ASK Italian - Worcester — Restaurant in Worcester

Came with some friends on a quiet Monday night 6 of us in total, started with some drinks, when a certain waitress took our drinks order 1 friend asked about a specific pink gin that they apparently had last time and the waitress was a bit snappy with her response to not having that gin, but moving on our drinks came which was fine along with our starters which were nice but once we finished, our empty plates were left with us for over half an hour, we waved at that certain waitress who was at the end of the room either stapling I’m guessing takeaway bags or leaning over the counter chitchatting to the chefs who didn’t seem very busy either, it seemed from our point of view she would look at us from the corner of her eyes and then either turn around or look back to the chefs so in the end 1 of us had to walk up to her to ask her to take our drinks order along with our empty starter plates to which she said “yes just give me a minute” which turned into never turning up so we managed to get the attention of the other waitress who was nice and friendly and eventually took our drinks order, after a further 10 minutes our drinks hadn’t turned up and our plates were not taken away so 1 of us had to move our plates to an empty table next to us to which the not so nice waitress came over saying that we should not have done that and we should have just waited for her, you never even attempted to come over you stood at the back completely ignoring us🤷‍♂️, so we complained about her just being stood at the end of the room doing nothing to which she became snappy with us again saying “there are only 2 of us working on the floor tonight” which was hilarious as there were only 4-5 tables that night, where I used to work sometimes I’d have to work on the floor alone serving up to 100 people in 1 night with little help, 1 thing as a server you do not do is argue back at customers no matter how much of a pain you think they’re being, so after that we waited a further 10 minutes about 45-50 minutes in total after we’d finished our starters, our mains and drinks never came so in the end we got up told the other waitress how our experience was and how rude that 1 waitress was so we said forget our mains and walked out, disappointing for what was supposed to be a nice evening meeting up with friends who’d recommended...

We visited ASK Italian in Worcester on a Friday evening and, unfortunately, the experience fell short of expectations. Despite the restaurant being only around 50% occupied, we encountered significant delays — waiting almost 40 minutes for two starters, followed by a further 35 minutes for the main courses. During this time, no checkbacks were made, and we were not advised of any expected wait, which added to the frustration.

When the main courses eventually arrived, both calzones were underwhelming. The Mushroom and Truffle Calzone was noticeably undercooked, with thick dough that hadn’t fully baked through. More concerning was the presence of olives and the absence of spinach, which was not stated on the menu. For those with food allergies, this could pose a serious risk. The second calzone was also undercooked and arrived flat, suggesting that the kitchen was possibly rushing through orders.

A checkback only took place once our plates were cleared. At this point, I requested to speak with a manager.

To his credit, the manager was genuinely apologetic, acknowledged the service and food issues, and explained that the calzone I was served was the takeaway version, which contained olives. He also advised that a new kitchen team was in place. As a gesture of goodwill, our bill was fully taken care of, and we were invited to return in a few weeks for a hopefully improved experience. While the manager’s approach was appreciated and handled well, the evening had already been spoiled — especially after a half-hour drive for what was meant to be a celebratory meal.

Throughout our visit, it was noticeable that delivery orders appeared to be prioritised over in-house diners, with drivers arriving frequently and collecting food more consistently than meals were served to tables. Meanwhile, diners, including ourselves, experienced long waits without updates or apologies. Staffing appeared to be limited, and tables were left dirty for extended periods — one booth near the window remained cluttered with used glasses and plates for over an hour.

The restaurant itself had a lovely decor and a promising antmosphere, but unfortunately, both the food quality and service during this visit did not meet...

Never ever will I go there again, complete disaster I have never tasted food so bad in a restaurant..... I had the butterfly prawns to start with, the Italian bread was burnt at the bottom and the prawns were dry, rubbery no flavor at all, that was £6.25!!! I did complain which I got a response it has to be cooked in the oven on a very high heat which can burn the bottom of the dish!!! I'm sorry any chef knows not to over cook prawns!!! It was described as succulent prawns, ummm really!!!! And really not sure where the garlic was either!! The other two starters my friends had were disappointing too but edible..... Then I had the Aragosta E Gamberoni... Described lobster and king prawns in a creamy tomato sauce, with a hint of chilli, topped with a large king prawn in its shell priced at £ 14.95. I searched for the lobster and found a tiny bit about the size of my finger nail, the king prawns were not king prawns and rubbery, the sauce was not creamy and really not sure where the hint of chilli was,the shell prawn was just palatable, the pasta was not cooked properly and a very small portion. My one friend had a pasta dish too which he was extremely disappointed, both dishes looked like and tasted like a pre cooked meal cheap version that you put in a microwave from one of the supermarket. In fact Aldi's pre cooked meal the king prawn linguine in a tomato sauce is really lovely and only for just over £2.00!! Two positives: My other friend had the pea and prosciutto risotto and said it was ok, and the glass of wine was very good, (maybe because it didn't have to be cooked!! Just pour it out of a bottle!) I did eat my main as I was starving not having my starter, but it was a case of just eat and get out of there and never return. I personally wouldn't recommend Ask Italian restaurant to anyone I know, very disappointing 😝☹️ It's a shame as my two friends I was with went twice before and said the food was good but after last night they will never return again and they...