Anise, Modern Vietnamese Eatery — Restaurant in Denver

I ordered the $12.95 Lunch Special (dine-in only) which has a variety of options for the main course. I got the vegan pho main course, a vegan crispy roll as the side, and iced tea as my choice of fountain drink. This lunch special is the only lunch special I've seen at a pho restaurant in Denver as most pho restaurants serve their menus a la carte. For what it's worth, I was pleasantly surprised. The vegan pho had a variety of vegetables and the tofu was delicious. The broth was tasty and fresh. They make their broth in-house. The vegan crispy roll came with a tasty dipping oil sauce. I could have ate at least five of those vegan crispy rolls because they were so delicious and fresh. The oil sauce for the vegan crispy roll is vegan. The garnish plate had fresh basil and fresh bean sprouts. Fresh cilantro was another garnish that came in the pho as well as on the side which was interesting. The iced tea was good and my waiter refilled my drink and had a beaming, friendly smile. A side of Sriracha and Hoisin sauce were served on the side on a tiny plate with a slice of lime. The Hoisin sauce is vegan. In fact, I confirmed everything I ate was indeed vegan.

Aside from the delicious pros, I did have some light criticism to offer. I wish the pho had came with more rice noodles. One wedge of lime is nice, but an additional wedge or two would have been perfect. I'd recommend putting the cilantro on the side instead of served in the pho. It did have some cilantro on the side, but I wish it just all came on the side. The mushrooms did give the pho a strange smell, but it didn't deter me. It was just a bit strange at first. Overall, I'd give my experience a 90% A-. Not bad at all. I will most likely return. The waiter and manager both checked on me and answered all my questions which was nice. Thank you for checking...

I've heard nothing but good things about this place, and they have amazing reviews. Unfortunately, I just had a very awkward and aggressive interaction with staff when picking up a to-go order. I ordered through doordash, and since I live right down the street, I decided to pick it up. Upon arriving and confirming my order, I had 2 staff members tell me that I was being overcharged by doordash and I should order through them...ok, fine, I understand that, and made a mental note to do so in the future. As I was walking home, I happened to take a look at the receipt attached to the bag, and the price was triple of what was stated through doordash. I walked back just to make sure I wasn't being overcharged (I'm not an expert on the financial side of delivery apps vs. the actual restaurant). When I inquired about the price, the man standing behind the bar literally RIPPED the receipt from the bag and said "THATS NOT YOUR RECEIPT", and crumpled it up in front of me. Weird, since the receipt was literally attached to MY bag, with MY name on it, so I assumed it was MY receipt. After letting him know that I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being charged the $65 on the receipt compared to the $20 amount through doordash, he rudely told me that "doordash is taking my money, not them". I completely understand businesses wanting to make sure the money spent on their services goes to them, but there's a way to go about it and being aggressive to a first-time customer for using an app they voluntarily use is ridiculous. This unfortunately left a bad taste in my mouth, and I won't be returning. It's such a shame for a place that a lot of people seem to...

Visited Anise after getting our snowboards waxed next door to Evo, and overall it was an enjoyable visit! The setting was calm, relaxed, and the restaurant was about half full on a Wednesday night. It felt homey/family room, and the server was very nice, helpful, and attentive. One thing to note is that their Banh Mi is only served during lunch.

Spicy Edamame: Nothing special about this dish, was essentially plain steamed edamame with their signature hot spice drizzled on it, but the sauce is so spicy that they can only use a little bit, which leaves the edamame a little dry and unseasoned (could use some more salt).

Shrimp Spring Roll: Probably our favorite item, one of the best spring rolls we've had! Slightly warm, the shrimp tasted fresh, kinda creamy, not rubbery, with the right amount of veggies and rice. I would come back for these alone.

Beef Pho: The broth was really good, light, not too salty, and they don't use MSG. Overall tasted as expected. The dish was light, and overall on the smaller side with less noodles then we've had at other places.

Chicken Stir Fry: Smoky, herby, warm flavor, very comforting. I recommend getting a little bit of their spicy house sauce and putting in on it, was perfect!

For the quality of the food and the service, the price was great! We left full under $80 with all the food, tax, and tip. I'd recommend stopping by and trying it out if you find yourself...