We waited at the front door for several minutes before being seated by the waitress as she arrived (late?) for work at around 11:45 am. The soup had some nice spiciness to it, but seemed to be thickened unnecessarily with gelatin. All the food at our table had a very nice presentation and everything looked fresh. I ordered Pa Nang Beef and asked for extra extra hot and spicy. The meat was not a choice cut, but similar to the quality you would use in stew. The curry was very rich and thick but not spicy at all! They committed the worst offense any Thai restaurant can make: they sprinkled a heap of ground chili flakes on top to accommodate my request for extra spicy. That just doesn't work! The only way to make extra spicy is to add more curry paste and/or slice in fresh chilies and cook. To me this is an epic fail. In my years and years of dining on Thai food, I can think of only two other restaurants that pulled the "chili flake to make it hot" trick on me. One was somewhere in the Midwest and the other was Tin Thai Kitchen here in Livermore. The waitress was very pleasant and patient with us (unlike the people at Lana Thai), and the restaurant itself is attractive, but to satisfy my taste for spicy hot Thai food I guess I need to go back to Lana. (Yelp apparently doesn't allow international characters in review text.) - in Thai "Mai Phet Mai Gin," which translates to, "If It's Not Spicy, I'm Not Eating!" read more

The food is fantastic. I brought my vegan friends too, and they were really pleased. Raving all the way back to work. Star Anise will have to be added to the lunch rotation! Best fresh spring rolls, and the curries are yummy AF! Service was fast and efficient. Please note we did tell the server were were on a lunch break, and to bring the check with the food. I've been here for dinner, too, with the sexy man for his birthday. Just as great. Despite it's lovely and flavorful food, it's pretty quiet. Great for girl chat or a romantic evening. My only gripe is for dinner they do not serve rice with their curries for dinner, you have to order it separately. Was a little sad when I brought take out home, but it's not that big of a deal. read more

Not my fave Thai place in Livermore, but its up there. Nice to go there after a movie, gets busy on weekends and it is a fairly small place. Vegan friendly which is always good and their peanut sauce is bomb. (I can't believe I just said bomb) read more

So we finally tried Star Anise. Honestly, I am a devoted diner of Lemon Grass and I felt like I was cheating but....Star Anise was absolutely delicious! We were celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary and wanted to keep our $$ local so instead of heading west, we walked a few blocks to Star Anise. We decided to dine outside because the weather had cooled down and I love to people watch. Service was great and not too intrusive. We started with an order of lumpia(of course) There was plenty for the 3 of us to share. Then we had Sri-Thai chicken, BKK Beef, Tilapia and 3 orders of garlic rice. The tilapia was delicious as was all of the other entrees, but it stood out to me as I've had more overcooked tilapia than I care to mention. We also shared the sweet sticky rice with coconut ice cream and mangoes for dessert, which was decadent in a good way. No heavy feeling after-wards :) Their portion size is perfect. I'm not one who appreciates or needs a vast amount of food. Quality over quantity anyday (unless we're talking about Bancheros.) And they are very generous with their wine pours :) So very happy that we finally ventured over here! Can't wait to go back! read more

My favorite Thai restaurant in my little hometown of Livermore hands down. Sucks to read the reviews of bad service, but when you have one server for the ENTIRE restaurant including the bar, how are you honestly going to get mad? I've been coming here for years, the guy doesn't usually crack a smile every second, but he does his job well despite being spread so thin. Also, the decor and ambience of the place is overall pleasing to the eye and quaint. Great place to catch up with family and friends. The food is great, not exactly traditional Thai, but everything is pretty tasty. Try their Panang Beef with garlic rice for sure. And for dessert you can't go wrong with their friend bananas and green tea ice cream with honey drizzled on top. read more

I went here with Smoosh for lunch. It was a bit barren but the ambiance was nice. Our waiter was attentive, sort of. We got the menu and he disappeared for a bit, returned to take our orders, and disappeared for the rest of the meal. He was in sight, watching the television above the bar. I got the Star Anise fried rice and Smoosh got asparagus beef. Our food came out quickly and was hot. Raisins and pineapple was most definitely not my thing when it comes to fried rice. I guess I should have paid attention to the menu when I read "fried rice." Smoosh didn't get his asparagus beef but something with bell peppers that was a bit spicy for him. Being the nice guy he is, he didn't tell our server and trucked through. From my recollection, it was alright. The bathroom was clean. A tall tale sign of a clean establishment IMO. And I did like the chairs. They were squishy but not too squishy. I think I'll go elsewhere for Thai food though. read more

This was our third time here. The food is good, the ambience is nice, and while it's often crowded, the noise level is always muted enough to hear your dining companions while keeping your private conversation private. They are often quite busy, and as a result, the service can sometimes be slow (or European; maybe they have it right...). Settle in with enough time to relax and enjoy your meal and companions and you'll be happy. read more

Food is wonderful. Decor is beautiful. Service is indifferent, bordering on surly and lazy. Watch your bill, they might be a little shady with the gratuity. That said, the food is so good I will return (but not too often) and put up with the poor service. The food is a five, the service is a one, so that's why I give it a three. read more

I went with a group from work and we ordered family style. The highlights were the pumpkin salmon, and the curry chicken - which was definitely what I would order again going back. The prices are quite reasonable, with most meals in the $10-14 range, and good set of appetizers, and a decent wine list. Service was fair. It took awhile for us to get our order taken and to get our check at the end, but as noted - it's a great place to go for conversation as it's quiet so we didn't mind too much. read more

I agree with shelia, This place is to pricy for such small portions. But they have the most lucious green curry Ive tasted yet. Normally, I prefer red curry /coconut sauce. But when i have dined here, I had the "little' seafood with green curry, I cant remember the exact name, but It was REALLY good. Alot smaller portion than Lemon grass...Star Anise has the better green curry of the two. The atmosphere is very uptown, nice ambiance and well put together. I recommend going there for lunch to check it out. read more

I've been here a few times before, always get the pad Thai, food is very good. Thai tea is delicious and put in a generous tall glass. Service is okay, it's all done by one guy so hey I don't mind if he is kind of short with us. He is friendly enough. Definitely coming back read more

Star Anise - Thai iced tea - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

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I used to eat at Star Anise fairly often, but not so often any more. The presentation and quality of the food used to be outstanding. The last few times I've been there I've noticed a difference in the quality of the food, such a dish that was not supposed to be spicy was almost too spicy to eat, a salad with so much dressing in the bowl it was almost like eating soup, and the presentation of the food is sometimes a little sloppy. On a good note, when I was there last night, there were more people serving than in the past and they were attentive, so the service was better than it used to be. They have a few good local wines on their wine list and I applaud them for that. Almost all of the food still tastes great, especially my favorite BBQ pork, so I'm going with four stars. read more

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Had lunch here while visiting family. The menu selections were varied and everything sounded so good I wanted to try it all. I chose some fresh spring rolls and the chicken satay... the dipping sauces were beautifully paired and the food was superb. Service was also very good. I would definately return! read more

Writing an update to my original review. We have been back a few times and were able to get in and out in a reasonable amount of time. The saving grace at this establishment is the food. Consistently delicious. Tom Ka soup is flavorful and they will make it however spicy you want. Yellow Curry is one of my favorites and I like it so much I haven't tried anything else! Service is 2-3 stars but has obviously gotten better than the 1 star I posted previously. Hope to be able to give Star Anise 4-5 stars if they continue to improve their service. read more

Small but Charming restaurant. Appetizers are nicely plated. I'm a fan of all of them and I did try all of them :) Spicy beef is tasty and not that spicy (medium). My large party of 8 was seated comfortably. but any more might have been too tight. Takes a while between drinks, ordering, and check. Only one hostess so she's got a lot to handle. Service is slow but friendly. Dishes were a bit dirty, my utensils had old dry rice stuck on them. But I'm not evaluating the dishwasher, just get another set. read more

Star Anise is a 5 star experience... the waiter was very pleasant..the ambiance is nice and quiet .. the service is fast.. the food is amazing!!! the presentation of the food is very appetizing... by far the best Thai food ive ever had ... not only in livermore... but ever!!! highly recommend this place read more

This is the best Thai place in Livermore. Conveniently located. The pumpkin curry is my favorite. Whether it is with salmon or chicken, it never disappoints. The sea bass is amazing. And you can never go wrong with a Thai ice tea. read more

The food is amazing and the service is so friendly! I love this restaurant! It's not usually too busy, which is great. We've always brought our children, and they are very accommodating. Love love love this place! read more

Came here for lunch with colleagues and the pad thai was very reasonably priced and delicious. Great decor and atmosphere and situated in downtown. Can't believe it was under 10 dollars! Will go there again. read more

For my wedding rehearsal 2 years ago, we booked the whole restaurant due to our party size. I wanted an Asian restaurant that was nicely decorated and not so cheesy. Star Anise is very modern inside, being new and all. Their decor was lovely and matched my taste. They said they would close down the restaurant, but they will served a few tables outside. It only bother me a little bit since I thought we would be getting all the waiters' attention. I came back a few weeks ago and the food was just as good as it was 2 years ago. My favorite is the crispy chicken. I also love their Thai iced tea. I totally recommend this place. read more

I've been coming to their sri Thai location in Dublin since 2000 when my family moved to Dublin from New Mexico and had our first Thai food there. They opened in Livermore 5 years after we moved there. Along the way we have explored, even now that I am older I still drive an hour from the city to come eat the yellow curry or cashew chicken and chill with the owners Sofia and the dude who always gives us fried banana. They're my true family, tastes just like my childhood :') read more

Star Anise - Demolished even before the pic oh no - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

Ordered Good presentation - very nice Nice ambience - great decor Free hot and sour soup - was OK. Fried lumpia appetizer - frozen, factory made Aromatic Duck - not aromatic, tasted microwaved Spicy prawns and scallop with basil - meh Overall, less than satisfying. read more

Very friendly service. Love very ambiance. Absolutely delicious food. All of it. Get anything. Decent wine by the glass selection

I think they've gotten the message about service... I love this place, its much better than the other "thai" place downtown and is great for small business lunches and even romantic dinners. The atmosphere is very elegant, and the food is excellent. I was there the night of 3/23/09 and the service was excellent. Try the Roti Paratha $7.00 as an appetizer, I was stunned by how fantastic it was, I almost ordered a second helping! For main dish I ordered my usual, Buddha Delight with fried tofu and peanut sauce. It's quite good with bok choy, beans and asparagus covered with a not-too-heavy peanut sauce and fried tofu. I cannot get enough of this!!! My wife ordered the Pad Thai, and I must say, if there's one dish this restaurant doesn't quite nail, this is it. Some of the noodles were stuck together and the entire plate was a bit dry. It tasted fine, but the lack of liquid was noticeable. On previous occasions I've had basil chicken, lamb kabobs and other dishes, all of which were fantastic. As far as price goes, it is more expensive than other restaurants further downtown, but for that area I think it's right on target, given the presentation, ambiance and quality. read more

Excellent! Decided to walk a little further east than "DB" and "1st Street Brew," and was VERY pleasantly surprised to find Star Anise. Service was prompt and we enjoyed some outstanding Thai! Highly recommended! read more

This place has missed the mark for me. While the service was excellent, the food was not. I eagerly ordered the Aromatic Boneless Roast Duck. Sadly, it was neither aromatic nor boneless. And while it appeared to have been roasted previously, I suspected that it had been warmed in a microwave and served. The meat was too tough to chew and the skin was flabby and greasy. The corn fritters had more batter than corn. While some external parts were crispy, the interior was doughy and a bit under done. I'm not sure I'll return for a third try. read more

Derserves more than just 5stars. Clean, professional, kind, nice and polite. Service was fast and only one person working acknowledged everyone in timly manner. So happy with this place. Highly recommend this place to others read more

We frequent this place often . Consistently good experience . Service always good . Food great .

Came here with a friend for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. It took absolutely forever for us to get our food! Our lunch lasted over 2 hours because of all the waiting. As for the food, it was simply okay. My pad ke mao was mainly vegetables topped to take up room on their plate. There was very minimal noodles, which is what the dish is suppose to be. Would most likely not come back again. The wait time is ridiculous for food that is only subpar. read more

Nice place. Very comfortable and the service was very good. Not crowded at all. Food came quickly and was delicious. Nice portion sizes. We were well attended to during the meal as well. I would eat here again. 4 stars only because it was just missing a little Pizzazz. read more

Star Anise - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

It had been a while since I've been back to this Thai restaurant and after returning back I know why. This place is very conveniently located downtown and just a few doors down from the movie theater so it could be a good place to go before or after a movie. It's not that big inside but it never seems that busy so its usually OK. It's actually visually appealing in terms of the furniture, tables, decoration etc. but not overtly fancy. They aren't a full bar but serve beer and wine. We came about 30 minutes prior to the close they do from like 3:30-5:30 or something so that may have affected our experience but it shouldn't. Everything felt microwaved. We ordered the pan fried pot stickers that had no crunch to them which led us to believe they were microwaved. The fried eggrolls had a bit more crunch but were soggy in the middle. We had the fried avocado which had some breading on them but not much. My co worker had the Pad see ew and I had the crispy chicken. I didn't try his dish but my chicken was anything but crispy. Anything the microwave didn't tarnish - the drenched chicken in the sauce was extremely overbearing and thus had no crunchy crispy texture to it. I ordered garlic fried rice to come with it but they gave me ginger rice (which I don't even know if that's a menu option) I thought I was crazy and had my co worker try it and he confirmed. I love sweet sticky rice with mango and that was redeeming but some may think it to be too sweet - I like it that way. I really wanted to rate this place higher but this experience really didn't live up to my expectations. read more

Five star mango salad and Yingyang sea bass were great! 5 star food , service ( Cindy) and ambiance( very quiet). Hidden gem in the Valley. A must -here in Livermore. read more

Star Anise - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

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Best Pad Thai I had around the Bay Area! Food is amazing, bbq chicken, satais.. really good, however it is getting pretty crowded lately and they don't have enough people to serve, and I realized Pad Thai is getting worse.. maybe was just last 2 times.. Anyways...... highly recommended! read more

I really like this place. It's very clean and modern inside. I liked every dish we ordered from them. I especially like the garlic sticky rice. My father went there, but didn't like it because it wasn't spicy enough for him. The waitress said that if you want it Thai spicy, they can make it for you this way, but they usual cater to folks who don't like it that way. I was happy with it though. read more

My go-to spot for Thai food in the area! Fresh and delicious every time! Lunch gets hectic but the food makes up for it. Soup has been added to the lunch specials since new ownership took place which is a nice touch but prices have gone up a couple dollars. read more

Star Anise - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

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Took my husband here last week for his first time and he's hard to impress but he loved it! Service was great and everything came out fresh and beautiful. If you are looking for somewhere cute to check out for date night or are in the area and want some Bomb ass Thai food- COME HERE! read more

We came here for dinner because it was close to the movie theater and there was no wait. The food was ok, we've had better Thai food, but it was decent for the price. The service was a bit on the slow side. Be careful of inaccuracies on the bill! The amount that they charged on our bill was higher than the amount that was printed on the menu. Since the difference was only a couple of dollars, we just decided to take it off the tip. I find this to be a bit shady and will not be returning to this restaurant again. read more

This is one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Livermore. But tonight could take them off of my list. Friends and I attended a 3 o'clock performance at the Bankhead theater. We had a 4:30 dinner reservation at Star Anise. We arrived and were told that they weren't open until 5 PM. The door says that they are open from noon till nine on Sundays. We waited for dinner, but at least 10-15 others walked away, including performers that were staying for the 7 PM performance this evening. When I pointed out to the hostess how many people had walked away from the restaurant because it was closed until 5 o'clock, her response was "Oh well. That's OK. Doesn't matter." I wonder if that's how the owner feels. read more

We came here after a movie on Saturday, 3/3/18. The place was almost full at 6:30 PM. I think the waitstaff was a little overwhelmed, and it took a few minutes longer than I expected to place our order. I had the Basil Minced Chicken, others with me had the Yellow Curry and Green Curry. All were excellent. We'll be back. read more

Good food, reasonable prices, great service. . We go here regularly, and they always remember our usual order. Strongly recommended