Lunch here was so good. Service was great, food was delicious. Crab cakes were fresh. Had great crunchy celery. The sauce underneath was unmatched. Chicken parm. Sando was pretty good. I think the seasoning in the tomato sauce was lacking. The peach lemonade was great, well-balanced. Nice, quiet bistro atmosphere. Will be returning soon. read more

See all

Basil Leaf Cafe was very good and we'd return. It was very busy (KU parents weekend) but everything was great, probably a bit longer of a meal but drinks kept full, food spaced well and came out fresh and hot. We had apps, salad, entrees and dessert. I didn't take picture, but Caesar salad was excellent, we were told dressing was made fresh in the house and it was delicious. Three of split a large, which was perfect amount since we were having appetizers and entrées. We will return to this restaurant again in the future. read more

See all

I loved the moodiness of this restaurant especially bc it was raining and created an entire vibe. I shared a BLT, tomato soup, and Mac n cheese with my mom and I really enjoyed all of it. I never really expect Mac n cheese to be exceptional at restaurants but this one was REALLY good. The server was so sweet and did a great job taking care of all of us with all of our requests. I recommend if you're on Mass street and visiting Lawerence! read more

The Basil Leaf Cafe - BLT and tomato soup - Italian Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

Popped in for a Saturday afternoon on Mass and we're excited to see they were running a Saturday happy hour. Drinks: Drink of the day was a Cucumber Mojito- so refreshing! Really loved on a super hot summer day. All beers were on happy hour at half off, my husband enjoyed a blvd Tank 7. Apps: We ordered Prosciutto and brie cheese- this was so great. It had a honey glazing that really took it to the next level- would totally ordered again on our next visit. Service: We were seated quickly and the vibe was friendly in the classic Lawrence style. Loved this place! Will be back, great bang for your buck! read more

If you want a fancier date night out - this is perfect! The ambiance is romantic, elegant, and luxurious. The waitress was very attentive even with her other 3 tables. The food was delicious and I could not ask for any place better. read more

Four of us came into have a late lunch on a Saturday. We were sat quickly and out waiter Austin was Amazing. He checked on us regularly, was very helpful with menu suggestions and to get us anything that was needed. The Place was not super busy however it took over 40 min for our food to arrive at the table. Food looked amazing however had absolutely NO seasoning. All four of our dishes were all just bland, nothing stood out or even had that restaurant flare or flavoring. The dining area itself was a cute cafe feel to in with a full bar. read more

The Basil Leaf Cafe - Chicken Parmesan and side salad - Italian Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

See all

I saw the pictures with the big Parmesan cheese shreds on the food and knew this place would be good. And it was. We ordered lasagna and a rigatoni. Both were delicious. We also ordered the burrata and that was paired with walnuts, arugula and a grilled fruit that was such a great flavor combination. For dessert my son wanted to try the s'more's creme brûlée and I was so surprised to find how much I now love chocolate crème brûlée. It was amazing. read more

I was surprised to see some negative reviews for Basil Leaf Cafe as I've eaten there several times over the past many years and have always had great food and a good experience! Our server tonight was very personable and attentive without being overbearing. He had great suggestions for us and was very knowledgeable about the menu. Service was prompt without feeling rushed. The portions as Basil Leaf are huge! Happy to have leftovers for another meal this week. I had the chicken cordon bleu tortellini and thought it was delicious. Lots of great flavor and loved the crispy chicken! My only critique of the menu would be that it's quite pasta heavy -- lots of carbs. It would be nice to have some non-pasta entrees to choose from. Love the newer (not sure when the move happened) location on Mass St! Much larger space and less awkward. read more

Met a friend for lunch and decided to try their brussels sprouts. Nicely seasoned and had a pleasant tasting aioli although the red chilis were kind of meh. We did enjoy it and good to share as a starter. I tried their red sangria and it was quite good. I decided on the mushroom risotto and had them add the grilled chicken which I later regretted. The chicken was chewy and really overcooked. They should have cut it up into nice slices instead I got 3 large weird chunks of dryness that did nothing for the dish. Aside from that, the dish was okay. I then decided to try their gelato so I chose their vanilla with blueberry/lemon topping and it was fabulous. That helped take away my disappointment on the previous dish. Our server (Austin) was very friendly. read more

Sunday lunch w friends. ervice by Hailey and Abby was outstanding! Both bubbly and friendly. Food choices limited if you are not a pasta fan. Very upscale place but fair prices. Coke products. Street parking with city lot near. read more

Love this place. Long time favorite, but it's been a while since I took time to leave a review. Had a Justin winery event tonight that pushed me over the edge in a good way. The chef had a chance to showcase some of his favorite dishes that were paired perfectly with the wines. The ambiance was perfect for our group of 13, and our waitress Molly was fantastic. If you have not been, you are missing out. They have a great menu, great food, and one of the best vibes in Lawrence. Reflects the great management, staff, and ownership. Bravo read more

Nice ambiance. Not to loud, for a college town. However, the food was not memorable, and took 40 minutes to arrive. Austin, our waiter, was friendly and attentive which accounted for the third star. Keep in mind, this review is based on one lunchtime visit, on a Saturday, so I cannot attest to their dinner menu. read more

Great food and great atmosphere! the chicken parmesan was the best I've ever had. You won't be disappointed!

Overall it wasnt bad, but there are some easy fixes. Garlic Bread, Looks really pretty but is on the dry side. Ceasar salad, was probably the best thing we had, the dressing is very lemon heavy. We also added the anchovies on top, the anchovies were very very mild, which might appeal to some so take that with a grain of salt. Chicken Parm, the chicken was incredibly thin and fried hard, my piece had a large hole in it from the pounding process. My biggest issue with this dish was the marinara. It is very clear that the chef uses a ton of tomato paste in this sauce, which is fine, but needs to be balanced out, the sauce was tart and almost acidic which wasnt my favorite. Our server was very nice, i will say had we at any point in the meal decided that we wanted to get up and leave we would have had zero issue as there were long periods of time between engagement with her, and the hostess stand was unmanned largely the entire night. The environment is nice, it's a long restaurant and the front of the house can be very quite as the staff is all towards the back. Would give it 3.5 if i could read more

We've loved basil leaf ever since their location on 9th street! Service was great and they were accommodating to having our dog on the patio. Inside is always clean with minimalist decor but this time we sat on the patio. We made it to happy hour and got the cocktail of the day (strawberry rose lemonade with vodka), rosé sangria, and meatballs to start off. Our entrees were served soon after. Portions are always large and filling with some leftovers! Although we enjoy the menu, we miss the lemon fried chicken with mashed potatoes from a few years back!! read more

The Basil Leaf Cafe - Penne Abruzzi (bottom) Local Chicken Tortellini Alla Vodka (top) - Italian Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

See all

Stopped by for a Sunday lunch, very quick service! Food was tasty and had lots of flavor, lunch portion was generous. Perfect location on mass street, always clean and amazing staff! read more

The Basil Leaf Cafe - Cavatappi Mac - Italian Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

See all

Meatballs! Fantastic service and one of the few places able to make a reservation on mass Street

The night started off on a great step when my host Jaxson was very kind in finding a table that would fit the accommodations of my special needs son. From that moment, I knew we were in good hands. The staff showed genuine care and patience throughout the evening, making us feel comfortable and welcomed. The food arrived quickly, and every dish was flavorful and beautifully presented. It's rare to find a restaurant that delivers both excellent service and delicious food, but this place exceeded expectations. We'll definitely be returning soon! read more

I went here recently for the first time. My server was Ava and she recommended I get the pesto penne. Needless to say I was not disappointed by the food or Ava's service. She checked in the right amount, never let my water get empty, and held delightful conversation. I'll be coming back and hope to see Ava again! read more

First of all, I tried to call in and order, and twice it sent me to a voicemail. Walked over to the restaurant place at to go order and got back to my hotel to find that instead of ranch dressing they had given us tzatziki sauce. Additionally, we found a bug and the salad after we had eaten half of it. Chicken Parmesan had chicken that was truly rubber and inedible - i will never go back. Waste of $70! read more

Gargantuan portions. Dishes range from slightly off to spot-on. Pastas are reliable, I'm especially attached to the Tortellini Cordon Bleu (there's a cultural mix). They omitted an old standby, Lemon chicken tenders with risotto (cooked right) from the current menu. An approachable, affordable wine list, classic decor, and typically good service. read more

Great food and service. We enjoyed a nice lunch. Perfect amount of food and prepared well!

This excellent Italian restaurant has moved from 9th St. to downtown Lawrence. The dining room on 9th St was too small and the parking awkward. The new downtown dining room is a tremendous improvement, and parking is easy on the nearby parking lots on Vermont St. We got too appetizers, the Antipasto Crostini and the Brussel Sprouts. Both were excellent. We then both got the Seared Salmon, which was excellent with an innovative preparation. We were there on a Saturday. We were told that the salmon arrived on Friday frozen. We were very happy with the quality of the salmon and the preparation. The service was outstanding. Unfortunately they do not have whole grain pasta or cauliflower pasta. We live in west Lawrence and easily can get both of those alternatives at restaurants in west Lawrence, including Spin, J. Wilson's, and Morningstar's. We asked why they do not have whole grain pasta or cauliflower pasta. We were told they are difficult for the restaurant to acquire and are not popular, so would not be ordered by the customers at the restaurant. We don't understand that, since they are easily available and popular in west Lawrence and are available at every supermarket in Lawrence. It is difficult to understand why not available or popular downtown. We were there during happy hour, so benefited from the discount on the house wines by the glass. Wednesday is "wine Wednesday," providing bottles of wine at large discounts. All of the tables are two tops, but they push some of them together to produce 4 tops. read more

Second time here since new location. First time visited, food was terrible. No better tonight. Wanted to give another try but just not good food or cocktails. read more

Went to dinner here last weekend for my birthday and we invited another couple as well. I got the Penne Abbruzi and my husband got the Chicken Breast. My meal was dry and the meatballs dryer. My husband's meal was overcooked, the burnt looking veggies were hidden under the overcooked chicken and really small for the $28. price tag. The presentation was also unappealing. Our guests meals were pretty much the same. After dinner we ordered deconstructed cannolis and tiramisu. The Tiramisu was the best part of our meal. Our waitress was the best part of our evening. Sadly we won't be returning. read more

See all

They relocated from 9th street. I never went to the prior location but we decided to give it a shot now that they are located at Downtown. So far it is the only Italian restaurant that I know of from Lawrence. Expectations were high. This is definitely not a trattoria ( small Italian restaurant with authentic Italian food) This is more Olive garden style. Don't get me wrong I enjoy Olive garden but we are talking more about Italian American food. Even under that umbrella Olive garden does a better job than the leaf basil. Tortellini was a melting pot of lots of sauce, cheese, couldn't taste the scallops. Very mediocre Lasagna was on the other hand dry. With a lack if flavor. Bread sticks are chewy. If you want to go for Italian food go to Kansas city where they have decent places. If you want Italian American, Olive garden does a better job. It is worth driving there read more

The Basil Leaf Cafe - 7-Layer Lasagna - Italian Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

See all

I don't get the negative feedback. Honestly, our wait staff was attentive, engaging, and knowledgeable of the food. Our food was served piping hot. My wife had the basil penne Mac and cheese and I had the lobster ravioli. Both dishes were amazing. They had a wide variety of cocktails to choose from and the drinks we had were all good. Make a reservation when you go, and you'll be just fine. read more

Great food and amazing service! Hadley was our server and went above and beyond! Can't wait to go back!! read more

The Basil Leaf Cafe - Best pasta!! - Italian Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

See all

The food in the service were spectacular here their lasagna is delicious!! me and my friend Marlee ate there and we shared a great bottle of wine as well! read more

Away from the well-known places on Mass Street and Iowa, the Basil Leaf is clearly a hidden gem. It's not big, and there's not a ton of tables, so you might think about a reservation, especially on weekends. We didn't have any alcohol, but there's a good looking list of wines as low as $5/glass. Will definitely try some the next time we're in. I started with the side salad, which was huge, fresh, and very good. My daughter had a difficult time deciding on her entree and ended up with the lasagna. It was fairly large and quite good. I went with the salmon, which looked like a pretty big cut of fish in the other Yelp pics, so I was surprised to see the really small wedge of salmon I received. As it turns out, the size was plenty big. Also, while it was prepared fine, it wasn't my favorite piece of salmon I've ever had, so I didn't feel bad for not having more. The risotto was fantastic, and the Brussels sprouts, while a little over spiced, were also tasty. For dessert, we had the tiramisu, which was large and very good. Service was strong throughout. There are lots of other good looking things on the menu, including the lemon chicken tenders. We saw several people had it, as it was huge and looked delicious. read more

See all

Went there for lunch today with my husband. I got the grilled cheese sandwich. The outside was hard, tough to bite through, but the inside of the bread was soggy. The cheese was the oddest texture on a grilled cheese I've ever had. There was no stretch to it--it was clumpy like someone used cottage cheese as a layer. I didn't even bother to eat most of it, it was really inedible. Husband got chicken parm sandwich, and his bread was also overly toasted, not the best chicken he's had. read more

Good food and friendly service. The ambiance was warm and welcoming. I will visit again the next time I am in the area.

After a great girls' night at BLC, I wanted to take my family there, so we made a res for Sunday brunch. We were immediately seated by Grace, who turned out to be the best server I've encountered in several months. Ask for her when you book! We ordered the calamari for app- it was fantastic! Salty, crispy, fresh & accompanied by scrumptious housemade marinara. My spritzer was lovely- the syrup was well crafted and the strength was perfect. I was so excited for my entree... It looked so enticing! I took pics (see attached). I salivated; I loooove spaghetti carbonara. I make it at home, regularly. And then, after breaking open the lovely yolk, I tried to pull and twirl a bite of pasta. It was dry. There was some semblance of sauce, but it had congealed and came off in clumps. The peas were mealy (suspect having been reheated after cooking). The bacon was cooked well, not crispy, but on a 1-10 flavor scale, the bacon was a 2. How can bacon be made bland?! Grace came to check on our table; I asked for salt and she returned with both salt & pepper. I added a generous portion, but the dish remained bland overall. One of my sons ordered the chicken and waffles, and liked it, although he was confused about why the chicken was so sweet. My other son ordered a meatball sub & fries, which he enjoyed. My husband ordered caesar salad with shrimp, and commented that the salad was rather soggy- I saw a few brown-edged leaves as he was eating- the parm shreds looked good. I ate about 1/4 of my entree, and was going to leave the rest of it (which is out of character for me, since I'm a leftovers guru), but my bacon/waffle-ordering son said he'd eat it at home. I really, really looked for and expected a great meal & experience at BLC, but only came away with disappointment & a nearly full leftover container of food I don't want to eat. I hope all who read this, if you go, get to enjoy Grace's service and a better meal than I had. I won't be back. read more

The Basil Leaf Cafe - Chicken & waffles, mocktail mule - Italian Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

See all

This was my first time at Basil Leaf Café. I love pasta so I can't believe it took me this long to go. They are now at the Mass St. location which was super cute! Loved the ambiance and decor of the place. Our server was somewhat new because she wasn't entirely sure of the wine specials and which beers were on tap. But that was alright because she was very nice. Food came out quickly and the glass of wine was very affordable. Absolutely loved my chicken Alfredo. I would highly recommend and will be back! read more

The Basil Leaf Cafe - Chicken Fettuccine - Italian Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

it was yummy, went w my cousins & aunt. server was nice i got the chicken gyro, thai tea was good read more

The food was just ok and definitely not worth what they charged. Be advised that if you want to share a meal they charge a plate splitting fee even if you are buying appetizers. read more

For starters, the temperature inside of the dining area is over 82 degrees. It took at least 10 minutes for a server to greet us after being seated. We asked the server to please have the air conditioning adjusted - which never happened - but he did mention how sweaty he was, which was a really gross thought to put into a patron's mind since he was handling our food! We ordered our drinks but only one came out correctly. The crab cakes were so soggy they could not be lifted to an individual appetizer plate. They are thin and contain a lot of filler. We ordered chicken parm & fettucine alfredo for our main dishes, which were mid at best. The food lacks seasoning! Nothing special about the marinara or alfredo sauce. The proximity of the tables to the next group of people dining is too close!! It gives you no other choice but to make conversation with them. Case in point - when asking about temperature adjustments, other patrons chimed in and added how hot they were. Finally, it was so hot we couldn't finish our food so we asked for the check. We gave our card and when the bill came back--CARD ALREADY SWIPED--we were told by the server he forgot to add the drink (yes, the one that first came out wrong) so he took it upon himself and added it to the bill, and charged the card without bringing us a corrected bill first. Was only in town for a short trip, but if I ever come back, I would never plan to dine here again! read more

Returned to Lawrence on a visit and found that the "new" Basil Leaf took the Lemon Chicken Tenders and Salmon/Risotto off the menu. Not sure if it's ownership change or someone trying to tank the business but based on other reviews something is definitely not going well. read more

So I've tested the fettuccine with chicken a few times and I would say.. it's just okay. Every time it has been BLAND. I hope Basil Leaf will one day learn to add more flavor their fettuccine and chicken. Please. Other than that, the service is nice and restaurant has a nice vibe. Oh, and bring back the Basil Leaf burger. That was the best dish they had until they took it off their menu. Odd decision, in my opinion. read more

3 of us ate lunch at the Basil Leaf last week and I was really looking forward to it. Our server was great but all of us thought the food was just so-so. Soup was very bland and if I was blind-folded I could not tell you what it was. Other than the service, I was very disappointed. read more