Decent Thai food, but nothing over-the-top amazing. The Thai salad we received in our to-go order seemed a little old.

This is my second favorite Thai place. If you live in downtown Ithaca, it's super convenient to walk to. They have great fast service (at least every time I've ordered), and the food hits the spot. read more

Wow. Just so all around bad. So many "no"s of hospitality I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll begin at the beginning... Our party of 9 arrived around 7:15 on a Thursday to a mostly empty restaurant. There was a good size party already seated that had their food. We ordered within fifteen minutes from a waitress who--true to the rest of the evening--was not rude but also not real interested in helping (e.g., wouldn't come down to the other end of the table when taking orders so that end had to shout). An *hour* later the first APPS arrived. All the apps? No. Just some of them. At 90 minutes we tracked down the waitress (who never stopped by to check in, refill water, etc; we had to flag and ask every time) and asked about food. We were told the kitchen was crazy. Why? It was about half full in the dining room. We were assured, though, that our food was coming out imminently. A bit later we saw a new face. Asked if he was a manager (yes). Said we would like to pay for what we had already received and leave, as it was getting late--assured again food was imminent. Nearly TWO HOURS after ordering it did come out (...most of it). Our water glasses stayed empty for the most part. No one dropped by to apologize or even smile in our general direction. And how was the food? Meh. Thai omelet was just scrambled eggs. Som tam was gross (vinegary, no detectable dried shrimp or fish paste, dried chili flakes instead of fresh chili, no lime) although at least the papaya seemed fresh. Tom kha had fresh veggies but was otherwise just literally warm coconut milk, and the Tom yum was...sad. An order of fried tofu had zero seasoning, was served with what seemed to be duck sauce, and also wasn't fried. Maybe George Forman-ed? The hot sauce wasn't even Sriracha! What! But the best part, Yelpers, the very best part... The check. When we requested it from the manager, a mere two and a half hours after sitting down for a casual Thai meal, we politely expressed our disappointment. He said that the restaurant was just swamped that evening; that our party was too large, and had come in right with a huge crowd (...no); he joked about how they were hiring and could we refer employees to him. Does it sound like he blamed us? We thought so too! I pushed back on the BS parts and he eventually said, "What exactly are you asking for?" I had already, dear reader, said I would like him to comp us some meals and I repeated this. He agreed. When he finally brought the revised check he had taken..........ten percent off. He asked if that's what I had expected and I said no, but wasn't going to push it. So: the food wasn't good. The service wasn't good. The management wasn't good. Spend your money somewhere else; I know I will. read more

Best Thai in Ithaca. Definitely worth walking down a bit further from the Taste of Thai in the Commons. Ordered Crispy Duck Red Curry and Beef Pad Kee Mao. Both were excellent. Owner came out to check on food quality while we were dining as well. Interior looks cool too. A great find in Ithaca after having so much horrible Asian food (especially Korean) in Collegetown. Highly recommend. read more

Overall: the service was bad, the food wasn't good, and I regret coming here. I had made a reservation for a larger party about a week in advance, so when I walked in and they didn't have our table ready I was a little frustrated. The worst part is I HAD TO HELP THE STAFF REARRANGE AND SET UP OUR OWN TABLE. We get to ordering our meals, and it takes over an hour for us to get our entrees.... they forgot two entrees completely and those people in our party had to reorder. One person in our party ordered vegetarian noodles and instead they gave him chicken noodles and assured him that it was vegetarian, but later went back on their word when we found a piece of chicken. To give them credit they did remake it for him, but I think the damage was already done. The whole experience was subpar and very disappointing because I think we had a total of 4 different people waiting on us through our meal and no one seemed to communicate with each other. I've had good Thai food, and this isn't it. Save your money and go to another restaurant in the commons especially if you have a larger party. read more

One of the best Thai restaurant in Ithaca, with the only other competitor being Tamarind which is a bit further off in terms of proximity to the center of the city. The Basil fried rice is my favourite here followed by the green curry. I have one slight peeve in that the white rice served to us was slightly undercooked, so I would give this 4.5 stars read more

Thai Basil - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Yuck! That sums up the experience. How on earth does this place have 4 stars? Maybe this experience is due to the current situation but in any event WOW! Absolutely the worst Thai food I have EVER had. Pad See Aew need to be renamed Pad See Ewe it was inedible - noodles not only overcooked but must have been precooked a day earlier they were mealy - the spices disgusting like I've never had in any Thai place. Pineapple fried rice had ZERO pineapple - should be renamed curry rice - this was barely edible as again the texture of the rice was terrible as in rehydrated from yesterday's leftovers. Last but not least the summer Fresh Summer Roll could have been the saving grace except for the surprise guest in the appetizer . . . cilantro! Yes the evil weed was present - yes I'm one of the haters - but the menu makes no mention this foul tasting weed is there, else would have asked for it to be excluded if possible and if not had the ability to avoid it and get something else. All in all THE WORST meal I have had in a LONG time - so much so that it forced me to alert unsuspecting victims of the fate they may have in store if they try this miserable place. read more

Delicious. Piping hot and fresh. The green beans in it were still crispy and not soggy over cooked. The place was busy and a little understaffed but the staff was attentive and apologetic. Food came out fast and a great place to have a good Thai meal in Ithaca. This is my third visit here when I come to town for work. Yummy. Thank you! read more

Thai Basil - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I ordinarily love this place for sit-down lunches. Great place to bring clients, friendly, fast service, great selections, particularly vegetarian and vegan. However, my take out experience this evening on my anniversary - has left a lot to be desired. I ordered the garlic platter with tofu and vegetables. I received four pieces of tofu. That's not enough for a vegan, trust me. I called the restaurant to learn that if you order tofu with veggies you get four pieces of tofu (for 10.95). For the same price for just tofu and not vegetables (10.95) you receive 13 pieces of tofu. This is a big distinction and so the bargain is to order the tofu and add your own veggies. But srsly - not knowing that when you order is a big problem. This can be improved, truly. My daughter's pad thai, though, was in her words, "delicious." read more

Probably best and reasonable restaurant for lunch in college town. I ordered drunken noddles , lot of veggies which are nicely cooked and vegetable soup which comes with lunch . Soup was just ok. Noodles were good. read more

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Service was great - Jodianne (I believe that's her name) and another waiter were very friendly and personable. We were still there after closing time and there was no rush. The wait was long but worth it. Food was excellent especially the Panang curry and mango and sticky rice dessert (one of the best I've ever had)! The Thai iced tea was also wonderful and great to go with the spicy food. We are from out of town but when we return we will definitely be eating at Thai Basil again! read more

We order the following : Basil Fry Rice- it tasted not very good it's supposed to be spicy but it was not spicy at all. It tasted very plain. Red Curry-it was water down. I could hardly taste the coconut milk. It was tasteless and awful. The veggies did not go well with the curry and it was straight from a can or frozen. Pad Thai with with glass noddle: awful awful awful. I did not eat at all. I tossed it to campus. Nothing else to say. Pineapple Curry: not even close! The combination was awful! It was water down with lots of carrots, green pepper from can or frozen and just like two pineapples and three shrimps. Fry calamari: all I can say is yuk! How can they sell this?! It was tasteless and NO flavor at all! I will NEVER go back again to this place. I wouldn't recommend anyone. I will stay with Taste of Thai. Yes Taste of Thai Express is way better. If you want the very best food and fresh and tasteful go to Taste of Thai Express. read more

The service is terrible. They ask guests to leave 90min before their close time justbecause they are too busy. They don't even serve us. They are so rude and unwelcome！！！ read more

We had mussaman curry with mixed seafood and soft shell crab. Both dishes were skillfully prepared and beautifully presented. The default is medium spicy and was the perfect amount of heat. The ginger tea was homemade with real ginger instead of a tea bag. Slightly sweet and very good. Appetizer was calamari with a sweet dipping sauce. Tender and light. The chef came to our table to ask how we enjoyed the meal. She and our server we very accommodating and courteous. Decor was simple and understated, calming and peaceful. The music did not get in the way of a quiet meal. A nice change of pace from the normal noisy establishments these days. We highly recommend this lovely restaurant. read more

In town for one night and staying at the Hilton Garden Inn around the corner. Take out only due to COVID-19, so I ordered through the Yelp app (fast and easy) and then walked to the restaurant to pick it up -- Crab Rangoon and Thai Sweet Chili Wings. They even gave me a free Thai Iced Coffee. The food was incredible and the iced coffee was really good too. If I'm ever back in Ithaca, I'll give Thai Basil my business again. read more

DO NOT ORDER THE PAD THAI. It is horrible: mushy thin noodles very over cooked, incredibly salty, bad flavor, little chicken. spicy udon is ok, but AVOID THE PAD THAI read more

Love their wings and Thai basil. The food is really good and the price is pretty decent.

Ordered delivery from here. It was timely and hot upon arrival. I felt indifferent about everything we ordered and left more to be desired. Maybe an off day. Next time! read more

My family and I ordered takeout from here, 2 out of 4 entrees were wrong and 1 was not included in the order at all. The food was almost inedible. I will never come back and would not recommend to my worst enemy. read more

I ordered take-away through Eat24 on a Tuesday around 5:30pm. When I arrived to pick up, no one was in the restaurant. I waited for about five minutes at the counter (no staff), during which time other potential diners came in, saw how empty the place was, and left in justifiable fear. Finally I walked into the cluttered back of the restaurant, and called out to see if anyone was home. Without apparent concern or apology, a man appeared -- it is difficult to say if he was a member of the wait staff, given his somewhat unkempt appearance -- and eventually tracked down my order. The food was not inedible, but certainly not worth the hassle. The egg rolls were undercooked and bland. The chicken pad Thai was heavy on the fish sauce, without noticeable sour (tamarind) or sweet notes to balance it out. All around, a solid meh; the lack of traffic on a week night (clearly the restaurant's expectation) would lead me to avoid this place in the future. read more

Thai Basil has rightfully earned some recognition and popularity. When it first opened, it was met with skepticism that Ithaca needed another Thai restaurant, and sat mostly empty. Today, I can't seem to walk by without noticing it's nearly a full house. What's amazing about that is they don't seem to have lost their touch for customer service. When I came in during the "empty" days, I was promptly and happily served. The same holds today. Earlier tonight, for example, I came in to place a quick takeout order. I was told it would take ten minutes and given regular updates. In fact, it took less than ten, and when my food was brought to me it was with an extra box of spring rolls and the explanation that they were sorry one in my original order was slightly burned, so would I accept two boxes for the same price as compensation? The decor - once relatively bare-bones - now also sits somewhere between comfortable and stunning. The interior feels like an escape from Ithaca and into a quiet other realm devoted to delicious food. While I still would not quite rank it above Sticky Rice for taste (noodle dishes are nearly there but some of the sides can be a bit bland), the atmosphere definitely makes it the Thai restaurant to beat in Ithaca if both flavor and environment are equally important considerations. read more

I ordered drunken noodles. It was too sweet and I cannot taste any flavor. My friend ordered soup with mixed seafood. Literally she can find few mussels(3), and squid. Disappointed, I don't think I will go back. read more

It was a pleasant surprise to find a good Thai restaurant in Ithaca. My new found favorite... Drunken Noodle!!

Drunken noodles was too sweet and salty. Not Thai style. For atmosphere speaking, they played Chinese music. But I think they should play Thai music. read more

Ithaca is a small city with perhaps a disproportionately large number of Thai restaurants. Thai Basil certainly holds its own. The interior of the restaurant is a little bit dim, but incredibly beautiful. There's a golden elephant head on the wall, nice moving images of fish behind the counter, and other nice touches that make the restaurant feel homey yet refined. The tables are a little bit close together, so it can be difficult to have conversations when the restaurant is full. I ordered a beef salad, wonton soup, and chicken larb. The beef salad is quite interesting--the dressing is quite spicy and interesting--far different from the dominant lime juice and fish sauce taste that you might get at a place like Taste of Thai Express. I wish that there was more meat on the salad, but the greens, dressing, and cashews on the salad are surprisingly harmonious. The wonton soup came out in a gigantic dish with a built-in stove that was still spewing fire when it arrived at the table (sorry if I cannot do this presentation justice). The wontons were quite good--they were extremely dense and filling, almost as if you put a big meatball inside of a wonton wrapper. The chicken larb is amazing but non-trivially spicy. It has nice texture from crispy rice on top and has great flavor. I'm not sure if you can ask to tone down the spice, but be warned--it's really, really spicy. On the whole though, the food is really enjoyable. Little details make Thai Basil special. They shape their rice into conical mounds (although cynical me suspects that this could be a sly way of giving customers less rice) and have good-looking plates with interesting curves and edges. It's a fun place, a little bit on the pricey side, but well worth the money. read more

I was pleasantly surprised to find a Thai restaurant that truly is authentic and doesn't just say it without backing it up with taste. I'm skeptical on finding a good Thai place with somewhat authentic food, it's not easy, especially in this area. So so happy I found this place! Any Thai restaurant with Som Tum on the menu is already on the right track for me. If you like spicy and fresh "salad" this is something you MUST order. It's a spicy papaya salad with shrimp and it is one of my favorite dishes in Thailand. It taste like when I was visiting there so WOO HOO. I ordered Pad See Eew and yay yay yay! It tastes amazing! It is perfect like I was back home and had my mom cooking or I was in Thailand getting street food. If you don't like spicy and you enjoy sweeter tasting, this is the dish for you. It's sweet flat noodles with tofu (or meat), Chinese broccoli, and all sorts of yummy flavor. Others ordered the Pineapple curry and could taste the hint of pineapple with the medium spice (which is hot) and another friend ordered the Red Curry. All great meals. Tons of seating and nice staff. They're actually Thai, they speak Thai! It's a miracle to find it up here but now I know where to go. Thanks for making great food. read more

One of my favorite Thai places in Ithaca! Not only is the food great, the service is amazing as well. If you happen to be Downtown, I highly recommend you stop by! read more

I have to admit my first thought when passing by this place was "Great, just what Ithaca needs, another Thai restaurant!" Pros: The pad see ew was nicely caramelized and piping hot (even after delivery). They also used real Chinese broccoli, instead of the american broccoli found in many Thai restaurants. I ordered the larb (thai meat salad) as an appetizer and the flavor of the dressing was deliciously tart and salty. Delivery was super fast, food was here 25 minutes after placing the order. Cons: They used a Styrofoam takeout container (that did not have an air tight seal) to deliver the saucy larb dish and therefore the container spilled liquid everywhere. What a mess, about 80% of the dressing initially on my salad ended up all over the inside of the plastic takeout bag and about 10% remained in the container ... where did the other 10% end up? While of course, it was soaked up by the napkins at the bottom of the bag, rendering the napkins utterly useless for cleaning up the juices that I would inevitably spill all over my lap upon opening the bag. The Pad See Ew was not quite salty enough for my taste, and the larb wasn't quite spicy enough, but these things are personal preference. The larb portion was small, especially for the large container is was sloshing around in. The food was tasty enough to give them a second chance, but god I hope they don't use those Styrofoam containers for curries ... the last thing I want to order is massaman flavored sweatpants, yikes! All in all, another decent addition to Ithaca's already crowded Thai Dining scene. read more

First time visiting Thai Basil in Ithaca (usually go to a different one, but based on honest reviews from my fellow Yelpers we wanted to try somewhere different). Glad we did, as it was an excellent experience! Finally some authentic Thai food! I am a HUGE lover of Thai food, and living in Corning you have to drive to Ithaca or Rochester for good authentic Thai food. I'm just not a big fan of the Thai food served at the "Asian Fusion" places locally - it's not bad in a pinch, but in no way compares to the Thai cuisine elsewhere. The restaurant is not large, but a nice combination of booths and tables, and a pleasant atmosphere. We were greeted right away and sat at a booth. BEVERAGES: FYI- There is NO alcohol here (the front of the menu said BYOB?). We did not know this before we came, and I had been looking forward to a Singha beer, but we were fine with it as I was more excited for the food! I did order a Thai Iced Tea, which if you've never had one you should try it at least once in your life. I love Thai iced tea - it's a strongly brewed Ceylon tea sweetened with sugar, poured over ice, and topped (usually) with sweetened condensed milk before serving. APPETIZERS: We had Thai fried spring rolls which were delicious, and the Chicken Satay which was marinated and cooked perfectly. The cucumber and peanut sauces delicious. SOUP: I ordered the Tom Kha soup with tofu and vegetables (can get with meat also) which is one of my favorites. It was creamy and flavorful and tasty, with nice chunks of mushroom, tofu...etc. Excellent! ENTREES: 2 of us had the Red Curry ordered extra spicy. Wow! It packed a serious punch! If you don't like super hot just order it regular. We're hot and spicy food fans, so we loved it. Flavor was superb, portion was very adequate. Chicken, Fresh string beans, red pepper..etc. Hubby had Nam Prik Pow with beef. He took one bite and was immediately sold. Nice spicy kick and the flavor was amazing! Daughter order chicken Pad Thai and she said it was one of the best she'd had, and she was definitely a fan. The presentations were beautiful, the portions were plenty and the flavors of the dishes met and even exceeded our expectations. The service was very good, friendly and attentive. Always made sure our water glasses were filled, plates cleared, and check was promptly received when we were done. I have no complaints with our experience at Thai Basil. Wish they had a liquor license but that certainly would never stop me from visiting there again. read more

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The best Thai restaurant I have ever been. I ordered Thai basil duck. It is so good!!!! I love it a lot! read more

Thai Basil - Thai basil duck - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Absolutely delicious food! Authentic Thai flavors and really good service. Penang curry and pad thai were our favorites. read more

Thoroughly impressed. Thank you for a wonderful meal. My duck was perfectly cooked. Red Curry The decor is a nice surprise. Will be back.

I was looking forward to trying out the one Thai restaurant in town I hadn't eaten at. We got takeout. It was pretty disappointing. Not downright bad, but just not that great. The main issue I had with almost every dish we tried (pad see ew, tom yum, papaya salad, among others) was that everything was overly sweet, without any counterbalance. The papaya salad, for example, had lots of sweet chili sauce thrown on top, which I haven't seen before and which felt like an unimaginative way to season what is usually my favorite Thai dish. It was also cloyingly sweet. Pad see ew is another standard dish for us, but this one had only a couple of pieces of broccoli and tasted of caramel sauce. That's fine as an ingredient but not the main note -- which was too sweet. The same for the chicken satay's dipping sauces and the tom yum soup. The oyster sauce stirfry was fine. I'm sorry to say we won't be returning, because for the same price we have options nearby that we enjoy more. I'd give 2.5 stars if that were an option. read more

We had the BEST food at Thai Basil this past week! I have travelled to Thailand multiple times, and Thai Basil's food is something of the most authentic I have seen in the NorthEast/ Upstate area! I have been twice now. The flavors were delicious, and their pick up process was seamless and easy! Will definitely be back next time I'm traveling through Ithaca! read more

The spiciness of the green curry is great but overall it's an overpriced dish. I payed $16 (with tax) for a green curry with only 4 pieces of shrimp...and the vegetables looked and tasted like they were from a frozen bag. read more

Went to Ithaca for a day at Buttermilk Falls. Originally planned on going to Saigon Kitchen but they're closed on Mondays. Yelp came through with good reviews for Thai Basil. The Thai egg rolls and calamari appetizers were cooked to perfection. The drunken noodles and spicy beef dish were also solid dishes. The service was quick and pleasant. The waiter mistakenly charged us for shrimp lunch special prices ($2 extra) but was very apologetic and actually threw in a free Thai ice tea. Bill for lunch came to $35 for 2 with appetizers and Thai ice tea. When school starts this place will be quite popular as it's a good alternative to the long wait at Saigon Kitchen. read more

We stopped in while passing through town and were very delighted with our experience. The food was very authentic and the staff was friendly and accommodating. We've been to many Thai restaurants and this one ranks among our favorites. The decor is updated, modern and clean with a unique selection of dishes I have not seen at other Thai restaurants(jungle man curry). Very fresh! read more

This review is for their delivery order. I ordered delivery and asked for the sauce to be on the side (ignored) and I ordered 4 dishes and was given 2 forks! I wouldn't have mind if I was home, but if they read where it was being delivered to (our hotel) they would have realized that we actually needed 4 forks and napkins. We received 0 napkins ‍! So we had to take turns eating since obtaining utensils isn't so easy at a hotel with 3 kids. Yeah I don't recommend ordering to-go or delivery here since it seems they are not so generous with their utensils. read more

You should really come try this place!! Ordered through ithaca-to-go half a year ago it was horrible. But I tried it today and it was amazing. Food is in large portion and is also relatively cheap (most main dishes 9.95). This place has improved so much!! And it is definitely a lot better than the taste of Thai. But they should consider making this place look better and add more interesting decorations. read more

Thai Basil - Drinker noodles - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

This is a good restaurant with varieties of delicious food. Service is fast, food is great, prices are good. The best thing about this place is they let you bring your own beer and drink. read more

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