Basil

First off, I love this place. That being said, I was also the most skeptical before I ever walked in to try it for the first time. It was my girlfriend’s favorite restaurant in Charleston, and after my first experience it became one of my favorites. We sit at the bar every time we go, they have a glassed in open kitchen so you can watch the cooks prepare your meal. It’s amazing to watch the skill and focus it takes to prepare Thai cuisine. As for the quality of the food, I have yet to try anything I didn’t absolutely enjoy. The ‘Tom Kha Gai’ (coconut chicken soup) is the best I’ve ever had, I get it every time I go. It’s so creamy and delicious, the chicken and mushrooms are always cooked perfectly, and they bring it out in this round metal dish that they light a fire under to keep it hot. I’ve also had their basil rolls, which are rice paper rolls stuffed with fresh veggies and a basil leaf. Anything from the grill is a win as well, I had the chicken satay; beautiful strips of chicken marinated, skewered, and grilled to perfection. As far as entrees go, I always get the Pad Thai, with extra shrimp. I’ve also had the duck, which is something that should be split, because it’s a very large portion. I’m a fan of spice, I love to torture my taste buds, so when you get your entrée they bring you a selection of spices including green chili & sambal, and that seals the deal for me. I’ve never had a bad experience, and always look forward to dining here!

Duck salad, sweet & sour tofu, chicken satay, and spring rolls made perfect lunch for three

Inexperienced unfocused server. Never asked me what spice level I wanted. Rookie mistakes. Food was tasteless and in almost child sized portions. VERY DISAPOINTED. Never going back. scale of 1 to 10…3

Loved the pad kee mow, it was spicy but not as spicy as you would have thought! The basil rolls where a huge hit at our table! Go during happy hour, that have great deals on great food!!! The location downtown does not take reservations, but we were seated immediately. The pad Thai was very good too, I would have loved to try it with added spice.

In short … food ok — service terrible. Server Chris E. was a total wreck. He messed up both of our orders… twice! Not sure if it was due to his stupidity, or he just wasn’t paying attention. After his mistake he acted like it was our fault. WTF?! Later he hid like an injured puppy dog, and just peeked from behind the counter with angry glares.
The food was ok, somewhat expensive for lunch, and the servings are fairly small.
The place is so loud you can’t hear a conversation.
This was our second try with similar shitty experience. Definitely would not go back.

The location and atmosphere are nice, but the food is just not great. The noodles dishes (vegetarian noodles and pad thai) were very bad and felt as the noodles are not fresh.
Compares to many Thai restaurants Ive been to, this one is not great.

The food at Basil is, without question, some of the most deliciously authentic Thai food I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. I usually eat at the bar, and Jordan has to be one of the most gracious and professional bartenders in Charleston. Her knowledge of the menu and her passion for her job is unparalleled! All her reccomendations were spot on, be it the food, the wine, or the drinks. She is as amazing and as thoughtful as the chef who created this fantastic array of Thai dishes.
Basil rules!
Tim Hockenberry

We were so hungry we forgot to snag a picture of the entrées. The Pad Thai and Pad See-​Eu were delicious and the portions were pretty filling. We are everything on our plate. The restaurant has a dim and chill setting to it but it is loud so keep that in mind of your looking for something more quiet. Staff there is great and fast, very friendly. My husband and I plan to stop by again next time we are downtown. I’d recommend this place to any Thai lovers. Yes it’s a little pricey but nothing over the top and it is really good food.

Even on vacation, you gotta get a little Thai fix. We got the Tom Yum Kung soup to share, pad Thai and red Curry with Chicken. The meal was great and the service was good too. The price was a bit high for Thai.

Very nice Thai place. Very trendy. Got pick up kee mow and was very good. Also had the spring rolls, also very tasty. Overall great place. P. S. The sign is pretty neat.

The chicken and shrimp in the Pad Thai could use a lot more flavor.

I got the tom yum kung, larb, and pad thai. Obviously I wasn’t planning to eat that in one sitting, but I am sure glad I ordered 3. The Tom Yum was really fishy tasting and larb had little to no tangy flavors. The pad thai was the only thing that prevented me from rating this a 1 star.

Very solid restaurant. Always busy, and always delicious. They’re the long time City Paper’s best Thai food winner and for good reason. You can expect big flavors, great service, and reasonable prices on a menu that boasts traditional thai dishes like pad thai, prik king, pad kee mow, and everyone’s favorite tom kha gai. Ask for your dinner to be ‘thai hot’ if you like the heat.

I’ve had Thai all over and this is definitely a favorite when I come through to the Music Farm! So convenient!

Went here for restaurant week and had no regrets. The deal was an appetizer, main entrée, and a dessert. We started with egg-​rolls and fried crab wontons; nothing too exciting there.
The entrees however did not disappoint. The Pad See-​Eu with shrimp was delicious and flavorful — a generous helping, too, so I had leftovers. Also, they didn’t skimp on the shrimp which is always a good thing! I ordered the red sangria and wasn’t impressed. It was very watered down and didn’t have much flavor.
My friend had the Massaman Curry with tofu and it was also fantastic — a warm inviting bowl of comfort food. As far as curry dishes go it’s not spicy, which I personally prefer.
We both got the fried green tea ice cream and it was amazing. I am not even a huge dessert person and I was in heaven!
Overall, I really enjoyed Basil and look forward to my next visit.

Comfort. Delicious. Lively.
This is a true gem to the city of Charleston. I come here at least 2 or 3 times on my business trips to Charleston. It’s very casual, nice atmosphere, clean, fast service, friendly staff, and the price is right. The crowd is mixed of college students, locals, and tourists. The food, very well portioned… Always have to take something back to the room!
I definitely recommend the Shrimp and Chicken Wontons, Pad Woon Sen as an entrée, and the Chocolate Cake or Fried Green Ice Cream for dessert.
I frequent to sit at the bar, as you get to engage with others sitting next to and the staff, should you come alone, as they will share stories and make your experience even more so enjoyable.
All staff are pleasant, but I have to highly recommend that you look out for the bartender Jordan. She’s great to converse with, makes excellent drinks, and remembers you even if months have passed since your last visit. Ask for the Thai Iced Teagarita (with Don Julio) — a nice spike to the already delicious beverage.
Come and enjoy… You WON’T be disappointed!

After eating at this Basils probably dozens of times, I never bothered to write a review. To me, Basil is like that grocery store that is within walking distance and (too close to) driving distance. Its convenient. Really convenient. So convenient that you cannot really give it any bad marks you know. They may not have that brand of yogurt you REALLY like, and the milk expires in a couple of days, but again, its within walking distance. You really cannot complain.
That’s what Basil is too me. At its foundation, It is good and its convenient. Service is average to above average, and its consistent. And to my surprise, they now have a section at the bar that is first serve, so the 45 minute/​1 hour wait for a single spot at the chefs window turned into a 5 minute wait for a seat at the bar.
Perfect.
My last visit was during Restaurant Week, and there were so many people waiting for a table, but I got to casually stroll to the bar, have a seat and prepare my palette. I chose the Tom Kha Gai soup as s starter and the Pad Thai as my entrée – standard stuff.
The bartender was very helpful, efficient and friendly. I got my soup and entrée in a reasonable amount of time, and she made me a nice stiff G&T. Honestly, the Pad Thai is pretty average. Its actually kind of dry, but I still enjoyed it. I always enjoy the Tom Kha Gai. Ive had it with dark meat overseas, and WHAT a difference, but I still like it with the white meat they serve it with at Basil.
The dessert. OHHH MANNNN the dessert. They had there typical green tea ice cream and another thing that I cannot recall, and then they had this flourless chocolate cake. DAMN that cake was good! I am not a chocolate cake fan, but the bartender talked me into trying the flour-​less chocolate cake, and she was spot on – this cake is freaking delicious. SO moist, and a deep smooth chocolate taste. I’m bordering inappropriate in describing this cake, it was that good. I dont know if it was just the specialty for the night, but if you go to Basil, and they have the chocolate cake available, GET it.
Basil is a staple in Charleston. Yeah for them right! Its a plus that the décor is minimalist and modern. Its a bit loud because the space is kind of small, but they run this place like a machine, so its inevitably enjoyable in my opinion. Another check check for me is that I can enjoy Basil when dining alone. I can come in, get a comfortable seat, enjoy my dinner and a drink, and head out comfortably and in a reasonable time. Cant really say that for many restaurants in Charleston, so thats definitely a huge plus for me.
Basil definitely makes for a fun dinner spot!

The food here is great! Got the mixed veggies with tofu dish and loved it. Tofu can be tricky at restaurants, but they do it right here.
Service was subpar, but not terrible. No one checked on us from the time our food was dropped off until we were finished eating, and that’s not right. Luckily, our food was great so it wasn’t a huge deal, but we would have liked to ask for some hot sauce if someone had come by. I worked in the service industry for years so I will give them the benefit of the doubt here (it was quite busy) and would definitely try it again.

This is a review of their take-​out only. We were craving Thai after a day of hanging with friends, and got take-​out from here on the way back to the hotel. I walked in and was immediately surprised. This wasn’t a typical Thai spot– it was a trendy lounge scene with romantic dim lighting and a party vibe (granted, it was a Sat night). Even just picking up take-​out, I felt underdressed in a tshirt and jeans.
We ordered the basil fried rice and the drunken noodles. Flavor was average and nothing special, but the prices were definitely higher than standard Thai ($ 14-​$ 15 per entrée).
So this might be a fun place to eat at and grab drinks due to the atmosphere, but I’d definitely skip on the take-​out.

Nice funky clean and trendy
Delicious spicy Tom yung Kung and beef salad
We asked for Thai spicy and both had a delicious kick to them
Will definitely be back !

Delicious! We just came from Hawaii where Vietnamese food was on every corner. I think it was maybe too Americanized, idk what happened-​but Basil was FAR better than any pad thai or pad sei ei we’ve ever had! We will for sure be coming back here in the future! Great place to come with friends, AND they have wine

Yum! Last night in Charleston and I was really craving some Thai food after eating all American and Japanese for the majority of the previous four weeks travelling. Quickly looked up on Unilocal and found this gem!
Everything was absolutely delicious, service was great and at a really decent price!

I love it here. I sat close to where all the chef cooking. They r very professional. All the food it was very hot and yummy. I ordered Pad Se ew and curry Duck. I love the curry Duck. I ordered it hot and it is hot as I thought it would be. I love this place and will definitely going back again

This is a great Thai restaraunt in the heart of southern cooking, so quite the surprise.
The atmosphere is somewhat trendy but either way lots nicer inside than most Thai restaurants.
They serve their food piping hot, even ten minutes after our food arrived at the table it was still very warm. If you sit in the right spot you can watch them cook. Fun to see.
I had the pad see ew which was excellent. Unlike many Thai restaraunts they were generous with the pork which was cooked perfectly. The vegetables were just soft on the outside but crunchy in the middle.
My dinner companion had the chefs special curry duck. It was so delicious, one of the best duck dishes I have had.

If you like Thai food this is the place to go I had the coconut soup and also the combination chicken and shrimp time noodles shrimp were big delicious just cook the way I like it I would highly recommend that platter for lunch or for dinner

We went into Basil after an event downtown. The wait was about fifteen minutes, which is fine, but they don’t really have a waiting area. There are tables as soon as you walk into the door, so it is hard to navigate. You either have to wait outside (in the terrible heat) or stand awkwardly in between high tops of people eating.
We went to the bar, which had about four seats and got some drinks. We had a party of six and saw two tables, six seats, available– but neither were being offered to us. We waited a bit longer and then they finally sat us. We seemed like an inconvenience to them. Their front house staff weren’t really that friendly. (Didn’t really greet us when we came in and didn’t say anything to us when we left.)
We each got appetizers and a few people got Sake. I don’t think they appreciated us getting a table to just order appetizers, but oh well. The waiter was a bit weird and also made us feel like an inconvenience to him.
The food was pretty good, which is why they get a third star, but I think it is a bit overpriced. The staff made the environment feel incredibly weird, so I’m not sure if I will return any time soon.

I stopped in after a Unilocal event with a party of six. In Basil’s defense, we didn’t have a reservation and they were pretty busy. There isn’t much room to wait inside but we were in full costume and burning up, so we squeezed by the bar to wait. Once we were seated, our waiter was super nice… until he realized we were ordering waters and some appetizers. I understand you make money from tips, but I still tip well on a smaller check. The atmosphere is nice but really loud, so I’d recommend going somewhere else if you want to have a conversation. The food was AMAZING — I had the beef satay which was perfectly cooked. My friends had the basil rolls and the wontons, both of which received rave reviews!
I’m definitely interested in coming back any time other than ten on a Saturday! The staff needed an attitude adjustment but I’ll attribute that to the busy night.

Excellent restaurant thaï, Plein de saveurs. Il faut partager une soupe en entrée et tester le cocktail Pineapple Mojito.

I read my own review from 2010… gosh it was bad.
Fast forward to 2015. I am back in Charleston again for more work training. After a week or bbq, steaks, Southern foods my classmates and I needed something different.
I suggested Thai food and my classmates loved it. I love Basil’s Thai food minus their high prices. The food is cooked by Thai cooks and the food tasted pretty authentic once again. Next time I am in Charleston, i’ll be back for more $ 15.95 Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles!

Great tasting Thai cuisine! Probably the most memorable Thai food I have ever had.
We tried two variations of their duck dishes, the Basil duck and Red Curry duck. Both were amazing! I favor the red curry because of the authentic curry taste, with a kick. The duck was boneless and had a soft texture.
I also had to try my all time favorite Thai noodle dish, pad see eu, and it was yummy; a nice sweet taste to it!
The service was pretty good for a busy Saturday night (night before second Sunday) although the wait was long without a reservation, it’s nice just to walk out and about on Kings street. Very busy atmosphere but not anything that ruined my time there.
My uncles gave me a history lesson about the owners, how they came to America at a young age just to go to culinary school and succeeded in their own restaurant. It was a nice experience to enjoy their life’s hard work.

Super Thai Restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina.
Das Essen ist wirklich einen Wucht und wird in der Showküche zubereitet. Alles ist hygienisch einwandfrei und der Laden ist sehr stylisch eingerichtet. Die Gerichte sind sehr abwechslungsreich.
In der Regel bekommt man ohne Reservierung nur schwer einen Platz, kann aber warten bis ein Tisch frei wird.
Das Lokal ist extrem Umsatz orientiert. Man sollte sich daher nicht auf einen gemütlichen Abend einrichten. Das Personal ist extrem (!) schnell und fast schon aufdringlich. Wenn nach dem Hauptgang die Frage nach dem Dessert kommt, hat der Kellner meist schon die Rechnung in der Hand, falls man keines möchte (davon rate ich aber ab, da das «fritierte Grüner Tee Eis» auf jedenfall noch rein muss :-)).
Wasser wird kostenfrei serviert und wird nachgegossen, wenn mehr als 50ml entnommen wurden. Habe fast Angst gehabt, dass die mich ersäufen wollen.
Dennoch uneingeschränkt zu empfehlen. Absolut trendig.