Akbar Cuisine Of India

I went there with my coworkers for lunch. Their lunch specials seemed very exciting. I ordered saag chicken. It was tasteless. For extra roti ( it did not even look like a roti) they charged me $3!!!!!!!!!
The service was poor. The waitress made it look like she was doing us a favor by serving us with (below average) food.
Dinner time might be better choice.

Pros: Variety

Cons: Tasteless , pricy and bad service

Posted 04/30/09

My girlfriend and I routinely order indian food. We just moved to Highland Park and have been attempting to find a place for good indian food. within 10 miles. We ordered take-out from Akbar, and it was terrible. The saag paneer was rubbery, the rice was dry and bland, the chicken tika masala was bland and dry, the naan was spongy and undercooked. To say nothing of the fact they'd run out of Rhoti by 9:00 p.m. It was a horrible experience, and to top it off, it was wildly expensive. We definitely won't go back. Ever.

Posted 12/03/08

Service Staff is rude; even with tables open they will have customers wait 10 plus minutes to be seated and then will snap at you not to bother them they are busy and then will tell you to just sit down. The seats are badly torn and in desparate need of repair. I have been to Akbar on a few occasions; and each time I felt maybe it was just a bad day. Until this last visit; the hostess/watress "Murreill" was beyond nasty. After placing our order it took 40 minutes to recieve our food. I explained that I needed to return to work and her reply was so does everybody else. When my food arrived it was cold and dried out; I honsetly believe it was ready long before she brought ot to our table. When I mentioned this to her she actually laughed at me and no offer was made to replace it or to credit our bill; I did not eat it nor did I leave a tip. First time in my life that I've never left a tip; it's humilliating but it was not deserved. When asked to speak with management I was told she doesnt have their name and they are not available. I am apalled by their behavior and I will not return to this resturant. I have written a letter to their management and we shall see if they bother to return my correspondence. I would not recommend them to anyone; there are other Indian restuarants in the area and they will receive my patronage.

Pros: THERE ARE NONE

Cons: FOOD IS POOR QUALITY

Posted 11/16/08

I have been to Akbar twice now and have been very dissatisfied with the service. The first time I went, it took 15 minutes just to order and even longer to get our food. I get an hour lunch break each day and this place took an hour just to get the food out. The second time I went, the waitress was very rude. Her name is Murriel and after 10-15 minutes of waiting at our table without even ordering, we told her we were ready to order and then she just said she?d be right back. As she was turning around, we could see her roll her eyes. Our food took 30 minutes to bring out and was cold. She never came back to our table. Then as we were leaving, we told the waitress our food was cold and that she was rude?she just laughed.

After speaking with some coworkers of mine, I am realizing that others have been treated just as rudely by this waitress. I and several others will not go back to this restaurant unless she is gone. I?ll admit that the food is good here, but it is just not worth waiting so long for it and being treated so poorly.

Pros: Good Food

Cons: Bad Service

Posted 11/12/08

The food at Akbar is incredible. So rich and flavorful. Complex, seductive, satisfying.
The atmosphere is cozy and romantic, and the staff is gracious.
Only problem it's expensive on a grad student/artist budget. We go there only a few times a year because our bill is always over $50 for 2.
Must... Make... More... Money...

Pros: food, ambiance, quality

Cons: pricey

Posted 11/09/08

Akbar has the best indian food ever!!! Their seabass and lamb dishes are better then ive ever had at other indian restaurants. The servers are very knowledgeable and caring about the food. Its refreshing to go to a restaurant where the servers are as excited about the food as the customers! Food sometimes takes a while, but all good things are worth the wait. Their wine list is impeccable, considering the reasonable prices. Def a gem in old town pasadena.

Pros: food, ambience, and service

Cons: cant complain!

Posted 06/22/08

I love this restaurant! The food is amazing and the staff is very pleasant. I was there this past Thursday for a friend's birthday and we couldn't have asked for a better place to celebrate. Our food came in a timely manner and our wine glasses were constantly filled. My favorite dishes would have to be the Sea Bass and Chicken Marsala. The waitress also recommended a few dishes such as the Eggplant Curry and Potato cakes which were delicious. I would definitely come here again!

Pros: Food, Service, Ambiance

Posted 06/22/08

I come here regularly on Thursdays and it is my favorite Indian restaurant in LA. The bread is baked fresh to order and all the food is delicious. The service is always prompt, pleasant and their recommendations have never disappointed me. As for the atmosphere, it is intimate and the open kitchen creates quite an entertaining dining experience. My personal favorites are the blue crab curry and the sea bass. Which are consistently cooked to perfection.

Posted 06/22/08

i recently dined at akbar on friday night. it was quite enjoyable. our waitress, i believe her name was kasia, was so delightful. she recommended the coco lamb. wow was it amazing!we also had the okra dish, chicken tikka( delicious and juicy) and cheese nan. akbar has excellent dishes on their menu! the prices are reasonable and the service well that was the best part. all of the staff was very attentive and friendly. it was my first dining experience their and i can tell you one thing...i will return!

Pros: service

Cons: air conditioning

Posted 06/22/08

We've eaten at Akbar a few times because the food was delicious, so we took some friends to what ended up being anunpleasant experience.

It started with our table facing the kitchen so sometimes the chili and spices in the air brought tears to our eyes, and no sight of our usual server anywhere. And though we sat at 7pm, the food did not come out til 8! The main issue, tho was that we'd checked the corkage fee before we came in but the bill at the end of the night showed that it was slightly more than we were quoted. When we asked our stoic waitress about this error, she seemed to have known about our pre-visit phone call but she said that the host didn't know any better when he had spoken to us previously and that it was actually more and we can see that for ourselves in the menu. No apology. No attempt to appease. We said that tho it was only slight in principle it was their error and they should honor their quote. No, she said. We asked for the manager but she, too only explained the cost with no apology for the mistake, no attempt to correct. We asked her if she thought it was right that her employees were misinformed and thus mislead her customers? She said (mind you, she is the manager) that that is the price, are we ready for her to take the check?!? We couldn't believe what lousy skills she had - unhappy customers don't want an explanation, they want an apology and some small pretense of caring about the patrons.

We noticed, too, that the cheating waitress added a surcharge for some yogurt she brought for us to cool our palate for some specially spicy food.. We have never been charged for that bit of dish before. We assumed it was her way to nickel and dime our bill high enough to make up for bringing our wine instead of ordering one of their $40-$50 bottles.

To top off the night, because of all the delays, we went over the two hour validation time and had to pay another $6 for parking.

So is the food worth the irriation and disappointment?

Pros: Delicious food

Cons: Terrible management, uncaring servers

Posted 06/13/08

Akbar has a chicken dish with a special cashew sauce called the Akbari that claims to be the "best in town." Unfortunately, it was the least favorite among the variety of dishes ordered for the evening. The Chicken Tikka Masala made the best impression, although admittedly not as good as their competition which will go unnamed. Moreover, here is useful tip: check your silverware for rice. My friend found a piece of rice between the prongs on his "new" fork. On a positive note, we were seated promptly and service was decent.

Posted 01/05/08

My wife and I had a dinning experience one that we will never forget. The chicken Tikka Masala was to die for. The eggplant dish Bharta was also excellent, along with the Naan bread. Just remember that you can have the dishes as spicy as you want, just be sure you can handle it. We can hardly wait until we return.

Pros: We enjoyed the whole experience.

Posted 11/30/07

I am an indian punjabi man and i eat good food all the time.I have top say at akbar they are authentic and have the real food.Try the chic tikka masala,coco lamb,paratha,lamb biryani,chic kati roll.I cant wait to go back soon.The service at akbar is awsome for an indian restaurant.We were waited on by nida who really pampered us all the way.Thank you akbar and nida for a great experience.

Pros: great food and great service

Cons: none

Posted 08/08/07

We have tried this restaurant twice -- once when it first opened and again recently. Both times we were greatly disappointed. The naan was served cold and when we asked for fresh, warm naan, they took ours away and reheated the broken pieces. The dal was barely done and unlike any we have ever tasted.
Those who may not be familiar with truly excellent Indian food may fall for this "fake Indian cuisine" but it cannot compare. For excellent local Indian, walk a block further north and try Mezbaan. Its the best in Pasadena.

Posted 06/23/07

It was a first time for my husband and I to try this restaurant. I was not impress by the male hostess (hispanic male) who does not smile, was half awake at his desk taking people's name for table. That is not the way to be greeted in a restaurant. As a service oriented business you would think the owner would put someone that is more congenial. The food is good for the price you pay. Our waitress, Sharon is good. I would recommend to come early so you don't have to wait and maybe the staff's attitude is better.

Pros: Scallops for appetizer is a great start.

Cons: Nan bread is soggy, hostess has poor demeanor.

Posted 06/16/07

my husband and i first visited this place on a thursday night. we returned a few weeks later, and our server Nida remembered our order!!! wonderful customer service, and their staff really knows the food well. best indian food in L.A., and I've had indian food all over the world.

Pros: seabass!!!!!

Posted 04/23/07

Went to akbar for a night out with my girlfriend. It was a TUESDAY NIGHT!!! NOT A FRIDAY, SATURDAY OR SUNDAY when they are typically busy but a TUESDAY NIGHT!!!! and I still got the worst service ever. Entered Akbar was seated and waiter took my order, nothing wrong with that and the food was actually very good but at the end of my evening I asked to have my food boxed. The server basically threw a styrafoam box and bag at out table went to the back, returned 10 seconds later (literally ten seconds later) and carefully boxed the food of the couple that was sitting next to us. NOT only did he box it but he carefully wrapped their bread in foil and wished them a good evening. In NO WAY was I rude during my dining, obnoxius, loud or even drunk! We went for a nice meal and ended up gettin treated like dirt at the end for not reason. NEVER WILL RETURN. Bad news for them is that I am a concierge at a hotel 5 blocks from them!!!!!

Pros: Food!

Cons: RUDE, LOUSY SERVICE

Posted 04/19/07

They charge $12 for 4 dry pieces of "Chicken MintNuggets" and no side dish (not even rice). Actually, the main dish is called Mint Chicken Kabobs. When the food came out, I was upset to see only 4 dry chicken nuggets. Why does it take 20 minutes to get dried nuggets on a week night when the restaurant was not even half full?? They were probably attempting to make jerky. You should go to Azeen's Afghani Restaurant in downtown Pasadena. For the same price, you get a salad, yummy rice, and the best juicey and tender kabobs (they really do have the best kabobs).

Pros: Good Chicken Tikka

Cons: Overall bad quality food, long wait on a week night, CHARGES A LOT FOR SO LITTLE

Posted 03/14/07

First off, the food is delicious! I'm a chicken korma fan, and loved it here. I've been pleased with every other dish I've tried. The atmosphere is great-- good lighting, smallish size--just be careful if you're asthmatic or sensitive to smoky air to ask to be seated away from the open kitchen area.
My one gripe: Last December, I made reservations for a holiday lunch for six people from my office. We had reservations for 6 and were 10 minutes late--they gave away our table, leaving us scrambling to find a place that could accommodate. My boss was part of our party, and I was quite embarassed. "We tried to call" is not good enough.

Pros: Delicious food.

Cons: Long waits sometimes.

Posted 02/26/07

I work in Old Town Pasadena and I believe Akbar to be one of the best Indian restaurants in Pasadena (definitely in Old Town). The place is small, definitely a great place for a romantic dinner, but not for large parties.

Posted 01/02/07

Worst customer service in the world. I went during my lunch break, it took over 15 minutes just to get our orders in and then another 40 to get our food. Our server said rude things about us under her breath when asking about the status of our order. DO NOT go here if you appreciate good customer service. The food taste is average and the portions are small.

Pros: Seated right away

Cons: Took over an hour to get served.

Posted 12/28/06

The ambience was the draw. The dim lit space makes for a great date restaurant. The garlic nan bread is the best I've had. The lamb... chicken... rice... all very yummy. And the lunch specials are a steal!

Pros: ambience, chicken tikka masala, lunch specials

Posted 11/16/06

food is good.. the service is bad..
good for families and groups..
not too prices..

they take a long time to do anything here

Posted 10/14/06

To see SouthAsian Indian patrons at an Indian restaurant is rare and welcome. Akbar is a restaurant with an intimate setting but with good hospitality. Arrived around 9PM and more people were walking in. It is that good. Naan is superb, the best so far. Delicious. Make reservations. It looks like it can get really crowded.

Pros: ambiance, value, authenticity of taste

Cons: limited parking, crowded

Posted 07/13/06

Their lunch hours are usually frequented by the regular office guests, and the atmosphere's consistently light and upbeat. Come dinner you can bet the excitement in the air's all for the inticing flavors of the great coconut sauces (I am NOT a coconut fan, but LOVE the Coco Lamb!), flame cooked freshness of tender meats and a Chilean Sea Bass that melts, on your pallete. The naan's a great accompaniament with the raita and coco chutney. The staff - SO accomodating they will grant any (reasonable) request. Unfortunately they no longer take reservations on weekends for any party smaller than 8, but that just means I get to wrangle up my friends more often for a wonderful eving of wining, dining and fun! I HIGHLY RECOMEND Akbar! And as my screen name show, I am a fat girl by default. . . so I know what I am talking about.

Pros: Food intesity quality, service, ambiance,, and overall experienc

Posted 05/06/06

i was CRAVING indian food and we hadn't tried many places in the area so we looked on here to find a restaurant and ended up here.. it totally hit the spot for me, but i have to say that the wait is very long (we went early on a weekend evening). the restaurant is tight so we were literally waiting for people to finish their dinner. however, the food was pretty good! the samosas were ok but the chutneys they serve with it are sooo good (but really spicy!) . chicken tikka masala was good but not the best like i read in some other reviews... the one dish i HIGHLY recommend is the vegetable rice. my husband said he'd come back just for that dish. like another reviewer said, the food is good but i'd recommend take out and enjoying it in the comforts of your own home.

Pros: great rice, decent service

Cons: parking, crowded

Posted 04/19/06

This resturant is like a hidden treasure. I've been to many Indian resturants and none is comparable to this one! The spicy meter & the description of each item on the menu are very helpful index to help ordering. Every dish we ordered are suprisingly delicious. Perhaps the food may not be too authentic to real Indians, but definately tailored to American taste (not-too-intense or strong). We also ordered the rice pudding for dessert which is light & end the meal perfectly. Milk tea is refreshing too and it's not on the menu. The staff are very polite, friendly and attentive. Will be back again for sure! Also for the parking tip.. you can park on Raymond Ave, next to Jamba Juice for 1.5 hr. free parking.

Pros: Food, Friendly staff

Cons: NONE!!

Posted 04/08/06

Surprised at some of the earlier comments - my wife and I have always found the quality of the wait staff to be a plus point here, especially Kelly and Sharon. The food is first rate, flexible with the dishes if you ask, not just the chilli meter but also will vary some ingredients. Aloo Aam Tikki always starts the meal perfectly. A place I take people who think they don't like Indian food and introduce them to the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Tandoori Sea Bass, both of which are guaranteed hits. Highly recommended, but make a reservation

Pros: Food, Waitresses, Indian Beer

Cons: A tad expensive

Posted 03/01/06

I truly love this place and would go there every day if I could. My favorite dish is the Dhaba lamb. This is perfect for people who love stewed meat. I don't even like lamb but this dish just made me so happy as I was eating it!

I also highly recommend the Chicken Tikka Masala. It's worth it!

I would not recommend, however, their samosas.

Give this place a shot and try the dishes I recommended!

The service is slow but expect it since they make everything fresh. It makes it worth it.

Pros: GREAT food

Posted 10/29/05

Its a shame when a restaurant with so many tasty dishes becomes sour because of the wait staff it employs. In all of my life, I have never encountered service this rude. After being seated, no one came by to take even so much as our drink order. After finally placing our order, and another forty-five minutes passed by, we asked the hostess about the order. She said that they were short-staffed and that we had to wait our turn all with an attitude and nothing even close to an apology. From the corner of my eye, I could see the hostess and waitress rolling their eyes, which was extremely rude and completely uncalled for. Even if the kitchen were slow, I would not mind waiting if the service were gracious -- or, at the very least, cordial. An internal reorganizing is needed in order to redeem this restaurant.

Cons: obnoxious waitstaff, zero service, reorganization needed

Posted 03/16/05

This was the worst restaurant experience I have ever gone through. I went to Akbar with a group of 5 people that would have purchased more than 100 dollars of food, but it took over an hour just to receive our appetizer. It took fifteen minutes since the moment we sat down to get a waitress to order our food, but we had to flag down the hostess first. This was the last time that we saw any sort of service. An hour had passed without any food or any stops by a waitress to see how we were doing. As upset as we were we chose not to make a scene and left the restaurant. The hostess has the audacity to chase us down in the garage to tell us to pay for the food and get it to go, which would take another hour to wait for.

Pros: Ignorant, Rude, Horrendous service

Posted 03/13/05

Because the food is phenomenal! It is intense because you can smell it if you are walking down the block and you can feel it when you're dining here! Akbar's trademark style of cooking is incorporating alot of spice on an open flame, the end result: sort of a heavy-smokey-charred flavored...a true Punjabi blend and very enticing in taste! This restaurant is really the top choice if you are in for quality and authentic northern Indian delicacy, if you don't believe me yet, then I'll kindly and highly recommend that you experience it for yourself and then rate me! Seriously, I've eaten at lots, and I do mean ALOT of restaurants. For good Indian cuisine, this is the only one in town that I can highly recommend as far as taste goes...after all, aren't we all in for the food? By the way, service from the ladies are impeccable as always.

Pros: Excellent Food, Waitresses are very attentive, Good Value

Cons: Wait Times, Very Small Dining Hall

Posted 08/14/04

This place hits the spot when you're craving Saag Paneer or Lamb Saag or Saag ANYTHING. It's SOOOO good! They also have an awesome Chicken Abras (spelling?). The mango flavors in that dish are perfectly controlled. Their naan bread is prepared expertly in the scalding oven - I love the garlic version. The only downside is the Chicken Tandoori which has been on the dry side every time I've ordered it. Otherwise, a great place for Indian cuisine.

Pros: Saag Paneer, Naan Bread

Cons: Tandoori Chicken

Posted 06/29/03

The food was okay, as was the service, but the portions were very small. The only thing it has going for it is the ambience, which is pretty good. Mezbaan's right down the street is a much better choice for Indian food. The quality is superior, and the portions are much larger, although the ambience isn't as good.

Pros: nice environment

Cons: small portions, low value

Posted 04/26/03

I've been to a few Indian restaurants and this has been, by far, one of the bes ones I've been to. Their Saag Paneer and Cocunut Lamb are the best!
I had the mango cheesecake and it wasn't good at all but everything else we had was wonderful!
The service was good and eventhough it was a little early for dinner, the ambiance was really nice and comfortable.

Posted 02/17/03

I've become a regular here, and not just because of its proximity to work & residence. The food is top-notch, and if you want your food spicy they give you spicy. Similarly, if you like mild, there's nothing to fear. And the flavor! Oh, man - the food here immerses you in a whole world of exotic flavors, starting with their excellent (and eye-openingly spicy) chutneys. The "Akbari Biryani" is food fit for a King and worth traveling miles for, though the odd decision to serve it with "tail-on" shrimp makes periodic reversion to eating with one's fingers mandatory. (And great as it is, it still can't touch the "Maharajah Biryani" at the India House on Morrison in Portland, OR...)
The prices here are very reasonable, the hospitality is great, and you get two hours' free parking w/validation literally upstairs in the same building. Akbar is among LA's finest!

Pros: Great food, Convenient parking, Extremely good value

Cons: Rather small place

Posted 09/28/02

This is one of my favorite restaurants in LA. The food is excellent and fresh. The service is friendly and so are the wine prices. If you're tired of steaks and Mexican, give Akbar a try. It's really, really good!!!

Pros: Food

Cons: Prices

Posted 06/13/02

It is always tight seating so make your reservation beforehand... My secret is to order ahead for take out and then go home and cuddle with my girl on the floor eating sensuous, delectible, naughty-tasty food... eating this food is sexy.

Pros: Super tasty, Good wine selection

Cons: Crowded

Posted 05/27/02

I am a NYC transplant and used to frequent many an Indian Restaurant in lower Manhattan. I had not yet found an Indian restaurant out here that i was completely happy with until Akbar. I was walked by after seeing a movie in Old Town Pasadena and decided to give it a whirl. Akbar's menu contained everything from unlikely items such as tandoori seabass, that was absolutely amazing, to the more traditional items like Chicken Tikka Masala, which was the best I've ever had. The only thing missing was papadam. Great wine list, great service, nice atmosphere and reasonably priced. Can't beat it.

Pros: parking next door, near Colorado strip, All and All great!

Cons: Rather small, Doesn't deliver

Posted 05/22/02

Seems like there's almost always a line at Akbar, especially on weekend nights. If you have time, it's worth the wait--otherwise, try a weeknight. I'm partial to the Chicken Tikka, the crisp samosas and the delicate butter naan. The biryani almost always seems a little dried-out, though.

Posted 05/19/02

Nice, intimate restaurant.

Each dish can be ordered from 1-5 on the spiciness scale, 1 is barely tangy, 5 is pretty intense. 3 is generally just fine for most things.

The wait staff is friendly and helpful in explaining the dishes and they never laugh if you wimp out and order something on the mild side.

The eggplant (bharta) is not to be missed--smoky and spicy. Have it with some of their good naan bread.

Pros: eggplant, curry

Posted 05/15/02