A method for the rapid detection of illegally added basic orange Ⅱ and acid orange Ⅱ in food was established by the combination of thin layer chromatography (TLC) and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). TLC was used for the separation of sample extracts tentatively and the conditions were optimized. Two kinds of silver sols, aqueous phase and organic phase, were synthesized and used as the substrate to enhance Raman signal for basic orange Ⅱ and acid orange Ⅱ. SERS was used to detect isolated micro-substances and the time was investigated. The detection limits of basic orange Ⅱ and acid orange Ⅱ were 1 and 2.5 mg·L-1. Then, the method has been successfully used for rapid detection of basic orange and orange Ⅱ in the complex food matrix. The method has the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, economic and specificity, and will provide a new scheme for the simultaneous detection of basic orange Ⅱ and acid orange Ⅱ in food.