Located on the corner of 8th and Massachusetts Street, The Basil Leaf Cafe has been a fan-favorite for date nights, Italian cuisine and happy hours in Lawrence.
Since its Lawrence location opened in October 2009, The Basil Leaf Cafe has brought Italian classics to the table along with some fusion dishes. The Italian cafe has other locations across the country, including in major cities like New York and Chicago, but they’re not affiliated with the one in Lawrence.
The cafe is usually busy, but when peak seasons in town arrive, the restaurant receives more visitors. Dana Osborn, the general manager, said the restaurant is at its busiest when students are in town.
“Everything gears up for graduation in the middle of May,” Osborn said. “Then, when the students return in the fall, it gets busy as well. So peak seasons are definitely fall when students return around the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas…It all leads up to graduation, which is the climax—the pinnacle, if you will.”
The service industry is known to be slow during the breaks and winter months, and according to Osborn, January and February are months when they see a decline in visitors. Fortunately, their hopes are high for this upcoming summer.
“I hear we’re getting a World Cup nearby, so it should be full,” Osborn said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Basil Leaf’s opening hours are at 11 a.m. every day, and its closing hours are either 8 or 9 p.m.; they vary depending on the day, according to Osborn. Lunch is served daily, and dinner is served at 4 p.m. The lunch menu is different from the dinner menu, as well as the happy hour and feature menus.
“We have specials that we don’t put on our regular menu,” Osborn said. “Things that the chefs come up with every week to showcase their talents, we’re very seasonal. We like to support local businesses and local farms and bring in farm-to-table type things.”
The options for antipasti are varied. These include the Parmesan fries, crab cakes and the cheese plate, along with some salads and the soup of the day.
When it comes to entrees, they have stars like the seared salmon, confit chicken and the steak panzanella, which is the one I tried. This is a sliced steak on top of a salad composed of local mixed greens, goat cheese, candied pecans, anjou pears and croutons—a personal favorite and one you don’t want to miss.
Steak panzanella at The Basil Leaf Cafe features sliced steak, mixed greens, goat cheese, candied pecans, pears and croutons.
Mariana Leandro / The Kansan
Now, as a steak and meat lover, I was excited to try the stake panzanella. It didn’t disappoint. It blew my mind, and my expectations were met. The steak was tender, the salad was fresh and colorful; you could balance the sweetness of the candied pecans with the goat cheese. The crunchiness of the pears and the croutons was balanced with the tenderness of the meat. It was just pure perfection.
You cannot ignore their famous pastas as a main course. The pesto penne with a parmesan basil pesto is a classic on the menu, along with the chicken ricotta-stuffed tortellini a la vodka and their seafood linguine. There is a wide range from which to choose when it comes to pastas.
Desserts are not the exception. They range from the classic tiramisu to their warm house-made cookie. According to Osborn, the tiramisu is the most popular dessert on the menu.
“We also have a cheesecake and a flourless chocolate torte for anyone with gluten allergies,” Osborn said. “We have a cookie flavor of the day [which] changes frequently. We have crème brûlée and tiramisu martinis as well.”
As for drinks, Basil Leaf opens its doors to happy hour daily from 4 to 6 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Now, Osborn has an order she recommends to parents of incoming freshmen who are in town for a day.
“Our most popular dish is the fettuccine Alfredo,” Osborn said. “So, if you are a fettuccine Alfredo fan, we make our sauce from scratch, unlike other places.”
The Cajun penne and the lasagna are very popular dishes as well, according to Osborn.
“Whatever you choose is going to be delicious,” Osborn said.
On the other hand, customers with allergies or dietary restrictions also have a place in Basil Leaf.
“We have a lot of dishes that are naturally gluten-free,” Osborn said. “But we also have gluten-free pasta available that you can substitute for any of your pastas, or most of your pastas anyway.” They also have gluten-free croutons that gluten-allergic customers can add to their salads as well.
Additionally, Osborn said that Basil Leaf likes to employ students, so she sends a message to visiting parents, particularly.
“If any parents have students that need their jobs, send them my way,” Osborn said.
Students interested in applying for a job can go to basilleaflawrence.com and click the “Apply” tab, or they can email contact@basilleaflawrence.com.
This article was edited by Arts & Culture Associate Editor Elyea Soileau. If the information in this article needs to be corrected, please contact elyeasoileau@ku.edu. We want to hear from you!
Dining and Cooking