Basil Canteen

This place is definitely a hidden gem, and I'd highly recommend checking it out!The restaurant itself is beautiful and the service was great. The food was all delicious. I tried the pumpkin curry with shrimp and a side of coconut rice, and oh my it was so flavorful. I also tried a pork dish, which was also so tasty and the meat was cooked perfectly.I will definitely be back here and look forward to trying more of the dishes on the menu!

If you're in the area, and you want some quick bites and drinks before or during your outing to one of the events or clubs nearby, this is a good place for just that. Compared to its sister restaurant, Basil Thai, the Thai food is somehow nowhere near as good. Some of the appetizers are decent, and they have a happy hour everyday, which makes it great for that purpose. If you're looking for a delicious meal, I would walk further down the street.It's pretty easy to walk in or make a reservation on OpenTable if you're in more of a rush, and stuff comes out pretty quickly as well. It's a lot more airy of a space compared to Basil Thai since it has two levels, but unless they're crowded, which is rare from what I've seen, they don't use the second level much. If you do much it out here for happy hour, I would suggest trying the Sri-Ra-Cha spicy margarita as well as the green bean and dumpling appetizers at a discount!

Pretty good neighborhood Thai place. Not a huge menu, but enough to keep it interesting. Pad Thai was a little different than I'm used to,

Can't believe I didn't know there was a Thai food spot near my place. So glad my friend introduced me to it. They made the Pad Thai just the way I like it, saucy and spicy. The lime added a nice sour contrast and bean sprouts and peanuts added a nice crunch. Great interior and friendly service too! Will be back!

Lovely experience for Valentine's Day 2025. Servers were wearing pink! Very mindful and checked on us a good amount of times (not too much) - got the table overseeing the place in the corner. Everything we ordered was amazing and we were very full at the end of it. Industrial modern space. Considering to reserve for a big party in the future.

What can I say about this block. Always active for decades. Whether it's your favorite rapper ( Nas) or musician ( Prince) this place was frequently played or visited by all . Slim's and the DNA lounge was the spot for all types of late night madness. My grandma lived about 3 blocks away so I was exposed early of the nightlife early. Today there are day parties at Audio and night parties still go on here at DNA Lounge. This 11th street corridor still the place remains active and I always enjoy a good happy hour. The drinks they offer at Basil Canteen are a variety . I like my go to beer Trumer Pils ( Steve Kerr's favorite also). Then there is my always my go to Pinot Noir red wine. Then there was an intermission of the Hybrid which is Thai tea & Coffee , Cream and Whipped cream. Cocktails all aboard . This is a good start me up drinks and dinner place which located next door to the location where 2pac filmed his video" Brenda's got a baby". Lots of old and new memories going on around here. Music everywhere. On 11th street in San Francisco get drink and food that's sweet and sourOn Folsom and take advantage of Happy Hour

3.5 STARSServer: "How spicy would you like it?"Me: "Extra spicy please (no Thai spicy on the menu).Server: "Extra spicy? You sure?"Me: "Yes, please."If it doesn't burn my bunghole, I don't want it. J/k! Basil Canteen is the closest Thai eatery from the office so thought I give them a shot when the spicy craving hit. They're open for takeout, delivery, and dine-in. No outdoor seating. Central location to the bars/clubs in the area making it a good option before getting your drank on. M E N UStandard Thai fare with some modern twists; i.e. taro fries, tom yum baked mussels, etc. Spice levels: Mild, medium, spicy, extra spicy.No lunch specials. HH specials 5 pm-6:30 pm: discounted apps ($8.50), beer, wine, and cocktails. Full bar. F O O D* Sakoo Sai Moo: Steamed Tapioca Dumplings w/ pork, peanuts, lettuce wraps (5 pc-$10): https://tinyurl.com/495jajbwChinese chiuchow dumplings meets Viet bánh bột lọc, the Thai steamed tapioca dumplings have a mochi-like chewy wrapper with a sweet peanut filling. Couldn't taste the pork and the filling ran too sweet. No accompanying peppers so I asked for hot sauce (only sriracha available). * Gai Pad Krapow: Wok-Fried Minced Chicken w/ green beans, chili, fresh basil ($17.95): https://tinyurl.com/4393wc2x--Sub white rice for coconut brown rice (+$1)--Add fried egg (+$3)--Request extra spicy The gai pad krapow was Americanized, running more sweet than spicy. The extra spicy was about 4-4.5/10 so hot sauce was def needed for heat. There's more white onions than actual basil which wasn't really integrated into the stir-fry. Odd because pad krapow means stir-fried holy basil. The coconut brown rice was properly cooked and the fried egg had an oozy yolk so yay for that.S E R V I C EThe owner and staff are SO nice and accommodating. I was several minutes early and they let me sit inside. However, food service is soooo slow. It was completely empty the first 20-25 minutes (weekday lunch) yet the pad krapow took an unusually long time; 30 minutes. A M B I A N C ESpacious two-level corner loft space with high ceilings and exposed brick walls. Hip vibes compared to the Thai restos in the TL. P A R K I N GMetered street parking that can be challenging. Overall, good hospitality but the food ran too sweet and lacked bold Thai flavors, at least to me. And, with the snail-paced lunch service unfortunately, I have to round down.

Cute ambiance and I generally liked everything we got but I'm positively obsessed with the duck pineapple red curry!

We came to Basil Canteen in a pinch for time bc we had a show at the Orpheum right after but I really really wanted to try their Tom yum mussels -- I'm so glad we were able to make it!Mom loves Thai and it was her birthday so ofcourse we tried a new spot. Basil Canteen was clean, nicely decorated, had the friendliest staff, and the food was served fairly quickly.We ordered:- Tom Yom Goong Soup (8/10)a classic we always get, theirs was a bit tomatoe-y but good!- Pad Ped Pla Duk (6.5/10)Spicy Wok style crispy catfish with green beans in spiced kaffir red curry sauce. I wanted to try something new and it didn't disappoint but there was also another dish I wanted to try which I think I might've liked more (will come back to try their 3 Flavors Shrimp). The sauce for this was yummy but I may have eaten green peppercorns (?) that I probably wasn't supposed to which might've affected my appreciation of the dish.- Baked Mussels Tom Yum (10/10)Baked New Zealand green mussels with "Tom Yum" aioli. This is what drew me in to try this place and I'm so happy we tried it! It was delicious and rich (I liked it more than my mom did, so could depend on the taster)Overall, I really liked this restaurant and hope to come back soon to try more items as their menu had a diverse selection while also including the classics. Thanks for the yummy food and great service :)

The curry was not the best compare to other places like saap ver in my opinion. Food came warm, not piping hot. Took 36 minutes exactly. Service was amazing however, just the food was a disappointment.