I would put zero if I could. Do NOT eat at this restaurant. We booked a table but were told when we arrived that we would have to join the back of the queue even though none of the other people had booked. The waiter - who had taken our booking earlier - was very rude. Unlikely he had taken our booking earlier either. Awful. We left in disgust!
David B
Do not go to this restaurant. Appaling customer care. Bookings don't matter. We booked earlier in the day. Then went back to be told we would have to queue regardless. Waiter in charge very rude. We walked out!
Kane TechTips
Poor service. Bar was an absolute mess. Waiters talking with each other when I had been waiting for starters for over 35 mins!! And mains for 45 mins after the starters!! Do not bother with this abomination of a restaurant chain. Avoid at all costs.
Alison Graves
I cannot thank Ask Italian enough for our dining experience today! We were a large party (5 children and 3 adults) without a reservation and due to the waiter’s flexibility (giving us two adjacent tables, one of them, a lovely round one near the window), we were served very quickly. The waiter (sorry I didn’t take his name but he was slim with short dark hair), was very friendly and helpful, especially when we had some questions about the kids menu. My husband and I had the salad with goats cheese and butternut squash and it was delicious. Wishing the waiter and fellow members of staff at Ask Italian a very beautiful New Year 2024! Ali
N Pope
We were very lucky to get a table as it was very busy and lacking staff but saying that the service was still good .We didn't have to wait long for our food and when it came it was lovely and hot .
Sasha Norton
Bad service, could’ve let us know when we sat down that you have to order via the QR code so we were sat there for ages. Slow and very rude service. Waiter didn’t want to help at all, didn’t offer Parmesan / pepper / oil like most people do. Just really rude In
NatE589
We visited in a large group of over 10 on a busy Saturday night and they managed to get us in. We also had small children with us and they were very accommodating. It’s a lovely old building with lots of character. The menu was good and catered for gluten free diners well. We were served promptly all things considered when see how busy they were. The food was ok, maybe a little bit over cooked for the pizza for example. But overall a lovely meal with a lovely ambience. Thank you.
matt kilford
Visited yesterday for lunch and had issues parking so we were late to arrive. We called a couple of times to advise and the lady who answered the phone was calm and reassuring which was great as it was sooooo busy! When we finally got there we were seated quickly and given a much needed drink! The food was delicious, fresh tasting, and hot. Our waitress (the lady in the sparkly trousers) was friendly and efficient and very understanding and kind when we spilled a drink and broke a glass. Hats off to her for staying so calm on such a busy day. Thank you very much
Alison B
We booked but still had to wait outside in the rain for 10/15 minutes. We were shown to our table and you could see the staff were under pressure as used crockery and cutlery were piling up around the place. We ordered on line as no staff came. The starter came but no drinks so we asked if they could chase up the drinks. Still no drinks. The mains came- two of which had chilli- still no drinks. We asked again- still no drinks. We went and got a bottle of tap water and took glasses out of the dishwasher. After the mains were finished the drinks came- to the embarrassment of the server. The ladies toilets were in a very bad way- one blocked and overflowing and the other was bad. There was no toilet tissue. If I had seen the toilets first I wouldn’t have eaten there. Very disappointing.
Wendy Mills
The chicken cacciatore was disappointing. Cubed pieces of chicken breast, that weren’t particularly tasty, were cooked separately and added to the sauce, not braised in it. There was a taste of vinegar. Simply the flavors didn’t meld into a rich stew. It was acceptable but nothing to write home about. The atmosphere was inviting and the service was friendly.
Had booked a table, turned up at booking time, we were not greeted. Someone finally came up to us looking annoyed, took us to the table. We ordered our drink, I asked to have water on the table too and was told there were no glasses so this wasn’t possible. Our drinks didn’t arrive until we chased this after food had arrived. Really uncomfortable atmosphere as the staff just seemed stressed and didn’t want you to be there. When we were there half the tables were empty. Won’t be returning
chloe louise
Had such a positive experience here! Food was so delicious, all of us enjoyed our starters and mains. Such a cozy warm environment, perfect for winter evenings. beautifully decorated just in time for Christmas!
Karen “Kazzaz” Searle
Nice building, lovely setting. Good food. Good service, even though they were busy.Two downers on the experience"1) we tipped on our payment card and the staff member said they didn't get those tips. Which then made us feel like we needed to tip again in cash. Either they've had double tips from us this time or something is wrong with how tips are being allocated. Neither is good.2) only one ladies' toilet working.Overall a lovely meal, and a nice place to eat.
Alexandra Thompson
Arrived out of the freezing cold and was greeted immediately by a lovely young lady, I believe her name was Jodie. She was very friendly, professional and kind. She was able to help me when picking a meal and the meal didn’t disappoint! Amazing restaurant, warm and welcoming atmosphere. Will be back again! Thank you Jodie, you were brilliant.Dietary restrictions: Gluten free
Charlieeatsout
Managed to get a booking for a late lunch on the same day, given Winchester is rammed this time of year with the Christmas markets and a lot of other restaurants were fully booked I was worried we may be in for an inferior experience, but not at all. The upstairs area is great - old wooden beams (this must be an ancient building) bedecked with Ivy and fairy lights made it very Christmassy. The service was great if a little slow (the place was packed though) and the food once ordered came very quickly, and was excellent. The Crayfish and Prawn Tagliatelli was particularly good!
I would put zero if I could. Do NOT eat at this restaurant. We booked a table but were told when we arrived that we would have to join the back of the queue even though none of the other people had booked. The waiter - who had taken our booking earlier - was very rude. Unlikely he had taken our booking earlier either. Awful. We left in disgust!
Do not go to this restaurant. Appaling customer care. Bookings don't matter. We booked earlier in the day. Then went back to be told we would have to queue regardless. Waiter in charge very rude. We walked out!
Poor service. Bar was an absolute mess. Waiters talking with each other when I had been waiting for starters for over 35 mins!! And mains for 45 mins after the starters!! Do not bother with this abomination of a restaurant chain. Avoid at all costs.
I cannot thank Ask Italian enough for our dining experience today! We were a large party (5 children and 3 adults) without a reservation and due to the waiter’s flexibility (giving us two adjacent tables, one of them, a lovely round one near the window), we were served very quickly. The waiter (sorry I didn’t take his name but he was slim with short dark hair), was very friendly and helpful, especially when we had some questions about the kids menu. My husband and I had the salad with goats cheese and butternut squash and it was delicious. Wishing the waiter and fellow members of staff at Ask Italian a very beautiful New Year 2024! Ali
We were very lucky to get a table as it was very busy and lacking staff but saying that the service was still good .We didn't have to wait long for our food and when it came it was lovely and hot .
Bad service, could’ve let us know when we sat down that you have to order via the QR code so we were sat there for ages. Slow and very rude service. Waiter didn’t want to help at all, didn’t offer Parmesan / pepper / oil like most people do. Just really rude In
We visited in a large group of over 10 on a busy Saturday night and they managed to get us in. We also had small children with us and they were very accommodating. It’s a lovely old building with lots of character. The menu was good and catered for gluten free diners well. We were served promptly all things considered when see how busy they were. The food was ok, maybe a little bit over cooked for the pizza for example. But overall a lovely meal with a lovely ambience. Thank you.
Visited yesterday for lunch and had issues parking so we were late to arrive. We called a couple of times to advise and the lady who answered the phone was calm and reassuring which was great as it was sooooo busy! When we finally got there we were seated quickly and given a much needed drink! The food was delicious, fresh tasting, and hot. Our waitress (the lady in the sparkly trousers) was friendly and efficient and very understanding and kind when we spilled a drink and broke a glass. Hats off to her for staying so calm on such a busy day. Thank you very much
We booked but still had to wait outside in the rain for 10/15 minutes. We were shown to our table and you could see the staff were under pressure as used crockery and cutlery were piling up around the place. We ordered on line as no staff came. The starter came but no drinks so we asked if they could chase up the drinks. Still no drinks. The mains came- two of which had chilli- still no drinks. We asked again- still no drinks. We went and got a bottle of tap water and took glasses out of the dishwasher. After the mains were finished the drinks came- to the embarrassment of the server. The ladies toilets were in a very bad way- one blocked and overflowing and the other was bad. There was no toilet tissue. If I had seen the toilets first I wouldn’t have eaten there. Very disappointing.
The chicken cacciatore was disappointing. Cubed pieces of chicken breast, that weren’t particularly tasty, were cooked separately and added to the sauce, not braised in it. There was a taste of vinegar. Simply the flavors didn’t meld into a rich stew. It was acceptable but nothing to write home about. The atmosphere was inviting and the service was friendly.
Restaurantji Recommends
Had booked a table, turned up at booking time, we were not greeted. Someone finally came up to us looking annoyed, took us to the table. We ordered our drink, I asked to have water on the table too and was told there were no glasses so this wasn’t possible. Our drinks didn’t arrive until we chased this after food had arrived. Really uncomfortable atmosphere as the staff just seemed stressed and didn’t want you to be there. When we were there half the tables were empty. Won’t be returning
Had such a positive experience here! Food was so delicious, all of us enjoyed our starters and mains. Such a cozy warm environment, perfect for winter evenings. beautifully decorated just in time for Christmas!
Nice building, lovely setting. Good food. Good service, even though they were busy.Two downers on the experience"1) we tipped on our payment card and the staff member said they didn't get those tips. Which then made us feel like we needed to tip again in cash. Either they've had double tips from us this time or something is wrong with how tips are being allocated. Neither is good.2) only one ladies' toilet working.Overall a lovely meal, and a nice place to eat.
Arrived out of the freezing cold and was greeted immediately by a lovely young lady, I believe her name was Jodie. She was very friendly, professional and kind. She was able to help me when picking a meal and the meal didn’t disappoint! Amazing restaurant, warm and welcoming atmosphere. Will be back again! Thank you Jodie, you were brilliant.Dietary restrictions: Gluten free
Managed to get a booking for a late lunch on the same day, given Winchester is rammed this time of year with the Christmas markets and a lot of other restaurants were fully booked I was worried we may be in for an inferior experience, but not at all. The upstairs area is great - old wooden beams (this must be an ancient building) bedecked with Ivy and fairy lights made it very Christmassy. The service was great if a little slow (the place was packed though) and the food once ordered came very quickly, and was excellent. The Crayfish and Prawn Tagliatelli was particularly good!