It took me Just one time! First time here and it was very good. I tried the Beef panang; comes with choice of white or brown rice. Side salad with tasty dressing. Hunks of thick beef were bathing in a creamy, savory, wonderfully scented curry. The beef was a bit stringy and chewy, but tastey. Side salad was fresh and the dressing on spot. The brown rice was flavorful and slightly nutty. On Par! The Thai Iced Coffee good as well: deep dark coffee and topped with sweet cream. Customer service: as soon as we entered, we were seated. Decor: upscale and nice. Bathrooms: very clean and modern. Cons: around 1 pm, with two other people in there, the food took a good +20 minutes to make. read more

The evening started out promising. The samosas and the Roti. We ordered 2 Thai Iced teas. Took a drink and I was confused because they don't come with boba, low and behold it was a pincher bug....in my tea we obviously sent it back and they apologized and took it off our tab but there was no real acknowledgement of the fact that I sucked up a pincher bug through my straw. The food was decent, hence the 2 stars but I feel like if one of your patrons finds a bug in any of the items ordered the manager should come and apologize and acknowledge the inconvenience. I'm not asking for free food, just acknowledging the incident would have helped change the review and experience. They took the tea away too fast and I wasnt able to take a picture read more

The food, service and ambience were fantastic. We had vermicelli and hot and sour soup.

husband and wife owners that put a lot into this place. food is always fresh, prepared with precision and presented well. the place is spotless (including the restrooms). only suggestion would be to have all organic ingredients, which may raise prices a touch, but would be worth. outstanding and they deserve a visit! read more

The owner and staff are amazing, we just came downtown to stroll and enjoy the evening and then kind off got hungry and stopped in , we were warmly greeted and shown to our seats at the bar. Ordered a salad and lumpia. Both are incredible, very fresh and very tasty! Thank you for the great experience, we will be back! read more

Hands down our favorite Thai food restaurant. We've been going for years and they always know my husband by our order! So friendly. The food is always consistently great, it's hard to find a restaurant where the food is always consistently perfection. We usually order take out, but the restaurant is very cute and comfortable as well. read more

Wow this restaurant was surprisingly decent!!! Get the drunken noodle! I will be back to try other dishes! read more

Hands down, one of the best thai restaurants I been to. Their yellow curry has the right amount of richness and sweetness and the spice is always perfectly adjusted. The chicken is also tender in the curry. Another great dish is their BBQ. Again, right amount of sweetness and flavor. Staff is always considerate and friendly. Btw, i been going here for years, I just needed to catch up on writing well deserved 5 star reviews. read more

Everything on the menu is delicious - try the "sexy shrimp" also or the drunken noodles read more

Star Anise - The pumpkin curry is delicious & tastes even better than it looks! - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

Hubby and I love to stop by Star Anise when we are in Livermore. We got a couple of drinks, Calamari, Green curry, and Drunken Noodles. Everything was tasty and came out quickly. Highly recommend! read more

See all

Ordered the chicken peanut sauce last night, and it was absolutely the best Thai dish I've ever had! Like a symphony of flavors! Great service too! read more

The restaurant has a good ambience, but I wish they had more space. There were two waiters and they were very friendly. Neat restroom too. We ordered Thai fish cake for appetizer, Duck roast (from the grill) and Mango paradise (fried rice). The appetizer was good and cooked well, but it is not the conventional fish cake that you might think. Infact I would say it was fish-flavored cake. Duck roast was well cooked and had a good flavor. My most favorite part was the fried rice with pieces of mango in it, that really blended well with egg and chicken in the fried rice. All the dishes were beautifully decorated and I would give 5 stars for its presentation. Had no space for dessert. The quantity was pretty good. read more

See all

Great service, super attentive waiter. Food was affordable $10-20 per dish and very filling. Prepared piping hot and with great quality ingredients. I ordered a Star Anise Fried Rice aka Pineapple Fried Rice. Wonderful with Fresh Pineapples and Duck. Wonderful place to eat at Downtown Livermore with tons of outdoor seating in this difficult time. Thanks for the wonderful food! read more

We drove 15 minutes to eat here but they were closed. They cant be bothered to update there yelp hours to reflect they close at 8:30pm. The lady was also super dismissive and rude when we walked in to ask if they're open. Definitely not coming back. read more

If you like Thai food, you'll like Star Anise. If you enjoy dining at a comically leisurely pace in complete silence, then Star Anise was truly made for you! Last night I ordered the Two Lover Prawns and Scallops. I don't have any lovers so it was fun to pretend I was a hot commodity. This dish was delicious and went well with my Concannon Sauvignon Blanc. I've only eaten here a few times over the years. For some reason it's never really on my radar. Maybe because when I think of Thai food I don't think of a fancy-ish place like Star Anise. If you're fancy, this is your jam. If you're not, go to Country Waffles and hang your head in shame. read more

Star Anise - Two Lover Prawns & Scallops ($12.95) - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

Amazing food, ambiance and service! Our favorite Thai restaurant ever! The fresh rolls with peanut sauce, panang curry, red curry and drunken noodle are some of our many favorites. read more

Great service and food as we celebrated my daughter's birthday. The restaurant is small (nice ambiance) and every table was taken but the waiter was over often filling up tea and water, quick with requests. Presentation of food is nice too, plus it's good! Drunken noodles, pad thai, steak are favorites... all the food was tasty! Highly recommend! read more

This is a visibly a lovely restaurant with a fine knowledgeable staff. Our dinners have been different than in years past. The Crispy Orange chicken sauce was tasteless and we were unable to discern the taste of chicken. Jumbo prawns were small. The 'lobster sauce" oily. and lacked taste. We understood there would be some vegetables. We do wish our experience had been better. read more

I think this might be my new favorite Thai place in Livermore. There weren't too many people inside but I went there for dinner after the Livermore Wine and Beer Festival had shut down for the day. I assumed all of the day drinkers went home to recover. I was struck by how nice the plating was and the rich flavor of the pumpkin salmon curry. My SO really enjoyed the lamb kabobs as well. The service was quick, pleasant, and unobtrusive. I will definitely come back. read more

See all

The food here is excellent. I was starting a road trip and stopped in for some noodles and the food was out of this world. Even the leftovers later in the day read more

Excellent food and service. I love the Pad Kee Mau. Always fresh! Great place to eat!

One of my favorite places - Star Anise is a fusion Thai restaurant. So many great options, order the Lumpia for appetizer, Ma Ma Mango Beef; flavorful sauce (not spicy) of course with Mango served with white Jasmine rice. Delicious read more

My husband and I come here alllll the time! Our favorite Thai spot. They nail the pad see ew and pumpkin curry. Wish they had basil fried rice! read more

A nice Thai place in downtown Livermore! I ordered a yellow curry with chicken and my friend ordered a vegetarian red curry. I thoroughly enjoyed my food, though I didn't like that I had to pay $2 for a tiny bowl of white rice, which wasn't enough for the amount of curry they gave me. My friend's red curry was kind of watery and had a consistency more like soup rather than a thick curry, and he liked my curry a looot more lol. Overall, I liked the food, but I thought the price was a little steep for just yellow curry + rice (it's also real expensive just to get pad thai and pineapple fried rice). The waiter and waitress were very attentive, so the service was great! The ambiance was also very nice - the restaurant is dimly lit, modernly decorated, and has soft music playing in the background. I'd go back if I'm ever in the area, but I honestly prefer going somewhere that's a little cheaper! read more

Dined here the other night and there was only one gal working the floor, waiting tables inside and out, taking orders, and serving food and drinks. Omg, she did a fantastic job and never skipped a beat or appeared flustered or stressed. We all absolutely loved our meals too! Overall great experience! read more

Came here for the second time. Most recent visit celebrated my boyfriend's birthday. I must say excellent customer service! The food was amazing. If you love Thai food, this is a Place your taste buds will enjoy! I wish I had more stars to give . read more

Star Anise - Lamb Kabob - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

I made a last-minute reservation for 2 Friday at 6:45 pm. When we arrived there were a few tables open. The ambiance is nice. The service was good. We shared Star Anise fried rice which has duck (which I was craving), pineapple, etc. in it. We added extra crab which was real, not imitation. We ate the whole thing. We paid at 7:45 pm which was perfect since we were going to an 8 pm show at the Bankhead Theater. read more

First time here, looked like a cute place so decided to try it out. Appearance: Place was a bit dark, with soft music playing in the background, the waiter seated me right away, that's a good sign..lol Service: Fast, and attentive. Food: I ordered the fish, believe it was fried tilapia with mixed vegetables, comes w/ salad and brown rice. Was very tasty, slightly spicy and sweet, the entree came with hot n sour soup, just a heads up, the soup was very vinegary. Overall: I would come back if I was in the area, food was tasty and service was on point. read more

Star Anise - The hot n sour soup, very vinegary. - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

See all

awesome crispy chicken and Red chicken curry!! Ann was great and got our food out fast and Hot!! highly recommend !!

Ugh. Disappointed with with food here again Server was sweet and did a great job but the chicken in my curry was so over cooked and the curry had no cream in it. We need good Thai food downtown read more

Went again and again, excellent! Their sauces continue to amaze us. Always leave full and with leftovers.

Amazing ambiance & food. We got the spicy beef & pumpkin curry and both were deeeeeelicious! It is our new go-to date night spot! read more

Star Anise - New to the area and this place did not disappoint! - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

We were there 55 minutes before closing and the hostess did not allow us to sit inside. Reason she told is that the kitchen is closed. I have seen restaurants closing 15 minutes or 30 minutes before but not this early. She was ready to give a to-go. We walked away. This was dinner time. read more

$30.48 for Yellow curry & Pad Thai?! They have either recently raised menu prices or overcharged me on my takeout. This wouldn't be the first time this has happened. I have to agree with the other reviews regarding bill inaccuracies. Pad Thai was fortunately tasty (unlike last time when they forgot to add the sauce and we got a lump of tasteless noodles) however the curry was undercooked (carrots and potatoes still hard/raw). We only frequent this restaurant a couple times per month so while we wouldn't be considered regulars, it's disappointing that we are now on the hunt for an alternative Thai place. read more

We tried Star Anise for the first time tonight. My husband ordered the yellow chicken curry and my son and I ordered shrimp pad thai and pork pad thai. The shrimp and pork tasted old. The dishes had a strange taste. I even told the waiter the meat tasted old and he had no reaction. We will never go back. A waste of money! read more

Went here on a Saturday afternoon, it wasn't too busy. Love the decor, so modern with a take on Asian culture. Pretty cool ambiance. The bathrooms were pretty legit, lol. The sink was so different but a good modern different. lol. Okay, okay. On to the real stuff. We were seated immediately. I ordered a Thai Iced Tea, it was good. Per usual. Our waiter was super friendly & quick! We ordered: + Tofu Pad Se Ew: The tofu could be grilled a little more but other than that, pretty good :) + Basic Fried Rice with Tofu & Pineapple: Can't go wrong with pineapple in fried rice, always a win in my book! The tofu was grilled perfectly in this one. + Orange Chicken: I didn't eat it but it did look pretty good. Just sayin' We paid up front & it was quick & easy. All in all, not bad Livermore, not bad. read more

Star Anise - Basic Fried Rice with Tofu and Pineapple. Orange Chicken. - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

See all

You can't go wrong with Thai food and this restaurant was no exception. I ordered the Two Lover Prawns and Scallops ($10.00), it came with a salad, rice (your choice of.. I recommend the garlic rice) and a soup. It had the right seasoning so even the vegetables was good, but it seem my scallop wasn't cooked well because it was a bit too chewy Basil Minced Chicken ($12.00)- it tasted similar to garlic chicken, but not too sweet and fried well. Also came with salad, your choice of rice and a soup. The server was friendly and give out some good recommendation, fast services (maybe because there was only 2 parties after us), and wished she could speak louder next time This restaurant had this eloquent style with leather seating and decorative yet simple designs on the wall- more like a business to go restaurant, but overall felt relax and enjoyed the meal read more

Star Anise - Basil Minced Chicken - Thai Near Me - Livermore, California

See all

The pumpkin soup with salmon was wonderful. The fish was not overcooked and the broth was a tasty. The roast duck was a disaster. It was boneless as described on the menu. However, there was no mention that the plate would be mostly skin with not much seasoning or any fat The service was okay. I do think that the waiter was overworked. When we asked some questions he had to come back to us, he had to bring food to another table. The restaurant is small with a big TV over the bar area. Despite the disappointing duck it is still three stars. The soup was really good and I would have it again. read more

It is our go to place. Food is always excellent and fresh. Ann knows when we walk in door what our drink order is . I love the atmosphere; very quaint and warm. Not a lot of people which is great so the staff can attend to those dining. My mother in law even loved it !!! read more

I would give it a 4 star but the service was horrible. Took a while to take our order, did not clean up our plates before dessert, and never refilled our water. Only 1 server the entire time. Good thing we got there before 7 pm. Food taste was typical Thai resto. I've tasted better ones (Krung Thai in San Jose) Tom yum lacks the sour taste, too sweet for me. I like the eggplant salad. Food presentation and decor was great. read more

See all