There was, presumably, a time when the famous Curry Mile actually served up some decent curry. It was a long time ago, though. Thankfully there are decent options elsewhere in Manchester. Akbar's is one of those. It's huge and always busy. The menu has the English classics with some interesting other options. One of my dining companions told me the options in the bottom right were described to her at a previous visit as "just for Indians". Which is both amusing and a little odd, seeing as it's Pakistani. They don't take bookings, and in fact laughed on the phone when we tried, which was a little odd. When we were there though, service was very good. Presumably the "no bookings" thing is just a way to get more cash out of you via a pre-meal drink, but I don't mind that too much. I had a chicken poori starter - pretty large, so I'm glad I shared. Unusually it was served open-style, with the chicken pieces piled on top of the poori bread, which was nicely soft. I had a lamb main which was nice enough. We shared one of those stupid giant naans on a hook, more than enough between 6. Akbar's is a decent enough choice, though it's really not at the level of Eazt Z Eazt. Go if you can't bothered walking down Deansgate. read more

Authentic Food! Nice atmosphere enjoyed our visit! Sorry no photo. It all looked so good we just dug in. Make sure to order some naan! Trust me. read more

I'm a neophyte when it comes to eating Indian / Palestinian food but am eager to try more. As a guy from Texas, our choices are limited to good food of this sort, but one of my business colleagues suggested this place as I was staying at the HIlton just down the road at Deansgate. I am very glad I took their advice...the food was very good and I got a chance to eat some things I have never tried. Will definitely try this place again. Only minor complaint was that they were soo busy it took them a while to get back to the table..and I was drinking the COBRA beer for first time and liked...and wanted more. And took more time than it should have to get water. Definitely give this place a try..I know I will again, but maybe bring an experienced Indian food eater so they can help me try some new things. VERY GOOD!! read more

Similar to a number of other reviews, we had a mixed experience here. A party of 7 (can only book for 8 or more - may pretend there are 8 of us next time) were told it would be ten minutes, but we actually sat down an hour later. Apparently our "bleeper" malfunction (right). If we'd known it was going to be that long we'd have probably gone next door (free drinks), and by the time we were half way through our meal the place was two thirds empty - so we'd picked a peak moment. Having said that, we all enjoyed the food - I love liver, and it was great to see chicken liver on the starter menu, I think its richness is perfect for Indian style spices. I'm told the chicken tikka starters were great too, and my main course (lamb with okra) was just fine. Since I don't got to Manchester all that often, may well not eat here again, but as a recommendation we certainly thought the food was worth the wait - if we'd known about it in advance! read more

Food good but vibe too much Bollywood for me, noisy and hurried. If you want a relaxing dinner you'd be better off filling a cement mixer with marbles, turning it on at the highest speed and sticking your head inside. Better here for groups of insecure teenagers that like the sound of their own voices. My favourite Indians in Manchester are the original East Z East, Kabana, Rajdoot and Zouk (but not Zouk on a Friday/Saturday too busy) read more

What a Hip joint. After scoping out the reviews, we decided this was the curry joint we were to visit. Needless to say we were the first customers to arrive as they opened the doors at about 5pm. Staff was in an abundance and friendly. Food was outstanding, if you order naan, beware the size is massive, someone referenced African elephant ear. Ambiance and music gave the place a great vibe. Best off all was the price, couldn't ask for a better deal. read more

As you walk in to this restaurant there is a lovely waiting area incase you have to wait for a table to become free. The restaurant does sell alcohol, as many indian restaurants dont which is a plus. The service is really good, and this place can be somewhat of a celeb haunt as it is near the deansgate area of Manchester city centre. The food is fantastic and very reasonably priced for the standard. The restaurant itself is a lovely setting and is very comfortable. Its always busy which for me personaly is a good sign. read more

Akbar's - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Ahh Akhbars! Well its relatively new, and fancy, in Manchester, although the one in Bradford has been around for some years! I have to say the Bradford one has much better food and prices too. The manchester restaurant is more impressive to look at but still the food is some of the best you can get for asain/indian restaurants. Try Makhani dishes..they are my favourite! read more

Best Indian in town without a doubt, the service is over the top but i guess i can't complain about that! The food is fantastic and very good value. Nothing else to say. read more

I have been here a few times. Always really good atmosphere, always busy, amazing food, great service, i could go on and on!! Definitely go for the specials!! Portions are huge, so no snacking before hand!! Nan breads are soft and tasty and the rice is perfect. Also really good value for money. Lighting is a tiny bit dim which makes it a little hard to see the menus but I would defintely go again. read more

As an Indian living abroad I was really looking forward to some good Indian food. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed by the food at Akbar's. Let's start with the positives - my coworker and I arrived without reservations but we were promptly seated. The decor is modern and the ambience is nice overall. It's a pity that this positive start didn't carry through to the rest of the experience. Our waiter arrived within seconds of our seating and demanded to know whether we wanted papadoms or not and what we wanted to drink. When I asked for a couple of minutes since we had just been seated I was told that I should just flag him down when we were ready. Seriously - you can't come and check back with us in 2 mins? The food as I've mentioned above was disappointing - it's not authentic Indian food. The paneer tikka starter was bland and dry, the naan was also dry and tough, and the palak and paneer balti was unbelievably oily and yet somehow tasted burned. All in all I would not recommend this place. The one highlight they got right was the Kulfi. It didn't make up for the lackluster food and service, but it was nice to end the meal on a positive note. read more

Nowhere will get 5/5 so let's start ,It's not a secret that Akbars gets some great reviews and I see no reason why I shouldn't add to their reputation,after all it will keep them on their toes! I,ll start with my only complaint and that is you cannot book for less than 10,why I dunno? But they have their reason,oh and they only serve bottle Cobras etc no draught,but the latter ain't a moan I,ll would much a prefer a beer in the boozer if I want a few,so nay problem really. Our latest visit I took the family for a birthday celebration ,they were all Hammered the night before so an early Sunday evening curry rounded of the W/end in good style,we could book because there were more than 10 of us ,and a good job too,because after opening at at 5 it was soon packed to the rafters. The Service is exceptionally good very attentive but not intrusive ,just how I like it.The main issue the food is great as good probably better than 90% of other places ( btw we think we are experts,we should be by now) and the price ,especially as 'muggins' was paying is spot on,ssssh that's why it was my suggestion! The family naans are like the shroud of Turin! also useful if you have fell out with the Mrs! All in all another boring vote for Akbars. read more

It is a really nice restaurant. I choose this restaurant for my birthday dinner with friends. I was told it was the best curry place in town. Their wait staff is incredibly nice, helpful and prompt. Management staff is wonderful as well. Unfortunately the front end staff I didn't find as friendly....if not a little cold. The naan bread was incredible. I ordered Dansak which is suppose to be sweet n sour. But it wasn't anything of the sort. It was spicy. It was taken back immediately and brought back. This time it look right but had no taste. The rest of my party love their food which made me happy. And honestly nothing could have ruined my birthday. :) overall I had a good time, just wished my meal turned out better. read more

the staff are friendly; they are careful what they do. but the meat for me was undercooked and spicy. in the end I went to eat. for this I give 3 stars read more

The food came promptly and the service was good. The lighting of the place could be brighter ideally. The attraction is their huge naan bread that hangs. However, I did not feel that the main dishes stood out much. Their fish karahi massala did not burst wonder in my taste buds unfortunately. read more

This is one of the best Indian restraunts in Manchester. It is a very nice setting, just off Deansgate it is an excellent location being just around the corner from the canal. The food is really good, especially the family size tear and share nan breads that come on a skewer hook. For a posh restraunt it is very reasonably priced and should be worth a visit for anyone. They also stock a range of beers and wine to go with the meal. read more

Quite simply the best value curry you can get in Manchester. The food is top-notch, the restaurant is spotless, and the prices are verging on takeaway territory. Go for the family naan's, they come hanging from a tree and are MASSIVE and cooked to perfection. The staff are friendly as too, they speak to you on a personal level and really try to get to know you. The only downside really is that the queues can be long and they don't take bookings unless it's for groups. But they have one of those buzzing things that tells you when your table is ready and the bar area is quite substantial so it's not a real problem. It can be noisy at the tables too, someone once described it as a "night club" atmosphere but I don't think I would go that far. To sum up, if you are a fan of good curries then you won't be disappointed with this place. read more

Today we were so down, cuz we were employed to move to new house for a girl. But the boss did not pay us except a can of blue bear. However, every dog has his day. When we first got into this bravo restaurant, we felt our sky turned blue again, the Stars shone again. We had the best ever food in our life recommended by the best ever brilliant waiter Markus. This super talented guy was so friendly, his smile made our sky even more blue, the stars even more shining. He told us that his name means king, but we felt we were the kings. This restaurant, supa nica. We would no doubt come back again. Memeda. read more

Akbar's - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Hip, sexy decor. Waiter service was excellent. Got in on a Tuesday at 5pm, no wait. Curry was pretty good but the star of the show was a giant bread tower thingy. Overall, most of the dishes were spot on flavor-wise. Admittedly I don't know much about Indian food but the food was tasty and the prices were fair. Combine that with nice decor and great service, I'd definitely give this place another go. read more

Fantsatic Indian food in Manchester, England. Great prices and copious amounts of food. Doggie bags are almost always in order here!

My boyfriend and frequent Akbar's at least two or three things a month. The food is great and the naans are huge! Over the last couple visits I've experimented and chosen different kind of dishes, while also stealing tastes of my boyfriends. I'm not expert in Indian cuisine, but Chicken Tikka Masala, and the Baltis are fantastically well done. One of my favourite Baltis is the Chicken Tikka and Keema Balti. Its rich and flavourful and goes great with some garlic naan. The Chef's Challenge is also delicious. It comes with a naan and rice as well which is convient if someone in your party orders it as the rice is enough to serve two, and the naan is the regular size (still really big!). THe best appetiser we've had is the lamb chops, which are spicy but delicious and change in how lamb chops are normally prepared. I would definitely recommend for a nice dinner out or a birthday celebration. The only downside is that it can be quite crowded and they only take bookings for large groups. If you go on a busy evening, you can expect a moderate wait. But, there is a bar with a good selection and a seating area to enjoy a drink or to before you're called to your table. read more

I think curry houses are a bit like you're favourite seat in the lounge, or your side of the bed you sleep on. Everyone has their preference and it will be completely at odds with the person next to you. I'm not a big fan of Akbar's; The service I feel is pretty poor, while they do apologise when you chase up drinks orders, it wears thin when you chase up drinks orders throughout the whole night, indeed even having to chase up different parts of same drinks orders (when I say drinks order, with the exception of our initial order of 6 beers, orders after this were maximum two items long, like water, lassi, bullet in a gun) and whenever I've gone I've always had to chase drinks orders The food I don't rate as highly as other curry houses I like to inhabit like the Mughli, Purple Pakora or Khandoker, this could be because of my preference to milder dishes, Akbars don't seem to understand what mild means and having gone with quite a wide range of people who like heat or don't like heat I've got to try a lot of what they have to offer, and nothing seems to suit people who prefer it toned down. This was the case with my last visit, two people we took would never venture beyond a korma, but equally didn't want to have a korma as it felt a bit samey, so they explained to the waiter what they wanted very mild etc he nodded suggested what they should have... what they got was hotter than my Masala (I say my masala, it was nothing like a masala I've ever had before, so I don't know if it was a masala but that's what they reckon they brought to the table) so considerable dissapointment to those two, probably would have been salvageable for their mouths if the lassi we'd ordered right at the beginning had turned up at the beginning or even the start of the main course rather than turned up halfway through the main after several chasers along side repeated requests for some water at the table for the two with the 'mild' dishes. as you can probably guess with the star rating this review seems to go at odds with views of the place hence my first line, everyone likes their regular curry house, hence it's their regular, and Akbars certainly has no shortage of fans, it never breaks a sweat to fills it's tables, indeed one of my friends at work refuses to go to the Mughli and looks at me oddly when I say I'd rather go somewhere other than Akbars, end of the day we've all got our preferred currified home, the only way to know which yours is, is to go to all of them (maybe not on the same night, stretch it out a little you animal) read more

As a resident of Manchester & someone who has experienced far more curry houses than can possibly be natural, I can tell you, with some authority, that this place is superb. I used to frequent the curry mile restaurants in Rusholme and whilst I still visit regularly for excellent Kobeda Kebabs (@ Rusholme Chippy) & Lamb Shawarma (@ Jaffa), I find the current standard of curry offered is not great. Akbar's, on the other hand, offers both the UK style menu alongside more traditional Asian cuisine. I've been a patron of this restaurant for several years. Considering the central location, it is very reasonably priced & the service is always consistently great! read more

Best curry house in Manchester! (In my humble opinion) it is amazing menu with authentic ingredients! The service is superb!l Tip - book in advance to avoid disappointment. read more

Food wise it's a decent Europeanised Indian restaurant. Considering the number of people they can cater for the food is actually quite good. It's not authentic but well made to what most people expect of a decent curry. Don't think you can do better than others, one naan is enough. Don't be a cowboy. read more

I've enjoyed excellent meals every time I've been here - the food is superb, the service super efficient. The large menu has plenty of choice, and includes a section of mouth-watering vegetarian dishes. Portions are filling and the naan bread is huge! It's a huge, noisy, busy restaurant on a Saturday evening so book ahead or prepare for a wait in the bar area. read more

The food here was outstanding, great service, and unbelieveable naan. I almost deducted one star due to very loud conditions, but ultimately I just couldn't. So far, the best Indian I've had in Manc (but I'll keep searching!) read more

Can't recommend this place enough, 5* service for a cheap price, always busy so book in advance! All the staff are great and the curries are belting, you can even specify how hot you want them! Love it here read more

The best indian I have had in the USA or Europe. The Naan are massive! All veggie dishes and lamb naan are without words! Wow wow wow!

Absolutely delicious. We had pompadours to start and the small sauces plate had four very different tasting relishes. The three of us had three different baltis and all were great. We had a giant garlic naan and two bowls of rice. We finished everything despite its size. Each balti came in an iron bowl that appears small but contains a great portion. The spiciness is not overwhelming but is strong enough that by the end, my mouth had that pleasant numbness that comes with great Indian food. We had to wait 45 mins on a Friday night at 9 pm but there was plenty of space in the extended bar area to hang out. Beer selection was a bummer with just a few light "eastern" beers (all owned by European beer companies) and then some crappy standards. The beer list is definitely the one area of necessary improvement. The service was incredible. Lots of servers and helpers and helpers. There was no issue asking people removing plates and bringing dishes. read more

It can be hard to get a table; but when you do you'll know why. The food here is exceptional. It's head and shoulders above any other Indian in Manchester and the prices are really good too. read more

I went to Akbars with a few friends, I was delighted with the very modern decor, it obviously has had some money thrown at it! The atmosphere was buzzing as it was a Saturday night, and it was the perfect start for a night out on the town. As we had not booked we did have to wait just over half an hour for a table, but that did not bother our group as we could sit at the bar with some well mixed drinks. For me though the food was indeed fresh, It was very filling, there was a good selection of deserts but were much to full on the main course to even be tempted! And the Naans are HUGE! they arrive on a vertical device that holds the bread ... I would only order 1 for about 3 people. Get there early if you can at the weekends, I would choose somewhere a little quieter if you are wanting an intimate dining environment! read more

My reconnection with Yelp has to begin with a story on Akbar's. 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 two would take half an hour and we were handed a bundle of technology which would ring when our table was ready. Genius. The last time I saw one of these was in NYC, I liked that touch. 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. Thank you for mister fake nice. He really didn't seem as if he wanted to be there at all, which was a shame. 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. Doggy bag please? Yes of course, except when we got home the naan was forgotten. Oh mister waiter man, what happened to our dedicated service? Anyway in summary it was great curry, excellent priced in a great location in the lovely Castlefield. I'm definitely back again and it clearly is a favourite amongst a lot of other Mancunians. Well done Akbar's. Who does need the curry mile now.. read more

Really good food, was packed on a random cold Tuesday night lots of large groups. Their gimmick is the huge naan, which was surprisingly good for its size. Ingredients tasted fresh. My neighbors enjoyed their meal as well. The only thing to keep in mind, in my one experience, there was no customization. I requested low oil and low salt, but got regular style. If you're in the area and want to try Indian/Pakistani this is recommended. read more

Quite simply the best Indian restaurant i've ever been to. the place was heaving at 9pm on a Tuesday, and it's not as if its small, and the food was superb. Not greasy or stodgy, perfectly cooked with excellent service and nice range of beers to wash it down with. read more

Always good to go with a group! Great food, atmosphere and service at a reasonable price. The portions are big but try and squeeze in one of their amazing starters, heard the desserts are good here too. Be prepared to wait for a table (even if you have booked). Feel like they keep you waiting longer than necessary so you buy more drinks at the bar. read more

I just went here for a business dinner with three other guys. Everyone enjoyed their food, the locals really enjoyed it, it was packed, and the prices were great. It was about 100 GBP for 4 starters, 4 main dishes, 2 sides, 1 family naan, 2 rice sides, and 10 beers. Really good prices. read more

Best curry I've had in England. The appetizers were on par as well. The tikka chicken and lamb chops were incredible. The service was great and the bill for 11 people ended up coming out to $30 (USD) a person. Not bad at all. I will be full for the next two day! 10/10!!! read more

This place looks all fancy! But the food is not worth the price plus the food is not so great!!

Loving the neon pink atmosphere, clean and habitat meets Monsoon home store decoration and amazing service. The enormous naan hung up is fun to fight over with your mates read more