Basil Thai Cuisine-charlotte

We were drawn in for lunch by the great smells and friendly host...but this place was disappointing. Very limited wine and beer selection and the bartender had no clue about any of the drinks. We ordered the ginger chicken and it was strangely served with romaine lettuce as the vegetable, drenched in sauce (not like a little side salad). ????? Visually very unappealing. Also, they don't allow you to get fried rice as a side instead of brown or white rice. We have never seen that before. Overall the flavor was good, but some pieces of chicken were undercooked. And for the look and pricing of the place, I expected real chopsticks instead of the cheap wood ones.

I really wanted to love it. I found Thai food recently, a restaurant in Lexington SC (to die for). However... The service was very good, on time, friendly and helpful. The wontons were ok, couldn't taste what was inside. The Asian sea bass tasted very good. The rice was mildly warm when it came out. The crispy duck was not crispy. And that is the most recommended dish on the menu. The fat had not been rendered, and there was a lot of fatty tissue. It was tender and the sauce was delicious. I wouldn't recommend the fried ice cream, it's surrounded by a donut like thing that felt doughy, not fully cooked, and the ice cream was incredibly hard, although tasty, green tea favor. The music was so repetitive! It's kind cool in a bar/disco, here the continuous boom boom ended being annoying. The last straw was the women's bathroom, there are two stalls, but one doesn't lock, at all, unless you take a friend with you to pull it close. I am not sure I would recommend it when you consider the price.

This review is relative to the service I received at Basil yesterday. We’ve been eating at Basil for YEARS. IMO they have the best Pad Thai around. However, I stopped in just after 2pm yesterday to take a friend visiting from DC to lunch. We were just about to be seated by the host until the “manager” comes rushing out to inform me the restaurant was closing at 230. I asked if the kitchen was still open and did we have time to order? Its 210 by this time. She says “we close at 230 as in, doors locked, everybody out at 230”. How unprofessional and rude!! I’ve never had such a response from a restaurant. We quickly walked one block to King’s Kitchen who was also closing soon. I asked the hostess if we had time to dine inside so close to closing. Her response “Absolutely!! You can stay as long as you like!!” I don’t make it a practice to patronize a restaurant just before closing because I realize they want to go home but there is a better way to get your point across and retain your customers’ business at the same time. Thank you King’s Kitchen for accommodating us for lunch. They were tipped well!!

We had an excellent dining experience with fantastic food, drinks, and service. The pineapple mojito was a standout! Eating the fruit at the bottom was like a fruity shot, soaking up all that alcohol—definitely a fun touch. We tried the chicken with greens, tofu noodles, and the green tea cheesecake. The cheesecake was amazing, though I wasn't a fan of the fortune cookie; we both felt the texture was off. It would be better if the cookie were finely ground instead of coarse, as it had an unsettling mouthfeel. Aside from that, this place is perfect for meeting friends or going on a date. The background music was pleasant soft pop, and the decor beautifully blended modern style with Thai elements. Highly recommended!

Had dinner here last Wednesday. The place jumped! Our waitress, Chelsea, was attentive and cared for us. The food was just amazing. I had the vegetable roast with chicken and it came perfect. Vegetables still crunch and must not be cooked over. T, the manager, was great. She ran between the hostess to be holding an eye on the take-out bags, supported at the bar, and checked all the money in customers. Now one of my favorite Thai places!