Green Basil Thai Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Vernon Hills

Stopped in for a bite with my wife. It was really busy for a Tuesday night. Lots of families celebrating and enjoying the cuisine. We had the Sampler Plate for an appetizer…good portions of perfectly fried and steamed dumplings, egg rolls and other Asian delicacies. If you get a starter, know that you’ll be taking some of your dinner entrees home for the next day’s lunch.

Our entrees arrived just as we were finishing our second glass of hot tea…perfectly timed. My beef salad was tender, marinated in a light citrusy vinaigrette with crisp lettuce and fresh vegetables. My wife’s coconut curry chicken…excellent, as well, full of tender, spiced chicken in a rich, coconut green curry sauce and basmati rice. Huge portion…really enjoyed the sampler, and enjoyed the leftover curry chicken for lunch the next day. I was the envy of the lunchroom!

The owner and his wife were hustling, but generously took the time to thank us for dining with them. Such nice workers and on-point customer service. Most places are so understaffed lately—-not evident here as the waitstaff didn’t miss a beat!

With it getting colder, stop in and dine, but get some soup to take home for the next day’s lunch. The spicier the better, to keep the Cooties and Jack Frost away! Definitely a great meal and experience in Vernon Hills.

I can’t wait until springtime to enjoy a skillfully made cocktail and some great food on their spacious patio! For now, I’ll settle for carry out on a cold night! The wife definitely will be up for the rich and savory...

I ordered Drunken Noodle lunch special "Thai spicy" with chicken and extra mixed vegetables.

I arrived a bit before the estimated pick up time and it was already ready; so that's good.

Spice level was severely lacking. I would honestly call it "medium" at best.

Flavor was very good. I especially liked the inclusion of water chestnuts.

Portion size was good. Enough for 1 meal; no leftovers.

I don't feel like I got the extra mixed vegetables, but I can't say for sure because I've never gotten the dish with just chicken. Because of that and lack of spiciness I wish I could give 3.5 stars.

UPDATE 6/14/22 the above review happened three years according to google.

ok, they got me. I ordered the drunken noodles as simply "spicy" this time; not Thai spicy. I ordered Papaya salad as Thai spicy. When I gave them my number they had my name so I guess I was in their system? Perhaps they have notes on you if you leave a Google review because the drunken noddles were INSANELY spicy. I have a good spice tolerance, (i can handle the top 2 hot sauces from Hot Ones) but this left my mouth ON FIRE and my eyes literally watering. The papaya salad (Thai spicy) was extremely tolerable.

I'm sorry I said your food wasn't spicy, ok? Or maybe Thai spicy isn't spicier than spicy? I just assumed that was the case because that's how it's listed on...

My wife and I enjoy Thai and have been to several restaurants. So far, we have two favorites with both incredible food and reasonable prices. The Green Basil is not one of those restaurants.

We were there yesterday. I had the Roasted Duck in Curry with Lychee and my wife had the fried Thai combination rice. For an appetizer, we had the green mussels steamed with Thai spices. The mussels were cooked to a perfectly rubbery texture, with just enough grit left to make them completely unpalatable. Strike 1.

My wife's rice plate was huge, generally a winner for me, but everything in it tasted exactly the same--one long flavor note. For some reason, two slices of cucumber and two slices of tomato, both huge as well, were served on the side of the plate--to no purpose that I could see. Strike 2.

My duck was cooked perfectly. It had, however, no actual flavor. The curry was good, but somewhat weak. The lychee was the best part of the whole meal. It was amazing. So, mostly, Strike 3.

Overall, this is a good starter place for Thai, but if you've had good Thai before, you will walk away full, but...