Basant Modern Indian

Came here for a random date night after finding a reddit thread discussing the best indian food in the city. Was seated on the patio, which was absolutely perfect, although inside seemed like it wasn't too loud..The food was all phenomenal and our server was really fun and playful. We don't normally drink with indian food, but all of the drinks looked amazing/unique.. so we went for it. I got something with dill and a lot of citrus that our server said was her favorite drink- it paired perfectly and was absolutely delicious.. I could have easily drank a second one. Overall, it was a top tier experience. I can't wait to come back..

Wanted to tried this restaurant from a while back, I tried this restaurant with my husband over dinner. I feel the food is more Americanised. We started off with Khule Aam, Azadi Time pass for drinks and for appies we had Jackfruit Cutlets and Chicken Malai Cilantro. The food was decent in taste. For main course we had Saag Paneer and Chicken Basant again the food was just average in taste and we felt that the chicken was cooked separately and then mixed with the sauce. I feel in terms of taste of food this place is little overhyped or may be I was hoping for more authenticity in terms of flavours.The ambiance was amazing and the service was fabulous.I would say try this place and see it for yourself!

Looking for a great dining experience and phenomenal modern Indian food? you cannot go wrong by visiting Basant. If you have been to the Brigadiers in London, you may find some similarities in the taste profile. Everything on the menu that we tried was outstanding. I've never had a more succulent fish tikka. The fish and chips were as good as it gets, bursting with a host of flavors.The aloo tikki with tamarind sauce and mint chutney was very flavorful. The chana masala is different than what you might expect, but it's a pleasant change. However, some may not like it due to the spice profile and it being on the drier side if you're used to the classic chana masala.The cocktails were very well crafted, and I loved the Eastern touch to the Western ingredients. Overall, Basant offers a unique and delightful dining experience that I highly recommend. We will definitely be back to try more of the menu!

We came to Basant on a Friday evening. From the Outside it has a modern feel with some sidewalk seating as well. Inside it is very modern with and warm feel to it. We had reservations but it was not very crowded. We opted to sit indoors. They gave us a paper menu with drinks on one side and food on the other. Not an extensive menu but we all found something that sounded good. Plenty of vegetarian options. We ordered Muchroom Kulcha w/Truffle Garlic Butter appetizer to split. I ordered Mushroom Medley & Jackfruit Haleem, my friend ordered Saag with paneer, and my partner ordered Chicken Basant, with Garlic Naan bread to split. We drank a lager beer that I don't remember the name of, but it was very good. After about 10 mins, the appetizer arrived and we thought it was the garlic naan. We later learned that was the kulcha. About 10 minutes later our entrees arrived. They all looked very good, as did the garlic naan. We asked for spicy and we got spicy. My medley was very good and nicely spiced. My friend's Saag was the best of the evening. My partner loved his Chicken Basant. Overall great service, the food was very good, the atmosphere was very nice. We will return. We are still looking for the 5 star Indian restaurant in Chicago....

One sentence review: From the quality of the food to the delightful service, perhaps the best dining experience I've had in 2023. I'll start by saying I am not a connoisseur of Indian cuisine. I've had the basics over the years, and ate many a masala at friends' houses as a kid. Some of those early experiences, like many, kept me at arm's length - but that's simply because they didn't taste like the food at Basant. We started with the Gobi Manchurian and the garlic naan, a delightful pairing enhanced by the absolutely incredible "complex red sauce" adorning our crispy cauliflower koftlas. Delicate with stunning depth of flavor, the layers of chili, garlic, ginger, and more make this sauce a standout - we were strategizing on having enough leftover for our naan, as well as seeing how it could be the base of a great pasta sauce or salsa. Jar that up and I'd be first in line to stock up. While we were deciding on an entree, we enjoyed the Chana Masala, an Old Delhi bean dish with brown sauce that we ate so fast we almost had a second round of. Absolutely delicious, almost like an Indian pasta e fagioli in some ways with the taste and texture of the beans. Another delicious dish that impressed us even more. The Saag was equally delicious, essentially an Indian pesto made with proprietary greens, another dish with layers of depth and complexity, atop perhaps the best cooked Jasmine rice I've ever had in my life. It's the kind of dish you almost have to force yourself to stop eating because it's so delicious - we actually had to do so as we simply kept wanting another bite. The service was great too, super friendly and attentive, and able to help guide you through unfamiliar dishes or ingredients. Our server was Mira, who was delightful. It's so rare to be blown away by a meal at this point, especially at these price points. We split four dishes and had two cocktails, and were out of there for about $100. And the meal and experience stay with you - on the walk home, we were texting people about it, thinking back to the last time we felt like this after a meal (Safta in Denver back when it opened in 2022). This is one of those restaurants that instantly goes in the rotation. The only problem is going to be forcing ourselves to try something else on the menu, knowing how delicious and nearly perfect all of these dishes were.

Basant truly offers delicious creative modern Indian dishes with great accompaniments. Love all their chutney sauces. Pork Belly Vindaloo Tonkatsu is a great dish and love the plum sauce! Great ambiance- clean and amazing service from both FOH and BOH. We like to order a lot of their appetizers and share an entree or two. Of course add some garlic Naan and Jasmine rice to the mix and it's perfect.

I've been fortunate to try a few fine dining and contemporary Indian places in Chicago but Basant blew me away. Delicious rotating seasonal menu, spicy offerings, drinks were great and service spot on.

Second time here as the menu tends to rotate. The lamb chops were amazing and a must try. We had a reservation but depending on the day it seems you can possibly get by as a walk in. It is a smaller sized restaurant and tables are rather close. The decor was beautiful and had a modern Indian restaurant vibe. I'd definitely give it a try if you like Indian with a twist. The chai espresso martini was so good too. The food wasn't too spicey at all which is awesome for those who can't handle so much spice either. Definitely will come back here again sometime. Daal Makhani was really good, along with the malai kofta and pork belli achari. The gulab jamun cheesecake however was disappointing it was literally just cheesecake with half of a gulab jamun. The cheesecake itself wasn't infused with anything make it plain.

First, the cocktails. They were delicious, quirky, and perfectly balanced. The food was tasty too! Modern takes on classics. The space is cute, and the servers were friendly. I will definitely be back!

The food was amazing. I got the jackfruit burger. I haven't liked jackfruit in the past, but the burger was prepared perfectly. My friend got the chicken Basant. The chicken was great too. Surprised that it wasn't very busy when we went. The restaurant is visually pretty and clean as well.