Basil Leaf Cafe

This is our favorite place to come in Lincoln Park, we would go almost every other week when I lived in the neighborhood. The atmosphere is so cute, and the staff is quick and attentive. I love their butternut squash soup, goat cheese and cranberry salad, and angel hair with vegetables. My boyfriend loves their lobster ravioli and salmon penne pasta. We held a graduation dinner and birthday dinner for parties of about 10 each time and they handled our large groups perfectly. Can’t wait to come back for more. I do wish they would bring back their vegetable risotto though! I loved it but it’s no longer on the menu :(

I had yet another outstanding dinner at Basil Leaf last night! Their menu is fabulous and after sampling many different entrees, I’m convinced each and every one is so well thought out and prepared. Last night I ordered a favorite, Penne Ala Vodka, which never disappoints! My dining companions ordered the special and absolutely loved the soft shell crab with linguini. Service is always outstanding and the wine list wonderful. Delightful dining room with french doors opening to sidewalk. Highly recommend!

We had a wonderful graduation dinner celebration at The Basil Leaf. Seventeen people — the number kept changing– and the staff was very patient with us. We had an amazing salmon dinner which everyone loved and attentive service. It could not have been nicer. Thank you Shawn and our lovely attentive waitress.
Linda Hoff Irvin

Food was great, service was great, atmosphere was fun. Can’t argue with this one. Came in with a small group of friends on a Saturday night, we were seated right away, I found that concerning at first but did not regret it one bit. Place is a little on the pricey side but it’s worth it.

Great spot for private events/​dinners. Family owned and operated. Their website makes ordering carry out easy and customizable.

Came in for lunch today around 3. it was midday so the place was pretty empty. Nice and quit. The service was good. The waitress was nice and attentive which is rare when getting a table for one in a restaurant and just ordering a couple sides.
Started with a bread roll and basil dipping sauce. The bread was classic rustic Italian roll. The dipping sauce is pretty unique. Basil and misc herbs in a clear olive oil. It has a fresh taste. Not as strong as the regular oil /​balsamic mix most places give you.
I ordered the spring salad (half order) and cup of tomato soup. The salad was fresh. Had mushrooms, walnuts and gorgonzola. Comes with balsamic vinaigrette. I had it put on the side. But its was good. The tomato soup was called creamy basil. It wasn’t as creamy or sweet as normal creamy soup. It was chunkier and had a more earthy sweetness. I think the tomato was toned down with black pepper and carrot. Really hearty. Good taste.

I love the vibe of this place. I went on a friday night and it wasn’t packed at all. The gnocchi pesto is to die for and I love the freshness of the calamari! Definitely recommend.

Great linguini with meatballs and a really nice place to have dinner. Highly recommend.

Came here for some really fresh food… CAlifornia style and was not disappointed. Autumn butternut squash soup was superb and the spinach salad was really fresh and delightful.
Great indoor/​outdoor atmosphere with open doors by the street and a very friendly wait staff. Well worth the trip!

Don’t come here if you’re limited on time… After nearly an hour of waiting I got it boxed and went on my way.
Staff were kind which was a bonus– but can’t say I was too thrilled with sitting there that long.

Just had lunch here, ordered polenta with Gorgonzola and NY strip steak appetizer and half salad with cranberry and goat cheese. Great, sophisticated, fresh! Polenta was superbly crispy on the outside and soft inside, salad had just perfect proportion of sweet and savory. Service great and quick, AC made it even better in this hot day. Great spot, great for meetings, spacious and has a lot of «leg room».

This place only gets two stars for its warm
bread and olive oil. Other than that, the pasta was overcooked and the sauce was not seasoned properly. The dessert was stale and off putting. I would not recommend, even if it’s the closest place nearby. The service is great, however, but that’s the only reason I would come again.

I live in the neighborhood so we end up there with family at least once or twice a month. I have almost tried everything on the menu and ALWAYS been happy and satisfied! ! For the price, no comparison! ! 5 stars for sure… :-)

Last week was my first trip to Basil Leaf in 15 years and my first meal at its «new» location across the street. I remembered the pasta having excellent and simple sauces, and an authentic vibe. Although a lot has changed, its dedication to excellence is still the same.
My 12 year old son and I sat down at a romantic two-​seater table. We had enough room to sit side by side. We were each given a warm, aromatic wheat roll dusted with flour. Although I knew I was going to order pasta, I couldn’t resist sopping the bread in the olive oil infused the night before with chunks of roasted garlic, basil, sun dried tomatoes, and oregano. The oil was so thick and rich I could easily call it a sauce.
I ordered a glass of chianti classico and my son had a large bottle of lemonade. We were ready to eat!
Basil Leaf boasts their menu can be made 98% gluten free, so I thought I would give one of these items a go. I ordered the gluten free gnocchi with a delicious creamy pine nut, sun dried tomato pesto sauce. Although gnocchi is made traditionally with potato flour, it usually has wheat flour in it, too. The gnocchi pillows were soft and airy, while still maintaining their traditional heft. The biggest difference between these melt-​in your mouth delights and others’ offerings is the weight you feel in your gullet is missing. Normally, gnocchi tastes good, but your tummy feels like you just deposited rocks. Not with these. My son helped me gobble them all up. They gave me enough sauce sauce for three meals, so I packaged the leftover pesto and took it home. At home, I pan-​friend «zucchinetti» (zucchini shaved like spaghetti) with the pesto to get my son to eat veggies at home.
My son had a half order of penne pasta with a side of marinara sauce and a side of meatballs (He likes to dip his noodles like a french fry in ketchup.) The marinara is a vegetarian version (without the clam sauce) with huge leaves of basil in a mildly chunky tomato sauce. The flavors here were very simple: tomatoes, oil, basil, a touch of salt. This is what I remember from the 90s. The meatballs were moist and very traditional. The sauce was clearly made at least the day before as it had the richness only time can imbue. As with the gnocchi, I was given enough sauce to make auxiliary meals at home.
Surprisingly, we saved room for dessert. We had the key lime tart with a thick/​high hazelnut crust to custard ratio with a shaving or two of white chocolate. The show stoppers, however, were the two congealed tubes of sweet cream. I have never had cream with such a delightful consistency: solid and sweet.
Service from Sophie was impeccable. The owner’s mother stopped by to say hello. I heard the owner Sean say to his staff, «give the customers what they want.» It’s a simple philosophy that goes a long way and reveals itself in the menu. Bravo, Basil Leaf Café!

Definitely one of my favorite date places in the city. Super quiet and intimate atmosphere and everything is clean and well decorated.
They start your meal with warm rolls and fruit infused water. The salads are big enough to share and the entrée portions are enough for you to take home for seconds, or maybe even thirds. Nothing but great service each time I’ve come.
I also stopped in the day before the Chicago marathon last year (with my race bag after I had picked everything up) and the waitress saw my bag and congratulated me on running, plus told me I would get a free double portion of pasta to help me carb load. Super appreciated and a sweet gesture!
I brought my dad and stepmom here on a recent trip to Chicago and they also loved it. You can’t go wrong with this place!

Absolutely appalled by the level of harassment.
My friend and I came here to talk and have a drink. She left her ID at home and the waitress had the manager come let us know that my friend would not be served alcohol when we asked for some leniency (we are from the area and my friend is in her 40’s).
We accepted their rules, respectfully.
I (had my ID) finished my gin and was going to order a glass of wine. When I ordered, the same manager stormed up to our table to tell us that we wouldn’t be served. She assumed my friend had tried to order again. When we told her the drink was for me, rather than accepting this, she HARASSED us and accused us of lying.
Seriously? Not only do we work and live in the neighborhood but we were being polite and explanatory. She discriminated against us from the moment we walked in and would not leave our table. When I asked her to please leave us alone and told her would not order any drinks, she told me she was old enough to be my mother and I shouldn’t speak to her.
She should find a new job where she can handle customer service. I’ve never been so embarrassed and insulted before in my life.

Basil Leaf is a lovely Italian restaurant that has a cozy neighborhood vibe while still maintaining various upscale elements that you still want during your Italian dinner experience. I love that it can be both a fancy place for say a Saturday date night or a casual Monday night dinner place too. Wear a dress, wear your tennis shoes… you won’t feel out of place here! The pasta dishes are fantastic! Big portions just how I like it.
The only reason I am not giving them 5 stars is that a few months back a waitress, God bless her sweet soul, knocked an ENTIRE beer all over my boyfriends lap. Luckily, we lived nearby so he was able to run home and change. He was gone for about 10 – 15 minutes but I stayed at our table and I would say maybe twice the really embarrassed waitress came over to ask if I wanted to order my entrée? I was like «Um no sweetheart, I’ll wait for him to get back…» DUH GIRL, my boyfriend just got drenched in beer and I’m sure the last thing he needs is me ordering my food while he is at home changing. Another thing that ticked me off is that after she dumped that beer on him, she went back into the kitchen and we could hear the staff making fun of her and laughing hysterically. They all came out to watch my boyfriend attempt to dry his clothes and it wasn’t very professional or considerate. The last thing that was bothersome was that although the manager gave us %50 off our paycheck, it was just off our food, and my boyfriend was still charged for that beer! C’mon you could of at least given my boyfriend a free beer after that embarrassing and total inconvenient ordeal.
I forgive you Basil Leaf. You do have great pasta and I will be back… maybe with rubber pants :-)

Basil Leaf is a mix between the cozy neighborhood Italian hangout and an upscale restaurant. This is probably not a place that an out-​of-​towner would find or choose if visiting Chicago.
Our friends who lived nearby wanted to take us to their mice go-​to restaurant on a Saturday night. Being from San Francisco I was also intrigued by Game 5 of the World Series. Half the restaurant is a bar and there were few people paying attention to the game. The restaurant side of the establishment was full with about 90% of the tables occupied.
The menu is pretty traditional Italian fare and as I had already stuffed myself with pizza and brats the previous night, I decided to have a little lighter fare with a caesars salad which was quite large, along with a butternut squash aioli. The owner, Shawn (sp) was quite attentive and kept asking how we wee. The server, Sara, a petite red haired dancer fro Wisconsin was also personable and kept us updated on food progress. shawn also kept coming by to discretely give me score updates.
In the end I guess my friends were normal regulars there as we were given a complimentary tiramisu which we all ate with tons of guilt.
If you want to get away to where locals eat in Chicago, this is a great find and not far from Wrigleyville and other bars.

We enjoyed the pub like atmosphere of the corner room, which affords a great view of the colorful neighborhood. Salads were fresh and excellent, and there are some nice wines on their list at good prices.
Service was inexperienced but well intentioned.

I have lost count of the number of times I have gone to Basil Leaf Café. So I will not rattle of exact menu items that I have had. Suffice it to say, I have had everything on the menu except for menu items that had nuts in them. The only one with nuts in it that I had was the berry salad, and that was because I requested the salad without the walnuts.
Starting with service, I’m in love. It may be that I usually go with one other friend or solo, so I don’t end up with an exasperated server who has to figure out the whims of a large party. Everything comes to the table without incident on the server’s part or complaint on my part.
The quality of the food has never faltered, as far as I have experienced during my visits. I don’t go to Basil Leaf Café often, but when I do, I’m always glad that I did. I don’t leave frustrated and I am alway stuffed to the point of having to waddle out of the restaurant. So, if I had to sum up Basil Leaf Café in one word, it would be «Bravo!!!»