Basil Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant — Restaurant in Albuquerque

Arrived to basil leaf today excited because it’s been a while, sat quickly, order taken at same time as drinks, I ordered the Pad Thai, not even 2 minutes after ordering I get a huge plate of pad Thai delivered (drinks hadn’t even been delivered yet) and it like this was oddly quick considering restaurant was relatively busy, try to take a bite and the noodles were the consistency of chewing rubber bands I couldn’t actually bite through my chewing was basically just compressing the noodles, waitress never comes back to check in at all for the entire stop and I keep trying to get someone’s attention, finally a lady comes asks me if I’d like a box and I said no I’d actually like a fresh one or something different all together this isn’t edible, she literally states well it’s what you ordered so you have to eat it, I said no I will not be eating this is like something else, she then said well I’ll get you something else but you still have to pay for this because it’s what you ordered, I said I understand it’s what I ordered but there is no way this meal was made fresh it was out in less than 2 minutes and it’s just not edible and she then said well it’s the same cooks we always have, no one ever complained before just you so maybe you’re not feeling good today that’s why you don’t like it…. Flabbergasted I just stated nevermind I don’t want to argue but I’m still not paying for that meal after about 15 minutes of seeing her and I’m assuming the owner or manager arguing in their language she returns and tells me as if she is doing me a favor “just this time we take it off your bill but next time make sure and order something you like” I responded by letting her know I actually like the pad Thai quite a bit but not that one I was served and she asked me to just not return then which is fine, I just have never had that interaction with any restaurant period… “best in the city” should mean best all around not just good food but careless staff who is more worried about food loss rather than satisfaction of customers, still tipped 20% despite her...

Basil Leaf has long been a local favorite for the three years I've been in Albuquerque. Tonight unfortunately things changed for us. we ordered our go-to favorites, papaya with shrimp and pork salad, teriyaki chicken skewers and grilled chicken spring rolls. The flavors are always great, although the chicken skewers have been undercooked and pink a few times in the past. Tonight my first bite into a spring roll revealed a long black human hair, so long that it wouldn't budge when I tugged on it, when I double checked to make sure it wasn't my own brown and gray hair, obviously I knew it was not. I immediately threw the rest of the partially eaten dinner in the trash and we wrapped the remaining spring roll up to return and get a refund. My wife went in while I waited in the car. I could see lots of workers racing back and forth from my wife to out of view. After some time, I entered the restaurant to check on things. The manager was not very apologetic about the hair, showing zero interest in viewing it, but more intent on shaming my wife for not bringing in the rest of the meal. Stating over and over that we should have done so. And next time we should bring it all back. Next time?? I worked in food service for 5 years, yes things happen, ie. Hairs may end up in food, but there should also have been equal grace and understanding in how disgusted I was with the meal and focus on returning for a refund in the 7 minute window before they closed for the night. Prime Customer service brings people back for mediocre food in thousands of establishments. A great product, with shaming tactics in place of customer service will sadly no longer retain our patronage. In the end, we were refunded for the entire meal, so why work so hard to shame and scold us when WE didn't cause the problem? "Next time" there will be...

So I really wanted to like this place after reading so many positive reviews. Unfortunately my meal didn't live up to all the hype.

I should also say that Vietnamese is my favorite cuisine, so I like to think I have a good taste when it comes to Vietnamese food. I had the pork egg rolls and well done brisket pho. The egg rolls were decent in flavor, but the dipping sauce was rather plain tasting and too sweet. As for the Pho, that is where I was truly disappointed. The cuts of brisket they used had very little meat and were almost 95% fat and cartilage. While the broth has a very nice flavor, using those inedible cuts of meat completely killed the ability to eat any of the protein. When the server asked how my meal was, I told her I was disappointed in the brisket and showed a plate full of fat and cartilage. I've had brisket pho many other places and while they can be a little fatty at times, they are always edible, unlike here where it was like chewing on rubber bands.... While she offered to bring me something else, I had already eaten most of my meal and didn't need more food. I rarely complain and don't like to ask for anything free, but they knew I was unhappy about my meal and simply offered an apology. I'd have felt better if they had even given a small discount.... The only reason this isn't a 1 star review is because the pho broth is excellent.

Another review mentioned the seating there, I agree as well. It feels like a school cafeteria. What a bummer, was hoping this was going to be a great place.

Hope your experience here is better, maybe I just got them on a bad day. That said, I won't be...