Review Sweet Basil Restaurant

sachin sachdeva

My Wife and I love an actual authentic Thai food. We have tried more than 15 Thai restaurants in Ottawa and hands down Sweet Basil is one of the Top restaurants to satisfy your Thai cravings. We tried their crispy duck, red curry, beef noodles, Jungle curry and every dish was just Excellent!! There seasonal dessert Mango sticky rice is amazing as well! You get those authentic flavours along with just the right spice level! Any Thai food lover MUST try this place and won’t be disappointed. There portion size is huge and no compromise on flavours

Christopher Stephenson

Without a doubt, the best Thai food I’ve ever had. Such a beautiful environment to spend a nice evening. All the food is so colourful too. I ordered the green curry with chicken and I was very satisfied with everything about it. Just the perfect flavour all around. I highly recommend this place for an excellent night out!

Jackie Kent

This has been a family favourite for years. We rarely eat in, so we can't vouch for the restaurant service. But the food is always fantastic: fresh, and flavourful. They do a good job of addressing our allergy concerns. Sweet Basil is always a treat.

Kate T

I was so looking forward to a meal at Sweet Basil. This used to be the number one Thai restaurant in my opinion. I moved away years ago and missed Sweet Basil a lot! The food, the atmosphere, the music, everything was perfect. I used to visit this restaurant quite often with my family and sometimes with relatives from abroad that visit Canada; and also with my colleagues after work. However, to my dismay, the quality has definitely gone, the Chef must have left?! The taste is no longer authentic, and the ingredients, not so fresh, the shrimps shrunk quite a bit, and taste chalky and mushy. Papaya salad?! Cheating, with shredded carrots, this more like the Vietnamese version. I had been to lots of Thai restaurants, and the papaya salad is consistently without carrots, only tomatoes. After years of yearning for Sweet Basil dishes, I must say this would be my last visit. :`(

Sam Nguyen

All the noodle dishes are relatively the same, same veggies, same type of noodles, and overall same flavour with slightly different aroma based on the sauce for the dish. Everything is incredibly flavourful but similar to fast food restaurants. The salads are small portions but absurdly high prices. I expect to pay the amount I paid on something that is difficult to make, high quality ingredients or unique to this restaurant. However, I can make this salads for a 5th of the price at home.

Anthony Phou

By far one of the best Thai restaurants in the city. Whether it be dine in within a cozy and atmospheric restaurant or take out in the comfort of your own home; you'll be met with satisfying portion sizes, complex flavours and friendly faces. Tara and her team are nothing if not a group of professionals.

Sylvia Elisabeth Adele

Just a side note. It is not the customers' responsibility to advocate how spicy they would like it to be. All thai restaurants I've been to have always given an option. It is the restaurants responsibility to make sure the customer has a positive experience. Secondly, there should be a description of what kind of vegetables are in the dish. Again, it is not the responsibility to add information of what they are allergic to. There was no sympathy or compassion from the person I spoke to. I had an allergic reaction because the ingredients were not stated. Again, from other restaurants , I have been to add what is in there. I will not be ordering from this place again. She never even offered a refund. Plus, she acted like having an allergic reaction was nothing. FYI, allergic reactions can be mild to severe. Mine was minor; it was uncomfortable and not how I wanted to spend my Friday night. On a cellular level, it caused damage to my body, which now I have to repair with my herbal remedies and detox my body.

Bravo Tango

Good food. Authentic taste and good service. I just find the food pricey for the portion of the dishes. Portions are on the small side and not enough to be shared.

Ed Lauzon

I was introduced to Sweet Basil by friends and recently had dinner there for the first time. My appetizer was the shrimp spring rolls and I must say that they were the best I've had. The chilli dipping sauce was also superb. My main course (#47) was chicken with veggies (onion, brocolli, carrot etc. and was brought out on a sizzling skillet. The veggies were cooked to perfection (al dente) and the house sauce lightly covering the chicken and veggies, again, was among the best I've had. The portion was plentiful. Our waitress was extremely personable and courteous. I highly recommend this your next stop for great Thai cuisine. It will not disappoint.

Matthew Stapley

This restaurant is absolutely phenomenal! The service is above and beyond and the food is of an exceptionally high quality. The owners are also incredibly personable and take the satisfaction of their customers very seriously. I can't recommend this place enough! <3

Janice Long

Absolutely a great little restaurant. It is quiet, the food was great and service even better. I ordered a Pad Thai and found that the spice was not good for me so they kindly offered to change it up. They made me a bran new pad thai with a different sauce. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Khmow Mok

Traditional food at its finest and the hospitality was amazing! I would highly recommend everyone to try this amazing establishment!

Julie Baylon

Sweet Basil not only has a very friendly and attentive staff, their knowledge on Thai cuisine is impeccable and it clearly shows through their dishes. I always leave wanting more and I know that I will never be disappointed trying something new on their menu. Perfect for intimate dinners or events.

Julie Smith

Absolutely amazing food and service. Lots of amazing different tastes for everyone. We hade the chicken dumplings with peanut sauce. Spring rolls and a chicken stir fry on a hot plate. Fantastic idea. Food stays hot the whole time. Koodos to the cooks and amazing service. Will be there again soon. Thanks guys

Brian Smith

food was the best ... ask for the dumpling with the peanut sauce .. you will loose your mind,

Amanda Muirhead-Smith

Loved the food!! Very filling. The peanut is so good could eat it all by itself. You need to bottle it up to sell.

Maryaa Jafari

Sweet Basil restaurant not only has amazing food but it also has friendly knowledgeable staff and a warm atmosphere <3

William Gelinas

Delicious Thai food. Tastes fresh and authentic. The service is polite and efficient.

Isabelle Moreau

Great restaurant, great food, great people! Can't wait to go back.

Joanne Hoang

Amazing food and amazing service! Perfect for a date night or when you want to order in 🤤🤤🤤

Warren van den Hoef

Best pad Thai in the city and I'm not exaggerating. Ps. I eat pad Thai a lot

Andrew Twizell

Amazing food and fantastic service! Highly recommended

Greg Guillet

Amazing food and amazing service! Worth checking out.

Dương Hồng Phúc

Very, very good!!!

Kaamel Hafizi

Pad Thai was amazing, and the service was great. Extremely pleasant atmosphere.

Nathalie Dore

I think they prepare the best pad thai eva!

Marie-Eve Giguère

We had a delicious lunch. I ordered the red curry chicken. Fresh ingredients, exploding flavors and friendly service. Had the red curry chicken. I highly recommend.

Yazzy

Sweet Basil used to be my "go to" Thai restaurant when I lived in the area. Went back a few months ago and it was a great dining experience and excellent service.

Gus

This used to be a staple in the area. Good Thai food. Until last week when we got takeout prior to Xmas. What a train wreck. Seriously, food presented on rotten wilted lettuce. In addition the broccoli in the sweet and sour veg was vial. Totally uneatable. Plus the sticky rice was over cooked and formed a massive glue ball. Also service wasn't as friendly as before. Can anyone confirm if there has been ownership turnover? I'll be going to aiyara thai cuisine for all my Thai needs from now on

A&B @ Sawmill

After moving to the area last year, I decided to try this place out since it's walking distance to our place. We were quite disappointed with the food, service and decor.

AshleyMChen

Great atmosphere. Loooove the decor. However the restaurant was dark (time to bust out those night vision goggles), and the restaurant wasn't very spacious. It wasn't full when I went but pulling out chairs and putting on your coats were a struggle. If the restaurant was full, I'm pretty sure I would've hit someone in the face. The food was okay. Portion size was so-so for the price. The service was nice and fast. Probably wouldn't go back just because the food was not the best.

Srinivas Bulusu

Continues to be the best Thai restaurant in all aspects. This place is our favorite. With the recent reno they have made it even more cozy while maintaining a far eastern theme. The food and service are exceptional. Price is just right. Their soups hit the right spot to begin with and the noodle based dishes are mouth watering.

NewToEmeraldCity

Tastes good, but overall bad experience. When I arrived to pick up my take-out order, I was told they had accidentally given my order to someone else. While inconvenient, not the end of the world. They said it would take about 20 minutes to prepare it again, so I left to run some errands to kill the time. When I returned, they said that the person they'd given it to had called and was going to bring it back so I could just have that. When I said I REALLY didn't want food that had left the premises and also been made, at that point, an hour before, they seemed surprised and told me then that it would 30-45 minutes to re-prepare my order. At this point, the guy came into the restaurant to return the order and I was desperately hungry and cranky so I took it, but was super grossed out to be eating food that I had to just assume hadn't been tasted or touched by someone else, and was also cold. Not impressed, and if I had to guess I'd say this probably doesn't meet food safety regulations (admittedly I am no expert in the regulations).

Stephen Blackwell

Great Food. There were two of us, we had three main dishes, a crispy duck, a shrimp dish, and a mixed seafood dish, and the beef sate for appetizer. It all got eaten because it was all excellent. This restaurant is one of the more expensive Thai restaurants in South ottawa, but we have always considered it worth the money. There is that little bit extra sublety and flair to the flavours that make a meal more than just a meal...entertainment in fact.

VictoriaNomNom

Compared to some, I had a wonderful meal. Friendly staff, nice ambience... My tom yum and Pad Ki Mow were well prepared and delightfully presented! Ill be back!

Lara Elizabeth Cohen

Without question, the WORST Thai food I have ever eaten. In fact, food was barely edible. Send Pad Thai dish back to the kitchen.

Rob McPherson

Perfect! Cute little place, fast service and excellent food! Portion sizes are more than enough (not sure where those reviews came from) and you will love your experience here. We will be back. Bravo sweet basil!

Alexandra Rhome

Delicious but Small. I am having a hard time deciding how I feel about Sweet Basil. The food was very good. I loved my Pad Thai. However, the portions were very small; after a soup and pad thai I was still hungry. Even the tea is very small. I wish they would increase the portion sizes, even if it means increasing the bill.

Farah

Very traditional Thai food and ambiance. The food was good and it came out fast from the kitchen. Good service. A little pricey Though

Hallicatburton

Expensive & small portions. Not the greatest menu selection, especially if you have shrimp allergies.

Angela89

Never again.... Probably the worst Thai food I have ever had. Ordered a curry; it looked like vegetables and seafood floating in what looked like clear beef broth (literally). Decor and atmosphere is nice; staff are courteous, but it hardly makes up for the terrible food.

BigW

Good authentic Thai tastes, and what I think is one of the best Papaya salads in town. Too bad some of the portion sizes are too small.

Larry

Excellent restaurant! Service is efficently and courteous. Food is excellent. Sauces are particularly rich and flavourful. Mango pistachio dessert is a wonderful finale. Only downside is the very limited selection of wine.

Se.

One of the best Thai places I've been to. The food is great, prices very reasonable and service is fantastic. It's a must try.

Crystal

A sad waste of money & time........ Terrible experience. Food was barely edible. Small portions. Sadly an all round bad experience. Always nice to go out for a dinner - but with this restaurant we left feeling insulted and HUNGRY!

Rachelle

I had a hard time rating this restaurant. I wanted to give it 2.5 stars but I told myself I would keep my blog simple and not do the half star thing. So having to choose between 2 and 3 stars, it definitely deserved 3. This place is outside of my bubble

Review Sweet Basil Restaurant - Ottawa