Panahar
| Address: | 3375 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA |
| Phone: | +1 404-633-6655 |
| Site: | panaharbangladeshi.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | Closed 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM |
Location
Photos 77
Reviews 7
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Sugandha Pinto
We visited Panahar Friday night (7/15/2016). For Bangladeshi cuisine, we usually go to Purnima, which has never disappointed us, on food or service. Unfortunately Purnima was closed Friday. We have eaten at Panahar before, but that was at their lunch buffet, which was good and not exceptional. Buffet by nature excludes much of one of the most critical pieces of a good restaurants success, (i.e. service) and this was sadly magnified when we visited Friday. We were seated quickly enough, and a sour looking server, who tended to yell like he wanted everyone to hear what we wanted walked over. We ordered the pakora, because we had sampled their samosas before and didnt like them. The server was almost indignant when we asked for more time to decide our entree options, and never came back to check in at all! We had to wave another server over, who then sent our original server back to us. You could almost think he was walking the green mile, when he came back over to ask us what we wanted. We placed our order, and he literally took 5 minutes to write it down, while standing inches from us. Then he YELLED out our entree requests like he wanted the kitchen to hear them from where we were seated. We waited for close to an hour for our food, whilst being treated to other tables whining about the quality of service. We agreed with them. Server came in 55 mins into wait with our breads, and raita ... NO ENTREES! Bread sat there getting cold while we waited for the rest of our food. Food came out close to 10:15PM (We had been seated at 8:45). We ordered lamb tikka masala, and shrimp vindaloo. Lamb undercooked and tough, sauce too sweet, Shrimp vindaloo was ok, but I have eaten better vindaloo at almost every other restaurant in Atlanta, and Indian food is generally poor in this city. We eventually asked for our check and waited another 15 minutes before paying at the receiving counter, and getting the heck out of the place, hopefully never to return.
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A Private User
The GOOD - What can I say, every single time I have eaten at this restaurant the food has been excellent. Mirja, the owner, is an exceptional salesman at helping you pick out what to eat if you have any questions. He will be a bit forceful about ordering a bit too many plates of food though, so dont be talked into that! Be sure to try the Onion Chutney which is my fave add-on for the poori/nan bread. Mmmm Mmmm good! (Careful, it does have a lot of "bite" to it though.) Ive brought about a dozen different friends to this restaurant over the past 2 years, and ALL have had exceptional experiences and have themselves become repeat patrons. There is no liquor allowed in the restaurant, but you can bring beer or wine and there is no corking fee!! You can order Indian beer and champagne there though. The prices are very, very reasonable for the amount and quality of food that you get. I almost always end up leaving with a doggie plate! The BAD - Not a great atmosphere, but who really cares when the food more than makes up for it? the mirrors on the walls need a bit of Windex and the booths are a bit "dated", but who really cares... go there for the food and to socialize with friends!! There is plenty of parking in the strip mall, but it is heavily Latino... not scary though. SUMMARY - Try this place!!! You WILL become a fan of the food and of Mirja.
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Ethan Brown
A friend clued me in to this place after Id been unknowingly living in the area for a whole year. Amazing! We went for dinner on a Friday night, and the wait was 45 minutes. We waited. It was worth it. Yes, the lines can be long (thats why the owner strongly encourages making reservations!). However, thats more of a testament to the service than anything else. Despite the reasonable prices, this is the kind of place where they will *never* rush you through dinner. As far as the waitstaff is concerned, theyre there to allow the people currently dining to have as comfortable and enjoyable of a meal as possible. When a table frees up, one of those people becomes you, but they categorically seem to reject pushing anyone out the door just to get another meal sold. Two forks up: if more places were run like this, the world would be a better place!
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A Private User
I usually get great results by trusting the reviews other post. Tonight was a terrible exception. I called in an order for take out at 5:30 (which is what time the restaurant opens); they said that my order would be ready in 45 minutes. I thought the length of time for a simple order sounded strange. When I arrived at 6:20 to pick up my food, it still wasnt ready, and there wasnt a customer in sight. I would expect a long wait for take out on a busy night, but there was one person seated in the whole place. I waited another 15 minutes! The restaurant is in a shady part of town, and I couldnt wait to get in my car to leave. When I did get home, the food was average at best. Half way through my meal I found a short, coarse, black hair!!! in my masada! Im certain it wasnt mine. Needless to say my appetite was ruined. I will not be back.
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A Private User
We decided to visit Panahar, because of all the rave reviews. We went on Mothers day. Not realizing the daily buffet special didnt apply and it was around $20 pp. We were greeted by a very friendly gentleman, who allowed us to view the "buffet." Since wed driven 40 minutes to get to this place, we figured "why not." That is, despite, the lackluster of the small buffet selections. To make a long story short, the food was bland and just ok. Definitely, nothing to write home about. We grew up in NY and have frequented many authentic spots. This was a huge disappointment for the price. I guess the host sensed our dissatisfaction and he gave us complimentary cards. Needless, to say...we will not go back. Its not worth the drive.
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A Private User
I am very surprised to see so many stars for this restaurant. Maybe they are just fake. The fact is this is just another family owned asian restaurant and the food if anything is just average. The decor(or lack) is very cheap even for a family owned restaurant standard. The chef/owner/waiter/server/cook, Mr Mirja though personable initially becomes annoying as we discover the hospitality is nothing but salesmanship. The ambience marked by mirror glass on the wall, booths with Indian sarees hanging above( not washed in a decade), and the yellow lights will make you dizzy. One star for now, one more if they serve authentic food as claimed, one more if they improve the decor and one more if the owner stayed away from the patrons.
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Matt Ranlett
Ive only ever been here for the lunch buffet (and only on weekdays at that) but the easy to get to location and delicious food have me coming back over and over. The lunch buffet usually features 4 meat dishes and 4 veggie dishes along with rice, naan, and soup (halim!!). There is also an assortment of chutneys and sauces available, my favorite being the cool yogurt sauce. There is always a tandoori chicken and simple cauliflower dish available for those with less adventurous tastes and Ive never had anything that Id consider spicy without personally adding the chili chutney... Im also a big fan of the spiced iced tea, which is delivered unsweetened.
