I had a last minute call from my Brother last night saying that he was going to Akbars and did I want to go.....obviously with the temptation of a restaurant I haven't tried before I couldn't resist.....30 minutes later was being picked up to go and see what it was all about. The restaurant itself is on the Hagley Road just a little bit up from Five Ways in a large white building. You walk in and are instantly hit by the grandeur of the place with marble, statues and artwork all over the restaurant and reception areas. We needed to wait for a table so were given a buzzer and were invited to take a seat at the bar. We were quickly seated and shown the food menus after about 10 minutes.....when you don't ave a reservation I think thats pretty good! The food is very much what you would expect from a curry house with a huge list of classic curry dishes and starters. We went for popadoms and dips to start....I then went for chicken pakora and shish kebabs as my main.....I had already eaten before I left the house so was just being greedy at this point....this was my attempt at having something healthier haha. Everything was perfectly cooked and delicious and the prices were really reasonable! Both starters were only around £3.50 a plate and were a good size portion! I was going to be super harsh and give this place four stars due to a slightly dirty menu and the fact the tables are pretty close together but can you really mark somewhere down for being busy and popular? The staff here cannot do enough for you and I think its a great touch that the chefs bring out the food! If you want a curry....at a reasonable price.....in an interesting setting...why not give this place a go. read more

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Great restaurant. They helped arranged a wedding reception dinner. The food was amazing and staff were probably the most friendly, charming and easy to work with. We're very patient and tolerant with my relatives. I couldn't have asked for a better place. The decor and overall setting is very pleasant and gives a more relaxed intimate feel perfect for small parties. read more

Environment 5/10, service 6/10, presentation of food 2/10, quality of food 4/10, freshness of ingredients 5/10, price 7/10. I really did not enjoy this restaurant. Chosen because it was around the corner from a friend's home, I believe it is not really worth travelling to if you live far. I tried for starters the spiced calamari and Seekh kebabs. The calamari was over cooked, squid incredibly rubbery. The kebabs were fair. All the starters were thrown on the plate, no care given to presentation. The lettuce appeared it had sat around for quite a while also, slightly turning brown around where the knife had cut. The mains were oily, not well spiced at all. The naan breads, this was impressive however, it tasted good and 3 feet tall, see my photos. Would I go again or recommend it to a friend, no. Service wasn't too great. Told our starters would take 10-15 minutes but took 25. Had to ask three times for our drinks. Waiters were accommodating, we did give a 10% tip. read more

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I've never been to Akbars before and so to be there was a new dining experience for me. The decor when you enter the building is really nice, a very open plan restaurant although very busy, so if u want to have an intimate conversation then ask for a quiet corner. The starter and mains were lovely, I really despise coriander but once I scraped it off the food it was a lovely dining experience. Customer service was very good also, very efficient and polite. I would go again. read more

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I've heard about their huge hanging naan breads but I was out to find more. Can we finally stop the hype of the millions on curry mile and take a look at a city centre delight please? WIth no reservations taken on a Friday night, would it be actually possible to get a seat in this place? Me and the mister took a chance on this and oh weren't we glad. Upon entry Akbar's oozes a contemporary feel, no room for tradition here. You also get doses of pink in there too which I'm not too sure about. A table for 6 would take half an hour and we were handed a bundle of technology which would ring when our table was ready. Genius. We were free to roam the bar area except for peak time on a Friday evening, there would be no roaming. The entrance was packed with keen diners awaiting the delights of Akbar's. Young old, couples, parties of a lot, Akbar's is seemingly popular. With a drink in hand and no place to sit we perched at the side of the bar where we observed something further; people wanted Akbar's in their comfort of their homes. Yes Akbar's phone orders to takeaway were a plenty. Wow. So only twenty minutes in to our wait our little "table is ready device" vibrated a "table is ready" call. I love it when the table is ready earlier than when estimated, it's like beating time. We were seated in a little corner which probably wasn't the greatest but the actual restaurant area was jam packed with big parties, laughing and joking and noise noise noise. The place definitely had an atmosphere. Every table has a dedicated waiter. Our food orders were taken promptly but ordering drinks or water was a challenge. Trying to grab the number of people floating around doing this that or the other. What you expect with a restaurant very much in demand. The food was brilliant the naans were a reality hanging up in front of our eyes. Anyway in summary it was great curry, excellent priced in a great location not far from Birmingham City City Centre. I'm definitely back again wheneever Im back in Birmingham and it clearly is a favourite amongst a lot of other Brummies. Well done Akbar's. read more

We went to this restaurant following a good review from a colleague at work. I'd never heard of it before but as we were looking to try something new we decided to give it a go. We booked a table in advance for 7pm and arrived just shortly after 6.40pm. I was very surprised to learn that our table was not ready, nor would it be until 7.45pm. As we had all come straight from work, we were hungry and looking forward to getting settled at our pre booked table. The waitress wasn't overly considerate of the mishap, nor were we offered anything to help smooth over the situation (perhaps a drink or a onion bhaji at least?!) Although the food was OK, the lack of organisational skills to get our table ready put a damper on the evening which is a shame as the venue itself seemed quite pleasant. read more

Akbar's - Indian Near Me - Birmingham, XWM

Terrible experience! If your looking for a lively restaurant playing the Dhol for someone's birthday then this is that place, problem being - the restaurant is catered for approx 100 people, and the night we went, at least half the tables were celebrating birthdays so it was a constant loud Dhol playing which was getting rather annoying! The food was terrible. We asked for a Madras dish and they served us a Balti dish, since when does a Madras curry serve capsicans in the curry? The dish was too sweet and mild for a Madras. The waiter put glasses on the table for the water, with all 4 glasses being dirty. We complained to the manager about the curry and dirty glasses and he wasn't bothered about the curry issue and regarding the glasses he said they were cleaned by the dish washer. That is just unacceptable. Poor service and food. Period! read more

Akbar's is an impressive restaurant that you can't miss on the Hagley Road. It's opposite TGI Fridays and shares a large car park with it. I was impressed with the menu, which is more adventurous than regular Indian restaurants. Namely, they have duck, liver or rabbit tikka - how many curry houses do you know that would venture such dishes! The menu is also varied with a good range of options for fish eaters, like calamari and smoked salmon (again not common in Indian menus), and equally as generous options for vegetarians. The prices are about average for an Indian restaurant and the portions are generous. The starters are much more reasonable although I think £2.45 for one plain naan isn't value for money. Alcohol is served, which I was surprised at considering its a halal restaurant. Generally, the atmosphere is welcoming for families and the seating areas are clean and maintained. read more

My knowledge of Indian food isn't as expansive as everyone else's (English people), so as tempted as I was to go out on a limb and try something ridiculously spicy, I wussed out. Came here with some fellow graduate students for a Christmas meal and opted to play it safe by ordering prawn balti (not terribly spicy, I know), pilau rice (pretty tasty), with a duck tikka starter and the requisite "family" naan bread. Ambiance was very trendy, upscale inside, which you wouldn't know from the outside, save for the walkway into the restaurant. (I have to wonder if this place was a pub at one time). FYI - there is a lounge area for people to chill in, in the event you're going to be eating with a group (I don't think you can be seated until your entire party shows up). read more

Akbar's - Pilau rice and prawn balti. - Indian Near Me - Birmingham, XWM

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I thought we would have a delicious meal at the Apollo I didnt check first and they weren't open so i crossed the road to Akbars. I love that restaurant. It is so welcoming. Comfortable chairs. Lovely atmosphere, beautiful decor, stunning ornaments. The food is delicious.freshly cooked and seasoned to your taste. The chappatis and naan bread are bigger than a dinner plate. I love the way they have two bowls of apples at reception. I had a red one. read more

Akbar's - Karahi Bhindi Gosht. meat Okra (ladies fingers) withfruit and nut masm and naam freshly baked breae from the tandoori oven - Indian Near Me - Birmingham, XWM

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Really good Indian food, large portions including the biggest naan bread I have ever seen. We got 5 dishes between 6 people and we were sufficiently stuffed afterwards. Decor is nice and the staff are efficient, the only thing I was disappointed in was how loud it was inside. But I understand with family style dining like this, those are the drawbacks. But maybe something could be done acoustically to allow for it to be easier to talk to people at your table. All in all it was a good experience. read more

Akbar's - Indian Near Me - Birmingham, XWM

Nice restaurant with excellent service and pretty good food. A little pricey for my liking and they got our bill wrong too :s One of the waiters is a bit of an xfactor candidate.. Singing at the tables. Think people could be scared off by it :) Tomo read more

First class quality food, first class service and excellent atmosphere. I go to this restaurant at least three times a month. The food portions are large and they have the biggest naan bread I have seen in a restaurant. Top Star. read more

Visited Akbar's on a Saturday night. The wait was about 45 mins. Loved their Lamb Chops, Tiger prawns and Chicken curry. Their Naan bread was warm, nice and simply amazing. Also, tried their Seekh Kabob, which was not that good. Their prices are reasonable and the service is pretty decent. Overall, very worth the price. read more

Akbar's - Indian Near Me - Birmingham, XWM

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Akbars is awesome! The best, authentic as well as reasonably priced curry dishes your going to get in Birmingham. The place gets rammed during weekends which means there's usually a waiting time and you can't book for just 2 people but it's worth the wait. I love looking into my curry and seeing all the ingredients that build its flavors and that's what you will get. Don't give 5 stars often but Akbars deserves it. Just go, pick your usual dish and enjoy. read more

Very spacious, great service, excellent food (unlike the high-street balti and tasteless curries) and affordable price.

Before I wrote this negative review I tried this place 3 times. Me and the other half were disappointed each time. For a place that proports to be something quite special, it really isnt. On our first visit we were just poorly greeted and simply abandoned in the very cold reception for nearly 20 minuites, no communication, the food was horrible apart from the Prawn curry. 2nd time service was so slow and the waiter was incompitent, & we recieved the wrong items & from the 3rd visit I was left with the most tummy ever. DONT go to this place if you value your health & your hard earned cash???? read more

Just too big !!!!!!! The place is really really big and get the feeling they are just serving generic Indian food as everyone's in our group basically tasted the same despite all ordering different dishes. read more

Ok this has to be the very best Indian food I have had in all my travels around the world, including having eaten on Brick Lane in London and in other places around the world. Went there consistently for years while I lived in the UK doing my Doctorate. It is the most amazing décor inside. Great atmosphere. Servers are extremely attentive. Service is fast. Food is amazing. I have never been disappointed. Relatively good parking, but are competing for parking with a restaurant, bar and hotel adjacent to Akbars. Looks like a really expensive place when you walk in, but their prices are absolutely reasonable and comparable. The size of the naan bread is unbelievably huge!They accept large groups for events, been there for nice quiet meals with my spouse, but also events like boys night out and a baby shower! read more

Excellent food, excellent atmosphere, excellent service and very cheap food. I have been here numerous times and the only criticism i have is the drinks are slightly overpriced but that is nit picking. The ingredients are high quality and the simple fact is that it is better than the more 'lucrative' restaurants in the Birmingham area including Asha's and Lasan, which are just shy of double the price. read more