The atmosphere and service is nice. It's perfectly located downtown and it's a good choice if you're goi g to the movies and looking for a Thai restaurant. My daughter likes to eat here. She likes the pad Thai noodles and shrimp spring rolls. The panang curry is ok as I've had better. read more

I have been on the search for the best Thai Curry in the area. The Yellow Curry Chicken is the best Yellow curry that I have had. It is a simple dish of chicken strips, potato and carrot but it is the yellow curry that makes this dish amazing. My runner up to the Yellow Curry is the Pumpkin Salmon. I have also had their Green Curry With Seafood and it is very good. If you are ever in Livermore and feel like Thai this is THE PLACE! The service is always fast and they refill your drink if it gets too low. I feel that the prices are very reasonable. read more

I love this place. I've probably eaten here a dozen times and enjoyed each experience. The service and food is always exceptional. I tend to lean toward their seafood dishes, and everything I have tried has been delicious. My husband and I recently had a weekday lunch there. When we arrived there was a large group already seated. The waitress made sure we served in a timely manner. I love that their lunch menu comes with rice and soup....I love a delicious cup of Tom Kha Gai. read more

Three of us ordered the Pad Thai and Pad Si Ew. In both dishes the chicken was extremely dry like it was cooked for 45 minutes dry. The pad Thai flavor just wasn't there. Lemon grass down the street has it nailed down but sadly this place just didn't taste as good as others around. Nice people and nice location but the food leaves a lot to be desired. read more

LOVE this place! The price is so reasonable, the atmosphere is great, the place is clean AND the food is amazing! Sometimes lunch service can be slow, but i gladly put up with that. My favorite dish is the yellow chicken curry! So warm and comforting! read more

We went here after a movie, arriving just before 8:30 PM. I checked the sign on the door, and it said they were open until 9 PM. The server was not friendly, but he seated us, got us water, and eventually took our order. He seated another couple (now three tables in the restaurant were full) at around 8:50. At 9, he took off his red uniform-like coat, turned off the music, and sat in his t-shirt at a table near the kitchen and started playing with his phone, oblivious to the three tables of people. As far as he was concerned, it was 9, the restaurant was closed, and he was done. There are other Thai restaurants in Livermore that have delicious food and very friendly staff. I will continue to visit them regularly. I will not come here again. In case the owner wants to know who was on duty at the time, this was Tuesday, April 10th. read more

Terrible service, seems like they are super cheap company who doesn't want to pay for help. 1 waiter for whole restaurant. Sucked. 1 hour for 2 meal. This place is going out of business soon. read more

Why is it so quiet in here? Even the families with wee children were quite. It creeped me out! To add to the scene there was no wi-fi and sporadic cell phone service. Essentially, it was a dead zone. We were seated and then we wait in the silence of the restaurant for the waiter to take our order or at least bring us water. Waiting, speaking in library voice, waiting for some water while NOT yelping due to no cell service. It was a little painful. I was trying to be patient because there was only one waiter but, there are only about 10 tables total and only 4 were occupied. I almost had to enact my "hurrup and take my order or I'm out" rule. (Come on, If I wanted to wait I would have stayed at Paxti's) I had set a time limit and was prepared to leave but of course the waiter comes right on time with "what would you like" and 2 waters. He could have diffused my frustration with a "sorry for the wait" but, no. I tried to draft my scathing review but to no avail because there is a cell phone service black hole in here somewhere. grrrrrr So homeboy was working on about 1.5 stars until we got our Roti Paratha (within minutes). That appetizer melted my resolve and Star Anise got an instant .5 star bump. Indian bread with grilled veggies and Green curry perfection! Then comes our Basil Minced Chicken and Peanut Sauce. Both were good and worthy of a 3.5 star round up but I decided to round down. Reason being, the waiter was painfully indifferent. He brought our bill and he was too busy watching the game to come and retrieve the payment. And it wasn't even the A's or the Giants game! My husband had to go give him the payment....not cool. This place could have easily replaced my number 1 Thai spot. The food was better than average. I love the atmosphere. There is a TV to watch Bay Area Sports PLEASE. And a great Location near the theater and Nestle Tollhouse. But, sadly I would probably only go back under the same circumstances as I did last night: when there is too long of a wait at Paxti's and I don't want to walk any further. read more

One of our favorites for many years! Quality has always been great! We always get the yellow curry with chicken, chicken satay, bkk beef, bbq lemongrass pork, papaya salad, drunken wide noodles and of course desert of fried bananas with coconut ice cream! They never disappoint and def worth a try if you enjoy good quality modern Thai food. read more

This place was DULL -- atmosphere was dull, food was dull and lacking flavor. The spicy beef wasn't spicy at all and the meat was tough and chewy. The bartender/server had NO personality...will not be returning. read more

This place is superb! I called to preorder my food for lunch since I was in the same building as them and when I got there to pick up my lunch they were quick on service and when i opened up my order of two prawns and scallop to see how big my portion was, all I could smell was the scrumptious food i was about to devour. MMM i was right it was yummy but It didnt fill me up. 4 prawns and 4 scallops with grilled or sauteed veggies needed more food for my big tummy hahaha read more

Star Anise WAS my favorite Thai restaurant. The food may be good, but the service is almost terrible. I drove all the way to Livermore from Tracy, and it was 45 minutes before their closing time (I checked Yelp). And the moment I walked in, ready for the Thai food that I love most, they told me they were closed already. Their hours on their sign outside the door clearly said that they were still open. I stormed out of there. That's not okay. Ever. read more

One of our favorite places to go to. Great food, people and service. Pookie and Kiki are the best. They are always welcoming with great stories to tell. See you soon! read more

I'm pretty sure the pad thai I had from here was rotten. I stopped eating after about two bites when I just couldn't excuse the awful smell any longer. I dont know if the rest of their food is any good but thats pretty unacceptable. read more

I am incredibly finicky with food. Anything Asian scares the crap out of me so I usually stay away. Star Anise was my first venture into Thai cuisine thanks to a friend of mine. From what I understand Star Anise is a Thai cuisine with a modern flair which is good for me because the traditional stuff I probably would not enjoy. First of all I LOVED THE FOOD. They have a crispy chicken dish that is excellent and we had some kind of spicy beef with peppers, onions, cashews, brown rice and some kind of spicy sauce. I don't normally eat red meat but this was just perfect. The ambiance in the place is great. It's a small place and when you walk in there's a bar with about 8 seats and a TV behind the bar. There are a few small wooden booths on the right side with pillows as cushions which I thought was pretty cool. The seating on the left is a little different. They've got a long bench so it's like a half booth half regular table type of thing. The decor is excellent and there's a huge mirror on one wall to make the place feel less tiny. Very Feng Shui. Bottom line is I will frequent this place a lot and I'll be bringing friends here! I suggest you all try it. =] read more

Worst service in Livermore. I used to think the food was worth the poor service, now I don't think so. The one (yes one) server spent more time checking his phone and the game scores than helping people. It's a shame they have lost their food quality and never enhanced their service read more

I've eaten here a few times and absolutely love it! Great, quality thai food, wonderful food presentation, and what a lovely restaurant! The first time we came in there was only one woman working in the front being the hostess, server, and bartender. We were amazed at how fast the service was even though we only saw one employee the entire time. Kudos Star Anise! read more

This place is completely over prices with little portions. The restaurant is nicely decorated but did they have to be so cheap in their portions? I order 6 dishes for my staff of 4 for lunch and all of them were still looking through the refrigerator for other snacks all afternoon. The food was tasty but I wouldn't order from them again until they increase their portion size. read more

Ordered to go. Waited almost 40 minutes for it!!!! Wanted to changed the order after about a minute and the waiter said he couldn't! Yeah right he couldn't. What a liar. Modern Thai? I think NOT! No taste in the food. I know they're trying something different, but in my opinion, they give Thai food a bad name. Their so-called, "larb"? What was it? Chicken tasted like wood. Curry had a pound of sugar in it!!! Sticky rice was more like Chinese porridge! All mushy and watery. Wow! Who the heck puts sticky rice in foil and then in a container. The foil is definitely going to overcook the sticky rice. Somehow, everything tasted sweet. Then again, Thai food has a lot of coconut cream/juice in it. They over did it! Yuck! Service was just horrible!!!!! Rude waiter and hardly anyone in there. They have no customer service business sense. Plain out rude and quality of food was 3 out of 10 at best. We could tell they made our food in such a rush. Maybe forgot a few spices. Maybe added spices to it that weren't supposed to be in there. All my Thai relatives were thoroughly depressed with the food. First and last time for us. As nice as the place looked...............(I'll leave it at that)..................... We spent $80 on what??????????????????????????????????? read more

My first Thai restaurant experience in California, and I give it two thumbs up! My experience from the customer service to the food was definitely more than I ever asked for from this establishment! I've always passed by this place when going to the Livermore Cinemas, and since my boyfriend has peanut allergies, I've been very cautious. I absolutely LOVE Pad Thai! I've been dying for this since I left Boston over a year ago, considering I was working for an Asian cuisine restaurant there called Jae's Grille in Brookline, MA. They served the best Pad Thai I have ever had! However, being able to enjoy a pleasant dinner last Sunday 8/8/10 with my boyfriend, it definitely was a relief for the two of us. I called the day before to make reservations, and the gentleman who answered spoke clearly, and I mentioned to him about the peanut allergy issue, which he explained should not be a problem for them to accommodate at all. Upon arrival the next day, we were sat in a very private corner, and I must say, the restaurant itself is not that big, however the decor is very modern, and very upper class. It definitely had the accent of Thai throughout. Our sever also remembered our peanut allergy statement, and I appreciated that he even wrote that down when he sat us. He seems to be the only one there, serving, bussing, hosting, and bartending, however he managed himself quite nicely! We were not in any rush, therefore it was not an issue for us to be serviced immediately, but he was more than attentive. Their menu was appetizing, and full of variety. I would have to agree with Samantha B. from her previous review about the food being "overpriced". LOL! Their most expensive dish on the menu is $13.00, unless you're used to eating at a sidewalk hole in the wall, $13.00 is not overpricing, considering the amount that they seve. I've had more expensive food at P.F. Chang's with a little saucer of Sesame Chicken for $15.00, with less chicken and more veggies.I ordered the Thai Iced Tea, and we shared the Island Finger Lumpia. I am Filipino, and I loved this appetizer! It's a little bit bigger than our Lumpiang Shanghai, but it was definitely comforting to know they have such a dish available. I ordered the Sri-Thai Chicken with white rice, and my boyfriend had the Star Anise Fried Rice. It was probably one of the best fried rices I have ever tasted! I am not particular with duck, but the pieces of roasted duck, raisins, and pineapple made that dish extra special! Gave it that delicious taste that complimented the tomatoes, onions, and egg. The Sri-Thai chicken was battered lightly, and the sauce itself with fresh string beans, carrots, and broccoli was a nice compliment to it as well. It was very light, and did not make you feel heavy after eating it. Definitely want to come back here again, and have my boyfriend try their Pad Thai! They would make it specially without the nuts for him, and for those who have peanut allergies, they use ingredients that do not contain peanuts for Pad Thai, but the crushed nuts on the side that you can request to not have them serve with it. I am very much excited to make my return here, even for just take out during my lunch break at work. read more

I really wanted to like this place more. Food is great. LOVE the interiors. The wait staff was just ok. A little more enthusiasm and appearance wasn't up to par with the ambiance of the place. I'd definitely go back with hopes of better service. read more

This is the worst restaurant I've EVER been to! I love good Thai food and I've been to a lot of Thai places all over CA, including Lemon Grass which is pretty good. But for food in general it was terrible, Taco Bell would be better! Star anise was just out right horrible. The service was absolutely terrible the woman was cold and short and after seating us said nothing else, never checked in to see how the food was. The guy was completely occupied by the tv that was pretty loud. He took our order with one eye one the tv! When other couples were seated the hostess actually rolled her eyes, this happened 2 times! The food was also really really bad! It was nothing like Thai I've ever had! I expect a modern take on Classic Thai to be different but it didn't even have a similar flavor profile! There was so much waste on the plate that was supposed to look like decor... Like an entire beet wasted on every plate, and iceberg lettuce! One of the dishes was some kind of crazy fried chicken thing, the chicken was completely dry yet very oily, barely any meat mostly batter and the sauce tasted like it was sitting in a lead can for a year, didn't eat more than one bite, yet we were still charged. So all in all I do not recommend this place to anyone. If you want Thai in Livermore go to lemon grass! read more

My wife and I love eating here and ordering out here. The food is great and staff really friendly. Love the Orange chicken!

Totally like this place. Comfy atmoshere, really good curries, and nice wait staff. I go often and am so pleased its in Livermore.

I love this place when I want something light and exotic. This place is a MUST when you are in Livermore. Livermore doesn't have a lot of restaurants to choose from...but you must go. They have this light spring roll to die for. I always order the Thai iced coffee huge glass of goodness. read more

Good food, horrible service. They only had 2 poeple working the front of the restauraunt on Friday night. The younger gentleman had an attitude as well. I would not go back on a weekend. read more

I've only had take out from here and it was OK. I expected a Thai restaurant and it's more of an overly expensive modern I cant decided what type of food to focus on place. I was glad to see some Pad Thai on the menu and it was just OK. Parking sucks unless you want to walk a block or so to the parking garage. Maybe this place is just too "hip" for me... I like the traditional ones... read more

Food is actually decent. The one thing you have to watch for here is the servers try and get the 'double tip.' Tonight I had dinner with 4.5 people (.5 for my 5 y/o) and the server added the gratuity but didn't give me the itemized copy that displayed the tip. I asked for the itemized list and sure enough there was a fat tip already added. Other than that the experience was good - the yellow curry chicken is very good. read more

Best Thai food in livermore. Even though the service consistently sucks, we still go back cuz the food is that good. Avoid on friday or saturday though because the service will just frustrate you. They need more waiters. Here's our go to dishes that you can't go wrong with: Yellow curry with chicken, pad thai, bkk beef. Everything we've had is legit though. read more

This review is for the service ... Went to have some quick bite before our concert.. New waiter got our order of soup wrong but we let it go. Our other dishes never came as he forgot to put it in. No sincere apology from management or the Thai lady that can't seem to smile. read more

The pumpkin curry here is SO YUM! I'm really picky about Thai & was pleasantly surprised to discover such a delicious Thai cafe in Livermore. I would give a 5 star review if the tables weren't so close together....not only did we have to somewhat censor our own conversation it felt slightly uncomfortable to hear our neighboring tables' conversations as well. read more

I am not a fan. It is over priced and the quality is not that good. there is better thai food in the area.

Pumpkin salmon curry! Perfect cook on the salmon every time I've ordered it.

Star Anise is one of the good Thai spots in Livermore. Went there for dinner and take out. They have very good coconut curry chicken. The chicken patay was also worth it. The peanut sauce is great. They are the only spot that has grilled chicken on top of spaghetti with peanut sauce. This blew us away, something new and delicious. Wish they had roti. read more

My husband and I have been regulars at the Thai place down the street until our family brought over Star Anise-- the other place is dead to us now! Huge fans of the Pad See Ewe and the Pumpkin Coconut Soup- both were our favorites and go-to orders and LEVELS above the other Thai places in the area. We only order from Star Anise now. It's a bit pricier but worth it! read more

Excellent Thai food for the price. Quick service, never a bad experience. Can be busy sometime though.

Cannot say enough nice things about this establishment. Always great food and service. Have eaten here many times and turned my friends onto it over the years. Just ate there recently for a friends birthday and was not disappointed. Favorites are the avocado spring rolls, pad thai, sea bass, and calamari read more

we had a table for 11 and were seated within 15 minutes. we had no reservations whatsoever! they sat us outside and quickly made a table long enough to hold my whole family. the food was served quick and it was delicious. of course the taste of pad thai is different for everyone, i find this one especially good. the peanut sauce was very good as well. thai iced tea. everything staple thai food, was really good. but my five stars goes to their seafood fried rice with duck and pineapple = excellent! it looks as though they have a small dining area in the actual restaurant itself, but it doesn't take away from their speedy service and delicious food (and.. the capability of taking large parties!) read more

My boyfriend and I decided to check this place out. It seemed really nice from the outside. The employers were nice and attentive. The inside of the restaurant was nice as well. We assumed that it was going to be a good meal, but we were wrong. We got our food and it was not good at all. I ordered beef asparagus and the meat was chewy. I also ordered a side of brown rice and it was hard. At least the rice could have been cooked right. My boyfriend ordered a meal that had chicken and some salad. The chicken was dry and did not have any flavor. He didn't even touch the salad. We payed and left disappointment. Hours later my boyfriend and I were not feeling too well. We kept burping and our stomaches were unease. Never stepping foot there again. We regret trying this restaurant. read more

This is my new favorite Thai is the tri-valley. Service was attentive and the decor was cool and almost loungy. We ordered the standard Pad Thai to test out a classic and it was great. But the scallops in yellow curry were AMAZING! My kid also inhaled the homemade dumplings in her wonton soup. Dessert of sticky rice with mango was better than expected. Nice location right off 1st street. read more