Akbar Cuisine of India - Pasadena — Restaurant in Pasadena

We visited this restaurant few days back and had a worst experience. None of the food tasted good and the quantity was too too less for the price we paid. When we asked as why only four cauliflowers are given for gobi Manchurian with lots of onion and capsicum, the restaurant person said sarcastically that we should order another plate. Why we should pay hefty price for just 4 little pieces of cauliflower and buy another plate of that too? (Other restaurants give more quantity with good taste for less price). Also, it tasted as if it was dipped in an unbearably spicy chilly sauce instead of Manchurian sauce and served to us. Moreover, for banarasi pillau, it was written in the menu card that it’ll be served with vegetables, nuts and raisins but we did not find any nuts or raisins in it and the quantity was too less for the price and tasted like turmeric rice. Even for the shrimp curry with rice that we ordered, quantity was too less for the price and taste was bad as well. The dhal which was given in that platter was the worst ever dhal we had tasted (it was just bland). Even we saw another Indian family giving back the ordered food and asking for replacement. Other customers were non-Indians who obviously would not know much about the authentic taste of Indian food and this says much about that restaurant. We paid huge amount of money for food unworthy for that price and left hugely disappointed. Because of the unbearably spicy chilly sauce that was used in the gobi Manchurian , we had severe heart and stomach burning (acidity) within few minutes of eating this food and we visited another Indian restaurant to have rose milk to appease the acidity. Can never forget this worst experience in our lifetime!

Update: Here is my response to the reply you provided to my original feedback above. Thanks for replying to my previous comment. But your reply to my feedback shows how arrogant you are when anyone provides a valid feedback. My feedback could have helped you improve the quality of the food you serve, but you seem to be not realizing it. Am I not in touch with reality? I have been eating at other Indian restaurants in LA Metro and I can certainly vouch I never had a food as bad as you served and never encountered a restaurant owner who insults their customers when they offer a honest feedback. No wonder I saw asian customers already deserted your restaurant. Friends from Pasadena area told me they avoid going to your restaurant and suggested I should have done the same, when I told them about my recent experience at your place. Hope you can enjoy serving your sub-standard food to your non-Asian customers who might not know how these dishes are...

I passed by on my way home and decided to give it a try. I've tried several Indian restaurants and my all time favorite is the little hole in the wall Al Watan on Inglewood Ave in the City of Hawthorne. It's lunch/prison tray style for their specials. But.... I have to give credit to Akbar because as a first timer here ... The food was good. I definitely would return if ever in the area. Ok so on to my review. I got the Garlic Naan, Paneer Makhani, Basmati Rice and Curry Chicken with a mango lassi to wash everything down. They have spicy levels from 1 to 5. I chose a 3 and 4 and their spice level fell short for me. I expected a 4 spice level to be more spicier but now I know to opt for the 5 level. All of the food was delicious I have no complaint about the flavor. Restaurant was clean! I arrived at about 8pm and the gentleman who greeted me first acted as if he couldn't accept me because it was 8pm. Their hours show closing at 9pm. I thought 1 hour before closing was good, but sometimes staff clean up earlier than they should and when they get the stragglers they turn them away. He did turn away customers as I was eating at about 8:30pm. Honestly... That's bad business. If you state your hours are 9pm then you should have been able to receive customers 30 mins before closing. This is how you lose business. That's just my opinion. When he did accept me he made it seem as if he was doing me a favor by accepting me at now 8:07pm. There were patrons there before me who had finished eating and were just talking. I actually have the courtesy to leave when I know restaurant is closing. I left before those patrons who had been there long before I arrived. I still left a $20 tip for being allowed to dine. One thing I do believe is a bit odd is the pricing. $5 for a garlic naan?! Come now?! That's overpriced. Their prices are not reasonable. The amount of food you receive for the price you pay is not fair. If you look at my pictures the dishes they serve the food in are too big to use for the food. Some establishments usually use oversized dishes to serve their food in, which gives it the illusion that you are getting a lot, which is what is going on here. But I can't knock a business for trying to make money. If the food was nasty then I would say yes it's not worth it. But I would return if ever in the area because it was good overall and it can help me with my Indian craving when I'm here on this...

AKBAR CUISINE OF INDIA in PASADENA CLOSED 2-3 MONTHS AGO in August (posted 10/11/25). We were looking forward to celebrating my friend's birthday yesterday at Akbar with their wonderful Crab Curry dish when we when we learned of this news 😢. I heard there is a plan to reopen in 2026 and I certainly hope Akbar returns soon!

THE BEST INDIAN FOOD RESTAURANT in Pasadena and my absolute favorite Indian food in all of Los Angeles!!! I believe their Akbar in Marina Del Rey is still open.

The Crab Curry is excellent and unique -- I've never seen it anywhere else! It is a dish that owner/chef Avinash created specially for their restaurants. 3 Cheese Naan bread so fresh and full of cheese it's a meal in itself. Also love their Chicken with mangoes and so many other dishes that are so delicious!!! I get hungry just thinking about it! Much more convenient and accessible than my other favorite Indian food restaurant, which is in Nice,...