This is a tricky one. The menu seems to change, which is great. Unfortunately I have had some dishes I loved, and then returned, only to find them not on the menu any longer. I tried a few different new options and was less impressed. PROS: Amazing, homemade Italian food. So good. Service was solid as well. Bring your own booze is nice. Ambiance is nice. Complimentary bread with pesto dipping sauce is very good. CONS: Parking can be a challenge, as the area gets busy. It's also quite crowded on weekends, and with virtually no lobby-type area, you will find patrons practically standing over your table as they wait for theirs. It's probably my biggest complaint. Get a table as far from the door as possible. This is not an issue in the warm months, but once it gets cold, it's my least favorite part of Sweet Basil. OVERALL: We will return, but we went from being completely in love with this place, to thinking it's a good option. read more

this place slaps fr this place is the best, enormous portions of delicious food, super friendly staff and great ambiance. I like that it's BYOB, and everything is just done so well it's hard for me to pick just one thing when I go! The chicken parm might be my favorite dish, but their calamari rivals it.... GREAT spot! read more

We were truly disappointed Greek salad had only welted lettuce , non appetizing Mussels was not fresh, probably previously frozen and very chewy. Ravioli tomato sauce was watery and had no flavor. Shrimp Scampi hand intense lemony flavor and shrimp was tough, Ibis please used to serve decent food , have no idea what happened to it read more

My all time favorite restaurant. From the service, the ambience, the BYOB!.., to the food, Sweet Basil does it all. Every dish that we've tried is incredible with generous portions. I'm some highlights include: Rosemary chicken Shrimp scampi Chicken parm Bolognese Delicious pesto is served with your meal when you dine in. And absolutely incredible bread to go with the pesto. read more

I don't even know where to start with this menu For starters, the beet salad will make you change your name to goat cheese, I eat goat cheese now because of this salad. On top of that, the baked gouda makes your soul sing and will make you realize what love is. If none of that tickles your fancy, make sure you try the mussels cause if nothing else, the mussels will make sure you remember to call home Once you've had your fill of apps, make sure you've left room for dessert, the entree selection is endless. You could make it a classic with the chicken parm, the crunch of the chicken paired with the insanely beautifully made pasta will change your whole perspective on what a classic should taste like. If you want a classic, the lamb shank tastes like nothing you've ever had before in this beautiful world. It's so tender and, just right, and I don't usually love lamb as much as this restaurant group makes it Their crowned jewel is the rosemary chicken, there are so many flavors and textures in this dish. The pancetta hits different once it teams up with the chicken and creamy sauce to smack you in the face. After you've come to, the pillowy pasta nussle you to a comfort that only sweet basil can provide. No matter what you order on the menu, you can always taste the love in everything they make. Oh and make sure you get the bread, the bread is insane and pairs best with literally everything on the menu. read more

Haven't been here since 2018 !! Came in tonight with my friend and sat outside on their lovely terrace ! Staff are wonderfully friendly and the food was delicious Another huge bonus .... They allow well behaved dogs on the terrace ! Coming from London where it's completely fine to bring your dog , it was so delightful to be able to have my little fur friend with me. I will absolutely not wait another few years to go to this fabulous restaurant read more

Never not awesome. The menu rarely changes but every dish is utterly on point. And lest you're budget conscious, squeezing two meals out of an entree is no problem. And the pesto...I won't leave the place without at least a pint to go. read more

Sweet Basil has always been good to great and then last evening we had a sub par meal. Two bad meals. A Bertucci level meal. Like a Needham Bertucci level meal which is really bad. The waitress admitted that the chef was new and alone for the first time but offered no apology. She just deflected and walked off. I had previously been to Juniper and hated the place and I see that they have a Waltham restaurant now. I guess Sweet Basil is just an average place now. Nothing great. Too bad. read more

When we sat down and tried the home made pesto with crusty bread I told my wife the visit was worth it regardless of the meal. Fortunately, the meals did not disappoint. You could tell the pasta was fresh and made in-house immediately. Just grab a bottle in advance if you want wine as it is BYOB. The atmosphere was also great. It is a small, cozy space where you feel more like you are at a friend's house for dinner and many of the diners are obviously regulars. In addition, the night we were there, the chef was stopping at the tables to make sure everything was ok. You can really tell that he has a passion for cooking and the business. His joy in what he does just added to the experience for our family. read more

Why I'll go back: Delicious food and a staff that makes you feel like a regular You HAVE to order: baked gouda, ravioli Tony's Tip: the portions are huge, so don't cheat yourself - fast the day you eat there I was arranging dinner with three friends I hadn't seen in nearly a decade (okay, maybe "friends" is using the term liberally). None of us live in Needham, but Sweet Basil was centrally located between us, so we settled on having dinner there. I think I actually stumbled across this place through Yelp reviews in seeking out new places several months ago. By now, you're probably aware of the three sins they've committed as a restaurant: no reservations, no booze, and no credit cards. To everyone else who has been bitching, get over it! Hit the ATM, pick up a bottle of wine at the store on the way over, and then grab a drink down the street at The Village Fish while you wait. I showed up around 6:45 on a Friday and threw our name in. Dave greeted me as if I'd been coming there for years. People were milling about outside, but they'll take your cell number and just call you when your table is ready. So, we headed down to the Fish. A half hour and one pale ale later, we were seated. Sweet Basil has a very local and relaxed feel to it. There were a number of 30- and 40-somethings, and the place can get a bit loud, but not unbearable. Perhaps my only gripe is that the seats are somewhat stiff and uncomfortable, which is a pet peeve of mine if I'm gonna be sitting for two hours trying to enjoy a nice meal and conversation. Whatever. I'm over it. After the first bite of bread with that rich pesto spread, I was already distracted enough by my taste buds. Our waitress, Erica, was cute, bubbly, and knew the menu well. More than one Yelper had raved about the baked gouda. Erica vouched for it, so I went with it. Ridiculous, in every way. As I said earlier, this salad (a generous block of gouda, wrapped in a thin, flaky dough and served over lightly dressed greens) was huge. I literally could have had that alone as my meal. And even though I knew my ravioli was coming, I couldn't contain myself, and I killed the entire thing. When they brought out the entrees, the plates were so huge, we practically looked like pigs feeding at the trough. My ravioli contained several cheeses and was smothered in a flavorful marinara sauce. Each one was so delicate, there is no mistaking it was homemade. Honestly, I could easily go back there and order the same meal and be perfectly happy. It will take some will power to go with another option. As far as prices go, I think Sweet Basil is very reasonable. The appetizers and salads are basically all around $10 and there are only two entrees over $20 (lamb and steak). With tip, our meal for four came to $150. Throw in the two bottles of wine we brought and it was still under $200. I think this totally works as a date place, and I'm already scheming to figure out when I can get back there. read more

Sweet Basil - Baked Gouda over greens (with...yes, strawberries) - Italian Near Me - Needham, Massachusetts

Second time being here it's a shame I forgot it's BYOB! We came on a Thursday night at 6:30pm. There wasn't a line but the restaurant was 90%filled. The owner here handmade the stoneware which complemented the quaint Italian restaurant. Again, very delicious pesto but I hope the bread was warm. It took a while to get our entrees(around30mins). One of the servers kept us informed on the progress and tried her best to bring the plates on table asap. HuGE portions. +rosemary chicken($22): The signature dish at SB; the sauce was rich, cheesy and I'm pretty sure it's a mix of peanut sauce and cheese with some other ingredients. My friend thought it was too cheesy though. The sauce combination stood out to me and the portion was huge. +lamb shank(+$28): Delicious!one of the must try dishes; I usually don't like the flavor of lamb because the gamy taste was too much, but this lamb shank was very good, not too gamby(you can still taste the lamb but in a good way) and tender. Sauce well complemented the meat and grits! Portion was HUGE. I can literally divide it into three meals. So glad I came here again! One thing though-- I smell like food once I leave the restaurant. I hope ventilation was better. They also have specials. read more

Sweet Basil - Must try :Rosemary chicken& lamb shank - Italian Near Me - Needham, Massachusetts

One of my favorite suburban restaurants, food is usually always good and service friendly.

Service is always great and I love their bread and pesto but sadly for me that's where it ends. I've tried several dishes thinking maybe it's just an off night and haven't really enjoyed any of them. Tried the eggplant parm and the eggplant was so hard i couldn't cut it. Chicken Marsala was super oily and again the thicken breast was extremely thick and tough. The other chicken pasta dish I tried was super salty ( almost like a microwave dinner?) and again a lot of gristle in the chicken My kid does love the ravioli but at 24$ it seems a bit steep for plain cheese ravioli. I want to love it, I just don't read more

Had not been in a few years. Ordered Risotto which was much to salty with three large slices of tasteless mushroom and some tasteless corn. The Bolognese was equally unappealing. With chunks of sausage and a thick type of long solid noodle . I had such fond memories of prior superior meals - sadly can not recommend current chef. read more

Food is saturated in sauces. Use excessive amount of garlic cloves. I have been to Italy several times and have many Italian restaurants in the New England area by which I compare this to. read more

Great place. Big portions, hearty, well-executed dishes, friendly service and varied menu make this a winner. Baked Gouda, braised chicken and clams linguini all terrific. Also loved the pesto and bread they serve complimentary for the table. BYO for beer and wine...great liquor store a block away. Can't wait to return. read more

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

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BYOB Alert!!!! All in - Very very good. Good bread and great pesto to start with, attentive and accommodating wait staff, excellent pan seared salmon with a tiny bit of home made gnocchi. I left super happy. Did not know this place was BYOB. The staff said its ok to run down the street and get a bottle of wine. How nice! At the end when I asked for the dessert menu, manager was sorry they don't do desserts but they are friends with the custard place next door. I could get custard and eat there. I am like this is too generous and refused that offer. For those with large family groups, something to consider. read more

Con's: 1.5 hour wait on a Friday night Pro's: everything else All and all, had a great experience at Sweet Basil. The staff was polite and attentive, and the food was fantastic. I had the Chicken Parm and my wife had the cheese ravioli. But the star of the show was certainly the house pesto. read more

Great food and a fun atmosphere! Highly recommend trying this restaurant out if you haven't already done so.

Food is really amazing! You can't stop eating their pesto and bread and from there it just gets better. Excellent service and very fair prices. Will be back soon! read more

Fantastic Italian food that tastes like it was cooked in an authentic Italian kitchen. Great atmosphere and friendly staff.

Amazing. Everything we ordered was outstanding. Our friends are regulars here and they knew about secret things that weren't on the menu. That was super fun! I'm drooling just thinking about coming back here for the rosemary chicken!!! read more

If you want a guaranteed yummy dinner no matter what you order, this is your place--take out or in house - you can't go wrong

Best pasta in the neighborhood!!! Lmk if you find a better place... you won't... Sweet Basil is my go to restaurant for unlimited pesto and fresh bread. We were greeted by a kind young man who offered us hors d'oeuvres while we were waiting for our table. He even let us change our reservation name to Meredith to move up in the list! Just kidding, but he was a friendly face to make the wait feel shorter. He will also kindly open you a bottle of wine to casually sip on while you wait. After 3 refills of pesto and bread, we received our decadent salad with yummy apricots, strawberries, balsamic, and topped with some baked Gouda that melts in your mouth. Our salad was followed by a huge chicken parm with lots of red sauce and melted cheese. If you've read this far in the review... I'm surprised. My two takeaways are that the food is delish and the waiter is cute. Also, my condolences for having no photos to share because the camera ate second this time. read more

Love sweet basil. Food is always incredible, BYOB, and very friendly employees. We ordered recently due to COVID takeout and our food was just as good as if we ate there. Amazing Pesto is a must have from them. Rosemary Chicken is always delicious as well! read more

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

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Small town charm and great food you really can't beat Sweet Basil for a night out with a Family or for a date.

Not bad, nothing I would rave about. The menu featured a lot of dishes with slices of sausages, not really traditional Italian style. I like sausage but it seemed an unnecessary addition in most dishes. The only beverages offered was Dels lemonade, I hate Dels lemonade and Root beer. Yes folks that was all. Of course water is available, thank God. I had planned on asking for coffee but the waitress gave us the bill without so much as asking and they were busy, BUT, asking if you would like anything else before bringing the check is server 101. The server was nice but she was not the best. Maybe they dont even offer coffee since they dont even really have basic beverages?!?! Not in a rush to come back already. The pasta was good, plenty of those sliced sausages, not the traditional Bolognese. A little harder than al dente. Again nothing great. The music was a weird mix of music and not background music, louder music. Killed the ambiance. And that leads me to the decor. Where do I start. If you didnt know this was Italian you would guess maybe Thai. Upon entering through the front door you are hit with a very heavy dark curtain blocking all visibility into the restaurant. I thought I was at the wrong place. The big heavy dark curtains made you feel like you were about to enter into a place to get a psychic reading. My guess is the curtains are meant to block the cold air, I'm hoping they have a actual purpose??? besides making you uncomfortable. I can't even make this up, when you hit those curtains at the entrance you will get it. We were seated near the door and I watched people come in. The look on their faces after pushiing aside the circus sized curtains was fun to watch. Whoever picked the decor needs to find a different outlet of expression. That includes the signage outside. Who cares about the decor IF the food is stellar, it was ok, I dont need ambiance. It was just a weird feeling dining experience. read more

If you order the lintel soup pass on dinner. It's that good and the portion is huge or split it. My mother would Be proud. Ok main course is stupid big! Food for days. Seriously. read more

Sweet Basil - Call Amari to die for and the best Basil I've ever eating - Italian Near Me - Needham, Massachusetts

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Sweet Basil was so incredibly scrumptious! I had their herby Homemade Pesto with bread and savory paella and gazpacho as well. I will definitely be returning here again! read more

Sweet Basil is a good restaurant in Needham. It's best to get there early to avoid waiting. At times it can be loud. Always great food!

How do you spell "AWESOME"?!! Everything about this place says "we love to feed people great food in a cozy environment." And they exceed this goal every time. DON'T MISS IT!! read more

Poor take out service. They have left me on hold for 20+ minutes. I'm not going to hang up.

Large portions of excellent food. Rosemary chicken is so good, salads are huge and fresh. Casual atmosphere and attentive service. We love the fresh bread and pesto spread. BYOB read more

Recently took a trip to the Boston area and was told to eat here by a friend that hasn't eaten here in over 8 years. He said it was amazing then but didn't know if it held up all these years later. It did! I had the ravioli and it was phenomenal! The kitchen was extremely flexible with my older dads order that had a ton of health restrictions. I would highly recommend this place but get there early or you'll have a big wait!!! read more

Great food and great service and fairly priced. Our go to restaurant in Needham. Fresh pasta and salads as well as great Italian dishes. Try the Lamb Shanks. I bet you can't go just once. read more

Can't beat the staff, not to mention the deicious food with more than generous portions. I always leave with more than enough for another delicious meal the next day read more

Wonderful cozy ambiance and food that is always a taste explosion! Never disappointed- and we have visited many many times for as long as they have been in Needham! We recently brought our friends from the cape who loved their experience as much as we do with every visit- our friend, a purveyor of fine foods stated " I often look at a menu and find 1 or 2 items I'd be interested in but I would order EVERY item on this menu it is so appetizing". read more

I love going to Sweet Basil! The atmosphere is warm & inviting. Lights are dimmed making it a cozy establishment. I love the bread and pesto they provide to everyone. The best pesto! Restaurant is BYOB so we always bring a bottle of wine, they uncork it for you (charge a $5 for doing so). Service has always been great every time we've gone. For apps we've gotten the baked gouda which is delicious. The mussels are also very good. I love the garlicky broth it comes with. For my entree, I always get the shrimp scampi and it's SO good. I do wish they had more veggie or fish options. I will go back for sure! read more

The Needham location is small and byob. If you are looking for a slow longer dinner it is definitely a good place to go. All the pasta is handmade and they make each entree to order. The servers were hard to flag down when I was ready to place an order or pay the bill but the food was worth what I paid. read more

Super Italian restaurant. The seafood fradiavo is always a winner. The pesto & bread is wonderful.