This is some of the best Thai food I've ever had. It is small, it's family run, and has an open kitchen that looks clean whenever I go in. I can't say it's the fastest service in town, but it doesn't take forever either. When you order your food your given a choice of how spicy you want your food. It's from a scale of 0-5. I always order a 2, and it's hot. My husband ordered a 3.5 his first time there (not to be out spiced by his wife) and his mouth was on fire. He hangs out in the 2 range with me now.... Their curry dishes have lots of veggies and meat, the spring rolls are good too. They have vegitarian options for all their dishes. The restaurant definately has a "hole in the wall" feel to it, which I really like. Not good for large groups. We like to get take out and eat it on the beach when the weather is good. It makes for a good cheep romantic date night..... read more

Wonderful restaurant! I live down the street and they are our go to for Thai in the area(and would be, even if they wern't so close:) Very friendly staff and food is consistently delicious. read more

It's our fav! Family run business, which can be slow at times. But well worth the wait!

One beautiful summer day, we were starving and in Capitola. Not wanting to play Russian roulette with the crummy places on Esplanade, my companion spotted Thai Basil. I did not care for Thai food at the time, but he insisted. Two years later, I'm now a Thai food fanatic and we visit Thai Basil at least twice a month. We have probably eaten there at least 50 times by now. Since then, I've tried many other Thai restaurants, but this one still clearly outshines them all. In the Santa Cruz area, I've not found anything that comes close (I've tried Sabieng, Thai House, and Pacific Thai so far). In the San Jose area, only Thai Pepper, Krung Thai, and Blue Mango come close. Back then, Thai Basil could only seat 12 people at best, but they have since added a few more tables in an adjacent room, so they could probably seat 20. It's very cozy and cute. It's not elegant by any stretch. It's nice to be able to see your food being prepared if you're into that. Tan, the owner and main chef, is extremely nice, but they definitely suffer from understaffing. They get a lot of takeout orders, which makes things more difficult for them. Prepare to be very patient and your patience will be hugely rewarded. If you're in a hurry, come back another time. Parking can also be difficult, especially for dinner on weekends in the summer. The food is astonishingly good. I've never been disappointed. Some personal favorites include the spring rolls (both the deep fried and the raw ones), the tom kah kai soup, all of the curries (I especially like yellow curry with all veggies), cashew nuts, pad thai, thai iced tea (be sure to ask for it with coconut milk), and the coconut ice cream. What sets this place apart are the unique tastes, the high-quality meat (chicken and salmon, especially), and the huge variety of veggies. Most Thai places seem to serve entrees with two or three veggies, typically potatoes, carrots, and onions. Here, in the yellow curry, for example, you'll get some combination of carrots, potatoes, squash, beans, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and cabbage, depending on what's in season or otherwise available. Even the plain white rice is better than any other Thai place I've eaten. They are also really inexpensive. For example, you can get a curry lunch special for $4.95 (vegetarian). They also just recently added a lunch buffet, but I've not yet tried it. This is the place that turned me from disliking Thai food to becoming totally addicted to it. I almost hesitate to encourage more people to go here for fear of it becoming too busy, but I have to weigh that against wanting them to stay in business forever. Last December, a drunk driver drove into the front window of the restaurant and it was closed for a few months. I was actually panicked that they might not reopen: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/December/18/local/stories/07local.htm I hereby finish my long-winded review of my favorite restaurant with a review of Thai Basil from 1998: http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/01.15.98/dining-9802.html read more

our family goes to santa cruz often to visit family and we eat here ALL the time. this place is awesome. this is not the kind of thai restaurant that is run by a different race, it is AUTHENTIC run by REAL Thai chefs. very friendly service and it's right on the beach!! sit outdoors or inside the experience is great! they serve big portions so you get your moneys worth. the thai salad is good and i always get the asparagus delight because i love asparagus =) they use REAL and FRESH ingredients all the time, the food is just GREAT! read more

The service is very unfriendly. The service told us to leave and shouted at us for about 2 minutes, after I have complained about her seating 2 other people, although we had already waited for a longer period of time. That was just very rude and we were not hungry anymore and left the place. I was disappointed, because I had been there 2 times before and the food was excellent. I hope the service improves. read more

Pad Thai was overflavored. The noodles were undercooked. Atmosphere is nice, food less so.

This is the WORST restaurant I have ever been in! My wife and I went in for dinner, and we ordered soup for two and two entrees. There was only one other couple in the place, who were already eating. We were given water, and then waited. After 30 minutes the waitress told us (unsolicited) "Your food will arrive soon." After 50 minutes had passed, we asked whether our food would arrive soon. The waitress told us that the chef was working on a large take out order, not our meal. It turned out that they had not even started preparing our soup yet! I spoke with the chef who was also the manager, and I told him that we should have been warned when we arrived that it would be such a long wait. He dismissively waived towards the exit door and said "Okay go." I have never before been treated so rudely by a restaurant. I strongly recommend that you GO ELSEWHERE! read more

My second try for Thai Basil. Decided before I wrote a review I wanted to make sure my experience wasn't just a one shot mishap. Sadly enough, it wasn't. The Rangoon (no crab...but WHY?) is good - the texture of the wonton skin is perfect, but the filling of cream cheese has no flavor - even the cream cheese seems a bit odd in texture (and I LOVE cream cheese). Pad Thai - probably the worst I've ever eaten. Not sure I've ever eaten Pad Thai that you could call bad. Even the frozen products I've tried have been much better in flavor. Basically, this pad Thai was very very salty. I prefer mine with a little more in terms of veggies (even if ever so slight). I'm not sure I'll eat the remaining portion even. While many in the area rave that this is the best Thai food in the village, I find My Thai on the esplanade to be far superior in every way. I've never had a bad dish at My Thai and everything I've sample of my friends has been delicious as well. Judge for yourself, but I wanted to put my thoughts out to the universe in hopes of giving people a more balanced view of Thai in the village. cheers read more

This place is fantastic. Their pad thai was really flavorful, the noodles were very moist without sticking together. The flavor was delicious, though it could have used a touch of lime juice. I also had the scallop penang curry which was really good as well. The spice and coconut milk were perfectly balanced, and the ingredients were of very high quality. For dessert I had the fried banana with homemade coconut icecream. The banana was just okay, but the coconut icecream was very nice. It had good coconut flavor, was not too sweet, and was a touch more ice-y and refreshing rather than creamy. read more

I love this restaurant! This is my go to Thai restaurant in the Santa Cruz/Capitola area. It's a small, family owned and run establishment. The food is delicious and authentic and service is friendly and welcoming. I have never been disappointed by this place! read more

Closed today for Thai new year. Has sign on window " If you value your time, this place my not suit you. Our restaurant is has a small kitchen and limited staff, but we will try our best to get the food to you as soon as possible..........." read more

Cash only and no they do not take reservations. Nevertheless, the food is tasty and you can do take away.

It lists the restaurant as open from 11-8 , but they have been closed since we got into town at 1pm - they don't answer the phone - the sign on he four days they will be open at12 - obviously they don't care about their customers or they would have even slightly reliable hours / I would give a negative if u could read more

I give them a 4.5/5. The waitress was very sweet. Pad Thai was fabulous. So was the thick noodle garlic dish. Interesting decor. Ask for 1 or 2 spicy so as not to burn your mouth. Authentic! read more

An update to my prior review: I received a message from the (new!) owners of the restaurant who took this over from their mom & they said they added pad-see-yew to the menu as a result of my review. Gotta love a restaurant that listens to its customers. I'm told it's a customer favorite -- has anyone tried it? read more

This place is pretty good. I've been to quite a few thai places, and I always get the same thing, helping me compare the restaurants more directly....chicken pad thai....a little spicier than I would have thought, but good flavor and ingredients....my friend had a pineapple curry and like it too....the imitation chicken in hers wasn't that great though...again good flavor, a little on the spicier side, but the imitation chicken was way too soft read more

Best Thai food I've had in this area! The place is small and parking can be a hassle but the food is worth it. I can't recall the name but they have a duck noodle soup that is fantastic and their green curry is my favorite. They also have some wonderful pickled veggies/peppers that compliment their dishes nicely. Great value and great food. I'm sure there are some dishes they do better than others but so far I have liked everything i tried. Thai basil is literally the ONLY reason I ever go to Capitola. read more

Food is great!!!! I would go there again but would bring a book and not be in a hurry. think 1.5 to 2 hours for dinner. The service is really slow. It was half an hour for our food and the salad I ordered was apparently going to take longer so I canceled They have too few people working on a Saturday night and holiday weekend read more

Great food - love the menu, pick out the composition of dish from several catergories and pick the protein (simple, straightforward). Very small, only half dozen tables and a few outdoor seats. Service efficient and quick. I did go on a Tuesday night after back to school and was quickly seated, being only a couple blocks from beach I'm sure I hit this place on its quieter time. read more

They need to get their hour right. Been there a couple times after 12:00 noon and they haven't been open.

The service here is as described by others....not great. But the food is so good, I still have to give it 5 stars. This is LEGIT Thai, as certified by actual Thai people (my wife). The hours are sporadic, and, as mentioned, service is spotty - but if you do your homework on the hours and order take out you'll be happy. There is no Thai food anywhere in the area that even comes close. read more

I'm so glad I found this place! It is awesome and I can't wait to go back. It isn't that obvious when you are strolling around Capitola, so persevere. You will be glad you did! Polite and prompt service and outstanding food. read more

This is my favorite restaurant because of the Spicy Thai Salad. I'm not even a salad guy really but if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it would be this salad! It's a lot more than what it says on the menu and I think that sums up the restaurant well. They make the chile lime dressing in house and they make these delicious tofu croutons that I can't get enough of and there are a ton of veggies in there that are not on the menu. Everything I've ever tried has been delicious and often a little more than what the menu says. The fresh spring rolls are so good, I could just eat them for dinner. I love their peanut sauce. The Thai Iced Tea with coconut milk is the most delicious I've ever had. The decor is not the cleanest or classiest but I really don't care because the food is so good and the owner/host is so nice, and you can sit outside also which is really great for sunset after a day at the beach. Oh yeah, and the price is right. You can't go wrong. read more

I've been going to this place for years, and I'm always pleased with the food, the service and the price. Capitola village has a lot of bad restaurants, so skip em and go here for the lunch specials... read more

One of the best Thai restaurants in the Santa Cruz area, the food is fresh, flavorful, and not greasy or heavy. The fresh spring rolls were simple and delicate, beautifully prepared, and an ideal vehicle for the flavor of the accompanying peanut sauce. The larb and the spicy noodles were savory and delicious, and all the dishes we had were chalked-full if fresh vegetables and big leaves of basil. They have a "spicy scale" of 1-5, and we selected our dishes to be in the 3 range-- very satisfying for someone that loves spice, but not overwhelming for those who are more sensitive to it. I would venture a guess that anything more than 3 is going to be intensely spicy. The atmosphere is causal and comfortable, the room decorated with small salt water fish tanks, which provide ample dinner entertainment and ambiance. Our waitress a few days ago at dinner was so sweet and attentive, even at the end of her shift. She was very positive, and did not project any displeasure at the fact that we were probably keeping her from leaving on time. Very nice experience overall. read more

We got takeout food tonight and it was excellent. The spicy noodles and the green curry with chicken were extraordinary. The owners were very nice too. We will be back. read more

This place made me want to write my first yelp! Spicy means spicy here, my boyfriend always asks for the spiciest of spicy foods and after today he finally found a place to beat his expectations. I got the red curry with chicken spicy level 4/5 and it was DELICIOUS! It was packed full of flavor and was enough to take home a whole box and a full belly. My boyfriend got the Hawaiian pineapple fried rice spicy level 5/5 and it was really good, and really spicy. Oh, and the Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee there is perfect, great flavor, sweet and creamy! The lady who served us was very attentive and happy, she even offered to fill my take home box with extra rice for free! We sat outside and had perfect people watching seats, I highly recommend this place for great Thai food! read more

Delicious, reasonably priced, and friendly, courteous service. My food was ready earlier than they had expected so they called me to make sure I was on my way so it didn't get too cold. As good as any Thai food I've had between L.A. and Sacramento. You choose the spiciness for each dish (1-5). Fantastic place in Capitola Village. read more

Great Thai good. I've had several dishes and love that they will make it as spicy as you'd like. Friendly and fast service, but not rushed. Nice little patio too. I visit at least 3 - 4 times a month and can't get enough of their Ton Yum soup. read more

I love Thai food, so I've enjoyed many Thai restaurants over the years, but the food at Thai Basil was absolutely the best Thai food I've ever had. I was visiting Capitola with some friends yesterday. Since it was Mother's Day and we didn't have a reservation, we decided to try a restaurant that wasn't right on the water. Thai Basil looked a little questionable at first -- the decor does not suggest how good the food is -- but the prices were reasonable and they had a table open, so we decided to give it a try. We ordered several different dishes, and every one of the dishes was fantastic. The noodles and rice were both cooked perfectly; the flavors in both mild and spicy dishes were balanced perfectly; and even the tofu was cooked just right. I will definitely come back to Capitola just to have lunch or dinner here. read more

Love this little place! Food is delicious and service is wonderful. It's my go to place when I'm craving some pad Thai or curry!

Pretty good Thai food. I ordered the Larb and Pad Thai with pork. Both dished were fresh and tasty and, more importantly, delivered the expected amount of heat. When asked how spicy (1 - 5), I responded with a 5 because most places are pretty tame/lame when it come to heat. Not this place. My food was hot! Really good and really, really hot. So hot that next time I will definitely order a level 4. read more

This place is amazing, great people, even better food, Get the Mint Noodles or any curry. Most of the food in the village is over priced and is mediocre, this place is a total stand out!!!!! read more

I LOVE Thai Basil. My boyfriend and I go there probably once a week. The lunch special prices are unbeatable, but DELICIOUS as well. The lady who always helps us is really friendly, and always remembers us. Oh and they have THE best thai iced tea with boba! read more

Love this lil' place! Great place to go when you want to eat good thai but don't feel like cooking on a regular night. No frills, just good and inexpensive food close to home :) read more

The best Thai food in the town, good food and nice people there.

The food was amazing. They were slow to make it, but there was a sign explaining that they have a small kitchen and staff, so it was to be expected. read more

This place has good food but the customer service has left me feeling disappointed. Thai basil has changed much of their restaurant. The no longer an outdoor seating area, take out and the place is now cash only. The day I went I had my dog with me in which I had expected to sit in the outside area. When I realized there wasn't going to be an outside area, I told the lady that when my food came I was put him in the car and quickly eat. She said okay and took my order. I sat outside in the meantime. While sitting I watched two people take out leading me to ask the lady about it. Thirty minutes later she walks up to me and says that she cannot make my order. When I ask why she states that this is not a take out place and that she felt as if I were rushing her. I had stated that I was fine with waiting but I just wanted to know why some people were allowed to take out and not others. After this experience I will never be returning again. Yet I thought this should be an experience that should be shared to let people know how the service is. read more

This place was a lucky discovery. The food was so tasty and the hostess brought some sauce to make my BF's dish even hotter. She was very helpful with any questions and the food takes time because it is cooked with care! read more