Sweet Basilico Cafe

Someone from this business manages this listing.

798 reviews

#13 of 65 Restaurants in Estes Park$$ - $$$, Italian, Pizza, Vegetarian friendly

+1 970-586-3899+ Add website

Hours

Sun

12:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Tue

4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Wed

4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Thu

4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Fri

4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Sat

12:00 PM - 9:00 PM

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Ratings and reviews

4.0

798 reviews

#13 of 65 Restaurants in Estes Park

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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Hispanic/Latinx-owned

Tripadvisor allows businesses to update and manage their attributes and details, but does not verify the accuracy of this information.

PRICE RANGE

$13.00 – $27.00

CUISINES

Italian, Pizza

special diets, meals, features

Location and contact

430 Prospect Village Dr, Estes Park, CO 80517

+1 970-586-3899

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Does this restaurant serve Romana food?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

Hispanic/Latinx-owned

Tripadvisor allows businesses to update and manage their attributes and details, but does not verify the accuracy of this information.

About

Casual home style Italian food in the Rocky Mountains. Family owned and operated since 1997, serving American-Italian specials, pizza & pasta.

PRICE RANGE

$13.00 – $27.00

CUISINES

Italian, Pizza

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.0

798 reviews

Excellent

363

Very good

234

Average

118

Poor

Terrible

Valery K

2 contributions

Delicious food and incredible service

Jul 2020 • friends

Our group ordered food from Sweet Basilico four times over the span of a week and enjoyed many delicious menu options. On our final night we ordered a bunch of food and the kitchen mistakenly gave us a chicken dish instead of the seafood we had ordered. The owner, a lovely and gentle Italian man, drove 10 minutes to deliver the correct dish at our location. We appreciated his generosity to fulfill our order correctly!

Written July 25, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

happytrvlrColorado

Windsor191 contributions

Easy takeout for great italian food

May 2020 • none

At the time we visited in mid May the restaurants were still only open for takeout or delivery. Sweet Basilico has online ordering and upon arrival they have safety protocols in place. Marked spots for 6 ft distancing and a cash register setup near the entrance. They were offering special prices for takeout and the food was very good. Saw picnic tables for outside dining down by the river and there was a sign saying inquire about eating there. Looked like a really nice spot to dine.

Written May 28, 2020

Scott S.

Loveland2 contributions

Great Eggplant Parmigiana and Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli Marsala

Dec 2020 • none

We were staying nearby in one of the beautiful Cabins at MacGregor Lodge and ordered these two entrées for curbside pick-up. The order would be ready in 30 minutes and I was to call at that time. I got there 4 minutes early and the very polite lady who answered said it was just being packaged up, and a minute later, a nice waitress was handing our dinner to me, 2 minutes early. I brought the food back to our cabin and we ate it in front of a lovely fire. It was the best eggplant parmigiana I can remember eating, and my wife said the ravioli was perfect. YUM! This will be our go to place every time we go to Estes Park from now on!

Written December 21, 2020

Meaney

Mesa6 contributions

Delicious Classic Italian Food!

Jul 2021 • none

This restaurant was busy, busy, busy! We waited 25-30 minutes to be seated but it was worth it. The staff is friendly. We even bought the head chef a drink - our table was in view of the kitchen where we watched him putting together all the dishes. Everything was delicious from the calamari w/ marinara sauce to shrimp diavolo, eggplant parm. Decent wine selection. This is a family owned restaurant, the owner (father), son, daughter and mom were all working the day we visited.

Written August 5, 2021

Marie M

22 contributions

Flavorful but an unusual take on Chicken Marsala

Sep 2020 • none

Very friendly host/hostesses and servers. The Chicken marsala was delicious but certainly not the traditional dish, and was served over a small amount of spaghetti. (The owner and chef is not Italian; perhaps that is why the dish is not what one would find in an Italian-family restaurant). The portion was very small, considering the price of $17.50. And that does not even include garlic bread, or a small dinner salad. This is not a fine dining experience; it is casual.

Written September 15, 2020

BeeSkip

124 contributions

Casual Italian, very tasty, bow ties

May 2022 • none

A local told us that Sweet Basilico Cafe had the best Italian food in town. That sounded good to us so we gave it a try, We were not disappointed!!! The chicken parm and the chicken Marsala were very good. Large servings served hot and sauces were delicious. Each dish came with bow tie pasta and the nice thing was the pasta was just the right amount, not overwhelming. If you are not a bow tie pasta fan, they will substitute for an up charge. We went with the standard bow ties and liked having the alternate shape pasta. Very friendly staff and reasonably priced. Nice house salad too.

Written May 13, 2022

Kathy H

4 contributions

Good food, disappointing pickup experience

Sep 2020 • none

My husband enjoyed a pizza and I enjoyed Chicken Pomodoro although I missed the broccoli that was mentioned in the description. I did an online order and went to Sweet Basilico at the time the food was ready. There didn’t seem to be a procedure for pickup. I told the hostess why I was there and she pointed to another lady and she said she would take care of me I n a few minutes but she didn’t go and tell the other employee that I was waiting. I approached the other lady in a few minutes and she had to search for my order because I did it online and my name wasn’t on the order. All this time, I was waiting in a small lobby with many people waiting for their table. There was no way to socially distance. Several people passed me. All were wearing masks fortunately.

Written September 13, 2020

bodz4321

Wauconda79 contributions

Yummy pizza

Jun 2021 • family

We came here after a long day of hiking and it did not disappoint. Consider making reservations as we had to wait about 30 min. We are always looking for places that have gluten free options and there was plenty to choose from here. We got a large pizza with meatball topping. It was very good. I thought it was a bit salty, but my husband easily put it at the top of his list, and we are from Chicago. My daughter ordered a gluten free pizza with pesto. The server misunderstood out order and put in the wrong pizza (mushrooms, tomatoes, and artichokes). She picked everything off and ate the pizza anyway. The server apologized and took the pizza off the check. My daughter did enjoy the pizza still, and I must say if you like those ingredients that would be a great choice. Loved that they give you extra water at your table. We would return for sure!

Written June 30, 2021

Jessica M

Salem138 contributions

Food was delicious. We were

Dec 2020 • none

Food was delicious. We were very pleased with the food. Customer service on the other hand was lacking. I ordered and paid online for curbside pick up. Was given a pickup time of 6:25pm. I arrived at 6:25 and tried to call multiple times but either the call wasn’t answered or the line was busy. When I did get someone to answer the call I told the woman I was there for a 6:25 curbside pickup. She told me to hang on just a minute. She was very rude. After a minute she comes back asks my name and puts me on hold again. After another minute she came back to the phone and tells me that I need to pay for my order. I told her no I paid online when I ordered. She hung up. After 5 minutes and multiple people getting orders inside I decided to call back. She told me I was going to have to wait because there were people in the lobby and placed me on hold. Another 7.5 minutes goes by and I hang up and call again. This time I got another girl. From the sound of her voice She was younger and much friendlier. She said my order would be out soon. When she brought me my order she couldn’t hand it to me without me wearing a mask. At this point I wasn’t really patient which I’m sorry for but I was getting very irritated. I have ordered curbside take out many different places and have never had this issue. But Once again I had to wait. This time for utensils. So after nearly 30 minutes of waiting for a curbside order I finally received my order. Don’t think I would visit again for curbside. They were either understaffed or didn’t understand how curbside orders work?

Written December 4, 2020

EpicGuy12

Queen Creek878 contributions

Good Italian

Sep 2021 • none

We stopped in here for dinner after a long day of exploring RMNP. We called ahead and made a reservation although when we were there the place wasn't too crowded. After looking over the menu, I settled on the canneloni while my g/f settled on the lasagna. The food was brought out hot and the portion size was quite generous so we definitely didn't leave there hungry. Overall for the money it was a great value as we really did have a nice Italian dinner.

Written September 29, 2021

Courtney P

Joplin42 contributions

Wish the service held up to the food!

Apr 2021 • none

Food was pretty good, but the experience was not great. Made a reservation for 2, and had to wait for call in orders for 10 minutes before being sat. Once we were seated, nobody came to our table for over 20 minutes! 3 other tables who came in behind us got their orders in and drinks before we were greeted. I tried to flag down a waitress, which was met with the her sticking her finger up to me to motion to wait. She never came over. Another younger waitress came running to our table about 3 minutes later. She never asked if we wanted to drink, and Had to ask for the wine list. We ordered calamari which came out lukewarm and chewy - not crispy at all. I ordered the chicken parmigiana, which came out with about 12 bow tie pasta. My husband had chicken Marsala which was pretty good. We were there for almost 1.5 hours with a half full restaurant, which was aggravating. Sauces were all good, but portions very small.

Written April 24, 2021

Joe P

Estes Park294 contributions

Best Italian restaurant in town

Mar 2020 • none

We frequent Sweet Basilico but I haven't reviewed them before. Not sure why as it is our "go to" Restaurant in town when we are celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. Although we have tried several of their offerings, my wife is stuck on their eggplant parmegian, while I love their shrimp florentine. Topped off with a glass of wine, they present a great lunch or dinner. Service is always good, and the atmosphere is friendly.

Written March 9, 2020

Greg H

Spring Hill169 contributions

Great Italian

Jul 2021 • none

This is a small restaurant with a small outdoor seatin area. It has a great reputation and is extremely busy. Be sure to make a reservation and be prepared to wait. Because diners tend to linger, the tables are slow to turn over. Once at our table the service was great. Laura was our server and she was excellent. The food also was excellent and reasonably priced. Everyone from the owner to the servers and cooks were hustling to get the food out. Give this restaurant a try when you're in Estes Park but make a reservation.

Written July 23, 2021

Christopher T

Kenosha149 contributions

Amazing food, worth the trip!

Jul 2021 • none

While shopping in downtown Estes Park, my wife (who can't eat red meat due to a digestive condition) decided we should try Sweet Basilico Cafe, which was a little off to the side of downtown, but not far from everything. The service there is extremely friendly, with the cook (owner?) often coming out to greet guests. It takes a little time to get your food after you order, but this is because everything is made to order, so I'm more than willing to wait a little longer for good, quality food. We arrived just before a lunch crowd, but even with the restaurant at about 60 percent capacity, it was quiet enough to maintain a normal conversation, which is a pleasant change of pace. My Italian sausage sandwich was, simply put, amazing - the meat sauce that topped it had a pleasant fire to it that you just don't get from a sauce out of a jar or a can, and overall it was a wonderful choice. My wife had, I believe, a mushroom marsala ravioli, which she could not stop raving about. They're slightly off the beaten path, but are most definitely worth searching out if you want a good meal of Italian food and you don't plan on leaving the restaurant hungry. Highly recommended!

Written July 11, 2021

Andrew C

39 contributions

Washed out by the junk we sat with....

Jul 2020 • family

At first we were super excited to head here after a long day on the trails. Very helpful to take my name and phone number when I called to get me in line for a table.... It went down hill from there. My 30 minute wait turned into an hour. And only was seated once we went to hostess stand for the third time. After a quick conversation between hostesses, including seating “former” employees who walked in just as we got to the stand for the third time, we were seated. In the dungeon...... It had rained, and was very cool. Our table was “inside” the rear tarp patio. Just inside the covered area. The table next to us was filthy with food scrapes, and never wiped down. The seating area appeared to be where the closet was for construction and equipment that was broken and not used. It was like we were in the forgotten land of the restaurant. I could see others enjoying a nice atmosphere and I was freezing sitting as near to outside as possible. Food: IT WAS SUPER GOOD! Waitress was friendly, but couldn’t get over the ridiculous seating arrangement we were in. The meatballs were great and my Lasagna Bolognese was tremendous! Get it to go, this way you know where you’re going to sit and you’ll be comfortable. I get Covid and all, but please don’t sit your customers in the rain.....