It's an awful place full of horrible staff. Food isn't up to much and they beg for tips and rush you out your seat. Classless place. read more

Really busy in a Wednesday night. Service very prompt, good attention to detail too. Food was excellent I have to say, prices not bad either. Plenty of popadoms upfront. Best to share naan breads as they are massive. Would most definately go back when next in Leeds. Found the place following recommendation from a local colleague and also via a friend from afar. Top night out. read more

Akbars - Indian Near Me - Leeds, XWY

I used to travel to Leeds over 5 years ago for work when I was based out of NY and always tried to have dinner at Akbar's each time. I didn't realise it turned into some huge chain of restaurants up north! I'm glad I read a few reviews before going. This was my first time at the one on Greek st as I've only been to the one on Eastgate before. Decor is nice but dunno why it reminds me of a casino-esque place. I took the advice of the others and didn't get a starter. I went straight for a main and an order of garlic naan. I have to say - it reminded me of American size portions (I suppose they're properly Yorkshire size?). It took ages for me to decide but went with the chickpea and paneer balti and it was amazing! I wish I can find a place in London that would offer the same dish. Now that regular naan, when it arrived at my table, the look on my face must have said it all because the waiter immediately said - this is the normal size. Now, they have family naan which could probably feed about 4-5 people. Regular naan should be renamed to couple's naan because it's way too big one 1 person! read more

This is one of the best curry houses I've ever been to. The food is delicious, very spicy and generously portioned. The family size naan bread, which arrived at the table on a giant stand was just enough for our table of six. The standout dish was a lamb curry that included pomegranate juice - it was a perfect balance of rich, slightly tart and hot. Everything else we got was good. The tikka marsala was a little weird, being served in a sauce that incorporated tomato, but it worked. A chicken and prawn balti was also noteworthy. The only reason this is not a five star review is because we were repeatedly assured our wait for a table would not be too long, yet it took over an hour for us to be seated. That's a bit much. I can understand why the place was packed at 9PM on a Wednesday night (the food and the decor are a cut above). The bar area was an OK place to pass half an hour or so, but not over an hour while being reassured a table will be ready in just a few more minutes. I'd recommend a reservation; if you walk in hungry every minute of the sights and smells of the place will be torture. In spite of the crowded maze of tables and chairs the high ceilings and great decor make Akbar's the Grand feel airy. Chaotic, but airy. The servers do an admirable job amidst this chaos, so that our meal was a pleasure once we were finally seated. We walked out stuffed, reeking of curry and glowing from spice. That almost made up for the wait. Almost. Still have to give the place 4 stars, and will go back on my next visit to Leeds. read more

I hadn't heard great things, but I thought I would keep an open mind. We went on a Saturday. In a Group. Le grand mistake. Eating room - there is none. I might as well have sat on my neighbour's lap. Lucky for me, my neighbour is my friend, but even so, one likes to be polite when eating. The staff gave us a couple of poppadoms per four people, begrudgingly. They were not good poppadoms. My chicken korma was like a chicken stew, devoid of flavour. Now, I can't stomach spice, but it doesn't mean that I want a tasteless curry. The wine was ok. Um...I didn't really like it. Sorry :o( read more

I really wanted to like Akbars... Unfortunately there were quite a few reasons why I didn't. We arrived on a Monday night and it was absolutely packed. Usually I would take this as a good sign, and I suppose to some degree it was, but when I say packed, I mean packed. The bar was very full, and when we finally sat down the tables were so close together than you are literally eating with people each side of you. If you are unlucky enough to be marooned in the middle of the room rather than against a wall, there is nowhere to put your bag. Ditto your coat if it is one of the larger winter ones that does not sit comfortably on the back of a chair. This would be acceptable if the tables were larger than average, but regrettably the opposite is true. Customarily, I would treat an Indian a bit like tapas insofar as it is nice to get poppadums and a vegetable side or two to share. If you are on a table for two, the table is barely big enough for a dish each and a rice each, let alone any sides or one of the oversized naans. Admittedly the naan does hang from a vertical hook, but space is at a premium. I do feel churlish about criticising the excessive size of the naan, as I am very greedy and it is clearly one of their party pieces. And to be fair, the novelty is most pleasing. However, it wears off quite quickly. There is not a small option if there are only two of you, so you must either eat yourself sick or leave loads. This brings me to my final criticism of Akbar's, the food. I had a mushroom thing to start, and it was absolutely delicious. It was also absolutely huge. Now, I am not a small eater, and I left some to avoid getting super full, but my korma was so rich that after a couple of mouthfuls I was full. Usually I would manage a starter, a main, rice, a veg sharer and some naan, but at Akbars such dizzy heights of gluttony are unreachable. In conclusion then, the food is nice, but far too much, and it is all (for me) ruined by the cramped atmosphere. They could take out a quarter of the tables, make everything a little more comfortable and it would be a much nicer dining experience. read more

Having waited years to visit one of the Akbars restaurant, the lure of having one just feet away from my office grew too strong. I bullied some irritatingly indecisive friends into trying somewhere new, and we set off in search of food. Akbars didn't disappoint us. Walking to the door, the aroma literally made my stomach rumble; on entering the building, we were all shocked by the interior; the food was some of the best Indian that I've had in a long, long time. We were seated in what I assume is the bar area. it is nice enough and has a good view out into the 'main' area of the restaurant, which is on a lower level, spreads out quite some distance and is - as someone else mentioned - quite casino-esque. I would rather have been seated down there, but none of us asked. The menu is varied without being overwhelming, though the physical menus were a bit cumbersome for four of us at a small-ish table. We were quickly given a few poppadoms and a pickle tray to pass the time, and eventually got around to ordering. I went for a starter of murgh chicken wings, which was surprisingly large. All or our starters were massive, in fact. My chicken was cooked really well, with crispy skin and a spicier-than-expected sauce. For my main, I chose the murgh tikka mekhani which again had well cooked, quality chicken in a fantastic rich sauch. Trying to be healthy I went without rice and had spinach instead, as I feared the chicken dish alone would be too small. I was wrong; the servings of both the main and side dish were very generous! Like others, I will point out that we didn't have much table-space. With the sizeable naan on a stand that the others ordered, I found it quite hard to speak to some members of our group until the majority of it had been eaten. I tried a small piece of the monster, and it was probably one of the nicest and softest I've had! The night was busy but our service was prompt without feeling rushed, and the waiter was great. The food wasn't as expensive as I thought either - £20 each for us, including starter, main, rice/side dish and a shared naan. If you're a fan of Indian food and you're in the city, get to Akbars. But be flexible; they're very popular and don't take bookings. But they do takeaway! read more

Busy, full of character, relaxing yet classy all in one. Akbars provides one of the best currys i've discovered in Leeds to date. The portions are a hearty size and you also won't break the bank by coming here. I'm a huge fan of eating out and trying out new restaurants all of the time but I think this one is definitely worth a second visit. read more

Eating alone in a restaurant is always a bit dismal. The guys at Akbar's, however, were very friendly, the food was excellent and the atmosphere relaxed, so I had a wonderful evening. The liver starter actually is delicious (and huge), but the word "huge" gets redefined in here anyway. The nans are spectacular - and very tasty. Highly recommended! read more

There are 2 Akbar restaurants in Leeds, and a few in surrounding cities. Having swatted up on this growing chain, the original Akbars was opened in Bradford 20 years ago, the dream of a young 18 year old with big hopes. Well done to him I'd say. Akbars The Grand is just that...grand. Probably one of the largest and swankiest curry houses I have ever been to, I even struggle to refer to it as a curry house. It is definitely a restaurant! With it's dimmed lighting and highbacked leather chairs, the tables for 2 are small, but cosy, making it a good place to go on a date. It gets busy at the weekends, but the food is worth it. My Madras was created using the finest ingredients, and the food contained plenty of fresh corriander, which I am a major sucker for.. Slightly pricier than your local takeaway, you are also paying for service, which is pretty good and professional. One word of advice though. if you are in a pair dining at Akbar's, beware of the naans. They come on stands and are massive. Due to the size of the tables for two, you might find that you are cut off from your dining buddy untill you eat it, as it acts like a dividing barrier between you. It probably doesn't matter though, you could just as easily use it as a shield to prevent you seeing eachother stuffing your faces. read more

The lamb chops are heavenly....and mist dishes are just lovely....the service not so great and you could be waiting for quite a while to get your food...so if it's just about the food for you then you should these guys a chance.... read more

We went to this place on a Tuesday with freinds and had a mixed bag. The service was too slow and you had to wait ages for your food to arrive. The food started off on a good note with a good soup. While Indian food is supposed to be flavourful, we found the main course to be just a few boiled vegetables with uncooked spices in it which didnt taste much. The ambience is good but the space is too cramped up. We mentioned about it to the person serving us but all we got was a smile which gives the impression that it might be a regular thing read more

Would never return to this restaurant. Cant understand some of the reviews i have read. The service was the worst i have ever had. Never even got to the food as walked out after waiting one and a half hours. Attitude of manager was disgraceful. Did not want to listen. His thought was my restaurant is full, so i dont care. unbelievable. read more

This Indian restaurant promotes itself with placards and posters around and about Leeds. So I asked a local colleague how he rated it. His reply prompted me to try it. I was impressed. The menu was of modest length, not the usual roll-call of kurma-rogon-madras-vindaloo-tikka massalla. Yes, a few old favourites appeared on the menu, but they were outnumbered by interesting sounding Punjabi offerings and a few specials such as 'Handi of the Day'. The servings were enormous - too much, really; I had already spotted something resembling a medium-sized light brown pillow being brought to a neighbouring table, suspended on a 75-cm upright spike (lying flat, it would cover the table): this was a Nan Bread. thus warned, I cut back my order to a mere Roti @ .90pence, but this turned out to be the size of a large dinner plate. Everything was freshly cooked, often being brought to the table by the chef who had cooked it (at peak time on a Thursday evening there were about eight chefs at work, on view in a gleaming stainless steel kitchen to one side of the main restaurant room). The waiters were smiley, immaculate and attentive. Free fresh fruit accompanied your warm handwipes at the end of the meal, which will cost you a mere £20 per head for all you can eat including wine or beers.The Akbar empire is said to be spreading south; the sooner it gets to Cardiff, the better! read more

One of the best curry houses in the world. It's a great place for large groups but I would recommend booking. For a large group they will do a mix starter selection for the table the tandoori chicken liver and lamb chops are a must. read more

I asked for a chicken vindaloo, or something similar and got a very bland dish which was not very spicy at all. Very dissapointed.

Akbars is large Curry House in the middle of Leeds that does very good curries. There is loads of choices of starters and main dishes which always makes me very indecisive but I have always enjoyed the curries I have chosen. The naan breads are particularly impressive as they are so large and are so big that they have special stands for them. 3 or 4 people (or 2 if you're hungry) could easily share one with a curry each. Akbars is usually very busy which means you may not always get the best service and you might have to wait a bit for your food but it is usually worth the wait. read more

We ate here last week and the food was really good, just wish they did onion bhaji's without the potato mixed in. great atmosphere and decor read more

If you're looking for an Indian restaurant with good food, service and ambience - go somewhere else. We went to Akbars after work on Friday evening. The restaurant itself is more akin to a canteen. Forget table cloths, linen or candles, it's cold, clinical and terrible acoustics you have to shout to hear one another. The food itself was disappointing. Very nice naan but the curries were spicy yet bland. The rice was greasy. On the plus side it was hot. So if you like bland, overspiced, greasy food, you'll be ok. The service was ok but no better than you'd expect at a local kebab shop. Transactional, that's it. Won't be going back here again, there's so much choice elsewhere and ultimately offered poor value for money. read more

What I learnt last night - Never judge an Indian restaurant by its pickle tray. My favourite Indian back at home has the most delicious pickle tray and I have yet to find anywhere that lives up to its standards. So coming to Akbar's I had my reservations and boy did I moan about their pickle tray, it was not good. The menu too wasn't good for those of you who like a chicken tikka masala as it was labelled under something else. I went for their tikka garlic dish and a pashwari naan, which isn't on the menu, so do ask for something if it's not on there. When it arrived I was surprisingly impressed, very quick service seeing as it was a bank holiday weekend, busy, busy, busy. I took a first bite thinking to myself, 'this isn't going to be anything special', I was so wrong. This curry is without a doubt one of the best curries I have ever had; I am a complete curry snob, so take it from me! There is no wondering why everyone goes on about this place, I just can't believe I've left it 3 years to come here. As everyone has mentioned the naan's are more than impressive, my friend ordered a normal garlic naan that arrived on a tall silver stand, I'd like to see the family sized version, she could even get through a of hers. There's no reason why you shouldn't try this place out, dead in Leeds city centre it captures traditional Indian and Pakistani food with a contemporary feel, there's something very footballers wives about it. I love Akbar's and look forward to my next visit! read more

very good indian foodthe monster nan breads are recommended..they come on a larger standthe liver starter is highly recommended

not a fan at all, service is awful, staff rude (got told not allowed another glass even though drink i ordered was different for the one i had before) chillis in everything they appear to think everything has to be spicy! sheesh mahal is the best in leeds and worth the extra 5 minute drive or 20 minute walk from city centre. read more