Askitalian Avis 

The service was great and the pizzas we had were very tasty. Didn't have to wait long either for the food.
However when it came to the bill we asked the waiter if they took cash and he said yes. He noticed we had 2 x £20 notes ready to pay for the meal and then went on to say we're not able to give cash change!. Whaaat you can take our cash but not give us change. Now the thing was it was only a couple of pounds and under normal circumstances we would've just left that (and more) as a tip but it was the waiters attitude that really angered us, He was adamant he didn't have the money - we were just as adamant that he would have to get it from somewhere. We ended up getting the correct money ourselves form purse / wallet and handed it over. Not a place we would hurry back to even although we enjoyed the food. You cannot have a policy that you take cash but cannot give cash back in change. Crazy

As a Regular customer of Ask Italian in Liverpool, my review is both positive and negative.

The review of the staff is and has always been positive, especially today when having to call on manager, John to help us with a problem redeeming a voucher from buy a gift dot co dot UK.

Having dealt with the abysmal gift voucher schemes that are being used these days, he quickly sorted out our voucher online despite us having a full printout of the QR code and details.

This saved us the hassle of having to pay ourselves then go through the rigmarole of trying to contact the gift voucher company which is a nightmare in itself. Thank you, John.

My review of the meal. The chicken breast I had was strange in taste, shape and texture.

It was flat and not shaped at all like a chicken breast. It did not taste like chicken and I eat a lot of chicken in all forms.

The texture was strange. It was pre-sliced and very smooth at the cuts. On cutting it, it was not like chicken with regards to fibres. It was almost like a cooked paste and I wondered if it was really chicken or some kind of fake lab meat or alternative concoction.

*Ask Italian need to respond to this question: Are you using printed or fake chicken?*

I feel this establishment needs investigating regarding what it advertises as chicken and what it actually presents in a meal.

My other issue is with the wine. A half litre carafe of red wine was ordered. It cost £18.95 and was nothing short of a bottom shelf variety of plonk that tasted awful. A full bottle would have cost £29. This is basically ripping people off and gross profiteering.

Ask Italian, in my opinion, needs a visit by the relevant bodies to inspect its food and drink to determine it's selling exactly what it's advertising and to ensure it's not over pricing its quite obvious very low quality wine.

Went for a birthday lunch, 4 adults. While the food was ok, nothing great the service was awful, our starter appeared before our drinks (had to ask for them, was offered a taste of wine , then the waitress left without pouring the others) , our plates of food were practically shoved in our faces, not put on the table, the waitress came with side plates and just held them above the table without even making eye contact or see speaking! Quite rude!

Went with family Sunday lunchtime 27 September to the Epsom branch. I ordered mushroom risotto which resembled a bowl of porridge. It was too wet and almost soup like. Tasteless and inedible

The food is always delicious, fresh, and beautifully presented. The restaurant is very clean and well maintained. Jack is professional, friendly, and welcoming, providing excellent service. Highly recommended!

Never been to one and yesterday gave them a try. What a mistake! The place was tatty and a bit dirty, staff just a little too casual and the food… inedible! This has nothing to do with Italy or food, this is just a chain that has obviously been bought up and is being run into the ground. Never again, the mc donald’s of Italian food.

How can Askitalian at Westwood Cross Broadstairs get away with serving smaller and smalller portions of Fruiti Mare Lingini Pasta. On my plate today was a small serving of pasta with dry sauce, 5 extremely small mussels, 3 of the mussel meat inside were 1.5cmx1cm, one shell was empty, and one shut tight.
5 clams with meat .5cm x .5cm and the biggest insult of all were the teaspoon of tiny prawns the size of teeny round soil grubs or even maggots at .5c round each!!!
I asked the nice polite young waiter if this was the correct and usual serving for this dish from now on, because if it was then I would not come again, he said yes, for this dish, with a suggestion to choose another dish.
I did not make a fuss as did not want to spoil the lunch for my husband and 2 adult children who had enjoyed their Calzonies and Pizza. I paid the bill costing £105 for the 4 meals & 2 sides as it was my treat. I couldn't help feeling personally insulted to be served such anawful meal.
I have been disappointment in Ask before but do not complain because I do not want it to close down or stop serving the only meal on the menu that I used to enjoy ...... I just want them to serve me an honest meal as described on their menu!

Went to the Shrewsbury restaurant for our wedding anniversary on the 31st Aug 2026.
Had a cheese mozzarella garlic bread to start, lot of bread not really much cheese topping to speak of, and very bland.
I had the Pollo Milanese as my main, rubbish is my only word for it, the breaded chicken was barely cooked and soggy inside, would imaging it’s a frozen item ready to heat but no taste and not anything special seen as it was on the specials part of the menu.
Wife had ordered lasagna but ended up with the Fungi Della Casa? This was very hot when arriving at the table and was ok but there was nothing to shout about, very bland and not much taste.
We had 3 sides, chips (OK, not really much you can do with a chip) Roast potatoes (had to send them back as there were burnt) and Zucchini Fritti (not a lot of taste but as expected)
The waiting staff were polite and service ok but they looked like they could have done with a good wash, jeans and greasy hair seemed the norm.
Overall a waste of £56 for bland, undercooked food, I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Myself partner and teen son went back to ask Italian aberdeen for a meal as we have done a few times. As usual they were busy one lady present serving several tables. The starter had burnt brucetta with prawns but I just ate it as I didn't want to spoil our visit by moaning. When the main course came out my partner and sons dishes were fine but mine smelt burnt ... seafood linguine. All of the seafood were cooked one side and black burned on the other. The chef must have known it was in that state but served it anyway. After the others finished their meal and the waitress came to clear the table I showed her the plate .. she said oh yeah I saw you picking them out and putting them on the side I asked her to take my dish off the bill she didn't seem surprised and told me they need a new chef ... not happy that I was still charged for my starter as I feel my meal was ruined and should have not been charged in order to apologise which I didn't get. Very surprised at what happened and won't bother going back

Upon arrival we were met by a manager and told to wait. No hello, no how are you, no manners. After waiting we walked through the a restaurant which was in complete disarray. Dirty, with tables full of used crockery. Staffing is limited regardless of your high prices. We were left waiting for over 15 minutes despite being told a waiter will come over in a minute after he refused to take our drinks order. In those minutes we were fortunate enough to witness the friendly hustle and bustle of the king richard directly opposite. We stood up and left and walked past the manager who didn’t even look us in the eye. He was dismissive, full of his own importance and damn right rude. Having read the many 1 star reviews which are only responded to and sadly not acted upon. I will be raising my points to head office as this used to be a respectable chain. Its people like this who are hired yet do not care about their customers or their job. The restaurant was a disgrace like the little man who we had the displeasure of dealing with. It’s sad because you could see how hard working the young team were doing all the hard work as the manager has no direction. The staff here at the king richard are fabulous and so welcoming. A family over heard our conversation about our experience at ask italian and stopped to ask what had happened as they had booked there for later on. They have since chose to go elsewhere. Sadly the manager needs further training

A Lunchtime visit.
Extremely slow service from the kitchen marked our experience.
Our visit took two hours, most of it waiting for food.
The waiting staff were apologetic.
The portions of pasta and sauce are small, although I understand that this is the Italian way. But it does not seem like value for money.

I took my Daughtef, Soninlaw, grandsons 3 & 4, wife and sister for a family meal.
We booked a table for 5pm and arrived on time. It took 2.5 hours to prepare and serve a mains and a desert. At the end of this, I was expected to pay a service charge! What service. You try keeping a 3 and 6 year old entertained for 2.5 hours. The courses were served piece by piece. At the end of this, the card reader machines would not read my debit card even when inserted, or anyone's debit card. The staff new this to be the case. My daughter had to use her phone with Google Pay. Never Again

I visited Lakeside had the pollo Milanese tasted like really cheap chicken and wasn't cooked enough,then friend ordered the lemon dessert and they forgot the mousse layer then wanted hot drinks and the machine was broken, its really gone downhill, and male waiter think manager not very approachable very offish

Went to the one in Scarborough, the staff were lovely and food was really nice

I have just eaten the worst lasagna that I have ever had in 82 years Oversalted. Tough lasagne burnt in parts raw in others. And nearly £20! This used to be a decent chain serving decent food at dent prices. What happened?

Still waiting a reply from Laura Crowe

Service is diabolical

Visiting Ask in Chichester is always a pleasure. The staff are fantastic with welcoming smile and chat
Jack and Jacob are so friendly.
The food is great, the restaurant is clean and there are always good offers to be had.
Why go elsewhere. I would thoroughly recommend it.

I've been to AskItalian twice in my life. Both times the exact same lack of customer service occurred.
For an average of £30 per person, you'd expect the waiters to at least try to come to your table. Fun fact, in the Basingstoke AskItalian, they do not. On my first visit, my main issue was the waiting time for food, along with lack of customer service.

When I initially went last year, I complained about the exact same thing to AskItalian themselves and was given a gift voucher. I thought it must have changed and paid a visit 10 months later.

Upon my most recent visit, we were met with a severe lack in customer service. We made eye contact with someone who was clearly a manager who completely ignored us. We'd call people over, but having two waitresses on the floor with a subpar manager isn't enough to keep an restaurant running. One time I tried to call the waitresses but they were too busy talking.
The food isn't necessarily all that great. You'd be better of going to Tesco ready meals and putting a pizza in the oven. You'd be getting roughly the same experience but a lot cheaper.

I hope they can hire more staff. I don't think there's much point in running a restaurant if you are understaffed, and the manager is seemingly reluctant to even help out.

On a trip to Winchester with my sister and a friend we popped in to the Ask Italian for lunch. There was a fabulous vegetarian range and the food did not disappoint. The server, Sigourney, was really kind and attentive and nothing was too much trouble. She is a real asset to the team

Just ate in Winchester. Lovely service, very friendly but my goodness. The De Mare Seafood pasta was 1/3 the size it used to be. I feel Iike I've had a starter. What happened and who agreed to drastically reduce portions. Won't be returning now they've done that. Sadly.