Akbar Cuisine of India
| Address: | 44 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103, USA |
| Phone: | +1 626-577-9916 |
| Site: | akbarcuisineofindia.com |
| Rating: | 3.9 |
| Working: | 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 67
Reviews 9
DA
Damien Gerard
A great curry for a British expat. Ive been searching for a good curry in Los Anglees for a while. My current goto place is in Brentwood, which is a pain if you live to the east, like Pasadena, Glendale or the like. This place is in Pasadena and there is a parking structure pretty much next door which is free for the first two hours. The restaurant also validates too, which makes them even better. I ordered the onion bhaji as a starter and we got about ten in a bowl. They were really good. Lovely and crisp and not drenched in oil, like some back in the UK can be. They came with three dips, a hot mint raita, vegetable pickle and a coconut paste of some kind. We also asked for some Mango Chutney to go with them. For main, I ordered a medium heat Chicken Tikka Masala with pilau rice and a paratha. All astonishingly good. The masala was the right amount of heat and the sauce was rich and creamy. The paratha was exquisite; easily the best I have had here in Los Angeles. The pilau rice was long grain. Again, perfect. Overall, this has become my new go-to place in LA for a curry that is as close to a British curry as im going to get. The only downside to this place is that they use a charcoal fire in their open kitchen and at times the smell of smoke was almost overwhelming. Bear this in mind if you are sensitive to wood smoke. It was so good, im going back again tomorrow.
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A Private User
The food at Akbar is delicious and quite unusual. I can see how some people may not care for it, as many dishes have no equivalent at other Indian restaurants in Southern California. If youre looking for something out of the ordinary, a change from the usual curry gravies and one-note Indian cream sauces, this is the place to come. If youre not sure what to order, the wait staff will happily and knowledgeably guide you through the menu to the proper choice of entrées. One major draw-back to this restaurant is the smokiness of the tandoor. The ventilation system has always been unequal to the task it is meant to serve. Sometimes it seems like they job blast the air-conditioning to air things out, but needless to say, that doesnt work. On a busy night, expect to leave the place smelling like you just spent the evening crouched around a campfire. I suppose you could call it the authentic Indian experience, air pollution and all. Overall, I have to recommend it, and highly at that, because of the delicious and highly exotic cuisine that you cant find elsewhere. Just try to go when its not to busy to avoid a long wait and smelly clothes and hair.
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Tracy Fox
The first time I came here was a few months ago. I had really enjoyed a few things - the Bengan ka Salan and Watermelon Salad were both especially good. My experience last night left me wondering what had happened between then and now. The service was just as good, but the food was pretty mediocre to bad. The Akbari Kofta was inedible due to a stale aftertaste and had to be returned to the kitchen in exchange for a Saag Paneer, which was oily and lacked any real flavor. The Akbari Biryani was delicious but at room temperature within five minutes of being at our table. The Seekh Kabab was very good. I was introducing three of my colleagues to Indian cuisine, so it was a bit of a disappointment that the food was not very good. Maybe its because it was a busy Friday night, but I think I will only give Akbar one last try after this.
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Chad Loewen-Schmidt
We loved the food! The COCO LAMB CURRY was our favorite but we also loved the vegetable akbari entree, the dahl of the day and the chicken tikka masala. The chef made us roti even though it wasnt on the menu which made us feel very well taken care of!! In my experience Indian restaurants serve chai in a smaller size tea cup for a big price, but here it was served a big mug which was GREAT (with even more chai in an individual tea pot on the side...even GREATER!). I was initially so excited....and maybe its the region where this recipe came from....but the chai seemed a little one-dimensional with the cinnamon being the resounding flavor. We enjoyed the setting and ambiance. Staff was pleasant and friendly. Kids and parents left happy!!
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A Private User
We were sooo disappointed. The dining room was full, and it smelled pretty good --- but this was among the worst indian meals we ever had! In retrospect, the absence of indian customers should have warned us. Service, atmosphere, etc., were pretty OK. However, the food was AMAZINGLY bland. No spices whatsoever (including salt; we had the Chicken Akbari and the Saag Paneer). We didnt want to have "hot food", but the absence of essential spices that gives Indian cuisine its distinction is unacceptable. Given the large number of positive reviews, this place is probably OK for customers not seeking authentic indian food. But for us it was a terrible disappointment.
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A Private User
I wanted to take my hubby to a new Indian place so I took him to Akbar for dinner on a Sunday evening. The place has a really nice ambiance, very cozy and dimly lit. Service was painfully slow (waitress only came by once to check on us after taking our order), and the food wasnt all that impressive. The tandoori chicken was too dry and the lamb kabob was a tad too salty. In addition, the basmati rice they brought to us was cold. In these times, you would think restaurants would try to impress customers with good service and quality food - this place hasnt a clue, so Im taking my business elsewhere. Needless to say, we wont be back anytime soon.
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John King
This restaurant is highly disappointing. I wasted 2 hours of my saturday night placing an order through their website system. I placed an order at the Akbar restaurant in Pasadena, was told the order would be ready in 30 minutes, waited 60 minutes to be safe, drove to the restaurant 20 minutes away, the order had not reached the restaurant and they said I could place a new order but it would be 45 minutes to and hours. I said forget it! I got back in my car, paid my $7 parking ticket and went home with NO food! I then called Clorder (system they use) and they did nothing about it! Dont offer customers something you cant deliver! Bad business!
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A Private User
Ive been here three times and I leave with the same results each time....a food high. The food here is delicious and service is great. My last visit was wonderful, I took my family for the first time. My uncle and aunt are not fans of Indian cuisine, but loved every meal that was served to us. Their reaction to the food was, "I wish I had more stomach to eat more." Our server Sharron was awesome, the attentiveness to remember every single persons name in our party and make conversation was great to see from a server. Most servers now a days are just looking to turn a table. If youre ever in Old Town Pasadena, Akbar is a must!
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Victor J Garza
Havent been eating Indian food for that many years, but Ive had enough to know what is good, and this place hits the spot. As typical as chicken tikka masala is at Indian restaurants, the one here is not to be discredited. Their Saag paneer, good. One item you shouldnt go without trying is their cheese naan. So, damn good. Their mango lassi is great, but sweet and filling, so take that into consideration. Chicken briyani is also not to be missed. Having visited India a couple times, their chicken briyani is still on my top picks.
