Cool Basil

We picked this place on a whim. So glad we did. I had the prawn cakes, a small Tom yum soup, and the garlic pepper beef. Prawn cakes, share them. If you don't, you won't have room for anything else. They are about 3 inches in diameter and almost 1/2 inch thick. And you get 4. They are very dense and the sauce adds a little sweetness. The Tom Yum soup is the best I have ever had. Perfectly spicy/sour. I had pork in it for the protein and it was almost like pork belly but less fatty. The garlic pepper with beef. I ordered it a level 4 out of 6 for spice but, to me it was about a 2 for spice. Not sure if that was normal but it was on point for flavor. Nice tender slices of beef and perfect sized pieces of garlic in a smooth sauce worked nicely with rice. Overall this place was a pleasant surprise to find in a strip mall. One other thing was when we pulled up there was a police cruiser parked in front of the restaurant. We walked in and it looked like he had a big order. I urge everyone to go where the police eat. They don't have time for bad food.

The food was great. Lots of menu items to choose from and very diverse. Service was excellent. The Thai iced tea was very good and the honeydew boba tea was very good. Will visit again when in the area.Food: 5/5

They close during the week at 2:30. We got there at 2:15. We were the only ones there. They were very friendly and gracious. I had the Pad Thai and a Thai tea. Husband had the King Pao. My Pad Thai was the second best I've ever had. It was the right amount of saucy and crunch. The only one thar was better was in Las Vegas at i Thai, and that's only because the LV restaurant used bean sprouts and Cool Basil uses cabbage. It's still fantastic and I'll be ordering it again!! Our waitress was great and very kind.

Great Thai food! My husband and I dined in for lunch. He had the special yellow curry aka Khao soi and I had Pad Thai spice level 2 We also shared an app of fried pork pot stickers. All of the food was delicious and just the right amount of spicy! Portions were generous. We left with enough food to have dinner later that day. Worth mentioning, we ordered orange chicken for pickup previously and it was decent but the Thai food is the real star of the show here. The new owners are doing a great job! Vegetarian options: Tofu

Went there today and the food was amazing! I was there a couple of years ago before covid and food was great. They are under new ownership but the food was excellent. This is a must try. Prices were excellent only 13 for an entree. I will be back time and time Again!update.....went again this week and got the pad Thai again. Some places have 5 stars to rate spice and never get the balance right. I ordered a 2 star today and it was perfect just a little spice. Customer service was excellent!

Hands down my favorite place for sushi, Crab Rangoon and chicken fried rice! The portions are nice and big, the rice for the sushi is the perfect chewy not mushy texture AND the size of the sushi roll for the Des Moines Roll is HUGE! The crab ragoons are the perfect balance of savory, sweet with a slight spicy kick and on top of that it is fried to perfection where its not too hard but has the perfect semi soft center with a nice crunch around the edge. The chicken fried rice is cooked to perfection as well with the texture of the rice and seasoning of the chicken. Absolutely love this place and totally recommend it!

Very good food and great service. I had the drunken noodles with tofu and no egg along with fried veggie pot stickers that were both delicious. They don't have a vegan menu, but you can modify lots of dishes by removing egg, fish sauce, and choosing tofu as the protein. Also look for rice noodles instead of egg noodles. It's a nice sit down restaurant and I'll definitely go back. Vegetarian options: Lots of dishes can be ordered without meat. Dietary restrictions: Dishes can be modified to accommodate most diets. Many dishes are rice/rice noodle based if you're gluten intolerant, or can have meat/eggs removed if you're vegan/vegetarian. Parking: Shares parking with other stores in a strip mall. Usually no issue finding a close spot. Wheelchair accessibility: There is a curb to get up to the store, but there are small entry ramps in spots along the strip mall.

This restaurant is under new owners! For years I would get food at Cool Basil Altoona under the previous owners and the food was OK but they never got the spice right. This time we ordered - I got 4 Papaya Salad, 5 Larb and my goodness, delicious! There were fresh chilies like you would expect for these dishes. The shrimp in a blanket was a pleasant addition! My husband got the Pad See Ew and normally when we get take out, the noodle dishes are very dry even from the best places. The noodles were not dry at all, had the perfect amount of heat, and were overall delicious. If you’re in the area I definitely recommend giving Cool Basil another shot if you’ve been disappointed in the past!

We walked in 30 minutes before closing. They had already put the chairs on the tables. But they got us a nice spot and our waiter was excellent. He was friendly and very attentive. Love all our food. The Miso was one of the best flavors I have had. Git the level on heat on the edamame and I loved, but about burned my wife's mouth. My daughter got the level 3 on her Yellow Curry and my other daughter got level 1 on her Yellow Curry. Loved both of them the heat just added a smoking flavor not much heat. My wife got the beef fried rice and thought it was perfect one the the best. I got a spider roll and a California roll, both were good, but average. Their Thai is outstanding well worth the visit.

We were traveling unexpectedly, and needed to catch a meal while on the road. This place hit the spot. We both got different versions of fried rice which were very good, and also light. Our only real complaints were that the tables were a little on the sticky side. Otherwise a nice place for a strip mall restaurant!Food: 5/5