It depends on who you talk to or eat with, but if a conversation comes up about which Madison westside restaurant is the “best,” at some point, someone will mention Thai Basil. If you’re a resident of southwest Madison, it’s difficult to argue against it. Are you really going to bring a Pizza Hut franchise into this debate?
Thai Basil isn’t a new restaurant, but it has always been a good one, though not always well-known. In fact, for many years, it was a hidden treasure on Madison’s far westside. I can vividly recall talking to random bar buddies about their food, and a common response was, “Where is it?” That doesn’t happen anymore.
At nearly 15 years old, this popular Thai food restaurant has had an incredible run in the small commercial space next to Raymond Road’s Kwik Trip. If you’re familiar with the area, you’ll know that lot isn’t known for supporting local businesses very well. While other places have come and gone, Thai Basil has remained firmly established. That’s why it was disappointing to learn that last Saturday was their last day at that location. The small Thai noodle/curry shop, which never offered dine-in, is moving to a larger space on University Ave, finally providing that option.
The story of Thai Basil’s rise in popularity is one I know well because I have worked at the restaurant, quit, and then returned to work there again. It’s a fascinating tale about a Thai restaurateur who, by chance, settled in Madison. And for me personally, it took me from my hometown to the exciting cities of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, Thailand. Here’s their story.
Thai Basil was once named Thai Orchid, and had a different menu.
Prior to 2009, Thai Orchid was the name of the restaurant that occupied the Raymond Rd location. The menu was different. Many people believe the restaurant simply changed names, but that isn’t true.
In 2009, Thai Orchid was sold to a Bangkok native who went by the name Lek. Thai Basil was born.
Thai Orchid’s time was short-lived, and that’s not uncommon for the commercial space they occupied. When Lek bought the restaurant in 2009, it was hard to imagine that Thai Basil would become a well-beloved staple in the area. To any outsider, it looked as though the restaurant had simply re-branded itself. In fact, other than the name change, Lek, who learned the restaurant business in California, brought all that experience to Thai Basil. It was now just a waiting game for people to notice.
In 2010, as Madison’s westside expanded, Thai Basil began it’s ascent.
Lek’s first year was rough. He told me he was losing money every month, and even second-guessed his decision to buy the restaurant. Madison, Wisconsin was not on his list of places to settle in when he left Bangkok. However, when he did make Madison his home, little did he know that he arrived at just the right time.
The city was experiencing the growth of a well-known tech giant called EPIC, which had established itself in Verona. Whether Lek was aware of it or not, the presence of this company was going to have a lasting impact on Madison’s far west side. New neighborhoods seemingly sprouted overnight, and a wave of young, vibrant college graduate geeks employed by EPIC moved into the area. These “Revenge of the Nerd” type individuals became the catalyst of clientele that Lek needed to expand and thrive with his small Thai restaurant. Lek was in the big time.
By 2015, Thai Basil’s “hidden gem” status was gone. Lek asks me to work for him.
Six years into his business, Lek had transformed into a full-fledged restaurant owner. His once quiet lunch and dinner hours had turned into a whirlwind of kitchen chaos. He was a one-man show, with one hand tending to a pot of curry and the other preparing the next order in the makeline. He had limited assistance in the form of Adan, a Mexican cook from Puebla, Mexico. Lek needed more help, but he lacked an effective method for finding new staff. He simply asked his customers if they were interested in lending a hand. One day, I happened to be the customer he approached.
At that time, I worked as a pizza delivery driver. Navigating the streets of Madison’s west side with medium and large pies had become my area of expertise. When Lek spotted me in my embarrassingly bright blue pizza uniform, he inquired if I could assist him. Initially, I said no. However, after five months of dealing with the impersonal world of corporate pizza, I reached my breaking point and quit on the spot. I walked out of that pizza shop with no clear plan for what came next. Then, Lek’s plea for help came rushing back into my mind. It took me a mere five minutes to drive to Thai Basil, where Lek promptly gave me the job.
Thai Basil’s food is not fluff. It’s legit.
I worked alongside Lek for two years, and during that time, I had to quickly learn the details of Thai cuisine. Questions like “what kind of sauce is in the Pad-See-U?” were completely different from the inquiries I received at the “Pizza Shop from Hell.” Unlike the “only add water” sauce we used at “Pizza Shop from Hell,” the sauce at Thai Basil was made weekly, and it required careful preparation. Thai Basil was a restaurant where everything we used was carefully prepared to Lek’s standards. While there were some shortcuts, I came from a background in American fast food where every step, from the farm to the front door, was highly optimized to ensure that someone like me couldn’t completely eff it up.
For instance, at “Pizza Shop from Hell,” our green peppers would arrive already chopped and seedless. We would simply open the bag with a single swift motion and dump the vegetables onto the assembly line. However, Lek received large boxes of fresh peppers that needed to be chopped and seeded. This was a completely new experience for me. Did that mean I had to use my hands?
Another example is salt and pepper, which are staple seasonings found on every American dining room table. However, they were just a couple of the many spices and herbs that went into Lek’s dishes. His recipes incorporated ingredients like shrimp paste and oyster sauce, blending together multiple flavors to create consistently satisfying plates. This is why the food at Thai Basil was so good and why customers kept returning. Lek had a well-crafted formula, and it was effective.
After 10 years, Lek sells Thai Basil.
In 2018, Lek informed me that he wanted to sell the restaurant. I was surprised but not completely taken aback. He had been working hard, almost every day. By that time, I had transitioned to working strictly on weekends, and my work situation had improved. Throughout that year, Lek had a few interested parties who stopped by and spent time working at the restaurant. However, none of them instilled confidence in Lek or me regarding their ability to efficiently run this small establishment.
It wasn’t until Lek’s friends, Chris and Gam, expressed their interest that his hope for the restaurant’s future changed. I had met Chris and Gam during a trip to Las Vegas, a city renowned for its excellent Thai restaurants. They frequented those restaurants often while both were working at one of the major casinos in the city. In short, their knowledge of running a restaurant was limited. Nevertheless, they appeared ready for the challenge, which was more than what Lek had seen from the other potential buyers. Throughout the week they spent feeling out the restaurant, it was evident that they learned quickly and, more importantly, moved swiftly around the kitchen. In 2019, Lek sold the restaurant to Chris and Gam. In March of that year, I drove Lek to O’Hare where he flew back to Bangkok. His time in America had come to an end.
Under new ownership, Thai Basil continued to flourish, but still had shortcomings.
Thai Basil continued to do what it does best. By 2022, it had become a beloved restaurant in the neighborhood. Online forums consistently ranked it as one of the best far westside restaurants in Madison, greatly benefiting the city. Chris and Gam took proactive steps to expand their business by signing up for popular delivery services like UberEATS and Doordash, which brought in a significant increase in customers.
Although I had stepped away from working at the restaurant in 2021, I remained a loyal customer. One day, while picking up my order, Gam, who was working at the counter, stopped me and asked if I knew anyone who was looking for work. I didn’t, but it sparked a sense of déjà vu. Glancing into the kitchen, I noticed they had four cooks, along with two people managing the front, and another person constantly preparing food in the back. That made a total of seven people, five more than when Lek was in charge. Were they really in need of more staff?
That moment reminded me of 2015 when Lek had asked for my help. After a moment of contemplation, I said, “I can do it.” Two years after leaving, I returned to Thai Basil, but only to work on weekends.
It didn’t take long for me to notice how much busier the restaurant had become. Despite the larger staff and a kitchen that could prepare dishes in half the time it used to take Lek, we still struggled to keep up with the constant influx of orders during every dinner rush. Wait times sometimes reached an hour, even though the kitchen was working efficiently. Additionally, the fact that Thai Basil didn’t offer dine-in service meant that potential customers would often leave once they realized they couldn’t eat inside. Chris and Gam were aware of this issue and wanted to find a solution.
Thai Basil has a decision to make. Open a second location or move the current one?
Thai Basil has a good reputation and the restaurant lives in a landscape where there aren’t a lot of Thai food options. Because of that, many people from outside the neighborhood come to try the food. Many of those people don’t or didn’t know it’s a carryout only restaurant. That’s always been the case. The space simply doesn’t meet city code for dining in. This poses a challenge, especially for university students on student visas who make the trek from downtown to the far west side in search of a break from Wisconsin’s beer and bratwurst reputation. Unfortunately, they are unable to enjoy a meal at the restaurant and often leave without considering takeout.
Chris and Gam saw that as a challenge to take on. In 2022, they expressed to me they were thinking of a second location, but they weren’t sure. Yes, they wanted a second restaurant first. The other option was to pick up and leave the only spot the restaurant had ever known. As a resident of the Meadowood neighborhood, I preferred the first option. I couldn’t imagine this area not having Thai Basil. It had become a part of the neighborhood. However, I also saw the dilemma they were trying to solve and I respected their decision to keep pushing themselves and the restaurant to higher heights. It was around October and November of 2022 when I learned the restaurant was going to move to a new location. Instead of operating two separate locations, they preferred to make one standout location. I understood, but deep down, I was gutted that the restaurant was leaving.
Thai Basil’s final months on Raymond Rd.
Every Friday afternoon, I would leave work and head down to the restaurant. Chris and Gam gave me the responsibility of opening the restaurant for the 4pm dinner rush on the weekends. It was business as usual. I would walk into happy greetings from their team of cooks, all from Thailand and all very good at what they do.
Usually, less than a minute after the clock strikes 4pm, the first dinner order comes in. The chime from the order tablet is enough to drive you to a padded cell, but it’s also a sign to get serious. Within seconds, another chime sounds off, then a phone call, then a ding-dong sound from another tablet. It’s Friday. There’s no other way to do it.
In December 2022, I was told the restaurant would move in April of 2023. A month later, I was told it would more likely move in May. I had come to terms with it, but customers still didn’t know. I would see familiar faces, some I first met 7 years earlier, and folks who have been customers since day one. I’d bite my tongue on the news. How would they react?
Then around late February, I started telling some of the regulars the big secret. Responses like “Really?” or “No way!” were common, but I also heard “Oh, that’s awesome!” or “Great, I won’t have to drive as far!” I guess I hadn’t realized how far people were traveling to get to the restaurant. It was a mixed bag. Some folks were really disappointed. Others were happy to finally be able to eat in.
The last week was hard. One day, a customer walked in and said, “I came to say goodbye,” and I didn’t know how to respond. I told him I knew I’d see him again because I know I will. But I also thought, what if I don’t? What if this really is… goodbye? Then, 15 minutes later, another customer came in and said, “We can’t wait for your new location!” It was a hot mess of emotions, but I understood it all.
Thai Basil’s new restaurant should look beautiful. The menu has exciting new additions.
On May 14th, I helped the crew move out of the Raymond Rd location into the new University Ave location. It was my first time seeing it. While Raymond Rd has been open, Chris and Gam have been working diligently at setting up this new space. First, it’s much larger. Secondly, there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done. I can see the vision Chris & Gam have for this space, and once it gets there I believe the restaurant will be a stunner. It’s a big change for a restaurant that was simply a carryout spot. Plastic bags and Styrofoam containers are going to be replaced by nice dinnerware and glassware. Don’t let that deter you. There will still be carryout, and I expect that will still be a big chunk of business, but dine-in is new territory.
They’re also expanding the menu and changing some dishes. For example, I’ve been told the popular stir fry “Spicy Basil” is getting a much-needed facelift. The restaurant has never made true “Pad Kra Pao”, instead offering an almost gringo Americanized version of it. Typically the dish is a mixture of ground pork, chilis and sweet thai basil leaves. The dish is then topped off with a fried egg whose yolk will steadily seep over the pork as you break into it. It’s a dish I kept going back to when I visited Thailand and I’ve seen the cooks make it during restaurant after hours. It’s a classic. There’s also a fun new drink that involves patrons dropping a lime wedge into it. Upon contact, a chemistry set reaction materializes. I won’t reveal the mysterious details of this magic trick, but it should be a hit with patrons, particularly families with kids.
We will probably be out of our element for a while, but that’s expected. The band-aid is off, and the new restaurant is here. For many who knew the westside location, it might feel far removed from the old Raymond Rd space that once housed a Little Caesar pizzeria. However, Chris & Gam want to make this a successful restaurant Madison can be proud of. They have done their homework and know what options the city has in front of them. Thai Basil could have easily stayed put, and forever be the humble spot that shells out fabulous food, but they see an opportunity to stand out. They know what they liked back home as well as back in Vegas. The small eatery that Lek built up has grown up. It’s a risky move when everything is working, but for the sake of a great Thai food experience, it’s a risk worth taking. This restaurant deserves it.