The Basil Leaf Café

My friends and I went there for the birthday dinner of two of us. We order 3 different pasta dishes, a salad, and three cocktails. All dishes were excellent and delicious. We were overall satisfied with the food at this cozy cafe. However, there were two red flags for this place; their cocktails and their hospitality. I ordered the signature mule, and it didn't taste well. Also, when we mentioned we have two birthday girls, they didn't sign a simple happy birthday to us!🙃

Elayne, , our server, was a wonderful delight. We shared apps and drinks and really enjoyed her service.

Food was amazing, and our waitress Grace was phenomenal. Will be going back next time I’m in town!

Since we were staying at Perry State Park we decided to get carryout from our favorite Lawrence restaurant. We ordered online and it said it would be 35-40 minutes. Perfect! Unfortunately when we arrived on time we were told it would be another 45 minutes! Apparently it was graduation weekend and they had gotten behind. I wasn't thrilled. The food was so amazing that it was worth that wait though! I have never been disappointed with anything from The Basil Leaf Cafe. Oh and they gave us a gift card to apologize for the wait. That was a nice gesture.

The food is as good as anything I've had in Europe or Asia. Nice happy hour with half price cocktails. Our order took awhile but was absolutely worth it. Parking is a bit difficult. Small dining area with maybe 10 tables, so reservations are a must. Servers are very knowledgeable about food prep and pairings.

What a great little spot. We got a little of everything last night. Calamari - excellent flavor and cooked perfectly. Split a Caesar salad - super fresh and crispy lettuce and the dressing was great. She got the penne abruzzi which we both loved and I got the lemon chicken tenders. The batter on the tenders is really unique and you get a great portion. Huge fan of the brussel sprouts as well. The meatballs in the pasta were full of flavor and the sauce was really tasty. It’s hard to adequately explain how impressed we were by literally everything.

Finally, a shout out to our server Amber. She was quick, attentive, gave great suggestions and is someone you can tell takes pride in where she works. The best server is the one you never find yourself needing and this girl was ON IT. Props.

Well definitely be back.

Food tasted great, the price was reasonable, and the food was out super fast. Loved it!

If you're craving italian food, this is the place! Really delicious fresh food, one of my new Lawrence favorites!

This place was incredible when they were operating out of a gas station. It was incredible when they opened their restaurant space on 9th Street. It had been 4-5 years since I had been back and the quality has nosedived significantly. I always get the penne abruzzi and now it just tastes like it’s missing something that made it one of the most delicious, savoriest things I had ever eaten. Instead of a couple giant juicy meatballs you get 3 small flavorless meatballs that taste like they were frozen. It’s not inedible like some of the reviews are saying, but it’s not even a cut above Olive Garden. Don’t bother ordering a cocktail either. Ordered their spin on a Boulavardier and watched the bartender throw it into a shaker with a bunch of chip ice, dump it into a rocks glass, and serve me what looked like a glass of pinkish water that tasted like…a glass of pinkish water. That lack of quality control at a restaurant with upscale-ish ambitions is unacceptable. Considering that Lawrence has a ton of incredible restaurants and places that can fix a decent cocktail, you’d be better off at any of those until Basil Leaf can right the ship.

One of my favorite restaurants for years now. Cannot comment on other visitors negative experiences, have always had great meals every time that we have visited. Would recommend to anyone!