Sweet Basil

Stopped in to this charming neighborhood place in search of interesting Celiac friendly food. A place down the street was only open for dinner and we needed lunch!
Friendly and gracious hostess took out order and took excellent care of us.
I had mango curry, ordered it spicy… perfect amount of heat and delicious!
Best papaya salad I have ever had! Rest of my family enjoyed it too, and they don’t like papaya salad!
We also enjoyed the tofu nuggets, the Rama garden, green curry, tom kha soup…
Charming and cheerful environment, happy, full tummies!

Excellent food! I highly recommend their mango and papaya salads. Their mango sticky rice is amazing and so is their pad Thai.

Great food and nice staff. The wait was okay, but overall I had a wonderful experience.

The food was amazing. My wife said it was the best green curry dish she’s had. I got the Rama’s garden, which was great — lots of peanut flavor though so only get it if you like that. They were able to substitute extra veggies instead of rice, which I requested. Service was great even though they were busy. The only downside was the small size, and long wait (but it’s quaint and it was a Friday night).

The single best and authentic Thai restaurant in the whole Capital Region. Not only is the food fantastic, the people who work there are incredibly hospitable. 5 stars every time.

Very very solid Thai food. Walking in, I felt like I was walking into a family friend’s house — table layouts are cozy, lots of warm decorations, and very friendly greetings at the door. We ordered spring roles, drunken noodles, pineapple friend rice, ga-​grow (kra prow in other places) and red curry. What resonated with me most was that everything (except the drunken noodles) was not greasy and maintained all the bold thai spice flavor. Waitresses were very attentive. Will be back the next time I visit Albany.

Had a tasty meal here as we travelled west on Rt 90. Started with a Thai basil fresh roll — one roll shared between three worked well as an appetizer. Then we had chicken pad Thai, shrimp pad thai, and yellow chicken curry. All were flavorful and served in generous portions. The service was attentive but not overbearing, and the décor was cozy and welcoming.

Stopped by on our way to ski resort.
The place is so cramped that not fit for family with kids. It is under staffed for lunch and the waitress is not helpful at all.
The food looks alright yet the scallops is not fresh in my order and the chicken meat is tasteless in other dishes.
Stay away…

This restaurant is very quint. There service is great and the food is delicious. It is also very beautifully decorated, making for a relaxing and exotic but homey ambiance. We ordered Tom Kha soup which was delicious, vegetable rolls and shared drunken noodles. Everything was well seasoned and very tasty.

Definitely the best thai in Albany. I have been eating here since it very opened and I have never been disappointed. Some personal favorites are the kao soi noodle, massaman curry, and the shrimp roll — but everything I have tried from here is good!
I only wish they would offer delivery, feature a full menu on their website, and move to a nicer restaurant.

It is a tiny little place that has maybe about 10 tables. I went during lunch on a week day and it had a good crowd. I had the crab rangoons and they were perfectly made, you could taste the crab unlike a lot of other places, and it was fresh! I ordered the chicken pad thai and they were plentiful with the pieces of chicken and a lot of peanuts on the top. Loved it! I will go back for sure.

Small, but great Thai place.
Had the spring rolls, massaman curry, and a Thai iced tea. The spring rolls were just okay, really rather bland and flavorless. However, the curry and iced tea were both fantastic!

This is an intimate place where you’ll have a delicious, affordable meal.
When I say «intimate,» I mean very small, so be sure to make a reservation if possible. A couple of reviewers here gave them one star, not for the food, but because they couldn’t just walk in and get a table. That seems unfair.
Anyway, I had a crispy piece of duck in a sweet sauce and my wife enjoyed one of the curries with scallops. Both were great, but the veggies mine came with tasted like the ones that come in a bag at a the supermarket. Not a deal breaker, but it needs to be said.
One thing you need to know: Sweet Basil doesn’t serve any alcohol, so either get your drinking done before you arrive or do without. Some places will allow you to bring something in, but I don’t know if that’s the case here.
Enjoy — but first, make a reservation.

Excellent mango curry, thick and spicy. Crispy chicken wings, fresh salad, and juicy duck make it a place to come back to. Small, yet charming and even my picky kids enjoyed the food.

Small restaurant with just 22 seats.
I tried the curry puff and mango curry chicken. The food was so good, I was trying to give 5 stars until the not that happy ending. I wanted to get some dessert, but only Fried Ice Cream was available, no Thai custard, no Fried Banana.

Stopped in and was so surprised by my meal. Wonderful pad Thai and very good presentation.
I would stop by again if I was ever in Albany

Skip the curry at Sweet Basil. It is a small portion and too thick from my experience.
Instead, get the Drunken Noodles with Duck. Wow.
Unlike most other places that skimp on the duck meat, here at Sweet Basis, a heaping portion of perfectly spiced and fried noodles is served under large hunks of tender, juicy duck and fresh basil — an extra star well-​earned for this dish alone.

A small place but the food is great and the prices are reasonable. I ordered the «Pad See Eww» and a Thai Iced Tea. Despite how the spelling the taste was definitely delicious. The Thai Iced Tea was only $ 2.50, which is the most affordable I have ever seen. I will definitely be coming back.

Strangely, I haven’t tried Sweet Basil in the years that I have been in Albany. I went with a friend on a Friday evening, and it was a little squishy because there were a lot of people. The servers were really friendly, and they were really good at recommending dishes. They definitely helped us figure out what entrees and supplementing sides.
Papaya Salad: I was initially super nervous about getting this because I don’t like papaya. However, according to my friend, the papaya salad is made of raw papaya, which doesn’t taste the same at all. I was very much surprised of my enjoyment of the appetizer. The texture of the salad was very crisp and refreshing while the vibrant tang of the sauce was playful and pleasant on the palate. There was an abundant of toppings, too!
Spicy Tofu: I forgot exactly what this was called, but it was done quite well. The sauce was pretty strong, so it made for a good rice-​dish. I’m usually not a fan of tofu (unless it’s mapo tofu), and I probably wouldn’t order this on my own, but it’s a really good vegetarian dish. It had a lot of diverse vegetables in the dish, and they balanced out well with the sauté sauce.
Green Curry: Loved this dish! I wish I made it spicy, though. There were lot of excellent vegetables, and the sauce wasn’t too creamy or strong. I appreciated how they didn’t overload the curry with a bunch of potatoes to skimp on the vegetables. I’d like to try this again with chicken, but it’s great as a stand alone vegetarian entrée!
In general, the service was quite good, and the portion sizes were very generous. I wish the place could be a little bigger with slightly quieter music, but this is definitely another Thai restaurant to add on my cravings list!

The BEST thai in Albany, and probably anywhere north of NYC for that matter. They consistently serve the most flavorful, delicious cuisine. I keep ordering different things off the menu and they all instantly become a favorite. If you live anywhere near Sweet Basil or are in town, you absolutely must visit. The service is always friendly, fast, and helpful.
You can’t get a better lunch or dinner for what you pay here anywhere else!