Sweet Basil Bistro

Absolutely impressed! I come from New York and let me tell you, this was hands down the best Italian food we’ve had on the west coast. Service was AMAZING, you need a reservation but we got lucky and we got a table walk in. The lady at the front of the house was so understanding, she took an order just cause it was past dinner time for our baby and we got his food as soon as we sat at the table. Their freshly made loaf of bread was so delicious and really set the tone for the rest of the dinner. We ordered their Chicken Parmesan, special of the day-chicken picatta and my mom had their lobster lasagne which was out of this world!! (It’s really hard to impress my mother since she’s Indian and won’t like anything but Indian food) So creamy and delicious, I definitely will try my best to replicate it at home. We live in Joshua Tree but safe to say like another review that I read, I’m ready to drive out here all the way just to have some great Italian food. This is your spot!!! Eat here now!!

Paul T.

It's a small Italian restaurant, but the staff are warm, friendly, and attentive. The food is excellent; the lobster lasagna and grilled salmon are particularly outstanding, and I highly recommend them. However, their mushroom pasta was rather bland, which I didn't like! After your main course, if you're still interested, I suggest trying their desserts. We only tried two, but our whole family was very satisfied!

JING WANG

🍂 Cozy Autumn Magic at Big Bear Lake 🍷✨ Had the most amazing dinner here on a crisp fall evening in Big Bear 🍁 The red leaves outside, the glow of wine glasses, and the warm red lights inside — pure magic. The big painting on the wall caught my eye right away 🎨 It made the whole place feel extra artsy and romantic. I also loved the little candle on each table 🕯️— such a sweet touch! If you’re looking for a cozy date spot, this is the one. The Blushing Martin is a must-try — gorgeous drink with a tiny crescent moon inside 🌙💖 I ordered the salmon (so good!) and the little bread was ridiculously delicious 🥖😋 Left with a happy heart and the warmest memories. Highly recommend! ❤️

Abby M

Highly recommended! Food is delicious here. Reservation is recommended. We had: Lobster lasagna 100/10 Lasagna Bolognese 10/10 Mushroom truffle pasta 10/10 Service is Great as well! Will definitely come back !

Kevin M.

Great service here. Every staff member was friendly and they work as a team. Food was good and good choices.

Deborah Benz

Great food, wine and impeccable service!! Small and intimate. We now make it a tradition whenever we are in Big Bear. The crab cake is to die for! Make reservations!

Michele Leocadio

HIDDEN GEM in Big Bear ✨ A charming Italian Bistro located within walking distance of Big Bear's downtown Village. The food was phenomenal!! So flavorful and balanced! If only there was smell-o-vision…Absolutely impressed and exceeded my expectations! What we tried: Sautéed Crab Cakes Fried Calamari Fried Cheese Ravioli Garlic Cheese Bread Sizzling Garlic Shrimp Salad Spaghetti with Creamy Basil Pesto Sauce Linguine with Clams

J Shin

Every plate has real italian style and delicious as well. Portobello mushroom is so amazing and I like my custom pasta. It is really good to drink coffee too. They have alived flowers on the table and background music is good ! Amazingly authentic and professional service. I would like to hire her if I own my restaurant :) Thanks for all this great experience in Big bear. Me and my husband said it it the best restaurant in Bigbear area. I am for sure!🤩🤩🤩 Even the price is reasonable

d b

Thus place was wonderful! The service, drink, and food were excellent. All of the food was amazing -- The filet mignon was melt in your mouth! We got the last piece of the housemade berry cobbler and it was delicious! Very happy we chose thus place

darby rose

This was the best dining experience I have had in Big Bear in a long time!! The food was phenomenal, the service was flawless. From the moment I walked in I already knew it was going to be good, the place was packed, and smelled so yummy! Every aspect of our meal was perfect, and really beyond my expectations. I had the linguine with creamy pesto sauce and the Italian sausage, which they slice and cook up so it’s crispy and delicious. My wife had the penne with the pink sauce and some meatballs, we both had food envy, so naturally I cannot wait to go back and try more. For dessert we had the crème brûlée, always one of my favorites, and they put a little candle in it for our anniversary. Honestly, not many places up here pay such good attention to the food, the quality, the experience, and the guests. 10s across the board!

Smitha Achar

Absolutely impressed! I come from New York and let me tell you, this was hands down the best Italian food we’ve had on the west coast. Service was AMAZING, you need a reservation but we got lucky and we got a table walk in. The lady at the front of the house was so understanding, she took an order just cause it was past dinner time for our baby and we got his food as soon as we sat at the table. Their freshly made loaf of bread was so delicious and really set the tone for the rest of the dinner. We ordered their Chicken Parmesan, special of the day-chicken picatta and my mom had their lobster lasagne which was out of this world!! (It’s really hard to impress my mother since she’s Indian and won’t like anything but Indian food) So creamy and delicious, I definitely will try my best to replicate it at home. We live in Joshua Tree but safe to say like another review that I read, I’m ready to drive out here all the way just to have some great Italian food. This is your spot!!! Eat here now!!

Frank L

Sensational quaint Italian restaurant with plenty of great options. The ambiance is peaceful and the service is quick and friendly. The food is top notch, the lobster lasagna is creamy and thick. The vodka sauce is perfect too!

First timers and man, we were so happy. Starting with the appetizer: arugula salad with Burrata cheese, tomatoes, balsamic and capers. Sooooo good, the Chicken Parm was perfect. The place is tiny but cozy comfort. Pricey but good sized portions. Will definitely go back!!

Stumbled on this place over the weekend and I'm glad I did! It is right next to the bowling alley and only a short 10ish minute walk from the hustle and bustle of downtown Big Bear. I came at the perfect time because it started getting busy as my food was being served, so be prepared. All of the workers were really nice (they all gave caring italian mom vibes), all the servers work together, which made things work quickly, my lobster lasagna was great, had a sweet glass of wine, and the pumpkin spice creme brulee was tasty! I'm surprised this place wasn't busier with how great a dinner I had!

I got a reservation for me and my little, the day before Valentine's. It was very busy, but well worth it! Our food was so tasty. The staff there was very friendly. I'll be returning soon.

A friend recommended this place, and we're glad he did! The food was delicious, and the service was great. Although, the did give me the wrong receipt but corrected it quickly. There was a lot of staff working, and they all serviced the dinning area instead of just a section. They were all friendly and attentive. The place was full but that didn't affect service at all. My wife had pasta with the alfredo sauce. It was easily best alfredo I've every tasted. I had short rib ravioli with meat sauce that was very good as well. Portions could have been a bit larger considering the price. My only complaint is that is very loud when it is busy. The dinning area is pretty small, probably 50 max capacity, and that tables all all very close together. It certainly creates a buzz in the room that probably wouldn't both most people. Unfortunately, we were next to one very loud obnoxious jumping on her seat and yelling that disrupted a pleasant evening. That's not the restaurants fault though.

Eddie Hernandez

First timers and man, we were so happy. Starting with the appetizer: arugula salad with Burrata cheese, tomatoes, balsamic and capers. Sooooo good, the Chicken Parm was perfect. The place is tiny but cozy comfort. Pricey but good sized portions. Will definitely go back!!

Emily Parker

the food was excellent, the staff were so warm and attentive, it was the best meal we've had in a long time! 11/10 experience, truly can't wait to return

Leona Reyna

Stumbled on this place over the weekend and I'm glad I did! It is right next to the bowling alley and only a short 10ish minute walk from the hustle and bustle of downtown Big Bear. I came at the perfect time because it started getting busy as my food was being served, so be prepared. All of the workers were really nice (they all gave caring italian mom vibes), all the servers work together, which made things work quickly, my lobster lasagna was great, had a sweet glass of wine, and the pumpkin spice creme brulee was tasty! I'm surprised this place wasn't busier with how great a dinner I had!

KD Mac

Had such a nice evening for an early dinner. Was able to get a walk-in table very quickly. Service was quick and friendly and wasn’t rushed. Butternut Ravioli and Gorgonzola pasta were both phenomenal. Will be sure to bring our out of town guest to one of our new favorite spots.

We had a reservation so we sat as soon as we got in. The place is relatively small but the atmosphere is great. It's friendly and inviting. The service was great and we didn't wait very long for our food. Our waiter was David and he was great. He was attentive and very nice. The Italian sodas are good but they are sour and strong so I would suggest sharing one. Overall the food was good and the bread that is served when you are sat was great. Highly suggest the antipasto salad as well. This place was great and we would visit again. Highly suggest.

Good Italian restaurant, good appetizers and large portions to share. Short but good wine options.

We had the branzino and blackened salmon with paper planes. The food was very good. Surpassed our expectations. Fresh red pepper tapenade on top of the branzino. The staff was great about hosting us on the busy and stressful 4th of July.

Noah Tastic

We had a reservation so we sat as soon as we got in. The place is relatively small but the atmosphere is great. It's friendly and inviting. The service was great and we didn't wait very long for our food. Our waiter was David and he was great. He was attentive and very nice. The Italian sodas are good but they are sour and strong so I would suggest sharing one. Overall the food was good and the bread that is served when you are sat was great. Highly suggest the antipasto salad as well. This place was great and we would visit again. Highly suggest.

Ives Takemoto

Good Italian restaurant, good appetizers and large portions to share. Short but good wine options.

Eoghan Miller

We had the branzino and blackened salmon with paper planes. The food was very good. Surpassed our expectations. Fresh red pepper tapenade on top of the branzino. The staff was great about hosting us on the busy and stressful 4th of July.

Do NOT recommend!! I ordered the clam pasta, and it was a major disappointment. It was bland, watery, and just poorly executed. The worst pasta I ever tried. About 95% of the dish was plain pasta, with maybe 5% actual clams. There was no sauce, no cheese, and to make it worse, it was served with oily cooking water. This dish shouldn’t cost more than $12, but yet it’s priced at $24 and it’s not worth it at all!! Maybe other items on the menu are better, but based on this, I wouldn’t risk trying another pasta dish here

Margaret Smith

Do NOT recommend!! I ordered the clam pasta, and it was a major disappointment. It was bland, watery, and just poorly executed. The worst pasta I ever tried. About 95% of the dish was plain pasta, with maybe 5% actual clams. There was no sauce, no cheese, and to make it worse, it was served with oily cooking water. This dish shouldn’t cost more than $12, but yet it’s priced at $24 and it’s not worth it at all!! Maybe other items on the menu are better, but based on this, I wouldn’t risk trying another pasta dish here

Very disappointing experience at Basil Bristol at Big Bear. When we walked in, the person at the register didn’t even bother to look at us or greet us. We stood there for about five minutes feeling completely ignored. Eventually, she went and sat at a table instead of helping us. She told us she would move around and assist us, but after another 15 minutes of waiting, she finally told us we needed to make an online reservation and handed us a business card. There was no effort to help us in person, no apology for the wait, and no basic customer service. The lack of attention and professionalism really ruined the experience. We won’t be coming back.

claudia Stanziola

Very disappointing experience at Basil Bristol at Big Bear. When we walked in, the person at the register didn’t even bother to look at us or greet us. We stood there for about five minutes feeling completely ignored. Eventually, she went and sat at a table instead of helping us. She told us she would move around and assist us, but after another 15 minutes of waiting, she finally told us we needed to make an online reservation and handed us a business card. There was no effort to help us in person, no apology for the wait, and no basic customer service. The lack of attention and professionalism really ruined the experience. We won’t be coming back.