Drift Reality > Boston > Thai Basil Restaurant

Don’t ever eat at Thai Basil Restaurant. The service at this restaurant is definitely the worst I’ve ever experienced at any restaurant in Boston and if you order the chicken, you may get salmonella poisoning.

The other night, I was getting some takeout sushi from Shino Express on Newbury Street (which is a great place by the way) when I passed Thai Basil, and made a mental note to try it out at some point in the future. A few days later, I was back on Newbury Street for a late dinner and decided to try the place out.

After being seated, I ordered dumplings and wonton soup as starters and was actually moderately pleased with the product. Shortly thereafter, my platter of pepper chicken arrived and I was a bit disgusted to find that the chicken was undercooked. My companion had ordered the pad thai, which I would describe as ‘edible.’

We arrived a bit late (around 9:30 PM) and had decided to order a bottle of wine with the dinner. After munching on the semi-raw chicken for a bit, I decided to push it away from myself and focus on the wine and conversation. Around 10:15 PM, I noticed that the restaurant had begun to clear out as the staff had begun to clean the restaurant with little regard to the patrons who were remaining.

At 10:20, our waitress came over and asked us in an abrupt manner if we were ready to leave yet. “No, not really,” I responded and she left, seeming a bit miffed.

By 10:30, my companion and I were the only ones left in the restaurant and it had become clear that we were no longer welcome. All the chairs had been picked up and a man had begun sweeping the floors around us. Furthermore, they had turned on the stark overhead lights. My glass of wine was still half-full and according to the restaurant, closing time was 10:30, so my companion and I continued to relax and converse while we finished our wine.

At 10:35, a man from the back of the restaurant came to the front and in a few moments, all the lights in the restaurant had been turned completely off and my companion and I were seated in darkness. After a few moments, the woman working at the front turned the lights back on and giggled, along with a few of the staff who had already changed into their street clothes, as the man returned back to the kitchen.

At that point, my companion and I decided it was time to leave (even though we had not finished our wine). We stood up and walked out of the restaurant. I thanked the woman at the front desk as we left, to my companion’s surprise.

The reason I felt calm was because by that point, I had already decided I would return home and tell the world about how crap the service and the food at Thai Basil is, so there was no reason to push the issue any further.

Do yourself a favor, never eat at this piece of crap restaurant.