ASK Italian - Basingstoke — Restaurant in Basingstoke and Deane

I had the absolute pleasure of dining at Ask Italian, but what truly made the experience unforgettable was our waiter, Jae. From the moment we walked in, we were warmly greeted by the manager, whose hospitality set the tone for the entire evening. It was clear from the start that the manager has a gift for creating an inviting atmosphere and hiring truly exceptional staff.

Jae, our waiter, was the shining star of the evening. His knowledge of the menu was impeccable—he made personalized recommendations that suited our tastes perfectly. It felt like Jae had an innate understanding of what we were looking for, suggesting dishes and drinks that we wouldn’t have thought to try but ended up loving! His passion for the cuisine and attention to detail made each dish’s description sound like a story.

Throughout the meal, Jae struck the perfect balance between attentive service and giving us space to enjoy our time. He had an almost magical ability to appear just when we needed something, without ever interrupting our conversations. His presence was warm and friendly, making us feel as if we were dining with an old friend.

It’s evident that the manager’s commitment to excellence extends to every member of the team. Jae went above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of our evening was flawless. He anticipated our needs, from refilling drinks at just the right moment to accommodating a last-minute dietary request with ease and a smile. And when it came time for dessert, he surprised us with a special treat, making our celebration feel even more special.

If you’re looking for a dining experience where you feel truly taken care of, this is the place to be. The manager has assembled a top-notch team that knows how to elevate every guest’s experience, and Jae is a perfect example of this dedication to excellence. We can’t wait to return, and when we do, we’ll definitely be asking for Jae. He’s not just a waiter—he’s a master of his craft, supported by a...

It always feels a shame to leave a low star review because I always try and focus on the positives but unfortunately there just wasn’t enough of them to overwhelm me into leaving a better review.

Things started off okay, we were seated very quickly and politely - and that is around where the good experience ended... when we sat, the table had not been cleaned, there were extremely long hairs on the table and the wall was coated in muck and stains that we were sat right next to. Again, usually I would put this down to it being busy, but it wasn’t until later on that I realised that over half of the waiting staff came across as very lazy.

It took 15-20 minutes for them to take our drinks order, these were delivered another 20 minutes later, AFTER our starters had arrived. Food was of a very high standard, so hats off to the chefs who were obviously working very hard that night.

By this time we had finished our starters and our drinks, so of course were hoping for our plates to be collected and to be offered a further drink - we were wrong! Our plates were not collected until after our mains were delivered and we were not offered another drink throughout the course of the night at all. I tried to get attention of the waiting team, but they were not interested.

Again, the main courses were delicious, my partner could not finish his, but thought it was excellent enough to take home.

The whole experience lasted almost 2 hours to eat a 2 course meal, our food sat at the pass for over 10 minutes each time and the staff were very juvenile and lazy. My 2 stars come solely from the quality of the food and were earned by the chefs. Unfortunately the front of house team lost the other 3 stars and almost a 4th due to the cleanliness of the table when we arrived.

Will not be visiting this restaurant for a...

We have been to Ask restaurants all over the country and they have always been lovely until today! Everything from the miserable, rude staff to the shocking excuse for food was not even worth a one star! We have had pizza at Ask many times, always loved and recommended it but today's was basically dry bases with a bit of topping smacked in the middle and that was it! For nearly £12 each it was just shocking! We have the same pizza in another branch of Ask and it's amazing, I have honestly never seen anything like today's before! We were in a rush and have young children so didn't complain as the staff wouldn't have cared in the slightest anyway, they forgot my child's order and brought it out later which caused issues too, there was no apology at all. Before all of our table had finished eating the waiter started clearing the plates whilst we were still eating, he didn't ask if we minded or if we had finished, one of the plates wasn't finished with and my daughter was just resting for a minute, I always thought it was just restaurant etiquette to wait until everyone had finished before clearing dishes and making everyone else feel uncomfortable but not in this case. In the end we just got up and went to the till to pay, we would have been waiting a long time for anyone to serve us and thought if the desserts were as terrible as the mains it would just be a complete waste of more time and more money which sadly this whole meal was, we will never go again and suggest if your looking for a welcoming team of staff and good, tasty food you try elsewhere, such a shame as Ask has always been one of our favourite places to go as a family, sadly Basingstoke's Ask is way behind the standard the rest of the country seems to follow! Avoid...