Holy Basil Thai

This was our first time and it was for our anniversary. The staff had made a little note with anniversary wishes and some chocolates, this little gesture made my wife and I really appreciated. The food Fantastic and really good. It was presented with a smile and tasted fantastic. Crispy tamarind prawns tasted amazing and satay chicken was good. Thai fried rice for our son was nice and tasty, crisp barramundi and chill jam stir fry does not fail to impress. Tried many Thai restaurants over the years and hands down Holy Basil has been the best. Recommend this place for any occasion.

Thai food! You probably think, like myself, that you had Thai many times. Personally, it's my go to Asian cuisine.

But after last night experience please remember what I'm telling you: You Didn't Had Thai Until You Try This!!!

Holy Basil kitchen is mind-blowing! The guys working there are Gods! Thai Gods!

Last night dinner was perfect:
- excellent service in the saloon
- short cooking time (we were the first table of the day)
- amazing food full of flavour, fresh ingredients, balanced tastes!

I cannot give 6 stars to this restaurant, but I would!

Actually...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We ordered chicken pad thai and green curry for takeout for three times. Every time, without fail, the green curry and chicken pad thai were incredibly fresh and delicious. The service was fast, and the staff were consistently polite and accommodating. If you're craving authentic Thai cuisine with prompt service and friendly faces, this is the place to go. Highly recommended!

Arrival & First Impressions:
My wife and I arrived 10 minutes earlier than our booking. We were checked in via an electronic tab at the door and seated within 10 seconds. The restaurant has nice modern decor, very clean, and every table is spotless with place setting neatly organised. And all staff members (from floor to kitchen) was immaculately dressed.

The Staff:
Our table was attended by Bella & Mod. We found both of them to be extremely efficient, attentive, and provided their service with a smile throughout our booking.

Drinks:
The drinks menu clearly shows that they support producers from the Yarra Valley region. We ordered the Napoleone Apply Cider - which came in quite a generous glass and super chilled.

The Food:
We ordered Myanmar Tea Leaf Salad - very unusual (but in a pleasant way), with plenty of crunch & pop in the texture, and savoury in flavour; Chargrilled Calamari - the calamari was almost marshmallow like in texture (super soft), served with naam jim sauce that was perfectly balanced with sweet/sour/savoury and a hint of heat; Crisp Barramundi Red Curry - crispy and fresh (not frozen) with the richest and creamy red curry; Jungle Beef Stir Fry - plenty of flavour and generous amounts of vegetables & beef; Sticky Date & Logan Pudding - what can I say... that "butterscotch sauce" OMG.

Summary:
Overall, we thought Holy Basil Thai offered a very good dinning experience. Service, delivery of food (timing), quality & taste of food was very good. Everything was seamless.

What impressed me the most was that how well this restaurant is run - the floor staff and the kitchen staff performed like a well oiled machine. All the floor staff provided their service efficiently with a smile, and the kitchen staff was equally as efficient and very professional with each other. I personally take note of these things after dealing with the hospitality industry for almost 2 decades. Credit to everyone!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the holy basil. The warm and inviting atmosphere while we eat washes a relaxed mood over all customers. Customer sevice very good. Food portioning was so generous we had 3 take away bowls. My lil sister appreciated the complimentry chicken and chips many thanks to Mrs J. Can't wait for our next visit.

Fantastic food. All the dishes from entrees to dessert were superb. Impeccable service and presentation. Authentic Thai cuisine with classy twist. So delicious and such a wonderful evening with celebrating a family birthday. Not the first visit and definitely not the last. Highly recommend
Thank you Julia, Duncan and all the fabulous staff of Holy Basil.

Ahhh … surprise find after a house inspection in the area. Waiting staff were courteous and friendly, found us a table though they were almost full house.
Loved the fusion of Thai-Korean-Japanese sauces with fresh ingredients - all my tastebuds were singing with joy, so to speak 🤩👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽❤❤❤❤❤❤
We tried their crispy pork belly and chicken pad Thai, accompanied by margarita and beer. Their sticky date pudding was lovely with ice cream and drizzled in sauce. Their coffee was a beautiful finish to our yummy dinner night.

Thank you, chefs and wait staff of HBT; we had a delightful culinary experience ❤❤❤❤❤

Was highly rated by my Mum so, we went and we were not disappointed. The staff were great as was our seat/s.
We were a table of 5 and can't work out why we couldn't do a 2 per "meal deal" and a 3 person "meal deal". There is no extra benefit for the customer or the restaurant. You just have to put the food on the table and then we eat!!!

Despite this, we had a great time. So much so, we forgot to take photos!!! (Apart from desert)

We are coming back

If there was 6 stars, I would give it 7…

Amazing food!
Amazing service!
Fantastic atmosphere and presentation!

Duncan and Julia and their team catered for my wife’s dietary requirements (Low FODMAP) very well…

Calling other restaurants to come and experience what the benchmark is!

The food was very delicious and fresh, with friendly staff and a very nice vibe. we love it.

To Duncan and your team,
Your hospitality is truly amazing, food delicious, good selection of beverages. We celebrated my wife's 50th birthday with 22 family and friends, you and your staff looked after us professionally.
I highly recommend Holy Basil to anyone for great tasting Thai food. Your the best in the business.

1st time ordering from Holy Basil. Restaurant was full. They told me it would be approx 45 minutes wait for takeaway.
Meal ready in 5 mins. Delicious food!. Will definitely be back!
Tamarind Prawns were sensational.

23/2/23 - they started making chicken dishes now and their dishes are amazing. Now giving them 5 stars

Very good place for Thai food. We have tasted 5 to 6 dishes and they taste really good. Only thing that prevents me from giving 5 stars is that they don’t make chicken dishes and it’s just vegetarian or sea food.

Have dined here 3 times in the span of 3 years and the meals on 3 occasions were amazing! The serving sizes are generous and the price is very reasonable.
Pad thai is delicious!
The only dish I believe needs some work is the pickled tea salad :)

We had an amazing meal, three of us had dinner & we all loved our meal. They even made one of my favorite dishes, that isn’t on the menu now. All the staff are attentive, polite & knowledgeable, Julia & Duncan are amazing hosts. We had Mains - Fish in the garden, Pad Thai with Prawns, Mushroom Larb, & Holy green curry. Entree - Tamarind prawns, calamari & Roti. Also had enough left over for each of us for lunch the next day.

A very pleasant experience indeed. Ambiance was warm and welcoming. Service was great and cuisine was fantastic. Best Thai restaurant in South East Melbourne. Ordered, the chargrilled squid, pad thai and the crispy belly pork stirfy for a delicious beautiful presented meal for two. We love Thai cuisine and we are so happy that we have found an excellent Thai restaurant we will definitely dine at with family and friends. Can't wait to try out their other tantalising dishes.

Always an absolute treat going to Holy Basil! We have been twice now and both times we've selected the set menu option both times. The food is plentiful and tastes amazing. The set menu consists of two entrees, two mains and a side. Pair it with a wine from Vue on Halcyon (a local winery nearby - the Pinot Grigio is to die for) and you're sure to have a very memorable dinner. Without a doubt one of the best upmarket Thai restaurants in the east.

We were recommended to go by friends and were absolutely blown away! The food here is INREDIBLE!! It came out super fast, the staff were friendly and attenuative, super clean and amazing vibe. Will visit very often! What a gem in the eastern suburbs, cannot recommend enough!

I always love this place! Amazingly delicious, fresh and super allergy friendly food! I always love the gluten free roti bread with peanut sauce!! But the new red curry arancini salad is phenomenal and the vegan delight dessert is also sublime!

Lovely place fantastic food amazing experience.