Tony Vongsana has been at Thai Basil for its entire 30-year history, starting front-of-house work there as a teenager when his mom, Vutshari, originally opened the place. The family had operated other Thai restaurants, but Vutshari wanted something small and all her own. Eight years ago, she retired and the business is now primarily in Tony’s hands with help from his brother, Vincent, and nephew, Justin.
Tony describes the ambiance as understated and minimalist-leaning, small and casual with limited indoor seating and a quaintly vibed dog-friendly outdoor patio. He says the menu is comfort-style Thai cooking featuring traditional dishes based on his mom’s recipes, and that most items have customizable spice levels ranging from one to five. Featured first-course options include fresh spring rolls, satay and Thai-style dumplings. The red and yellow curry noodles are one entrée standout, very saucy with veggies and protein, and the stir frys are also a hit—like the namesake sweet basil with onion, chili, garlic, mushroom and meat choice. Succulent soups are spearheaded by tom yum, a brightly and lightly flavored soup with chili and lime. The dessert menu gets tropical: coconut ice cream, mango sticky rice, and fried bananas drizzled with honey and toasted coconut.
What has it been like seeing the restaurant grow up?
TONY VONGSANA: I have loved being in the restaurant business since I started here many years ago. We were the first Thai place in the Capitola Village and I could tell the community really was happy to have us here and they really embraced us. We support the local child lifeguards-in-training during the summer and have become a special little spot in the Capitola Village. We have good word-of-mouth and have also been able to add more space and tables.
What are your goals in the kitchen?
It’s really incredible that we are able to do what we do in the small space that we call our kitchen. With this, we focus on making sure the food is made fresh and done correctly. I feel like other Thai places in town can be inconsistent, so we really emphasize and prioritize consistency in execution. I’m proud of how long we have been here and what we continue to do.
210 Monterey Ave., Suite 3, Capitola, 831-479-8985; thaibasilcapitola.square.site
