Basil Cafe Restaurant

Another perfect dining experience.

The food was amazing as usual, everyone loved what they ordered.

From the appetizers to dessert, everything came out in a timely manner and was delicious. The entrees were perfectly seasoned, the recommended jeweled rice was fantastic and complimented each dish nicely. The eggplant and bbq chicken apps were prepared just right, not heavy but tasty.
There was also the Chocolate Bread Pudding and Baklava that were amazing.

Water glasses were constantly filled, and we brought our own wine which they uncorked for us.

Pretty much ate everything.

Always a great dining experience at this little gem of a restaurant.

This place exceeded my expectations. It is quaint and lovely. The food is incredible. I like the variety the menu and cannot wait to return. Even my leftovers were amazing. Also, the service was wonderful!

Just to say... BABABOOM place ! The ambient is awesome. The service is excellent always attended to our table with a beautiful smile! Her name, I believe, is joann ( my apologies if I am wrong). She was at all-time taking care of our table for whatever we may need . It is very impressive to get service like that . The food was excellent, and it was a different flavor on every plate. Sometimes, in many restaurants, the food tastes the same. Basil Cafe has excellent chefs and service. 100% recommended this place 👌 I will recommend to make reservations. Sending always positive energy all around to all. Kisses and hugs king size muuuah be safe and stay healthy 💖 oooh do not forget to bring your own bottle!!

Amazing little cute restaurant with delicious food. They only have a few tables so definitely make your reservations beforehand. We paid about $50 per person and the food was great. Perfect place for a date night.

I had my daughter’s bridal shower at Basil. The outdoor deck was the perfect venue. People raved about the food and the service was excellent.
Chef Ray and his wife, Ari were amazing to work with. They treated us like family.

I can’t say enough about Basil in Saint James, our fourth time here and it keeps getting better. This time we went with another couple. We brought in wine and beer and from the minute we sat down it all was fantastic. We started with BBQ chicken flatbread and Shrimp Skewers which were flavorful and perfectly cooked. I had lamb chops in a mustard sauce,cooked medium rare with these small potatoes cooked to perfection and I don’t like potatoes and these are the exception. Our waitress was engaging and helped keep our table clear of the wine and beer . Basil is a small restaurant with just 11 tables inside but during the summer there are 12 more outside. So its very cozy inside bit the tables don’t feel to close. Great ambience. So much delicious food to choose from at Basil Something for everyone. Mediterranean style. I cleared my plate and wanted more . Basil a great date night location as well as couples.

Pictured is the Caesar salad, Soltani and apple blossom. All 3 delicious, excellent food presentation. I've had my fair share of Persian food and this place does not disappoint. It was my first visit along with my girlfriend (an expert on Persian food.) Small and intimate setting. Beautiful interior design. I do see future visits (interested in their pasta selection.) If going for dinner, I do recommend calling ahead for reservations. Street parking only. BYOB. Friendly hostess and very helpful.

I would like to thank you for the pleasant service and delicious food.
The owners are so nice and it was such a great evening!

Today my friends and I had dinner together. Our choice for dinner:
- Sauteed Eggplant, topped with crushed walnuts and caramelized onion with pita bread.
-Zereshk Polo and Zereshk Polo with tofu. I took a small piece of tofu to try and the taste pleasantly surprised me, it was delicious!
My vegetarian friend also really liked it.
- Basil Special (a combination of Joojeh & Barg) it was my choice, and It was very tasty! If you are very hungry, I recommend choosing this dish.

We also ordered dessert, but only one for all, because we were full and there was almost no room for dessert.
It was Apple Blossom with ice cream! Yummy!

And one more small and pleasant detail that I liked is the simple and elegant tableware.

I would recommend everyone go there and make reservations too.

First visit today. Was awesome. The crab cakes were unbelievable! The shrimp skewers were almost too pretty to eat. Felt like we went out of town. Very cozy and nice ambiance.

This was my first time here. I absolutely love it. The staff an owner are amazing. The food is fresh is fresh could be I love the fact that you can bring your own alcohol. I highly recommend this to anybody that’s looking for Great fresh food.

This was our first visit to Basil's and it won't be our last. The food and service was excellent. We had 2 appetizers sautéed eggplant and pita for 6. My main dish was zereshk polo. It was delicious. They have an outside area in the back that opens in warmer weather that is very nice.

Service: very friendly, social, and attentive.
Atmosphere: small dining room with visible kitchen. Classic drawings on wall, cozy. Amazing patio out back.
Price: A dash pricey, but a very good deal for what you get. I would never call my meal expensive.
Food: decent presentation, nice flavor. Clam chowder is amazing.

Went in for lunch. It wasn't too busy, except a large table of obvious local women who meet up. Server was attentive and nice enough to sneak my 1 entree in so I didn't have to wait for the 12 other dishes to be made. Food was pretty tasted and prepared very well. I definitely recommend.

A total hidden gem!
Have been coming here for quite some time and they never miss. The food, the ambiance, every single detail is perfection! Ray and his team do a spectacular job, Shout out for Carla for being the BEST server. A few of my favorites include the butternut squash soup special, the kale salad with salmon, the hummus platter and don’t forget to finish off the meal with their insane bread pudding! Highly suggest making a reservation since the space is small!

My new favorite restaurant 😍 I wanted to go out to dinner with hubby - but not the diner or some other cookie cutter restaurant. I wanted delicious food, a relaxing atmosphere, great wait staff & a memorable dining experience. Guess what?!? Basil Cafe was all that & more! Loved our enthusiastic waitress, Carla❤👍🏻I can't wait to go back & try more delicious food. Thanks Basil for making Saturdays dining experience a 10 out of 10.

A great restaurant with amazing food, great atmosphere and attentive wait staff. We have eaten there numerous times and every dish was always delicious. The food is always fresh and tastes great. The owner Ray and his wife are always welcoming and pleasant. Bringing your own wine is also a great addition to your dinner experience... Highly recommend Basil in St. James

Lovely restaurant at Saint James main Street with backyard garden for outdoor dining.

Recommendation: watermelon salad, honey

Food: Their watermelon salad is very astonishing. Sweet watermelon in a sour sauce with mild spicy and rich mint. Everything other than watermelon seems to be in the opposite direction of my expectation on watermelon. The mixture of them tastes like summer ;) I also ordered Zereshk Polo as main dish with saffron barberry rice. The topping of rice is sweet. It contains pistachio, some berry and onion. Personally the chicken is a bit salty for me and I feel like that is why the yogurt is here. The yogurt tastes quite refreshing. The honey is recommend because there was a bee working hard to collect the honey from my dessert plate LOL

Parking: Free street parking.

I’m not a big Persian food person. But this was very good. Filling and tasty, there was a love in the food that you don’t get everywhere. We got our entrees “jeweled” which I highly recommend. Everything tasted homemade and the menu was very diverse. To have rice as a side dish sounded underwhelming, but it was INCREDIBLE. We will DEFINITELY be going back. This place is amazing!

We came from a meeting with our mortgage broker and decided to try this restaurant since we were parked right next to it...OMG what a great decision that was!!! Everything from the service to the food was exceptional. Already thinking about what to order the next time we return. Nothing negative to write about this place!!!

First time here, have heard only good things about Basil. Food was delicious, service was spot on.

Had a great lunch at this BYO establishment. Everything from ambiance, service, taste, and presentation were well done. Highly recommended!