I took a friend to this place today. I go once a week because I really enjoy the food. However, today was a disaster because of the server name KIm Newberry. Upon being taken to our seat there in a room to the right my guess saw a fly flying around that landed in the window, and she asked if it could be killed. The server (Kim) came to take our order and her mannerism starting out was poor. However, I was there for the food mainly. My guest asked for a cup of hot water and she said for what, we both looked at each other and she left the table. I asked for lemons and she brought them. Then my guess asked for lemon and she stated that she would have to charge us and we said okay. My guest asks for the best recommendation of what to order. I ordered the Asparagus Lover and cab cream cheese eggroll. My guest received her order and the noddle was very soggy and seems to be overcooked. We requested that the server come to assist with this issue. The manager Kate came over and told my guess that she could get her something else, however, she would have to pay for the 1st meal that she order. At this point, my guest said if that is the case then I will not order anything else. I then told my guess don't worry about it I will just do a Yelp review of the service. Then Kate stated that the owner does not allow people to return meals that they do not like. She then states that if the server would like to pay for it she could get her something else. My guest then stated how is that fair to the server. Finally, Kate decided to remove the charge, and another meal was ordered. The cup that the hot water was brought in was dirty around the edge, my guest request another cup and this seem to ignite the server to get upset (her facial expression said it all). When the server returned with the water she spill the water on my guest and never said sorry. We continue with our meal and then the server came back to the table with take-home trays and sat them down. I told my guess that every time I come here the server take my food and bag it for me, I then said I guess this is something new. As we witness another server bring out package take home, the server returned to the table 2 times asking us about payment as if we were not going to pay. I then told her mind is ready. She took it and when she returned, my guess and I were engaged in a conversation about anywho. My guess than stop talking and ask the server why was our food not bagged for us. the server then made a face and then puff as if we were a problem. I continued to have the conversation with my guess and I said to my guess anywho. Then the server showed her turn colors. She then said anywho, you are the fucking rudest people, ever since you walked through the fucking door. Then she walked off. When she returned with my card, I said to her that what she said was totally unnecessary. She then got really upset and said you fucking people always want something. She then continue to curse and the manager heard her and came over and told her to leave the room. The sad part of all of this, I had to repeat it to the manager. Then the manager states that she is not prejudiced and that she has a black boyfriend. She went on to say that the server had been there for two years and apparently she is having trouble at home. She then states they have cameras and that she will talk to the server. The sad thing is I left very disappointed. This is a place that I have been going for the last 3 months taking different people, out of town guess, and after today I will not be going back. The final straw was when I stated that I was going to contact the Better Business Bureau, the manager said you know business can pay to have it removed. I told her that may be the case but not on Google or Yelp. read more

One of the best restaurants in NWI! The ambiance is amazing and my family loves it! The service is always on point and everyone is super friendly. The best part is, of course, the delicious food! I mean...so so so good! My family of 5 adults shared three meals AND had leftovers. We got the chicken pad Thai, the drunken noodles with chicken, and the Thai fried rice with beef...WOW! If you're in the mood for Thai food with a great ambience for a group or for date night...look no further! read more

Awesome, everything was great we thought it was best in NWI. Whatever you do, have a small bowl of POH, I had the chicken, POH GA. I could have just had that. The Vietnamese appetizer of spring rolls also. For main, I had a coconut sauce with chicken, wife ribs mom the skirt steak. All was delicious. read more

Asparagus is a Thai fusion restaurant that fulfills its title perfectly by setting a high standard for quality! The service was excellent. The ambiance creates comfort and intimacy. I would highly recommend Asparagus. read more

I love this place. I used to frequent their other location, Siam Marina when they were at River Oaks in Cal City. You cannot go wrong if you're a Thai fan like I am. I am a snob for Thai food and this is some of the best. For appetizers the spring rolls are delicious. You gotta give the crab and cream cheese ones a try. I am a fan of Pad See Ew and theirs is fantastic. They use high grade beef and fresh veggies. The flavor is superb. The Drunken noodles are spot on as well if you also like the flat rice noodles like I do. If you're in the mood all of their curry is fantastic. If you're in the mood for an adult beverage order the plum wine, its spectacular. It's the right mix of sweet and spice and compliments any meal well. I have to say the last visit also had spectacular service. I was truly impressed at how on point they were. If you like Thai, you have to try this place. read more

Love this hidden jewel food is outstanding!! Portions are a nice size and the desserts are to die for!! Love this place!! Appetizers, dinners and desserts all good! read more

I wanted to take my wife to a nice, romantic, upscale restaurant, and Asparagus restaurant in Merrillville, Indiana had come highly recommended. This is a Thai/Vietnamese/Asian inspired restaurant, although there were only two Vietnamese items on the menu (Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Pho Ga soup). The ambiance is elegant with muted lighting and white tablecloths. On Valentine's evening, the place was packed; the place probably did tens of thousands of dollars in business that evening, although my wife and I agreed that Asparagus is a HUGE disappointment. First of all, the place is quite expensive, and if you are looking for good value in times like these, steer clear of this place. I can honestly say that after our two appetizers, salad and entree, I went home and had a snack. You are not going to get stuffed full of food here, which is actually a plus, except the amount you pay for such a small amount of food is really bordering on obscene. We ordered a couple of cocktails to start things out, a good Dirty Martini and one called "Kiss Me baby" which featured pineapple, rum, and Peach Schnapps. They rang in at about 9 bucks each, but such is what you'll pay at a nice restaurant. Next came the appetizers, the "Duo Cargot" and the Soft Shelled Crab. The "Duo Cargot" was a pairing of Shrimp and Escargot, and was the best thing we ate all evening. For 12 dollars you get an trendy plating of Three Shrimp and Three Escargot served over a sauce redolent of coconut milk, with a nice amount of heat from chilies. The other appetiser was a Tempura battered soft shell crab, served on a bed of micro greens with a dressing of of the same sauce. It was acceptable, but demerits were scored because it wasn't hot at all. Merely luke warm and a bit soggy. For our entrees, we ordered the Wasabi Crusted Rack Of Lamb with Green BEans and a soy buerre blanc, and the Asparagus Lover With Shrimp and Scallops. The entrees were preceeded with either soup and salad. The house soup, aspagragus and crab had my wife shrugging "where's the crab meat?" She felt that it was relatively tasteless; I tried it, it was ok, but there wasn't very much of it...about a cup. The salad I had featured microgreens, pieces of asparagus shaved parmesan and a peanut sauce. It was okay, but was a harbinger of things to come: SUGAR. This was my major complaint with the food at Asparagus. You would imagine a Thai restaurant to feature complex flavors of lemon grass, coconut, peanut, chili pepper, basil, etcetera. WHile those flavors may have been present on other dishes, they were absent on our entrees. The main flavors were unfortunately sweet. Really sweet. Wayyyyy too sweet. My entree, the Wasabi Crusted Rack of Lamb had NO Wasabi flavor at all. None. Zero. I have to admit that the rack was perfectly cooked and very tender, but was almost room temperature. The sauce it was served in, advertised as Soy Buerre Blanc, was actually sweet enough to be a dessert. It tasted like sweet butterscotch. It really ruined what was a nice little rack of lamb. Underneath the lamb was a combination of blanched cabbage, celery, onions and carrots. No green beans to be found anywhere. All of this was swimming in the syrupy sweet butter sauce. To add another unfortunate element, this was served in a large high walled bowl, so that when you tried to cut the lamb, your bowl rocked back and forth and splashed sauce over everything. My wifes entree, also served in a bowl, was a little better, but still way too sweet. The sauce that coated the pea pods, shrimp, scallops and onions was akin to a Panda Express Bourbon Chicken sauce with lots of extra sugar. Hers was served with about half a cuip of steamed white rice; she said about halfway through the meal that she couldn't eat any more without more rice cause it was too sweet. Her shrimp were large and plump, with a nice texture. The scallops were also large, but had no sear to them. Even so they were not tough and were cooked through. Six shrimp and three scallops, plus pea pods equals $35.00. My lamb rack was also $35.00. When the bill arrived, we were shocked to see the total, and I quickly discovered I had been charged for a bottle of wine that I didn't order. The mistake was corrected, but the entire bill plus tip came to $150.00 The experience for this price was simply not acceptable. A word about the service. Our server seemed to be a girl in her late teens, who knew nothing about the menu. When I ordered cocktails she tried to take the drink menu from me, not thinking that I might want to order wine later. She wasn't very prompt or attentive. My wife and I certainly agreed she didn't earn a 15% tip, which amounted to about 20 dollars. This girl probably made five or six hundred dollars in tips on Valentine's evening, not because she was providing good service, but because the food was so expensive, and people give the customary 15%. Something is wrong with that picture. read more

Surprisingly uniquely nice!! Beautiful decor and I had a multiple variety of egg rolls. Their Chocolate Cherry Martini is off the hook and potent. Defintely good to the last drop. read more

This was my first visit, I really enjoyed it. Everything was delicious, the waitress was nice and attentive. Drinks were superb!!!! I ordered pai thai fried rice with chicken & veggies mmm I will be back thanks Asparagus!!!! read more

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Amazing food and service. The quality is just as good when you order carryout as when you dine in. One of our favorite places!

Nice ambiance. Potent cocktails with and extensive martini and cocktail menu. Appetizers are a bit expensive compared to what you get - orders seafood egg roll $12 for essentially 2 egg roll cut in half . Will pass on those the next time and maybe get something else. Pad Thai was probably the best in the region. Braised pork shank was flavorful and well portions for the price. Clean bathrooms And decent service. read more

How I forgotten to post a review? This place rocks! The drinks are phenomenal, the atmosphere is engaging and laid back, and the food has brought me back again and again! Anyone else cook? Cook well? If you do- you probably think like me...maybe. I am a bit out there, but here we go. I think- can I make this better? If the answer is no- I will then throw my chef knife aside quite often for something so yummy, creamy, and aromatically delicious as the Coconut soup. Or the avocado crispy rolls? And Pad Thai! I have many more things to try, looking forward to it! read more

My hubby and I made reservations and when we entered the restaurant it was more then we ever expected... We where greeted right away and seated rather quickly. Our server was very knowledgeable and very friendly as well. Our drinks were so fresh and our appetizer was as well, including our meals I couldn't have asked for a better experience. We look forward to going back for events as well as the amazing food! Thank you for an amazing overall experience!!! read more

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I happened on Asparagus while driving through Merrillville on my way back to Chicago. I don't know what the rest of the restaurant scene in Merrillville is like, but Asparagus was fantastic. Overpriced? Absolutely. I was traveling for work so I didn't mind the few extra dollars, but normally $17 for a tofu curry would annoy me unless it was the best curry I've ever had. That said, it's important to point out that the servings are pretty gigantic. I easily had enough to take home for my husband to have for dinner. I had the Monk Curry with tofu that was probably one of the best curries I've ever had. Not THE best, but pretty darn close. Not super oily, full of tasty tofu and fresh vegetables, and the presentation was excellent. I highly recommend it for vegetarians and meat lovers, alike. The lemongrass beef appetizer looked and smelled amazing, so I highly recommend that based on what I saw and smelled from other tables. I saw a number of other dishes being served as well, and I think Asparagus is the type of place that can do no wrong and every dish of theirs is probably pretty delish. There's a reason they can charge those prices in a small town and still be in business. Obviously they are doing something right, and that something is the food. Service was prompt and friendly (the place was empty - it was 5pm on a Wednesday). The atmosphere is classy but casual. The type of place that you can you dress up for on date night without feeling out of place, but also the type of place that you can just stop in on a whim in shorts and flip flops and also not feel out of place. I can't wait to stop there every time I drive through that area. It's without a doubt better than any Thai food I've had in Chicago (and I've had ALOT). read more

I tried vietnamese spring rolls and pho. Spring roll was good, best peanut sauce i ever tried. Pho was terrible. Too salty and heavy flavor in a bad way. Noodle soaked up the saltiness from soup so i couldn't enjoy the noodle at all. But they didn't get paid for Pho once i tell them its too salty. Good service read more

Everything was DEEEEE-lish! The service was fantastic too! We ordered the Avocado Crispy Rolls & Coconut Soup for our starters--both were excellent. The crispy rolls were light and airy even though they were fried. The Tom Ka Gai (sp?)soup was full of flavor, none of which was over powering. For dinner we ordered the Drunken Noodle and the Grilled Flank Steak. Again each one was fantastic! Each dish was cooked to perfection, the noodles were perfect (not slimy like what you often find in some Thai restaurants) the basil and citrus in this dish were in a perfect balance with all the other flavors in the dish. The same can be said for the flank steak. It was a melody of flavors that were just yummy. We finished off with the bread pudding and again it was another yummy dish. OMG! Seriously, this was a great great dinner. The folks in merrillville are lucky to have this quality of Thai food in their town. I met a friend here because it was a half-way point for us ( I live in Indy and she lives further north) this place was soooo excellent that I would make the 2 hour drive again just to have dinner. read more

We ordered the asparagus crispy rolls for an appetizer with asparagus lover with shrimp and scallops and Bangkok baby back ribs to follow. This would be 3 starts if it wasn't for our really good server Maureen-she was on us like flies on shit lol, never skipped a beat. 3 stars due to the entrees coming out cold. My entree was luke warm but I was starving so I didn't complain the other was not warm at all-which we sent back. I was expecting a bit more fish in my entree considering it came with 2 scallops only-although it was tasty. The menu is extensive and there are many other things I want to try. I will probably be back at some point, hopefully the food isn't cold next time. read more

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My wife and I finally tried this place, and we are happy we did! To begin, we made our reservation via Yelp, and the restaurant was ready and waiting for us.... Super-convenient. The restaurant is tastefully decorated and has comfortable chairs. The servers are very good and not overbearing. Overall, a very charming atmosphere, tucked into an urban chain of businesses. The food: creative and good. I am a Thai food lover. It should be noted that this is not a traditional Thai place, rather, a Thai fusion restaurant. The apps were good, and presented with flair. The main course whimsically all had asparagus as an ingredient, and both mine and my wife's choices were delicious. Yum. read more

This is my sixth time coming to Asparagus for dinner. All other times have been great; great food and service. We even had our wedding reception dinner here. This particular experience was lacking both to say the least. I decided on this restaurant for my birthday dinner celebration. Party of 4 people, with reservations on a Friday evening. This place is always at max capacity for dinner on the weekend, and this day was no exception. There are a couple of points that have shown up repeatedly during each time here. *Long wait time between courses. At first I chalked this up to our menu selection, restaurant being at capacity, etc. However this is a common theme that has happened each time we're there. As my mother in law said "This is a place for you to take your time and really enjoy the dinner". *Server was friendly, but lacked the "extra effort" that I've experienced at other establishments. For example, seeing that it was a long wait between courses, we wanted to order many more rounds of drinks (to celebrate my birthday). Our servers' attention to our table was infrequent, and when we finally placed a drink order, it took just as long as our wait. She could have sold at least another 8-10 drinks that evening. The husband and I wanted to share the Pho (the server said it was a LARGE portion, and said that we can share). She brought out the soup, with 1 spoon. I would have thought she would have provided us with a second small bowl (or something comparable), and even a 2nd spoon for both of us to enjoy. *Food temperature I'm not sure if it's the staff not listening to the chef, the chef not knowing what is going on, a lack of communication between staff members, or our server is slow/not attentive, but each time our food has been warm, luke warm or cool. Every time the server placed the entrees on the table, they always mention "be careful the plate is hot". Obviously this is from sitting in the "window" for who knows how long. In addition to the items above; husband had to send back his steak due to being cooked improperly, and cold vegetables on the side. Everyone at the table finished their main course (except husband, who was just sitting there). He received the steak again, and it was cooked medium well, not medium rare. At this point, he wrapped everything up because the rest of us finished our meal. The server did not take anything off our bill for the inconvenience of my husband's dinner entrée. We even ordered desserts and coffee/tea. She could have given us a dessert or tea/coffee for the inconvenience. Plus the server knew that it was my birthday, so no free "ice cream"... nothing? We will go back again, but from what people have told is that we should just go to Siam Marina. It's the same food, same menu, for half the price. read more

Asparagus is a great escape from the giant oasis we call Merrillville. The quality is superb, unique recipes and great ambiance. read more

Fantastic food! My family and I dined here and my husbanded ordered the monk curry (spicy and delicious), I ordered the pad thai (excellent and enormous) and we ordered beef fried rice for our two kids. There is enough leftover for dinner for at least one more night if not two. Excellent food! read more

Fast, fresh & delicious. We stopped in for lunch before back to school shopping. We had the sesame chicken, it had a nice sweet & spicy flavor. Pad Thai shrimp & pineapple fried rice. All were very good & had nice flavors. read more

Great food and drinks, excellent bar with live jazz. Unfortunately, the service was extremely slow even though they appeared to have plenty of staff. Patrons got up from their tables to walk to the bar and order their drinks citing M.I.A waiters (waitresses). We sat at the bar and waited almost 1 hour for our food to come out. They either need to staff more appropriately or retrain their staff. read more

Asparagus - Live Jazz - Thai Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

Wonderful! We had a table of five and everyone ordered something different. We all tried each others' and unanimously enjoyed all the dishes. The service was attentive and answered all our questions. Portions are very generous. read more

Asparagus - Thai Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

Was craving THAI food and yelp reviews were on the money again. Try the seafood soup and ask for noodle in it. The soup has lots of big shrimps and mussels, and the noodles top it off. Great dish Service was fast and attentive. read more

Here is a restaurant you can go in to open the menu close your eyes and point your finger and guarantee you'll have one of the best meals you've ever had. Nothing short of spectacular very unique delicious dishes I would not recommend any single dish has everything I've ever tried here is great read more

Where to start? This place is awesome. When I first went here, I ordered the pad thai lunch special which was $8 and it was accompanied with a cup of soup. NOW, that same special is $12 which is very disappointing because I feel as though the portion size is smaller than when it was previously $8. It's still awesome tasting. Because of that price difference, I won't go out of my way to this restaurant anymore because now I feel like I'm being overcharged for an even smaller portion than before - I'm a college student, I'd rather go to Noodles & Co and pay $6.99 than $12. Besides that fact, the place is beautiful and has great ambiance (which is probably what your money is paying for). I've only been here during lunch time which was a little packed but not annoyingly packed, so I don't know how it is during dinner hour. The service is great, the manager (or who I think is a manager bc she's always there when I'm there) is very nice and always giddy/happy. They always make sure your water glass is full, which I think is very important because I hate going places and they don't ever check on what's left in my cup. It's a good place if you've got $$. read more

My first time here and ordered "calamari tempura" "asparagus almond beef" and "pak ki eiw" stir fried noodle. However, my so called "Asparagus Almond beef" doesn't even have any asparagus inside. And the food in General is too salty - expect to drink a lot of water. Also, the price is bit high, well, I understand the place is fancy. But a plate of veggie cost 20 bucks? That's crazy. But I do like the environment. Fresh flowers and water table cloth provide a classy feeling. A great dating place. read more

Service was great portion size was very good and the food was amazing. Definitely recommend stopping into this place if you are in the area.

Best on menu Avocado spring rolls Chicken pad Thai that rivals chicago. Ribs....ummm. I was shocked too but the most tender in nwi. Sauce is solid just wish it was a little sweeter but would order it again and again. Better then Wagners and Kelsey's if possible read more

A huge disappointment on the quality of food. We took out highly recommended appetizers and Bangkok Back Rib. All of them were horrible: dry & bland. The soft shell crab = like leftover; looked like half a very tiny crab, no flavor, didn't taste fresh. The grilled tofu & asparagus satay = no flavor at all. The Thai egg rolls were okay, but seemed to have fried in highly oxidized oil; best of all meal, but far from outstanding. The lobster mango roll = okay for me, but not enjoyed by my husband; was the lobster an imitation product? The asparagus crab meat soup = where is the crab meat? It was more like egg drop soup with green coloring; too much quantity for a soup that was bland and watery. It went to trash after several spoonful of tasting. The Bangkok Back Rib was relatively fall off the bone, but so dry; not enjoyed. The sauces were mediocre = not what I would expect from a 4.5 star place. We don't mind tasting pricey foods on the road. This time for a lunch that cost $65, it was the first disaster by following Yelp. We decided to try Asparagus because of a wonderful (flavorful & presentation even in the take out container) soft shell crab from a Thai restaurant we took out in DC, and I couldn't believe how the same dish for the same rating can be so far cry different from one place to another. read more

Wow. This place never disappoints. GET THE MASSAMAN CURRY! It was DELICIOUS. If you are looking to go for a nice romantic dinner or needing to celebrate a special occasion, choose Asparagus! The quality of the food and the service is exceptional. read more

One of the more challenging reviews I've written. A little shocked when we saw the menu. I would rate this at $$$ instead of 2. When an order of chicken fried rice is $16, I'd call that pricey. As other reviewers have mentioned, if this was in Chicago, I'd accept the pricing buts this is high for this location in Merrillville. I think what you order here will greatly influence the review. My 2.5 stars are for our overall experience. I ordered the Mojito Halibut Steak. It was very good, flavorful, & well prepared. Generous portion of fish with a large side of grilled vegetables & steamed rice. Recommend this. The big disappointment was my wife's order (also the primary reason for our visit) Tum Yum Goong. She was in the mood for a traditional Thai soup and this missed the mark by a mile. It was not spicy like it should be, it was sweet like it shouldn't be, and clearly did not contain the ingredients it should. This was a BIG disappointment. The Hawaiian fried rice that we ordered for our son was pretty tasty. We took a lot of it home as it was a full order. A negative was the lack of any child's menu items or the ability to make a half order of an entree. Considering the fail on the soup & the lack of choices for children, I will not be going to Asparagus again. Maybe try it for Asian Fusion, but not for Thai favorites. If you are Thai (as my wife is) I think you will not get your craving satisfied here. read more