Panahar – Bangladeshi Place

Went to Panahar because a friend had heard it was amazing. Well, we booked a reservation, which I would recommend because it is small. The garlic naan was amazing and would be the one reason I would go back (or honestly not to sit and eat, but just grab an order of naan and run). I also ordered the mixed naan, meh, would not order this one again. Dipping sauces for naan were great too. The waitress kept pushing us to order appetizers for our wait (so we eventually broke down and asked for the naan to come out first and a couple of friends order soup and chapati as pre eats). Well, we got half the naan. Had to flag down waiters to bring the rest. Had to flag down another waiter eventually when my friends soup didn’t show. And again had to flag down yet another waiter to get the chapati. So, they really try to push you to order an appetizer I guess because the food can take a bit, but you ultimately have to keep track and keep asking them for what you ordered. I had the chicken tikka masala, it was good, not great, but good. After 45 mins into the meal, I finally got the limes I had ordered with my water when I first sat down. That was also when our original waitress finally showed back up to the table. So I would say go buy naan here, but the service is lacking and just didn’t knock my socks off with anything else.

Ordered delivery from this place and the food was pretty lackluster. The Lamb kebabs were overcooked and dry, almost to the point of being a little hard. The samosas had a very greasy pastry, and the filling was really odd. The chicken samosa filling for instance was weird — it wasn’t obvious that this was chicken.

First time visit. Tried the buffet and it was as good as any I’ve had. Nothing is labeled but the host very graciously described each dish. Sampled everything and enjoyed them all. It’s a fairly small dining room but very well arranged and nicely decorated. Would not hesitate to come again.

Love this place. Ripon da is excellent in his service. If you want a Bangladeshi place, this is it. Ditch the below par Americanized Indian buffet you go to, and come here. Trust me, you won’t regret it. The food is authentically Bangladeshi, home cooked style, and naan is made to order even with the buffet (just ask!), the décor reminds you of desi dhabas. Parking is free and ample. Service is excellent. Prices are very reasonable.

If you are going to their buffet with kids, they charge $ 10 to an infant too. I went there with my husband, my 6 years old and 2 years old and they charged $ 10 for each $ 40+ tip. I don’t recommend going to this restaurant with little one. The food and their service aren’t bad. I wish they have a little less for kids.

Great food, great flavors. Would rate ⁵⁄₅ if not for the small size and crowded experience. Still worth it.

I have never written a Unilocal review before but I loved this place so much that I had to. Super reasonable prices, incredible food (we had the samosas for appetizer and lamb korma and chicken tikka masala for our meal). The waitstaff was so kind and respectful. BYO alcohol because there’s no corking fee! I can’t wait to come back again. It was amazing.

A group of friends and I visited Panahar one night, and the service was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The ambiance was a little too intimate for my taste, though colorful and romantic. While not being too high scale a restaurant, the waiters graciously unfolded our napkins and placed them in our laps (which impressed me).
The food was incredible. Dishes were shared among each other in our group, but I ordered the chicken Shaag Ponir Maang-​sho and it was absolutely delectable. A perfect creaminess that didn’t tire the more you ate. A friend got a fish dish, but the onions were slightly overbearing. Despite the fancy names, the menu does a great job of explaining details of the dishes. Definitely visiting again.

When our East Atlanta dinner plans got cancelled, my boyfriend and I dropped in here since it was so close. I’m so glad we did– it was amazing. Service was phenomenal, food was outstanding and well-​priced, and atmosphere was lovely. The spiced iced tea is delicious, as is the naan. For meals, you really can’t go wrong– I had the Shaag Ponir Maang-​sho and my boyfriend had the Dhaan-​shaag. Both were amazing. If you’re not familiar with Indian food, don’t worry– everything is clearly explained on the menu, so it’s easy to sort out what you want. Totally a diamond in the rough place that you’ve got to try.

My absolute favorite. For $ 2 you can get literally 10 pieces of naan bread. Obsessed with all of their vegetarian dishes and the chicken Tika! The service is great. The décor and location are special but it’s fitting. A neighborhood gem.

This place was delicious! Cool atmosphere and very friendly staff. We ordered the appetizer plater for two, Korma with beef, Shaag Ponir Maang-​Sho with chicken and both the garlic and mixed naan. Everything was amazing. We will definitely be back. Just don’t forget to BYOB.

This is pretty bad food, catering to folks who have no idea what good Bangladeshi food tastes like. The raita is loaded with sugar, the biriyani is mediocre and the chicken tandoori is made chicken that is well past its prime. Another sign is that there is not a single south Asian that dines here.

So you’d probably never drive by and think to walk in here, or might not even notice it. But Panahar has the most amazing food, the coziest atmosphere (get a booth!) and some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.
My husband and I have been coming here for 6 years and have never had a bad experience. We’re vegetarian so I can’t speak to the meat dishes, but all the veggie options are amazing. Some of our favorites are the Halim soup (squeeze in the lime!), Channa Begoon (eggplant & chickpeas), Shaag Bhaaji (spinach & amazing spices), and rice w/​peas & raisins.
Make a reservation if you’re eating around 7 or later (especially if you want a booth… they get packed on weekend nights.)
We’ve tried a lot of Indian and Bangladeshi all over the world, but nothing beats the amazing food, atmosphere & people you’ll find at Panahar.

Panahar is a tiny hole-​in-​the-​wall Bangladeshi restaurant that just lights up my life. As far as ethnic restaurants go, hole-​in-​the-​wall is usually a gold star and Panahar was no exception. The décor is dated, but you’re really not going to notice because you’re going to be way too busy cramming your face with any/​all of the naan that you can possibly order. Plain, garlic, cheese, mixed naan? Whatever, give it to me so I can eat it as fast as humanly possible. The naan here is SO, SO good. The chicken tikka masala is so delicious, and the sauce is pleasantly creamy and tangy. The basmati rice that is served with the entrees is perfectly spiced and I could literally eat a whole bucket of it if my shame didn’t stop me.
The last time I went to Panahar, we had the lunch buffet. Please do yourself a favour and try to make it to a Panahar lunch buffet ASAP. That day, they had the chicken rezala, which is a Bengali dish similar to a chicken curry. The sauce was sweet and creamy and mild and so, so flavourful. It tasted of sweet, slightly caramelized onions, a hint of cashew, and a just bit of cinnamon. The flavour was complex and delightful and my fiancée and I were seriously discussing just taking the whole pan back to our table. I’m trying to find out from their website if it’s a regular item on their menu, but the website is not great.
Also, I have no pictures of my food from Panahar, because while I wait for it all I can do is count the minutes until my food arrives and, the second it hits my table, I immediately start stuffing my face. Maybe someday I’ll remember to take a picture before I start stuffing my face, but it won’t be any time soon.

I come to this place at least once a week, it’s very close to my work. I go there at lunch time, when they have barely open, so the food (buffet) and the naan (oh the naan…) is hot and delicious. My favorite is the haalim soup, I always have 2 cups, it’s pretty spicy. The tandoori chicken and the chickpea salad also my favorite.
It’s a very small restaurant, but that doesn’t bother me, since I have to go in and out fast.
The staff is not always the best, when the good waiter is not there (forgot his name) and it’s busy, it is chaos, but I go there so much that I don’t need to be waited on, I just take the things I need (ha!)
So, if you are not intimidated by buffets, try this place, you won’t regret it. Don’t forget to dunk the naan in the soup!

Make sure you get there plenty early. Thats is rule #1 for all buffets, but had not been an issue here before. I got there though later than normal, and a group of 4 had just walked in ahead of me. This was probably about 210p and they close at 230p.
They usually are good about refilling the bins of food but today they only added chicken to just one and that was it. Then they guy said they were going to close shortly and grab what you want to go! Thats not good! So if you want to make sure you avoid this, get there plenty early I thought this was one place that one didnt have to worry about that but today proved me wrong.

Buffet was not fresh. Food was lukewarm at best. What did one expect from a buffet? On the plus side, regular menu items were offered. Server did come around with hot, fresh naan when we ordered from the menu.
Service was friendly. We even got complimentary meal cards.
The food seemed to be better the second time. Tandoori chicken was tender and flavorful. I was impressed by the potatoes. One potato dish was mixed with broccoli. These potatoes were soft and spiced well. The other potato dish came with gravy and beef. I couldn’t finish one piece of beef because I did not like it. I enjoyed the paneer. Again, I’m a fan of potatoes and cheese. «Butter chicken» was a bit sour for my taste. Eggs could have used more flavor. I like that there were a lot of vegetable options. Cabbage were not something to rave home about. Naan and rice were plain. I had hoped they would be aromatic.
Mango lassi was not overwhelmingly sweet as I feared. It did have a slight tart taste though.
Service was consistently friendly. Good price for a lunch buffet. Probably worth it for those that can eat a lot and don’t have high expectations of Indian buffet food.

This place is a 6! Best South Asian cuisine that I’ve ever tasted.
Food: Amazing 6. Common people, I am a believer of Bangladeshi cuisine (very similar to Indian). I had the special — some creamy mangoey and spicy sauce. The garlic naan was moist but the coconut naan won the trophy. My appetizer as the Poori, which I got for the first time and enjoyed wrapping it up. Foodgasm all around.
Service: 4.5. Very casual and intimate. They know and are open to their patrons. I noticed the personal touch but sometimes forgetful of little requests like lemon wedges.
Ambience/​Location: 4. Inside is chic and tables are close to each other like many other South Asian restaurants. Location is in a mall — why is this a thing in Atlanta?
This lady is going back. Believe!

My friends and I decided to try this place for our Indian food get together. We weren’t here for the lunch buffet, but I wish we were because we only tried the mixed naan, tandoori chicken, and saag paneer chicken.
The chicken in both dishes were overly cooked and super dry. The spices were super tame — I didn’t get the blast of spice that I was hoping for at all, and naan was $ 2 – 3, which is meh. However, the ingredients tasted fresh and the service was good.
Bottom line, I don’t think I’d come back unless it’s for the lunch buffet. I don’t know why, but a lot of the Indian food in this area (read, Café Bombay) is super tame, so I might have to run to Alpharetta sometime for their buffets.

I feel like Panahar is a hidden gem that I’m lucky enough to have hidden behind my apartment.
I really struggled with giving them three and not 4 or 5 stars. I have eaten hear maybe 10 times now, and about 6 of them have been 4 or 5 start experiences.
Service — Always a 5
Atmosphere — 4 Nicer inside that the «complex» would make you believe but a bit small so not good for parties
Food — Here is where the 3 stars come in. They have an incredible variety of naan which is something that makes the restaurant stand out to me. Most of the time anything on the menu is delicious, but unfortunately its just not consistent enough for a higher rating. I’ve had one or two bad experiences with the food I picked up to go being a little off, and a couple nights where I hyped up the restaurant to friends and ended up being a little bit let down as it wasn’t up to the standards I had been raving about.
I’ll continue to come back, just be sure to try them more than once because they have off nights. However, it’s not worth judging them and missing the ON night.

YES YES YES.
Panahar is absolutely my favorite place to eat (this coming from a girl who was only introduced to Indian/​Bangladeshi food a year ago).
It can be a bit intimidating to someone visiting for the first time but the wait staff will walk you through anything and everything you have questions on. My boyfriend and his family have been coming for years and anytime I visit with him I feel like a celebrity!
Whether you love heat or more on the tame side like myself, they have something for everyone — this restaurant is one of the few places I order enough food to hate myself and eat just a little bit more.
I recommend starting with the appetizer platter, it gives you a good intro and lots of flavor. It has Bangladeshi versions of vegetable and chicken samosas, and vegetable pakoras (aka deep fried balls of deliciousness). The shrimp poori is also one of my favorites. you get a big puff of bread that you deflate and put an onion/​shrimp mixture in, roll up like a burrito, and chow down!
Both the Mulligatawny and Halim soups are killer. They are lentil based so they are really savory. The Halim has more heat than the Mulligatawny so make sure to have some water handy!
My two favorite entrees are the Korma and the Tikka Masala. You can choose your meat for each (chicken, lamb, shrimp, paneer — aka cheese, or goat!) and go to town! Basmati rice acts as your base and you spoon the sauce and meat on top. Tikka Masala is a tomato based ride to flavor town that is like the best tomato soup you ever had but as a rich cream sauce that’s much thicker. Korma is a sweet yellow dish which has plump raisins that give it just that hint of sweetness. I recommend this one with shrimp — the flavors really compliment nicely.
Another bonus — it’s BYOB but they don’t have a corking fee. Wine, beer, liquor, whatever suits your fancy. They will take stuff that needs to be kept cold to their fridge in the back so it’s perfect when you need it.
Just writing this review is making my mouth water. Definitely a must visit! And when you do — make sure to get an extra order of na’an. It’s the best I’ve found in town.