Best Thai Food in Santa Cruz! The Menu offers a diverse array of dishes that showcase the rich and intricate flavors of Thai cuisine. Love getting food to go and enjoying dinner at the beach! read more

Wooow... There is no hesitation in eating it. You are scarfing your food down. You can't wait to take the next bite. I don't live in the area but I will absolutely make a point to come here any time I am in Northern California. This is maybe the best Thai food I've had in the U. S. since visiting Thailand several years ago. The service and decor match in their sense of warmth and simplicity; homeliness comes to mind. There are no frills... until the panang curry hits the table and the spice rack comes around. NOW we are talking bursting flavors, colors, and aromatics. If you are looking for authentic Thai spice, you will surely find it here (if you ask for it). Green curry. Usually I don't order it because I'm used to disappointment... but the panang was so outstanding that I realized this was a place that might just reinstill hope for green curry in the United States of America! Victory. If you're looking to get in and out, if you have a few rugrats, if you're looking for personal catering and one on one attention, if you are looking to be waited on hand and foot, if you are looking for the Thai pazzazz of ornate sculptures and tapestries, this is not that. Thai Basil is all about FOOD. Scallops. Perfectly cooked. Duck beautifully rendered and tender. Veggies beautifully sauteed while retaining texture and bite. Massaman, Tom yum--- everything: orgasmic. At the end of the day, do yourself a favor. Please, please.. go eat at Thai Basil. read more

Tiny Thai restaurant in Capitola Village with really delicious food. We thoroughly enjoyed everything we ordered. (See photos) Only a few tables inside so they must do a pretty good takeout business. We arrived for lunch a couple of minutes before 12 and the owners didn't arrive until a few minutes after 12. No problem, we just hung out in Capitola and waited for them to get everything organized. Service was very good once we were seated inside. Some of Capitola's finest were also having lunch there and seemed to be regulars. They have really cool seahorses in one of the two small aquariums which you don't see everyday. read more

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Delicious vegetarian tofu mussaman curry..... Cream cheese wontons and a super sweet server! We asked for spice level 4/5 Spicy, but not too spicy. We were happy... Sat outside with our dogs. Delicious and quieter spot (just off the beaten bath, yet still a two minute walk to the ocean) Fabulous Saturday lunch!!! read more

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We love Thai Basil's excellent food featuring truly exceptional Thai flavors, the best (imho) in Santa Cruz County! Simple dining space, indoors or outside, kind, attentive staff and impeccably seasoned delicious food. Thai Green Curry with grilled Salmon my favorite. read more

i've never had curry before and i'm glad this was my first experience it was so good, my grandma got shrimp curry and my grandpa got duck curry and they where both amazing, the service was awesome these people are so sweet, i recommend the thai tea it's very good read more

This is Thai food of the gods. It's too good for the mortal world which is why it's not available all the time. If you are lucky enough to catch this restaurant open you will see what I mean. Thai cuisine is a complex art, with layering of flavors and contrasting textures. At Thai Basil, every single element is exactly as you would desire it to be in your wildest Thai food dreams -- noodles meltingly soft, vegetables perfectly caramelized, dishes well sauced, nuts nicely roasted, curries pungent, fried bits delightfully crispy. This is a small family operation where curry pastes are prepared fresh every morning. All of my friends love the food here. The level of quality is way above other local Thai restaurants. Because of these realities, I am not fussed by any minor issue lacking in the atmosphere or service realm. While everything is delicious -- noodles, curries, stirfries alike, there is one special offering on the menu which I have never seen elsewhere called Curry Noodle; a coconut curry broth with rice noodles, vegetables, bean sprouts, and fried wonton strips which will warm your soul. read more

This is my roommates' and I's favorite Thai place in the Santa Cruz area. We love eating here and always go out of our way to come. We have tried the Spicy Noodles, Rad-Nar Noodles and Fried Basil Rice and have enjoyed everything we've gotten. If you're in Capitola then this place is a must read more

Thai Basil - Rad-Nar Noodles - Thai Near Me - Capitola, California

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The food here is excellent, which makes the fact that they steal money from you so much more unfortunate... looking over my credit card statement today, I discovered that they charged me an additional ~$10 in gratuity on top of the 20%+ tip I've given them each time I've been there. I've ordered from them three times and have already been swindled out of $30+. A single order of see-ew noodles with no additions resulted in a charge of $27.05 when I approved $13.07. I don't need to include any expletives in this review, I'm sure anyone can understand this is a crooked business practice. read more

It's been years since I've been to this restaurant but I've always remembered how great the food was. So recently my family wanted Thai food and we went to pick up food from Thai Basil. It was amazing the food was delicious! Will not hesitate to return. It is the best Thai restaurant. read more

Ok so I'm a little surprised about all the high ratings of this place. We had the crispy noodle and basil beef I believe. And while it was good, it was pretty average as far as Thai food goes. I guess if this is the best option in the area, go for it and enjoy the cute bench outside and people watch. read more

Thai Basil - Thai Near Me - Capitola, California

Update on 8/30/18: check out the response from Pete the business owner. Pete you were not there nor did you see my family while dining. We only dealt with your waitress. You have some nerve to judge our parenting skills when you never made contact with us. Obviously you are not a parent or you hate children. We will never be back and I've posted all over social media the horrible experience we had here. ****** Just had the strangest thing happen to us here today....we got kicked out! Me and my husband and two kids aged 4 and 6 showed up today for a late lunch. When we were seated the lady told us that our kids had to behave or we would have to leave. A bit stunned at her statement but we were not worried. We ordered 4 things and waited for our food. To pass the time the 4 of us played a silly game that made us laugh and giggle but I don't think it was disruptive. There was a family of 4 adults sitting right next to us enjoying their lunch. No one else was in the restaurant but my family and the family of 4 sitting right next to us. 10 minutes passed and the lady comes out and tells us that we are too loud and that the chef has cancelled our order and told us to leave. We were shocked and asked the family next to us if we were loud and they were just as shocked as we were and apologizing that we had to leave. My kids are 4 and 6, they are not perfect but we know when they are being too loud or disruptive and they were not at all. We can only laugh at this experience because it's just so ridiculous but also to warn others that it could happen to you. We definitely will never be back and be spreading the word about our experience. read more

Thai Basil - Thai Near Me - Capitola, California

This place is delicious and the family who owns and/or runs it is generous and friendly. There isn't much space outside to eat, but you can always take the food to go. The basil rice is amazing as are the shrimp dumplings. This place is just up the street from the main restaurant row and the food is far superior than the stuff you find on the Main Street. I love that you can order the level of spicy ness for a lot of the dishes. When we're with the little one, we like to get her dishes with little to no heat while we might order something a little warmer. This place is totally worth the visit! read more

Excellent food and very customer service oriented. Family owned and they make you part of their family.

Overcharged us and found hair in our food!!! Originally we grabbed a Teriyaki Chicken "grab and go" for $4.50. Apparently that was the "cash price"! Which is fine. So she said the charge for credit card would be 50 cents more plus tax. Ok, no problem. $5 plus tax. Ended up charging us $6 total instead, 1.50 over original price for a cold grab and go with hair that was found in our food. I don't support any restaurants that intentionally over charge like this. Just another form of thieving. And food is under par.... read more

The service was fast, our order was taken as soon as we arrived. I got the spicy noodles with tofu since I am vegetarian, and it was really good, really some of the best Thai food I have had, and they have a menu with many varieties. It was really spicy though, but that was my fault because I chose the spice level at 3. So beware if you're not really into spice, I would recommend a 1 or 2. And if you go you HAVE to get the Thai iced tea, it's HEAVEN SENT. The only downside was that there was limited seating but otherwise I'd definitely go again!!!! 10/10 read more

Food was amazing! I've been to many Thai restaurants and this place had unique tasty flavors. We brought our two kids and read the sign about keeping your kids under control if they get too loud. Luckily my 2 1/2 year old got loud after we were done eating. Our server was nice. Definitely would come back again when in Capitola. read more

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I am pickyyy when it comes to my favorite thai dishes but let me just say, since our first time going here, thai basil has quickly become our absolute favorite thai spot in my household! Not only is the staff soo sweet and the service speedy, the food is absolutely delicious!! If you're looking for a quick yet fresh thai fix, this is seriously the spot to go! Honestly never craved anything more frequently than their cashew tofu and tom kha soup lol read more

Everything was really good, best Thai food I've had in SC county in a long time. "Medium" spicy curry was quite spicy so aim low unless you love heat. We enjoyed the green curry, pad thai, green beans with tofu, and fresh rolls. Only thing we didn't love was the fried rolls, they were a little bland. But I still happily ate several of them! read more

We live in the village and order from Thai Basil weekly! The food is fresh, the flavors are great, the serving size is perfect (not too big, not too small) and prices are very reasonable. The service is quick, and the staff is extremely nice. Our go-tos are green curry (level 1 - I can handle some heat but anything over a level 1 is HOT), fresh spring rolls, Tom Yum soup. They are a village staple and we love them!! read more

Great Thai food its are go to when we are in town at r beach house just love the yellow curry and the Tom Kai soup its all so good

Literally the best Thai food I've ever had, been coming here since I was like 2. Never gets old service is the best

Would've given zero stars if I could! This place is discriminating!!! We were assessing place and decided to try it and right off bat (my guess is she's) the owner came and said no strollers and no noisy kids. It was very aggressive to approach right away like that. And our kids aren't noisy so we didn't think much and told her that we were ok. She didn't move to seat us and kept insisting that they don't want noisy kids. Her aggressive behavior got my son upset that he started crying and shaking his head not to go in. Lady was like yeah that's not going to work. Obviously it isn't cause you're being rude and got my son to cry. Definitely won't ever come here and I recommend that you go over to My Thai Beach down the street. Lady actually mentioned them to us (only nice thing she did). They are way nicer and bonus have a view of the beach. Why bother coming here? It's nestled in the apartment area. Guess they feel they get enough business to choose who their customers are. Seriously don't bother unless you like rude owners! read more

Spectacular Thai restaurant...Best in Santa Cruz, Capitola, San Jose area. Small, few tables, one woman show, but don't be deterred. In fact best restaurant in Capitola. read more

The drunken noodle is so amazing, it's hard to find anywhere else that compares. I love getting a thai tea with coconut milk to cool down the spicy basil flavors. Check it out!! read more

Highly recommend!! Server was very welcoming and delightful!! The food was to die for!!! Best Thai spot.

Best Thai food in the county - possibly best I've ever had. I will come from Watsonville and brave the village on a weekend in the summer just to pick up some hot wok veggies and green curry. The family who owns the place is delightful. read more

The food was excellent and the prices were very reasonable. I enjoy any Thai dish with the panfried wide rice noodles and they offered three dishes with this ingredient. I also liked their menu which offers every meat or vegetarian option with every dish. I tried duck with the panfried wide rice noodles and it was rich and delicious. I would definitely return to this restaurant when I'm in the area. read more

We were visiting our daughter, son-in-law and 11 month old grandson and decided to try this place out. I went ahead to see if there were any tables available. As soon as I asked for a high chair, the hostess told me, no high chairs and if the baby makes too much noise, then we'd have to leave and proceeded to show me their homemade sign on the wall. Wow!! Needless to say, we didn't even bother to give it a try. I can only describe this as RUDE! read more

Soooo good! My husband and I have had their red curry chicken once before and loved it! So we got red curry again, and also pad Thai chicken and spring rolls because we were starving! Oh my gosh.. we smashed the pad Thai in minutes! It was so good! And the spring rolls came with a delicious peanut sauce! The curry was again amazing! You have to try it. I don't always enjoy eating the vegetables in curries.. but this is so good you actually want to eat the vegetables! :) read more

Food Quality - Excellent Atmosphere - Quiet; No kids. Love that! Take your kids to McDonalds and let adults eat peace Service - Awesome! It takes a while to get the good but it's so worth it! read more

amazing quality and the food is delicious! its a family owned business w super good vibes and the people are so sweet :) 10/10 read more

Thai Basil - vegetable fried rice - Thai Near Me - Capitola, California

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Good food prompt service and authentic Thai ice tea taste good Reasonable prices Great view from back seating Food is yummy spring roll refreshing Coconut curry very good read more

Thai Basil - Thai Near Me - Capitola, California

Hands down best Thai in Bay Area let alone Santa Cruz. So perfectly consistent. So delicious. Only Thai spot we've been to in the states that tastes like the food we enjoy in Chiang Mai. read more

I ordered yellow chicken curry and it was absolutely delicious! Full of white meat chicken and tons of veggies. The sauce was one of the best I've had read more

Thai Basil - Yellow chicken curry, amazing! - Thai Near Me - Capitola, California

Honestly a surprise of a spot! While on vacation you often don't expect to get the best tasting food but Thai Basil is definitely a go-to-place. The smell alone called us in. Their signage around the dining area states "it's worth the wait", and they aren't wrong! We didn't order one bad entree! Here is the garlic & pepper with chicken with a level 4 spicy. Not too heavy on garlic and the heat was just enough if you can handle it. We loved it!! read more

Thai Basil - Garlic & Pepper with chicken. Level 4 spicy. - Thai Near Me - Capitola, California

Authentic Thai as if you were eating in Thailand. This is not the usual SC resto. This is delicious, Authentic, Spicy Yummy Thai. Just know you cant come in right before closing. read more

Food is just average in both quality and quantity. Nothing special. But read others' reviews on their dishonesty & rudeness...

Nice mom and pop style restaurant a few minutes away from the beach. We sat outside and had our lunch. Food was flavorful and the portions a good size. I came away full from it and the service was great, server was attentive. It's street parking and paid by meters that accept coin or card. read more

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I hardly ever take the time to write yelp reviews- Thai Basil is so delicious I have to write something. We had a variety of dishes and loved everything! Be patient- they're popular so when you call ahead it may be an hour or so before it's ready. read more