Akbars Restaurant

I went here a couple of times, my first time I had lamb chops for appetizers and a couple of curries for the main! It’s definitely really good, upscale food! The lamb chops are unbeatable! In fact, the second time I went they became a main! I had some cheesy chicken too, it was grilled in a nice pan, hot and fresh, didn’t taste as good as I hoped!
Their customer service is amazing, only if there is a problem. Sitting area is lovely! It can get very crowded, even on weekdays, so choose your timings wisely!
Bottom line: Must try the lamb chops!

The curry here is fantastic, if you like it spicy (which I do). Reasonable prices. Could use a broader beer selection. My main staple is chicken tikka masala and it is always excellent. The Naan bread is also a must-​try, as is the special rice.

Food was excellent and staff were friendly, well worth a visit if you like Indian food. I got a masala as I am not fond of spice and it was full of flavour and very rich. They have an excellent selection of starters also

Excellent food and service as usuall, can’t understand why it says 1^st check in here but none the less, chicken and mushroom balti was delicious and the family garlic nans again are superb, I’ve since joined a gym but can’t blame this on Achbars, try and get here early as you can be waiting quite a while and the bar area is boiling.

The entire menu is excellent. If you don’t know the place (which means you’re not from the UK), try their lassi, their chapatti, their tikka masala, korma and naan bread.
The only con with this restaurant is its popularity. As a result, it’s busy and noisy. Still, it’s worth to try it. Actually, on the 25 and more restaurants I tried in Leeds, it’s the only restaurant I’d recommend. srlsy.

Best curry restaurant in UK. Eaten in scores of curry houses UP and down the country and nothing compares. Try chicken tikka and keema balti.

Been here 2 days… Haleem and Butter Chicken are the best dishes here…

Never fails to deliver really good tasting food!
The food is reasonably priced and the waiters are always willing to recommend new dishes.
The atmosphere is okay, but the alcohol is dear!
The only thing that i don’t get about this place is the Egyptian décor in a Pakistani/​Kashmiri restaurant?

I like to think of myself as a spice-​buff — no pansy korma sauce for me! — and I’m also a pescatarian (seafood but not meat), so I’m already an awkward customer. Yet I found (and continue to find) everything I could need at Akbars on Eastgate. After discovering how amazing this restaurant was about 3 years ago I average at least 2 visits per month and am overjoyed with the results about 99% of the time. While I’ve tried the other Akbars in Leeds and Bradford, Eastgate remains the best.
It’s almost always busy, but even if you don’t book you can usually get a table within ¹⁰⁄₁₅ minutes of waiting in the bar. Yes it’s quite crowded and the tables are fairly close together, but this is what happens when a restaurant delivers awesome food at a very reasonable price. The staff are attentive (a little too attentive?) and the menu selection is outstanding — take a punt with something out of the ordinary like the fish balti or paneer mushroom balti, which you can order at any heat you want (my bf always asks for it extra hot and «asian style», so it comes with a side salad). Also, unlike most curry houses, vegetarians won’t feel like they’re missing out because there’s a whole dedicated veggie menu which is imaginative + tasty. I always ask the chef to make paneer tikka, as it’s not on the menu in this Akbars, and they always oblige.
For two starters, mains, rice, naan and drinks the bill tends to come in at a very reasonable £32, so it’s great food for a bargain.
PROS:
Excellent veggie choice
Don’t have to book
Awesome value for money
Best curry I’ve had (and I’ve had a lot)
CONS:
Crowded
On the one occasion I had cause to complain (Bradford, not Eastgate), the manager was unbelievably rude and aggresive — stick to Eastgate!

The 4 Amigo’s trotted along here for a special meal last Night, highly special due to the ill health of one of our group…
We realised we hadn’t been for around 2 years, where has the time gone we asked. We were once frequent visitors.
On arrival, the place was really busy, we hadn’t booked but were seated very quickly indeed in the part that was previously Argos, down stairs.
I was pleased to note that the death trap tiled floor has gone, it used to be slippy and quite greasy before. Not all good though, it has been replaced with a carpet, a very badly fitting one at that. It looked shocking as it was at least an inch short around the margins, (trust me, Mrs Laura Ashley to notice that)
After sitting down, we were greeted by our friendly waiter, who was attentive and helpful. The wait for the food was longer than we would have liked as we were famished. The wait was worth it though.
All of us enjoyed our food and managed to eat everything, (oh dear) Somehow we all went for baltis of one sort or another. The flavours were certainly there and the portions were quite generous all in all,
The only criticism I have is that the chicken in my balti, was in really tiny little pieces. They would have been suitable for a baby tbh. This was a bit off putting, I much prefer nice big chunks of chicken to get my teeth into but hey (
I was not impressed when the Waiter started clearing our table at break neck speed, this was precisely when we were all going to have a sly dip into each others dishes, but alas, the opportunity was snatched away…
All in all a great night, but makes me realise I have become an established, experienced and indeed self appointed Restaurant critic in recent years and my expectations are really high these days. Not a patch on my local takeaway in Outwood (

Ended up here on a works night out by popular demand (or was it because the boss said so?).
I’m not one who knows the world of curry well but I do have taste buds and I’m not afraid to use/​abuse them so I carefully noted each nuance, each spicy mini adventure in order to share some deep and meaningful thoughts.
So let me say I rather enjoyed a starter of meat samosa and played my part in consuming the contents of all the pots of dips which were very pleasant. I rather enjoyed the lamb dish I had (the name has now escaped me) but To be honest I’ve tasted better and received larger portions elsewhere. The staff were very smiley and efficient.
One further comment. Even for a restaurant £6 for a pint of larger is a bit excessive.

This Saturday just gone I was lucky enough to be invited for tea with some friends. We’d dithered between choosing take away or actually going out for dinner and ended up going for a staple favourite; Akbars. I’d never been to an Akbars before (it was my company’s favourite) and so I was quite excited as I’d heard some great things about their cuisine.
Happily, despite being a Saturday, we only had about a fifteen minute wait for a table of five and so stood at the bar with some drinks. Sadly there is no seated waiting area, but given that it wasn’t heaving this wasn’t much of an issue. I can foresee that if there are a number of you waiting it’d be less convenient and comfortable but with such a short waiting period this was fine.
We sat and ordered promptly, opting for starters as well as mains and were informed it’d be about fifteen minutes until they’d arrive, which they did — lovely! I opted for the keema samosas, which were reasonable — the pastry was a little tough, and although I enjoyed the spiciness I could have used a little mint yoghurt to balance it. My friend’s onion bahjis, however, were utterly perfect and she was gifted about five which I thought was tremendously generous.
For my main meal I picked the lamb paneer, with pilau rice, and we asked for a normal garlic naan to share. The naans are an incredible feat of food engineering. They come hanging from a huge metal spike and there’s no way that two people could finish off even a normal sized one between two. Gargantuan just about covers it, and don’t even get me started on the family sized naan. Between the five of us we only just finished it!
My lamb paneer was great — fully flavoursome with lovely lamb pieces that were tender and infused with spice, and the dish had plenty of kick without too much heat. The only shame was that I prefer a little more sauce to soak up the rice. I tried my friend’s chicken mahkani too, and it was out of this world — similar to butter chicken but a little spicier, and I’m certainly going to have that next time! Sadly my stomach athletics just weren’t up to scratch, so I ended up leaving about half as I didn’t have the space, otherwise it would have been demolished as it was so tasty!
My only real criticism of the night was that the service was somewhat patchy. From missing items off out order, to not checking when we needed more drinks and finally clearing our dishes when half the party were still eating that side of the experience was a little lacking and brought home the fact that we were eating in a chain not an independent. Certainly the staff were pleasant and kind, but not perhaps as attentive as would have been nice.
The environment and atmosphere is also less intimate than I prefer, what with ‘Happy Birthday’, being sung at least four times during the evening, the décor being a little standard, and the noise level rather high. (It was a Saturday, so I was expecting this I must admit.)
Essentially, I will definitely be back — if for nothing else but the mahkani chicken, but it’s definitely a great place to go out and dine if you’re after a delicious meal. The quality of the food I ate was of a high standard and I’m certain dining here on a week night would be a fantastic experience! Having spotted the Thai Foot Massage place opposite, I can see what my next treat to myself will be… Dinner and a foot massage!

I did not like the Akbar’s on Greek Street. Those of you who read my review may recall my complaints, particularly regarding the way that we are sat with hardly any space between us and the table next to us like battery hens. To say I was reluctant to go to the other Akbars when the boyfriend suggested it was therefore an understatement. How thrilling surprising it turned out to be.
The space is so much more friendly and more geared towards comfort rather than people-​packing. One complaint is that they allow more people to wait for a table than there is strictly speaking waiting space for. We loitered on some stairs between the bar section and the restaurant. We didn’t have to wait so long as we thought though and it was well worth it. I think I had the same starter as I did at the other Akbars, though I could be completing making that up as it was a long time ago. At any rate, it was a much more managable portion and I really enjoyed it. For mains, I had a chicken garlic balti. I was very brave; it had a one chilli rating and I tend to stick to dishes with zero chillis. It was delicious though. On our table it was possible to fit all the dishes comfortably, again unlike Greek Street. I will be returning here, and may I also say it was most pleasing to find a curry place I really liked in Leeds. I have lived in Leeds for nearly nine years and expected to come across one before now, still better late than never!

I was recently in Leeds for business and didn’t fancy yet another hotel meal, so I asked at reception if they could recommend anywhere, both the staff said in unison ‘Akbars’ so I decided to give it a try.
During a freezing Tuesday evening walk through town I passed many empty or nearly empty restaurants and wondered what sort of place I had ended up in; my views were soon to change.
When I arrived at this very large and buzzing restaurant I asked for a table for one, only to be told that there would be about half an hours wait and would I like to go to the upstairs bar, at least the beer was welcome and cold.
I was shown to my table after about 20 min and the size of the naan breads on the other tables was enough to think I must order one.
The keema balti was good, but I was surprised by the lack of choice of vegetable side dishes compared to my local eateries in London. Also the prices had more in common with London prices than I would have thought.
As the restaurant was large and full the noise would put me off going for a romantic dinner for two, but it would be ideal for a celebration with a group of friends.
I would certainly return if I am in the area again.

Amazing Indian. The best Indian in town by far.
The nam comes hung up!
Get the saga loo

I wouldn’t go back here as they got some of the basics just so wrong.
I was in Leeds working and fancied a curry so thought I would try Akbars again, as it was okay last time I went a couple of years previously.
I ordered a chicken madras, rice and a garlic naan. The naan was huge and hung off a metal stand and I asked if this was the only size they did as I was certain I saw a smaller one on the menu and there was no way I could eat that on my own. The answer was no.
A chef came out with my madras in one hand and a small plate with rice on in the other and he asked me if I wanted a plate… yes please I replied as I was wondering about how else I would eat. Then instead of putting the rice on the table the chef tipped the full lot onto the larger plate he had just given me. I like to put the rice on my own plate thanks. The madras wasn’t great, and made me wonder if they had got 2 dishes wrong combined and was way too oily which spoilt it. The service was good which stops this being a 1 star.

The food’s pretty good, if a little on the hot side (The word ‘subtle’ seems to have a wide range of meanings when it comes to Indian food). There seemed to be some confusion amongst the staff when we arrived and we were left crammed up to the side against the bar for about 5 minutes whilst they found us a table.
Nothing offensive about this restaurant, but there is definitely room for improvement. The prices were very reasonable.

Forgive me father for I have sinned. That’s right; I have a confession to make. I’m not really that into Indian food. I know it’s a shocker. It’s not that I don’t like spicy food because I do, I just don’t like curry very much. However, there is a time and place for them and Akbars is one of them.
They are well known around the Yorkshire area now and that’s because they ooze class. This is how food and a dining experience should be. It’s a fab venue and the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Nothing is too much trouble.
As for the food, you know you are going to get a winner here. You can more or less choose anything and it’s going to be good. They have great chefs and a great food sourcing system going on.
It’s quality assured at Akbars.

If you love Indian food then Akbars is definitely one of the higher end choices. It’s prices however are still very reasonable but the food is fantastic.
Very similar to Mumtaz in many respects, Akbars maintains it’s traditional feel while still being distinctly 21^st century. The dishes are presented very well, taste great and the garlic naans are huge — one if enough to share between three.
They also sell a variety of drinks, including beers, which all accompany the food very well. Recommended eatin’ if you’re a fan of Indian cuisine!

My first experience of this local chain was in Bradford the birthplace of Akbar’s Pakistani Restaurant. It was here that I made a grave mistake I ordered a naan bread. This was not a family naan but a simple naan. It arrived served on hook stuck in a plinth. Now I can eat quite a bit and normally shock many people with this greedy trick but this took the biscuit, no way was I making it though that and my main dish let alone try any dessert. Beware. Aside from this there was an extensive menu but it was rather limited for vegetarians although it is possible to as for the vegetarian alternative.
The restaurants are beautiful places to dine and the food matches this. You get treated as a guest when you walk in and the speed and efficiency of the staff is something to be commended.
Despite my moaning the naan goes exceedingly well with a dansak or any particularly gravy-​some dish and I do recommend this Pakistani restaurant highly for the whole experience not just the food.

I saw this place advertised on a roundabout. Weird, I know, but I loved their inventiveness. Then somebody told me it was the best curry they’d ever had. And that was it. I had to go.
So, armed with some friends and a big appetite, I walked up the Headrow and walked through the doors, demanding the finest food in the north-​east. They were fully booked.
Two nights later and with some humble forward planning, I sheepishly crept in again. But this time I’d booked. This time nobody was going to stand in the way of me and my naan. And what a naan it was. We went for a family one to share, and it arrived hanging from a hook, crisp, delicious and ten foot high.
My onion bhaji was amazing and my fish rogan josh to die for. Tender chunks of fish, juicy prawns and soft mussels in a wonderfully aromatic sauce. The chicken tikka masala was surprisingly spicy, but pleasantly not covered in that creamy gunk that usually accompanies it. In short, my friends, it rocks my socks. But then, I suppose everybody know this already. It’s fully booked every night.