Akbar’s

Best curry of my life. My review could as well stop here. I reckon Akbar’s deserves more words though.
I wasn’t expecting to find such a paradise for my taste buds when I got to this place a few minutes walking from Deansgate Locks. There are many other Indian restaurants on the way there, but my housemate, a regular at Akbar’s, only stopped when we reached the place. I followed his advice, so we shared lamb kebab and chicken tikka masala, along with a huge and scenographic naam bread, soft and delicious. The meat was tasty, well cooked and perfectly flavoured, not too spicy; the sauce was great as well.
The service has been considerably quick, and prices are so low! Honestly, great value. We managed to pay less than 20£ for food and drinks (Cobra beers). The fact that at some point all the waiters and the rest of the staff were sitting together having dinner made me think not only that food quality is excellent, but also that there’s an incredibly positive vibe here.

Awesome! Went based on the reviews and it lived up to all the positive reviews. Place was full and very lively but required no wait for a table of three. The waiter was excellent and did not rush us. I had the shish kabob and popadom for starter. Followed by king prawns Vindaloo with egg fried rice and garlic naan. All of it top notch and at a great price as well. Will be back on my next stop in Manchester.

I’ve enjoyed excellent meals every time I’ve been here — the food is superb, the service super efficient. The large menu has plenty of choice, and includes a section of mouth-​watering vegetarian dishes. Portions are filling and the naan bread is huge! It’s a huge, noisy, busy restaurant on a Saturday evening so book ahead or prepare for a wait in the bar area.

Best Indian food I have ear experienced. Known this place for 8 years and it keeps it quality.
Great beer, food, and ambiance.
Spicy and delicious.

I’m not generally a fan of Indian food, but this place was outstanding! We tried several appetizers as well as main dishes. Everyone in our party loved every single dish. Try this place; you will LOVE it.

After much (hardly any) persuasion I found myself being dragged a long for a curry one cold night after work. I had a certain level of expectations for Akbar’s and I’m sorry to say that it did not live up to them one iota.
We were seated straight away in the busy side of the huge restaurant and it was super loud but smelt great! We were offered drinks and some poppadoms straight away with all the sauces you expect — they were delicious.
I started with the prawn on puri which was the one highlight of the meal. Served on a fresh roti and with a certain kick it was tasty. For the mains we opted to share a couple of the curries with a side of pilau and a family nan (HUGE!)
The curries were a complete disappointment with the naan arriving with a sheen of grease and oil on it. The chicken korma was over seasoned with a very strong and sickly coconut flavour being the overbearing taste. The colour was also off putting being what I describe as a fluorescent yellow. The chicken masala wasn’t much better arriving with zero sauce and in a bowl of oil again it was lacking all taste…
The final curry was ok — a balti served with potatoes and of a medium heat that had a good kick to it. The service was good with extra drinks taken in good time, however we didn’t finish the majority if the food.

Beware. Those pictures of the giant nanns are the SMALL option. For some reason they do offer a ‘family size’ naan but I have no idea what rugby team would be able to eat all that!
It’s very rare I agree to waiting up to 45 mins to eat at a restaurant, but being in the city and not knowing any other alternatives we thought we’d prop up the bar and wait anyway.
Akbar is a massive, loud restaurant with an eclectic mix of customers but one thing I know for sure, looks like a great place for a party/​birthday.
It’s slightly out of the main city center, but it’s great for the purposes of walking off the daal on the way home.
The portions are very generous — by the end of the meal it didn’t look like I’d touched a thing.
First mistake — order a starter. Fish Nambali which we expected to be a little bit of fish with a bit of paneer. It turned out to be a wonderful melting pot of cheese, potato and fish. Soo yummy but sooo filling.
For mains I went for the Karahi Fish & Potato with a special house blend of spices which had an amazing heat. Made my nose run — in the good way of course.
Unfortunately I had to leave quite a lot of it as there was no point getting a doggie bag to take it back to the hotel — but if I was a Manchester dweller I’d have no hesitation.
The whole meal was delicious and very reasonably priced. Service was exceptional.
If I was local I’d be a regular. Well worth a visit and book ahead if you can.

When you arrive at Akbars you’ll be told how busy it is and how long you will have to wait for a table. The dining experience is modern with lighting resembling a night club style. The price is a lot cheaper than other restaurants in the city centre. The quality and the taste of the food was good, looking forward to going again.

Best curry I’ve had in England. The appetizers were on par as well. The tikka chicken and lamb chops were incredible. The service was great and the bill for 11 people ended up coming out to $ 30 (USD) a person. Not bad at all. I will be full for the next two day! ¹⁰⁄₁₀!!!

Today we were so down, cuz we were employed to move to new house for a girl. But the boss did not pay us except a can of blue bear. However, every dog has his day. When we first got into this bravo restaurant, we felt our sky turned blue again, the Stars shone again. We had the best ever food in our life recommended by the best ever brilliant waiter Markus. This super talented guy was so friendly, his smile made our sky even more blue, the stars even more shining. He told us that his name means king, but we felt we were the kings. This restaurant, supa nica. We would no doubt come back again. Memeda.

Food is cheap and very good. But a little bit slow for our two persons’ dinner. We almost waited for half an hour for a simple rice. Anyway, the service is quite good!

Great restaurant. Best Indian I’ve been to in a long time. Great service, buzzy atmosphere. Very busy considering it was a Tuesday– just shows how good it is. Well priced. Generous portions. I had the chicken tikka mahkani and pilau rice. Then shared a garlic naan which was huge and hung on a hook. So delicious!

Having recommended Akbar’s to some out-​of-​towners they then insisted I came along with them. It’s reassuring that Akbars is still good, and still recommendable.
The dining experience is contempory modern, with almost night club style lightning. The price is a lot cheaper than other establishments in the centre of town. The quality of the food is high, and the service attentive, but not in-​your-​face.
I had a lamb (Ghost) paneer which was spicey, but not too spicey.
The family naan, is massive and makes me wish I had a family to feed. It worked well to share between 3, with 1 portion of pilau rice to accompany our main meal though.
Splitting the meal 3 ways came in at £10 each, meaning they got a good % tip.
When you arrive you’ll be told how busy it is, and how long your wait for a table will be, and you’re given a device that’ll flash when it’s ready. We were told 40 minutes, and happily it was less at around 15 minutes. Front of house they do have a bar, and seating area, so even if there is a big wait at peak times you’re going to be waiting in style.
Whilst Rusholme is still a great experience through the diversity of the countries’ cuisine on offer, if you’re in town then Akbars or East Z East are your main evening options for a good curry and dining in style. If it’s during the day, then head on over to the Northern Quarter and check out This & That or Kabanna for a budget lunch. It’s great that there’s many good options in Manchester.

What a Hip joint. After scoping out the reviews, we decided this was the curry joint we were to visit. Needless to say we were the first customers to arrive as they opened the doors at about 5pm. Staff was in an abundance and friendly. Food was outstanding, if you order naan, beware the size is massive, someone referenced African elephant ear. Ambiance and music gave the place a great vibe.
Best off all was the price, couldn’t ask for a better deal.

Two words — Family Naan. I booked Akbar’s for a group meal (20 people) and found the service to be super speedy, the food was great value and there was plenty of choice for the veggies and vegans in our group.
It was a little annoying having to wait for our entire group to arrive before being seated (easy with 6 people, more difficult with 20) but once we were all settled our waiters worked with military precision. I had a traditional curry with okra and we shared rice between two, though could easily have shared between three since we all had starters! Family naan’s shared between four — though again we had left overs.
My fish pakora’s to start were crisp, spicy and light — and the selection of chutneys and dips with the poppadoms was a bit different from the usual. Beers were a little on the pricey side, glad we’d stopped off at the Ox beforehand, but a nice selection.
There were several other big groups dining at the same time as us, and although the venue was loud service didn’t suffer. My meal was surprisingly cheap for the quality and taste of the food, looking forward to going again with family.

Be prepared to wait for anywhere upto 45 minutes to 1 hour. To be honest, we’re in a way used to it so we time our departure from home so that the hunger usually peaks when we’re about to be seated or close enough.
This wait although a minor inconvenience, is an excellent review in itself of the quality and taste of the food they serve here. Plus there is ample seating area near the bar whilst you wait, so, like I said, it’s only a minor inconvenience.
The food itself is amongst the best in Manchester. I usually avoid the poppadums and other items on the preamble and go straight to the business end of the menu. This usually is a chicken+lamb curry with a family naan to share with my wife who is a vegetarian by the way.
This normally means she has to put up with what is being dished out at most restaurants, but not at Akbar’s. The vegetarian menu is pretty competent in its own right and she is delighted everytime she’s been there.
If you’re up for it, I’d recommend the chef’s challenge, which a few of us have successfully completed a few times. It’s an experience!
If you’re visiitng Manchester or if you’re hungry and wondering where to go, head to Akbar’s.

Turned up about 8pm on a Friday evening with a group of 7 and only waited for 40 mins for a table, after being turned away from most places around spinningfields with promises of 2 hour waiting times.
I opted for a classic chicken tikka masala, while others went for seafood balti, lamb madras, some pilau to share, and finally (my favourite) a couple of family size hanging naans. This was probably the best curry I’ve had outside of the family home. Just the right heat level and mix of spices, and we fought hard to finish the lot. It’s rare I can be served enough food that I have leftovers, but here, I had tears in my eyes and had to undo my belt to get the last of my curry in my mouth.
Not the most revolutionary curry house in Manchester, but they deliver on flavour, consistency, and size, not forgetting to mention the staff, who were an absolute joy.
The kind of place I’ll definitely be bringing my dad, or my brother for an eating contest.

You might recall my categories from a previous curry related review; Akbar’s is a limo… but not a celebrity limo, more like a hired-​for-​an-​hour-​hen-​do limo. You know? No? Oh.
Arriving on a busy Saturday night (at 8:30pm-ish), after calling earlier that night to make a booking to be told that they were no longer taking phone reservations and we’d have to come in, sit, drink and wait. We sat, drank and waited… for a whole hour. The curry here is worth it.
The bar prices are actually very reasonable. A round of 5 drinks came to well under £20. A bottle of house white was £12.95. There’s a long, thin area at the front of the restaurant with couches and tables to take the weight off while you wait. If you’re lucky enough to grab a table or a couch that is… this place gets amazingly busy, especially at weekends.
You can imagine our delight when our buzzer came alive and we were led to our table. Finally.
We were shown to a table in the very top right hand corner of the room. Through the drapes and blinds you could just about make out quite a nice view, bit of a shame it was covered up. The table was incredibly cramped. Apologising to the couple, who were mid mouthful, on the tiny table next to us as we squeezed past wasn’t ideal. Feeling uncomfortable, I asked if we could move and they sorted it straight away.
Settled on our new, spacious table we were introduced to our server. We all chose a curry each, had 3 rice and one garlic family naan — plenty of food! Curries range from £7.95 to £10. Rice was less than £2 and the elephant ear sized family naan is amazing value at £4.
Everything arrived together, piping hot and smelling brilliant.
I tried the Chicken & Chilli Balti (£8.95), Chicken Korma (£7.65) and Chicken Tikka Masala (£9.45). All of which were amazing in their own ways. However dull you consider Korma to be, this one will change your whole perception — it’s rich, creamy, coconutty and perfect.
After a self initiated chilli challenge, which involved eating the whole chillies left as a garnish on the balti, the staff even brought us free milk. You guys!
Once we had devoured our food, we soaked in the atmosphere holding our full tummies. The colourful lights, lit candles, drapes, plants and wall art create a lively but cosy ambience. I wouldn’t say it’s as posh as some of the fancier ‘limo’ places in town but it’s perfect for sitting with friends and enjoying good food.
As long as you save me a spot, I’ll let you in on a secret — it’s free to park on the street outside Akbar’s after 8pm.
Go. Try. Drink. Sit. Wait. Eat. It’s worth it.

Akbars is a cut above your usual curry establishment. The food is fresh and you gotta love the massive nan breads! After experiencing this I’m convinced more of my food should hang from a hook… there is something gloriously barbaric about it.
What’s stopping it getting 5 stars is that I have had many dishes here that all taste the same. I find the food a little salty too. These are minor complaints though. The food is ace. Make sure you book as it gets massively busy

They have a G next to dishes on the menu for gluten containing! Happy curry time for gluten free people! Serious points here for Akbar’s!
What a glorious (yes I said glorious) entrance and waiting area! Great big marble slabs, with big bench seating where you can order drinks from the bar on display at the front entrance. It’s stocked full and the Orange juice tastes amazing! However, you won’t be there waiting for long. Someone will be with you almost instantaneously to take you away down what seems to be a much more private area from the floor to ceiling glass window front of shop.
As you’re taken through to the back of the restaurant, you’ll notice a few things.
The lighting has dimmed, mood lighting is cascaded in different colours on the walls. The chairs and tables look sleek, stylish and so do the staff!
They will ask you as soon as you sit down if you require poppadoms/​dips/​drinks to start off with. You will notice throughout your meal how many times they ask if everything is OK, if you need any more drinks or anything else.
The poppadoms are lovely, crisp and light just how they should be and the accompanying sauces are delicious! A little limited but they will gladly bring you more if you ask.
We ordered the vegetarian potato and onion bhaji starter to share which came with a tangy lemon dressing and plenty of salad. The bhaji’s didn’t sit heavy and the potatoes (fried) were light too. They didn’t taste greasy like you can experience at other Indian restaurants.
For mains I ordered pilau rice with chilli chicken balti. Yummy! Spicy, just the way I like it, the pilau wasn’t sticky or stodgy, it was cooked perfectly so it fell off the fork. Sam M. had the egg fried rice and that was complimentary to my dish so I may have stolen a fair bit of his rice…
I’d been drinking my glass of house rose wine which seemed to be going straight to my head. It was very very very warm and I looked up to see the air con was on full blast but heated. The tables next to us had also noticed and we asked the staff to turn it off. Even so, it didn’t cool down. It wasn’t a comfortable environment for the latter part of the meal and the staff noticed we had finished an immediately brought the bill over when we said no to dessert. You could say it seemed a bit like they were trying to push us out quickly but the place wasn’t full. This is the only reason I haven’t rated it 5*‘s.