Basil and Mint Vietnamese Cafe and Bar — Restaurant in Camarillo

A little hidden gem in Camarillo, literally hidden, as I had a difficult time locating this place. On a Monday night, I had a craving for pho and consulted Yelp. This place popped up and I was trying to beat the clock of their 9pm closing time. My GPS failed me and led me into the residential area. Be sure to include the word "North Lantana" in your GPS search.

With 10 minutes to spare, I finally made it inside. Since I get pho tai ($7.95) at pretty much every pho join I visit, this time was no different. With a Yelp check in, you get 2 free egg rolls! The lady was super nice and didn't hurry me at all as I was the only customer left.

The soup broth was flavorful and not salty, which means no MSG! The amount of noodles and meat were also quite generous. The bean sprouts were fresh and crunchy. I also enjoyed the thinly sliced onions.

The egg rolls were also tasty, but not greasy. All in all, I'd eat here again if I'm in the area and craving pho. Service was fantastic. Finally, I finished everything and was on my way around 9:30pm. The staff was very patient with me while doing other things. Thanks Basil and Mint...

Atmosphere and service were great, but that's not why you really go to eat out. You spend your hard earned money to eat somebody else's delicious cooking. In this case, it was SUPPOSED to be authentic vietnamese cuisine; it was quite the opposite. I have been to authentic Vietnamese restaurants. How do I know? The owners were Vietnamese, the menus were in Vietnamese writing, the chefs were old Vietnamese ladies that I could see making the food with my own eyes. The food was overpriced and very remotely Vietnamese in taste; more like a half-hearted failed attempt to reproduce Grandma's home cooking. I had high hopes when I dined here because of all the great reviews. So high, as a matter of fact, that I ordered more plates than my wife I and could've finished, thinking that I wouldn't mind having leftovers from such a "highly" reviewed restaurant. It was the first time we had been out to eat in quite a while. We were extremely disappointed with minutes of receiving our food. My advice to the owners/managers: hire real Vietnamese chefs!

Pros: Visually pleasing atmosphere, attentive service. Cons: Overpriced, faux...

I love love this place. I like the fact that when I am craving Pho and I'm at the Outlets, I can come here. When I am in a hurry, I call ahead and get it to go.

Spring rolls are amazing! So are the frozen mango desserts.

I will confess that I've only had Vietnamese food at one other place, Pho Saigon in Oxnard. I loved it there and I love it here. I prefer the atmosphere at Basil and Mint though. More room to relax and have a nice meal on a date night with my wife.

We got to meet the owner/chef one night when she came out to the dining room while we were eating and talked to us for a bit to see how we liked the meal. She was so friendly and it was neat to hear the story of why she started the restaurant. Her Vietnamese accent was a bit thick so it was a little hard for me to understand her but I think we got the gist of it.

FYI, the restaurant is tucked away in the left corner of the plaza.

Get the House Noodle Soup and add lots of...