Ask Restaurants

Equivalent to TGIF in America but in beautiful architectural setting. There was all types of people ranging from young hen parties to sweet sixteen birthday parties to old local folks to dressed up couples on a date. Food is okay server was nice but had to ask for drinks twice and no refill on water… would not go back again or recommend

The building here is amazing. A friend had told me to go here, and the atmosphere was even better than I had hoped. Food good and service friendly. Only drawback is that there is no bar, but you can order drinks from your table.

Quite good italian-​style food. Good service: usually very brisk — even when busy.
Fantastic surroundings here in the old York Assembly rooms: chandeliered and pillared. Pretend to be Jane Austen if you like.

It wasn’t until we had sat down and ordered that we started to notice things, the long sofa seating I was sat on, which by the way was 6 inches too low, was covered in crumbs all the way along on either side of me. I was brought a dirty glass with my drink and when I ask for a replacement that too was dirty. We had bread and tapenade to share between us as a starter and weren’t given plates or knives until we had to ask. I had carbonara, as the only other thing I liked the look of on the menu was unavailable, and it was pretty tasteless.
I also noticed at this point the opposite sofa on the other side of the room had under it, no end of filth and debris. On visiting the toilet on the way out, we found dirt all round the back of the wash basins and the floors in the toilet stalls we filthy. WE WILL NOT BE GOING BACK TO ASK.

Really pretty place! The inside is beautiful and it’s well-​decorated. Great atmosphere for a date or nice night out. The food is quite good, no complaints. You can get a variety of Italian dishes, all of which are tasty.

This is part of a chain and the food is fine, Italian, pizzas and pasta as usual, the thing you remember though is the beautiful building, well worth a visit, the huge empty space above your head due to the high ceiling makes it feel quite ususual and it is very pleasantly lit. Happy memories

This is a reasonable but ordinary restaurant, but in a fantastic building. The old Assembly Rooms are really just one very large room, with beautiful gothic columns, and lovely high ceilings. It’s a wonderful and classic design and feels incredibly light and airy, giving it almost an outdoor summery feel, no matter what season it is or what the weather’s like. A lovely place to eat.
The food itself doesn’t quite live up to that, but it’s not at all bad. I’d say it was just a little bit above a Pizza Express standard of Italian food– mostly pizzas, pastas and salads, with a reasonable choice of toppings but always with a bit too much olive oil. With very friendly service, this restaurant would suit people on a romantic date as well as suiting tourists who want a meal somewhere a little bit different. Very nice.

This is a lovely restaurant and welll worth a visit. Ask is a restaurant chain but this one really stands out because of it’s great location in the old assembly rooms. You feel that you are eating at somewhere very exclusive. I don’t think that it was too expensive really, the food is good and the service is good. I will visit again on my next visit to York.
They servce Italian food and my husband and I were both spoilt for choice, there were so many good things to choose from. Recommended.

Ask York is definitely worth a visit! The main reason for this is the fabulous building which is the old Georgian Assembly rooms where dances and balls were held. They are incredibly impressive with beautiful chandeliers and tradiitional features left intact.
The food is pretty much what you would expect for an Italian with pizza and pasta dishes, the salads are also lovely. My only observation is that due to everyone eating in one large room there is not much privacy but tables are spaced out well enough.

This restaurant is worth the visit just to see the interior. It has grand, high vaulted ceilings elaborately decorated. You feel like you’re sitting in a grand hall.
The food is also delicious. They have very nice pizzas with fresh ingredients and have a large selection of meat and vegetarian options. The staff are friendly and helpful. I would recommend eating here for lunch as the lunch menu is good. The prices are excellent as well. I would prefer to eat here over pizza express.
The location is very convenient, it’s in city centre, not far from the high street and also not far from the train station.

ASK is one of a national chain of Italian restaurants. What makes the one in York special, however, is its setting. The restaurant is inside the old Georgian Assembly rooms, a truly spectacular building, making this seem like somewhere really special to go and eat. Even the toilets seem very grand.
The service is really good and they can cope amazingly well with massive groups of people, although you do have to choose from a limited menu if you’re in a big group. The waiters and waitresses are really freindly and very professional.
The food is good, the same menu that you’d get in any other ASK restaurant. It’s more expensive than Pizza Express or Zizzi’s, but not by much and the setting makes the greater cost worth it.

Its worth coming here just to take a look inside, I love it! The food is as what you would expect from this restaurant chain– pasta, pizzas and specials. The first time I ate here was years ago — I was impressed then and still am now. Its huge inside with marble pillars and lots of chandeliers. It looks more expensive than it really is, and its nice if your with friends or on a date.

Definitely the most impressive place in York to eat! The Assembly Rooms are a fantastic venue and you can’t help but feel under dressed when you enter.
In previous years, staff have tended towards the rude and the uniforms were not appropriate to the grandness of the building, however, things have certainly improved, with staff looking smart and being attentive.
As with all Ask restaurants, the food is excellent as is the wine. Look out for 241 vouchers though to keep the cost down.
This is the perfect place for a get together with friends, though booking is recommended for big parties. Those looking to woo may find it a little impersonal due to the size of the main room and the large number of tables.

Fab interior, very impressive and very glamorous!!! Food was fantastic, as I love italian food anyway, and service was very prompt and staff very friendly. Well worth a visit.!!

I would imagine that any review written about this particular branch of Ask will comment on the interior — quite simply, you wont find many other places like this in the country. Its an old art deco meeting hall from Victorian times which is still owned by the local council and leased to Ask. It keeps most of its original features — high ceilings, impressive pillars and so on, and is worth a visit for the chance to eat somewhere which is really quite different.
Sadly, the food doesnt reflect the surroundings. Its very generic and occasionally bland and tasteless Italian fare. Like most Asks, quality of food and service depends on how busy the restaurant is, so avoid on Friday or Saturday nights if you want your food in a reasonable time and an attentive member of staff. Its reasonably priced, although the desserts are very pricey for the little you get, and the wine list is pretty extensive for a chain restaurant.
Centrally located close to the Minster and easy to find, you’ll try it out for the surroundings and experience but might not go back again.

went with friends, about a year ago, not been back since.
the interior blew me away! super high ceilings, collums etc gave it the 1920’s old world glamour feel
service was very good
toilets clean, though tricky to find
though the food was nothing special, it was ok food but way to pricey for the quality. which is a shame considering it was a very good night, the atmosphere and surroundings, service was fab!