About Us

Master Chef Benjamin Cruz opened Basil & Thyme in Newark, California in 2010, with a vision of creating the East Bay Area's finest Italian dining experience. Trained at The Oberoi Hotel Culinary Institute and with over 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Chef Cruz infuses every dish he creates with his extensive knowledge and passion for perfection. Our highly trained associate chefs at Basil & Thyme follow the standard set by Chef Cruz and make a deliberate and continous effort to captivate your pallet thru innovative approaches on traditional recipes.

Before Chef Cruz created his first dish, he vowed to only use the finest ingredients, and prepare each dish with an infusion of passion and creativity. Basil & Thyme is committed to serving only the finest foods, made with the freshest ingredients. All of our dishes are made from scratch. All our pastas are hand rolled and cut. All our sauces are made fresh in house. Our inviting decor and professional servers create a memorable Italian dining experience.

At Basil & Thyme we perform our craft better than our competiotion. We build on our fundamental strengths and focus on what we do best: the restaurant business. We are proud to be a Cruz & Cruz, Inc owned restaurant, a company established in Washington State by Chef Cruz and serving thousands of loyal patrons since 2000.