Sweet Basil in Harrogate

Excellent Chinese restaurant, good service, great menu and reasonable cost. Good atmosphere and popular.

Great place always accommodating and quick service excellent pad Thai

Update: after eating here multiple times over the last 5yrs ... Excellent food, reasonable prices [for excellent food], free parking with easy access. ps. there's a pfs next door in case you need a pint'o'milk or to fill your tank as well!

For an English-style Chinese restaurant it was not bad at all. The food was quite tasty (though I never can understand why chefs who are stir-frying feel the need to use pre-cooked meat - fresh meat is so much tastier). I sat for 15 minutes after eating my main course waiting to be asked if I would like a desert, drink or coffee but no-one came so in the end I just went to the bar to pay and left.

Delicious, delicious, friendly, filling and not expensive. I was just looking for a gas station to use the restroom, but I accidentally discovered this paradise in a food desert country. It was great! grateful!

Driven past many times and always wondered what it was like. And now I know - blummin great! Had a lovely meal here, good sized portions, freshly cooked, piping hot and most importantly very tasty. All the staff are super friendly.

Delicious food esp. Duck with orange is perfect

We came here for dinner prior to a weekend at York Outlet. The place is easy to find as it's directly off the A59 and there is plenty of parking. We had the mixed starters, which was mixed! Ribs and prawn toast were not the best, but the seaweed was lovely and the sweet and sour dipping sauce was the nicest I've had! The mains arrived (chicken curry and sweet and sour chicken) and these were lovely. We also ordered salt and pepper chips and these again, were the best I have had. Nathan the waiter was very friendly and happy, but generally speaking service was a bit lacking we felt - they probably need more staff for when it gets busy. Portions were very generous and it represented good value.

The Chinese food is not pure, probably because there are not many Chinese people around, and it mainly serves British local Western-style Chinese food. Overall it's okay.

Revisited in May 24. What a disappointment. Cafe type tables and chairs. Tap water on the rable already when we arrived. Was it ours or left from previous occupants? No placemats on the tables, and tables were not laid. There we no dish warmers to keep the food warm whilst eating. One starter did not arrive having been missed from the order, despite us asking twice if it had been ordered. Generally the service was not good. We had to ask twice for more tao water. One meal was so salty it was almost inedible, and there was no reaction when we mentioned this in reply to "is everything OK?" All in all this is no longer a dining experience, but a large cafe.

Been going here with friends and family for years. Always fantastic food and great service. Thank you!

We told them our kid is allergic to egg and nuts and they assured us our dishes are 100% egg and nut free, but when we got back home and he started eating his food after two bites started complaining of trouble breathing and swallowing, when we double checked his noodles got fried eggs in it. Make sure you triple check your food if you suffer of any allergies as people could die from it!

The singapore vermicelli noodle, is still my favourite meal from this restaurant and I will always plan a visit here when I am in York as the food is so nice. The food is always excellent quality and any salad dressing is so fresh. Would recommend you try it, if you are in york.

Bloody fantastic, best prawn toast. EVER.

We haven't been for a few years but this place ticks all the boxes for a wonderful Chinese/Thai meal. We booked early as we had a three year old with us but it filled up very quickly. Lots to choose on the menu and attentive service throughout we enjoyed our various dishes. Everything was beautifully presented and tasted delicious. Loved it!

Just great food..... beautifully cooked and served.

Excellent restaurant with good food and service.

My mates decided to take me here for a little treat, and never have these lot failed to satisfy me! The food is always amazing and the best part? They make halaal chicken so if any of you foodies want a great meal? I promise this place is a MUST! Lucky for me i literally live 2 miles up the road. The staff always try thier best and the food compliments it.

Great service food is fantastic and lots off. Busy place at times says it all for a little restaurant tucked away. Highly recommended

Best special fried rice iv ever had!

£75 take away ordered and no free prawn crackers… WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TOO?! This is cost of living crisis god damn it!

Beautiful food and good service despite the restaurant being fully booked. The setting is very pleasant, with the ceiling being covered in Cherry Blossom flowers. Arrived without a booking, but the Maitre D managed to fit us in. Recommended and would definitely visit again if we are in the area.

Amazing food, could do with a better beer section. Service was a little slow but the food more than made up for it.

Lovely little place and great food.

Very enjoyable meal with a pleasant atmosphere.

Sweet basil, is the best chinese/thai in York. I find it such a shame that people mostly get takeaway as the service is phenomenal. They've decorated the inside so it's a lovely atmosphere. I can not fault sweet basil. I just wished more people would sit in

Great food... Can be hard to get a table, so book... Will be coming back...

Great, authentic food. We especially enjoyed the Thai dishes, which were very good indeed. 100% recommended.

This is an excellent restaurant with fast and friendly service, good food and a spacious interior. If you’re looking for a change from roast beef and Yorkshire pud…

Fabulous all round. Nice food, very professional waiters and waitresses, and a nice general atmosphere. Would definitely recommend if you like Chinese food.

Service great but food quality did not match price. Small starter portions.

I've changed my review following our recent visit. This used to be a really good restaurant, with great atmosphere and excellent food and a wonderful team. But. Over the last few years we've noticed cut backs. Good staff have gone. Tables are no longer dressed, menus are now just the takeaway leaflets and the food is just ok. However, last night we didn't exist for the servers and had to go to the desk to get our order taken. There were five or so tables in use but a stream of takeaway orders, which was the obvious priority for them. From being a great place to eat this has now become just an average takeaway, that has a restaurant attached.

This is the best Chinese restaurant I have ever been to. Lovely food, staff, service and ambiance. I absolutely love it here!

Best Chinese I’ve ever had! My partner and I visited after hearing such good things, and I can’t recommend enough. Best crispy won tons we’ve eaten. And the beef chow mien was amazing! Highly recommend

What a fantastic restaurant. The food was excellent and great service.

I’m not a big fan of Chinese cuisine but I loved every single dish I tried. In addition to that the service is absolutely lovely! Shame I live so far away, I would definitely be a regular.

Very tasty. Lovely service. My families all like the Chinese Food!

We have been here a number of times over the years, and although we have found the food average, the service always friendly and attentive and much appreciated so overall we have enjoyed the experience. However the food on our visit this week really was not very nice. We ordered Pad Thai and it was gloopy , fruity and hadn’t been near a peanut, and the prawns rubbery - it was like a Chinese take on a classic Thai dish so if you like Pad Thai this probably is not what to order. The rubbery and tasteless vegetarian spring rolls were not much better. We have had Pad Thai here before and enjoyed it, but not any more, we were served up an entirely different and unappetising dish.

Nice food but but sat in cold with coat on don't go till April if you pay good price for meal it's bisy shud put heating on to warm it up thay don't need to have heating on all time so don't go it's like eating outside

Recommend! Good for friend and family gathering. Friendly accomodating staff, warm environment. Plenty of choices in both chinese and thai style. Especially like the pineapple prawn fried rice and duck with plum sauce. Food hot enough being served, though the fried dishes a bit soggy.

Great meal, fantastic service. Decent sized portions too! Will be back soon!

Just returned from Sweet Basil sfter enjoying a superb Chinese meal.The service was very good and the food delicious. The restaurant was very busy decor lovely all in all I couldn't fault it.

Placed my order in the restaurant and had a drink while I waited. I was told 15 minutes and it would be ready. Great. After 45 minutes I asked where my food was and they said we’ve run out of sticks for the satay. Odd? Within three minutes my order was ready. I arrived home to find my the food cold. Clearly my order had just been forgotten and left on the side. Admittedly, it was a busy night. I tried to call when I got home to complain but no one answered. Microwave to the rescue. Obviously, my review won’t matter a toss.

Lovely food and extremely accomodating service by friendly staffs.

Superb food. Excellent service, good price. Beautiful and cleaning surroundings

Brilliant food and service have been several times and had take aways over a number of years. Has always maintained a consistently high standard. Highly recommended.

Hands down my favorite Chinese restaurant! I will travel 15 miles one way just for takeaway.

Always pleasantly greeted, the food is always sublime, great menu choices and the best take away for south East Asian food around.....

Found this restaurant by chance and the next time we are in this area we will certainly be back! The whole experience was faultless, the service impeccable, the food excellent in quantity and quality and the bill was a really pleasant surprise. We highly recommend

Lovely food very big portions, staff lovely will be back, yummy

Lovely food good service will be back definitely

Food poor. Soup thick and gloopy. Little chicken plenty of chicken but tart. No one asked if everything was ok. Not sure if we would return again .

Excellent service and food. Definitely recommend. Both takeaway and restaurant dining available. Wheelchair accessible with ample parking. I wouldn’t say this is the cheapest takeaway but it is worth every penny. Extremely tasty food and more than enough to fill even the emptiest of tummies. Staff were friendly and service was with a smile. Situated midway between York and Harrogate near Green Hammerton, this would not be your obvious position for a takeaway business but it’s popularity shows that it doesn’t matter where you are, if the food and service are that good then customers will come. Would definitely recommend.

Family tea delicious food with good friendly service

As ever excellent food, friendly service and local. Would highly recommend the combination of 2 menus of Chinese and Thai cuisine there is almost too much to choose from!

Food is mainly great. Very busy though and take out service can be a bit hit and miss in terms of timing..if you order for a certain time be ready to wait x can also take ages to get through on phone .....lovely staff and always a nice atmosphere .

Our first (and certainly not our last) visit to Sweet Basil. My husband and I both chose the Combination Starter for 1 - he had the Chinese version and mine was the Thai. What a treat to be able to order both as they are often for a minimum of 2 people. They were nicely presented, well cooked and full of flavour. We shared a sweet and sour chicken and chicken curry. We all know that our local version of these dishes is often our favourite, but these guys knocked both out of the park! We have a number of very good Chinese takeaways within easy reach of us, but after today’s feast, this is the nicest we’ve had for a LONG time! The service was friendly and speedy.

Wonderful service and excellent food. Sweet Basil is much better than the average Chinese restaurant. Recommended!

First visit to this Restaurant and it definitely will not be the last, the decor, service and food were first class. For Starters we had Vegetarian Spring Rolls and Crispy Wontons, both came with a Sweet n Sour dip. Main course was Special Fried Rice and Sliced Duck in Ginger & Onion sauce with a side of chips. No dessert because we were full.

Food still very good but the service has fallen off a cliff, no organisation to it any more, takes an age to get served. I've noticed that the girl who usually runs front of house is never here any more, which might be the reason for the lack of coordination.

We used to have such great meals here so returned today. What a shock, we ordered black bean king prawn which was swimming in oil but even more alarming the chicken and cashew nut was so “gloopy “ I was concerned at the amount of mono sodium glutamate that could have been used. Unfortunately Most of the meal had to be left. The waitress asked if everything was ok so we spoke about the problem, she was not interested .

Visited last night with my family. The food was nice but very questionable hygiene standards that really put me off my food. When serving my main meal the waiter in question kept putting his dirty unbuttoned sleeve into our meals. Even pointing this out the first time he went and did it again. Not wanting to make a fuss I continued with my meal but just couldn’t enjoy it. I mentioned it to the manager at the end who apologies but didn’t seem to really grasp how inappropriate this is. Suggest all staff wear short sleeves or clean buttoned up sleeves.

Fantastic King Prawn & Duck. The best Sweet and Sour king prawns we’ve had for a long time. Really great Chinese food and good service. The Hot and Sour soup and mixed started was excellent but star of the meal were the sweet and sour king prawns … really good & a favourite. The only niggle was the noodles were a little bit Seared tasting but maybe the oil?? Overall excellent. Also with the re introduction of masks in shops was good to see those waiting for a takeaway wearing masks. Will come again soon snd not leave it as long to re visit next time. Worth the drive out. As mentioned by a few people is actually called Sweet Basil.

On a return visit to York, we went out of our way to have another meal at this restaurant. We weren't disappointed and enjoyed everything we ordered. We tried the Tai green curry as someone on here said it was delicious and they weren't wrong. When ever we are in York, we will be popping in for a meal.

Friendly and relaxing restaurant. Pleasant staff. Food was excellent and next time I am in York, I am definitely going again.

This is (now) called Sweet Basil & it’s only 7 or 8km from York but doesn’t show when you search for restaurants in York🤪. So, lots of people will not find the best Chinese restaurant in York! The location is not attractive but there’s no problem parking & the inside is very pleasant & the staff are very friendly & efficient. There is an extensive menu & the food was excellent. You must save some space for Toffee Apple dessert 😊😊.

Located on the A road this Chinese is great to visit or have a takeaway . The place gets busy so book if you can . The thai dishes we had were cooked to perfection, definitely would go back .Recommend the thai green Curry The place has easy access to wheelchairs , and suitable to families and kids of all ages

The restaurant is called Sweet Basil on the A59 at Green/Kirk Hammerton so I am baffled why it is listed on Tripadvisor as New Basil. The photo is the correct building.Disappointing...we have not visited this restaurant for around 3 years and it does not resemble the great place we once new. Gloopy food, slow service, certainly not authentic Thai food as it was before. Gone are the well dressed staff. Its more like a takeaway with tables. Very disappointing.

Service was very prompt. The food was excellent. There was a really good amount of duck for the duck pancakes.

New to the area, but heard a lot about how great this place was. Called Sweet Basil, not New Basil?The fact that it has low tripadvisor visibility, plus a drive by seeing an ugly building, plus a look at a menu saying it was a Chinese and Thai raised alarm bells. Not many restaurants can deliver quality different cuisines.So to be honest we went with hope, but low expectations.Inside it’s functional. Covid standards are low - no scan opportunity, just an optional paper list easily missed. Menus, didn’t look to be sanitised; and again no scanned menu option.plus staff handled all items, rather than asking guest to remove drinks, retain cutlery etc.We ordered Thai. Fish cakes good, but never had them served without dipping sauce. Squid pleasant, more Chinese than Thai. Mains: red chicken curry - absolutely no heat and really not very good. Seafood chilli dish ok, boiled rice and a tasty (if not authentic beef salad). Overall, definitely felt like a Chinese trying to do Thai, rather than a Thai, but it was ok, although I would not order a basic Thai curry again.We will return, as local, but sadly disappointed. We used to enjoy a great pub with Thai food in thorp arch... no longer in existence, but see Boston Spa Thai is still going... so may need to head south there.

We ate here twice. Chinese the first time and Thai the second. The thai food was the best especially the sizzling steak, pad thai and red curry.The Chinese prawn toast was excellent too.The restaurant is socially distanced and our temperature was taken at the entrance which is reassuring.The staff are very good and friendly and the service is quick and it’s all very clean.We found the prices to be reasonable too.

The service was fast and friendly and the majority of our takeaway was lovely apart from the chow mein, the noodles were very burnt and i couldn't eat them, shame.

Very attentive staff looked after us all well. The good, which was good, was promptly served and all that at a fair price.

Tracked the chefs down from Leeds ( Rhoundhay Road )Thank god ive found this place. We have all missed it so much. Excellent meals great service , great staff love the new Maitre D he's a funny fun helpful guy. Prepared to travel from North Leeds already telling our friends. Thankyou. Don’t confuse with Rawdon Restaurant not the same food! Cheers and Happy New Year to all the staff here

Great food and good service, Miss the old waiting team though, but at least we have the same chefs. Prawn roast was amazing!

Had to go to Harrogate where we had an excellent Thai meal "thank you Darlin" I explained if we could not choose a table we desired then we would book a table elsewhere, which was met with "ok Darlin thanks"

We visited the New Basil on a Sunday evening, we were a group of 10The place was suprisingly busy for a Sunday night both with sit in guest's and takeaway customersWe were served prawn crackers whilst we checked out the menuOur food was served in a timely maner, all food was of good quality but most of the party were of a view that the food should have been warmer that it wasThe staff were very polite but our overall experiance was average

The occasion was a Wednesday evening with friends, the venue was moderately busy which is a good sign for mid week.The food served was both plentiful and tasty and served by a generally friendly team.We did however feel we being rushed to finish our food for no apparent reason which took the edge off the occasion.

Having lived locally for the last few years, I have tried the Sweet Basil on many occasions, both eating in and takeaway. The staff are always lovely and very happy to see you.The food is always great, I've never had a meal which I've not enjoyed.Cannot sing enough praises!

Bizarre spot near a garage on the A59. Modern building, ample car parking and a very spacious restaurant. Busy and very popular. Thai and Chinese cuisine available. Excellent food with good and friendly service. Would visit again.

Warm welcome (exception to the new girl on greeting however calling me 'Darlin' and 'Luv' Clean and friendly, frsh succulent food well displayed and served.

One of the very best restaurant’s I have ever visited, the staff are so gracious and professional with food that is top notch made for a brilliant experience thank you sweet Basil

Good food but pricy - I don't think they have mastered the Thai curries (the sauce is too thick has a taste of uncooked flour) but everything else we've had has been nice.

We had just come in from a long trip. They took a large group of us and the food was very good. We found it to be an enjoyable experience. The ambience was very nice and it was nice to have a local restaurant to go to!

Totally surprised at how good this place is. The staff are very attentive! We had egg rolls, lettuce wraps, coconut cream veggie soup, and Thai prawn coconut and thin bean main course. Outrageously good. Can't wait to come back!!! Don't hesitate to have dinner here.

We called at this restaurant on the recommendation of the host at the cottage where we were staying. We chose to do takeaway but you can also eat on the premises. The menu is very varied with something for everyone's taste. We chose the chicken in lemon sauce and the beef with mushrooms. The rice is extra. The staff were friendly and helpful and the food was cooked quickly. We shared the dishes and both were hot and very tasty and also a good size portion. Compared to our usual Chinese takeaway it is a tad expensive but OK for a treat. We would go back if we are ever in the area again.

I absolutely love this place. Me and my partner go a lot, quite expensive (around £50 for 2). As a treat this is great, the service and staff are the best!! So friendly. The placement of seats means you have a great distance between diners, so it's not crammed so too busy even when it's packed. Absolutely amazing food, tastes incredible and worth the drive from york, couldn't recommend enough

This 're-born' Little Chef has been given a new lease of life. The menu covers not just chinese dishes, but Thai and others as well, making it quite a little gem. All very well prepared and delivered by cheerful and enthusiastic staff. Decent value too - with good parking. It is well worth a visit - and stray away from your regular dish of choice to experiment with something new. Be brave - you won't regret it!

This eatery is fine for a quick dinner . The Staff obliging, the menu perhaps too extensive but try as it might, it is hard for it to overcome its situation (behind a garage on an A road) but, that said ,it is clearly very popular with children. Well beyond a 'Happy Eater'. Very busy at times but authentically eastern and welcoming.

What can I say, we first went here a few years ago and loved it so much we have returned numerous times with friends, family and work colleagues. We even travel especially for a take away as our local Chinese restaurants are not a patch on the Sweet Basil, our favourites are the salt and pepper squid, hot and sour soup, Sizzling steak in black bean and a masaman curry all cooked to perfection with plenty of flavour.

Food is always top notch as is the service so we come here for an early dinner with the kids a couple of tones a month.

Booked last minute, but accommodated easily. What a lovely Chinese/Thai restaurant. Friendly, smiley staff and excellent food. Served promptly with water and Prawn Crackers. Starters excellent and mains lovely. Can’t fault anything.

Four of us visited here last Friday. Easy to park at with very friendly staff. You need to book though. Good menu for both Chinese and Thai food. The starter selection is especially good. Slightly more expensive than other local Chinese restaurants but the food was both delicious andplentiful. We will certainly return. With a drink you should allow for £25 per head.

Have visited multiple times in the last quarter to enjoy the Szechuan crispy beef and Thai spicy squid as well as the Chinese salt and pepper squid. Really tasty starters and the Thai green curry is so flavoursome.

Continue to visit periodically and Sweet Basil never fails to satisfy. Staff are always cheerful and welcoming. Great menu to choose from and whether you try an 'old favourite' or something 'new', you are not disappointed.

Visited last Saturday evening with friends and can't fault anything. From the minute you arrive you're made to feel welcome. Excellent service and amazing food. Three of our party opted for the fixed banquet at £25 per head. Very good menu choices and large portions, certainly value for money. Highly recommend a visit here, worth travelling to.

Stopped on our way home on a Sunday evening. Friendly greeting, shown to a table straightaway - we hadn't booked, but they weren't busy.

If a restaurant offers multiple cuisines, you sometimes expect a dilution in quality.

The occasion was a Saturday evening meal out with friends. We had never visited the restaurant previously as it is out of our normal eating area. Upon arrival the venue was very busy however we were shown to our precooked table at the allotted time. The service was very friendly and prompt with more than 1 table waiter looking after our table. The food was plentiful, served hot and very tasty. We will return, highly recommended.

A family meal on my birthday. We were greeted with warmth and friendliness. Our table was prepared. Our drinks were promptly served. The menu had a wonderful variety and choice. Starters were delicious - duck pancakes and chicken toast - so tempting and tasty. Our main meals were of similar high standard; mine was crispy cod in sweet and sour, which was delightfully presented with sculptured tomatoes and a glorious flower decoration. The meal was kept hot through the use of heated stands on the table. It was delicious. Hot cloths were provided to clean hands before dessert and coffee. Staff were amazingly hard working and efficient, and always friendly and attentive. My favourite place, such a good, warm atmosphere and excellent food.