Panahar Bangladeshi Cuisine

09/27/09

Great food, wonderful service

by SQL11 at Citysearch

From the moment you walk into Panahar, you are treated like a treasured guest. The waiters enthusiastically explain all items on the menu and make recommendations (which all proved to be excellent choices.) They do not offer alcohol for sale but you are welcome to BYOB which they will happily uncork (for free) and serve you. (A nice plus not having to pay $10 for a glass of wine like at so many other places.)

As I mentioned, the food was excellent. (I'm new to Bangladeshi & Indian food, so whether or not it was authentic, I can't say, but it was delicious.)

Prices are very reasonable -- my friend and I had appetizers, 2 main courses, an order of special rice and bread, and 2 desserts (one of which was on the house) all for $32!!!! I'll definitely be back soon.

• Pros: Food, service, BYOB
• Cons: tacky 1970's ambience, but, hey, it's part of the charm

07/21/09

Yummy but don't go if you have a deadline!

by aryeeka at Citysearch

I really enjoy dining at this restaurant, however over the numerous times I've been the service is consistently sloooww! That may be a positive -- perhaps if it's a date night when you'd prefer to not be rushed -- but I've learned that if I go it'll be a minimum of an hour and a half before I'm out the door.

• Pros: Delicious food, BYOB
• Cons: Sloooww service

12/29/08

Average cusine presented with loads of useless information

by Autobot1 at Citysearch

First of all I would like to say that the place is not bad. Food is average to decent. Some dishes might be better. But I wouldn't go gaga over the editorial review. I really never liked any editorial reviews or ratings based on critiques being invited to taste their food. If you've invited a guest to your house wouldn't you keep your house tidy and clean, cook nice food? So if a food critique is invited to a restaurant, he/she will be treated with utmost care and the best quality food will be served. As a result a very positive review. But is it the case when you go to a restaurant on any given day? Food critiques should always go unannounced. Before writing a review let me state that I?m an Indian. I like to explore different cuisines. I have tried all sorts of regional cuisines in India and international cuisines here in US & UK.

I have read all the 57 reviews written so far. If you observe closely, users with Indian names didn't like it very much. But western reviewers have maximum praise for the owner. And it happened with me also. One reviewer raised this point. If you are from the Indian subcontinent you'll treated in a different way. We are used to this kind of "Hospitality". But if you happen to be a westerner then it might seem to be very polite overtly caring and genuinely inviting. After being received in such a way you might not like to complain about anything. Just ignore it. The hospitality makes the food taste better !! Yes it?s true. It's one of the inherent philosophies in the subcontinent. The owner was explaining me about the menu and there came some American guests. Drop everything !!! He ran towards them and offered them quick service. It happened twice during my stay.

Bottom line is food is average there. But if you are a westerner; because of the "Hospitality" you might like the food. Hence so many good reviews from westerners. But very few good reviews from Indians.

• Pros: Price
• Cons: Different skin color leads to different service

09/26/08

Good Food

by irizayo at Citysearch

We recently started our own quest: to find the best indian restaurant in Atlanta for us. This is our second one and it was good. The ambiance, the cleanliness, the bringing your own wine/beer. As appetizers we ordered some Halim (the grounded lentil soup with herbs and spices) and it was outstanding... the touch of lime was genius! and the Chicken Shingaara (deep fried chicken-potato dumpling) and they were very good and flavorful. As main dishes we ordered: Lamb/Shrimp/Chicken Biriyani (rice with all those goodies inside) with a side order of Raita (yogurt sauce with black pepper and tiny pieces of cucumber and carrots. This dish was superb. The rice was so flavorful! It was spicy, but in a perfect balance. The yogurt sauce on top of the rice gave it another layer of flavor and creaminess. I would recommend it .

The second dish was Shrimp Bhoona Maang-sho (shrimp in a sauce of onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers) and a side order of white rice with peas inside. I think I made a mistake with this dish... I was expecting it to be hot and spicy, but it was not. No spicy at all. When I asked the manager, he told me that it comes with 'zero' chile peppers, but that if I would have requested it with a "+1" then it would have been spicy, a "+2" would have been even hotter, etc. I found that the shrimp sauce needed a bit of salt, but maybe it was part of my disappointment with the no chile on it... I did not finish my dish (the portions are huge) and I am going to try to improve on the salt/spice to see how different it becomes.

The manager of the night (Mirza) was very gentle and kind... but beware, he is an excellent seller... if we let him we would have purchase food for 12 instead of two...

We would go back to this restaurant.

09/08/08

Food is OK, but..

by Sesh at Citysearch

I visited this place after reading good reviews. My suggestion would be, if you are from any country in the Indian sub-continent this place is not for you. To be precise, you could probably cook better food yourself. Another thing I have noticed is you would be treated slightly differant from your fellow American customers. It is sad, but a fact.

09/01/08

Favorite place in Atlanta to eat.

by mmmae at Citysearch

This is the best food you can get in Atlanta for such a great place. I've been there about 15 times, and every time I go....it's the best.

The dhaang shaag dish is soooo yummy, as well as the vindaloo.

I went with another person and we ordered 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, bread, rice, and mango chutney...all for $30 bucks!!!

I send everyone to Panahar

• Pros: Food, Service, BYOB
• Cons: Nothing

08/15/08

Best Indian/Bangladeshi food BY FAR

by decaturdm at Citysearch

this food is like HOME COOKING. this is as good as bengali/bangladeshi food gets. and the buffet is a steal. I suggest people ask for the lamb dish made with green mangoes that is off the menu, it is so good. the saag and veg items are also on point.

• Pros: food, price, service
• Cons: none

08/11/08

Authentic Bangladeshi buffet

by Mij at Citysearch

Food is fantastic - fresh, authentic and well-prepared. The warm nan bread goes with everything - come hungry and you won't be disappointed. Great service, great value.

• Pros: Authentic cuisine
• Cons: Could use more plate clearers at peak times

07/08/08

Be careful ...all Indian restaurants are rated 4 or more on 5

by Padru at Citysearch

There is no Indian restaurant that does not have a 4 / 4.5 star review. Pl be careful. We are an unethical breed of people and inflate our ratings. Least realising that all indian restaurants end up being 4.5 on 5. Pl use word of mouth and personal discretion to visit all of these restaurants.

I wish health and happiness in yr experimentation with food.

07/03/08

Good food and good service

by apache6131 at Citysearch

My girlfriend and I went for dinner last night and the owner greeted us and told us that there was no alcohol served there, but there was no uncorking fee. He also helped my girlfriend choose a dish by asking her what she liked and didn't like. She ended up ordering something that wasn't on the menu at his suggestion, saying that the best things were not on the menu. She enjoyed her meal of spinach and garbanzo beans, and my Tandoori lamb was great as well.

My only minor issue with the restaurant was that they charge for small things that most other places include with an entree or appetizer, such as naan or the raita garnish, though I guess it makes sense to not have to pay for them in the price of the meal if they are not wanted.

Also, if it is your first trip there, you receive a coupon good for 25% off any future dinners for the next two months, which was nice.

• Pros: Food, Service
• Cons: Nickel and diming on small items