In search of a late lunch spot on Saturday, my friend and I came across basil leaf. We came for a meal and wine, then stayed well into the dinner service. What I most appreciated was our server's kindness, that she encouraged us to take our time and enjoy ourselves. The food was pretty good. We both ordered basic dishes - no pasta, two salads, soup, and a sandwich. All were nice, especially the spinach salad with pears. The bread and olive oil was great compliment to our lunch, and they serve fruit infused water, which is a nice touch.
Review Source:I've lived in Lincoln Park for more than five years, yet I never knew about Basil Leaf Cafe. Thankfully, my boyfriend introduced me to this gem. It was a weeknight, so it was quiet. I ordered the Rigatoni Sausage, which was delicious. Also, the olive oil concoction that they brought out with the bread was tasty.
Though Basil Leaf doesn't quite measure up to La Scarola, it's nice to have a good, solid Italian place nearby in my neighborhood.
This place has all the standard Italo-American pastas - but with some odd ingredients. Had the rigatoni vodka with salmon. Sounded good. But what were pea pods doing in the mix? Â Why didn't the salmon have any flavor? Â Why didn't the vodka sauce have a cream base?
I will stick with the linguine carbonara, always dependable. Or the linguine with chicken and spinach in a Chardonnay sauce.
Extra points for delicious dinner rolls.
Both the food and service were mediocre. Food was nothing special and actually quite bland. Service was slow and waitress paid little attention to us (yes it was busy). For an Italian place with pasta dominating the menu, none of the pasta tasted fresh. The highlights of the meal were the bread and the soup.
Review Source:I've been here a couple times with friends. It's such a cozy little restaurant and truly a hidden treasure in Lincoln Park! I went to DePaul for 4 years and never discovered it!
Both times I had the fettucine alfredo with chicken and broccoli. It is super good, probably the best alfredo I've found in this city. Their portions are pretty big and good for the price. They also have an exceptional wine menu, so we ended up buying a bottle.
Also, they have a lady that comes to make tiramisu randomly every few weeks. This is probably the best tiramisu I have ever tried. It's in high demand too, because we got the very last piece and our waiter had to hide it for us so no other tables would get it.
One of the times, I sat by the bar because I arrived before all my friends, and had a really nice conversation with one of the bartenders. The wait staff was so nice and friendly at this place. It's really difficult to find that in the fast paced restaurant business these days. She was very accomodating and educated me about a ton of wines before I picked one. Attention to detail like that is something I really pick up on and love in a business.
Very cute place, a combination of comfortable and classy - not someplace you'd have to feel like you had to dress up for.
I had Chicken Milano and it was fantastic. Â I started with Baby Spinach Poached Pear salad which was good but a little on the sweet side for what I prefer in a salad. Â The chicken was cooked nicely and was moist. Â The pasta was so yummy - mixed w/sundried tomatoes, asparagus and artichoke hearts. Â The sauce on the pasta was a very light, broth based sauce. Â It could have used a little more seasoning. Â The server offered fresh ground pepper and parmesan cheese - which would have enhanced it nicely.
NICE beer and wine selections also. Â
Service was very good. Â We will be back.
I am an avid fan of "Basil Leaf Cafe!" Their menu is perfect for those who want choice, yet require perfection. The Brussels sprouts they serve are the best I've had - anywhere. I find the fish entrees as well as the meat entrees come out of the kitchen well-rounded, and robust in flavors.
When one is looking for Chicago dining options many pass over the "Basil Leaf Cafe," I've never understood why - it's a real gem. The atmosphere is warm, friendly, and inviting no matter the occasion.
Had a very tasty dinner here with one of my girlfriends! We wanted to eat outside in the beautiful weather and found a table open for 2 outside at Basil Leaf. We shared the caprese salad and the grilled cajun calamari. The caprese was awesome, large portion. The calamari was interesting, I liked the spice that was added to it, but it was a very strong flavor that was hard to keep eating. The portion size was really large, we couldn't finish the entire dish.
Additionally, we each had a half-salad. Hers had goat cheese with cranberries, mine had avacado, carrot, onion, and tomato. The salads were both delicious, fresh ingredients and a very nice portion for a half salad. Basil Leaf has a large salad selection on the menu, many of which sounded appetizing. Between the half-salads and the two starters, we both definitely had enough to eat. Our waitress was friendly and the staff was constantly giving us more warm bread throughout the meal. Refreshingly, it was very reasonably priced. Great choice for a lovely meal on Clark!
My wife and I went here last week with her family. We had been here previously, but the restaurant hadn't really made an impression. We had made a reservation and when we walked in, the hostess was actually fairly rude to us. I'd say the service was mediocre at best and the food (my wife and I got two different seafood pasta dishes) was bland and underseasoned. With so many great Italian restaurants in Chicago, we won't be coming back here.
Review Source:I've been to the Basil Leaf Cafe a few  times now, and have had an array of experiences.  The food has been consistently good, and the service has typically been really good too.  Their chicken salad sandwich is incredible, and their butternut squash soup is delicious too.  Additionally, the pasta has always been great too.
It's not my top choice for Italian, but it's convenient to go in Lincoln Park.
Look, one thing to know about my reviews is this: I've worked in the hospitality industry in one capacity or another my entire life. I know that appearances aren't always everything and I know that even though "the customer is always right," the customer isn't always right. Â This is why I almost always give businesses who left me with a not-so-hot impression another chance. Like Basil Leaf.
I returned yesterday - again al fresco, this time sans canine companion. So how was it? I'll tell you exactly how it was. It was a complete turn around from the negative non-experience I'd had last week. Â
This time I paid closer attention to the entire vibe of the place and here's what I saw: relaxed, casually dressed regulars. The manager (same guy, by the way) went from table to table chatting with guests, bringing water, making sure everyone was happy. Speaking of the water - Basil Leaf is actually responsible for my new water kick I started a month or so ago. I've detested water my entire life but at Basil Leaf, the water is infused with big, juicy berries and citrus. It tastes fantastic and I now infuse water with fruit to drink every day at home, too.
My food? I tried the house salad with walnuts, gorgonzola and a basalmic vinaigrette to start. It was fresh and light - perfect for outdoor dining on a sunny day and I ate every bite. Â For my main course, I chose the angel hair pasta with tomatoes, basil and grilled chicken. Again, delicious. The dish was loaded with perfectly grilled chicken, juicy bites of tomato and fresh basil - another perfect choice for a sunny lunch outside.
I can't close out this review without mentioning the mojito I had. One thing you must know about me: I am a mojito girl to the core. That said, the mojitos at Basil Leaf DELIVER. They're big, pretty (served with a giant sprig of mint) muddled perfectly, and just a touch on the sweet side.
Basil Leaf deserved another chance and I'm VERY glad I gave them one. My meal was outstanding, the beverages were fantastic, and my server was wonderful if not slightly overly-enthusiastic (I later learned that she's new; taking that into consideration, she did a great job). Here's the long and short of it - there's a reason this place is a favourite among the neighborhood locals. In fact, don't be surprised if I become one of those aforementioned regulars, too!
The ambiance here is very warm and intimate! My friend and I stopped in for dinner because it looked cozy and delicious from outside.
The service is phenomenal. Our waitress and servers never let our cups of water become empty and were always refilling our cups. Their "pre appetizer" of bread and olive oil was delicious too. The bread was fresh and warm. The spices they used in the olive oil were incredible!
The main entrees are quite huge! We split the chicken and mushroom risotto, expecting each of us to get a little portion, but even the half portions were more than enough.
The dishes here are a bit pricy. Most dinner entrees are about $15-20. Salads are about $7-10.
This is definitely a cool spot for dinner if you're looking for a nice and classy place to eat.
For some reason, my family couldn't find a place to eat during our trip to Chicago without first walking for miles looking at every option, pushing me to the brink of hunger induced crankiness. By this night I'd started to catch on, and steered us to Basil Leaf, which had looked good during a previous night's sojourn, and the food did not disappoint!
The ice water for the table had fruit in it, giving it a light refreshing but not overly sweet flavor. The bread was warm, doughy, and I could've made my meal right there. But we got soups and pastas, and couldn't keep our spoons and forks away from each others' plates. Between the six of us we had half the menu, and everything was delicious. The waitstaff was also friendly and helpful, and the dining areas are roomy and open so that even as the place filled up we didn't feel crowded and it didn't get too noisy.
After the experience I had last week, this place should be downgraded to three starts, but one bad visit out of numerous needs to be considered.
Horrible service and waited forever on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. Sat in the bar area and were the only people at a table for most of the evening. Restaurant part was full. Â We waited forever to get our bottle of wine, we waited forever to get fried calamari and finally we waited forever for very disappointing meals.
We witness tables leave after waiting too long for their food. Â Our server apologized for the horrible wait times and indicated it was the kitchen's fault. Â She did not offer to comp any part of our meal or any other thing to make up for the poor experience.
Sad to say, that Basil Leaf is no longer my go-to place when company is in town.
Cozy, intimate and romantic are the words that come to my mind when I think of the ambiance in Basil Leaf Cafe.
BLC is our go-to place when we are in the mood for Italian in winter especially 'cuz not only is it very close to where we live but also the divine warm and cheesy food warms us up when we need it most. Most of the times we don't even look into their menu just ordering the specials that the waitress lists have so far never let us down.
The water & tea at Basil Leaf Cafe are absolutely amazing. Â Having different veggies & fruit soaking in them all day makes the world of a difference. Â I had my standard choice of soup & a sandwich, and the food was delicious.
On a side (totally random) note, the floors were very slippery. Â I only visited Basil Leaf Cafe once while I lived in Chicago, but I truly enjoyed it when I was there.
Well, after my 3rd experience with Basil Leaf, I thought it time to make an educated review.
I can't stand how good their food is. And after reading some of the 2 or 3-star reviews, I feel sorry they didn't have one of my experiences. I love the duality of the seating area--either in the main dining room or the bar. Both offer full-service wait staff, so it just depends on how busy they are and what type of mood your'e in.
I love their bolognese and tortellini w/ peas. I could eat either of those every day for dinner. Also, the gorgonzola mushroom appetizer is nummy! Usually I find gorgonzola to be a bit too pungent for my taste, but this was perfectly salty and earthy. Ooo...I forgot about their spring mix salad with cherries and brie. Seriously decadent.
I've only had dinner there, and both times it definitely had some mood lighting going on. This place would be great for a nice date with good food. The wine selection is decent and the staff will help you choose a glass or bottle that matches the meal.
Watch out for parking. Being on Clark, it's hard to find a spot. There is valet (I think), but just suck it up and take a cab. That way you can enjoy as much wine as you'd like!!!
Mangia people. Mangia!
You know you've become too stuck in your ways of living downtown when you consider going to Lincoln Park a road trip. However, a movie we wanted to see was only playing at Landmark so we decided to make a day of it.
After the movie we decided to eat at Basil Leaf Cafe and I'm really glad we did.
The little intro note inside the menu stating the original was a place called Pastas Cafe in Long Island, NY brought a smile to my face as I remembered going there as a kid!
The menu itself had a lot of great choices. Amy had some delicious pasta with grilled chicken and I had the carbonara which was awesome. The Caesar salad we split was delish too and the wine was tasty.
Our server was super friendly and genuinely seemed to enjoy her job which isn't often the case at places downtown.
The other noticeable difference between downtown was price. So reasonable for the food and wine!
After paying our bill we ended up at the bar for another cocktail. I don't know her name, but the bartender there on Saturday night with the brown hair should bottle whatever happy pill she takes in the morning (if in fact it's not already bottled) because I've never in my entire life had service by someone in such a wonderful mood!
We'll definitely be back.
As I pushed open the door to this little Italian cafe on Clark street, I wondered how I had never seen it before. After all- I have been on this stretch of Clark time and time again.
But all of that confusion quickly faded as I entered the bar area, saw my friend already seated and waiting for me and was served up a beer by a friendly bartender who was laughing at the antics of my friend and me. The room was nice- casual and comforting with high top booths along the wall and a more casual feeling that the restaurant area in the next room that felt a little more formal with it's white linen topped tables.
We had asked to be seated by the windows in the main room but since those were all 4 tops and we were only a party of two- we were seated "close" to the windows but more in the middle of the busy room. Oh well. Maybe if you go on a less busy night or bring a larger group- you can sit in the windows!
Our server, Lucy, was the highlight of my evening (well, after my much sought after entree, anyway!). It was her first night- and had we not asked- we never would have known this as she was "on her game". She knew the menu, made some great suggestions and had that kind of pleasant personality that all servers should learn. We talked a bit throughout the night long enough to know a little about each other and she even asked us our names so she would know us the next time we came in. Loved it- she really made our night!
How about the food? The food was great! They had one of my all time favorite foods as the special of the day -soft shell crab. Even more special since when I had been at Shaw's the night before- they were totally out of it. And being they are only in season for a couple of months- I try to get them as often as I can when they are in season.
We started with an appetizer of the Cajun calamari (a suggestion by the table next to us). Delicious! Next up- a Caesar salad which, while predictable was quite tasty and then, of course, the entrees. The soft shell crab was clearly the winner (served with linguine and spinach ahhhh) as my friend's gnocchi was drowning in a marinara sauce that was only okay. Also know that the hot bread that they serve, is liable to ruin your dinner, it is that good! Â And it is replaced as soon as you eat it so know that you have been warned! Â Just say "no" or you will keep eating it as we did!
Parking in this area is a bit of a challenge as most of the side streets are permit parking only. My suggestion? If you drive- there are spots at the grocery store up the street ($18 for the evening) or at the Children's Hospital lot after 7. A better idea? Take a cab.
Dinner with drinks was about $100 for the two of us.
Great service, good food and an ambiance an encourages you to sit and linger awhile. Check out the Basil Leaf Cafe. And bring a party of four so you can sit by those big open windows in the front!
After hearing about the Basil Leaf Cafe on 'Check Please' and figuring out it's very close proximity to my house, I decided to check it out while I have family visiting. The dining room was quite but warm and inviting. The decorations were elegant but not over done.
The food was hearty, delicious, and served in enormous portions. At our table we tried the lobster ravioli, eggplant Parmesan and a chicken dish. All were fantastic.
Some stand out points from our dining experience:
-The water served here is infused with fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs that can been seen in the pitcher. Not only is this a beautiful presentation but also adds something extra, a bit of sweetness, to other wise plain table water.
-The salad selection was very good as well, although many only differed in an ingredient or two. I would have been helpful if they were named as I felt like I was reading a grocery list when ordering my Spring mix with almonds, goat cheese and house balsamic.
-The wait staff is attentive and friendly
Overall I highly recommend the Basil Leaf Cafe for a hearty Italian meal.
I DON'T like Italian. To clarify, my mom's family is Italian and like all Italians, I think my family cooks THE BEST Italian food. Thus I'm an admittedly unfair snob when it comes to outside Italian food--particularly at restaurants(I try to review friends/extended family cooking with rose/chianti- colored glasses ;-)
That said, Basil Leaf Cafe is my favorite Italian restaurant in Lincoln Park thus far. The 4-5 dishes I've tried have ranged from good to scrumptious. Their salads are particularly good, with lots of options, very atypical for Italian (spinach w/ apples raisins & walnuts; spring greens with fried brie, dried cherries & almonds, etc)--& at dinner you can get a half-portion for around $4-5. Â I also love the gnocchi with basil pesto, sundried tomatoes & pine nuts.
Prices are on the reasonable side of typical for the 'hood, but lunch is REALLY good--their sandwiches are fantastic & all under $10!
Best. Gnocchi. Ever.
Not generally a huge fan, but ordered it on a whim, mostly intrigued by the sun-dried tomato, pine nut and pesto sauce. Â I was blown away. Â Light and airy, soft but not at all gummy; each bite was better than the one before! Â I've been here a few times and tried other dishes, but they were pretty unremarkable. Â The same goes for my opinion of the place as a whole. Â It's good...but nothing to get excited about.
Whoa. The new location has not improved anything. My parents and I decided to give it another shot a few months back. I ordered linguine or spaghetti with scallops. Every scallop I bit into still had part of its shell on it. I'm lucky I didn't break a tooth. I wanted to complain to the server at the beginning/during my meal, but she was nowhere to be found. I ate around the scallops and hoped for the best. At the end of the meal, I'd only eaten about 1/3 of the dish and the server was incredulous that I didn't want to take it home with me. I explained then that the scallops were not properly cleaned and pointed to the bits of shell I'd piled up on my bread plate. She apologized, but that's all.
Maybe the restaurants where I've worked in the past were classier, but had I been the server, I would have asked the manager to comp the dish or (at the very least) offer a free drink or dessert or something. I can't believe this is the same place I used to love a few years ago.
And, as if my prior experiences weren't enough to keep me at bay, a friend of mine worked there over the summer and told me story after story about how rude, demanding and downright inappropriate the owner/manager was. Never, never again will I give this place another shot.
I think this restaurant is extremely overrated. The pasta is OK, the chicken is almost always dry, the iced tea is not very good in my opinion, and the poor servers (though most are very nice) are constantly frantic because the owners yell at them a lot.
I guess I can at least say that the crab cakes, the lobster ravioli, and the salad with cherries are all pretty good. However, since I usually like chicken dishes and their chicken is dry, I cannot like this place much.
I would sooner recommend Filippo's if you want Italian food.
Basil Leaf has moved over to its new location across the street and what an improvement! Everything that was frustrating about the old location -- small size, poor service, long waits -- has been corrected and/or vastly improved.
The new space is easily triple the size of the previous one, which made a huge difference since you can wait inside now instead of just standing around outside the building awkwardly. Also, they have quite a few more waiters now, which means they have more time to dedicate to their tables. The bathrooms are also larger so you don't spend 1/2 of your meal waiting outside for one.
The food is still good. It was never amazing, but a solid choice that you rarely regretted. Upscale, simple, Italian food, freshly prepared would be how I described it. It doesn't quite live up to its price point however. Its sooo close though, that I have a hard time faulting it for that.
Basically, it a solid restaurant choice for the occasional "nicer," but not quite nice, evening out.
The night started off well when we were sat next to the window on a beautiful june evening. Â The cheese plate was ok and while listed to serve 2, definitely served all 4 of us, but i've definitely had better recently. Â The pasta selection is different than any other place i've been to in chicago, but i wish the menu could venture to more places rather than 30 types of similar pasta. Â I had the linguinie with pancetta and proscuitto which was nicely salty and rich. Â My husband had the rigatoni with italian sausage which I did not like at all and he was just ok with. Â
The waitress did not come back with more bread, even though we clearly ate up the first piece within seconds of her setting it down. Â There were also used glasses from sodas etc that remained on the table (which was very small to seat 4 in the first place) taking up valuable real estate. Â It was not that busy being a sunday night, so we felt a bit neglected. Â
all in all, i guess i would come back here if a friend recommended it, but it wouldn't be a first choice by a long shot.
Wow I obviously haven't been in a few months since I didn't know that they relocated. I'll have to check it out again soon. But based on all the times I've been there before they moved I can say that The Basil Leaf is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago.
I wouldn't actually call this an italian restaurant. I feel like its more like mock Italian or California Italian. So if I'm craving Italian food this is not where I go. I go here when I'm specifically craving Basil Leaf, which is actually more often than I can manage to get out there. I always enjoy my food thoroughly. They are experts at flavoring. Everyone I've brought to The Basil Leaf also really enjoyed their meals. The price isn't cheap, but for the quality of the food and service you get its definitely worth it. The servers are very attentive. You feel like you're in a fine dining establishment, but you don't have to pay the price for it.
Although I do tend to order booze with my meals, which definitely knocks the price up a bit. But they have great wines and you can't beat their tiramisu martini.
*update 8/19/08: I LOVE the new restaurant! They must have been doing well to go from such a teeny tiny spot to such an enormous place. The new place is beautifully decorated with great ambiance. My only complaint is that because it is so much bigger it doesn't have that nice cozy romantic feeling that it used to have. The food and tiramisu martini are just as good though!*
I had a serious Italian craving on Saturday night and made my way about 50 feet from my apartment to the Basil Leaf. Â I can't believe that after nearly a year of living in the neighborhood I had never eaten here before.
The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was the temperature. Â Within a minute of sitting down my face felt all flush and I felt my armpits sweating. Â This caused us to go with a chilled Riesling for dinner as opposed to the usual red wine. Â Our waitress was awesome and acknowledged it was a little steamy inside and offered to pump up the AC. Â
The menu was pretty standard.. nothing really jumped out at me. Â I generally stick with some sort of chicken or lasagna dish when I go for Italian, so I ended up choosing the linguine with chicken and lemon sauce, with the granny apple spinach salad to start. Â Both definitely hit the spot and I did not leave hungry (I am actually finishing the rest of the meal today for lunch). Â
Our waitress was awesome, too. Â Awesome enough to leave $30 tip of a $70 total bill. Â I wish I would have taken her name down for future visits.
This place is fairly easy to get a table at. Â Even though it is slightly small (though much bigger than the old location across the street) we only waited about 5 minutes for a table on a Saturday night. Â I would definitely recommend it for a quick good meal or a date night.
Wonderful atmosphere, great service, water with sliced fruit in the pitcher to give it a fresh taste, and lets talk about the bruschetta they hand out for free as a starter. YUM! Â But that's only the half of it....
the Butternut squash soup, so rich, decadent and smooth...the bowl was HUGE, but you wont want to stop slurrping it down!..... and field salad with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and a WONDERFUL honey vinaigrette....and all this for under $10. AMAZING
Some of the pastas are 'different' than you would find anywhere else, and they even say that on the menu... "all pastas, but not all Italian" I remember some with an Asian tang to it, others with thought out and wonderful flavors combined but no real region influence to think of. Â Speaking of different, the ICED TEA... it has this lovely minty taste. VERY refreshing.
If you are ever in the area, stop in! The food is fast and delicious... and they even have carry out!
I was unfortunately disappointed by this place. Â I've lived in the area for years and just never got around to going there, and went tonight with 3 friends. Â The service was good and the atmosphere nice, but the food really wasn't that good. Â I got butternut squash ravioli with spinach and garlic and you could barely taste the pasta because it was doused with burnt garlic taste [and was $15 on top of it!] Â My friend got the penne vodka and said it wasn't that good either - honestly, how can you mess up something that simple? Â (However, the table bread service was good; yummy bread.)
3 stars is actually generous, but I am hopeful that the other menu options are better. Â I'll give it one more shot since it's a neighborhood spot...
I stopped in with the boyfriend's parents after we tried eating at Mamacitas and discovered they didn't have any air conditioning.
The Basil Leaf was the perfect fix. (They had A/C...ahhhhh). They have a very cute and clean atmosphere. I'm sure it has some romance going for it at night.
The parents ordered sandwiches which were big and chalked full of freshness like fresh slices of avocado. I wasn't feeling too good so I went kinda boring and just got soup and salad. Their tomato and basil soup was superb and once again, super fresh.
Like others have said, I thought the pitcher of water with the fruit in it was so cool. I'm nerdy and love little touches like that. Â I'm glad we found this place.
I always forget about Basil Leaf Cafe and I think everyone else must as well because it's very easy to get in on a Friday or Saturday night. They don't take reservations and it's a pretty small restaurant, but they always seem to be able to fit us in.
We had dinner here last night with 2 other couples and as always it was very good. I had the salmon, which was delicious and very filling. Â Everyone else at the table had pasta dishes, which is 75% of the Basil Leaf menu, and I enjoyed all the tastes I had as well. Â
The atmosphere is adorable and they have a great outdoor patio for the summertime. Â It's a great atmosphere for a date, but also good for a group of people. The prices are also very reasonable. Last night's dinner included 2 bottles of wine and it came out to approximately $60/couple. I don't think Basil Leaf Cafe is as good as La Scarola, Rosebud, and some other favorite Italian restaurants in Chicago, but it's still very good.
Great casual dining... Italian and Asian pasta dishes.
I've been here three or four times, and I've had good food and great service each time. Â Nice place to take your parents or a date without being overly fancy.
Prices are completely reasonable and portions are huge.
I recommend getting one of the outdoor tables and people watching on Clark street.
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