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Akbar Cuisine of India
Categories: Restaurants Indian Restaurants Pakistani Indian, Pakistani
44 N Fair Oaks AvePasadena, CA 91103
Neighborhood: Pasadena
(626) 577-9916
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11:30 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
286 reviews for Akbar Cuisine of India
Review Highlights
-
"The classic chicken tikka masala is really good too." In 53 reviews -
"Coco Lamb -- this one is hands down my favorite dish here." In 21 reviews -
"Akbar is my favorite place to eat in Old Town Pasadena." In 22 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
286 reviews in English
-
Review from Shar T.
Los Angeles, CA
5/11/2012
Hands down the best Indian food in Pasadena. If you crave flavor, this is the place you wanna go to. The menu is not extensive, but the food is very rich! Location is great, smack in the middle of old town. Ambiance is nice, and they have a decent wine/beer selection.
Prices are a tad steep, but the food quality justifies it. However, this review loses one star all thanks to the waitress who works lunch on weekdays. She is always annoyed, and looks like it pains her greatly to have to serve food. I don't think I've ever heard her say a greeting, ask what we wanted to drink, ask if we were doing OK halfway, or say "Thank you" at the end. God help you if you dare ask her for an extra plate or something, be prepared to receive an icy scowl. First time, I thought she was having a bad day. Nope, same deal every one of the several times I've been there. If my boss and I didn't like the food so much, I'd never go back there for lunch again.
That said, dinners here are MUCH better. The dinner menu is a little more expensive, but the food is even better, the waitresses on weekend evenings are warm and professional, and the crowd is always classy. -
Review from Lisa C.
Alhambra, CA
5/4/2012 1 photo
I always get the lamb and it's simple divine. The sauce is a bit nutty and the spices are not too overpowering. Their nan is to die for. I highly recommend getting the nan basket..my favorite's the cheese nan but they are all good.
The restaurant is a bit small but it's very cute. They have partially open kitchen so you can see the nan being prepared and random flames on the side.
Overall, it was a great experience and we enjoyed our meals. -
Review from Ann D.
Los Angeles, CA
4/15/2012
I've been to India three times, and while this isn't necessarily authentic, it's still delicious. Get the Chicken Tikka which comes out sizzling on a hot plate, the Naan breads here are wonderful including the cheese and garlic varieties, Saag Paneer always good, you can also get a bottle of Malbec for $25. If you plan on coming on a weekend night, make a reservation. TWO HOURS validated parking in the lot behind the restaurant! Most people don't know that.
The place does have two problems. You will walk out of here smelling like a charcoal pit as the smoke from the kitchen waifs through the entire restaurant. They really need to work on that. And for some reason families bring their kids here a lot so you get large tables with crying babies and there is no where to escape except for the tables along the street by the bathrooms.
If you want to try Indian food, check out Akbar. -
Review from Amy G.
Berkeley, CA
3/26/2012
The many people packed in Akbar during the lunch hour enticed my sister and me to walk in. Possibly choosing quantity over quality, we immediately settled on the lunch specials, which is a curry, rice, daal, salad, in addition to naan! Wow, so much food! Multiple meals for ~$10 per person is an excellent deal. Since I always get spinach curries, I chose the chicken tikka saag. The first items that came out were three condiments, things I've never had at Indian places before: an extremely hot, burn-your-head-inside-and-out green sauce, a cool mango sauce, and a milder vegetable mixture. The green sauce made us nervous for my sister's lamb vindaloo, which was a 4 out of 5 on their spiciness scale. They have a cute rating system that describes the spiciness level of every item on the menu.
I daresay the naan is the best I've ever had--not thin and burnt, but thick and fluffy with a satisfying chew. Made me believe I could eat naan plain, every day for every meal. However, the main foods were just average. My spinach curry was oddly sweet, not as salty as I would've liked, and the chicken simple blocks of meat that were not so flavorful. Non-tikka chicken i.e. chicken stewed with the bones is better in curries because it absorbs the flavor of the curry and is more tender. I liked the sour tang of the lamb vindaloo. Out of the sides, I liked the creamy yellow daal the best. Turnoff: there was a hair in my rice...minus one star. I'd recommend Akbar for decent Indian food if you're really hungry, because the lunch specials are so huge. -
Review from Aless H.
North Hollywood, CA
5/5/2012
The meat dishes are really good. The sauces were amazing. Nice ambiance and good service
-
Review from Connie C.
Brea, CA
2/27/2012
I'm a big fan of Indian food. It's a shame that I don't get it enough since Akbar is now a bit far from where I live. This place has some of the more traditionally prepared Indian food.
My absolute favorite dish here is the blue crab curry. I'm usually not a big seafood fan but the blue crab meat just adds so much sweetness to the curry. It's exceptionally good when you eat it with their garlic nan bread. Omg, I'm hungry just thinking about that right now.
Definitely get some of their basmati rice. I believe the one that I usually get is the wild mushroom rice. So so good. You can't just eat it by itself and feel completely satisfied. Another dish that I got last time I was there was their chicken tandori. Can't go to an Indian restaurant without getting some tandori. It's an amazing way of cooking meat because you figured the meat would come out all drive especially when cut into small piece and skewered but you're oh so wrong. The chicken (which is usually fairly easy to dry out when cooking) comes out super moist and flavorful. The spices they use at Akbar is just perfect. Not sure what some of the reviewers are talking about in terms of flavors lacking but it's been about half a year since I've been back. Maybe they got a new chef or something. But from what I remember, it's really good food. -
Review from Tutti N.
Los Angeles, CA
1/25/2012
I agree with Shilpa's review: The flavors lack a deeply marinated essence. The open kitchen is a major, major bummer in addition to the already pathetically claustrophobic seating. I usually come at dinner time because of a friend that loves the place so much.
I came during the lunch hour (the WORST time to come here fyi) and the chicken kati was skimped out on compared to dinner-time. Everything like the tikka masala was prepared with its usual focused mediocrity - what fans confuse for "consistency". The people that love this place compare it to the worst Indian restaurants in town: Now where's the sense in such non-analogous comparison?
The service around dinner time is wonderful. During the lunch hour there is a serious sewer slag of a server that works; her appearance and attitude makes one assume she has never been in contact with a mirror. She leaves work looking even worse like she got into a fight with her body and it tore all of her clothes off as she was headed off in a hurry to reincarnate somewhere. I left my sunglasses, was the only and last person there and she refused to simply open the door and told us we had to come back at five which upsetting - why would I need to come back when they're right there?
I am definitely never coming back here, they can keep the sunglasses and give it to patrons feeling smoke in their eyes from the open kitchen or pokerface the teary eyes from slag-induced vomit. The food is decent but the service at lunch time from that server left a most rancid taste in my mouth. -
Review from Peter L.
El Monte, CA
2/27/2012
Came here last night for dinner and was very disappointed.
1) The food was priced higher than the quality and value.
2) It took over 45 min for them to bring us our entree.
3) The place was very stuffed and "smokey" because it had an open kitchen setting. So when they cook the food, you can see and smell everything. Their tandoori oven was built right next to the stove, so after you finish eating, your entire body smelled "charcoal-y"
My first and my last visit. -
Review from Amy C.
1/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
I wish I could be more generous with this review, I really do.
I actually won a gift card to Akbar on Facebook through the One Colorado group. They were making it quite easy for people who "liked" them to win random prizes and I was very thrilled to be that day's winner! It was worth 60 dollars and I was super excited to spend it.....
One fateful evening we set aside some time and made a night out of it. We love Indian food and Pasadena - we didn't doubt the two would make a great pair!
When we walked in, we were bombarded with a stench unlike any other Indian restaurant before. I know that sometimes ethnic food can boast a.... unique... odor, but this wasn't the food. This was the smoke that was filling the room. If you are sensitive to smoke, stay away!
Anyway, we sat down and perused the menu. There were a great deal of items I had never heard of and we took it as an opportunity to be adventurous. We started with the spicy chicken wings and the cucumber/tomato salad. Both were just OK. The wings happened to be SO spicy that the next day we had to throw them out - they had gotten just too damn hot (this comes from two people who put hot sauce on EVERYTHING and cook with chili flakes at all times).
We selected a lamb dish and the chicken tikka masala. Neither were appetizing. The lamb dish contained shredded lamb, not chunks of it. The tikka masala was unlike any other tikka masala I had ever had; this was NOT a good thing.
The true testament to an unimpressive meal? A 60 dollar gift card and several dishes later, I still made the hubby stop at Del Taco on the way home. -
Review from Nick C.
Los Angeles, CA
4/23/2012
Great food but awful service.
They're open until 11:00PM, I called ahead for a table for four at 8:30PM and the rude hostess said "well we might be closing early tonight, so hurry up." This was a Saturday night!
So we hurried up, great food but rude rude service. I don't know why we needed to hurt up at 8:30PM when they close at 11PM! -
Review from Chris S.
Los Angeles, CA
4/20/2012
I love me some Indian food, but this was not good.
Samosas were not fresh, seemed like they'd been sitting out all afternoon.
Naan was not fresh.
Tikka Masala was just not very good. So sad.
I'm tired of mediocrity. -
Review from shortyjessie t.
Los Angeles, CA
1/11/2012
FOOD:
Had dinner here this last weekend. I was pleasantly surprised with their food. We first started out with some Samosa as appetizer which came out nice, but probably not the best ive had in my life, but was good still. I had the Eggplant and potato Bhartha and man, was that yum or what?!?! That dish is definitely worth recommending to anyone, with any diet.
SERIVE:
great.
ENVIRONMENT:
here's the part that's lacking the 2 points. Like many other reviews, this restaurant was just filled with smoke. The kitchen was just right at the center of the restaurant with no ventilation or no divider. However, I'm not Indian, and i'd be curious to find out if restaurants in India are set up this way, then it could be a rather authentic place. However, at one point, I was hot and yerrning for fresh air. Eventually i got used to it and everything was fine, but it's just something you might want to be aware of, if you are allergic to smoke. -
Review from Suzie Q.
Centreville, VA
4/12/2012
I was drawn in by the huge crowds at dinner and the great smell from the sidewalk. The service was great. I was seated right away and my waitress was wonderful in helping me pick an appropriate wine (the Yountville, CA Savignon Blanc... AMAZING). The food was just OK. I got the chicken tikka saag (which is my usual go-to for Ifood) and I wasn't very impressed. It was a bit salty, almost cold and not that chicken-y (there were 6 chunks in it total). I got the garlic naan instead of rice to go with it and it was outstanding. I guess had it not been $30 for everything with tax and tip I wouldn't have rated it so low... but I just was not that impressed, especially for the price.
-
Review from Shilpa Y.
San Jose, CA
1/22/2012
This restaurant serves very white-washed Indian food. That being said, my non-indian friends seemed to enjoy it so if you are just looking for the atmosphere/ok food, go for it.
I thought everything tasted weird except for the naan. We ordered Saag paneer, kofta, and biryani.
If you are interested in good Indian food, I would recommend Radhika in South Pasadena, but I haven't had time to explore all the other Indian restaurants around here yet.
Also, if you are in a big group, they won't seat more than 12 at a table. -
Review from Juan C.
San Diego, CA
3/11/2012
Charging for white rice? Seriously. Way overpriced too. Go down the street to all India cafe or to green leaf over on south lake
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Review from Moses P.
South Pasadena, CA
2/23/2012
Meh. Came here once, not impressed. Got the Pepper Lamb. I'll say one thing: Who the hell thought of this dish? Let's just say it's spicy enough that you can't taste the curry, you can't taste the lamb, and you can't taste the pepper. It's THAT spicy. Gave me a major stomachache in the middle of eating. The service is slow, and it takes them forever to complete a request. I don't suggest coming here at all. The extra star I gave is cause I'm nice. =P
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Review from Michelle M.
Los Angeles, CA
3/20/2012
Delicious chicken tikka masala, coco lamb was great too, I also love the rice (forgot the name, oops!)! Ask the beautiful Persian goddess host to help you when you order, she's super sweet and friend and knows all the best dishes!
-
Review from Chuck S.
Shadow Hills, CA
4/23/2012
We have tried many of the Indian restaurants and have found that Akbar is far and above all the rest.
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Review from Shelly W.
Whittier, CA
10/1/2011
I've been to a few different Indian restaurants and I would NOT recommend this to anyone. We usually eat Chicken Tikka Masala and ordered this as we always do - the sauce tasted like tomato-basil soup and not the tomato cream sauce I was used to getting at other Indian restaurants. The chicken was also overcooked.
We also ordered a lamb dish which the sauce was tasty - but again the meat was way overdone.
The Gobi Aloo was standard and the Garlic Nan was good.
Overall, I was very disappointed and wished I had gone to Himalayan which is not too far away. -
Review from Sam S.
Arcadia, CA
1/9/2012
If you like your Indian food SPICY then this is the place. It is not for the faint-hearted and not for first time triers of Indian food (you would be better off going to the other Indian restaurant 1 block up the street).
Try the spicy lamb and any of the biryanis. It is a little pricier than other Indian restaurants in the area, but the food is much better. The place is tiny and crowded though. Service is excellent and the open kitchen adds to the ambience. But be prepared to wait in line (even on most weeknights). -
Review from Ru C.
Los Angeles, CA
4/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
really nice little spot. attentive/nice waitress and the food was really good. it was my first time trying indian food and i really liked it!
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Review from patty l.
San Francisco, CA
4/15/2012
finally, made it to the restaurant while waiting only for ~15 minutes! :) Love the awesome kitchen - where u see how clean your food is! :D
So the food: coco lamb - very good, but a bit spicy -- no fault of the restaurant but at the request of the diner. You don't taste the coconut but the curry flavors are blended & cooked very well for a satisfying taste!
mint chicken kabob - pretty good - juicy & minty, but I guess I was hoping for a few more spices for flavor... but yes, you mostly taste the mint and not much else. so if you're a fan of mint, this will be great.
seek kabob - This was good too. You kabob was crusty and a bit crispy on the outside, and then there's the fresh parsley blended into the meat to give it a nice refreshing bit and texture experience! :) I would eat again!
Service was pretty good -- a minor mistake on the bill and our server/waitress quickly adjusted it! Yay!
So if you're looking for Indian food, try Akbar. (Side note: much better than Himalayan cafe down the st. -
Review from Emily W.
If I ever come into this restaurant, it's because I have a coupon that they sent me in a mailer of coupons to my home. So I've been here for quite a # of times. I used to be able to get a lot of food with the coupon, enough to bring back home some Indian fried rice (that's what I like to call it). However, the last time I went back there, they said I couldn't use the coupon for the fried rice category. Wow. What a bummer. All of their other dishes are quite small, so using the coupon really isn't worth it anymore. Those dishes don't come with any rice or starch, so we just ordered a naan bread, but even then, that wasn't enough starch to eat with the 2 so-called "entrees" we ordered. So now that I can't use that coupon on the the "fried rice" anymore, I don't care to go there anymore.
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Review from Raquel G.
Pasadena, CA
8/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I feel like some of you reviewers are coming down hard on Akbar! Lighten up a bit.
This is my favorite Indian restaurant and I was introduced to it by my friend who is Indian!!! She loves it as well...It's a perfect combination of traditional Indian cuisine with a touch of Americanization. It's a great spot to try if your new to Indian food and you're not sure how you'll fare.
I enjoy the chicken tiki masala-it's not overly spice but it's full of flavor. I've also tried their egg plant dish, shrimp dish, cheese nan, garlic, and regular nan, all of which are delicious. Sometimes for take out I'll just order a few nans (So mmmm...mmmmm.good!)
Yes the place is small and if you can make a reservation I recommend you do so but the smell once you walk in is intoxicating and the waitstaff is friendly and helpful if you need tips.
When I took my husband for the first time he was really nervous because he had never tried Indian food but was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful flavors and degrees of spice since you can tailor them to your preferences!
Great for a date or dinner with the family! -
Review from Christopher L.
Irvine, CA
8/29/2011
I've walked by this corner place a million times and had to try it at least once. It's always crowded, has a trendy yet traditional ambiance, and smells yummy so was totally down to go for fine Indian cuisine rather than buffet.
We had samosas, palak paneer, garlic naan, chicken tikka masala, lamb vindaloo, seafood biryani, and an order of saffron flavored basmatic rice and trust me, it was plenty to feed a hungry group of five.
They cook all their dishes and make all their bread from scratch and while there may be a wait, its worth it and in the taste.
We were promptly seated and our server was attentive, helpful, and checked up on us regularly.
Dishes really could come in larger portions for the price we paid, but still good and hey, its Old Town Pasadena.
Tip jar: they validate parking, but don't linger too long as the validation stamp extend discounted parking for 90 minutes afterwards. Not enough when we wanted to linger, explore, and bar hop. -
Review from Rebecca W.
Los Angeles, CA
9/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'd say this place runs mediocre compared to some other ones that I've been to. My friend and I ordered the chicken tikka masala (something we always order at every Indian restaurant we go to, kind of the tell-tale dish of the quality of the food), seehk kebob (lamb on a hot plate with onions), a piece of garlic naan, and regular naan.
The chicken tikka masala was good, nothing incredible. The portion seems small but it's perfect for two to share. The seehk on the other hand was not so delicious, overcooked and dry, if you're not a lamb person, you don't want to order this dish. The naan was good, as all naan is, but fell short compared to other places I've been to.
On the other hand, the service is great and the intimate atmosphere makes for a fun meal. -
Review from Ratika N.
7/19/2011
I am Indian, so I know good Indian food when I taste it and this wasn't it. Too creamy, not flavorful enough...I doubt if their chef is really Indian as the food was too bland and boring. Here's what we ordered:
Chicken Tikka Masala: Too bland for my taste, there was no flavor and all I could taste was tomato and crème.
Peppered Lamb: Was really hot, so make sure you can handle the spice. The spice overwhelmed any other flavor....did not impress me.
Chicken Akbar: Awful, just plain horrible...avoid.
Naans: the garlic naan was good
Mango Lassi: Hard to mess this up, it was alright.
Okra: Was too oily...at least it had some flavor and they did not put sour crème all over the dish.
The only thing I really liked were the chutneys.
Overall, there was nothing spectacular or memorable about the food. It is overpriced and offers the worst kind of Indian food...flavorless and too creamy...AVOID it! -
Review from rose S.
Los Angeles, CA
11/30/2011
I have been coming here for years and the food is consistently excellent.
I try to order something new and each time I find a new love.
So many Indian restaurants keep the food sitting around which causes it to turn into a paste, losing any subtlety. Not Akbar, each dish is made to order which makes it very fresh.
Akbar has traditionally prepared Indian food, consistently good at moderate prices.
A match made in heaven. Try the fiery sautéed jalapeño prepared in coconut-tamarind sauce and the Jalapeño stuffed with spiced cheese served with Hot chutney.
May I recommend a beer with a spicy dish? A match made in heaven.
Oh yes, on occasion the service has bean mediocre and the host can be moody but I figure we all have our bad days. -
Review from Chad P.
Montebello, CA
7/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Akbar is my favorite Indian restaurant.
Reviewers have been saying it's too Americanized and isn't authentic, but it's about more than just the food. It's about the location and ambiance as well. It's my favorite place to take a date. The place has a nice ambiance and the lighting is dimmed to provide a nice, intimate setting. The layout of the place also allows you to people watch and that is always entertaining.
In terms of the food, someone said the chefs aren't even Indian. It doesn't matter what ethnicity you are, if you can cook the food you can cook the food. And these guys can cook pretty decent Indian food. I recommend that you get the cheese naan and mango lassi. They are my favorites. As for a main course, I really like this coconut chicken dish. It was a tad creamy but it still tasted great. The samosas are a solid choice as well.
Back to the location - it's perfect because it's a block away from Colorado so foot traffic is reduced, but after your meal it's just a short distance away so you can head over and take a nice walk along the shops and chill out while you digest that yummy food you just ate.
You really can't go wrong with Akbar. Great food and great service.
Nomnomnom -
Review from Nom B.
Pasadena, CA
8/21/2011
The setting is beautiful Pasadena where movies can cost from $2.00 to $30.00 dollars, where a monthly gym membership can cost $200, and MOST IMPORTANTLY where there is a lot of different ethnic foods. Before watching the movie, Crazy, Stupid, Love, we ventured to Akbar for Indian cuisine. We fell in love with Indian food in London and have been searching for an amazing Indian restaurant since then. And here we go!
We ate: Garlic Nan, samosas, tandoori chicken, mint chicken, chicken tikka massala, and lamb coco.
Samosas: These were probably the largest samosas I've seen. They tasted pretty good. Good to start with. The samosas were made of vegetables, peas, and potatoes. I almost blew up because it was quite spicy.
Garlic Nan: The garlic nan is pretty good! I was pleased with the texture and strength of the garlic flavor. It was gigantic! Pairing the nan bread with the curries made my stomach and taste buds happy.
Chicken Tikka Massale: It had a good amount of garlic flavor and it was not too spicy. It could have been made a bit sweeter and it was most definitely more on the sour side of life. It was loaded with pieces of chicken breast. Overall, the masala is a safe bet.
Lamb Coco: Now I liked this dish more than the masala. There were hearty chunks of perfectly cooked lamb. It was an interesting flavor as there was a bit of coconut flavor in it, hence the name. It was a bit spicier than the masala which made me very happy. It was really good with rice. I would recommend this dish for Akbar goers. -
Review from Ara S.
Glendale, CA
8/14/2011
As you walk in to Akbar you are greeted by the pungent odor of Indian spices. That's when you know you're in for some flavorful spicy food.
I first ordered the samosa and man was it spicy, enough to get your eyes watery and your nose running I had to chug down 2 cups of water immediately after having the samosa., it was ok though because I love spicy foods. The samosa is highly recommended!
I also ordered the garlic naan bread and it was delicious, I love the texture and warmth of the freshly baked naan.
And for my main course I had the chicken tikka masala with a side of rice. The portion of rice is pretty large and can easily be split between two people. The masala is extremely flavorful and is a must try. The course itself was not as spicy as the samosas so don't worry if you think you've had it with the spices. -
Review from rosaline z.
Montebello, CA
7/18/2011
If you are used to bold Indian flavors you wouldn't like this place
Mediocre overpriced Americanized Indian food.
The cooks were not even Indian! I think they were Mexican.
I don't see any Indians eating here as well.
The food were bland and not worth the price at all.
To be honest I'd rather go to Sitar which is just a couple blocks away.
Overall it was a meeeh.... experience.
Definitely NOT coming back. -
Review from J E.
Pasadena, CA
2/12/2012
My favorite Indian Restaurant. So cozy and warm, the perfect place on a cold night. Expect a wait on weekends. It smells terrific, and very distinctive--like they're cooking with a wood fire.
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Review from John D.
Los Angeles, CA
1/28/2012 2 Check-ins Here
COME FOR LUNCH. The lunch plates are a phenomenal deal--$8-11 for entree, rice, 2 sides and a big nan! The food is delicious and spicy--not to say HOT, but well-spiced and delicious in a way that few other places are. Love having Sunday lunch here. I've been coming here every couple weeks for years to have the tikka lamb or coco lamb lunch special. Honestly I think dinner gets a bit expensive, but you can't go wrong with lunch at Akbar.
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Review from Joanne T.
Alhambra, CA
8/15/2011
The food is quite decent. I don't usually eat Indian food, but everything I tasted here was good. Space is kind of small though, so I recommend making reservations, especially during the weekends. Luckily, when I came there was one seat open, so we grabbed it right away. Prices aren't cheap though and the dishes are small. They charge for everything even the rice, which I thought they should at least offer some sort of side dish with your entree.
We had the chicken marsala and eggplant & potatoes. The marsala didn't taste spicy at first, but it gets you in the end. The naan was okay. I've had better naan before and I thought they would offer some sort of dipping sauce but they didn't. It will get pricey since you have to order so many side dishes to compliment your meal. -
Review from Ken C.
4/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Akbar is one of the few options for Indian food in the SGV. I came on a Tuesday night with two friends and with a groupon in hand. Our consensus opinion was that the food wasn't bad, but it was definitely overpriced.
Between the three of us, our bill was $95 (before discounts were applied), but we didn't even really go crazy on the ordering. Unfortunately, entree prices are between $12-25. More unfortunate is that portions are small and the meat servings are even smaller. Flavorwise, I feel like many of the curries are much blander than I've had at other Indian places.
Here is what we went for:
Samosas: Samosas are about $2.75 each. They are big and I enjoyed them, but I don't feel like they're worth almost $3 each. If you do order these, then you should definitely eat them with their provided chutneys
Aloo Aam Tikka: These are potato-based appetizers similar to samosas. I loved that they topped these with their mango chutney. Order this if you think Samosas are too spicy.
Mango Lassi: This is a staple drink at an indian place. It's a mango smoothie with a heavy portion of yogurt. It isn't bad here, but I don't know that it's worth $4.
Shrimp Tandoori: They give you about 6-8 jumbo grilled shrimp that are liberally seasoned. It was our favorite dish, but I'm not sure it was worth $17 for 8 shrimp.
Seekh Kebab: This is ground lamb mixed with mint, ginger, garlic, and red onions that's mixed together and grilled. It's okay, but I don't think I'd crave this, especially for its $14.95 price point.
Gobi Aloo: Vegetable curry dish containing cauliflower and potato. I thought it was okay, but it was the least favorite dish of my friends. $10.
Chicken Tikka Masala: This is probably their most popular dish...it's generally the favorite amongst American people eating Indian food. Unfortunately, I was not really impressed by their Tikka Masala. The tomato and yogurt flavors were more evident than the spice flavors you'd expect from a curry. It was way, way too bland for my preferences.
Cheese Naan: This is a favorite dish of many yelpers, but I was not impressed. I should have went with my gut and ordered the garlic naan. The cheese naan is basically an Indian Quesadilla. You could do this yourself if you have some cheddar and cream cheese and you get some naan from trader joe's. The cost was $4.50 and that was way too expensive for one large piece of naan.
Overall...we were a little underwhelmed by our experience at Akbar and we felt like it was still expensive, even though we saved $25 with our groupon. The prices/serving sizes of several of the staple Indian dishes were disappointing. Service time was pretty slow as well.
My search for Indian food in SGV is ongoing, but I hear good things about their neighbor Mezbaan. We'll see about that one. -
Review from M W.
Montebello, CA
5/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
A rather small place with an open kitchen. Very warm and cozy environment.
Flavored naans were about $3 each. Tried one with garlic and one with herbs. Both were very delicious, warm, and fresh. The regular naans are $2.
In order of preference:
Crab curry
Eggplant
Chicken Tikki Masala
Potato and cheese
Peppered lamb (WARNING: VERY SPICY)
Food is pricey, so come prepared with a groupon. -
Review from Tory M.
Kirkland, WA
8/12/2011
We were off to New Delhi Indian Cuisine but after having realized it was way too far to walk from the Courtyard Marriott, we chose Akbar instead. there was a nice crowd for a Friday night. The waitstaff was very professional and nice. We were seated right away. We ordered the Dal of the day, chicken tikka masala, lamb saag, rice, and the cheesy naan. OK...so even though the cheesy naan is not necessarily authentic (!) it was yummy! The lamb Saag was chock full of lean chunks of tender lamb with a nice chopped spinach based sauce...it was the most remarkable of the dishes. The tikka masala has a nice smooth creamy sauce though the tandoori chicken chunks were overcooked.
bottom line....we enjoyed our meal. I would definitely give the other Indian
Restaurants a try though! -
Review from Amme L.
Pasadena, CA
2/12/2011
How this place stays open, I cannot understand. Really terrible food. And overpriced.
Hubby and I always passed by and wanted to try. So finally go in one day and we could not finish the food. And didn't want to take it home. THAT NEVER HAPPENS WITH US.
I really don't understand how this place serves up what they do with a clear conscience. Have they tried their food? Seriously. Really bad. -
Review from Patrick P.
Monrovia, CA
2/25/2011 1 photo
Ah yes, so I begin my journey to find a good Indian restaurant. I know nothing about Indian food aside from their love for the spicy. Me too! Originally I was hoping to come here for their lunch menu, but figured a dinner date would be a good chance to try this place as well.
The place is rather cozy. The interior decor suggests upscale Indian food, and looking at the dinner prices, that was indeed the case. It's like going to a steak house. The cook works behind the counter, and every now and then you see a giant burst of flames come from the stove. Awesome.
On their menu, they have a chili meter (or CM), with a scale from 1-5. Apparently you can adjust the scale of some of the dishes, except for those that already have a 5 rating. Playing it cautious, we ordered a mild Chicken Tikki Saag (CM2; chicken in spinich) as well as the hot Pepper Lamb (CM5; lamb curry). The 5 chili meter was hot, though not as bad as I imagined. If you can handle biting into a jalapeno chili pepper, then you're good. Also got garlic nan, which resembled a long pita bread. Overall, the food was good. We left with leftovers. I wasn't full, but was satisfied... What's the best way to say it? You can only eat so much of the stuff. Know what I mean?
The damage came out to be around $45 for what we ordered, including tax and gratuity. They do have validation for parking if you use the parking garage on that block, otherwise do what we did and park at one of the 90 minute free lots.
I wouldn't mind coming again. But like many other reviewers, I will echo their comments in that it is rather pricey for dinner. It may be a better option to eat for lunch, or as my companion spotted, find their coupon. They also have this takeout deal, where if you bring back the tote bag, they take off 10%.
And so the search for a good Indian restaurant continues...
