specialty pizzas, and my favorite Chicken Caesar salad!

This tiny (very tiny) little Italian eatery, nestled in just steps from Needham Center, shouldn't be missed. They don't take reservations. They only accept payment with cash. They don't serve dessert... but all of this is ok. Their *huge* portions are made in their open kitchen, and because there aren't too many guests, it comes right away... and when your meal arrives on their colorful plates you can no longer worry about anything that may have you frazzled - because it smells SO good. Favorite Dishes: Rosemary chicken with crispy pancetta, and asparagus, in a creamy parmesan cream sauce, and, of course, their sandwiches. Bonus: It's BYOB/BYOW - Bring your own wine (with a $5 corking fee). Some might find this to be a hassle, but I prefer to pay liquor store prices for a bottle of merlot as opposed to restaurant mark-up.... and that way, I'm guaranteed to get something I know I like. Bonus 2: If they wait is too long - take it to go! Drawback: Because of the tiny size, I wouldn't necessarily call it a "romantic place" for dinner - but I love it just the same. read more

Sweet Basil - Sweet Basil - Italian Near Me - Needham, Massachusetts

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HUGE portions. I feel like ordering one entree is good enough for two people especially considering how good their bread and pesto is that you won't need to really order anything else, but the problem with that is EVERYTHING ON THE MENU SOUNDS AMAZING. I came with two other friends and we decided to order the calamari (appetizer) which was actually a huge portion, but nonetheless delicious. My favorite part was how the marinara sauce had big chunks of tomato and had a hint of spice added. For entrees, we shared the lamb dish and roasted garlic chicken dish. The lamb was extremely moist and practically melted in my mouth. The roasted chicken dish came with pasta that was cooked to a perfect al dente with huge pieces of moist chicken and vegetables. The three of us shared two entrees and an appetizer and had plenty to take back home, overall it was definitely a great dining experience. The waiters are extremely friendly, so don't be hesitant to ask for more bread & pesto! read more

Sweet Basil - Calamari appetizer - Italian Near Me - Needham, Massachusetts

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After hearing about Sweet Basil for years, I was so excited when we finally got the chance to go! We went at 5 on a Friday night (we have a toddler), and were seated right away, which I understand is rare. They don't have any high chairs, so my husband ran home to get our travel one, which is a negative. But the staff was so baby/kid-friendly, that it's not a huge deal. They immediately brought yummy bread with a DELICIOUS pesto sauce. I couldn't get enough. And the waitress said I could get a small bowl of pasta with butter or sauce for my son. That came out quick and was a good size. It wasn't anything amazing (pasta with sauce), but he enjoyed it. I got the special risotto and my husband went for his standard - the chicke parm. The portions are huge (although he polished his off) and both were tasty but not amazing. Maybe our expectations were so high due to the rave reviews? My risotto was quite salty and his chicken wasn't as crispy as he likes. Don't get me wrong - we enjoyed it and would go back, but we weren't wowed as much as we thought we'd be. We loved the funky atmosphere - they had fun music & decor. My husband paid while I brought our son outside, so I don't know exactly how much everything was, but it's not cheap. Which is not a surprise. read more

Delicious Italian food! Small cozy restaurant in Needham Center with plenty of street parking available. Fun fact: it's BYOB and they just charge you $5 for a bottle opening fee. There's a wine shop down the street. No Italian meal is whole unless you start off with a fresh basket of bread. The pesto dip is delicious. Wish the bread was warmer, but it was still pretty good. Don't fill up too quickly on the bread! For our table of 5, we started off with two starters: the calamari and the mussels. Both were delicious. Tip: soak the bread in the mussel sauce - it's perfect. I got the bolognese dish for my entree. All the portions here are very generous! I ate half and was full. Perfect for lunch the next day. The pasta was a little tough to separate from the rest of the ingredients so I was struggling a little bit at first, but can't complain. Tasted great. My friends got the risotto, rosemary chicken, scallops, and shrimp scampi. All were great, except the scallops dish comes with prosciutto that's WAY too salty. It makes you cringe. We sent that back and they were understanding about it and switched out for a different dish instead. Overall great dining experience! Can't wait to come back. read more

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Visiting from Southern California- Sweet Basil was the most refreshing reminder of what true Italian food is. I wanted to go out for some pasta with my sister before a long run tomorrow, so I naturally went to Yelp for some advice and found this gem. Over 200 reviews with a 4.5 star average = a must try. We arrived 20 min after they opened and were lucky to not have to wait. We were some of the last couple of couples to fill it out. I didn't take notice to any exaggerated decor or efforts to stand out. Less is more sometimes and this place gets it! It was just right. We were received and seated and given some refreshing water and bread with pesto. Our waiter came soon thereafter with a personable introduction and before we could blink she took our bottle of wine and had it uncorked. We had all the time time we need to order from the small menu: Gnocchi and fried oysters over fresh veggies to start, the bolognese and she had the lamb and grits. Small menus usually leave me wondering why they don't give more options, but this is quite the contrary for a business like this. Why? It is ALL excellent. There is simply no need to "get creative." Over the hum of music and the chatter of all the other patrons, we enjoyed some wine and gnocchi. This gnocchi was bigger and softer than I've had before ... And simply spectacular. The fried oysters and the veggies were incredibly fresh and the presentation of it all was not overdone. The taste of the food here is clearly the centerpiece. No need to gift wrap their food. The bolognese came out and I think I drooled. The portion was so much bigger than it looked and I found myself having to pace my dinner. The flavors, texture, and body of the dish was IMPECCABLE. I have never had better bolognese. Luckily my sister gave me a taste of her lamb and grits which almost sent me through the ceiling it was so good! The service, ambiance, and just the love I have for the East Coast (originally from NJ) all constructed a simply incredible dining experience. This place could not do any better in any way. Will always come back if I'm in town. read more

Sweet Basil - Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Needham, Massachusetts

One of the best local Italian restaurants I've ever been to in my life. Nice, chill atmosphere and the staff are always super welcoming. The food is beyond delicious and it's BYOB as well. It's a go-to spot if you're ever in the area! read more

Sweet Basil is my absolute favorite restaurant in suburban Boston. First, you must pick up a bottle of wine at a liquor store. Sweet Basil does not serve alcohol, but they will happily serve you your wine for a corking fee. Second, you must bring (lots of) cash. Sweet Basil does not accept other forms of payment. Third, you must arrive with plenty of time to spare. Sweet Basil does not accept reservations. While you are waiting for a table, you should walk down the street to Masala Art for a cocktail. Fourth, you must order the baked gouda appetizer. Continue as you like. This is my Sweet Basil recipe for success. read more

I stopped in for a late lunch early dinner and the steamed mussels are fantastic. The juice is just right with garlic. Sopped it all up with bread. Beet salad was delish. Too bad it was on the small side. Next time I will have to come back for a full dinner and bring some vino as the menu looks fantastic. Too bad Needham is a haul from NH. read more

Celebrated my Birthday on a Sunday Evening The starter Bread and Pesto was Amazing I could have just had that!!! I ordered the braised chicken was very good and enough for a second meal!! Though a little on the Spivey side for me.. can't wait to come back And try another dish! Maybe a Bolognese! Thank You read more

I got take out from sweet Basil on moody street with my boyfriend and roommate and it was all great! The portions were HUGE I froze some and 3 meals from my one dish. I had the bolognese and it was really delicious-- the pasta seemed home made and the sauce was really thick. This meal was heavier than I anticipated and very garlicky, but I like that kind of heavy meal. Would order again! read more

Been here several times, my fav local Italian place. Our favorites are the chicken parm and the lamb stew. As a person who only likes my lamb grilled sweet basils lamb won me over! The lamb is super tender and the grits and the veggies in the dish are amazing too, I would highly recommend! We love the busy tightly packed small italian place vibe! The bread and the pesto dip are also excellent. I would also recommend the four cheese ravioli. Shrimp scampi was fine, not lemoney enough for me. The only reason it's 4 stars and not 5 is that I find they are not always consistent with the quality and taste of dishes, especially since COVID. read more

Super friendly staff and super good food! On a recent trip to the area my daughter and I got in late and were in search of dinner as everything was closing. Sweet Basil took us in, sat us down, plied us with wine and delicious bread and pesto and a salad immediately while our excellent pasta was prepared. It made for an excellent start to our trip - will definitely be going back next time we are in the area!! read more

Went to Sweet Basil today after hearing good things about it. We had the calamari and the Chicken Parm. In a word AMAZING. Great Italian food, they let you bring your own wine, and the food is just super. Well done, we will be back! read more

A fantastic, unpretentious spot for a business lunch or a casual evening meal. The menu offers a little something for every taste. From the well plated salads to the unique summer soups to the fantastic mussels - everything is continental Italian and comes to the table with a smile and not a lot of fanfare. What struck me the most about the restaurant was the server. She made every effort to assure we were comfortable and well attended to - but provided us with plenty of space to drive into our business discussion without ever wanting for anything. Sweet Basil is the perfect place to relax and enjoy well prepared and beautifully presented Italian bistro fare. Oh - and well have great French fries! read more

Our favorite restaurant anywhere. The bread and pesto, calamari, chicken parm are all amazing but nothing compares to the Rosemary Chicken. It is the most decadent dish but so worth it. The staff are also the best. This is a busy, busy restaurant but they all have time to make it feel not rushed. Love it. read more

Wow! We did not need to go to the North End to enjoy excellent Italian food. There were 6 of us and everything we had was extremely flavorful and delicious. The lamb shank, the goat cheese salad, the Bolognese of beef, sausage & mushrooms over tagliatelle and the mussels were the best we have had. The restaurant is quaint and as soon as you walk in the door, you smell the garlicky aroma emanating from the kitchen. read more

Mofos got a fingernail stuck in my food. Like how hard is it to get a nail stuck in someone's food? Very hard! It was such a clean cut to it was surprising, besides that, the food kinda tasted like my homies balls. read more

I rarely hand out 5 stars for reviews and this place met the expectations for a 5 star rating. The service was great, the have a great ambiance (even with covid and outdoor seating - I did wish the outdoor seating was a bit more spaced out) we ordered the food to go. We had shrimp scampi, Bolognese and calamari. Everything was great! Even for a takeout order, we got home and felt as if we were eating at the restaurant. They even packed some bread as if we were at the restaurant. Great quality food and huge portions! We ordered two entrees because we thought they had small portions but we were so wrong! I feel like I didn't even put a dent in my plate after eating and feeling full. So we have food for lunch tomorrow. We will definitely be coming back. It is pricey. Our entire meal was $65. We usually average around $40 with our dinner so this was a bit more. The quality and quantity reflect the price in my opinion. I may be exaggerating because my belly feels good right now. read more

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I have been going to the Needham location and now Waltham to for many years. While sometimes a little too much use of seasonings, always a winner! read more

Food, service and ambiance are all excellent. The servings are ample and delicious. Love this place.

I've never left a review for a restaurant before, but Sweet Basil is just that good. We were immediately greeted by an extremely kind and personable hostess who gave us an option of tables to choose from. Once seated we were waited on instantly and brought fresh bread with a to-die-for pesto dip. Although we were first timers the staff at Sweet Basil treated us like old friends - I don't think I've ever had a dining experience quite like it before. As a huge fan of fresh pasta and cream sauce, the rosemary chicken was an obvious choice and boy did it DELIVER. Pasta was cooked perfectly (not over-cooked like most places), cream sauce was gorgeous, and the pancetta reminded me of the famous Spanish iberico ham I had recently in Barcelona. To finish off the meal Angel hooked us up with an INCREDIBLY generous to-go box with some of the fresh bread and homemade pesto. The vibes were 10/10. Will be recommending Sweet Basil to anyone and everyone. read more

Great ambience and yummy food. I love their bolognese and salads. Restaurant is very small and can be loud at times. Also i wish they would be modern and take reservations. It is a long time yo wait outside. read more

One of the best. Great environment. Great wait staff. Great music and the food is to die for. Foolish not to try it. BYOB makes it very affordable. Easy to split a plate as helpings are incredible. Got to go place!! read more

Sweet Basil - BYOB - Italian Near Me - Needham, Massachusetts