Living in NW Denver, its easy to get into a thai rut, ordering from US Thai or Swing Thai, mostly. So when I found a menu for Thai Basil, I thought, "self, why don't we order from this restaurant more often?". This question was answered when I opened the bag of food we picked up. First of all, the boxes of food were full of goo on the outside which had soaked through the paper bag. Secondly, the "crispy" fried egg rolls were giant rubber cigars, served with some sickly bright orange syrup. The "thai spicy shrimp with tomato and basil" was more like a sweet and sour shrimp, again with the sugary goop over deep fried shrimp that had been overcooked into hard masses. there was nothing in the least that was thai about this dish. The medium heat green chicken curry was the best of the bunch, but I believe that we pulled out about 3 jalepenos worth of slices in just one order. I thought that thai bird chiles were used to spice up thai food? I also got the Moon Harbor - eggs? When the heck did they start putting eggs into this dish? I did not order egg foo young! And the chicken was cubed, not chopped, and thankfully, this dish was not sweet at all. Too bad, but thank God I've got other reliable options here in NW Denver. Hell, even Highlands Asian Grill did a better job than this joint!
(1)
Amber M.
Mediocre food, terrible and unapologetic delivery service = wouldn't recommend and not going there again. My husband and I decided to order Thai Basil for our first year anniversary night since we now have a newborn and I am limited on the foods I can eat (but fried rice is in!). We live about 10 blocks away and were told delivery would happen within 30-45 minutes. An hour and a half later, we were miserably hungry, the baby needed to be fed, and the food still hadn't arrived. After several calls, a delivery guy finally shows with my fried rice but the wrong meal for my husband. Manager was unapologetic and fairly rude. There are plenty of chinese take-out and delivery places. I can't recommend this one.
(1)
Kimber S.
Here's the thing about Thai food. To me, it's all good. There are only so many ways you can make Pad Thai and still call it that. So really, to me, the difference comes in the quality and freshness of the ingredients. Having said that, it's my opinion that Thai Basil needs to up their quality quotient in order to rise to an average rating. The meat in my Lime Curry Beef was so tough I could barely chew it enough to keep from choking to death. It's a good thing the entree only set me back about $10. Maybe if they used better quality ingredients, they could up their prices by a buck or two. I did like the atmosphere, however, with the lacquered sliced tree trunk tables (how else could I describe them?) and the carved wooden room dividers. With places like Thai Chili (Arvada) within easy reach, I don't feel a need to come back to Thai Basil.
(2)
Joel H.
I am at this moment trying to get through enough pad thai to stave off starvation. The balance of my carryout order will sit in the fridge for a few days, and then get tossed. This is the most sickly sweet crap I've put in my mouth since I was a child and had a bowl of Captain Crunch. I grew up in Washington, DC, where good, authentic Thai restaurants are abundant. I know my Thai food. This ain't it. Best in Denver? It's a toss up between US Thai Cafe in Edgewater, and Thai House in Westminster. Not Tommy's, not Tuk Tuk, not Swing Thai. I've tried 'em all. Thai Basil, at least the one on 38th, is the bottom of the barrel. This is my third and final try to get something edible there. Excuse me, I need to go brush my teeth.
(1)
Michael W.
Disappointing. At one time this was a serviceable option for affordable beers when. dining in and reliable delivery. Tonight we call for delivery 45 minutes after promised time and a intermediate call to see what was going on, we called and cancelled our order. The response was ok. No apology nor concern just apathy. Try Thai Bo instead.
(1)
Mike S.
Seriously?? Fifty cent beers?? You can't go wrong with that! And it's not like it's the crappy domestics either, because those are only $.25 (which is still overpriced, in my humble beer-snob opinion). I tried the namesake dish, the Thai Basil Chicken, and it was quite delicious. I don't care if it's not authentic Thai, or AmericaFusedPanAsian, or Ninja-Ethiopian, it's still very good. Or maybe I was too brain-washed by the awesome beer special to render an unbiased judgment.
(5)
Meg S.
Having never been to a Thai restaurant, I was a little suprised at all of the Chinese-food items on the menu. Is this common? I don't know. Both the Thai Basil chicken that my husband ordered and the Vietnamese Shrimp and Vegetable Garlic dish that I had were excellent. Mine was filled with fresh veggies and just the right amount of rice. The $.50 imports were great with dinner - who doesn't love a cheap, good beer? Our waiter was good during the meal - he seemed to show up if we needed something but wasn't bugging us all the time. The downside was that we had to hunt someone down to be able to pay, and that is one thing that I really don't like doing. Being able to walk there and the cheap drinks will have us coming back, and we did grab a take-out menu on the way out.
(3)
Tony A.
I usually stay away from places that get less than 3 stars on Yelp, but I often wonder about how many ignorant haters there are on Yelp, or high maintenance assholes who give places low ratings despite getting great service. This seems to be a case of that. My meal was great, especially for the price. Is there better Thai to be had in Denver? Sure. Do yourself a favor and hit the Thai Food Cart on the 16th Street Mall. That thing is the bomb. That said, this place is FINE. I had the Roasted Spicy Duck with peanut curry sauce. It was delicious. I had a Kirin that only ran me $3.50, which isn't too shabby. I certainly would like to come back here for $0.50 beers. And the service was great... they were attentive and the food came quickly. I almost want to give this place 5 stars just to balance out some of the other negative reviews. Hey people, if you don't like a place, say what you had to eat and why you didn't like it.
(4)
Kathryn H.
I have only ever had take-out from here. I like the Panang Curry, nice balance of sweet and spicy. I'm sure it isn't authentic, but it's tasty.
(4)
Mo C.
I am going to have to upgrade Thai Basil to 4 stars for their home delivery. Their prices are nearly 50% cheaper than Swing Thai (that also delivers to the hood). And, the portions are plentiful and the dishes hot & scrumptious. While I still have disgust for the idea of putting jalapenos in green curry (seriously, I highly doubt that jalapenos grow in freakin Thailand), the panang with shrimp is nice and spicy, the pot stickers are grubbin and you can never go wrong with crab fried wontons. So, when the snow falls, I call Thai Basil for some hot n spicy delivery.
(4)
Edward T.
Not the best Thai food. Sauces and curies tasted oddly sweet. Will probably try again since its close by.
(2)
Mary M.
Ordered take out and the food was awful. Actually spit out the orange chicken. The drunken noodles tasted freezer burnt. The pot stickers tasted like they were cooked in bad grease. If I could give it zero stars I would.
(1)
Jeff N.
Horrible, worst service. Food was cold, sake was cold. I had to get up and get my own water. While eating hostess told us we had 10 min and we had to leave. I'll never go back!
(1)
Matt S.
Good entry-level thai food. The panang curry is pretty solid and if you mix it with the pad se lew you've got a winner.
(4)
Jason M.
Let me start by saying that I wish there was an option for "zero" stars or "negative" stars because this experience was beyond a nightmare. Okay, my roommates and I were at home one evening contemplating what to order for dinner when one suggested Thai Basil. We had a menu which arrived in the mail months earlier and after browsing it we decided to order. The prices are okay but certainly not the best for the "value." The time in which we received the order was not phenomenal, either (well over an hour within the deliverable distance). I don't remember what my friends ordered but I ordered the chicken fried rice. It looked good but it certainly wasn't the best I've ever had in my life. At the end of the meal there were left overs because, like I said, the food wasn't the best. Okay, jump to the morning after. I woke up in a cold sweat, shaking, and delirious (I thought I was in a dream but I was not). I tried to stand up and nearly but when I did I lost my balance and hit the floor. Needless to say, I barely made it to the bathroom for an "experience of a lifetime." Almost ten minutes later of "sweating this out," I thought I was finished only to stand up and hear my bowels say, "Sorry, I'm not done with that toilet yet." Alright, so round two turned into three and so on and so on. This is when I realized I needed to get to a medical professional and fast. I called my doctor and told her it was urgent that I see her. She told me to come on down ASAP for an evaluation of the situation. I wasn't even sure I could operate heavy machinery (my car) but I got in and drove all the way down to Evans Avenue. Keep in mind I live in Downtown. I barely made it (if you know what I mean). Thank God there was a restroom right on the first floor. Anyway, after speaking to her and taking some tests (many of which were embarrassing and I will not mention here), she concluded I ate raw and cross-contaminated chicken! Well, guess who ate chicken the night before? They gave me SALMONELLA poisoning! I was sh*tting like a water fountain, I was delirious, and I was running a temperature of just over 104 degrees. She wanted to hospitalize me but I convinced her of other medications. Within three days I was back to normal (solid bowel movements and normal temperature). Also, this is the truth here, I was called by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. They called to find out who or what "poisoned" me. They wouldn't disclose certain information to me but did state I was not the first one that was nearly sickened to death by this "restaurant." In short, if you're looking for Thai food, skip this place and move on. If you desire severe illnesses that can kill a healthy adult within 48 hours, then stop on in and ask for anything made with chicken.
(1)
Eric A.
I was pretty psyched when I found out Thai Basil was moving in a few blocks from me, as I'd heard good things about their other locations. After dining in 3 times and picking up takeout 3 or 4 I'm done. The service is mediocre at best. I've been pretty much ignored every time I've been there. Eventually someone takes my order, and I'm lucky if they stop by once to see how it is. Done eating? Might as well go up to the cashier yourself, because the check won't show for another 15 minutes after the busser clears the plates. And I have yet to have anything that wasn't drowning in sugar syrup and any of the fried dishes are about 1/2 breading - more what I'd expect from popeye's all you you can eat shrimp. Since the highlands in practically drowning in asian restaurants of one sort or another, pick any of the others instead.
(2)
Mary T. T.
I would pick another location than this one on 38th--even another Thai Basil I have eaten here a few times and am disappointed every time...mostly the service. They usually cannot speak English, which is frustrating when you live in America. The owner is not very service oriented or "warm" either. I want to feel welcomed when I am eating out.
(2)
Dena G.
I used to live close by so we'd get delivery from here a lot. The curry is yummy and when I would ask for broccolli instead of peppers they would almost always get it right. For some reason, I don't like their chicken very much and their noodles are only so-so. They have good tofu and are still close by but if I have the choice, I'd go to swing thai.
(3)
Julie H.
It was a hot summer night and I didn't feel like cooking. I stopped in at Thai Basil Hang out Grill and the hostess recommended Drunken Noodle. I had low expectations- and they were met. Noodles were oily and rubbery, chicken was overcooked and sauce was WAY too salty. It didn't taste fresh- unlike Highlands Asian Grill which always taste fresh. I don't know a lot about Thai food but I know this wasn't good- regardless of how cheap the beer is.
(2)
Beth F.
I drove down to Thai Basil from Boulder to try to get some authentic Thai food. Maybe I should just let my dream of eating Thai food in Colorado die, but I am trying to remain optimistic. Thai Basil was a terrible choice. The ambiance is promising - lots of carved wood. But I knew 2 minutes after I was seated that this place was all wrong. Strike 1 - The menu was made up of tons of Chinese dishes. You can even tell by the items that people rave about in the other reviews. Miso soup? Gyoza? Edamame? Those are Japanese. Uggg. It would be fine if they promoted themselves as an Asian fusion place, but it's called THAI BASIL. Strike 2 - The service was terrible. The place was half empty and we had to constantly flag the servers down. Strike 3 - My friend and I both ordered 2 entirely different dishes. Mine was Thai Basil Chicken - advertised as being hot. When they came out, they looked interchangeable. Same gloppy brown sauce. Slightly different veggies. It looked and tasted like bad Chinese. There was no sign of any Thai ingredients in it. It was bland and nasty. Strike 4 - They didn't have any of the Thai condiments that are standard at Thai place - no fish sauce with chilies. If fact, when I asked the servers for it, they looked at me like I was crazy. You have no chili sauce? No wonder your food sucks so badly. Maybe I let my expectations get too high because of the good reviews, but I left this place slightly angry. The whole experience was lousy.
(2)
Jack M.
My girlfriend and I visited today, and were far from impressed. The silverware provided while dining for my girlfriend was very dirty, she had to exchange it. We saw big spider webs all over some of the chairs and the tables have small indented lines in them where you could see large accumulations of old food on the table top. I have no idea how this restaurant passes code. The pad thai was inedible and my chicken dish was far from palatable. On a good note their spicy thai soup was wonderful. I will never visit again, much better alternatives available such as Swing Thai.
(1)
Grace B.
No this food isn't authentic Thai but it's my go to for dinner delivery. Pineapple curry, spicy garlic shrimp and schezwan chicken are my faves although the shrimp can be mushy at times. It really depends on the batch. I bumped this review up to 4 stars because of the beer special. It's retarded awesome! I took my parents, sister and fiancee here for dinner and with beers the total was under $60.
(4)
Sarah J.
Very good Thai food and good pricing. Service is good as well. Try the Satay Chicken for the appetizer
(5)
Meaghan H.
Well, it's about the same as all of the other locations. Mediocre. I have tried a few things and they are pretty flavorless but the only thing I did find that I like was the sizzling rice soup. This is often hard to find and theirs is actually good. Other than that, I would shy away and go to US Thai instead a few miles away.
(2)
Katie L.
Delicious. I have never had a bad dish here. I standardly get pad thai which is scrump as all get out. The eggplant is pretty stellar too. Had the appetizer sampler last night, the satay chicken was the star. Green curry is amazing here as well. I didn't even know they had brown rice until last night but that scores many points for me.
(4)
Samantha S.
I absolutely LOVE their sesame tofu and sesame chicken. The BEST I've ever had! I love the look of the place. The only thing that I'm not a big fan of is the service. Sometimes it is decent, other times It takes awhile for anybody to notice you. I can recall at least 3 times during my visit at this place that we had to ask for our bill and then after waiting 10+ minutes for them to pick it up, we finally had to just take it to the front so that we could get going. The food is worth the sometimes crappy service though!
(3)
Dave A.
Just okay, not great, not terrible but I didn't leave thinking I'd come back. Once was enough for the middle of the road Asian fusion food they serve here. Big problem for me was the food has no identity. It's not Thai, but it's a bit more adventurous than every day Chinese soaked in brown sauce but not much.
(2)
Ratha O.
If you want cheap Thai food, this is def the place!!! Service was great and fast. I recommend the coconut shrimps and one night in Bangkok (fried soft shell crabs with a curry dipping sauce). Also, the sesame tofu is absolutely wonderful; if you prefer a vegetarian dish!!
(4)
Matthew S.
i'll stand up for the hang out grill a little bit. i think their green curry is the bomb quite frankly. the panang is okay too, not bad at all. their pad thai sucks ass, which is not acceptable for a thai food restaurant. messing up on the thai essentials will prevent you from being rated higher. so i guess i'm not all that surprised about their yelp score overall. either way, green curry with some chicken and brown rice is the way to go. or maybe i'm just fucked up on cheap dranks.... dunno and they deriverrr to my house!
(3)
Maria N.
I ordered the sesame tofu with fried rice and a cali handroll for appetizer and it was great!
(3)
Erin W.
I don't want to hate, but this place is not great... As soon as I got out of the car all I could smell was stale deep-fryer oil and the stink stowed away in my hair and clothes and followed me home. Having done my Yelp homework, I knew to avoid the Pad Thai and opted for the Green Curry instead. It was.... ok. I've had Green Curry so delicious (and HOT) it brought tears to my eyes but this one? Not so much. Spice in the thin sauce clearly came from the oversized jalapeno slices (really?) and was covered up by too much coconut milk and added sweetener. I ate it, and I brought home most of it for lunch tomorrow, but I won't go running back for this dish. My friends had the Beef Satay, which was the best thing to hit the table - melt in your mouth tender, but again, too sweet and the "Crispy" Orange Beef which tasted like the worst General Tso's chicken dish you can imagine (plus a glass of orange juice) and took ten years to chew. It was fatty and chewy and not pretty to look at. The service was just fine and the portions were huge, so if you're hammered on .25 beers, maybe you'll like it. Next time I'm craving Thai and can't fly to Philly for dinner at the White Elephant I'll settle for Swing Thai.
(2)
DL W.
This is the Walmart of Thai food. Well, its not really Thai Food. It's a poor, cheap mix of dishes in Chinese and Thai style. All of the Thai currys have the same vegetables (as do pretty much all the dishes) and all of them have WAY WAY WAY too much sugar in them. The over the top sweetness seems to be a theme with Thai in Denver and I want it to stop. They get +1 star for being very cheap and fast, but if you're looking for good Thai food this isn't it. Swing Thai on Tennyson is considerably better than this but also way too sweet. US Thai would have been good if the medium spice hadn't set me on fire and therefore was inedible. sigh...So many Thai restaurants, so little good Thai food in Denver
(1)
Annie P.
Granted, I've only had the vegetarian dishes, but I've been with others several times and never heard a bad word. Service is hit-or-miss (unattentive and slow sometimes) but the food and dining room are both really enjoyable. Some dishes do tend toward the sweeter side, but that's not all bad. You just have to be in the mood for it. Plus, the beer is cheap and the portions are huge.
(4)
Jess W.
Went here last night to try out the .25/.50 cent beer advertisement. And let me tell you- AMAZING. With any entree you can get up to three beers for 50 cents apiece. I figured that would mean Coors light or something- but no- it's ANY of their beers. I had a tsingtao and a Kirin, and yes- they were 50 cents each. We had the green curry and the drunken noodles. I really enjoyed the curry- the tofu was done really nicely, and there were big pieces of fresh bell pepper, onion, and mild jalapeno. The sauce was a good consistency for me- a little thin, without any corn starch or thickeners, which lets the flavor through well. The drunken noodles were also tasty- but I would suggest asking to reduce the amount of sauce they put on the noodles. We also asked for extra vegetables, as it only comes with scallions normally. We sat at the bar to eat, which is really cozy. My only complaint is that the bartender took away my dish before I could ask for a take-out box, and I had plenty left for lunch!! Oh well, guess he made up for it with 50 cent beers.
(4)
Jamie B.
I like the hangout. I like the decor and the food is pretty good. If you are having an entree, beers are 25 cents for domestics and 50 cents for imports. The panang is delicious! I love that their curries come in little crock dishes. We had the Vietnamese egg rolls as an app and they were very tasty. We like this place as a good place to go for a reasonably priced meal in the neighborhood.
(3)
Jeremy and Jessi S.
This is really a 2.7 star review, but that just wasn't an option. Ok, here's the situation. It's New Years Day, and after a long adventure touring around Colorado with some out-of-town friends, we were trying to find a good place to go eat that was actually open. So naturally we were excited when we called Thai Basil and they answered. Plus we'd passed by many times but never stopped in. So it seemed perfect. All was well. When we arrived the parking lot was nearly full, but when we stepped inside there were lots of tables and we were seated easily. Unfortunately, we weren't seated comfortably. The tables, though classically designed and carved are tall and awkward and leave little room for anyone over 5'10" to sit without damn near perfect posture. So we sat awkwardly for a little while and noticed no one came by. So we waited a little longer and still no one stopped over. Finally the hostess (who also seemed to tend bar and possibly do some dishes in the back) brought us menus and slowly took a drink and appetizer order. I ordered a mixed drink, but they ran out of ginger ale to mix with, so I had to quickly change it up and went with a beer ($0.25!). Quite some time later, our actual waiter came over with our drinks, but screwed up half the order and had to try again. Strike two for my beverage. When we got our drinks and appetizers, the waiter took the rest of our order. The satay chicken and edamame had nice flavor and were decently portioned. The fried dumplings were quite possibly the best I've ever had. Upon delivery of the main course, a third staff member came to our service. Unfortunately, all the entrees (Pad Thai, Pad Se Lew) were received before soup orders (Wonton and Lemongrass), and one dish (Crispy Duck) arrived 15 minutes later than the rest. All the food was tasty though. Can't complain there. In the end, while we enjoyed Thai Basil Hangout Grill's cuisine, we would have liked to give the tip solely to our bus boy. He was the only one who actually paid attention to our table and was quick with the water refills too. Perhaps on a different type of night the service would be better. But for now, I'd recommend take out. * This review is dedicated to Ben.
(3)
jen s.
Not everything is great here, but the Pineapple Curry is the best around!
(4)
Sara G.
I'm thrilled to have an option to order from Thai Basil. Finally, decent asian food that doesn't cost an arm and a leg delivered right to my door. I always get their pot stickers for the kids (and rice). I also love the coconut shrimp appetizer and the chicken satay. The curries are only okay, and I feel the same about the pad thai. However, I love to order dishes like schezuan eggplant, the vietnamese grilled porkchop, the sesame scallops or the lime curry beef. YUM! They deliver fast and have friendly service - so in my book you can't go wrong.
(4)
Rick B.
Sesame Chicken satisfies a craving and with the fresh veggies you just can't go wrong. Thing here is the food is always great and the service is always poor. If you go with the knowledge of poor service expectations you'll enjoy. My nugget here is one day the service is gonna be great and we won't be able to get in. Oh yea the special 25 cent beers (domestic) with dinner 50 cents for imports how can ya lose?
(4)
Becky C.
it was good and cheap. need i say more?
(3)
Brian A.
Very good Thai place. They deliver for free too, which is great. The delivery or take-out containers are reusable too, so if you get take-out, you now have another tupperware container! Whatever I had the last I was there had such a great coconut milk taste. Mmmm, coconut milk.
(4)
tara d.
food was too sweet and kind of bland.
(2)
Matthew L.
Bang up thai. The green curry is my fav, sweet and complex flavors. Had a few other gems off the menu, all of which have been good.
(4)
Daniel L.
Their Pad See Ew (or Pad See Lew on their menu) is ok although too saucy and a bit too sweet. They use broccoli instead of Gai Lan but I guess it tastes ok. Their Pad Kee Mow (Drunken Noodle) is also a bit saucy and also a little too sweet and can use a bit more heat then is served by default but as with the Pad See Ew it is overall ok. I would not recommend their Pad Thai as it tastes like sweet and sour sauced noodles. It is edible but definitely doesn't taste Thai. I do however like their .50 micro brew special. You get three for that price with every entre. That's way cheaper then prices at your local LQ! You can get dinner for two and both have three drinks each, getting out of there under $30. The service isn't great. You can wait 15 minutes before a waiter even takes your drink order. Its worth the price although if you just want a good authentic Thai meal I would recommend going elsewhere.
(3)
Walker L.
Not sure why there are so many other poor reviews. I always get takeout from here and it's ready for pickup in 10 minutes or less. The food itself has been good as well. I've had the Thai BBQ Chicken and Green Curry...both of which I liked. The prices are very fair as well.
(4)
Ryan R.
Drunken noodles done right. I've had excellent drunken noodles, these are pretty good. A little too sweet in my opinion but still delicious. Great service too
(4)
Nash G.
The food is nothing special. Thai basil chicken is decent. Delivery has always been on time. This place is just "ok".
(3)
Chris G.
This place used to be good. The last two times we have been the service has got worse and worse. They need to try a little harder.
(2)
Merrick H.
The health department gave this restaurant a "f" rating and failed many health code violation so watch out
(1)
Kat H.
I called in to request delivery. I was quoted 4 dollars more than what the website menu states. I questioned her about this. The woman (Tammy) taking the order hung up on me! I called back, she answered, I asked to speak to her her boss. She comes back on the phone disguising her voice, finally admitting that she was the same woman to whom I spoke originally. I repeatedly asked to speak to her boss. She tells me that he is on vacation for 2 weeks.....hmmmm. Won't be eating at this establishment again.
(1)
Lori S.
The food was fantastic! I enjoyed the unique decor. Service was speedy and attentive. I had the satay bf and my fiancee the ck pad se lew. They have happy hour everyday also.
(4)
Sara C.
Really good, fresh and spicy. They're really friendly and never crowded. Pretty reasonably priced too. Just found this place in my neighborhood and apparently they also have free delivery. I highly recommend. Probably some of the best Thai I've had outside of Thailand (except Erawan on 8th- go there :))
(5)
Cate L.
I can't believe some of the other reviewers - this place KILLS IT! We've eaten here several times, each time awesome service, great food, huge portions of veggies, and great prices. I've tried the shrimp spring rolls (the peanut sauce!!!!), veggie Thai basil, Singapore Noodles, Pad Thai, Hong Kong Noodles (without the meat) - all exceptional, huge portions, piping hot and delicious. Really like this place and we drive from Arvada to get here!
(4)
Mimi L.
Don't waste your money here. Went out to lunch with a friend, we were the only ones there. The food was "cooked" very fast but it was cold in some places and hot in others. I got the Spiced Roast Duck and it honestly didn't taste that great. Comes with fried rice and eggroll. The eggroll was cold and not good at all. There were scraps of the duck but that was it. When it was time to pay, I payed in cash, the waiter tipped himself 15% before giving me back my money! It was completely appalling! This place doesn't even have good Thai food, don't waste your money here, go somewhere else!!
(1)
Oliver R.
Excellent service, food was out quickly and most importantly delicious, I had the thai eggplant, veggies were fresh.
(5)
Pat C.
I'm a big fan of their panang curry, very flavorful and a huge portion. I've never had sweet potato in it but I like it. I hear the pineapple curry is good too. The only thing that somewhat raises my eyebrows is that the food comes out so fast.
(4)
Lisa B.
Dined in and had the orange beef and the royal chicken. The orange beef is always good, kind of crispy but very sweet. I felt like there was a lot of sauce on it this time but still delicious. We also got the royal chicken, my first time having it and I thought it was great! Also pretty sweet but it has cashews in it which I love. Ordered both meals medium spicy which gives it a nice little kick but nothing crazy in terms of spice level. We started with the crab cheese wontons which are crispy but they don't have much for crab cheese. Overall the meal was good, not great. Service, overall was pretty bad. They finally refilled our waters once we were done eating and reprimanded us for giving a coupon when we paid rather than when we ordered. Next time I will carry out.
(3)
Nova Z.
I gave this place two stars for its atmosphere. The food is just off and they don't always get your order right. The coconut soup came with some translucent alien jelly like substance which I was assured was chicken. The curries are oddly sweet without any balance. We tried them twice and normally I have a 3 strike policy but it's not worth it. Won't be going back.
(2)
Esther C.
My favorites are: spring rolls, peanut sauce, Thai Basil Chicken, Hong Kong Noodles, one of the fish (can't recall which one of the 2) and barbecue chicken. A few of the waiters/waitresses who know me are super friendly. Love the decor. Delivery sucks as far as customer service on the phone and at time of delivery. Other than that, I really like this place. If I could have, I would give it a 3.75 instead of a 4.
(4)
Caleb S.
I use to come here more often. Good carry out, slapped together atmosphere but it's convenient. The last time I was in, I paid cash for carry out. My total was about slightly less than $17 so I paid with a $20. She asked me if I wanted change. Really? Maybe she needed it more than I did, but the sense of entitlement was not only offensive, but a good reason to not go back.
(1)
Brandon W.
I came here on Monday to get a late lunch takeout and it was nothing but disappointment. I ordered a pad thai with chicken and shrimp, with chicken coconut soup, and also chicken satay. The service was ok, nothing hype about them and thats whatever. Lets talk about the food, my pad thai was not too great, something about this nasty after taste it has just brought it down and also it was more salty than sweet. Most pad thai I am familiar with are normally sweet in a way and also the fact the meat in my meal was not fresh at all, The chicken was good but my shrimp lacked freshness. My coconut soup tasted like just hot water with bland coconut milk and again just disappointing. Last but not least the chicken satay, I crossed my finger for some wild factor here but no cigar. The chicken satay was nothing but bland dry chicken skewers with burnt taste, the peanut sauce for the skewers was watery with lack of sauce thickness. Sampling from food to food I was a little disappointed and also the prices were a little higher than normal thai restaurant. Truth be told I wouldn't mind the price if the food was that good or that it met standards but no it did not. Another thing I notice was management problem. The restaurant set up seems ok but not too nice and also their bar seems decent looking but might need some updating. Analyzing their bar set up (force of habit) it seems to be lacking and they don't do any mix drinks or don't even know how to make mix drinks even though they have quite a few decent alcohols. One thing that bother me the most was their happy hour, their happy hour starts at 5 which is not normal because most places would start around 4ish normally and customers can qualify for discounted drinks if they purchase 15 dollars or more of food. Ugh hello, it's happy hour and it means drinks at discount price. Nothing involving you must eat to enjoy happy hour. I don't know, it's not my restaurant. But all I got to say is this restaurant I won't be seeing again.
(2)
Adryen G.
I loved my food! I was worried based on the rates but I found Thai Basil to be very flavorful, fast and great courteous service. I very much enjoyed the Pang with chicken.
(5)
Jon P.
Deliciously Thai. The food is fresh and always consistent. I always enjoy every dish :) the tofu is awesome!
(4)
Billy L.
Made the mistake of ordering from here twice. This is not good Thai food. Plain and simple. free delivery is not worth it.... they need to change up their rice noodles for pad see ew and get some chicken that actually looks and taste like chicken....
(1)
Sarah H.
In the immortal words of my fiance, Logan, "Everything I've ever had here is just 'meh.'" Sadly, it's true. Thai Basil isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't great and falls somewhere into that "I'll eat it because it's close and tastes better than McDonald's" category. The last time I was here, I had the drunken noodles with chicken. I asked for spicy (which I never do--medium is usually as hot as I go with Thai), but I might as well have asked for mild. This is definitely no US Thai. The brown sauce was a little too sweet and soy saucey, and there was so much of it that the dish was drifting dangerously into soup territory. Plus, they use the medium rice noodles instead of the wide ones. I know, I know--they all taste the same, right? But, I swear they don't. There's a texture thing going on with the wide noodles that the medium noodles just can't match. I love that Thai Basil delivers, but that's really the best thing about this place.
(2)
Karen M.
I ordered delivery and had the spicy garlic shrimp, and coconut shrimp. The coconut shrimp were cold, I understand that is the risk you take with delivery food so that was fine. The problem I had was with the garlic shrimp, the food smelled like BO! I was thinking maybe it was one of the vegetables but when i opened the rice it smelled like BO as well. Instantly unappetizing, and right into the trash. What a waste. I will not order again.
(1)
Greg B.
It's a decent place for standard Chinese food. They have Thai dishes like drunken noodles and pad Thai, but I think it's their orange beef that makes this place worth going to once in awhile. Should you go out of your way to eat here, absolutely not; but the orange beef is a dish that's great on a night where you just want to be a bum on the couch. The service is only two stars (bordering on one star) so don't expect them to roll out red carpet. But the service is better than places like Thai Street Food in Aurora...then again Thai Street Food's cuisine is out of this world so it's a little more tolerable. Good place for Americanized Chinese dishes or basic thai dishes when you want a place close that delivers and you don't feel like driving to Aurora for the good stuff :-)
(3)
Kristine S.
I went to the new English Brewery in the Highlands and they had take out menus for places because they don't serve food. So we placed a take out order. One hour later, we called and they said they had no idea where our order was. It actually arrived, but when we opened the bag, we found they had delivered takeout to us with no silverware. I called back and asked them if they could send silverware. They said they could not. So, I guess I'm supposed to shove my face in the steaming hot bowl? NEVER AGAIN. They lost my business and I was a semi-regular. The service was always slow, but now that it is rude, whatever. Buh-bye.
(1)
Julio T.
My girlfriend has a solid theory related to ethnic restaurants. That in most cases, the more care that is put into making an ethnic restaurant look "ethnic," the worst the quality of that ethnic food will be. Sure enough some of the best ethnic restaurants in town are in really spartan places that have little more than a TV playing telenovelas or maybe a cheap buddha statue to show their "ethnicity." And then there are places like Thai Basil which is decked and festooned and bedizened with South Asian decor. A lot of it is quite beautiful. Each table and its surrounding chairs are crafted in intricate geometric wood designs. The inside is clean and cool looking and they have this sweet chair behind their hostess desk which is basically like a lotus flower carved in walnut. But they did not quite put as much craft into their food. It's not bad, but I've certainly had better Thai food. The pad thai was really watery and oily. When we were finished eating, there was a significant pool of red liquid with those oil blobs all over. I also certainly wish they'd give more that three shrimp for the dish when that is the only meat I asked for. The pineapple curry was a bit better with a pretty good curry kick and generous amounts of the signature ingredient. I wish the pieces of beef that came with the curry were a bit more tender but it was okay. The dishes they were served on were definitely exquisite with the pad thai served in this really pretty tear-shaped crystal bowl. Very cool looking. And the service was decent. Got extra rice for free and they even allowed us to move our table when we first sat down and realized we were at eye-level with a bunch of glare from the restaurant's parking lot flood lights. If Thai Basil was an ethnic furniture and decor store, I'd easily give this place four to five stars, but as a restaurant? It's okay at best. Guess I'll stick with unadorned places like U.S. Thai and Dancing Noodle.
(3)
Whoopsie D.
Very disappointing dinner tonight. We ordered penang chicken and lemongrass chicken. Both dishes were almost in-edible. I do not recommend getting burned by this restaurant.
(1)
Yvonne F.
So yummy! Massive portions - lunch easily sorted for tomorrow. Tasty meat and veggies. Friendly staff too. Def will head back again
(5)
D F.
We order take out & delivery from here all the time. I've tried so many things on their menu and never been disappointed. They are so speedy with delivery and so friendly. This place is a must eat on night where you can't decide what to cook. Love this place. Only reason they didn't get a 5 is I save those for the fancier places generally. You won't be disappointed. Good size portions.
(4)
Shaun S.
We ended up here on Sunday after driving by US Thai, which had a line out the door, and we did not want to wait. Our appetizer and meal came out quick. My water was never empty. The portions were large, and the food was decent.
(3)
Jami C.
Awful food. Worst Thai food I've ever had. Barely touched my food it was so bad and the waitress didn't ask if there was anything wrong. Just dropped the check and walked away.
(1)
Ryan G.
We regularly order from US Thai when we are craving some Thai takeout, which is in our neighborhood. This time, on our way down from the mountains after a long backpacking trip, we called US Thai only to realize they were closed for holiday hours, so decided to give this place a try. All I can say, is do yourself a favor, and go to US Thai instead of this place. My pad thai tasted like a bottle of lime juice. I couldn't taste anything else but fake tasting lime juice. Not to mention, the noodles are generally an important part of this dish, but all that ended up on my fork were pieces of rubbery nasty tasting tofu. There was way more bland rubber tofu than there was noodles. Usually any food tastes amazing after three days of backpacking and living off of trail-mix-esque foods, but I couldn't even finish this. My gf got the drunken noodles, which also tasted like burnt rubber or like you were eating the tires on your car. Blown away how a place like this stays in business. Just don't even try it, seriously, don't...
(1)
Josie P.
Just a reminder, if you live in this area and haven't yet been to US Thai, I urge you, go there instead! If you're sitting in Thai Basil already and you're just about to "check-in", turn off your app and walk out the door. You'll thank me later.
(1)
Sasha S.
My husand and I split the Szechuan Chicken lunch portion and it was delicious! The beer is inexpensive and they have a decent variety. The patio is nice as well, great for a lazy afternoon lunch.
(3)
Dexter C.
I should have paid better attention to their terrible reviews online--yuck. I called to order delivery. Being sick w/ a high fever, I called to order soup--letting the person who answered the phone know that I had a seafood allergy. I ordered the sizzling rice soup and sesame chicken. Well 55 minutes later the food arrived and I was surprised to see that the 'SIZZLING RICE' soup had no rice and was full of shrimp. I called to explain my situation thinking that they would simply resolve it--but instead they laughed at me--told me if I wanted to bring the soup back; they would exchange it. I said I would be more than happy to pay for it--and I explained I had no way to get over there-- and she hung up on me. Sad. I was a good customer, probably ordered 50-100 times. NEVER AGAIN, and I will tell everyone I know what a terrible place it was. Lot of choices for food delivery---but 1 less now. Terrible.
(1)
Allen W.
Had the noodle bowl with beef as takeout. Noodles were great but the beef was burnt and tastes fishy. Ended up throwing it away. This place used to be great but they have been progressively getting worse.
(1)
Amy P.
First things first - I don't consider Thai Basil to be authentic Thai food. It's more like Americanized Chinese food. That being said, they've got good sesame chicken and those types of dishes and the panang curry is delicious. And since the local Chinese delivery food gave me terrible food poisoning, I'll stick to Thai Basil for that service. Ok food, OK service, free delivery. If you want authentic Thai cuisine go to Thai Monkey Club on Broadway. Really...go there.
(3)
Colin S.
I'm confused with the poor reviews! I've lived a few blocks from Thai Basil since July of 2009 and have eaten here literally 50+ times. Never had an issue. We order delivery, which can be as fast as 10 minutes (off-peak hours) or, at the very most, the 45 minutes quoted. Other Thai delivery places in the area don't include silverware either, it's not just these guys. Anyway, the food is great...always consistent and we've never been disappointed. If you eat there, you get some awesome beer (bottles) and wine specials with your meal. Like, unbelievably cheap deals. It's great! My only gripe is that they can't seem to do anything extra hot...they'll make it a little more spicy for you but it's not much. (Sriracha is available, of course, so that helps) Thai Spicy soup is delicious and you always get a couple shrimp in your bowl. I've had the Green Curry more often than anything and love it! Creamy, great flavor and a touch of spice. The red curry with scallops is awesome as well. Drunken noodles is a good, spicy dish - this one they can get a little hotter. I've had the Pad Thai, fried rice, sriracha beef, crab cheese wontons, spring rolls, Vietnamese spring rolls...all yummy. Bottom line, this place is great!!! I've eaten here more than anyone that's reviewed Thai Basil on 38th and I've never had even a hint of an issue. Ignore these ridiculous reviews and give it a try!!
(5)
justin m.
I live close to this place, so I tend to go there when I am in a bind. I would say be very careful what you order. Some of their dishes are quite bad, and the sauce they use drowns out all other flavors. A lot of times, their veggies are not fresh iether. A few staples like Pad Thai are okay, not great, but not terrible. I would vote to go elsewhere if you can, and avoid ordering all veggie only dishes or anything without noodles.
(2)
JJ N.
Let's say that the food comes out super quick, almost like they know what you are going to order before you walk in the door. That's probably not a good thing though? The restaurant isn't afraid to kick you out when they are ready to close either. All in all the food is ok. It does hit the spot after a Sunday Funday with bowling included!
(3)
Kendall T.
I put this place somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. The food was OK--not great--but quite serviceable. Phad thai may be a bit sweet and they have NO online menu but it is not bad--just not delish. As the comments below note, however, it is the service that makes it suspect. That nearly brought me to a two star review. For us, it was not the table service but the person on the phone who apparently speaks NO english and as a result it took 15 minutes of repeating numbers, repeating orders, clarifying addresses---it was perhaps the most single worst experience I have had ordering food by phone. In the future, when I need decent Thai in highlands, unless I am too drunk to drive or I spent too much time with cheech and chong, I am picking it up. Overall, decent food--mediocre service.
(3)
Polly P.
I'll keep it short. Wasn't at all what I thought it would be (doesnt have a "hang-out" feel or prices). Food & cocktails were just like the stars "Meh.". I wouldn't NOT go back...like if someone I knew REALLY liked it, I'd go again, with them. But - personally - I have not thought twice about them since my last visit a few months ago.
(2)
Larren M.
This is another one to add to the Asian book of restaurant's. I've had the food at another Thai basil but just for delivery. The service at this location is good. The waiter kept the water glass filled and the table clear of empty dishes. The food was decent. My sesame chicken was a little heavy on the gooey brown sauce and the breading wasn't as crispy as I'd normally like it. It's close to the new hood and and they have a great happy hour. with .25 and .50 beers. I'll be back to sample something else.
(3)
julie n.
Bad food, bad service, slow service. Ordered a wonton soup, hot and sour soup, Pad Thai Medium and Pinapple Curry hot. Hot and sour soup had a egg shell in it. Pad Thai came out extra hot and curry came out medium. Pad Thai was so sweet and so hot at the same time. Was not good. Waitress did not write down the order and did not speak English that well. Service was soooooooooooo slow. Only good things were water was refilled by busser promptly (food was too hot for boyfriend) and the place has nice decor (except it is too dark). Tables are very high, my feet did not touch the ground, and could not rest my feet on the chair so they just dangled. I will not return. I've been to other Thai Basils and it was not this bad.
(1)
Mike E.
Got delivery from here recently and this was probably the worst Thai food I've ever had. Noodles weren't even completely cooked and didn't taste like anything. Veggy noodle dish had 2 pieces of broccoli...that's it. try another one of the dozens of Thai places.
(1)
Ingrid S.
As we first enter this restaurant we are not greeted for at least 10 minutes, then it took another half hour for the staff to find seating for my friend and I, when there was plenty of tables open and plenty of space, as we had gone there just around evening opening time. We finally were seated, just two of us. Our waitress came over and was a bit rude as if she had too much to do and not enough time to give quality customer service. When we finally got our menu, I was shocked at how little we got and how expensive it was for the portions we received. We should have gotten a little more for what we paid for. We asked to speak with a manager and was ignored on that as well, it took them forever to get us our bill, we paid the bill after asking 3 separate times to speak to a manager and finally gave up. Unless this place learns a bit about customer service and how to treat customers and also giving more for the price of an entree. This place also tries very hard to "Americanize Thai food, make it for the mass market, but not quality" There is a very good chance I wont be coming back here, neither will those who ask me about this Establishment.
(2)
Curtis G.
I have tried this place a few times, i really just want it to be good. Each time I go I sadly disappointed at what they pass off as Thai food. I do not order anything exotic, i get pad Thai. If you are a Thai place you should be good at the staples. They are not. It has either tasted like peanut butter on under cooked noodles or like a sweet MSG thing. I was suckered in by the .25 cent beer special, dont make this mistake. The food is not worth the cheap beer.
(1)
Amanda M.
I got the Thai Basil Chicken hoping it would taste like the Basil Chicken I used to get when I lived in MD. Nope. The actual chicken was flavorless with a gamey-ish poultry aftertaste (like when you reheat chicken in the microwave) and then it was tossed in a brown sauce which tasted pretty good but not what I was expecting. There was TONS of bok choy in my dish which kind of looks like basil when the leafy green part is cooked down, so I thought that was a little sneaky on their part. I tasted a hint of basil in maybe 3 bites of my dish. To name something Thai Basil Chicken and have it not taste like basil is a pretty ballsy move. The service was fast and friendly, but that was to be expected since we were the only ones in the whole restaurant (around 2:30pm). Our table was made of wood and little pieces of rice and other food particles were lodged in the cracks and crevices of the wood which was kind of gross. They need to take a toothpick or something and clean that out. I have never had outstanding Thai food in Colorado. I just don't think it exists. So they get two stars for trying... and their lunch menu is cheap ($6.50 for entree, fried rice, and weird cinnamon tasting egg rolls). Plus, their Thai tea was good, even though it cost me $3.50... Two star rating sums up my experience perfectly "Meh. I've experienced better."
(2)
Robin M.
I love Thai food. I don't like this stuff. This branch of Thai Basil is close to my work, and I used to like the chain's forerunners. Unfortunately, this location's food wouldn't shine in a food court. Any Thai restaurant that can't knock your socks off with tom kha soup is just unworthy. The egg rolls are lackluster. The softshell crab is dry and all but flavorless. The low beer prices are not enough of a draw. I'd rather pay more for my beer and not have to buy sawdust to go along with it.
(1)
Conor B.
never agin.... my wife and i have ordered from these guys a few times and one day a coupon arrived at our house. not a big one $5 off any order over $30, the girl on the phone had to get the "manager" through a very "authentic" accent he said they don't take them, well the X date on the coupon said 8/13. Then he said well if you give the drive the coupon I will credit back your CC.... then he just hung up the phone... My order was not even done. Then I had to call back and complete.... For mediocre Chinese food I don't like jumping through hoops.... safe to say time to find another sub par delivery place.
(1)
Cindi W.
The freshest Thai/Chinese food around. Carryout is super-fast and delivery is timely. We enjoy eating-in too. The resturant isn't loud so you can actually carry a conversation with your party in the nicely decorated, clean atmosphere. Hubby likes the happy hour prices too. But the 5 star rating coems from the fact that even my kids love thier food. The food isn't greasy and heavy, instead platters are filled with fresh (in-season) veggies. And the kid favorites of Sesame Chicken & Beef Lo Mein, are light and flavorful.
(5)
Grant B.
I've had a good time here before, but today has sullied all previous experiences at this restaurant. I had pad thai, which should be a home run for a Thai restaurant. Instead, I experienced a mishmash of noodles, chicken, and ONE shrimp. Now I realize that the word "shrimp" can be used to describe one or many of the little creatures, but I have a hard time believing they were not intending to describe more than one shrimp. Anyway, this all was slathered in a sauce that is best compared to what you'd find in a can of SpaghettiO's. Sweet yet bland. Nostalgic yet disappointing. On the other hand, my soup was divine. A chicken coconut soup that was creamy, spicy, and mushroom-y. A+++! Would eat again! The service was, like the entree, abysmal. We were forgotten. Our soup arrived some 15 minutes after we ordered it, which would have probably been longer had the waitress not walked by, glanced at us, remembered we had food to eat, and quickly rushed off to retrieve it. This was followed very quickly by the main dish. This leaves me in an uncomfortable position. Do I finish my soup and let my dish get cold or do I abandon the soup and start on what is to be the starring role of my meal? I can't handle that kind of pressure at lunchtime. It messes with my digestion. After all this, we never saw the waitress again until I had to walk around and find her just to pay our bill. Unacceptable.
(2)
David W.
Moved to Sunnyside last fall from a smaller town after having lived before in a big city and was really looking forward to some great Thai food again. This place isn't it. Yes, food is ok, they do deliver, and portions are on the large side. Tried calling for takeout last week and the phone was busy for over an hour. Unfortunately in this neighborhood I haven't found a good Thai option (Swing Thai is similarly mediocre at best, and I have heard US Thai is good but it's a ways away.) Calling all outstanding Thai restaurants, Denver Highlands neighborhoods are looking for you unless I just haven't found the golden nugget in the hood.
(2)
Kym B.
Four stars for ridiculously cheap beer, but two stars for the food. Everytime I try a new Thai place in Denver, I die a little bit inside. I ordered the pad thai, as I always do when trying a Thai place for the first time. You can tell a lot about a place by the way they do this Thai staple. Thai Basil's was really... American. Sweet, syrupy sauce and no spiciness whatsoever. No cilantro. Breaded (breaded!?!?!) shrimp. The portion was massive for the price, but I'd rather have less and have it be delicious. I sampled my friend's sesame scallops and was also underwhelmed. The scallops were big and cooked decently, but it was hard to find them beneath the 2.67 inches of sticky breading in which they were hidden. The best thing on the table was the veggie lo mein, with noodles so long you could crochet yourself a hat from one (if you had such skillz). Sigh... oh where oh where is Denver's bomb Thai? Oh where oh where can it beeeee....?
(3)
Tiffany W.
Oh, Thai Basil... how you tempt and lure thee with promises of $0.25 beers (from 5-10pm, limit 2, with purchase of dinner entree [$0.50 for imports]), then crush thy quivering hope with your sh*tty, sh*tty service?? I have had take out from Thai Basil twice, and dined in twice. The lesson: for relatively decent Oriental food (is it Thai? Is it Chinese? Is it... Thai-nese?) and a quick buzz, CALL IN YOUR ORDER. Then, leave your house and hope to secure a spot at the bar upon arrival before your food is ready to go, and down two cheap happy hour beers before leaving the restaurant with your food in tow. Otherwise, you're going to be sorry. The first time I dined in it was a slow Sunday night, so the service (while not remarkable) wasn't horrible. At least we got everything we asked for and in an acceptable amount of time. However, this last time was bad enough to perhaps warrant never returning for dine-in service. We were on a time schedule. 7:15pm, and we had to be en route to our final destination (Phantom of the Opera musical, wutwut). We thought 6:30 would give ample time for dinner. WRONG. After waiting almost 10 minutes for the guy to come back and take our order, we ordered everything at once: appetizer, I ordered soup, and we each ordered an entree. The app came out really quickly. But where's my soup? I know they've got it in a big vat back there... why wasn't it ladled out and brought with the appetizer, hmmm?? And so we ate the appetizer. And after *20* minutes, the server (who never ONCE came by to apologize for the wait, or even stop by and blame it on the kitchen [truth or not]), brought out ONE dish. ONE. And no explanation of where mine was. So... wtf. We'd already decided we needed boxes and check NOW. So I told him that. And he just left the other dish on the table. And after another five or so minutes, he comes back, my food boxed up, and with the check. Thank god we had cash otherwise we probably would have been even later if we had to wait on a credit card to be run. Now I'm looking around and notice this guy has about 9 tables he's dealing with all at once. And that sucks. But speaking as a former server, you don't just IGNORE the table who's been waiting for an abnormally amount of time for nearly everything. And when he DID bring the other food and the check, HE STILL DIDN'T APOLOGIZE. My sister was much more generous than I would have been (again, former server so I know), but whatever. ...he never brought my soup. Sigh.
(3)
Bradley M.
My current metric is the Drunken Noodles and they failed to impress. There was too much sauce and the sauce was sweet and watery. The noodles were rubbery. My date was not impressed by the curry either.
(2)
James B.
I am visiting Denver and was having an unholy craving for Thai. I used my old friend, Google, to help me locate a Thai Restaurant that was willing to deliver. I was directed to Thai Basil on W. 38th Avenue. Um, this food is amazing and it was a great experience. The gentleman was so nice, even after I had given the wrong address and had to call him back, ha ha. The food was here in under 20 minutes and the delivery fellow was wonderful and had a great, dry humor. I highly recommend you try this restaurant. This tourist really enjoyed it...a lot. James
(5)
Matthew Z.
This place is exactly what you would expect.. that is, if you're expecting good and adequately priced food eaten in a Kung Fu movie with Eastern European prices on beer. I have eaten here several times and each time has been a delight, even the times when I ordered out (and didn't get the .50 cent beer). For anyone who says, "this food didn't taste like Thai food" I say, "of course not! It tastes like Thai food that the American public can enjoy, why don' t you just start a website called "Itraveledthe worldaftercollegeandI'llspendtherestofmylifesayingÂthingsaren'tasgoodastheyareintheirbirthland/I'Âmmoreculturedthanyoujustrefertomyyelpaccount.com". It's in my top 5.
(5)
Megan T.
Perfect service with great food. Our server Polly was very friendly and sweet. We enjoyed our dinner on their patio which was very pleasant.
(4)
Amy A.
I am really surprised about all of the bad reviews for this place. It is in the hood, and it also has really cheap beer, if you get an entree. Plus, the portions are huge, so it is always at least two meals. I love the sizzling rice soup, although I have yet to have it sizzle. The veggies are always really fresh, and plenty of them. The decor makes me laugh though, because it isn't really very thai. But the food is good, and that is what I really care about. The Thai basil vegetables (with tofu) are my favorite!
(4)
Kate G.
Back down to two stars after a lackluster visit last week. The hot and sour soup and pad thai were just too sickly sweet, as they have been in the past. Even worse, we were charged 50 cents on our bill for a tiny plastic cup of hot chili paste that we requested because we needed something hotter than the Sriracha on our table to spice up our food. Not sure how that makes any sense? Didn't even take home our leftovers.
(2)
Laura P.
It's edible but...ick. I read the reviews before I ordered but couldn't resist due to it's proximity to my house and they deliver. Never again.
(2)
Charlie G.
excellent food and ambience at this location. I have also eaten on one of their restaurants downtown.. also excellent. The Royal Chicken here is wonderful... and all of the various curries are fresh and delicious. I really don't understand some of the bad reviews.. I have been here many times and the service is almost always excellent, and the food is always good. The staff sometimes has less than perfect English, but have never had a communication problem. I even had one waiter that was helping me with my limited command of Thai. Highly recommended!
(4)
Gabrielle G.
I've tried to like it but the pad see lew is greasy and almost too sweet, the pad thai is too spicy, and the curry is way (way!) too sweet with too much spice to compensate. Never again, unless I get lazy and remember they do free delivery. [Note, I don't know if I should expect this to come standard, but I really loved the mango sticky rice I got from my college's neighborhood thai place and they don't make it here! What a bummer!]
(1)
Shannon C.
This is my favorite sit-down Thai place. Their drunken noodles are my favorite, and every time we go, we get different entrees to share and have never been disappointed. Also, who can beat 25 cent beer!?!
(5)
North S.
If the cooks had a hairnet for every idiot that thinks this is real Tai food I probably wouldn't be pulling long straight black hair out of my throat while eating here...
(1)
Geneva B.
I've only had delivery from here so my review is based on the food and not the restaurant itself. The food is consistently good and the delivery time is often less than what's quoted. The sauce with the thai spring rolls is amazing! My boyfriend always orders the general tso chicken and loves it. The soups are good and priced right. This continues to be a staple for delivery when I'm too lazy to lift my rear from the couch.
(4)
Diane M.
Not very good food. Thai basil chicken was pretty bad- was more like chicken in too much sauce- hardly any basil. Pad Thai was very ok- very soupy. Won't go back.
(1)
Hollie W.
Stopped in for some food to go. Asked the hostess about vegan options and she ensured me that the tofu i ordered was vegan (yes, I asked if the meal was meat, dairy, egg etc. free). Got to my friends house and there was egg in the rice :( bummer. I am not the kind of person to call and complain or take my meal back and demand another but if situations like this continued to come up i am afraid of turning into a grouch. On top of the mix up, the food was meh. It is absolutely cool if you don't have vegan options but please for the love of what is good, do not pretend you do, it's just naughty.
(1)
Erin B.
I like the ambiance, the awesome Panang curry, potstickers, the beer special, and the great neighborhood location. I go to Thai Basil a lot and like it, but some of my dishes have been less-than-spectacular when they reach the table lately. The drunken noodles? Meh. Although mixing the drunken noodles with Panang curry made them awesome. The Vietnamese noodle bowl? Meh. The lo mein? Meh. Service is always great though, and the food is generally pretty good. For more authentic and flavorful Thai, there is one other option in the area that is much better.
Willie Wonka's favorite Thai food I really wanted to like Thai Basil. They are literally 3 blocks from my house and the service is friendly and fast. They have a nice little assortment of popular thai dishes mixed in with some Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese too. I've tried several items on the menu and have concluded that this is not good Asian food. Everything is so sugary sweet. They could probably put candy corn in the drunken noodles and you wouldn't notice. Sorry, I just don't want to feel like I'm acquiring cavities when I eat a dinner entree.
(2)
Jenna A.
Unfortunately this place doesn't do it for me. Everytime I pass it I see the "Hangout Grill" and I just don't really ever want to hang out there...cheap beer doesn't always get me to go in somewhere! It wasn't bad food at all, really..I have just had better. Just like the little two star rating says up there..."Meh" The deep fried stuff in the appetizer for two was your typical Asian appetizers and we shared the Satay Beef to do something different. We had it delivered and it came in a timely fashion. I'll stick with my normal routine in the future!
(2)
John H.
This place should be called Chinese Basil, everything tasted like Sesame Chicken, well that very sweet taste. I orders the Pad Thai and it wasn't close to any traditional Thai food, even the Thai Tea wasn't good. If I had four hands I would give them four thumbs down! Oh yeah the tables in this place is the dumbest idea ever, just saying. you will be better off going to one of those dollar scoop Chinese restaurants.
(1)
Colleen O.
The Drunken Noodles are out of control. And the happy hour wine is only $10 a bottle.
(4)
Mike E.
Food is okay, but service is terrible. I used to like this place, but they have gone to crap. It sure doesn't help that one of the managers threatened me after giving them a bad review a few years back after a sever bumped her tip up by $20.
(1)
Sheryl K.
I wish I liked this place, but let's face it... I didn't. (Sorry babe, it's the truth!). My boyfriend and I have similar taste, so when I asked him to direct me to a Thai restaurant by his standards, he took me here. Visiting Colorado for the first time, I was pretty excited to see what Thai Basil had to offer. The restaurant itself was pretty... cute. Felt like I was walking into a jungle as we literally sat at a table carved out of a slice of wood and was surrounded by banana leaf trees (all fake of course). It was a fairly busy lunch, and so getting the attention of a server became a challenge. Okay soo... I played it safe and ordered panang curry as the other members of my party ordered from the vegetarian menu. When our food arrived, the presentation of my curry looked better than it actually tasted. It was runny (almost diluted??), lacked flavor, and had an interesting choice of vegetables. Sigh.... how can you mess up on curry? Oh wait, I forgot, did I mention this place was a fusion restaurant? Well good news, they have cheap beer and their Thai tea is pretty good? :)
(2)
Tara N.
I recently moved to the Highlands from Cap Hill. I used to order frequently from Thai Basil on 18th & Humboldt, and had eaten at the Alameda location multiple times. While I would never say that the food at either of the other two locations is excellent, it was always a consistent bet for cheap delivery. I just ordered from the Highlands location yesterday and was truly grossed out. It is NOTHING like the other two locations - my mom and I ordered two standard dishes that I've always ordered from the other locations and they were prepared differently and tasted way different. The main difference: they were disgusting. The quality and taste were on par with $1/scoop Chinese fare. The brown rice was dried out like it had been sitting out for hours. It's definitely not real Thai food, and it's definitely not edible. I ate two bites and tossed it. Would NOT recommend this place!
(1)
John H.
I've accumulated a short list of 'friendly neighborhood Asian cuisine' establishments*, and when it comes to Thai food, this one is at the top of the list. Thai Basil offers a bevy of tasty dishes--including some Chinese-Americna staples (lo mein, fried rice, etc.)--at an affordable price. The words 'Hangout Grill' on the restaurant's sign are brought to you by fifty cent beer specials. Since they're a short jaunt from my house, I'm no stranger to Thai Basil's menu. I've tried a fair amount of entrees here (as well as their scrumptious appetizer variety plate), and the only dish I wasn't crazy about was their flagship dish: too much freaking basil! Tonight I had one of my favorites on the menu: the pineapple curry. Like most 'Hot & Spicy' items on the menu, this curry dish is spicy and flavorful, but won't leave your tastebuds wincing in pain. And I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to that stuff! The mix of stewed veggies and sweet curry sauce is too good to resist...also recommended is their pad thai and lo mein. That's the thing about Thai Basil: the recipes lean toward general Asian comfort food rather than genuine Thai cuisine. Which is fine by me, since what they lack in authenticity, they more than compensate for in flavor! Some other reviewers at Thai Basil have complained about the service at this location, and while not without their inconsistencies, it's never disuaded me. The staff here have typically been courteous, swift and attentive for me--they verge on overdoing it on the water refills, actually! I've also never been steered wrong by their recommendations, if I'm in the mood to try out something new on the menu. Don't hesitate to get your waiter's two cents before your order--they won't steer you wrong! Tonight, six friends and I arrived during a dinner rush, and were seated and greeted right away. It took a while for our drink order to get filled--we anxiously watched our 50 cent brews thawing on a nearby counter--but our entrees were in front of us no more than 10 minutes after our meals were ordered. In a major pain-in-the-ass move, we split the bill on five credit cards, which our hosts handled quickly and graciously. Any server who can balance a check with a smile on his face without missing a beat has my gratitude--and gratuity. The secret weapon at Thai Basil is their dessert menu: four cakes, all delicious enough to bury any lingering hunger that wasn't disposed of by the hearty entrees. I had a slice of one of their chocolate delicacies on my birthday last year, and the density of the dessert was overwhelming (in a good way!). It's a little surprising that a place specializing in hearty, high-carb dishes would have such sweet treats, but if you're feeling indulgent, don't skip the desserts! Come to think of it, I've probably only made it into Thai Basil three or four times this year, though that seems like an undeserving few. With satisfying food, great value (brewed and otherwise) and normally spot-on service, it's hard to think of a reason NOT to make a monthly pilgrimage to this, the only Thai grill I'm likely to be Hanging Out at anytime soon.
(4)
Cindy H.
Food isn't great, but it's super cheap and beers are 25 cents! (50 cents if you want to splurge on a microbrew). It's more Chinese cuisine than it is Thai ... there are no real distinct Thai flavors like lemon grass or keffir lime leaves ... I was sorely disappointed by their version of Pad Thai. :( Also, they have a bad habit of turning up the house lights (to nearly blinding) right on the second of closing time. I have a friend who was just about thrown out of there and still had apps and half a drink left! I still gave them 2 stars for the cheap beers!
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
rebecca b.
Living in NW Denver, its easy to get into a thai rut, ordering from US Thai or Swing Thai, mostly. So when I found a menu for Thai Basil, I thought, "self, why don't we order from this restaurant more often?". This question was answered when I opened the bag of food we picked up. First of all, the boxes of food were full of goo on the outside which had soaked through the paper bag. Secondly, the "crispy" fried egg rolls were giant rubber cigars, served with some sickly bright orange syrup. The "thai spicy shrimp with tomato and basil" was more like a sweet and sour shrimp, again with the sugary goop over deep fried shrimp that had been overcooked into hard masses. there was nothing in the least that was thai about this dish. The medium heat green chicken curry was the best of the bunch, but I believe that we pulled out about 3 jalepenos worth of slices in just one order. I thought that thai bird chiles were used to spice up thai food? I also got the Moon Harbor - eggs? When the heck did they start putting eggs into this dish? I did not order egg foo young! And the chicken was cubed, not chopped, and thankfully, this dish was not sweet at all. Too bad, but thank God I've got other reliable options here in NW Denver. Hell, even Highlands Asian Grill did a better job than this joint!
(1)Amber M.
Mediocre food, terrible and unapologetic delivery service = wouldn't recommend and not going there again. My husband and I decided to order Thai Basil for our first year anniversary night since we now have a newborn and I am limited on the foods I can eat (but fried rice is in!). We live about 10 blocks away and were told delivery would happen within 30-45 minutes. An hour and a half later, we were miserably hungry, the baby needed to be fed, and the food still hadn't arrived. After several calls, a delivery guy finally shows with my fried rice but the wrong meal for my husband. Manager was unapologetic and fairly rude. There are plenty of chinese take-out and delivery places. I can't recommend this one.
(1)Kimber S.
Here's the thing about Thai food. To me, it's all good. There are only so many ways you can make Pad Thai and still call it that. So really, to me, the difference comes in the quality and freshness of the ingredients. Having said that, it's my opinion that Thai Basil needs to up their quality quotient in order to rise to an average rating. The meat in my Lime Curry Beef was so tough I could barely chew it enough to keep from choking to death. It's a good thing the entree only set me back about $10. Maybe if they used better quality ingredients, they could up their prices by a buck or two. I did like the atmosphere, however, with the lacquered sliced tree trunk tables (how else could I describe them?) and the carved wooden room dividers. With places like Thai Chili (Arvada) within easy reach, I don't feel a need to come back to Thai Basil.
(2)Joel H.
I am at this moment trying to get through enough pad thai to stave off starvation. The balance of my carryout order will sit in the fridge for a few days, and then get tossed. This is the most sickly sweet crap I've put in my mouth since I was a child and had a bowl of Captain Crunch. I grew up in Washington, DC, where good, authentic Thai restaurants are abundant. I know my Thai food. This ain't it. Best in Denver? It's a toss up between US Thai Cafe in Edgewater, and Thai House in Westminster. Not Tommy's, not Tuk Tuk, not Swing Thai. I've tried 'em all. Thai Basil, at least the one on 38th, is the bottom of the barrel. This is my third and final try to get something edible there. Excuse me, I need to go brush my teeth.
(1)Michael W.
Disappointing. At one time this was a serviceable option for affordable beers when. dining in and reliable delivery. Tonight we call for delivery 45 minutes after promised time and a intermediate call to see what was going on, we called and cancelled our order. The response was ok. No apology nor concern just apathy. Try Thai Bo instead.
(1)Mike S.
Seriously?? Fifty cent beers?? You can't go wrong with that! And it's not like it's the crappy domestics either, because those are only $.25 (which is still overpriced, in my humble beer-snob opinion). I tried the namesake dish, the Thai Basil Chicken, and it was quite delicious. I don't care if it's not authentic Thai, or AmericaFusedPanAsian, or Ninja-Ethiopian, it's still very good. Or maybe I was too brain-washed by the awesome beer special to render an unbiased judgment.
(5)Meg S.
Having never been to a Thai restaurant, I was a little suprised at all of the Chinese-food items on the menu. Is this common? I don't know. Both the Thai Basil chicken that my husband ordered and the Vietnamese Shrimp and Vegetable Garlic dish that I had were excellent. Mine was filled with fresh veggies and just the right amount of rice. The $.50 imports were great with dinner - who doesn't love a cheap, good beer? Our waiter was good during the meal - he seemed to show up if we needed something but wasn't bugging us all the time. The downside was that we had to hunt someone down to be able to pay, and that is one thing that I really don't like doing. Being able to walk there and the cheap drinks will have us coming back, and we did grab a take-out menu on the way out.
(3)Tony A.
I usually stay away from places that get less than 3 stars on Yelp, but I often wonder about how many ignorant haters there are on Yelp, or high maintenance assholes who give places low ratings despite getting great service. This seems to be a case of that. My meal was great, especially for the price. Is there better Thai to be had in Denver? Sure. Do yourself a favor and hit the Thai Food Cart on the 16th Street Mall. That thing is the bomb. That said, this place is FINE. I had the Roasted Spicy Duck with peanut curry sauce. It was delicious. I had a Kirin that only ran me $3.50, which isn't too shabby. I certainly would like to come back here for $0.50 beers. And the service was great... they were attentive and the food came quickly. I almost want to give this place 5 stars just to balance out some of the other negative reviews. Hey people, if you don't like a place, say what you had to eat and why you didn't like it.
(4)Kathryn H.
I have only ever had take-out from here. I like the Panang Curry, nice balance of sweet and spicy. I'm sure it isn't authentic, but it's tasty.
(4)Mo C.
I am going to have to upgrade Thai Basil to 4 stars for their home delivery. Their prices are nearly 50% cheaper than Swing Thai (that also delivers to the hood). And, the portions are plentiful and the dishes hot & scrumptious. While I still have disgust for the idea of putting jalapenos in green curry (seriously, I highly doubt that jalapenos grow in freakin Thailand), the panang with shrimp is nice and spicy, the pot stickers are grubbin and you can never go wrong with crab fried wontons. So, when the snow falls, I call Thai Basil for some hot n spicy delivery.
(4)Edward T.
Not the best Thai food. Sauces and curies tasted oddly sweet. Will probably try again since its close by.
(2)Mary M.
Ordered take out and the food was awful. Actually spit out the orange chicken. The drunken noodles tasted freezer burnt. The pot stickers tasted like they were cooked in bad grease. If I could give it zero stars I would.
(1)Jeff N.
Horrible, worst service. Food was cold, sake was cold. I had to get up and get my own water. While eating hostess told us we had 10 min and we had to leave. I'll never go back!
(1)Matt S.
Good entry-level thai food. The panang curry is pretty solid and if you mix it with the pad se lew you've got a winner.
(4)Jason M.
Let me start by saying that I wish there was an option for "zero" stars or "negative" stars because this experience was beyond a nightmare. Okay, my roommates and I were at home one evening contemplating what to order for dinner when one suggested Thai Basil. We had a menu which arrived in the mail months earlier and after browsing it we decided to order. The prices are okay but certainly not the best for the "value." The time in which we received the order was not phenomenal, either (well over an hour within the deliverable distance). I don't remember what my friends ordered but I ordered the chicken fried rice. It looked good but it certainly wasn't the best I've ever had in my life. At the end of the meal there were left overs because, like I said, the food wasn't the best. Okay, jump to the morning after. I woke up in a cold sweat, shaking, and delirious (I thought I was in a dream but I was not). I tried to stand up and nearly but when I did I lost my balance and hit the floor. Needless to say, I barely made it to the bathroom for an "experience of a lifetime." Almost ten minutes later of "sweating this out," I thought I was finished only to stand up and hear my bowels say, "Sorry, I'm not done with that toilet yet." Alright, so round two turned into three and so on and so on. This is when I realized I needed to get to a medical professional and fast. I called my doctor and told her it was urgent that I see her. She told me to come on down ASAP for an evaluation of the situation. I wasn't even sure I could operate heavy machinery (my car) but I got in and drove all the way down to Evans Avenue. Keep in mind I live in Downtown. I barely made it (if you know what I mean). Thank God there was a restroom right on the first floor. Anyway, after speaking to her and taking some tests (many of which were embarrassing and I will not mention here), she concluded I ate raw and cross-contaminated chicken! Well, guess who ate chicken the night before? They gave me SALMONELLA poisoning! I was sh*tting like a water fountain, I was delirious, and I was running a temperature of just over 104 degrees. She wanted to hospitalize me but I convinced her of other medications. Within three days I was back to normal (solid bowel movements and normal temperature). Also, this is the truth here, I was called by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. They called to find out who or what "poisoned" me. They wouldn't disclose certain information to me but did state I was not the first one that was nearly sickened to death by this "restaurant." In short, if you're looking for Thai food, skip this place and move on. If you desire severe illnesses that can kill a healthy adult within 48 hours, then stop on in and ask for anything made with chicken.
(1)Eric A.
I was pretty psyched when I found out Thai Basil was moving in a few blocks from me, as I'd heard good things about their other locations. After dining in 3 times and picking up takeout 3 or 4 I'm done. The service is mediocre at best. I've been pretty much ignored every time I've been there. Eventually someone takes my order, and I'm lucky if they stop by once to see how it is. Done eating? Might as well go up to the cashier yourself, because the check won't show for another 15 minutes after the busser clears the plates. And I have yet to have anything that wasn't drowning in sugar syrup and any of the fried dishes are about 1/2 breading - more what I'd expect from popeye's all you you can eat shrimp. Since the highlands in practically drowning in asian restaurants of one sort or another, pick any of the others instead.
(2)Mary T. T.
I would pick another location than this one on 38th--even another Thai Basil I have eaten here a few times and am disappointed every time...mostly the service. They usually cannot speak English, which is frustrating when you live in America. The owner is not very service oriented or "warm" either. I want to feel welcomed when I am eating out.
(2)Dena G.
I used to live close by so we'd get delivery from here a lot. The curry is yummy and when I would ask for broccolli instead of peppers they would almost always get it right. For some reason, I don't like their chicken very much and their noodles are only so-so. They have good tofu and are still close by but if I have the choice, I'd go to swing thai.
(3)Julie H.
It was a hot summer night and I didn't feel like cooking. I stopped in at Thai Basil Hang out Grill and the hostess recommended Drunken Noodle. I had low expectations- and they were met. Noodles were oily and rubbery, chicken was overcooked and sauce was WAY too salty. It didn't taste fresh- unlike Highlands Asian Grill which always taste fresh. I don't know a lot about Thai food but I know this wasn't good- regardless of how cheap the beer is.
(2)Beth F.
I drove down to Thai Basil from Boulder to try to get some authentic Thai food. Maybe I should just let my dream of eating Thai food in Colorado die, but I am trying to remain optimistic. Thai Basil was a terrible choice. The ambiance is promising - lots of carved wood. But I knew 2 minutes after I was seated that this place was all wrong. Strike 1 - The menu was made up of tons of Chinese dishes. You can even tell by the items that people rave about in the other reviews. Miso soup? Gyoza? Edamame? Those are Japanese. Uggg. It would be fine if they promoted themselves as an Asian fusion place, but it's called THAI BASIL. Strike 2 - The service was terrible. The place was half empty and we had to constantly flag the servers down. Strike 3 - My friend and I both ordered 2 entirely different dishes. Mine was Thai Basil Chicken - advertised as being hot. When they came out, they looked interchangeable. Same gloppy brown sauce. Slightly different veggies. It looked and tasted like bad Chinese. There was no sign of any Thai ingredients in it. It was bland and nasty. Strike 4 - They didn't have any of the Thai condiments that are standard at Thai place - no fish sauce with chilies. If fact, when I asked the servers for it, they looked at me like I was crazy. You have no chili sauce? No wonder your food sucks so badly. Maybe I let my expectations get too high because of the good reviews, but I left this place slightly angry. The whole experience was lousy.
(2)Jack M.
My girlfriend and I visited today, and were far from impressed. The silverware provided while dining for my girlfriend was very dirty, she had to exchange it. We saw big spider webs all over some of the chairs and the tables have small indented lines in them where you could see large accumulations of old food on the table top. I have no idea how this restaurant passes code. The pad thai was inedible and my chicken dish was far from palatable. On a good note their spicy thai soup was wonderful. I will never visit again, much better alternatives available such as Swing Thai.
(1)Grace B.
No this food isn't authentic Thai but it's my go to for dinner delivery. Pineapple curry, spicy garlic shrimp and schezwan chicken are my faves although the shrimp can be mushy at times. It really depends on the batch. I bumped this review up to 4 stars because of the beer special. It's retarded awesome! I took my parents, sister and fiancee here for dinner and with beers the total was under $60.
(4)Sarah J.
Very good Thai food and good pricing. Service is good as well. Try the Satay Chicken for the appetizer
(5)Meaghan H.
Well, it's about the same as all of the other locations. Mediocre. I have tried a few things and they are pretty flavorless but the only thing I did find that I like was the sizzling rice soup. This is often hard to find and theirs is actually good. Other than that, I would shy away and go to US Thai instead a few miles away.
(2)Katie L.
Delicious. I have never had a bad dish here. I standardly get pad thai which is scrump as all get out. The eggplant is pretty stellar too. Had the appetizer sampler last night, the satay chicken was the star. Green curry is amazing here as well. I didn't even know they had brown rice until last night but that scores many points for me.
(4)Samantha S.
I absolutely LOVE their sesame tofu and sesame chicken. The BEST I've ever had! I love the look of the place. The only thing that I'm not a big fan of is the service. Sometimes it is decent, other times It takes awhile for anybody to notice you. I can recall at least 3 times during my visit at this place that we had to ask for our bill and then after waiting 10+ minutes for them to pick it up, we finally had to just take it to the front so that we could get going. The food is worth the sometimes crappy service though!
(3)Dave A.
Just okay, not great, not terrible but I didn't leave thinking I'd come back. Once was enough for the middle of the road Asian fusion food they serve here. Big problem for me was the food has no identity. It's not Thai, but it's a bit more adventurous than every day Chinese soaked in brown sauce but not much.
(2)Ratha O.
If you want cheap Thai food, this is def the place!!! Service was great and fast. I recommend the coconut shrimps and one night in Bangkok (fried soft shell crabs with a curry dipping sauce). Also, the sesame tofu is absolutely wonderful; if you prefer a vegetarian dish!!
(4)Matthew S.
i'll stand up for the hang out grill a little bit. i think their green curry is the bomb quite frankly. the panang is okay too, not bad at all. their pad thai sucks ass, which is not acceptable for a thai food restaurant. messing up on the thai essentials will prevent you from being rated higher. so i guess i'm not all that surprised about their yelp score overall. either way, green curry with some chicken and brown rice is the way to go. or maybe i'm just fucked up on cheap dranks.... dunno and they deriverrr to my house!
(3)Maria N.
I ordered the sesame tofu with fried rice and a cali handroll for appetizer and it was great!
(3)Erin W.
I don't want to hate, but this place is not great... As soon as I got out of the car all I could smell was stale deep-fryer oil and the stink stowed away in my hair and clothes and followed me home. Having done my Yelp homework, I knew to avoid the Pad Thai and opted for the Green Curry instead. It was.... ok. I've had Green Curry so delicious (and HOT) it brought tears to my eyes but this one? Not so much. Spice in the thin sauce clearly came from the oversized jalapeno slices (really?) and was covered up by too much coconut milk and added sweetener. I ate it, and I brought home most of it for lunch tomorrow, but I won't go running back for this dish. My friends had the Beef Satay, which was the best thing to hit the table - melt in your mouth tender, but again, too sweet and the "Crispy" Orange Beef which tasted like the worst General Tso's chicken dish you can imagine (plus a glass of orange juice) and took ten years to chew. It was fatty and chewy and not pretty to look at. The service was just fine and the portions were huge, so if you're hammered on .25 beers, maybe you'll like it. Next time I'm craving Thai and can't fly to Philly for dinner at the White Elephant I'll settle for Swing Thai.
(2)DL W.
This is the Walmart of Thai food. Well, its not really Thai Food. It's a poor, cheap mix of dishes in Chinese and Thai style. All of the Thai currys have the same vegetables (as do pretty much all the dishes) and all of them have WAY WAY WAY too much sugar in them. The over the top sweetness seems to be a theme with Thai in Denver and I want it to stop. They get +1 star for being very cheap and fast, but if you're looking for good Thai food this isn't it. Swing Thai on Tennyson is considerably better than this but also way too sweet. US Thai would have been good if the medium spice hadn't set me on fire and therefore was inedible. sigh...So many Thai restaurants, so little good Thai food in Denver
(1)Annie P.
Granted, I've only had the vegetarian dishes, but I've been with others several times and never heard a bad word. Service is hit-or-miss (unattentive and slow sometimes) but the food and dining room are both really enjoyable. Some dishes do tend toward the sweeter side, but that's not all bad. You just have to be in the mood for it. Plus, the beer is cheap and the portions are huge.
(4)Jess W.
Went here last night to try out the .25/.50 cent beer advertisement. And let me tell you- AMAZING. With any entree you can get up to three beers for 50 cents apiece. I figured that would mean Coors light or something- but no- it's ANY of their beers. I had a tsingtao and a Kirin, and yes- they were 50 cents each. We had the green curry and the drunken noodles. I really enjoyed the curry- the tofu was done really nicely, and there were big pieces of fresh bell pepper, onion, and mild jalapeno. The sauce was a good consistency for me- a little thin, without any corn starch or thickeners, which lets the flavor through well. The drunken noodles were also tasty- but I would suggest asking to reduce the amount of sauce they put on the noodles. We also asked for extra vegetables, as it only comes with scallions normally. We sat at the bar to eat, which is really cozy. My only complaint is that the bartender took away my dish before I could ask for a take-out box, and I had plenty left for lunch!! Oh well, guess he made up for it with 50 cent beers.
(4)Jamie B.
I like the hangout. I like the decor and the food is pretty good. If you are having an entree, beers are 25 cents for domestics and 50 cents for imports. The panang is delicious! I love that their curries come in little crock dishes. We had the Vietnamese egg rolls as an app and they were very tasty. We like this place as a good place to go for a reasonably priced meal in the neighborhood.
(3)Jeremy and Jessi S.
This is really a 2.7 star review, but that just wasn't an option. Ok, here's the situation. It's New Years Day, and after a long adventure touring around Colorado with some out-of-town friends, we were trying to find a good place to go eat that was actually open. So naturally we were excited when we called Thai Basil and they answered. Plus we'd passed by many times but never stopped in. So it seemed perfect. All was well. When we arrived the parking lot was nearly full, but when we stepped inside there were lots of tables and we were seated easily. Unfortunately, we weren't seated comfortably. The tables, though classically designed and carved are tall and awkward and leave little room for anyone over 5'10" to sit without damn near perfect posture. So we sat awkwardly for a little while and noticed no one came by. So we waited a little longer and still no one stopped over. Finally the hostess (who also seemed to tend bar and possibly do some dishes in the back) brought us menus and slowly took a drink and appetizer order. I ordered a mixed drink, but they ran out of ginger ale to mix with, so I had to quickly change it up and went with a beer ($0.25!). Quite some time later, our actual waiter came over with our drinks, but screwed up half the order and had to try again. Strike two for my beverage. When we got our drinks and appetizers, the waiter took the rest of our order. The satay chicken and edamame had nice flavor and were decently portioned. The fried dumplings were quite possibly the best I've ever had. Upon delivery of the main course, a third staff member came to our service. Unfortunately, all the entrees (Pad Thai, Pad Se Lew) were received before soup orders (Wonton and Lemongrass), and one dish (Crispy Duck) arrived 15 minutes later than the rest. All the food was tasty though. Can't complain there. In the end, while we enjoyed Thai Basil Hangout Grill's cuisine, we would have liked to give the tip solely to our bus boy. He was the only one who actually paid attention to our table and was quick with the water refills too. Perhaps on a different type of night the service would be better. But for now, I'd recommend take out. * This review is dedicated to Ben.
(3)jen s.
Not everything is great here, but the Pineapple Curry is the best around!
(4)Sara G.
I'm thrilled to have an option to order from Thai Basil. Finally, decent asian food that doesn't cost an arm and a leg delivered right to my door. I always get their pot stickers for the kids (and rice). I also love the coconut shrimp appetizer and the chicken satay. The curries are only okay, and I feel the same about the pad thai. However, I love to order dishes like schezuan eggplant, the vietnamese grilled porkchop, the sesame scallops or the lime curry beef. YUM! They deliver fast and have friendly service - so in my book you can't go wrong.
(4)Rick B.
Sesame Chicken satisfies a craving and with the fresh veggies you just can't go wrong. Thing here is the food is always great and the service is always poor. If you go with the knowledge of poor service expectations you'll enjoy. My nugget here is one day the service is gonna be great and we won't be able to get in. Oh yea the special 25 cent beers (domestic) with dinner 50 cents for imports how can ya lose?
(4)Becky C.
it was good and cheap. need i say more?
(3)Brian A.
Very good Thai place. They deliver for free too, which is great. The delivery or take-out containers are reusable too, so if you get take-out, you now have another tupperware container! Whatever I had the last I was there had such a great coconut milk taste. Mmmm, coconut milk.
(4)tara d.
food was too sweet and kind of bland.
(2)Matthew L.
Bang up thai. The green curry is my fav, sweet and complex flavors. Had a few other gems off the menu, all of which have been good.
(4)Daniel L.
Their Pad See Ew (or Pad See Lew on their menu) is ok although too saucy and a bit too sweet. They use broccoli instead of Gai Lan but I guess it tastes ok. Their Pad Kee Mow (Drunken Noodle) is also a bit saucy and also a little too sweet and can use a bit more heat then is served by default but as with the Pad See Ew it is overall ok. I would not recommend their Pad Thai as it tastes like sweet and sour sauced noodles. It is edible but definitely doesn't taste Thai. I do however like their .50 micro brew special. You get three for that price with every entre. That's way cheaper then prices at your local LQ! You can get dinner for two and both have three drinks each, getting out of there under $30. The service isn't great. You can wait 15 minutes before a waiter even takes your drink order. Its worth the price although if you just want a good authentic Thai meal I would recommend going elsewhere.
(3)Walker L.
Not sure why there are so many other poor reviews. I always get takeout from here and it's ready for pickup in 10 minutes or less. The food itself has been good as well. I've had the Thai BBQ Chicken and Green Curry...both of which I liked. The prices are very fair as well.
(4)Ryan R.
Drunken noodles done right. I've had excellent drunken noodles, these are pretty good. A little too sweet in my opinion but still delicious. Great service too
(4)Nash G.
The food is nothing special. Thai basil chicken is decent. Delivery has always been on time. This place is just "ok".
(3)Chris G.
This place used to be good. The last two times we have been the service has got worse and worse. They need to try a little harder.
(2)Merrick H.
The health department gave this restaurant a "f" rating and failed many health code violation so watch out
(1)Kat H.
I called in to request delivery. I was quoted 4 dollars more than what the website menu states. I questioned her about this. The woman (Tammy) taking the order hung up on me! I called back, she answered, I asked to speak to her her boss. She comes back on the phone disguising her voice, finally admitting that she was the same woman to whom I spoke originally. I repeatedly asked to speak to her boss. She tells me that he is on vacation for 2 weeks.....hmmmm. Won't be eating at this establishment again.
(1)Lori S.
The food was fantastic! I enjoyed the unique decor. Service was speedy and attentive. I had the satay bf and my fiancee the ck pad se lew. They have happy hour everyday also.
(4)Sara C.
Really good, fresh and spicy. They're really friendly and never crowded. Pretty reasonably priced too. Just found this place in my neighborhood and apparently they also have free delivery. I highly recommend. Probably some of the best Thai I've had outside of Thailand (except Erawan on 8th- go there :))
(5)Cate L.
I can't believe some of the other reviewers - this place KILLS IT! We've eaten here several times, each time awesome service, great food, huge portions of veggies, and great prices. I've tried the shrimp spring rolls (the peanut sauce!!!!), veggie Thai basil, Singapore Noodles, Pad Thai, Hong Kong Noodles (without the meat) - all exceptional, huge portions, piping hot and delicious. Really like this place and we drive from Arvada to get here!
(4)Mimi L.
Don't waste your money here. Went out to lunch with a friend, we were the only ones there. The food was "cooked" very fast but it was cold in some places and hot in others. I got the Spiced Roast Duck and it honestly didn't taste that great. Comes with fried rice and eggroll. The eggroll was cold and not good at all. There were scraps of the duck but that was it. When it was time to pay, I payed in cash, the waiter tipped himself 15% before giving me back my money! It was completely appalling! This place doesn't even have good Thai food, don't waste your money here, go somewhere else!!
(1)Oliver R.
Excellent service, food was out quickly and most importantly delicious, I had the thai eggplant, veggies were fresh.
(5)Pat C.
I'm a big fan of their panang curry, very flavorful and a huge portion. I've never had sweet potato in it but I like it. I hear the pineapple curry is good too. The only thing that somewhat raises my eyebrows is that the food comes out so fast.
(4)Lisa B.
Dined in and had the orange beef and the royal chicken. The orange beef is always good, kind of crispy but very sweet. I felt like there was a lot of sauce on it this time but still delicious. We also got the royal chicken, my first time having it and I thought it was great! Also pretty sweet but it has cashews in it which I love. Ordered both meals medium spicy which gives it a nice little kick but nothing crazy in terms of spice level. We started with the crab cheese wontons which are crispy but they don't have much for crab cheese. Overall the meal was good, not great. Service, overall was pretty bad. They finally refilled our waters once we were done eating and reprimanded us for giving a coupon when we paid rather than when we ordered. Next time I will carry out.
(3)Nova Z.
I gave this place two stars for its atmosphere. The food is just off and they don't always get your order right. The coconut soup came with some translucent alien jelly like substance which I was assured was chicken. The curries are oddly sweet without any balance. We tried them twice and normally I have a 3 strike policy but it's not worth it. Won't be going back.
(2)Esther C.
My favorites are: spring rolls, peanut sauce, Thai Basil Chicken, Hong Kong Noodles, one of the fish (can't recall which one of the 2) and barbecue chicken. A few of the waiters/waitresses who know me are super friendly. Love the decor. Delivery sucks as far as customer service on the phone and at time of delivery. Other than that, I really like this place. If I could have, I would give it a 3.75 instead of a 4.
(4)Caleb S.
I use to come here more often. Good carry out, slapped together atmosphere but it's convenient. The last time I was in, I paid cash for carry out. My total was about slightly less than $17 so I paid with a $20. She asked me if I wanted change. Really? Maybe she needed it more than I did, but the sense of entitlement was not only offensive, but a good reason to not go back.
(1)Brandon W.
I came here on Monday to get a late lunch takeout and it was nothing but disappointment. I ordered a pad thai with chicken and shrimp, with chicken coconut soup, and also chicken satay. The service was ok, nothing hype about them and thats whatever. Lets talk about the food, my pad thai was not too great, something about this nasty after taste it has just brought it down and also it was more salty than sweet. Most pad thai I am familiar with are normally sweet in a way and also the fact the meat in my meal was not fresh at all, The chicken was good but my shrimp lacked freshness. My coconut soup tasted like just hot water with bland coconut milk and again just disappointing. Last but not least the chicken satay, I crossed my finger for some wild factor here but no cigar. The chicken satay was nothing but bland dry chicken skewers with burnt taste, the peanut sauce for the skewers was watery with lack of sauce thickness. Sampling from food to food I was a little disappointed and also the prices were a little higher than normal thai restaurant. Truth be told I wouldn't mind the price if the food was that good or that it met standards but no it did not. Another thing I notice was management problem. The restaurant set up seems ok but not too nice and also their bar seems decent looking but might need some updating. Analyzing their bar set up (force of habit) it seems to be lacking and they don't do any mix drinks or don't even know how to make mix drinks even though they have quite a few decent alcohols. One thing that bother me the most was their happy hour, their happy hour starts at 5 which is not normal because most places would start around 4ish normally and customers can qualify for discounted drinks if they purchase 15 dollars or more of food. Ugh hello, it's happy hour and it means drinks at discount price. Nothing involving you must eat to enjoy happy hour. I don't know, it's not my restaurant. But all I got to say is this restaurant I won't be seeing again.
(2)Adryen G.
I loved my food! I was worried based on the rates but I found Thai Basil to be very flavorful, fast and great courteous service. I very much enjoyed the Pang with chicken.
(5)Jon P.
Deliciously Thai. The food is fresh and always consistent. I always enjoy every dish :) the tofu is awesome!
(4)Billy L.
Made the mistake of ordering from here twice. This is not good Thai food. Plain and simple. free delivery is not worth it.... they need to change up their rice noodles for pad see ew and get some chicken that actually looks and taste like chicken....
(1)Sarah H.
In the immortal words of my fiance, Logan, "Everything I've ever had here is just 'meh.'" Sadly, it's true. Thai Basil isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't great and falls somewhere into that "I'll eat it because it's close and tastes better than McDonald's" category. The last time I was here, I had the drunken noodles with chicken. I asked for spicy (which I never do--medium is usually as hot as I go with Thai), but I might as well have asked for mild. This is definitely no US Thai. The brown sauce was a little too sweet and soy saucey, and there was so much of it that the dish was drifting dangerously into soup territory. Plus, they use the medium rice noodles instead of the wide ones. I know, I know--they all taste the same, right? But, I swear they don't. There's a texture thing going on with the wide noodles that the medium noodles just can't match. I love that Thai Basil delivers, but that's really the best thing about this place.
(2)Karen M.
I ordered delivery and had the spicy garlic shrimp, and coconut shrimp. The coconut shrimp were cold, I understand that is the risk you take with delivery food so that was fine. The problem I had was with the garlic shrimp, the food smelled like BO! I was thinking maybe it was one of the vegetables but when i opened the rice it smelled like BO as well. Instantly unappetizing, and right into the trash. What a waste. I will not order again.
(1)Greg B.
It's a decent place for standard Chinese food. They have Thai dishes like drunken noodles and pad Thai, but I think it's their orange beef that makes this place worth going to once in awhile. Should you go out of your way to eat here, absolutely not; but the orange beef is a dish that's great on a night where you just want to be a bum on the couch. The service is only two stars (bordering on one star) so don't expect them to roll out red carpet. But the service is better than places like Thai Street Food in Aurora...then again Thai Street Food's cuisine is out of this world so it's a little more tolerable. Good place for Americanized Chinese dishes or basic thai dishes when you want a place close that delivers and you don't feel like driving to Aurora for the good stuff :-)
(3)Kristine S.
I went to the new English Brewery in the Highlands and they had take out menus for places because they don't serve food. So we placed a take out order. One hour later, we called and they said they had no idea where our order was. It actually arrived, but when we opened the bag, we found they had delivered takeout to us with no silverware. I called back and asked them if they could send silverware. They said they could not. So, I guess I'm supposed to shove my face in the steaming hot bowl? NEVER AGAIN. They lost my business and I was a semi-regular. The service was always slow, but now that it is rude, whatever. Buh-bye.
(1)Julio T.
My girlfriend has a solid theory related to ethnic restaurants. That in most cases, the more care that is put into making an ethnic restaurant look "ethnic," the worst the quality of that ethnic food will be. Sure enough some of the best ethnic restaurants in town are in really spartan places that have little more than a TV playing telenovelas or maybe a cheap buddha statue to show their "ethnicity." And then there are places like Thai Basil which is decked and festooned and bedizened with South Asian decor. A lot of it is quite beautiful. Each table and its surrounding chairs are crafted in intricate geometric wood designs. The inside is clean and cool looking and they have this sweet chair behind their hostess desk which is basically like a lotus flower carved in walnut. But they did not quite put as much craft into their food. It's not bad, but I've certainly had better Thai food. The pad thai was really watery and oily. When we were finished eating, there was a significant pool of red liquid with those oil blobs all over. I also certainly wish they'd give more that three shrimp for the dish when that is the only meat I asked for. The pineapple curry was a bit better with a pretty good curry kick and generous amounts of the signature ingredient. I wish the pieces of beef that came with the curry were a bit more tender but it was okay. The dishes they were served on were definitely exquisite with the pad thai served in this really pretty tear-shaped crystal bowl. Very cool looking. And the service was decent. Got extra rice for free and they even allowed us to move our table when we first sat down and realized we were at eye-level with a bunch of glare from the restaurant's parking lot flood lights. If Thai Basil was an ethnic furniture and decor store, I'd easily give this place four to five stars, but as a restaurant? It's okay at best. Guess I'll stick with unadorned places like U.S. Thai and Dancing Noodle.
(3)Whoopsie D.
Very disappointing dinner tonight. We ordered penang chicken and lemongrass chicken. Both dishes were almost in-edible. I do not recommend getting burned by this restaurant.
(1)Yvonne F.
So yummy! Massive portions - lunch easily sorted for tomorrow. Tasty meat and veggies. Friendly staff too. Def will head back again
(5)D F.
We order take out & delivery from here all the time. I've tried so many things on their menu and never been disappointed. They are so speedy with delivery and so friendly. This place is a must eat on night where you can't decide what to cook. Love this place. Only reason they didn't get a 5 is I save those for the fancier places generally. You won't be disappointed. Good size portions.
(4)Shaun S.
We ended up here on Sunday after driving by US Thai, which had a line out the door, and we did not want to wait. Our appetizer and meal came out quick. My water was never empty. The portions were large, and the food was decent.
(3)Jami C.
Awful food. Worst Thai food I've ever had. Barely touched my food it was so bad and the waitress didn't ask if there was anything wrong. Just dropped the check and walked away.
(1)Ryan G.
We regularly order from US Thai when we are craving some Thai takeout, which is in our neighborhood. This time, on our way down from the mountains after a long backpacking trip, we called US Thai only to realize they were closed for holiday hours, so decided to give this place a try. All I can say, is do yourself a favor, and go to US Thai instead of this place. My pad thai tasted like a bottle of lime juice. I couldn't taste anything else but fake tasting lime juice. Not to mention, the noodles are generally an important part of this dish, but all that ended up on my fork were pieces of rubbery nasty tasting tofu. There was way more bland rubber tofu than there was noodles. Usually any food tastes amazing after three days of backpacking and living off of trail-mix-esque foods, but I couldn't even finish this. My gf got the drunken noodles, which also tasted like burnt rubber or like you were eating the tires on your car. Blown away how a place like this stays in business. Just don't even try it, seriously, don't...
(1)Josie P.
Just a reminder, if you live in this area and haven't yet been to US Thai, I urge you, go there instead! If you're sitting in Thai Basil already and you're just about to "check-in", turn off your app and walk out the door. You'll thank me later.
(1)Sasha S.
My husand and I split the Szechuan Chicken lunch portion and it was delicious! The beer is inexpensive and they have a decent variety. The patio is nice as well, great for a lazy afternoon lunch.
(3)Dexter C.
I should have paid better attention to their terrible reviews online--yuck. I called to order delivery. Being sick w/ a high fever, I called to order soup--letting the person who answered the phone know that I had a seafood allergy. I ordered the sizzling rice soup and sesame chicken. Well 55 minutes later the food arrived and I was surprised to see that the 'SIZZLING RICE' soup had no rice and was full of shrimp. I called to explain my situation thinking that they would simply resolve it--but instead they laughed at me--told me if I wanted to bring the soup back; they would exchange it. I said I would be more than happy to pay for it--and I explained I had no way to get over there-- and she hung up on me. Sad. I was a good customer, probably ordered 50-100 times. NEVER AGAIN, and I will tell everyone I know what a terrible place it was. Lot of choices for food delivery---but 1 less now. Terrible.
(1)Allen W.
Had the noodle bowl with beef as takeout. Noodles were great but the beef was burnt and tastes fishy. Ended up throwing it away. This place used to be great but they have been progressively getting worse.
(1)Amy P.
First things first - I don't consider Thai Basil to be authentic Thai food. It's more like Americanized Chinese food. That being said, they've got good sesame chicken and those types of dishes and the panang curry is delicious. And since the local Chinese delivery food gave me terrible food poisoning, I'll stick to Thai Basil for that service. Ok food, OK service, free delivery. If you want authentic Thai cuisine go to Thai Monkey Club on Broadway. Really...go there.
(3)Colin S.
I'm confused with the poor reviews! I've lived a few blocks from Thai Basil since July of 2009 and have eaten here literally 50+ times. Never had an issue. We order delivery, which can be as fast as 10 minutes (off-peak hours) or, at the very most, the 45 minutes quoted. Other Thai delivery places in the area don't include silverware either, it's not just these guys. Anyway, the food is great...always consistent and we've never been disappointed. If you eat there, you get some awesome beer (bottles) and wine specials with your meal. Like, unbelievably cheap deals. It's great! My only gripe is that they can't seem to do anything extra hot...they'll make it a little more spicy for you but it's not much. (Sriracha is available, of course, so that helps) Thai Spicy soup is delicious and you always get a couple shrimp in your bowl. I've had the Green Curry more often than anything and love it! Creamy, great flavor and a touch of spice. The red curry with scallops is awesome as well. Drunken noodles is a good, spicy dish - this one they can get a little hotter. I've had the Pad Thai, fried rice, sriracha beef, crab cheese wontons, spring rolls, Vietnamese spring rolls...all yummy. Bottom line, this place is great!!! I've eaten here more than anyone that's reviewed Thai Basil on 38th and I've never had even a hint of an issue. Ignore these ridiculous reviews and give it a try!!
(5)justin m.
I live close to this place, so I tend to go there when I am in a bind. I would say be very careful what you order. Some of their dishes are quite bad, and the sauce they use drowns out all other flavors. A lot of times, their veggies are not fresh iether. A few staples like Pad Thai are okay, not great, but not terrible. I would vote to go elsewhere if you can, and avoid ordering all veggie only dishes or anything without noodles.
(2)JJ N.
Let's say that the food comes out super quick, almost like they know what you are going to order before you walk in the door. That's probably not a good thing though? The restaurant isn't afraid to kick you out when they are ready to close either. All in all the food is ok. It does hit the spot after a Sunday Funday with bowling included!
(3)Kendall T.
I put this place somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. The food was OK--not great--but quite serviceable. Phad thai may be a bit sweet and they have NO online menu but it is not bad--just not delish. As the comments below note, however, it is the service that makes it suspect. That nearly brought me to a two star review. For us, it was not the table service but the person on the phone who apparently speaks NO english and as a result it took 15 minutes of repeating numbers, repeating orders, clarifying addresses---it was perhaps the most single worst experience I have had ordering food by phone. In the future, when I need decent Thai in highlands, unless I am too drunk to drive or I spent too much time with cheech and chong, I am picking it up. Overall, decent food--mediocre service.
(3)Polly P.
I'll keep it short. Wasn't at all what I thought it would be (doesnt have a "hang-out" feel or prices). Food & cocktails were just like the stars "Meh.". I wouldn't NOT go back...like if someone I knew REALLY liked it, I'd go again, with them. But - personally - I have not thought twice about them since my last visit a few months ago.
(2)Larren M.
This is another one to add to the Asian book of restaurant's. I've had the food at another Thai basil but just for delivery. The service at this location is good. The waiter kept the water glass filled and the table clear of empty dishes. The food was decent. My sesame chicken was a little heavy on the gooey brown sauce and the breading wasn't as crispy as I'd normally like it. It's close to the new hood and and they have a great happy hour. with .25 and .50 beers. I'll be back to sample something else.
(3)julie n.
Bad food, bad service, slow service. Ordered a wonton soup, hot and sour soup, Pad Thai Medium and Pinapple Curry hot. Hot and sour soup had a egg shell in it. Pad Thai came out extra hot and curry came out medium. Pad Thai was so sweet and so hot at the same time. Was not good. Waitress did not write down the order and did not speak English that well. Service was soooooooooooo slow. Only good things were water was refilled by busser promptly (food was too hot for boyfriend) and the place has nice decor (except it is too dark). Tables are very high, my feet did not touch the ground, and could not rest my feet on the chair so they just dangled. I will not return. I've been to other Thai Basils and it was not this bad.
(1)Mike E.
Got delivery from here recently and this was probably the worst Thai food I've ever had. Noodles weren't even completely cooked and didn't taste like anything. Veggy noodle dish had 2 pieces of broccoli...that's it. try another one of the dozens of Thai places.
(1)Ingrid S.
As we first enter this restaurant we are not greeted for at least 10 minutes, then it took another half hour for the staff to find seating for my friend and I, when there was plenty of tables open and plenty of space, as we had gone there just around evening opening time. We finally were seated, just two of us. Our waitress came over and was a bit rude as if she had too much to do and not enough time to give quality customer service. When we finally got our menu, I was shocked at how little we got and how expensive it was for the portions we received. We should have gotten a little more for what we paid for. We asked to speak with a manager and was ignored on that as well, it took them forever to get us our bill, we paid the bill after asking 3 separate times to speak to a manager and finally gave up. Unless this place learns a bit about customer service and how to treat customers and also giving more for the price of an entree. This place also tries very hard to "Americanize Thai food, make it for the mass market, but not quality" There is a very good chance I wont be coming back here, neither will those who ask me about this Establishment.
(2)Curtis G.
I have tried this place a few times, i really just want it to be good. Each time I go I sadly disappointed at what they pass off as Thai food. I do not order anything exotic, i get pad Thai. If you are a Thai place you should be good at the staples. They are not. It has either tasted like peanut butter on under cooked noodles or like a sweet MSG thing. I was suckered in by the .25 cent beer special, dont make this mistake. The food is not worth the cheap beer.
(1)Amanda M.
I got the Thai Basil Chicken hoping it would taste like the Basil Chicken I used to get when I lived in MD. Nope. The actual chicken was flavorless with a gamey-ish poultry aftertaste (like when you reheat chicken in the microwave) and then it was tossed in a brown sauce which tasted pretty good but not what I was expecting. There was TONS of bok choy in my dish which kind of looks like basil when the leafy green part is cooked down, so I thought that was a little sneaky on their part. I tasted a hint of basil in maybe 3 bites of my dish. To name something Thai Basil Chicken and have it not taste like basil is a pretty ballsy move. The service was fast and friendly, but that was to be expected since we were the only ones in the whole restaurant (around 2:30pm). Our table was made of wood and little pieces of rice and other food particles were lodged in the cracks and crevices of the wood which was kind of gross. They need to take a toothpick or something and clean that out. I have never had outstanding Thai food in Colorado. I just don't think it exists. So they get two stars for trying... and their lunch menu is cheap ($6.50 for entree, fried rice, and weird cinnamon tasting egg rolls). Plus, their Thai tea was good, even though it cost me $3.50... Two star rating sums up my experience perfectly "Meh. I've experienced better."
(2)Robin M.
I love Thai food. I don't like this stuff. This branch of Thai Basil is close to my work, and I used to like the chain's forerunners. Unfortunately, this location's food wouldn't shine in a food court. Any Thai restaurant that can't knock your socks off with tom kha soup is just unworthy. The egg rolls are lackluster. The softshell crab is dry and all but flavorless. The low beer prices are not enough of a draw. I'd rather pay more for my beer and not have to buy sawdust to go along with it.
(1)Conor B.
never agin.... my wife and i have ordered from these guys a few times and one day a coupon arrived at our house. not a big one $5 off any order over $30, the girl on the phone had to get the "manager" through a very "authentic" accent he said they don't take them, well the X date on the coupon said 8/13. Then he said well if you give the drive the coupon I will credit back your CC.... then he just hung up the phone... My order was not even done. Then I had to call back and complete.... For mediocre Chinese food I don't like jumping through hoops.... safe to say time to find another sub par delivery place.
(1)Cindi W.
The freshest Thai/Chinese food around. Carryout is super-fast and delivery is timely. We enjoy eating-in too. The resturant isn't loud so you can actually carry a conversation with your party in the nicely decorated, clean atmosphere. Hubby likes the happy hour prices too. But the 5 star rating coems from the fact that even my kids love thier food. The food isn't greasy and heavy, instead platters are filled with fresh (in-season) veggies. And the kid favorites of Sesame Chicken & Beef Lo Mein, are light and flavorful.
(5)Grant B.
I've had a good time here before, but today has sullied all previous experiences at this restaurant. I had pad thai, which should be a home run for a Thai restaurant. Instead, I experienced a mishmash of noodles, chicken, and ONE shrimp. Now I realize that the word "shrimp" can be used to describe one or many of the little creatures, but I have a hard time believing they were not intending to describe more than one shrimp. Anyway, this all was slathered in a sauce that is best compared to what you'd find in a can of SpaghettiO's. Sweet yet bland. Nostalgic yet disappointing. On the other hand, my soup was divine. A chicken coconut soup that was creamy, spicy, and mushroom-y. A+++! Would eat again! The service was, like the entree, abysmal. We were forgotten. Our soup arrived some 15 minutes after we ordered it, which would have probably been longer had the waitress not walked by, glanced at us, remembered we had food to eat, and quickly rushed off to retrieve it. This was followed very quickly by the main dish. This leaves me in an uncomfortable position. Do I finish my soup and let my dish get cold or do I abandon the soup and start on what is to be the starring role of my meal? I can't handle that kind of pressure at lunchtime. It messes with my digestion. After all this, we never saw the waitress again until I had to walk around and find her just to pay our bill. Unacceptable.
(2)David W.
Moved to Sunnyside last fall from a smaller town after having lived before in a big city and was really looking forward to some great Thai food again. This place isn't it. Yes, food is ok, they do deliver, and portions are on the large side. Tried calling for takeout last week and the phone was busy for over an hour. Unfortunately in this neighborhood I haven't found a good Thai option (Swing Thai is similarly mediocre at best, and I have heard US Thai is good but it's a ways away.) Calling all outstanding Thai restaurants, Denver Highlands neighborhoods are looking for you unless I just haven't found the golden nugget in the hood.
(2)Kym B.
Four stars for ridiculously cheap beer, but two stars for the food. Everytime I try a new Thai place in Denver, I die a little bit inside. I ordered the pad thai, as I always do when trying a Thai place for the first time. You can tell a lot about a place by the way they do this Thai staple. Thai Basil's was really... American. Sweet, syrupy sauce and no spiciness whatsoever. No cilantro. Breaded (breaded!?!?!) shrimp. The portion was massive for the price, but I'd rather have less and have it be delicious. I sampled my friend's sesame scallops and was also underwhelmed. The scallops were big and cooked decently, but it was hard to find them beneath the 2.67 inches of sticky breading in which they were hidden. The best thing on the table was the veggie lo mein, with noodles so long you could crochet yourself a hat from one (if you had such skillz). Sigh... oh where oh where is Denver's bomb Thai? Oh where oh where can it beeeee....?
(3)Tiffany W.
Oh, Thai Basil... how you tempt and lure thee with promises of $0.25 beers (from 5-10pm, limit 2, with purchase of dinner entree [$0.50 for imports]), then crush thy quivering hope with your sh*tty, sh*tty service?? I have had take out from Thai Basil twice, and dined in twice. The lesson: for relatively decent Oriental food (is it Thai? Is it Chinese? Is it... Thai-nese?) and a quick buzz, CALL IN YOUR ORDER. Then, leave your house and hope to secure a spot at the bar upon arrival before your food is ready to go, and down two cheap happy hour beers before leaving the restaurant with your food in tow. Otherwise, you're going to be sorry. The first time I dined in it was a slow Sunday night, so the service (while not remarkable) wasn't horrible. At least we got everything we asked for and in an acceptable amount of time. However, this last time was bad enough to perhaps warrant never returning for dine-in service. We were on a time schedule. 7:15pm, and we had to be en route to our final destination (Phantom of the Opera musical, wutwut). We thought 6:30 would give ample time for dinner. WRONG. After waiting almost 10 minutes for the guy to come back and take our order, we ordered everything at once: appetizer, I ordered soup, and we each ordered an entree. The app came out really quickly. But where's my soup? I know they've got it in a big vat back there... why wasn't it ladled out and brought with the appetizer, hmmm?? And so we ate the appetizer. And after *20* minutes, the server (who never ONCE came by to apologize for the wait, or even stop by and blame it on the kitchen [truth or not]), brought out ONE dish. ONE. And no explanation of where mine was. So... wtf. We'd already decided we needed boxes and check NOW. So I told him that. And he just left the other dish on the table. And after another five or so minutes, he comes back, my food boxed up, and with the check. Thank god we had cash otherwise we probably would have been even later if we had to wait on a credit card to be run. Now I'm looking around and notice this guy has about 9 tables he's dealing with all at once. And that sucks. But speaking as a former server, you don't just IGNORE the table who's been waiting for an abnormally amount of time for nearly everything. And when he DID bring the other food and the check, HE STILL DIDN'T APOLOGIZE. My sister was much more generous than I would have been (again, former server so I know), but whatever. ...he never brought my soup. Sigh.
(3)Bradley M.
My current metric is the Drunken Noodles and they failed to impress. There was too much sauce and the sauce was sweet and watery. The noodles were rubbery. My date was not impressed by the curry either.
(2)James B.
I am visiting Denver and was having an unholy craving for Thai. I used my old friend, Google, to help me locate a Thai Restaurant that was willing to deliver. I was directed to Thai Basil on W. 38th Avenue. Um, this food is amazing and it was a great experience. The gentleman was so nice, even after I had given the wrong address and had to call him back, ha ha. The food was here in under 20 minutes and the delivery fellow was wonderful and had a great, dry humor. I highly recommend you try this restaurant. This tourist really enjoyed it...a lot. James
(5)Matthew Z.
This place is exactly what you would expect.. that is, if you're expecting good and adequately priced food eaten in a Kung Fu movie with Eastern European prices on beer. I have eaten here several times and each time has been a delight, even the times when I ordered out (and didn't get the .50 cent beer). For anyone who says, "this food didn't taste like Thai food" I say, "of course not! It tastes like Thai food that the American public can enjoy, why don' t you just start a website called "Itraveledthe worldaftercollegeandI'llspendtherestofmylifesayingÂthingsaren'tasgoodastheyareintheirbirthland/I'Âmmoreculturedthanyoujustrefertomyyelpaccount.com". It's in my top 5.
(5)Megan T.
Perfect service with great food. Our server Polly was very friendly and sweet. We enjoyed our dinner on their patio which was very pleasant.
(4)Amy A.
I am really surprised about all of the bad reviews for this place. It is in the hood, and it also has really cheap beer, if you get an entree. Plus, the portions are huge, so it is always at least two meals. I love the sizzling rice soup, although I have yet to have it sizzle. The veggies are always really fresh, and plenty of them. The decor makes me laugh though, because it isn't really very thai. But the food is good, and that is what I really care about. The Thai basil vegetables (with tofu) are my favorite!
(4)Kate G.
Back down to two stars after a lackluster visit last week. The hot and sour soup and pad thai were just too sickly sweet, as they have been in the past. Even worse, we were charged 50 cents on our bill for a tiny plastic cup of hot chili paste that we requested because we needed something hotter than the Sriracha on our table to spice up our food. Not sure how that makes any sense? Didn't even take home our leftovers.
(2)Laura P.
It's edible but...ick. I read the reviews before I ordered but couldn't resist due to it's proximity to my house and they deliver. Never again.
(2)Charlie G.
excellent food and ambience at this location. I have also eaten on one of their restaurants downtown.. also excellent. The Royal Chicken here is wonderful... and all of the various curries are fresh and delicious. I really don't understand some of the bad reviews.. I have been here many times and the service is almost always excellent, and the food is always good. The staff sometimes has less than perfect English, but have never had a communication problem. I even had one waiter that was helping me with my limited command of Thai. Highly recommended!
(4)Gabrielle G.
I've tried to like it but the pad see lew is greasy and almost too sweet, the pad thai is too spicy, and the curry is way (way!) too sweet with too much spice to compensate. Never again, unless I get lazy and remember they do free delivery. [Note, I don't know if I should expect this to come standard, but I really loved the mango sticky rice I got from my college's neighborhood thai place and they don't make it here! What a bummer!]
(1)Shannon C.
This is my favorite sit-down Thai place. Their drunken noodles are my favorite, and every time we go, we get different entrees to share and have never been disappointed. Also, who can beat 25 cent beer!?!
(5)North S.
If the cooks had a hairnet for every idiot that thinks this is real Tai food I probably wouldn't be pulling long straight black hair out of my throat while eating here...
(1)Geneva B.
I've only had delivery from here so my review is based on the food and not the restaurant itself. The food is consistently good and the delivery time is often less than what's quoted. The sauce with the thai spring rolls is amazing! My boyfriend always orders the general tso chicken and loves it. The soups are good and priced right. This continues to be a staple for delivery when I'm too lazy to lift my rear from the couch.
(4)Diane M.
Not very good food. Thai basil chicken was pretty bad- was more like chicken in too much sauce- hardly any basil. Pad Thai was very ok- very soupy. Won't go back.
(1)Hollie W.
Stopped in for some food to go. Asked the hostess about vegan options and she ensured me that the tofu i ordered was vegan (yes, I asked if the meal was meat, dairy, egg etc. free). Got to my friends house and there was egg in the rice :( bummer. I am not the kind of person to call and complain or take my meal back and demand another but if situations like this continued to come up i am afraid of turning into a grouch. On top of the mix up, the food was meh. It is absolutely cool if you don't have vegan options but please for the love of what is good, do not pretend you do, it's just naughty.
(1)Erin B.
I like the ambiance, the awesome Panang curry, potstickers, the beer special, and the great neighborhood location. I go to Thai Basil a lot and like it, but some of my dishes have been less-than-spectacular when they reach the table lately. The drunken noodles? Meh. Although mixing the drunken noodles with Panang curry made them awesome. The Vietnamese noodle bowl? Meh. The lo mein? Meh. Service is always great though, and the food is generally pretty good. For more authentic and flavorful Thai, there is one other option in the area that is much better.
(3)Ken K.
Thai Basil is always on the verge of being really good. I ordered take-out from there often when I lived in the neighborhood, and I still stop by now and again for their drunken noodles. But for being a "fusion" restaurant, an awful lot of the menu is pretty conventional: the standard to mediocre noodle dishes and various Thai entrées you'd find just about anywhere. They're slightly above average at Thai Basil, but nothing will blow your mind, except... Thai Basil's drunken noodles are uniquely delicious, possibly because they're loaded with an insane amount of fat and sodium (that's just a guess my taste buds let me in on). And with its insane happy hour (Asian beers under $1), you can round out whatever damage you did to your heart with damage to your liver. Nothing to complain about there.
(3)Keith N.
Willie Wonka's favorite Thai food I really wanted to like Thai Basil. They are literally 3 blocks from my house and the service is friendly and fast. They have a nice little assortment of popular thai dishes mixed in with some Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese too. I've tried several items on the menu and have concluded that this is not good Asian food. Everything is so sugary sweet. They could probably put candy corn in the drunken noodles and you wouldn't notice. Sorry, I just don't want to feel like I'm acquiring cavities when I eat a dinner entree.
(2)Jenna A.
Unfortunately this place doesn't do it for me. Everytime I pass it I see the "Hangout Grill" and I just don't really ever want to hang out there...cheap beer doesn't always get me to go in somewhere! It wasn't bad food at all, really..I have just had better. Just like the little two star rating says up there..."Meh" The deep fried stuff in the appetizer for two was your typical Asian appetizers and we shared the Satay Beef to do something different. We had it delivered and it came in a timely fashion. I'll stick with my normal routine in the future!
(2)John H.
This place should be called Chinese Basil, everything tasted like Sesame Chicken, well that very sweet taste. I orders the Pad Thai and it wasn't close to any traditional Thai food, even the Thai Tea wasn't good. If I had four hands I would give them four thumbs down! Oh yeah the tables in this place is the dumbest idea ever, just saying. you will be better off going to one of those dollar scoop Chinese restaurants.
(1)Colleen O.
The Drunken Noodles are out of control. And the happy hour wine is only $10 a bottle.
(4)Mike E.
Food is okay, but service is terrible. I used to like this place, but they have gone to crap. It sure doesn't help that one of the managers threatened me after giving them a bad review a few years back after a sever bumped her tip up by $20.
(1)Sheryl K.
I wish I liked this place, but let's face it... I didn't. (Sorry babe, it's the truth!). My boyfriend and I have similar taste, so when I asked him to direct me to a Thai restaurant by his standards, he took me here. Visiting Colorado for the first time, I was pretty excited to see what Thai Basil had to offer. The restaurant itself was pretty... cute. Felt like I was walking into a jungle as we literally sat at a table carved out of a slice of wood and was surrounded by banana leaf trees (all fake of course). It was a fairly busy lunch, and so getting the attention of a server became a challenge. Okay soo... I played it safe and ordered panang curry as the other members of my party ordered from the vegetarian menu. When our food arrived, the presentation of my curry looked better than it actually tasted. It was runny (almost diluted??), lacked flavor, and had an interesting choice of vegetables. Sigh.... how can you mess up on curry? Oh wait, I forgot, did I mention this place was a fusion restaurant? Well good news, they have cheap beer and their Thai tea is pretty good? :)
(2)Tara N.
I recently moved to the Highlands from Cap Hill. I used to order frequently from Thai Basil on 18th & Humboldt, and had eaten at the Alameda location multiple times. While I would never say that the food at either of the other two locations is excellent, it was always a consistent bet for cheap delivery. I just ordered from the Highlands location yesterday and was truly grossed out. It is NOTHING like the other two locations - my mom and I ordered two standard dishes that I've always ordered from the other locations and they were prepared differently and tasted way different. The main difference: they were disgusting. The quality and taste were on par with $1/scoop Chinese fare. The brown rice was dried out like it had been sitting out for hours. It's definitely not real Thai food, and it's definitely not edible. I ate two bites and tossed it. Would NOT recommend this place!
(1)John H.
I've accumulated a short list of 'friendly neighborhood Asian cuisine' establishments*, and when it comes to Thai food, this one is at the top of the list. Thai Basil offers a bevy of tasty dishes--including some Chinese-Americna staples (lo mein, fried rice, etc.)--at an affordable price. The words 'Hangout Grill' on the restaurant's sign are brought to you by fifty cent beer specials. Since they're a short jaunt from my house, I'm no stranger to Thai Basil's menu. I've tried a fair amount of entrees here (as well as their scrumptious appetizer variety plate), and the only dish I wasn't crazy about was their flagship dish: too much freaking basil! Tonight I had one of my favorites on the menu: the pineapple curry. Like most 'Hot & Spicy' items on the menu, this curry dish is spicy and flavorful, but won't leave your tastebuds wincing in pain. And I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to that stuff! The mix of stewed veggies and sweet curry sauce is too good to resist...also recommended is their pad thai and lo mein. That's the thing about Thai Basil: the recipes lean toward general Asian comfort food rather than genuine Thai cuisine. Which is fine by me, since what they lack in authenticity, they more than compensate for in flavor! Some other reviewers at Thai Basil have complained about the service at this location, and while not without their inconsistencies, it's never disuaded me. The staff here have typically been courteous, swift and attentive for me--they verge on overdoing it on the water refills, actually! I've also never been steered wrong by their recommendations, if I'm in the mood to try out something new on the menu. Don't hesitate to get your waiter's two cents before your order--they won't steer you wrong! Tonight, six friends and I arrived during a dinner rush, and were seated and greeted right away. It took a while for our drink order to get filled--we anxiously watched our 50 cent brews thawing on a nearby counter--but our entrees were in front of us no more than 10 minutes after our meals were ordered. In a major pain-in-the-ass move, we split the bill on five credit cards, which our hosts handled quickly and graciously. Any server who can balance a check with a smile on his face without missing a beat has my gratitude--and gratuity. The secret weapon at Thai Basil is their dessert menu: four cakes, all delicious enough to bury any lingering hunger that wasn't disposed of by the hearty entrees. I had a slice of one of their chocolate delicacies on my birthday last year, and the density of the dessert was overwhelming (in a good way!). It's a little surprising that a place specializing in hearty, high-carb dishes would have such sweet treats, but if you're feeling indulgent, don't skip the desserts! Come to think of it, I've probably only made it into Thai Basil three or four times this year, though that seems like an undeserving few. With satisfying food, great value (brewed and otherwise) and normally spot-on service, it's hard to think of a reason NOT to make a monthly pilgrimage to this, the only Thai grill I'm likely to be Hanging Out at anytime soon.
(4)Cindy H.
Food isn't great, but it's super cheap and beers are 25 cents! (50 cents if you want to splurge on a microbrew). It's more Chinese cuisine than it is Thai ... there are no real distinct Thai flavors like lemon grass or keffir lime leaves ... I was sorely disappointed by their version of Pad Thai. :( Also, they have a bad habit of turning up the house lights (to nearly blinding) right on the second of closing time. I have a friend who was just about thrown out of there and still had apps and half a drink left! I still gave them 2 stars for the cheap beers!
(2)