Basil Mediterranean Bistro & Wine Bar

One word: amazing. Service was impressive (surprisingly fast and our server was so anticipative, knowing that we were short on time), she even gave us free cheesecake dessert cubes!
I ordered the chicken kabob which was a bit dry — however, everything else was splendid. The salad that came with the entrée was fantastic, and mix of the flavors from the tzakiki sauce and hummus were spot on .
Fun food with a variety of different flavors in every the plate — definitely a must if you’re visiting the corner at UVA!

I came here on a whim with a friend after class and now I am kicking myself for not trying this place out earlier!
Service: We came after the lunch rush, around 1:30 so the place was empty. Our waitress was attentive without being overbearing. She was helpful when explaining the portion sizes of the salad and offered to validate parking, if need.
Food: Oh my lanta — this place knows how to make a salad. Seriously, the small could easily feed two people. I ordered the Salmon Nicoise and it was easily one of the best salads I’ve had. All of the vegetables tasted fresh and crisp. I loved the sweet savory combo between the feta cheese, salmon, vegetables and dates. My only complaint is my salmon was tough /​over cooked.
Price: Definitely worth the price. My salad was $ 12, but it was a huge and I had leftovers for dinner.
All in all, really great food and experience. Will have to come back and try the falafel.

The portions here are incredible, and sometimes you get complimentary small dishes! I’ve received crostini with fig jam and some kind of chocolate mousse dessert that were really good. In the evening it’s super dark though, kind of wish I could see what I’m eating!
I’m not much of a salad person, but I’ve gotten the Tel Aviv Express here multiple times. The dolmas and pita wraps are also really good.
You get a discount for paying with cash, but I’m not sure if that’s just for delivery. Overall I really like coming here for brunch/​lunch.

The food here is amazing! The wine selection is even better!
The service was the best. I have nothing but great things to say about this place. We had the spanakopita to start it was very fresh and came with hummus and tzatziki sauce both of which were really good.
The have a dinner special it comes with house wine and pasta for 19 bucks. Its huge! If you get q sand which skip the fries the salad is awesome ask for that instead you wont be disappointed.

Came here for dinner while visiting Charlottsville and was impressed by the delicious food and large portion sizes. Monday night they have a pasta special (salad, pasta and cheesecake for $ 15) which a few in my party partook in. I myself had the salmon Salad which was huge and filled with deliciousness included fried pita chips, olives and dates. The sampler spreads appetizer was good but nothing mind blowing. The cheesecake dessert, which I snuck a few bites of had a lovely honey drizzle which I loved! Definitely a unique Mediterranean twist on cheesecake.
This menu is HUGE so there is definitely something for everyone and the prices were fair. I would certainly return.

Everything about this restaurant is absolutely great! It’s situated on the corner which is known for its bar food and liquor. This situation sets basil apart from the rest. They have a phenomenal wine bar. I don’t normally like reds but they had a great Wine from Greece.
For lunch I always get the Blau burger or he gyro. For dinner I love the pear and cheese pasta.
Great coffee too.
The quiet and down to earth ambiance makes basil a great destination for students and visitors to the corner alike!

Listen, the food was good but the service was really bad. We sat at our table on a Sunday afternoon and waited at least 10 minutes before ever getting menus. They were in fact busy and delayed service is to be expected, but no one even recognized us sitting at a table in the middle of the restaurant for a long time. I’ve been a waitress in the past at an extremely busy restaurant and know the hard work and dedication this takes, so I’m typically very sensitive to how hard the wait staff works and am very patient. But, this was a horrible experience, the restrooms were gross and we went to give our waiter our card and he put the check down on the table, wouldn’t even take the card. This was after waiting 20 min after we finished eating. Very rude!
Look guys, you have a great product but your wait staff does in fact need work on their customer service! Probably would never go back on the principle of bad service.

The food was 5 stars, without a doubt. I only give a 4 star rating because of the bad service. But I mainly care about the food — and the food was spectacular.
Crispy felafel, succulent lamb, house-​made dolmas, and a balsamic reduction salad that rocked my world. This is simply an amazing restaurant.
I only wish that our waitress had been a bit more attentive. They seemed to be understaffed.
Worth a visit!

I’ve been here a few times now and every time I find myself thinking, «I should come here more often». As the name implies, this is a Mediterranean restaurant with a rather broad menu. It reads like a novel.
Here’s a hint, the salads are good and come in huge serving sizes. The large size is enough to feed 2. The gyros are alright, choose a panini with falafel instead. Order the dolmas; they’re pretty good and have an interesting interpretation of the classic. The beef shawarma is delicious; opt for the side salad and eat the side fries off your friend’s dishes. You’ll be delighted to find that even the side salads are huge. Desert from what I remember is decent but I wouldn’t come here for that. I would however recommend the Turkish coffee. That packs a powerful punch in a small serving!
The ambiance is a mix of bistro and swanky art bar. As my coworker noted; «Hey! That’s a Matisse on the wall». Cool points added. The service is friendly, attentive, and good on refilling water. All in all, good for the Corner!

So I liked that it’s themed but not overly themey. So I like that it’s fancy but not overly pricey.
You know how sometimes you want a dessert that’s rich and decadent and sometimes you want a dessert that’s light and fruity? Well the Nutella crostini here offers the perfect combination of desires.
I can’t finish this review because I am on my way back to Cville to dine here again.
SO GOOD!

One of my favorite restaurant on the Corner! Their salad portions are HUGE. Even if you get small size, I guarantee you, you’ll be full. I got a small salad but its portion was huge that i had to take home leftover. Their food is very delicious that no matter what you get, you’ll be satisfied.
However, I have to say that their service is not as great as food because it takes too long to get a check and get my card back.
My to-​go restaurant! I had never been disappointed!

Basil has a very extensive menu which I enjoy. The fact that there is a good price range too (8 $-18 $) let’s me have free wiggle room wallet-​wise. Service is friendly and speedy. I ordered a shrimp pita rollup and my only problem was that it was overstuffed, things fell off when I tried to eat it and towards the end I had to use a fork. It was yummy just quite very messy. Otherwise it’s a great place for a cheap nice meal.

Great wine list and enjoyed the salads, which are delicious and very generously portioned (order the small unless you want to take a lot home!). The service was fantastic — we had a small problem with our order that was remedied right away and our waiter was very friendly.
If you are looking for good quality basic Mediterranean food with a solid wine list — this is your place.