Basil Leaf Cafe

Name: Basil Leaf Cafe
Address: 2465 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614, Chicago, IL, 60614.0, US
Telephone: +1 773-348-7243

Essential

Italian·American

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About

Basil Leaf Cafe — reliable italian in Lincoln Park that keeps people coming back. The bartender knows what they're doing. Friendly team that sets the tone, and vegetarian-friendly. Meena Beena: "The chicken was tender and juicy and I didn't need to add any salt to the pasta dish"

Experience Breakdown

🍴Food

5.0

👥Service

5.0

✨Ambiance

5.0

💬Sentiment

4.8

DOWPete

322 reviews

Highlights

CozyFamily FriendlyGreat CocktailsOutdoor DiningQuick BiteGreat For Groups

What Diners Are Saying

Diners loved

Cozy, intimate spaceKnowledgeable staffWarm, welcoming staffGood veggie/vegan options

Clean record

No recurring complaints found across reviews.

Read all + reviews on Google

Location

2465 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

What 40+ diners say about Basil Leaf Cafe

Some of the best pasta I’ve ever had! The bread with olive oil and basil dip was also great. The service and atmosphere was top notch. I would highly recommend this spot if you are in or around the Lincoln Park area.

“Exquisite in every way.”

Exquisite in every way. Our server, bartender and helper were so nice, helpful and quick to assist us. Food was awesome, everything.!!!!!!!!

Renae Rauker

May 2025

“Food is wonderful.”

Food is wonderful. Very clean the service is great and the staff is friendly. Moderately priced for Chicago.

Mia Zoll

Apr 2025

“Server was very attentive.”

Server was very attentive. Food was fantastic, and didn’t take too long to come out. Loved the goat cheese appetizer & linguine with meatballs

Olivia Close

Dec 2024

“Anytime I am in Chicago, I always find myself coming back to basil leas cafe .”

Anytime I am in Chicago, I always find myself coming back to basil leas cafe . I love the atmosphere the restaurant offers; really delicious food , my all time favorite has to be the linguine carbonara and the NY strip steak . Not to mention the servers are very attentive and very friendly people . When it’s nice out they have the crystal doors open and one can admire the city life , and they also offer outdoor sitting . This place is truly one of my all time favorites . Highly recommended. 😋

Isabella Gomez

Nov 2024

“Great option for the gluten free eaters.”

Great option for the gluten free eaters. Good wine selection. Ordered the gluten free calamari which was the best calamari I have ever had. No joke! My picky gluten free eating son ate the calamari and loved it. He wanted more. The gluten free ravioli was also good. The next big winner was the chicken fettuccini alfredo, my daughter gave it high praise.

Chris Kraszewski

Nov 2024

“We had my daughter’s bridal shower here in the private room and would highly recommend.”

We had my daughter’s bridal shower here in the private room and would highly recommend. The food, service and atmosphere was perfect. Manager Sean and waitstaff(Albert) were extremely helpful. 5 star!

g kurth

Aug 2024

“The food here is AMAZING.”

The food here is AMAZING! I had the fettuccine with sun dried tomatoes in a creamy pesto sauce. Plates are $18-$25. Mine was $24. It usually comes with chicken but i asked if i could have broccoli and asparagus instead. I am a vegetarian and this place had a ton of veggie options. Highly recommend!

Nikolette Manna

May 2024

“amazing amazing amazing.”

amazing amazing amazing! i don’t think there was a single thing they could’ve done better. i loved the service (absolutely perfectly done), food, and portions! will definitely be coming back and highly recommend to my gluten free gals. (calamari was so good we forgot to take a photo first)

Selena Alvarado

Feb 2024

“My friend and I had pasta with seafood.”

My friend and I had pasta with seafood. The pasta was cooked perfectly with fresh clams, shrimp and mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce. We had a wonderful Russian River Valley Chardonnay recommended by our waiter.

Cheryl Kaufman

Dec 2023

“This is an upscale Italian restaurant right on the sidewalks of Chicago.”

This is an upscale Italian restaurant right on the sidewalks of Chicago. It’s an easy review to write when everything was top notch. They got us right in on a Sunday afternoon. Staff was so pleasant. Appetizer came out so fast. Didn’t have to wait long for the entree. So good. The ambiance is nice. We sat at a table inside, but right inside some French doors that open up to the sidewalk. It was so refreshing. The soundtrack of easy listening jazz standards really added to the experience to me. The food was excellent. I thought about giving the food four stars instead of five. But I think my palette just isn’t used to this level of authentic Italian. I could tell that all the ingredients were fresh and prepared with care. Couldn’t have asked for better service. It was a wonderful meal after a day at the zoo.

Jason Payne

Aug 2023

“The atmosphere is great for dates, groups, and solo diners, the restaurant is clean, beautiful and...”

The atmosphere is great for dates, groups, and solo diners, the restaurant is clean, beautiful and well organized The service is on point. Quick refills of drinks and polite servers. Food was great Quality and temperature were great Portions were huge Flavor was great, it was a milder flavor, but the quality of the al-dente pasta totally made up for it Highly recommend if ur in the area Items : Ceasar salad and Rigatoni Bolognese.