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| Akbar's Restaurant Manchester - member's reviews |
| "If lots of well dressed Asian families eat there, the food must be very good! Which it was! The Akbar-e-Balti was absolutley fantastic! Nothing like I have tasted before, and I love currys. There was a lovely combination of ingredients
and it's definitely one to have again. Prices are
reasonable for Manchester. We paid £5.75 for a glass of red wine and a non alcoholic beer.
It's
very loud and busy giving it a good ambience and the service was very fast, friendly and efficient. We had a slight problem with one of our drinks (the glass bottle was chipped, therefore could have had glass inside the drink) but they replaced it 'on the house' and the staff were very apologetic. Brillant! I will definitely be going to Akbar's again." - miss booth, manchester ~ Member since Dec 2010 ~ (29/8/11 visited on a sunday evening) |
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 "A group of 15 of us went to Akbar's for a friend's birthday. We were pre-booked and got sat down pretty quickly. The place was packed at 6:30, and was very loud. We ordered our meals efficiently, and opted to share the Family Naan (£3.95) and Pilau Rice (£1.95) between such a large group. However, my girlfriend and I decided to share the King Prawn Special (£9.95) and the Chicken Tikka Masala (£8.45).
We received our meals quickly, despite how busy the restaurant was. The Chicken Tikka Masala was very salty. The prawn dish was OK, but the prawns were overdone. The Naan breads were massive, but very bready and not as soft as the better naans you can find around the city. The pilau rice was more like fried rice, no subtle spiced, steamed flavour. Just grease and salt.
My biggest qualm was with the staff. They hovered around the table, taking plates away as soon as the food had left them and, what seemed like, watching us eat. This treatment wasn't the most comfortable when you're trying to have a good time!
The curry was average, but the service was so intense it has made me not want to go to Akbar's again." - bill mclocklan, manchester - TRUSTED REVIEWER (24/9/09 - visited on a saturday evening)
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| "Went at Akbars 5.30pm on a Saturday evening before the theatre. Was quiet at first but soon filled up with all sorts of customers. Service was extremely quick with everything delivered promptly. Only complaint is that we felt a bit rushed at the end with the table being cleaned even as we stood up to leave." - david scott, macclesfield 22/11/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
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"Its about time I got round to writing a review of Akbars. We visit quite regularly, which in itself speaks volumes as we usually like to try new places, but then we love our curries, and this is without a doubt the preferred location for having one.
Almost a couple of years ago, we went to York, and ended up eating in a really nice curry house. At the end of the meal, we looked at each other, after one of the best curries we'd ever had and said 'Shame this place isnt in Manchester eh?'. As you've probably already guessed, this York curry house was called Akbars, and we were more than happy to find out that they did indeed have a branch at home, and that somehow, we hadn't noticed! Theres a few all over Yorkshire in fact.
Upon entry, regardless of which night you visit, but particularly over a weekend, the entrance more resembles a busy bar or hotel check in lobby, than a restaurant. They dont accept bookings, and the queues are usually very long indeed, hence the vast seating area where you can get a drink or two while you wait for your table to be called over the tannoy. Don't roll up at 8pm and expect to be seated for 8:15, as it just won't happen.
The decor is very modern, a little dark, but very smart, with good use of lighting and subtle background music. I suspect that they have kitted all their restaurants out the same, as all the ones Ive seen have been similar in theme.
When you do get a table, you're in for a treat of a curry. The food is generally and consistently top notch, and I've had very few exceptions to this. Service and presentation are as casual as in any curry house, but the waiters tend to be a little better dressed and more polite than the norm. Also, it's not uncommon for the chefs to bring dishes to the table, which can be a nice touch. Im still undecided about the naan breads which are presented on hangers though, but I guess it saves table space right?
Prices are the next bit of good news. Poppadoms, a starter, a main and a pint, will cost no more than £20, which is fantastic for the quality and quantity on offer.
The menu is still on the whole, very 'British Indian', and contains all the regulars, but there's also an array of different dishes, aswell as more traditional Asian meals. It's about time that somebody went down this line, as for years, every curry house in the country seemingly used the same menus.
Whenever mates visit Manchester, they always want to see the curry mile, so I oblige as it's their choice, and is an experience. I do however, advise them that the food is better elsewhere, and this restaurant is without a doubt the cream of city centre curry houses, and definitely in the top 5 best that Ive ever been to. Theres nothing posh about it, its still very casual, down to earth, has bargain prices, but the food is what speaks volumes.
I guess I've got to find something that I dont like about this place? Well, other than the massive queues to get in, this isn't really a moan, just a fact, but it's a very busy, and consequentely quite rowdy place. But then this is a curry house, so what do you expect? Part of me prefers an Indian to be busy and a tad rowdy, as it just wouldn't feel Indian otherwise. I've eaten at gourmet Indians down in London, and whilst they were technically outstanding, I don't know why, but fine dining and Indian just dont seem to go together, the same goes for Chinese, or anything that isn't European in origin to be honest. I cant explain it, but perhaps that's just the roots of the cuisine?
If you've not been to Akbars, make it your next meal out. If you have been, then go again, as I'm sure you will anyway." - Chris Handley, Salford 8/8/08 (visited on a friday evening) |
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| "Our visit to Akbars was overall a great experience. We had to wait about 30 minutes but this did not seem long as we grabbed a drink and sat in the lounge at the front of the restaurant. All very efficient and the waiter asked if everything was ok halfway through the meal - doesn't happen often." - Jim Chadwick, Manchester 2/6/08 (visited on a thursday evening) |
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