Zoya Rafiq
A lovely place to dine in, bring your friends and family and laze about while enjoying amazing traditional Indian food. Akbar’s never fails to have great food with quality taste and I will be coming back very soon! The waiters were very kind and attentive.
Heavenlykid 18
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Just go if you really looking for authentic Indian food! This is the best so far I have found in England ( coz am from london, yea I been been to most popular ones only and can’t say they are even close to Akbar’s)
This was recommended by a dear friend and during this trip of mine, we decided to give it a go! With all the mixed reviews, I had was expecting average experience but I must say I AM BLOWN AWAY WITY THE FOOD AND SERVICE!!!
Why? Read on…
PRO :
Food 10/5
Very flavourful, delicious, soul satisfying, perfect level of spiciness!!
Food we ordered:
chicken tikka - 3/5
Chicken tandoori masala - 10/5
Sauce platter - chilli chutney was nice!
Lamb rogan Josh - 10/5
Garlic naan ( not family) : 10/5
Gulab Jamun with ice cream 5/5 ( better if this is served in a bowl than a plate)
this is huge and good for 2 people!!!
- Zaif who took our order should have guided us better but glad we dint order 2 else it would have gone wasted.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Service 5/5 : Exceptional
Service is impeccable. We were served by Zaif, Vishnu, Alif and one more. You must be thinking why so many? That is because, they are very prompt!!
- Special mention - VISHU! he is a star! The mutton rogan Josh we ordered was seno from / less saucy. After tasting, I requested if they could get some curry ( without the meat) and he said “ no problem”. He took away the dish and got it the level of sauciness I wanted with no change is taste! I was worried with redoing the taste might get compromised but I am extremely pleased with the customer obsession they displayed!
👌👌👌👌👌
Price 10/5 : VALUE FOR MONEY!!
We paid 41 pounds for all of this!!!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Location - not too far from tram
CON : it’s noisy 🎧, paratha was not available!
THANK YOU CHEF, Raja Akhtar ( I think was the second name)
Ste D
Attended for a work event and was impressed by the quality of food, we had a set menu and you got a large starter, 4 curries w/rice & dessert. And they serve the largest naan breads I’ve ever seen, well worth the visit if you like Indian food.
Nasreen Choudhary
If you want loud vibrant ambience akbars is the place to be busy hustle bustle food excellent fish masallah fantastic starter palak gosht naans excellent warm napkins at the end of meal ice cream sundaes with sparklers very popular 👍
Animated Science
I was really impressed overall with service and waiters, drinks and nan breads huge, fresh and good vlaue.. Starters of lamb chop and fish masala also very impressive. Meat Rogan Josh and balti chicken and prawn curry had amazing sauces. However, tiny prawns! Also both meat and chicken are clearly very over cooked. I appreciate that may be the style but the beef was a bit dry and chicken starting to come apart. It just needs a tweak for those dishes. But, worth a look as all the rest so good and quick friendly service. Chicken balti should be cooked 100% fresh. It takes minutes to do and should be firm juicy to compliment the perfect sauces.
Our adventures Around
What a place! No other words, fantastic food great service and a brilliant atmosphere
One of our team did the challenge and this would give beard meets food a run for his money!
Get yourself booked for some fantastic food!
Foodie Chisty
Came for iftari, love it was served on time, ordered weeks lamb chops an fish masala, the food was lush warm tasty and full of flavours, for main we ordered a chicken jalfrezi and bhindis wow the bhindis were cooked to perfection the chicken was ok could have been better. Why 5 starts the waiter that served us was on point super friendly an helpful so well done. Would deffo come back when it’s not ramadan to see if it’s any different.
Daria (dvrxie)
great food & service however the atmosphere was average; it might’ve been due to a busy evening but we could hardly hear each other
Yosr M'barek
The food is amazing! Probably one of the best things I have ever eaten. The chicken tikka masala was out of this world. It is a bit crowded though and you might need to wait but it is worth it!
Haji Zaman
Well this place never disappoints, thought i would take my family out as my wife wanted butter chicken. My little boy wanted the naan on a stick.
The service, given it was busier than average we was given a table as we had our little one the wait was 30min plus but got im about 10min
The food was excellent the starter chops, lamb karai, and the signature NAAN on a stick. Nothing to fault.
Staff was very friendly even though they was busy.
I would 100% recommend this place.
Gastroadventures
Food is great but you’ll find about one nice waiter. Came into the restaurant lady/college student at the desk was extremely rude whilst we informed her of our reservation. Then after we were seated 15 minutes later than our reservation all was good but during the end we paid the bill and then had the bday sundae brought out and whilst we ate it we kept getting told to get up by this one waiter again and again and I responded with we will get up once we finish eating what we’ve paid for. The waiter was so sarcastic and so rude as we walked out. Never been treated by more rudeness by a waiter
Kavya Kohli
Eat here every time we visit Manchester<br/><br/>Every time we come to Manchester, we eat here. The service is always top notch and so reasonably priced. The only thing I would say is if you come mid week, the food is always tastier than at busy weekends.
FoOdZoNe
Akbars ye ek shaandar restaurant h Manchester me yha me apne dosto k saath gaya or vha khoob daaru or chakna khaa k maje kiye yha ka ambience ek dum faad or ek dum jhakkas hai
Amish Sarpotdar
The restaurant can be safely trusted If you are missing indian food. The staff is friendly and funny. The vibe of the restaurant too is warm and comfortable.
Sachin Gupta
Super awesome place for having the real Indian food.... infact it serves some delicacies which tastes better than its Indian counterparts!!!<br/>Loved the ambiance, specially the farthest corner seat!!<br/><br/>Reasonably priced, serving great portions and that family naan was actually huge!<br/><br/>Would sure visit again on my next trip! :)
R Hussain
I have been here on a number of occasions in the past. I decided to try it on a ani day evening. This place is always busy. The waiters are attentive. Very much like the kitchen staff coming to serve the food to you. It's a safe bet for a good quality Indian restaurant. Reasonably priced and good atmosphere.
Clare Dunne
Came here this evening with work and was pleasantly surprised by just how busy the place was for a Tuesday! We sampled a selection of starters - chicken tikka and lamb chops were particular highlights. For mains i opted for a seafood Balti which I will definitely have again - well flavoured and full of fishies. The naans were a sight to be seen - absolutely massive portions;!!!
Majid.iqbal79
Never again. Start my review by saying this will be the last time i will be eating there, My experience was one of disappointment and shocking. We waited around 40 mins which i was told is expected,, I did try and book beforehand but was told "we only take bookings of 10 or more not a good start if you’re travelling from a far distance and with children hmmm. Me and my wife and two children were hurried onto our table and then menu was shoved in our face... in a very hurried way I was asked for drinks and popadoms.. I replied not yet sir but will make my order soon. I found the atmosphere very crowded like caged chickens stuffed into a cage of more than 10. The table seemed very small and them ambient lighting certainly was very low light and dark.. I want to see my food.... a thought in my head.... Finally a waiter arrived and took our order being Asian he told me stick to the traditional dishes the rest is really for other people( white).. We waited patiently for our food and atlas the starters arrived Masala Fish, Lamb Chops and Seek kebabs. The fish was of poor quality very cheap not even cod I pointed this out to the waiter who agreed it was the very cheap fish he shrugged his shoulder and said what can I do I know.... The next was what I thought were lamb chops not even close this was meat that was so hard and chewing my daughter had to rip the meat of and with amazement we had a lot of people watching my poor daughter dig into her so called lamb chop. I actually got hold of the waiter and told him see how she is eating the so called lamb chop.. his reply she has eaten it now and the chefs would not believe it was that bad. I replied surely you have just seen her chew off the meat.. again reply I received was not much I can do. Seek kebabs were average. The shocking moment arrives just before our main meal.. the gentleman and his lady friend left who were sat next to us they had cleaned up with the fresh hot towels provided. I honestly advise you to observe the table cleaning and ask more about your food. The waiters arrived took the plates but cleaned the table with.... You’ve guessed it with the same used hot towels previously used my the earlier occupant of the table next to us. OMG I was shocked with this poor hygiene, I really thought they would actually clean the table with some detergent but no the table was set and along came more occupants and a very dirty table.. now I was thinking about my table. My main meal arrived and I was put off altogether.. just out of interest I ordered Nihari and Traditional Chicken kharai with 3 nan breads. I received 3 Tandoori rotis and I was challenged on this once I called the waiter who said I did order this.. I did not! What I got was a massive nan again I told the waiter I did not order this I ordered 3 separate nans. The waiters reply was we do not do separate nan I said it is in the menu ahhhhh forget it I will have this !!! I could not bear to stay here anymore I felt embarrassed in front of my wife and children and asked for the bill. I was asked was everything ok I replied no but did not want to go on about it further as I felt no one would take my complaint serious. “Akbars “ As a name which exemplifies Greatness or The Great. I call on you Shabir Hussain CEO to get this right.
Nik Bryant
Firstly was told they dont take table bookings for groups under 10 people but would be fine to turn up and get a table. Arrived at 7pm and we were only seated at 7:45 after threatening to leave and go next door. <br/><br/>Service was fast and impersonal however the food was really good. Nann breads were amazing and huge ( dont order one each!)<br/><br/>Might visit again but if it looks remotely busy be prepared to wait.
Haitham Mogherbi
Haitham. Mogherbi haitham good
Furbian
Give you food, and then take it away... Introduced me to a unique new experience, where a waiter comes along, and removes food that you've ordered and then gives it to a neighbouring table. To top it all, we had to make do with an alternative. The stark red and black interior was striking, but a bit dark. A rather noisy experience, it was difficult to hear friends talk. Food was not bad, but with service like that, why bother returning.
Sarah
Nice food. The food is very lovely, service okay!
Adam Pritchard
Good nosh, spicier than expected, great service. Very good veggie options (and lots of) and HUGE naan breads. Would come again
Jessica Joyce
Good Food - Disappointing Service. We had a gorgeous meal and service at first was great. We then found paper in one of the dishes so we told the waiter. <br/>A manager came over and found the situation quite amusing! All he could do was offer us another dish to replace this, and laughed along with the waiter.<br/>After taking this up with management after, nothing came of it, but a short blunt apology by email.
L_JHo80
Awful.. Possibly the worst Indian restaurant I have ever been to, not for quality of food but for appalling service. I agree with the other reviewers on here that the staff are lacking any idea about good customer service. I had booked a table with 6 of my friends and when we arrived we were told we had to wait, which we did for 20mins. Then during the meal (distinctly average) we were told that we would have to vacate our table in an hour due to another booking!?!? <br/>Needless to say our meal was rushed. I complained to the restaurant and received a very insincere apology and then I wrote with a formal complaint which the restaurant has not even bothered to acknowledge. <br/>AWFUL! There are plenty of other excellent Indian restaurants, Akbar's does not deserve your custom.
Ronaldo
Yes ,why not?. Well one complaint,is tTHAT THEY HAVE YOU HANGING ABOUT SOMETIMES WAITING FOR A TABLE,that said when you do get sat down the food and the service is nothing short of excellent.Top notch,and very very reasonable.A deffo from us.
Tim_Machester
Overrated with poor customer service. Always bemused as to why this restaurant seems to be busy..probably a reflecting the dire lack of decent indian restaurants in Manchester generally. . The service is well below acceptable standard - its staffed by a bunch of juvenile, rude people who treat the customer with contempt. Food is the standard oily curry you can get for half the price in most tandoori restaurants across the country. Never again will I go there.
Chris P
Got the Seekh kebab and grilled lamb chops per other reviewer's recommendations and they were okay. Grilled lamb chops were extremely thin... I like them to be thick, meaty and juicy. These were very thin, dry, and spiced... still okay though. The biggest complaint would be the main course. Not cheap (£8.45 main + £2.50 for rice) and actually tasted absolutely disgusting. We got the Dansak Persian curry and Chicken Jalfrezi. They literally tasted almost the same as each other except the Persian one had an overwhelming nasty taste of movie theatre popcorn. I've had similar dishes numerous times at other restaurants and they've never tasted even REMOTELY like they did at this place. And might I add they are wayyyy too generous with the oil. Service was very poor with the food all brought out separately, with the rice finally arriving after the majority of the main course was finished. And our water couldn't wait for us to finish our food to bring us our bill and to get the table for other customers. Would definitely not recommend. Don't understand how they can get any good reviews at all….
Danisha
Average. I have mixed views on this restaurant, been there several times and have to say the food isn't bad but the service doesn't match. You enter the bar/waiting area which is constantly packed, get told your waiting time which always seems to be ages. I've been told you cant book by the staff but some other friends have said they've managed to book before?! And when you finally get seated, you feel like your rushed so that they can clear up the table asap and get the next family seated.
Milhad
I went here quite a while back and the food was really nice and the service was good aswell, no problems :)
Gor
NOT what its cracked up to be!. We visited Akbars in Manchester last Friday for a birthday celebration. We chose Akbars as it is regarding as one of, if not the best in Manchester. My previous favourite was EastzEast but I had been told that Akbars was even better so we decided that we should try it. What a mistake!!!<br/>I was absolutely shocked with what we received, and I don't know how all the food websites can rate it higly after our experience.<br/>The first problem was having a tower of poppadoms dumped in the middle of the table when only a couple of us had plates, we asked 2 - 3 times for plates but the waiter wanted to take our orders first before giving us any. By the time we got plates they were cold.<br/>The majority of us picked the same starter as it sounded great on the menu.<br/>Chicken Nambali<br/>"Breast of chicken pieces marinated, grilled and finally garnished with melting cheese served with friend onions peppers tomatoes and onions."<br/>The reality of this dish was one or 2 chunks of bland UNmarinated, ungrilled chicken in a dish full to the brim with melted cheese with some tinned potatoes on the side of the plate. No onions, no peppers, no marinade and almost no chicken. This dish would have been better spread on a piece of toast!!<br/>The currys that we chose also had their problems, mine to be honest was lovely " Lamb Paneer" but I didn't have rice with this because my rice was so cold and dry that it looked more like cous cous. It was possibly the worst rice I have ever been served in an Indian restaurant. I heard comments from others around the table about curries being swimming in grease and not being able to taste anything but oil.<br/>Considering the reviews I have read and even the word of mouth opinions from people I really could not believe that this was the same restaurant and will certainately never be risking a night out here again. I think I will stick to EastZeast of Zouk from now on as they are in a different league, in fact my local takeaway is in a different league to Akbars!
Stuart Wallace
Very reasonable, quick service. Can nearly always just turn up and be seated. Baltis are great. Wine list not the best but then that's not the point.
Ghenghis
Manchester Chic. If you want your south Asian restaurants traditional and with flock wallpaper then avoid this one.<br/>Its a trandy youngsters event type of eating experience but with reasonable prices and very good quality.<br/>The staff are very friendly and helpful and unlike a lot of places don't have a degree in eye-avoidance.<br/>Well worth putting on your list of favourites.
Wendy Hilton
Mmmmm. Very busy & noisy but great service, prices and friendly staff Chicken and spinach balti was so nice I almost wept with JOY, <br/><br/>I will go no where else now
Hana
It's the best restaurant for indo-pak food up north. Great food, fab restaurant n excellent value for money
Loves To Eat Out
The food here is good, however last time I tried to eat there I watched everyone who'd come in after me get seated 1st due to my 'buzzer' not working, 3 complaints to the staff got me nowhere they just fibbed me off saying the others had ore-booked which incidentally they also have told me they don't take bookings. Due to me not even getting an apology after waiting for an hr & STILL not being seated I am giving this restaurant a bad review as to me customer service is just as important as the food
PavRo
Love the food here..just superb!!!Love taking friends there as they always like it.Not expensive.Good interiors.Staff are cordial. See the Apna style menu for good spicy authentic food. Also try the German beer bar around the corner before or after..great choice of beers.
Richard C
Great food an menus and a real please with vibe. Staff knowledge of wine list poor but otherwise very enjoyable.
Richard Locker
Superb restaurant. Same as the akbars in both Leeds or Bradford and just as good
Alan N
A superb restaurant which considering the central location is very reasonably priced. More importantly the food and service is always consistently great!
Good Gobble
I had a really lovely time at Akbar's and thought that the friendly service, fun atmosphere and yummy food made for a really good meal out. I think the Chef's Challenge is a nice idea as we all had a great time laughing at Bailey trying to complete it. I would definitely recommend Akbar's as a slightly more fancy Indian restaurant than what we normally go to on the Curry Mile - very nice for a special occasion such as Jeni's birthday.
Victoria “Mrs” Petticoat
We were given a pager and told to have a drink in the bar. This excited me. I felt like a drug runner in The Wire. Who would I be? Avon Barksdale? No, he’s too high ranking. Stringer Bell? No, I’m not mean enough. Yes, I’d probably be Bubbles, the wimpy homeless man, who wouldn’t even have a pager, so this analogy is not working for me at all. As instructed we ordered a drink and sat down. I was a little upset to see they were using coke from a 2 litre bottle. This is a pet hate of mine as once opened it instantly loses most of its fizz and nobody likes flat pop. But I did like this chap, overlooking my drink decision, giving wisdom and guidance. I l
Where To Feed
The lamb chops were excellent: tender, tandoor-crisp around the edges, and covered with a tasty, spicy marinade. I often order them on their own as a takeaway.
Cookingopolis
Akbars is a huge curry house on Liverpool Road, opposite the rather wonderful Museum of Science and Industry which houses an awe-inspiring collection of working steam, gas and hydraulic engines and operational textile equipment (such as a Spinning Jenny and a Power Loom). It also has a steam engine called Planet and is the site of the ‘World’s First Passenger Railway’ (which ran from Liverpool to Manchester from 1830) and has a refurbished warehouse from 1830. It is well worth a visit for any history buff and is also a great place to take the kids – sorry to wax lyrical, I am biased because I use to work there! Anyway enough about MOSI and on to the food! Akbars has been open for quite a few years now and has quickly garnered a great many fans. It is well situated on that side of town which was pretty limited on the curry front, or at least it use to be because the popularity of Akbars has encouraged other curry houses to open on Liverpool Road. There can be quite a wait to get a table
Deepak Bagga
Ds place s always crowded....ppl from almost all caste, religion nd color vst ds place and njoy d food....non veg dishes r vry gud...bt veg dshes are passable...paneer tasted very bad....friendy staff and nice ambience....will cost around 20 pounds each!!!!! But here i must add east z east s btr place in terms of veg dishes... And there non veg dishes r equally gud....
Sarah
Serving the biggest naan bread in town, they do a mean balti as well. Curries come with a little more kick than most Indian restaurants so watch out for the chilli rating. Great bar area to relax in while you're waiting for your table too<br/>
Dips
Piece of advice: book a table before you go as if you just turn up then you will be hanging around the bar area for some time – not that that is unpleasant just more chances of getting steamed before digging into a lamb rogan josh!<br/><br/>Atmosphere is lively, always a busy place. Mixed crowd - professionals, families, individuals and couples. Slighlty higher in class than a typical Indian restaurant. The biryani was delicious but make sure you order a raita as an accompaniment to cool things down a little. The naan is freshly cooked and served on a sort of rack rather than a plate. A pretty cool way of sharing between friends. The naan itself is buttery, fluffy and enjoyable but make sure you wat whilst warm otherwise it will turn rock hard and lose all flavour.<br/><br/>Menu was normal as per every other Indian restaurant but prices slightly higher. Defo worth a visit but would turn out to be an expensive hobby if it was your weekly Indian takeaway joint.
Jonathan Bray
probably the third best curry I’ve had in the UK (after the Mangla in Sheffield and Bangalore in London City). Word on the grapevine is that they have a bit of a history of less than legitimate immigration checks on their staff, but for me this heightens the sense of authenticity. I’ve been here many times, and everything I’ve ordered has tasted fantastic and avoid the typical “meat and gravy” of the majority of Indian/Pakistani restaurants. Particular favourite is the Akbar e Balti (did I spell that right?!). I know a certain foul mouthed celebrity chef has slated the Naan bread hangers, but I love them.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes