asoka

don't approve of the aum sign by the entrance. it is a sacred, hindu symbol. not something hipsters just think is cool.
it is highly disrespectful.

the atmosphere is spectacular, it's a perfect venue for an intimate dinner. i was very pleased with the starters. i had prawns with garlic chilli and lemon with warm bread, the flavors really came trough. for main i had the crispy duck and i was a bit disappointed, i feel that most elements in the plate lacked seasoning and my duck was over cooked. i will return for that amazing starter and the atmosphere

this beautiful asian restaurant, situated on the busy kloof street is definitely something to experience. it's a mixture of authentic asian and western cuisine. the trendy decor sets the mood for a great evening with friends or as a romantic evening with someone special. it is the perfect setup for a few drinks or for a sit down meal.

enjoy the deck that looks out to kloof street or sit inside and get lost in the beauty of this place. the trendy staff are very polite and helpful, service was excellent.

we ordered the tempura jalapeños, stuffed with cream cheese & goats cheese, homemade sweet chilli jam as a starter and to share we had the butter chicken, roti, sambal & raita and the slow cooked lamb shoulder, green tahini dressing, garlic pita, baby spinach, mint and cucumber salad. the portions are filling and very tasty. this deserves an overall 5/5!

asoka is one of my favorite places in cape town to go to for drinks, however, i am utterly disappointed with my visit there last night. i had called to pre-book my table asking to be sat inside and specifically not at the bar. however, i was sat at the bar.

i found the service to be lacking. our waitress was rude and inattentive. what shocked me the most is that when my sisters hair caught on fire due to candles being placed everywhere around the bar the manager, despite sitting right next to us, did not even check to see if she was okay. instead he just opened the window and went back to his seat.

despite all this i must say that their drinks are delicious. however, there is a restaurant down the road that has very similar ones and i will be going there instead.

will not be returning to asoka.

we have been here on a tuesday night for the jazz evening and had a great time. the cocktails are delicious, the music was grand and also the food was very tasty. my plate was way toi salty, but they replaced it immediately. great service :)

we we pleasantly surprised to arrive at 21:30 and were told the kitchen will still be open for at least another hour. the service was efficient, friendly and unobtrusive. the decor is unique and exquisite as was the food. we had the crispy duck and the tuna tacos. both were a brilliant display of fusion, with masterchef like presentation. for desert, the trio was memorable, such a beautiful display. highly recommended!

finally had a chance to check out the infamous "asoka tuesday's" and i am very much sold on their gin cocktails (particularly the gin smash). the place seems to be very good at serving cocktails and a generally great place to chill. i'd suggest a table booking to get the most out of the evening and general comfort as it can get quite full.

asoka offers something different than the usual cape town restaurant, and is a memorable experience whether it's drinks or dinner or both. they don't have too much for vegetarians but the goats cheese balls and the meze platter are stand outs. in terms of drinks, their cocktails and shooters are divine. my favorite is the pornstar martini.

on my most recent visit, we just went for dessert and had the dessert medley which offers a small portion of each of their desserts. so let me start with the average - the chocolate brownie is definitely not worth ordering. the creme brûlée was good but it felt a bit ordinary. what was sublime was the pana cotta! it is probably the best i've ever had, with every bite having a creamy texture. the shortbread and ice cream were enjoyable too.

overall, it's a great spot for something different in terms of ambience and drinks. i wouldn't return too often for the food but the drinks definitely keep me coming back.

good ambience, pleasant waitresses, efficient without crowding you. music good, a little too loud for my liking, but after a couple of glasses of red it starts to blend in. prices reasonable.

last night myself and 2 of my friends went for dinner. as i made a reservation for 3, when we arrived and was escorted to our table there was only space for 2. i was a bit upset that about this, however they made a plan...so i was happy. we ordered the soul happiness cocktail, goats cheese balls (my absolute fav), prawns and the mini burgers. we thoroughly enjoyed our meal however the burgers would've tasted better with sauce as i found it very dry.

great company, awesome atmosphere, delish food and drinks.

great place for friday after work cocktails! the pornstar martini is my absolute favourite.

they have a great selection of bar snacks and sharing boards too. i love that there's a massive tree in the middle of the room! will definitely be back to try their dinner menu.

one of my favourite cocktail spots, absolutely obsessed with the porn star martini, it's all i ever order.

i tried some of their food at a friends farewell which was great. having enjoyed it so much i booked a table with a couple of friends. there were four of us so we opted for tapas. we ordered the prawn tempura, mini lamb burgers, the calamari, chermoula chicken skewers and the hand cut fries. we thought this wouldn't be enough so we ordered times two of everything, not the smartest choice as we didn't get through everything but all that we ordered tasted awesome!

the service however lacked a bit our waiter seemed a bit dazed at points and then in a total rush at other points. this was a bit frustrating as we were in no rush so her mood did not suit the table. it should also be mentioned that the menu's were in a bad condition, some had covers without an actual menu in it so we had to share menus. all in all though we had great night with great food.

asoka offers a lot for a night out, a restaurant come "club" later on, so it is a great night out. food unfortunately was not of a great standard although the starter, goats cheese, was excellent. the fillet and the duck pancakes was not of a high standard. if the food was good this would have received a high rating from me, but sadly this where we were let down, get this right and it is a winner for sure. service was good, atmosphere awesome.

one of the nicest experiences on kloof street. make sure you book the place in advance over weekends! service is one of the best so is the décor. nice interesting food and variety of cocktails to choose from.

the best martinez in town 😋.