Ajwa Halal Restaurant — Restaurant in Upper Darby

We moved to the neighborhood about a year ago, and ever since, we have been ordering from this place at least once a month because of how much we like the quality of the food and the professionalism of the staff. I especially love their achari chicken tikka masala and have probably ordered this dish more than ten times by now—this should tell you how good they make it.

However, about a month ago, I had guests visiting, and I really wanted them to try this dish. So, I ordered two achari chicken tikka masalas and a goat biryani. Unfortunately, the achari chicken tikka masala was very watery and bland, completely inconsistent with their usual quality. The biryani was overly salty.

Additionally, on one occasion, they added green chilies to the achari chicken tikka masala, which had never been there in my previous ten-plus orders. It was overwhelming to bite into whole green chilies, making the dish less enjoyable. Something tells me they might have a new chef or something has changed in the kitchen.

That being said, they usually package their food well—it always comes with a packed container of rice and a side of salad, which is a nice touch.

I was very disappointed because this has been one of my favorite spots, and I wanted to share it with my guests. Nonetheless, I would still give this place another chance. Hopefully, this was just a one-off situation, and they improve their quality and consistency.

UPDATE :

The owner reached out and explained that during the particular week when my order wasn’t up to par, there was a temporary change in staff. He was very humble and kind, apologizing for the inconvenience and offering a free Achari Chicken Tikka Masala. And my god, that dish was absolutely delicious—we thoroughly enjoyed it! We truly appreciate this level of attention to customer satisfaction and will definitely be...

I've been buying here since they opened and never left my review. I was a little upset the prices have gone up over the years but the quality of the food is still absolutely amazing and still the same that made me fall in love with it. If you truly know Halal, you know that every Halal culture has a different flavor and different taste and I have tried halal from all over the city and none of them taste like the Pakistani Halal at Ajwa. The seasoning they use for the chicken over rice and kabob over rice is so good and is more true to the middle eastern style of the cuisine, paired with the aromatic long grain basmati rice is exceptional. I have never, had bad food from the restaurant. There are cheaper Halal options around the corner but I would rather spend more money here for this flavor. May Allah continue to bless your success. When people care about what they cook, you can taste it...

The owner of this restaurant is a very kind person. I informed him that my order was short a chicken kabob the last time I came and he insisted on paying for my order this time. I have been getting take out from here for the past 2 months and the food is absolutely delicious! My favorite is the chicken kabobs, garlic naan and samosa chat without lettuce. But today I ordered the chicken samosa because they looked and smelled so good and I was so delighted with the taste. It was filled with juicy season chicken and had a buttery flaky crust. It was THE BEST chicken samosa I have ever tasted and I have been to several Indian restaurants. This place is delicious and their prices are affordable! I will be back this week. I...