Star Anise was a good balance of style and value. Both of us enjoyed the ambiance for lunch. Service was appropriate level of attention and non-intrusiveness while we had a conversation going. The dishes we picked were non traditional Thai as one of us did not like traditional spices with Thai food. Great place for a quicker dinner but good food on your way to a movie a few doors down. read more

Omg this has got to be the best food I've tasted in any restaurant. The decor of the place is beautiful, but very small and private feeling. They have a modern look and feel, along with modern flavors and a different taste/take for Thai food. I had the Sizzling Seafood, and it is beyond worth the price. My mother had the Pad See U and it was delicious as well, and for desert we split the Fried Banana with Coconut ice cream. I would definitely have to give this place the highest score all around. I will definitely be returning there soon. read more

Love Star Anise! Thai fresh rolls are great!

I always get the corn fritters!! The pick up orders are always on time and the food is always amazing. I love the spot in downtown Livermore right next to the movie theater. It's wonderful food :) service is good and it's the only place I get my thai. read more

Had a grand dinner here with relatives from the Philippines. My bill was over the top but the food ..lets say everyone was positively contented. We scored this a 4/5 starts bec there was only 1 main gentleman who took the bill, served the food, took the order, greeted customers..etc. We had reservations made for 6:15pm. We actually sat @ 6:45pm due to the fact that the seating area is quite small & it was full. Our waiter seemed a pressured to get the table free for us, but we tried to be accomodating for him since he is juggling to make the restaurant servcie smooth as possible. (Understandable). It was a one man show with cooks @ the back. WE (Tom & I) helped him out by taking dishes out as we finished. Overall, the food made up for the lack of service (which we know he tried). We do not recommend LARGE groups but a couple date would most likely be more "friendly." Our waiter apologized in the end acknowledging his lack of service. He was also appreciative that we took the iniative to help him out. For a Thai restaurant in livermore. We are not jumping up & down because it was superior, but it hit the spot & made our family happy. read more

Recommend the daily special which was fresh. Service was in and out quick. Fabric on wall is aesthetically pleasing. Lunch is a lot cheaper than dinner. Note lunch is the better deal here. This is a fun place to listen to smart brainy folks. read more

This is one of our regular spots for a relaxing dinner that is not spicy or heavy. The wait staff are very polite and we like to sit and look out the window at the people walking by on First Street. It is quiet enough that you do not feel like you are evesdropping on others. We typically order the pad thai or the rice combinations, which are consistently good. read more

My new favorite Thai restaurant. I'm picky with Thai food, and I was impressed with this place. Larb chicken and papaya salad are my favorite. read more

Food here is still great. But they really need to get more help. They have one miserable waiter who looks like he's about to collapse and isn't exactly enthusiastic and welcoming. Make sure you give the poor sod a good tip when you go. read more

My husband and I went there for the very first time and I say the food was delicious but the server (male) was a but rude and not so pleasant with us. Other than that I recommend this place for good ambiance and the awesome taste that takes us to the heart of good Asian cuisine :) read more

This is my favorite Thai restaurant! The ambience is so nice and a nice place for dates. I normally get the star anise salad which has grilled asparagus and shrimp with a honey mustard dressing. The island lumpia has shrimp and some other meat and comes with a sweet sauce. The service is good and the food normally comes pretty fast. I highly recommend this place if you are in he mood for Thai! read more

Tried for the first time today, as my wife and I already have a goto Thai restaurant here in Livermore. We tried the yellow chicken curry, which was indifferent, the red duck curry, which was very fatty and gummy due to the large amount of duck skin, and the butternut pumpkin curry, which was mostly flavorless but presented nicely in the squash itself. The only high notes were the Thai ice tea and our server, who was properly attentive. Won't be going back. read more

I'm being generous when I give this place two stars. The first time we went here the food was fine and the service was a little on the slow side. I give it two stars mostly for the modern ambiance. However the last time we attempted to go we were ignored upon walking into the restaurant. We stood there for a good ten minutes as the waiters walked right past us not even making eye contact. It wasn't just us- they ignored the people behind us as well. We left after waiting disappointed in the service. We walked down to Lemon Grass Thai and had a fantastic dinner instead. Avoid this trendy miss-step. read more

Star Anise is fantastic in every way. Their service is always excellent and the food is by far always outstanding with many items to choose from. I have gone many times and plan on going many more times. Their wine pours are over the top! I always end my meals with the passion fruit sorbet. I can't wait to go again. read more

I really enjoy Star Anise. The food is so fresh and flavorful. We usually receive quick and friendly service. My husband and I usually just pull up to the bar counter for a quick lunch and that works for us. I enjoy the freshness and uniqueness of their decor. Star Anise is a welcomed addition to Livermore in my book. read more

This is a very good Thai place, arguably the best in Livermore. The dishes tend to be a bit on the sweeter side, but they are consistent and tasty. Their curries and noodles are their strongest dishes, the Basil Minced Chicken is a little to sweet/salty for my taste. Service is courteous if a bit slow sometimes. A little pricey, but good quality. If you want a nice Thai meal and are willing to pay a bit extra, you won't go wrong here. read more

What a delightful surprise! My hubby and I actually had a babysitter for the baby so we decided to hit up a movie at the Livermore Movie Theaters. We hadn't eaten yet, so decided to see if we could get some take out at the Thai place to take into the movie with us. Our order was ready in less that 10 minutes and it was fantastic! I had the Pad Thai. It was so freakin good!! The tofu was perfect and shrimp was great too. I loved that the noodles weren't too thick and that it wasn't greasy at all. Hubby had the Sri Thai Chicken and he raved about his food too. The decor is great on the inside and we hope to be able to get out for another "date night" meal here. It looks like they have a nice outdoor seating area that we hope to try out on a nice summer evening. read more

This was a great restaurant, we had just arrived to Livermore and were super hungry. The people @ Star Anise were really nice even though we went in close to closing. The food was delicious, I had the mango dish with rice, Chicken and shrimp and OMG! The prices were affordable and wine was oh so good and a healthy serving. read more

I'm a fan of spicy thai foods, but the thing I wanted to rave about is the banana lumpia with coconut ice cream they serve at Star Anise. Such a casual dessert, but it was serve with elegance. The food portions are large here, not to mention delicious. Very gourmet. The restaurant was very elegant and I noticed that a customer brought in their own wine and the server corked it up for them. Great place for a special night out. Impressed with the prices, they are so low. I think my dish was less than $15. read more

So delicious! I love Thai food and I'm a tough sell, but this place is great! Got the pad thai--can't wait to go back and try some of their other dishes. read more

Food is fantastic and the menu extensive. The portions are generous too for the price. The other key factor is that if you want to eat healthy - they have many options. But if you feel like indulging - tons of options as well. The noodle dishes are my favorite. Tried the lamb kabobs with peanut sauce - very good. I have been here at least 5 times and love it. Service is a little sketchy - a smile and Hi how are you this evening would be an added improvement!! read more

This is one of the best Thai places I've ever been to. I eat here a few times per week. spicy beef, drunken noodles and chicken curry!! Mmmmmm read more

Good food. Pad thai and yellow curry chicken is great

Best yellow chicken curry ever!!! Great service, was very quiet on a Wednesday evening. Love the relaxing atmosphere. You should come here & compare to other Thai places. Prices are very reasonable! Right downtown near Bankhead theatre. I am looking forward to trying other dishes!!! read more

Our friend Sophia owns this place and Sri Thai in Dublin, Ca. This is some of the best thai food I've had here in the east bay! =) If you're looking for some really tasty food then you should visit Sophia at one of her two locations Star Anise or Sri Thai. We special order the cashew nut chicken , or the chicken Sri Thai! Both are so yummy! Thank you Sophia! read more

We were sat down to dinner at 5:40 and it took about 15 min to order wine and an appetizers. After 30 min waiting, my sons bowl of soup came and we finally ordered. So far we have waited 40 min w/o food from sit down. I've heard about their slow service and the rude/short curt responses. I can agree that the young lady serving doesn't look very happy - it's a chore for her to serve. No smiles yet. The other gal doesn't speak Eng - she is "helping " the one server. One server to 9 tables. There are a total of 26 patrons. There should have been at least one other waiter/waitress with the help of the other "assistant". Food finally came after a 45 minutes wait. Crispy Duck Salad great, except a lil too much dressing pooled at the bottom rendering the bottom half unbearable to eat. Apple Chicken salad was good. The Anise Star fried rice with duck was AWESOME!! Green Curry was great tasting and the Silver Noodle Pad Thai was a hit. While all the dishes tasted 4 star good, the presentation of the food was 3 star, the service was 2 star and the wait time to sit, to order, to eat was a 1 star. Management: train your servers to smile, be quicker to serve and more per dinner shift. Based on averaging all the ratings from my review the visit today is a 2 star. Would I come back? Sure...I will give it a second chance based on taste of meals. We shall see how it goes next trip here read more

I ordered the Pumpkin Curry, and it was very very good. Not a fan of the seats, they are very pretty but quite hard and unpleasant. Friends ordered other soups and currys, and my bf ordered Orange Chicken. His chicken was good, but I wouldn't come here and pay that price for orange chicken. Friends are not a fan of this place, they don't like the service, but when I went with them, I had my water and soda refilled often. read more

I went with recommendations from the server. Hot and sour soup was delicious. Great flavor and presented nicely. The arrangement of the veggies looked like it had been done with care. For an entree she recommended a dish with wide rice noodle, bell peppers, and basil. It was seasoned nicely. I got it with chicken and the chicken was the only part of the dish that wasn't delicious. It wasn't bad, just a bit plain. Service was good. read more

Been eating Thai food since I was in a high chair and I know good Thai food, this is a good spot!

I ordered their spicy basil fried rice for lunch through the yelp pickup link. Very good and exactly what I was craving for. It's a very large portion which I can easily split as two lunches. Luckily it should reheat well! I'll definitely keep them in mind for next time. read more

First time here and I have to say that I am never ever stepping into this restaurant. First of all the person serving us did not bring all the items we ordered. And he got the entrees first and the appetizers after we asked for them and late. The food tastes ok. But the attitude of the people working there is just the worst. They were very rude and we had because of the way they served I reduced the tip I usually give. When we were about to leave the person attending our table asked us for an explanation for the low tip. He made very rude remarks and was very mean. As a customer its my choice whether I like the service or not. And I gave the tip I think the service deserved. I did explain him my reason for the low tip. He has to be fired. If you are expecting better tips and do learn about how to serve your customers better. read more

Honestly some of the best Thai I can find around here. I've had their pad Thai several times and I can never go wrong with it. Their appetizers are yummy as well. My friends have come and gotten other entrees that are very delicious to them. Good service too and I always enjoy coming here! read more

Our dining experience left much to be desired. It's possible to be quick, efficient and pleasant when it's a busy night but our waitress and waiter were abrupt and rude. Waitress never asked if we wanted drinks and seemed annoyed when we asked. Our 4 entrees arrived separately with at least 20 minutes between the first and last meals being delivered. The first 3 entrees were cold by the time the last one came, and no apology. The bill was incorrect when it came and, when we brought it to her attention, the waitress' reaction told us that she knew she had overcharged us. Food was good but we won't be returning to Star Anise. read more

Great Thai food find in Livermore! Flavors were outstanding and service was solid. Check it out for yourself!

My new favorite in downtown Livermore!! (You can refer to my other reviews of nearby restaurants) Great food and surprisingly affordable, and you can usually get seated without a reservation! Yellow curry with chicken is my favorite, but my husband prefers the red curry with duck which is a bit spicier. The appetizers are tasty, but be aware that the portions are small (only on appetizers). read more

Pros: Great fresh food, good atmosphere Cons: Poor service consistently, a bit pricey. Like most of the reviews started the food was great. Very Fresh and great sauces and flavors. Great Curries. The portions are smaller than expected. The Roti Paratha is great but again 4 pieces for $7.00 seems a little much for bread, and a slice of eggplant and pepper. The Calamari is a good size portion and cooked well. The service is always spotty, there is usually only one server, They also tend to bring dishes out sporadically. If your looking for a great wine selection in Wine Country, think again. The list is drinkable, just not much variety. Overall I have returned many times, i just know what I'm getting into. I would definitely recommend to others. read more

We love this newer chic restaurant! I ordered the Panang Beef on my first visit and have had a hard time ordering anything different since. My son and his fiance are "foodies" and they thought it was excellent. We feel the prices are reasonable for the quality. read more

mmmm my favorite yellow curry chicken in the whole world. Delicious!

Absolute best Thai curry ~ wonderful. Delicious food ~ great menu.

Star anise always good fresh food !! Love the owners they always aim to please their customers .