Restaurant

Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿

Name: Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿
Address: 1585 Bank St, Ottawa, ON, K1H 7Z3, CA
Telephone: (613) 731-8424
Price range: value

Thai•Centretown•value

Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 is one of the best thai restaurants in Ottawa for dinner, especially if you want a strong option in Centretown.

Sweet Basil is doing something the Thai spots on Bank Street mostly aren't: cooking for the neighbourhood rather than performing for it.

Editorial review updated•Jul 28, 2026

Sweet Basil is doing something the Thai spots on Bank Street mostly aren't: cooking for the neighbourhood rather than performing for it. This is a Centretown room that runs on the logic of a family kitchen that happened to open its doors — no tableside theatre, no ambient fog of lemongrass candle, just focused, affordable Thai food that regulars apparently guard and rarely post about. At price level one, it reads as a budget play on paper, but the menu doesn't position itself that way. The kitchen has a point of view. The appetizer section alone signals what kind of kitchen this is. The Stuffed Chicken Wings — deboned, packed, and fried — are the kind of technically demanding preparation that most cheap-eat operations don't bother attempting, and diners consistently single them out. The Golden Shrimp are known for a notably crisp batter, the sort of result that depends on oil temperature discipline. The Grilled Squid rounds out the starter range and is reported to carry real char rather than the pale, steam-finished version you get at less attentive spots. On the main course side, the Pad Bai Gra Prow — the holy basil stir-fry — is the dish reviewers reach for when describing what the kitchen does best: heat that registers, wok-driven rather than sauce-dependent. The Pad Med Mamuang, a cashew stir-fry, is described as leaning on savory-sweet balance without overcorrecting into sugar. The practical case for Sweet Basil is straightforward: it's one of the more affordable rooms in Centretown and the menu rewards people who order past the obvious. The Stuffed Chicken Wings are the consensus opener; the Pad Bai Gra Prow is where most accounts suggest you spend your heat tolerance. Bring enough people to move across the menu, and on weekday evenings you'll likely beat the after-work crowd. Order wide, order deliberately, and don't let anyone at the table default to the path of least resistance.

Carlos Mendez, Food & Drink Editor

Methodology•Ottawa guides•Editorial team•Report outdated information

Cheap EatsThai fooddinner takeout boldlively

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Taste Score 8.1/10

Rating (Google) 9.2

761 reviews

Ottawa

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

8.1/10

Taste Score

Google 9.2 from 761 reviews

Best for

dinner and Cheap Eats

Price and pace

Good value

Neighborhood

Centretown | 1585 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1H 7Z3, Canada

Price

Good value

Taste Score

8.1/10

Phone

(613) 731-8424

Inside the restaurant

Photos of Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿

1 photo

What to order

Signature dishes at Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿

Stuffed Chicken Wings

plump chicken wings stuffed with glass noodles, cabbage, carrots, chicken, and pork, paired with homemade sweet sesame sauce and hot sauce

Pad Bai Gra Prow

fresh basil, chillies, and mixed vegetables stir fry, choice of Chicken, Shrimp, Beef, Pork, or Tofu, medium spice

Golden Shrimp

deep fried succulent shrimp wrapped in crispy egg noodles, served with sweet chili sauce

Pad Med Mamuang

cashew and mixed vegetables stir fry, choice of Chicken, Shrimp, or Tofu

Grilled Squid

charcoal grilled squid topped with fresh green onions and crispy fried shallots, served with homemade hot sauce

Why go

What makes Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 worth the move

Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 is a clean first click in Centretown in Ottawa when you want a thai option you can trust. Stuffed Chicken Wings and Grilled Squid also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.2 rating across 761 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

9.2 from 761 Google reviews

Best for

dinner and Cheap Eats

Style

Thai in Centretown

Spend

Good value

Best for

Cheap Eats Thai food dinner takeout bold lively

Know before you go

Google rating: 9.2 from 761 reviews

Price point: value

Popular dishes: Stuffed Chicken Wings, Grilled Squid, Golden Shrimp

Website linked on this page

TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by Carlos Mendez for Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿

Google snapshot

9.2 from 761 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by Carlos Mendez

Govinda's has been operating in Ottawa, which means it predates the city's entire modern plant-based dining scene by several decades.

Plant-basedlunchdinner

327 reviews

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Plan the visit

Quick details

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Address: 1585 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1H 7Z3, Canada
Phone: (613) 731-8424
Price: value
TastyPals score: 8.1/10
Google rating: 9.2 (761 reviews)
Cuisine: Thai
Neighborhood: Centretown

Restaurants in Centretown

Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 serve?

Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 is a Thai restaurant located in Centretown, Ottawa. Sweet Basil is doing something the Thai spots on Bank Street mostly aren't: cooking for the neighbourhood rather than performing for it.

What is Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 best for?

Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 is best for cheap eats, thai food, dinner, takeout, bold, lively. Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 is a clean first click in Centretown in Ottawa when you want a thai option you can trust. Stuffed Chicken Wings and Grilled Squid also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.2 rating across 761 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿?

Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 is in the Good value price range (value). Google rating: 9.2 from 761 reviews

What should I order at Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿?

Start with Stuffed Chicken Wings, Pad Bai Gra Prow, Golden Shrimp and Pad Med Mamuang. These dishes are shown from TastyPals notes or restaurant data on this page.

Is Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 worth visiting?

Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 holds a 9.2 Google rating from 761 reviews. Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 is a clean first click in Centretown in Ottawa when you want a thai option you can trust. Stuffed Chicken Wings and Grilled Squid also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.2 rating across 761 Google reviews.

Where is Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 located?

Sweet Basil Restaurant 🌿 is located at 1585 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1H 7Z3, Canada. Directions are available via Google Maps.

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Restaurants in CentretownBrowse nearby places around Centretown.

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