Some of the best Thai food I've had. We ordered 4 different dishes to share and they all were great. They can make anything gluten free if requested.

Service was great... the kitchen was taking a bit to get the food out and our server brought out complimentary drinks without us saying anything which was a great gesture.

The parking lot is small and only holds about 8 cars.

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Thank you!

Thai Basil will take care of all your Thai cuisine cravings.
Went here at the beginning of Nov it was pretty busy but it was election night. My wait time was about 30 minutes for pick up. When I got there there was a few parties dining in and plenty of 3rd party delivery orders going out. This place is pretty popular!
Glad I splurged for the cheese wontons these were some of the best I’ve had in a long time they were full of cream cheese! and let’s not talk about the shape! The veggie egg rolls hit the spot. For entrees we got the Pad Thai and Basil fried rice with tofu. Both recipes were standard flavors. Proportions allowed for sharing and enough for lunch the next day.
This place could easily be a favorite spot.

Pros: Good Food, great proportions.

Cons: Parking could get tricky during busy times, as this restaurant is on a main stowing no parking the street.

Took my best friend here for her birthday and had a wonderful experience! The food we ordered was so fresh, and the bottled drinks were delicious , will definitely be recommending this restaurant to others to try.

Excellent service - attentive, quick, and accommodating.
Incredible food. We ordered multiple items but only one person in our group remembered to take a picture. Khao Moo Krob (Crispy Pork Rice) shown here was delicious. Possibly the best pho broth I’ve ever tasted. Full, rich flavor that can only be described as comforting. Fried chicken wings were hot and crispy. House-made sauce for spring rolls was delightful - coming from someone who typically steers away from peanut sauces and I couldn’t get enough of it! Best drunken noodles in the Twin Cities.
Lovely atmosphere - clean and welcoming.
Extremely reasonably priced especially for the serving sizes!
I will definitely be back!

Authentic Thai/Lao cuisine done expertly! Very attentive waitstaff.

I had drunken noodles with chicken, vegetable spring rolls - the veggies and herbs were super fresh, and peach-mango milk, which was delicious.

Love the emphasis on reusables such as metal drinking cups and reusable drink and water bottles. I ate in but the restaurant was also doing a hopping take-out business. There is parking around and behind the building.

This local Thai place is serving delicious cuisine. I ordered the Khao Mun Gai Taut (crispy chicken rice) and a mango peach milk. The coating on the chicken was very light, but it was falling off slightly. It complemented the slightly sweet dipping sauce really well. It comes with a side of ginger rice, which was surprisingly gingery and very sticky. The bowl of chicken soup it came with was more of a palate cleanser as it was fresh but not strong in flavor (vegetarian substitute for entrees are available).

The mango peach milk tasted like sorbet, and it was a delicious pair with the meal. Bonus is that all their milks and juices are made fresh in house! It tasted super fresh. Sadly, these are sold on a first come first serve basis, so they may be out of specific flavors if you’re coming later in the day. Overall, it is a tasty place.

Some of the best Thai food around, in my opinion. Everything is always so fresh and absolutely delicious. Everyone is also so friendly. Highly recommend!

I have been to Basil Cafe over a dozen times now for take out and today I dined in. The food is delicious! Today I discovered they had vegetarian Pho and it was so comforting and delicious. Everything I have tried has been wonderful. Basil Cafe has the best Thai food and also the best veggie Pho I have found so far in St Paul!
The owner and staff are friendly and helpful. Basil Cafe is definitely on my favorites list!

Very nice and clean environment. The staff that helped me was this dude who was pretty chill and very friendly. Made good suggestions and took the time to check in periodically with the same enthusiasm. Definitely recommend as a place to enjoy positive experiences. Food may be spicier than what you bargain for, so try to play it safer than not.

Ok we barely eat out anymore due to rising cost and low quality services. This place however is amazing! A little costly but worth the price. Our first time doing takeout. The inside appeared to be very clean. The food was full of flavor. Thank you for using clean fryer oil!!

Took my best friend here for her birthday and had a wonderful experience! The food we ordered was so fresh, and the bottled drinks were delicious , will definitely be recommending this restaurant to others to try.

Everytime I enter the café I feel welcomed in the most délicate way. AND THE FOOD is exquisite - prepared with loving hands.

I've been here a few times and have tried a variety of options on their menu. Everything is so flavorful and amazing quality!

Well designed place, food is delicious, the atmosphere is very calm, especially with the added plant decor. I would definitely come back.

Love love love the yellow curry, both chicken & tofu versions! Egg rolls are excellent and have a spicy dipping sauce too 😊 Most of all, the staff, I’m presuming the owner, is beyond nice. Eat here if you can!!

Wonderful restaurant. I eat here EVERY time I’m in the cities. The staff are very welcoming and helpful. Great cozy atmosphere. Pad Thai to die for!!! Fried Pork Belly with Garlic - OMG

Me and my partner went here for date night and we were both blown away with how well everything was done the interior is beautifully decorated and the food was amazing some of the best yellow curry I've had we had been waiting for a bit due to the extreme amount of door dash orders which wasn't a big deal but we were given a free drink for the "inconvenience" our server (who i belive may be the owner) was so wonderful and attentive I couldn't reccomend a better place to try

Consistently good! The owner is so kind & gracious and the food is delicious.
Love the peanut sauce!

Moved to Minneapolis recently from outside Boston. Been having a hard time finding versions of the food I’ve grown used to. Drunken noodle dish was delicious. Will be back to try other dishes.

i ordered soup from them and they didnt check to see if there was a leak in the packaging. Let’s just say 20 dollars down the drain and no customer support to help

Some of the best Thai food around, in my opinion. Everything is always so fresh and absolutely delicious. Everyone is also so friendly. Highly recommend!

I have been to Basil Cafe over a dozen times now for take out and today I dined in. The food is delicious! Today I discovered they had vegetarian Pho and it was so comforting and delicious. Everything I have tried has been wonderful. Basil Cafe has the best Thai food and also the best veggie Pho I have found so far in St Paul!
The owner and staff are friendly and helpful. Basil Cafe is definitely on my favorites list!

Some of the best Thai food I've had. We ordered 4 different dishes to share and they all were great. They can make anything gluten free if requested.

Service was great... the kitchen was taking a bit to get the food out and our server brought out complimentary drinks without us saying anything which was a great gesture.

The parking lot is small and only holds about 8 cars.

Boat noodle was delicious and authentic in my opinion. I did not need to add any condiments besides pepper flakes and garlic chili oil. The flavor is exactly like how I had my boat noodles when visiting Thailand. Got the khao mun gai to go and it’s still good a day later. Would definitely go back again. We went late so they didn’t have what I wanted initially. But other dishes are promising and we will definitely be back. First time experience, 10/10 recommend!

The yellow curry with white rice and chicken was AMAZING!! Mild was a lil spicy so be prepared for a lil kick! Highly recommend the spring rolls too.

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Thank you!

Thai Basil will take care of all your Thai cuisine cravings.
Went here at the beginning of Nov it was pretty busy but it was election night. My wait time was about 30 minutes for pick up. When I got there there was a few parties dining in and plenty of 3rd party delivery orders going out. This place is pretty popular!
Glad I splurged for the cheese wontons these were some of the best I’ve had in a long time they were full of cream cheese! and let’s not talk about the shape! The veggie egg rolls hit the spot. For entrees we got the Pad Thai and Basil fried rice with tofu. Both recipes were standard flavors. Proportions allowed for sharing and enough for lunch the next day.
This place could easily be a favorite spot.

Pros: Good Food, great proportions.

Cons: Parking could get tricky during busy times, as this restaurant is on a main stowing no parking the street.

Ordered the chicken red curry with sticky rice. The curry was very sweet even though I ordered it Medium spice and the sticky rice was harder than any sticky rice I’ve ever had. Like two pieces of meat in the whole thing with mostly veggies. Definitely not worth the drive for me. The Thai places around me were not open as early as this place but now I know they’re at least worth the wait.

Excellent service - attentive, quick, and accommodating.
Incredible food. We ordered multiple items but only one person in our group remembered to take a picture. Khao Moo Krob (Crispy Pork Rice) shown here was delicious. Possibly the best pho broth I’ve ever tasted. Full, rich flavor that can only be described as comforting. Fried chicken wings were hot and crispy. House-made sauce for spring rolls was delightful - coming from someone who typically steers away from peanut sauces and I couldn’t get enough of it! Best drunken noodles in the Twin Cities.
Lovely atmosphere - clean and welcoming.
Extremely reasonably priced especially for the serving sizes!
I will definitely be back!

I’ve ordered the drunken noodles (w/ chicken) many times and honestly it’s the best one I’ve had from any other Thai restaurant. Can’t go wrong with the Pad Thai either and the chicken egg rolls are delicious. Super friendly staff too— they’re always wonderful whenever pick up food.

Told my coworker about it and her and her husband loved it now❤️❤️10/10 definitely recommend (already am lol)

Fantastic food, and A+ service

Everything here was absolutely incredible!! The best cream cheese wontons and I was recommended the boat-style Pho and it was 10/10! Staff was outstanding, very attentive and very clean environment. Can't wait to go back!

The Basil Cafe owner is friendly and welcoming. We love going to the restaurant. Food and service are always good. My favorite is the crispy pork belly, chicken wings, kapoon, and curry dishes. 😋

This is my go to thia place, food is always delicious!

Ordered take out. Minus 1 star since our cream cheese wontons didn't come with the advertised house-made tamarind sweet & sour sauce. Instead, they came with the eggroll's chili-garlic sauce.

If you order take out or delivery, I recommend double checking what you receive in your order to make sure the sauces are correct. The tamarind sauce should be brown. The chili-garlic sauce is orange and clear and more thinner/waterier. We didn't notice until after we drove all the way home and took all the food out of the bag unfortunately.

Besides that, our order was prepared quickly, staff were nice, and everything tasted good. I highly recommend getting the drunken noodles (pad kee-mow). Just bummed we missed out on the tamarind sauce. I know the tamarind sauce would've complimented the cream cheese wontons so much better.

Good location, nice parking, great delicious food, friendly and helpful staff, and nice pick-up option for those of us who just want to order on the go. Love it and will definitely be back for more.

This is my new favorite place for Thai in the twin cities area ! Their vegan and vegetarian options are so clearly marked and it’s easy to order without any questions as to whether it can be vegan both at the restaurant and through delivery services!

The Tom Kha/ Tom Yum, Pad Thai and Drunken noodles are our favorites - with either tofu or mock duck as protein options. I’ve had Tom yum and Tom Kha in several restaurants where despite the availability of/requesting a vegan option it still smells suspiciously fishy! But, not here - genuinely love the food here!

I hope they maintain their quality and consistency forever !

What a fantastic place! I’ve been to several Thai restaurants in the Twin Cities but Basil Cafe is hands down #1. Great atmosphere, staff, service, and the red curry was the best curry I’ve had outside of Thailand. If you’re looking for authentic Thai food at a reasonable price, this is the place!!

Pho was alright. Papaya salad was below average. Would I come back? No, there are plenty of other spots I would go to get better food.

Basil Thai has good food at reasonable prices. Might to-go order was quickly cooked and I was on my way in no time.

SWEET PLACE WHEN IT COMES TO AMBIANCE\ ENVIRONMENT..
FOOD PRETTY HEALTHY - butheBiGFaT BUT as my friend says - COULD TASTE THE FLAVOR ENHANCERS😵‍💫🫤😩🫣😶‍🌫️🧐😔🤕🙄🙊😬😶GINGERice WAY TO CONCENTRATED HAD TO MIX WITH TWICE THE ORDER OF REG WHITE RICE. HAD TO ASK FOR A LARGE SOUP BOWL TO GET THAT MIX DONE: REALLY YUMY THO SO GOOD WE ALL LUVD THE GINGERice DESPITE THE FLAVOR ENHANCERS..
SOUPS WERE GREAT❣️JUST WAY TOO MANY NOODLES AND VEGIES OR MAYBE JUST WAY TOO MANY NOODLES - NOT ENOUGH BROTH; SHOULD HAVE 2 CHOICES, 1 AS YOU CHOOSE, THE OTHER AS THEY MAKE. I FORGOT TO ASK FOR THE NOODLES TO BE PUT AT THE SIDE. HAD TO ASK FOR MORE SPROUTS, NOT ENOUGH GIVEN FOR 3 LARGE SOUP ORDERS (NOT USUAL FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THRU MY YEARS), THO ENOUGH BASIL WAS GIVEN. SOUPS WER LOVELY ASWELL.. WILL JUST ASK FOR EXTRA SPROUTS AND NOODLES AT THE SIDE NEXTIME..
DESPITE ALL THIS ITS A SWEET PRETTY AFFORDABLE THAN OTHER RESTAURANTS THESE DAYS PLACE..
OUR ORDER TURNED OUT TO BE WAYyyy BEYOND $100 CLOSER TO $150, SO BE CAREFUL OVER DOING IT, WE WER SO HUNGRY. WE WAY OVER DID IT..
ATE THE LEFT OVERS FOR THE NEXThree DAYSo THAT WOULD BE ABOUT $50 EACH DAY FOR 3 PERSONS AND 2 DOGS LoL💕❣️😋😁🥰😆😄DOWN SIDE TO IT ALL SADLY WAS THE FOOD WAS BROUGHT ALL AT ONCE AND NOT IN THE RIGHT ORDER PACED CORRECTLY ~ WE SHOULD HAV BEEN GIVEN THE GARDEN ROLLS 1st, WHICH ARE THE APPETIZERS. THEN THE RICE WITH THEM ALONG WITH THE DRINKS, THEN THE SOUPS AT THE END. A PLATE MEAL WAS ORDERED (A HUGE ERROR IT WAS GINGERice WithChkn SERVED WITH SLICED🥒, WOULD HAV LIKED MORE OF IT THO 3 THICK SLICES JUST NOT ENOUGH). ENDED UP TAKEN IT HOME TO BE EATEN WITH OUR DOGS THE NEXT DAY WITH MORE SLICED🥒LoL😋..
AT THE THE END MOST OF WHAT WE ORDERED WE ARE GOING TO BE MAKEN AT HOME FOR NOW ON JUSToo MUCH OUT OF OUR BUDGETo FILup WITH THE PLATE MEALS OFFERED. WIL DO THE GARDEN ROLES AGAIN DEFINITELY ALONG WITH THE SOUPS ..
SO YEP WE WILL BE BACK❣️
SWEET PLACE DESPITE IT ALL..
JUST SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT ON THE FLAVOR ENHANCERS USED AT SUCH A HEALTHY BEAUTYFUL LOOKING PLACE..
butheBiGFaT BUT as my friend says THE CANDY AND SWEETS UP FRONT AT THE REGISTER SAYS THAT'S NOTHEIR FOCUS🫣😕 SADLY ITS ABOUT THE🤑AS USUAL..
PLEASE IMPROVE AND DO WITHOUT THE FLAVOR ENHANCERS..
THE SWEETS UP FRONT WE GET, IT'S ASIAN PRODUCTS BEING SOLD\PROMOTED..
OTHERWISE ITS A REALLY'UMMY😋❣️💕🥰😍🥳🫠🌶️🥥🥭🥦🥒🥑🫛🧄🥬🍄‍🟫SWEET PLACE TO GATHER UNWIND EAT RELAX AND NJOY COMPANY TO FIL UP🌛🌚🌜

I love this restaurant! I have enjoyed EVERYTHING I have eaten here. The pad see ew is delicious, and I love the jasmine tea. I wish I could eat here every day! Also, the staff is always so kind and helpful.

The absolute best thai food in town! Unique menu options that you don’t see at other places. Tiffany is a culinary magician!

Food is always so good and tastes amazing. Prices are fair and staff is always so friendly!! Always love coming here!

Great experience!

My son and I stopped in for dinner and we’re so happy we did! We ordered beef pho and it was delicious! The owner was so nice and hospitable. Highly recommend.

Super delicious red curry, really hit the spot when I was feeling a little under the weather. Ordered mild spice for my first time, pleasantly spiced without slowing me down (white person from Minnesota, so take that for what you will) - but next time I'll definitely try the next spice level! Good spice portion for the price paid. Makes for two meals for me.

Ordered from a delivery app, so only reviewing the food.

This local Thai place is serving delicious cuisine. I ordered the Khao Mun Gai Taut (crispy chicken rice) and a mango peach milk. The coating on the chicken was very light, but it was falling off slightly. It complemented the slightly sweet dipping sauce really well. It comes with a side of ginger rice, which was surprisingly gingery and very sticky. The bowl of chicken soup it came with was more of a palate cleanser as it was fresh but not strong in flavor (vegetarian substitute for entrees are available).

The mango peach milk tasted like sorbet, and it was a delicious pair with the meal. Bonus is that all their milks and juices are made fresh in house! It tasted super fresh. Sadly, these are sold on a first come first serve basis, so they may be out of specific flavors if you’re coming later in the day. Overall, it is a tasty place.

It is more than basil it's Thai wow

Great food, service, atmosphere and value. Will be back soon!

Pad Thai was delicious! 🤤

I have been here twice and definitely will keep coming back. Pho and fried pork belly sooo good.

the food very delicious.
recommend: Pad Thai , Drunken noodles, Fries pork belly with garlic, crispy chicken rice.

Authentic Thai/Lao cuisine done expertly! Very attentive waitstaff.

I had drunken noodles with chicken, vegetable spring rolls - the veggies and herbs were super fresh, and peach-mango milk, which was delicious.

Love the emphasis on reusables such as metal drinking cups and reusable drink and water bottles. I ate in but the restaurant was also doing a hopping take-out business. There is parking around and behind the building.

Food is so so. Not really worth the price 😕

Love the basil cafe! Not my first time visiting and most definitely not the last. The Pad See Yew is great and the Tom Kha soup was amazing!

I was here at 9am because this was the only restaurant that opened early. Was pleasantly surprised at how delicious everything was and appreciate the friendly young male waiter taking my order, working the cash register and bringing me my food. I also like how the Thai coffee came in a bottle so I can bring it anywhere but overall, very satisfied with my experience here and will be back for more

I like to try vegetarian phở alternatives wherever I can and I think Basil Cafe’s vegan phở is the best I have ever had. It has a deep shallot base with just the right amount of sweetness. I come back for it at least once a month and I never get tired of it. Overall, the restaurant has a bright, sophisticated atmosphere. The food is innovative in a way that is certainly not traditional, but is authentic in the sense of leaning into essence of each dish and doing it well. It’s unpretentious excellence.

Their Basil Rice is SO good! I can see why they named the establishment after it. Friendly staff, clean space, with great lighting!

Ordered a pork Tom Kha, beef drunken noodles, chicken pad Thai, mango sticky rice, and a lichee tea.

First the positives:
-dedicated parking
-clean restaurant
-relatively fast service
-great flavors on all the dishes. My wife thought the Tom Kha was too sour, but it boils down to personal preference

The mehs:
- lichee tea is small on the volume. Flavor was nothing special. Not worth the $6.

-pad thai had a great texture, but the drunken noodles were overcooked and too soft
-mango sticky rice portion seemed small

-insufficient rice to finish the tom Kha

-the distinctly Chinese music and decor had me questioning whether this was a Thai restaurant at first

-in general, portion to price ratio was a bit low. Bill was $70+ after tip, and I left still feeling a bit hungry.

The sour points:
-all the proteins were quite dry. Especially noticeable for the chicken.

- ordered the beef drunken noodles, but am 95% sure they gave me pork (pork texture, pale like pork, tastes like pork). Wife thought the same. Waiter brought it back to the kitchen and said the chef confirmed it was beef. It tasted fine, so it wasn't the biggest deal for me, but pretty sure it was pork. For someone else that can't have pork for various reasons, it could have been a big deal though...

Overall, would give this place 3.5 stars. Would consider giving it another shot, but only if I was already in the area.

I ordered DoorDash - i was so excited for mild drunken noodles, cream cheese won tons and egg rolls. Needless to say, the only thing that didn’t disappoint was the egg rolls. The noodles were so incredibly spicy that I couldn’t tolerate any more than one bite and the won tons had a weird funky flavor. I am so, so sad but I savored my $32 egg rolls. :/

Great spot to grab lunch! Huge cream cheese wontons!

Ordered drunken noodles (spicy) from this place and loved it! We got BOGO free for $25, which felt like a good price but probably wouldn't have been satisfied with the quantity provided if it was $25 a plate without the offer.

I had to check this place out, since I've been to most places on university. If your more into sweet flavor broth and boat noodle this is the spot. The pho was too sweet and lacked spices but overall it was ok.

Food was far better than I was expecting for lunch. I was hoping for somewhat-resembling-Thai, what I got was up there with the best local Thai food.
Service was pleasant. Food came out quickly. I will be going back to have more than just green curry. Spice level I chose was medium. That was perfect for me... just enough to make my nose run. By the time I was drinking the last of the curry, I was sweating.
Update:
Loved it so much took the family back for dinner. Everything was delicious. The dinner service was incredibly slow.
So I recommend going for lunch and skipping the place for dinner, unless you have no plans for after dinner.

Good food great people really peaceful

I wanted to order a noodle salad from here on doordash but there was a problem with the menu, one of the required selections was to choose what type of egg roll I want in the salad but the menu didn't provide any option so it kept prompting me to choose one before allowing me to order. It said Required: select up to 0. I called the store to tell them about the problem and was put on hold for 6 minutes then they hung up on me. I guess I won't be trying the food..was looking forward to it.

Fantastic spot. Excellent, interesting and thoughtful food that feels like someone in the kitchen cares and has skills. Not the exact same menu as every other Thai spot.

Service was excellent, and even though it seemed like they just got pummeled with a ton of takeout orders as we were sitting down, our food came out relatively quickly.

Loved it.

Update 7.29.24 - excellent customer service. The manager went above and beyond to fix an issue we had with an item ordered through DoorDash. Cannot recommend this restaurant enough - you will not be disappointed. Thank you, Basil Cafe, for the delicious food and we appreciate the service you provide!!

Original review - Found this gem thanks to DoorDash. Ordered drunken noodles with tofu, and banana/jackfruit egg rolls.
The noodles were delicious! Definitely one of the best drunken noodles I’ve had in recent times. They took spice levels into consideration also. Look forward to trying other items!

Best Thai food I've had in Minnesota. Maybe even the best I've had in the US. Great service and nice restaurant. It is very clean and obviously well organized and taken care of. They also have some nice plants decorated inside and outside the building. Today I ordered the green curry with beef, takeout. Every aspect of it was perfect. Prices are on par with average. I generally get two meals out of one order. The area is a little bit rough. I saw some tweakers shooting up in an alley near the restaurant today, but that's not the restaurants fault. St Paul needs to clean up their city. I will absolutely be back again next month during my capitol meetings.

Absolutely delicious and beautiful food. I had pad thai and mango and berry sticky rice. Staff were graciously accommodating of difficult food allergies. Very reasonably priced.

Love most of their food especially the spring rolls. Best I’v had thus far. Food is fairly inexpensive. Great presentation. Their tea drinks are THE BEST! Customer Service is decent. Owner is very nice. Probably a few things they could improve on is their parking lot and papaya salad. You can get a choice of the Thai or Lao version. Their Lao version is one of the worst I’ve had unfortunately. It actually looks a bit and tastes more Thai than Lao too. Parking lot is very small. Hoping they can expand some day. Basically one car to drive in and out of the lot. Regardless, I do recommend this restaurant. You’ll wanna come back whenever you’re in the area :)

Snot authentic Thai food. Strange stuff in the dishes

Best Pad Thai and shrimp spring rolls in the Twin Cities!

Yall really to start outting utensils in your to go orders. Frustrating that yall never to how am I supposed to eat it?

I got horrible food poisoning. The dish was delicious, but I got sick for 2 days.

Spring rolls are so fresh and delicious!

I love this Thai place, I hope this place continues to serve consistent food here. All the food on the menu is yummy and worth it. I always come back because I'm addicted to the tri color drink! Love all her drinks. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Great food!

We are never disappointed when we go to Basil Thai. Their homemade drinks are fantastic and the food is over the top good. We love their Pad Kee-Mow and their Pad Panang curry. Always delicious. Their spring rolls and every eggroll they offer are amazing too. It’s a cute little cafe that is always clean, offers a variety of sauces, and serves water in metal cups that keep it cold throughout your whole stay. A really wonderful eating experience every single time.

Great service, people and atmosphere. Clean crisp and great food.

Fantastic restaurant! Very clean and well organized. Service is excellent as well as the food. I'm making my way through their menu and I'm never disappointed. Their curries are my favorite in the twin cities. Large portions, with reasonable prices. I'm always looking forward to my next visit.

Long time customer, just starting GR. Come see Tiffany and team if you want authentic Thai food, hard stop. At times, if you close your eyes, I am transfixed back to Thailand waiting for the BTS train. Everything is great, i love the jerky/pork belly with sticky rice, any of the noodles (pad see yeu is my favorite) and most importantly, the soups/curry's are full of flavor. Don't forget the Thai teas and drinks!

I’m not sure why it took me so long to discover this unusually fresh, welcoming compellingly delicious café. They have a delightfully simple and unusually tasty approach to Thai food. I am about halfway through the menu and so far there has not been a single disappointment.

My mother has been going here for 5 years but this was my first time. Tiffany, the owner/server, was so attentive to our questions and gave us beyond what we wanted! The green curry vegetable was normally spicy but I asked her if they could tone it down for me and it was perfection!

My mother asked Tiffany to surprise her and indeed she did! Crispy chicken and rice was so delicious and crispy! I wish I had gone here sooner because I visit at least 2x a year. I will definitely be back later on this year and this will be my go to spot! Thank you Tiffany for your suggestions and delectable dishes!!!

Super tasty, fresh food and the whole staff is amazing. This is my go to spot for lunch when I’m working in the area.

Best, cleanest, friendliest place in the area. Owners are great family that take a lot of care in their food and service.

The restaurant has a lot of beautiful plants around. Their Kapoon has the perfect spice and creamy flavor 😋. Same as well as their boat noodles 🍜 broth was on par with it's thick beef flavored broth. Nothing needed to be added besides chilli oil if you want it more spicy.

Their tricolor and Thai milk tea drinks are just right, not too sweet.

Taste so good will come back for more

New favorite neighborhood Thai restaurant. I could walk there, but it’s actually be, like, 20 minutes each way, so I usually drive! Delicious

This food is out of this world. Waited quite awhile yet left content, fed and satisfied.

We got delivery and let me tell you...this place is now in my top 10 for restaurants! The drunken noodles with tofu and veggies had a char on them which elevated the dish a ton!!! The peanut sauce with the delicious spring rolls was perfect spice and peanut flavor!

Lovely food, excellent service, clean pleasant dining room. My neighborhood favorite!

I travel quite a bit, and one of my goals while traveling is to search out Thai restaurants as part of my journey. My traveling mates and I landed on Basil Cafe and I am so thankful we did. Not only was the food amazing, but the cleanliness of the establishment and the overall friendliness of Tiffany (Owner) and her staff was a welcome surprise.

I can't say enough good things about this place. Everything we tried both times we visited Basil Cafe was very flavorful and portions were perfectly sized. I really appreciated the freshness of everything, and the creative offerings around their teas and milks. I'm not a big milk drinker, but these concoctions were incredible and very unique. I've been to countless Thai restaurants and this is the first time I've come across this kind of drink and variety.

Tiffany, you're amazing and Justin, Bucky and I really appreciated the awesome food and fun conversations. Thanks again to you and your staff for everything!

WOW!!’. What a secret gem! We were lucky and the owner (Tiffany) waited on us.. She went back and made CUSTOM a Mango Paradise for my co-worker based on his description (not on menu). It is SO GOOD!! See pic. They have AMAZING drinks, pink milk, mango milk etc. One of the best Beef Pho dishes Ive ever had! We will visit this place EVERY time we are in MSP!

An amazing 👏 treat. Hands down the best Thai restaurant and food I have ever experienced. I highly recommend this place.

I've been visiting since their grand opening. Loved their boat noodles and spring rolls, liked their pad thai. However, these days, Basil just isn't hitting the same.

I went for lunch, and it was just a slightly below average experience. They were out of papaya and seemed understaffed. It took a long time for the guy to interact with me. They also left the door open the whole time I was there, and University on a rainy day is LOUD.

About the food: my pad thai tasted overdue. I was pretty upset since I remembered a better dish served last time. I've told many that I love the springrolls, but this time, they were nothing special. Seems like they sat out for a bit since it was a little dry. I think the loud street, it blowing cold air in, wait time when only 2 tables were filled, and just soso food definitely was disappointing for a favorite spot of mine.

Updated review (2024.04.28)
The food is great, but it's inconsistent. It's a hit or miss if you'll get the same quality as last time.

Original Review:
My new favorite Thai restaurant. All of the dishes were so good and flavorful! Well priced for really good food. The only critique I have is more of a crispy pork belly, but everyone does it a little different.

The restaurant's ambiance is beautiful. Lots of natural lighting. Small and intimate size restaurant. The parking lot is super tiny (could fit approximately 10 cars) and right next to the restaurant.

Please note the restaurants prefers to take reservations. Please call in advance to make reservations; depending on the size of your party they are able to do same day reservations.

Don't forget to tip well 🙂

We went with a group of people and loved this place so much. The food was affordable and very good, the waiter was super helpful and the manager was there and super nice!! She showed us all the cool plants they have in the front. Would recommend this to all our friends. They have a parking lot too.

Very cute spot. Fantastic food. Great service. Wonderful egg rolls.

Great locally owned restaurant. Fresh ingredients. Super clean, well laid out, well-lit, and lots of live plants make this a very welcoming place.
My wife and I arrived on a warm Sunday just at the tail end of a lunch rush. Both our server and the owner came out to make sure that we knew that they were running a bit behind. It was really no problem. Like I said, it is a very relaxing place to enjoy your dining partner’s company.
The food is fantastic - the people are even better.

I normally don't give reviews, but with Basil Thai Cafe I had to make an exception. The food first of all is very tasty and delightful. The restaurant is very clean and well taken care of. The service makes you feel as if you are part of the family. The owner is so on top of making sure customers are satisfied, was actually taking care of an order that needed attention. Out of the 10 times my wife and I have dine in, we have never been disappointed. I gave 5 stars because the staff and owner truly deserve it. I recommend the drunken noodles with shrimp. Its one my favorites. Keep up the great work and we will be back soon!

The food here is always so good, and Jessie did such a wonderful job serving us today! Thank you guys!

Friendly and welcoming. Excellent food. Fun mirrors on the ceilings, too!

My mom and I came here for dinner.. we got the pad Thai, the Penang curry. The fried pork belly and the cream cheese wantons. Things were fresh and delicious

Great food. Nice atmosphere. Very good service.

My family and I went in the morning and loved that we were the only ones there. The service was amazing and welcoming. The food was great! My son enjoyed the chicken wings and cream cheese wonton. I loved the kao poun and pad kee mow 💜 Their tri-color and dessert drinks were our favorites!

Definitely going back!

Delicious food and really friendly service.

This place was great! The service the atmosphere and most importantly the food! The food had me doing a happy dance in my seat! My new favorite Thai in the Twin Cities!

I've visited multiple times, friendly staffs and the food never fails to impress. The crispy chicken with ginger rice is simply amazing!

Owner and staff have always been super friendly. A must have are the in-house made drinks because they’re so delicious. As a southeast Asian, Basil’s papaya salad is as authentic as it comes. It tastes like my family’s recipe. I’ve tried a lot of their dishes and everything has been a hit. Wish I could give 10 stars!

Ordered takeout. Highly recommend the veggie curry rolls. They were wonderful!

If I could leave a Zero star I would! I was picking up a delivery order here earlier today, and a man came in with a flyer of a missing child. He asked one of the girls if she could post it up for him. ( the flyer had a picture of the child and a number to call of someone knew or saw anything) The first girl said sure and started to take the flyer, the other girl behind the counter got an attitude with both of them and said NO! He then asked if not behind the counter, could she at least put it in the window where people could see and she said “We don’t hang flyers like that here.” As a parent it enraged me! I would hope if anything like that were to ever happen to one of my children someone would be willing to help in that way, especially knowing they get a lot of foot/vehicle traffic in that area for people to see. I’ve never eaten anything from here, only delivered, but I will never be a customer after today.

Luckily stumbled into this gem of a restaurant for a late night 🍜 pho run !! They were super busy with take out orders, and a full restaurant — but service was superb and the food amazing ! The veggie pho was 💥 !!! Will be back !

Ordered via DoorDash, so I can’t attest to the atmosphere or service exactly. That being said, food was absolutely fantastic, and it was still very hot and fresh when it showed up. We were especially impressed by the veggie curry rolls. Think a Samosa, but in Egg Roll form.
A+, will be ordering from again.

Honestly disappointed with their small servings. Got take out and if you look at my photos, my drunken noodles filled the container only half way. Besides feeling cheated by the tiny portions, the drunken noodles were just okay. Asked for spicy but no real kick. Didn't care for the slimy texture inside of the chicken egg rolls. Tri color was good and refreshing but also cost $6. Overall, very pricy for small portions. Probably can get better food with bigger portions any where else on University Ave.

We stopped in for lunch today and it was a great experience. Some of the best pad Thai I've ever had. Service was quick and friendly.

We ate at Basil Cafe for the first time after being highly recommended by several people. The pad kee-mow was excellent! Everything was perfectly cooked, vegetables not overcooked (common elsewhere), good heat.

The pad thai was disappointing. I've eaten a lot of pad thai, but I've never had it prepared with (I think) spaghetti noodles. It made the texture all wrong and we couldn't eat it. It also wasn't very flavorful. I did like the heat and portion sizes.

We will likely try Basil Cafe again but try a different dish.

Ordered from here two days in a row, it’s that good. The pork belly is delicious, my favorite. Everything I’ve had is amazing.

Great customer service, clean place, beautifully decorated with a Lao touch especially the table cloth. Authentic full flavored food; shrimp pak Esan, fried pork belly with garlic, khao gai taut and summer pandan rice dessert. Definitely going back and highly recommended 👌

We ordered Drunken noodles online. While the overall taste was ok, the salt level was unbearable. It was to the point that it tasted almost bitter because of excessive salt. Even though I was hungry, I didn't finished my meal.
Chefs should reconsider salt amount!

Great comfort food options! Could get busy at times.

The food was amazing! The cream cheese watons, were had a great crunch, creamy and flavorful. Had a hint of garlic flavor. Not over powering. New to the menu were Curry, chicken rolls. Deep fry to perfection. 👌🏽 Entree - Pork Belly w/rice (sticky), and a ginger sauce. Also a cilantro, chicken soup came with the entree. Wow! The Chrispy Pork belly had a great balance of fat, grease & seasonings. And I'm not a fried food eater. It's so worth the visit. VERY reasonable prices.

Ordered since my favorite spot is closed Sunday and Monday. Read all good reviews. Really disappointed when there was no spice at all. Then saw the receipt that they were “out of Thai chili.” Tom yum was lacking and no spice. Won’t be ordering again.

Legitimately some of the best Thai food I've had in a while. We started with shrimp spring rolls which were incredibly fresh and crisp with a generous amount of shrimp in them. For the main entree I got the Pad Ka Pao with chicken. It was absolutely delicious, the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and spicy.

The server was lovely and immediately made me feel relaxed and comfortable. Prices were very reasonable and the restaurant had a great ambience. Looking forward to going back and trying other things on the menu.

Came by with some family to have dinner, and personally ordered the pad thai, pork platter, and papaya salad. The pad thai sauce was decent - however just seemed too sweet like ketchup to my personal liking. I really wish the pork was cut more into bigger sizes - and the platter also included an egg. The papaya sauce had spice because of the dry pepper, but did not have the other flavors (sweet & sour) to make it great. I also did notice the chicken wings ordered by my niece seemed smaller than other places. If compared to other options around the area, the food here is not the best. I would say items are priced high for the quality and portion given. However, the server did check up on us to make sure we had everything and to see if everything tasted ok. The restaurant does have a modern aesthetic vibe.

At the end of our dinner, we wanted to split the bill by paying our portion. I realized since I was last to pay - I paid the gratuity as well. In the future, I think that should be something the server should note if a bill is being split by the party.

Decided to try this restaurant after driving by earlier in the month. LOVE the decor : lots of plants and it felt very cozy. Food came in a reasonable amount of time and the staff made sure our order was correct. Red curry was so good - I wish I had had enough room to finish it! Cream cheese wontons were the perfect mix of crunch and filling. Would definitely eat here again.

Pretty nice place. You need a qr scanner to see the menu which will be annoying to some people and normal for others. Had the Pad Thai and it was very good, not the best but for sure better than some other Thai places in its same area. Their spring rolls were awkward to eat and disappointing, however the egg rolls were delicious.

I absolutely love eating here their appetizers are delicious and come out fast, I have tried almost everything on the menu and every time it's fantastic and on point. Very very good food great place to get a Thai curry and their pad Thai is one of the best in town. Nice big portions so the prices aren't that bad all together I keep going back and will continue to do so.

I love the atmosphere in this small cafe. Lots of live plants with fish & beautiful artwork. The staff is friendly & welcoming, and the food is amazing.

I love this place! I’ve been coming here for a few years now and the food and service is always consistently great!
It’s also a clean restaurant.
I love the Lao papaya the most here… it’s the best I’ve had in MN! 💕
I also love the drunken noodles and eggrolls, which are made with chicken and not pork (a rarity).
Definitely give Basil Cafe a try! All the waitstaff that I’ve ever encountered here have been friendly and attentive, even when it gets busy. Awesome job, Basil Cafe staff! 👏

PS Love the decor and ambience of this place!

Food was lacking flavor. It took 25 minutes for our food to arrive. We were the only one in the restaurant.

I love the food here. But the time they take to make it. It’s just too long & it’s very frustrating when you’re on a time crunch.

Excelent Pho nudle soup (Lao style)
Because fresh made, take a little while.
Extra charge (3%) for card payments…

Thank you for going beyond and just making the new recipe for us non meat eater. Your service and hospitality is the best..and food was delicious! Will come for more. :)

Highly recommend the panang curry- its healthy, fresh, and the price is decent.

The best Thai food in Saint Paul!

The food is always SO good here - we've never had a bad dish. We usually get takeout but they have a great cozy atmosphere inside. Always excellent customer service. The show stopper is always the mango and sticky rice. We usually get the pandan (green) but tonight they had berries and taro and omg we ate the whole thing 😋

Great lovely spot with excellent food.

My partner and I walked over one day to try this new restaurant. We were warmly greeted by the owner who is consistently happy to see us every time we dine here. But it is the food that keeps us coming back. Everything on the menu is a delight! They do pork belly beautifully. Their basil stir fry with a perfectly done fried egg (runny yolk and crispy edges) tops off their best dish. I have never had a bad meal there. And their red Thai tea is fantastic!! We are delighted to have them in the neighborhood.

This is our favorite place for Thai takeout - pad see yew and egg rolls are must haves. Everything has been flavorful and it is easy to order and pick up. Try the drinks and desserts too, they're fun and have seasonal options!

Incredible, clean little spot for pretty great Thai food.
Some of my favorite cream cheese wontons in the Cities.

We shared spring roll and fried tofu apps as well as a green curry with sticky rice entree. The servings were plentiful, with fresh, crispy veggies. Everything was delicious. The service was attentive without being overbearing. Our server was a happy, efficient, aim-to-please person.

Great Thai food. Veg/Vegan/gf options. Clean and affordable. On University, so no on-street parking, but small lot on side of building.

Doesn't take much for me to give a good review, food was great, service was fast and great (One of the only groups there) and super chill vibe. Great place to bring the family to get a nice dinner.

One of my favorite restaurants in all of the twin cities. The food is very very very good with my favorites being the PAD KEE-MOW, yellow curry, and red curry. Lol, the yellow curry is so good I struggle to try other foods on the menu and not just get the curry. The service is also very good, when I went in with a friend with allergies the owner came out and walked us through the foods and which were ok for them to eat.

Love this place. Been here multiple times for lunch. They arguably gave the best cream cheese wontons. Menu is small, but that's not a bad thing since all the food is delicious. Service has always been excellent.

This is my favorite spot in Saint paul. Prices are great, their pad see ew is flavorful and delicious, and the service is so kind and quick. Love this place.

Clean well, staffed.

Come early, they close at 7pm. I tried the spring rolls and the Pad See Ew. The chicken spring rolls were delicious, although the sauce had a little lingering spice, I still wish they came with a little more... the Pad See Yew was amazing, perfectly done, great flavor. If I left it in front of me, I would have finished it but I finally asked for a box to take some home. I appreciate they have a small parking lot making the visit easier.

Not a bad spot, stop by long ago when they first open. Food still taste the same, well visit again.

Great Lao noodles, very flavorful food! I recommend the Red Curry it is exceptionally good!

Best Thai we’ve had since moving to Saint Paul.

Delicious food and friendly service.

Ordered tri color, fried pork belly, fried rice and red chicken curry. Flavor was good but the tri color was so small. The curry had barely any meat. It was mostly bamboo. Whatever chicken that was in there were paper thin and very small. Heard not so good reviews from family and friends but wanted to give them a try. Wish that foe the price, you actually get what you paid for.

Serendipitous find, delicious food and drinks, excellent atmosphere, and really nice people working there!

Very good food, staff was friendly and attentive, clean dining room, reasonably priced, I defiantly would go back.

Excellent food and excellent service! I have trouble finding a Yellow Curry in my neighborhood of NE Minneapolis, but I'm happy to see Basil Cafe has one! To be honest, the carrot chunks seemed a little too large for my liking, but that was the only downside. Ordered medium spice and definitely tasted it which is appreciated.

The service was exceptional - our waitress was really kind and attentive. She was working her butt off too with all the tables and takeout orders! I'll certainly be back.

Excellent food and reasonable prices

The food is truly homemade quality. It's definitely worth the trip across twin cities to get take out or dine in every week. Tiffany, the owner, is an amazing host and always makes you feel welcome.

Some of the best curry noodles in town!! Fried pork belly is a must try as well!!

Absolutely not 5 star spectacular like so many reviews are stating. Food here is lacking traditional spices/ingredients and was either overly salty with a lot of fish sauce or overly sweet. The atmosphere was just okay. Server didn't bring some items we asked for with only 2 or 3 other customers in the store.

Items ordered and my opinion:

Chicken kapoon - came with very little curry broth and was missing the red paste ingredient or had a lack of it in the curry. The main ingredient i could taste was mostly fish sauce and some coconut milk n peanut butter. It's a 2/10 imo. Just not kapoon done well.

Beef jerky - was good, but beef sliced a bit too thin for me. I wasn't a fan of the dipping sauce which was very sweet with a tiny bit of spicy. I prefer more a spicy salty lime sauce with cilantro instead. 7/10 on the jerky. 4/10 on the dipping sauce.

Lao style papaya salad - was the most disappointing dish. Missing crab and shrimp paste ingredients. The only ingredients i tasted was a heavy dose of fish sauce and a tiny bit of lime n sugar. 1/10 imo.

Cream cheese wonton - nothing amazing here. The wraps used are a bit too thick and clumpy for my taste. The cream cheese doesn't have much of any flavor to it. 3/10 imo.

Chicken springrolls - chicken meat minced too finely. Didn't like the coleslaw mix used in the springroll, it's chunky and a lot was used for the filling, felt like i was eating only coleslaw wrapped in a springroll wrapper. 1/10 imo.

Sticky rice - served in a bamboo basket. Good, perfectly cooked. 10/10 imo.

Overall - the authentic southeast asian taste is just not here. U won't be satisfied if u have a culturally traditional thai/viet/hmong/cambodian/asian palate.

Basil Cafe is quite amazing. Not just the food, which is phenomenal, but the customer service as well. The owner goes above and beyond for her customers. I normally order from work via Uber Eats and sometimes there’s something extra included that happens to show up with my food. Like this little box of Pocky Sticks “for the little ones” back home. This kind of stuff is honestly the stuff that would keep me coming back, the food is pretty awesome, but these small things are recognized.

Great food and great service! I had the KHAO MUN GAI TAUT (CRISPY CHICKEN RICE), and it was delicious with the ginger rice and sauce. Even the cilantro chicken broth that comes with it was good, I added a little hosin sauce and chili oil. I will definitely be back to try more off their menu. A little gem in St. Paul!

Just ordered for the first time and the food was AMAZING!! We were craving pad Thai and ordered four with pork for the family plus egg rolls. Will be coming back again…and again….and again…

Don’t know why we didn’t come here more often. Visited the place before the pandemic and only now we made it back to enjoy their great food? What was I thinking! Food is excellent, the girls who took our order and served us are nice and they have ample of parking space next to the building. Had chicken rice, crispy pork belly rice and Pad See Ew along with a bottle of Thai Tea and a bottle of Thai Coffee

Incredible lunch! The F1 Pad Ka Pao was so good! I’m glad I only ordered medium spice (genuine spices!). Capped it off with Lychee Pea Tea Bottle!

The place was really clean and cute, however the food was such a disappointment. We ordered the boat noodle and pad see ew, however they both had a weird taste to them.

I’ll start off with the boat noodle, it had weird aftertaste to it. I’ve had boat noodle multiple times before, but this was the first time i had this aftertaste. Not to mention, the noodles were soggy and broken, while the broth was not flavorful.

As for the pad see ew, this was the absolute worst dish I’ve ever had at a restaurant. It was so soupy and you could smell the excessive fish sauce they put in it. I’m not usually one to complain about fish sauce either because I love adding it to my dishes, but this was just too much. It really was disappointing because of all the good reviews we saw. I recommend going some place else for better Thai food.

Loved their Pad Se Ew!

Absofreaking thai-mazing!!!! Combo spring rolls on POINT, Pho: delicious, full of flavor, and F3 special was a delight with complex flavors--even the rice was tasty!! We even got a sample of Pumpkin Thai Tea-- I will FOR SURE be coming back for one of those--it tasted like winter in a glass. Everything was plated and delivered beautifully--it felt good to eat such good food. Even the to go containers are a delight. Yum! Will definitely be back--thank you Basil Cafe! 💜💜💜

4/2: finally made it back and Basil Cafe is as delightful as before. DELICIOUS, satisfying, fun, and just a relaxed and wonderful time. Thank you Basil Cafe!!! 🌿🌿🌿