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Star Anise Reviews List
Star Anise
Star Anise "Modern Thai Cuisine" specialize in Thai originality with an influence and flare from beyond the borders of Thailand. All our dishes are prepared individually and fresh daily.
Enjoy our cozy light atmosphere for lunch daily or join us for a lively and elegant dinner each evening. Catering and phone orders available
See more Star Anise details
Enjoy our cozy light atmosphere for lunch daily or join us for a lively and elegant dinner each evening. Catering and phone orders available
27 Current Reviews
Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews
Overall
(Very Good)
3.9
/
5
Rating Breakdown 27 reviews
5 stars
(8)
4 stars
(12)
3 stars
(5)
2 stars
(1)
1 star
(1)
Food
(Outstanding)
4.3
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
3.3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
Filter Reviews By:
Diners classify this restaurant as:
- fit for foodies(12)
- neighborhood gem(11)
- great for lunch(5)
- romantic(4)
- special occasion(3)
- kid-friendly(2)
Star Anise Reviews List
Review 1 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Delicious
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"The food was really fresh and delicious. The service was fine but they were slow to take our order even though it was pretty empty."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: kid-friendly
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Review 2 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Meet for lunch
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Great little Thai place, healthy and very fresh! Good Variety , clean and hospitable hosts."
Dined on 5/08/2013
Special Features: neighborhood gem, great for lunch
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Review 3 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
First Visit
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"This was my first time trying Star Anise. It was not crowded at all for lunch, so I got special attention. I got the yellow curry with chicken and requested it be made mild. It was wonderful. I will definitely visit again when I return to the area."
Dined on 5/05/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, special occasion
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Review 4 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Good but needs to change one piece
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"I've eaten here before with a larger group and the restaurant can handle any number of guests. The food is very good and has wonderful nuances of flavors. The food presentation is artwork. Service is good but lackluster. The wait staff are not at all amiable. This translates into "The staff is doing the customer a favor by waiting on them." If you could turn this piece around I don't see why you wouldn't be packed every night. We walked around downtown afterward and many restaurants were full to overflowing whereas there were many open tables at this restaurant."
Dined on 04/20/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies
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Review 5 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
This was our first time dining
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"This was our first time dining with Star Anise and we loved it. The restaurant is located near the vibrant Livermore Downtown where a movie theatre and ice cream shop are right next door. The food was excellent, fresh and delivered hot right to our table in a timely manner. We will definitely be back and look forward to another great meal."
Dined on 04/20/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, hot spot
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Review 6 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Very good food served in beautiful
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Very good food served in beautiful decor. A very good overall experience. I've been several times and will definitely go back. Try the Roti and Pumpkin Curry."
Dined on 04/12/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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Review 7 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Food great, service lacking
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"The food here is absolutely fabulous! The service on the other hand is lacking...the waiter never smiles, and does not interact with guests to make suggestions or ask questions. We did not realize there are various options for the rice they bring to the table, and noticed that the people next to us had requested brown rice and garlic rice, while we were brought plain steamed rice. I would definitely go back (or maybe get takeout) because the food is delicious, but the service (and the baseball game playing constantly on the tv above the bar) really detracted from the experience."
Dined on 04/14/2013
2002
Special Features: fit for foodies
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Review 8 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
My wife and I love this place
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"My wife and I love this place and frequently dine at this unique, local gem in Livermore. We have always had a positive experience and every meal we have had here was perfectly prepared and presented.
If you like Thai food, this is the place to go in all of the East Bay! Small place but great food with good service at a fair price in the newly renovated downtown."
Dined on 04/01/2013
2010
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Review 9 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"The food ranged from somewhat acceptable to mediocre -- no standouts in any appetizer or entree. The fried calamari was ghastly -- made MacDonalds fries shine in comparison. To top everything, our waiter asked us to leave so he could seat other reservations at our table!"
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Review 10 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Food was fantastic but service
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Food was fantastic but service was practically nonexistent. Saw the server only once when he took our order. Someone else delivered our food and then I had to track him down and ask for the bill."
Dined on 03/01/2013
2006
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Review 11 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Lots to choose from an extensive
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Lots to choose from an extensive menu - our table ordered appetizers, wok, noodle, and fish main dishes which were all outstanding. One drawback to this popular spot is that only one wait person worked the entire dining room by herself, occasionally aided by the bartender. Every table was occupied and customers were waiting for tables the entire time we were there. Our wait between beverage/ordering/serving was a little longer than avg. We could see that the person working alone was doing her best. Otherwise, everything was excellent!"
Dined on 02/22/2013
2009
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Review 12 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
I'm hooked on the food! I
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
"I'm hooked on the food! I absolutely love it! The reason I gave the service 3 stars because the person that greets us and seats us doesn't even smile. Other than that the food is EXCELLENT !! Best Thai food!!"
Dined on 02/18/2013
2008
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Review 13 for Star Anise
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
The man who greeted us for
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"The man who greeted us for our 5:30 reservation appeared preoccupied with the video screen, so much so that I wondered whether he has even checked off our reservation. His demeanor did not change throughout the entire meal. I don't think he once smiled even though he was bringing plates to our table.
I was sorry we had ordered our entree shortly after we placed our starter order as the entrees were brought to the table while we were still eating our starter.
The restaurant was quite crowded by 6:15 and the other server, a young woman, had to work very hard to get to all tables. She was quite pleasant as she tried to see to the majority of the tables.
The food is very good and the prices reasonable, but service could be better"
Dined on 02/16/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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Ratings-Only Reviews for Star Anise
Based on the average of (14) ratings-only reviews
Overall
(Outstanding)
4.1
/
5
5 out of 5 recommend this product
Food
(Outstanding)
4.1
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate