Apna Kabab House

They found rotting & stinking goat carcasses in the dumpster behind this place! Be careful …

Apna Kabab House is CLOSED… They have new owners (Called September 2014) and they do not serve any thing made out of beef.

Went for weekend lunch buffet as I was in the area and it was recommended by a friend. The place is attached to a market and it seems they are still working on the restaurant side.
As far as the buffet, it’s pretty standard Indian/​Pakistani fare. At first, I was a bit disappointed at the selection and the fact that several items were pretty much gone even though it was well before 1pm. But shortly after sitting, items did start slowly coming out of the kitchen.
Now the good part, the food itself was pretty good! Everything tasted fresh which is likely why they have fewer items. That’s a good trade off in my book. Probably the best butter chicken I’ve had, super moist! Good tandoori, channa, etc. Pretty good dosa and naan too.
They need to work on the logistics of running a restaurant a bit but I would definitely go back if I was in the area.

I have tried few time Apna Kabab House buffet and most of the time it was leftover food from previous day. Food dose not test good at all, except few items. This place is also over priced. They used to have good options of several different BBQ combo dished, which used to be good at reasonable prices, but few months ago they have increased the prices and since then I have stop going there.

My first time (in a long time) having Indian food and this was so good, I went back the next night. The curry goat was amazing and the butter chicken was awesome! Make sure to visit the little market attached as well. We discovered the best little date cookies you will ever taste and pure date purée — check them out!

I ordered the curry chicken to go so I only got a partial experience. 3 stars isn’t bad, just nothing blew me away. I would have preferred the chicken not on the bone as it made it pretty hard to eat without getting little bone pieces. The spice was an appropriate level that built as I ate until my mouth was on fire. The naan bread was tasty and I was excited with the amount of bread. Some times you get a tiny little piece which is not enough for the meal.
I will be back again to try some other dishes to possibly give another star.

The first impression you get when you enter this place is the smell of exotic spices. Even if you’ve never experienced middle eastern cuisine, you’ll start to salivate. I like to describe it as ‘home cookin’.
I love how this place definitely appeases my naan craving.
You can make a meal with the naan! They definitely know how to make great middle eastern home cookin here. Butterchicken and chicken tikka masala are what I suggest to those not familiar with this type of cuisine. Move up to coconut korma and try some samosas. This place is wonderful and I encourage everyone to try it.

Looking for chickpeas in bulk? Need to get your hands on the latest dal? Fiending for a five pound bag of some random spice (like sumac or saffron)? Seeking out the latest in Indian snack foods or movies? Then this is the place for you. This small grocery store (which is actually hooked to the Kabab House) has many of the necessary items for home cooked Indian food. The prices are very reasonable. Most are comparable (if not better) than your larger supermarkets (with a lot more to choose from). This particular store is not as big as Patel Brothers and some of the other grocers on Fowler but it is a lot closer for those of us that live in New Tampa. I can’t vouch for any of their takeout food (I haven’t eaten any) but for my grocery needs they are A-​Ok.

It was okay. The food was okay. It did bring some spice into mundane Tampa but that was about it. The food was below average for Indian food especially since I ordered it off the dinner menu and not the buffet. I ordered the Lamb Biryani but it seemed premade. It was under seasoned and somewhat stale. I wanted super spicy so they just added Thai chilis which is unimaginative and unauthentic. There were barely any meat on the bones. They also did not bring the yogurt sauce until I requested it. Word of advice: don’t cut cost by sacrificing quality of the food but rather inventory control.
The service was friendly but unprofessional as the waiter was also a cashier in the grocery store connected to the restaurant. I had a hard time getting their attention and they didn’t fill my water until it was empty and they didn’t provide me with napkins when I had used all of them. I also paid in the grocery store.
Setting was typical indian restaurant but they were connected to the grocery store. there was no separation, not even an blind.
The food wasn’t cheap either. I would try other places.

This place is clean, delicious, and it smells just fantastic! The food is really good. The selection is decent an the service is really friendly. :) I would go back in a heart bit. The butter chicken is to die for. Then i had the goat and it was really well cooked. I tried a couple other plates that I any pronounce, and oh my! So good!
Who wants to join me here tomorrow? Lol

I stumbled upon this place north Tampa by mere coincidence, it must be a new establishment, it is a Indian/​paki restaurant (Buffet) plus, an Indian/​Middle Eastern grocery), I ordered the butter chicken to go and it was delicious! I also stocked up on some Middle Eastern grocery like tahini and humus. Overall, it was a good experience, I might have to try their buffet another time to sample the rest of their menu.

My friends and I went here after finding out our go-​to Indian restaurant was closed that night =(We were still craving Indian food so we decided to try this place as we have always thought about trying it since we always pass by it on Bruce B. Downs. We were the only people here but that’s ok. The man who was our server was very nice, and our food came out promptly. We ordered chicken curry, butter chicken, goat curry, and chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, and veggie samosas. The garlic naan and samosas were delicious! Our dishes were good however, they were kinda bland and were missing that kick of spice mostly found in Indian food.
It didn’t help that one of us had to go hunt down our server who was found in the attached grocery store to get our check. I believe it was nice of him to let us eat but should still pop his head in once in awhile! Overall, it hit the spot and we’re happy to live nearby where we can get this food. =) It won’t be our first pick though since spice was lacking and was pretty expensive ($ 78 for 3 people) since there aren’t any specials offered. I think the lunch buffet would be a better deal, so I will have to come back and try that! =)

I am not sure if I walked into this place on a wrong day. I was expecting to have a nice chicken briyani but totally disappointed. The briyani was lukewarm and was not fresh, they heated already prepared briyani and served after 15 minutes.

We went here for dinner one night and no one was there. I just couldn’t believe it. This place has very delicious food. We also had some delicious beer here. My favorite thing about the whole thing (other than the really delicious curries and naan) was the Indian music station playing authentic music.

We stopped in the other night and were concerned that Apna might be closed as the place was empty. Thankfully, an employee came in to greet us and ensured us that they were open and the food was delicious. He was right. We both enjoyed our meals, the paneer butter masala and the lamb kebab, and thought the value was great for the price.
Unfortunately, we do not live in the area but I would recommend Apna for their buffet. Reading the labels, it looks like they have a great assortment and for $ 9.99 you can’t go wrong!

I am not an South Asian cuisine expert, but I do know what I like. According to their signage, they are Indian/​Pakistani restaurant. The food here isn’t as spicy (favor) as some of the Indian food I have tasted. There is a hint of sweetness to the food that makes it quite nice. My family ordered family style and we tried:
Tandori Chicken: very good in favor, with a hint of heat. The pieces were kind of small.
Butter Chicken: very nice northern Indian dish. The gravy made the white rice amazing. Wish we had order more than 1 dish.
Chicken Tikka Masala: very creamy and delish!!! The small amount of veggies in it wasn’t mushy like some places I have been to before.
Beef Seekh Kabab: tasty but doesn’t compare to the Persian version, which is more fragrant and stronger in flavor. This dish is good for people who can’t handle the spice.
Nihari: reminds me of a Vietnamese style beef stew but more in Indian favors.
Vegetable Biryani: rice with a veggie kick. I am not a big fan of basmati rice, but how it was prepared made it perfect to soak up all the gravies from the dishes that we ordered.
Garlic Naan: very good and garlicky.
The service here isn’t very great. The guy that was working the store was also the one hosting and waiting. When more customers came in, the lady from the back of the house came to delivery the food to the table. Since it was slow, we didn’t really care too much but this would be a problem if it was busier.

Apna Kabab House is not a bad spot off Bruce B Downs Blvd just before County Line Road. It shares a plaza with Marco’s Pizza and Brewster’s. Im not a fan of Indian/​Pakistani food even though i must admit that it is one of the most fragrant and vivid foods on the planet.
I ordered the Butter Chicken which wasnt bad, just not a fan of the texture and creaminess, but it did taste good. I give 3 stars because i felt the food was overpriced, but then again it was Halal so for those whose faith/​spirituality requires them to have such blessed food will find it a nice establishment to have a meal out.

Coming from somebody that has never had Indian/​Pakistani food before: I would come back again. Food was quite different, but intriguing. I had a platter with a bunch of different meats on it, and my friend had a rice and lamb dish. Great use of herbs and spices. Most everything had a kick to it. Will be back to try the butter chicken!

Better than all the other Indian/​Pakistani restaurants in Tampa. A bit far from central Tampa but well worth the drive. The closest thing to authentic Mughal food from India/​Pakistan and this comes from an Indian.
Service can be a bit slow.

The other day I discovered that I had a flat tire. This generally is considered a crappy start to the day and, honestly, it was especially since it was like 35 degrees outside, which for Florida is cold. However, it lead me to discover the Kabab House (while waiting for the tire to be fixed) and I am pretty happy about that.
I really like Indian food because it is super flavorful and spicy without being atomic-​wing hot. My first exposure to Indian food was through the Hari Khrishnas at University of Florida. Someone explained to me that because the Khrisha’s are allowed to drink, do drugs, have sex or any related vices, their only outlet for a party was mind-​blowingly awesome food. I don’t know how true that is, but I have liked the food ever since.
I walked not really sure what the place was, since I was mostly killing time. Like lots of places in Tampa, it is located in a strip mall and it never really shakes the strip mall feel. When you first walk, you mostly see the grocery store and are hit with the pungent smell of curry. I wandered around looking at various grains and spices and prepackaged foods watching some kind of «Indian Idol» on an Indian TV station. It was pretty entertaining, though I couldn’t understand what they were saying.
I checked out the buffet, which looked pretty good and then checked out the menu: 76 items including Kababs, Curries, and a ton of vegetarian options. I settled for the buffet. I have this think about eating meet with bones in it (I don’t like it) so I skipped the two chicken options. I had the beef, goat, some kind of curry puff, spinach dal and dill rice. I liked everything except the goat. It was extremely fatty. Although, I don’t know. Maybe it is supposed to be like that. I ordered unsweet tea and was brought, a bottle of Lipton Diet Green Tea, which, being raised in the south, is a bit of an insult, but I drank it anyway.
I like this place and would come back, but I don’t think I like it enough to arrange for a baby sitter just to come and eat here. And while the place was not crowded, there were some people, which is good.