Download our Kosher Restaurant directory app

New York Reviews

Review of “Basil” in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY

After many months pushing off dining at Basil, and after spending a Shabbat in Crown Heights, I was excited to finally try the restaurant Motzei Shabbat, only to find out they were temporarily closed due to a gas leak. Luckily, a week later we were invited by fellow foodie friends to join them at Basil for an enjoyable night with great company and great food. And it was an enjoyable night.

 

We spent nearly 3 hours at the restaurant, so there's much to discuss:

Firstly, when we arrived, I was truly impressed by the layout and design of the place, which was very non-traditional for a Kosher restaurant. A bar inside the restaurant that extends outside of the restaurant if they keep the walls/windows open. 

 

Half of the façade of the restaurant opens up to the street which creates an inviting atmosphere for patrons.Upon being seated, the four of us spent much time browsing over the menu's options, many of which looked appealing. No bread or starter was served.
Basil refers to itself as a "Pizza & Wine" bar, which is definitely a unique combination. The prices did reflect the upscale nature of the restaurant.
Our group of four decided to divide and conquer, sharing 2 appetizers, 3 mains, and 2 desserts.To start, we ordered the the fries

, which come with a special truffle oil and parmesan cheese and a flavorful mayo dipping sauce. Truth be told, it was some of the best French fries I've ever had. We were literally fighting over them. They're not your typical fries & ketchup, so don't expect it, but it's a hot and delicious dish you can't ignore.

 

 

 

Our other appetizer was an eggplant parmesan salad, which was quite unique as well: breaded eggplant cubes, fresh mozzarella balls, fresh basil leaves, and tomatoes in a balsamic vinegrette. While I normally dislike balsamic, I found this salad playful and enjoyable.

For our main courses, we ordered 2 pizzas (they're served as medium sized pies – I could've eaten an entire one myself), and a Bronzini.

The Bronzini was cooked to perfection with lots of Mediterranean flavors. They stuff the whole fish with rosemary, garlic cloves and lemons and bake it in the wood fired oven till the skin is crispy. The flesh was moist and juicy and complimented by the delectably crunchy skin. Served with fish are preserved lemons and a delicious warm spinach, chickpea and tomato salad.

 

As a "Pizza & Wine Bar" we had to try their pizzas, which are made in a beautiful wood oven with a glass door. We tried the "margarita" pizza, which had pesto sauce, tomatoes, cheese, and garlic, no tomato sauce. Always wanting to try something new, I ordered the "Pencil Asparagus & Ricotta" pizza which included golden beets, mint, and jalapeño.

 

 

So, here's where we were a bit disappointed. For a "pizza bar", the pizza was lacking a lot of flavor. The presentation was beautiful, but we all felt that we needed to add salt to the pizzas, which I've never had the urge to do. Personally, I feel that the lack of tomato pizza sauce on both pizzas was the likely culprit. The pizzas looked really good but fell flat on flavor.

Additionally, the 2nd pizza was supposed to have mint & jalapeño on it and it did not. If it did, it surely didn't taste like it did, and that too was disappointing.


For dessert, my wife and I both agreed on the funnel cake, which we've always wanted to try but is impossible to find kosher. This came with basil ice cream, which I've heard numerous people rave about. Our friends ordered the Napolean.

The funnel cake arrived and we couldn't wait to rip into it. It's essentially fried dough with confectioners sugar. Who doesn't crave that at all waking hours? I know I do. It was delicious. Some of the best pastry I've ever had. The funnel cake was complemented by a ridiculously amazing basil ice cream – which literally tastes like basil, with the consistency of vanilla ice cream. If you love the flavor of basil, you'll flip out for this dessert. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough.

 

The Napolean, a flaky pastry dough filled with a cheesy cream filling, was also really delicious.

Additionally, my wife was very impressed with their coffee & lattes which we enjoyed.

One drawback that we experienced was the service. Even though the restaurant is not particularly large, and we were there for nearly 3 hours, our waiter barely paid attention to us, and did not come by unless we called him over. I don't think there were enough waiters in the place (seemed like there was only one), so that could be a relatively easy fix. On the flip side, the food did not take particularly long to come out of the kitchen, so that's a plus.

Another drawback for anyone driving in to the area is the lack of parking in Crown Heights. Be prepared to park far from the restaurant. We were lucky enough to be able to park in a friend's driveway, but we still had a 10 minute walk to Basil.

Prices are high compared to most kosher restaurants, but within the upper scale restaurants, the prices were manageable. Our bill for 2 apps, 3 coffees, one beer, 3 mains, and 2 desserts came to ~$150, under $40 a person (without wine).

 

 

Overall, we felt that if nothing else, Basil is an amazing place to spend time with friends (or a date) and enjoy really great appetizers or amazing desserts. If you're going for tasty pizza, the relatively small and lacking $17 pies are not your best bet.

One thing's for certain, I will be back for more funnel cake and basil ice cream. If that could be my meal, it would.

 


View Larger Map

About the author

Dani Klein

Dani Klein founded YeahThatsKosher in 2008 as a global kosher restaurant & travel resource for the Jewish community.

He is passionate about traveling the world, good kosher food / restaurants, social media & the web, technology, hiking, strategy games, and spending time with his friends & family.

5 Comments

Click here to post a comment
  • I lived in Crown Heights for 3 years but it’s been a few years since I was back. I am glad to see the hood is getting some respectable establishments. Unfortunately, service is usually a problem in CH.

  • It totally amazes me that a restaurant will spend whatever it takes to make itself LOOK good, and will not be as meticulous in finding decent service. And this is true of all restaurants in CH, so I’m not singling out Basil, except they are selling ambiance along with food, why not service?

    I too find their main courses lacking. I don’t go to a restaurant for dessert only, unless I’ve eaten elsewhere first. A pizza place, at that price, should make better pizza.

  • Lovely place, with great stuff. Feel like I have been in Italy.
    Basil fries is simply the best fries I have ever eaten, their mushroom soup made fresh and taste like 20-30$ soup I had in city.
    Prices are very normal. 2 people would spend about 40-60$ and would be full. I have never left that place hungry or unhappy.
    I would recommend to a family dinner, date, meeting, or simply delicious lunch.
    Treat yourself and enjoy yum food.

  • Going to Basil is definitely the highlight of any day for me. Whether its a Java shake, an iced coffee and scone or some of the freshest and lightest pancakes you’ll ever have, in the AM, a melt in your mouth freshly made eggplant panini for lunch or the amazing dinner menu (where to begin??? the mushroom goat cheese pizza is definitely a MUST have, the cannelloni, eggplant parm salad…just to name some favorites of mine), it always hits the spot!
    The servers are friendly and courteous, the atmosphere is warm and wonderful, with the candles, great music choices and raw rustic interior- Basil is 10!

  • Everytime I go to Basil i have a great time wether with family or friends! The second you walk into Basil you forget about the outside word, its a very relaxing place to eat. I can never decide what i want to order becasue everything is so tasty. Some of my favotire dishes at Basil are the crispy Italian brick oven pizza, goat cheese gnocci gratin, fritto misto & of course their basil fries. I suggest everyone to try this palce out you wont regret it!