Asqew Grill

Terrible. Just terrible. Countless chances to get it right. I keep going back to escape the cycle of marina take out. Asqew has finally been taken off the list of 2 week rotation take out rest’s. KFC Taco Bell is close to a worthy replacement at this point.

FOOD:
1.) Mushroom Swiss plant burger :) = patty was red, tastes like mushy ground beef kinda…
SERVICE:
Order at counter, they bring it out. Nice workers.
ATMOSPHERE:
Simplistic, clean, industrial, nice, casual
6.18

I used to really like Asqew but the service has gone down hill. It seems they’ve gotten some new cashiers who are terrible and don’t want to work. I’ve gone in here a couple of times since the new cashiers started and left in frustration, without ordering, because the cashiers were just standing around gossiping. Lame.
This place is never busy, so you think they’d want to keep up the customer service to compete with the hundreds of other places on Chestnut.
They need to bring back the previous cashier (the chubby guy). He was good.

I really like the food. The delivery service and time are however lacking. I’ve eaten their food countless times as it’s an office favorite and close to home and it’s really good. Pear salad is awesome. All of the skewers are good. Both the steak skewers are really, really good and worth a try. cous-​cous ad mashed potatoes are fine.
Do NOT ever order delivery. It will take 75 – 90 minutes. If you must just make sure you call it in and don’t order online. They don’t check email and your online order just won’t be noticed. You’ll call, they’ll say it’s just leaving, but you know on the back of your head that’s not true. In reality the person on the other end of the phone is thinking «god damn it, I forgot to check the email.» Then they will start cooking it. But, the food is good when it gets to you.

Oh hello Thai Salmon Skewer. Get in my belly.
And while we are at it Cilantro Rice, you can get in there too.
What is this Pear Salad? You want to join the party? I suppose that’s alright.
Just try it. It’s tasty. It’s simple. Well… not so much simple considering the ridiculous amount of combinations – but once you sort out that disaster, it’s a good meal.
It does it’s job – fills the belly void and satisfies the taste buds.
I Asqew to try it and be the judge.

Again? Really, Aqsew Grill? I can’t deduct any more stars…
Why can’t you get my order right?
Once again, I ordered take-​out, only to get it home (across town) and find that part of it was missing.
When I called, the man on the phone offered to deliver the missing item. Across town? While the rest gets cold? No thank you. I asked that my credit card be refunded. It might seem petty, but not only did I not get what I ordered, I paid for it! I was told he would call me back… which he didn’t.
I guess I should have learned my lesson the 2 previous times that they messed up my order. Lesson learned.
There are so many other great quick and healthy options in the neighborhood, it’s too bad you can’t figure it out, AQ.
I won’t be back.

I was really impressed with their food here. Although Askew is a chain restaurant, it doesn’t feel like it at all. Nice change of pace from your usual Marina area type food and the lower prices are definitely a plus. I got the salmon and shrimp skewers with a chop salad and it was amazing.

I have to rave about Asqew – food & service. I especially loved Elizabeth who handled my to-​go order for 20 people today. She was super conscientious and helped me with all the details surrounding an order of that size.
Everyone loved the flavors and quality of the food and I appreciated the speed and efficiency of the whole experience.
Thanks everyone!

It’s tough to say whether to give this Asquew four or five stars. The Haight location is definitely straight up five stars but this is not quite as awesome so I’m going with four.
Generally the people are nice and somewhat patient. The skewers are generally generous, though my last tuna had a few small-​er sized chunks. You’re in the Marina, so you need to factor that in as part of the experience for better or worse.
As far as their take on cooking Asquew food they do a good job of it. Sometimes the tuna comes rare so if you want it pink, not red inside, definitely let them know. They have a few good beers and wines but how do you say no to Mr. Pibb!

Sometimes you just don’t want to wear underwear and wanna go commando right? Well sometimes you don’t feel like a burger, Italian, or Chinese food so you find something else to please your pallet. Well this particular day, I was in a commando type mood and searched around for something different. I found Askew grill and dined on cilantro lime chicken and beef kebabs with a side of couscous. The lime chicken was the superstar, it was bright and very pleasing. The beef kebabs were more of a hearty sidekick and held it’s own but just couldn’t match the chicken. Both meats were nicely complemented with the fluffy couscous to cleanse the tongue. It felt so right to be in Askew and hope to make it the norm, commando style.

Updated from my original review. They made it right with me and I certainly appreciated the sincere apology from the manager. I will continue to enjoy their tasty, healthy food.
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Original review:
I loved asqew (note the past tense).
On a night of working late from home, I placed an online order, paid the delivery fee, and got myself jazzed up for some healthy veggie fare. After an hour and a half waiting (30 mins past their delivery time given to me) I called to check the status. After waiting on hold for 10 minutes, I was promised that I’d have it within 15 minutes. No explanation for why it was delayed.
40 minutes later, no order. I tried to call again and fought a busy signal for the next 15 minutes. OVER TWO HOURS after placing my order I finally got on the phone with someone and asked for my money back.
No one apologized AT ALL for this ridiculousness. Absolutely atrocious customer service.
Hey Asqew — there are a million other restaurants near you with FREE delivery. Being jerks = losing business.

I have been going here for years because for some reason this is one of my sister’s favorite places to eat. It is a great place for a quick bit, but a bit of a pain if you try to order for pick up over the phone. It takes a long time to get through and then a long wait for packaging. Definitely just go in the restaurant to order.
I have never gone wrong with this place. They have many options to choose from and I have not found one that I dislike. You can have a full order (2 skewers) or get half orders (1 skewer). I typically get one cilantro lime chicken or santa fe chicken with blackened prawns over baby greens. Pretty much anything here is good.

We tried:
The Santa Fe Chicken Skewer
The Thai BBQ Chicken Skewer
The Cilantro Lime Chicken Skewer
The Mango Lime Ahi Tuna Skewer
They tasted exactly the same:
DRY
DRY
DRY
DRY
Otherwise, no discernible flavors unfortunately. The Ahi Tuna was so scorched that I thought it was beef as did the friendly employee that brought it out. Our side salads were overdressed. The only part of our meal that we enjoyed was the cup of Butternut Squash soup. It was creamy, topped with cheese, and came with a small slice of toasted bread.
Things are definitely askew at Asqew. :P

I came here last Thursday night at about 6:30pm… We were just about the only ones here. Oh well. I did my Unilocal research before I can and I decided to order the peppercorn tuna and mac and cheese! Sounds good right!!!
The guy at the register was great, helped us order and was super friendly. We sat ourselves, pretty clean. I saw a sign for good Happy Hour specials… looks tempting.
Our food came, my tuna wasn’t really hot, pretty much luke warm, same as the mac and cheese. Not to mention-​I had to return my tuna skewer. The ‘server’ said that they had changed their ‘fish’ provider… It was super fishy, almost unedible. I actually returned it… my tummy was NOT happy. The mac and cheese was OK. Definitley not to die for. And again, I like my food hot.
My bf got BBQ chicken skewers that were edible, and luke warm as well. The sauce was good and the mashed potatoes were good…
Another dish that was ordered was the Salmon Skewer over the pear salad. Looked good, and the salmon tasted great… Salmon is OK luke warm.
All and all, I really wasn’t too impressed. Its a casual spot and I’d like to maybe come back for a happy hour or a lunch.
My recommendation: the skewers were asqew. Beers aren’t served luke warm, they are cold, i’d go for one of those!

Not exactly what I thought it was…
I knocked out 2 stars immediately when the food arrived semi-​warm… I order Salmon something skewer with coconut rice and etc…
It wasn’t hot and it seems like they precooked everything and all they did was put it on the grill to heat it up. The salmon was tasty and they did have a special sauce that you can put over it. The rice was decent, but I assume everything would be a little better if the food was warm. BTW, they weren’t busy either… So I wasn’t sure why the food was semi-​warm… hmm?

I eat here quite often and always have the same variation on a theme… a skewer with a side salad and a glass of wine.
I’ve had several of the skewers, but I tend to go for either the Balsamic Beef Tenderloin (the meat is flavorful and right off the grill and comes with mushrooms, zucchini, and a nice balsamic dressing/​dip) or the Cilantro Lime or BBQ Chicken. Texas BBQ Chicken has good flavor, too, but the skewered corn on the cob is kind of hard to get off the skewer and eat without getting your hands messy.
What I like is that you can get one skewer and any of their salads on the side, so I usually go for the Spinach. The portion is generous and it comes with walnuts, cranberries, blue cheese, and a vinaigrette.
As you would expect from a place where you order food at the counter and take a number to your table, there’s not a lot of ambiance here. However, if you’re looking for a quick meal that’s tasty (and pretty healthy compared to other quick meals) and you’re in the area, it’s worth checking out.
I don’t have kids, but they had a special on a Friday that I went here where kids ate for free. If that’s your thing, you might try calling ahead and asking about it. I think it might be a smart weekly thing that they offer. (After all, kids don’t really eat much and the ones I saw were just eating mac and cheese.)
They serve beer and wine, but don’t come here looking for a TV. If you’d like to hear some real drama, come here when World Cup is on and the US is playing. They play it on the radio and it’s even more exciting than watching on TV!

3.5 stars rounded up
I had the grilled bbq corn as part of the Great Urban Race in 2009, but I couldn’t review Asqew based on that. We had dinner at the Marina location last night after standing in line at Tori Spelling’s book signing down the street. We were starved!
We got the artichoke halves (love artichokes!) — it was nicely grilled with a light vinaigrette sauce on the side — loved this! I got two wild salmon skewers (had to take one home, my eyes were bigger than my stomach) on top of the grilled pear salad (the salmon skewer was yummy, salmon was nice and tender, couldn’t taste the grilled pear, so???). My bf got a Thai chicken and a Thai beef skewer over coconut rice — he was quite happy with this. All with a couple of beers, and we were happy clams!
Service was nice and friendly, and our food arrived quickly which satisfied us as we were absolutely famished!
4 skewers+2 sides+artichoke app+2 beers+tip+tax = $ 50

Show Asqew some love…
It always makes me sad to walk by Asqew because usually when I walk by and look in — it’s empty! So sad. The only time it really looks busy is when it’s nice out and people are there to grab the seats out front on the sidewalk.
I think Asqew is pretty darn good. I’ve had their seafood skewers and their chicken skewers — of all different flavors — and they are really good! I like their sides too, espeically the cilantro rice and citrus couscous. Ribs app is good too! Another bonus — YMCA members get 20% off — yah!

This is one of those places I have felt drawn to that I wanted to check out without reading any reviews first. Sometimes you just have to go in blindly, right?
Well the «Lady K» had been here with her mom once and said it was good. I wouldnt let her tell me more than that… I wish I did.
I mean, its OK. Its not overwhelmingly great nor overwhelmingly bad. Its what you would expect. Fast food (made to order) and all on a stick with some sides to go along for the ride.
I’m thinking I need to try something else but the BBQ chicken with mash potatoes and cole slaw next time. I feel that there is more here… suggestons? Enjoy!

Me like meat on stick… me afraid of fire… me itch crotch in public
If Cro-​Magnon Man had a dining coupon, I’m sure the first place he’d go is Asqew Grill… even if he may poo-​poo the idea of eating at a chain like most cavemen did during the Paleozoic Era. Actually the concept is little different from most of the mid-​priced, self-​serve chains like Buckhorn or Firewood. You order at the counter, and you get handed a tall number-​holder which can also be used for jousting other customers standing between you and your desired table.
I went for the half-​order of the Cilantro Lime Chicken with Roma tomatoes and red onion chunks. A half-​order is one skewer which I found plenty enough for lunch, especially since it comes with a mound of roasted garlic mashed potatoes (among a bevy of starches from which you can choose). It’s really not a bad deal for $ 6.25, although it suffers a bit for being a tad too lukewarm when served. This is a pretty common problem among these chains, don’t you think?
But I do like the number of choices here for carnivores, vegetarians and all points in between. And the Marina location has a nice laid-​back quality compared to the other city locations. Expect more kids and indifferent parents here. So discover your inner Neanderthal and eat from a skewer like true iron men do.
FOOD — 4 stars… good, hefty portion of meat and potatoes for your money
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… casual, lodge-​like setting
SERVICE — 4 stars… nicer than you would expect at a chain
TOTAL — 4 stars… me like Asqew… me come back