ASK Italian - Merry Hill — Restaurant in Dudley

Title: Disappointing Experience with Apparent Discrimination at ASK Italian

My recent visit to ASK Italian was nothing short of disappointing, and unfortunately, it seems that poor service is just the tip of the iceberg. From the moment we walked in, it was clear that this establishment lacks the basic standards of hospitality.

Upon entering, we were left standing awkwardly at the door, not greeted or seated, as if our presence was unnoticed or unwelcome. When we asked to be seated at a table towards the back, we were bluntly told by the waitress that it was "dirty" and therefore unavailable. It’s baffling that in a supposedly well-regarded restaurant, they couldn’t manage to clean a table for waiting customers.

After finally being seated, we were handed menus, but the service took a nosedive from there. Despite the restaurant not being overly busy, we waited an astonishing 30 minutes for someone to take our order, and that only happened after we flagged down a staff member ourselves. When our drinks arrived, my request for a drink without ice was ignored, and worse still, when we asked for straws, the waitress informed us that they had none.

The most disturbing aspect of our visit, however, was the noticeable difference in treatment between ourselves and other diners who were not of ethnic descent. We were treated with indifference at best, while other patrons received markedly better service. It was disheartening to observe such blatant discrimination in a place where all customers should be treated equally.

When our food finally arrived, it was cold and unappetizing. The cheese on my pizza was like plastic, and I’ve genuinely had better-tasting pizza from Greggs. At no point did anyone check on us to see if we needed anything. Instead, the only interaction we had was when a staff member curtly asked, "Are you guys done?"—a question delivered with such rudeness that it felt like we were being hurried out of the door.

In conclusion, if you’re considering visiting ASK Italian, especially if you’re of ethnic descent, I’d strongly advise against it. The poor service, subpar food, and apparent discrimination made for an unpleasant experience that I would not wish on anyone. This restaurant needs a serious overhaul in both it's service and attitude...

I recently visited ASK Italian to celebrate my wife’s birthday on 1st November, but the experience left much to be desired. I had reserved a table well in advance and noted in my reservation that it was a birthday celebration, requesting any special birthday treat they could offer.

Upon arrival, I went to the reception to confirm this in person. A staff member told me they typically offer a complimentary brownie with ice cream and a candle, which sounded like a thoughtful gesture. I was looking forward to surprising my wife.

We were seated promptly at 18:00 pm, and the staff acknowledged the occasion by offering my wife a complimentary drink, which was appreciated. However, after that, we were largely neglected. It took 20-25 minutes for someone to come back to take our order, which was frustrating, especially on a night meant to be special.

To make matters worse, my wife’s pasta was served without the chicken I had ordered. When I pointed this out, the server apologized and said she’d have the kitchen add it without charge since it was her error.

When it came time for the surprise brownie, I discreetly asked the staff to arrange it. Instead of handling it smoothly, the manager approached our table and questioned me in front of my wife, completely ruining the surprise and making the situation awkward. When I asked to speak privately, he explained that the birthday treat wasn’t guaranteed. I was taken aback by the attitude; it felt like I was begging for a basic courtesy that had been offered to me initially. Eventually, they brought out a brownie — without the candle they had promised.

To top it all off, I noticed extra charges on our bill for both the “complimentary” drink and the chicken that was supposedly provided at no additional cost.

Overall, this experience was embarrassing, frustrating, and far from the celebration I had envisioned. ASK Italian failed to follow through on simple promises, showed poor organization, and left us feeling undervalued. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant, especially for special occasions, and I certainly won’t...

My first and last experience visiting Ask Italian unfortunately. I had high hopes visiting here for the first time and I was disappointed to be honest. The range of drinks were very limited due to running out of stock - it was my brother's birthday and he could not even have the drink he wanted so this was not a good start. I ordered the courgette frites which were okay but they were more greasy than I was expecting. The garlic mayonnaise was lovely though! For mains, I ordered the panchetta and burrata carbonara which is meant to be one of their best sellers. It was okay at most - I definitely do not think it was worth £17.50 - it wasn't as full of flavour as I was hoping, the meal was tepid in temperature and the burrata had zero flavour. I have had microwave meals with more flavour to be brutally honest. My partner had lasagne which was more pasta than filling. For dessert, I ordered the Lemon but again some of the desserts had sold out to the annoyance of my brother yet again. We were informed by the waitress that the Lemon dessert had run out of Biscoff crumbs but the waitress very kindly allowed us to try just the white chocolate lemon shell and did not charge us for two puddings. The toffee bombaloni pudding was okay - the mini donuts were the best bit and I definitely do not think it was worth over £7. I have given 3 stars for the waitress alone as otherwise service would have been 1 star - the wait time for food was horrendous considering it wasn't even a packed out restaurant. It took 2 and a half hours for us to have all our meals in total!! And we weren't even asked again if we wanted anymore drinks. The soft drinks are not worth paying £3.75 for either if I'm honest. The whole bill came to £233 for 8 of us as £21 had been added as an...