Aagrah

Reviews

• Rachel C.

  star star star star star_border 14 June 2026

  Last year was Aagrah's 35th anniversary, and to celebrate they had a one-night-only event - a selection of their best dishes with prices straight from the 70s! My friend Diane insisted that a bunch of us go along that evening for some delicious bargain eats - it probably goes without saying that we were wise to book a table, as the place was packed to the rafters!
  
  There's no two ways about it: Aagrah's is gorgeous. It looks like the palatial backdrop of a high-budget Bollywood film, the kind of location where the daring hero finally wins over the blushing beauty who's spent the last two hours bedazzling him with her dance moves.
  
  That's the key word here - romantic. I don't usually equate a curry house with romance (maybe that's just me!) but this place has it. You could come here for your anniversary, or woo your love interest in a gang of friends over the heady aroma of biryani and steam billowing naan bread.
  
  This is going to sound so bizarre...but the bathrooms here are immaculate. They were designed beautifully with huge onyx coloured doors, marble counters and tasteful plants. I almost enjoyed it as much in there as i did in the actual restaurant.
  
  no surprise, the food was AMAZING. I got daring and had a chicken biryani (daring for me, considering a korma was once too much spice for me!). The portions were huge yet somehow I managed to find more room. My friend Matt who likes his authentic Indian beers was suitably impressed with the selection here.
  
  There was so much food that we ended up having to get half of it wrapped, something the lovely staff were more than willing to do.
  
  The only thing (and this kills me) that makes this a four star review was the temperature. The heat was at times unbearable in Aagrah's. This is probably because of the open-plan nature of the restaurant, that you can peer right over and see the talented chefs at work, but damn...it actually made me feel a bit ill at times.
  
  Would I go back there? in a heartbeat, awesome 70's prices or nay. This place is the pride of Leeds. :)

• Rowena H.

  star star star star star_border 13 June 2026

  Considering it was a Friday night, and but a few hours before visiting the booking was made, Aagrah really came through for my friends and I. It was a birthday evening out, and in spite of eating my bodyweight in Chinese food not 4 hours earlier with the birthday girl, the plan had been to eat curry and so curry it was. I wasn't in the least bit hungry for this, but the olfactory senses kicked in as I entered, and I prepared my stomach for round two. We could do this, we were ready to take it on, we were pumped for another round of face stuffing. (We weren't. But that was the mental preparation.)
  
  Aagrah had set us up a table of 13 on incredibly short notice and, once seated, a chorus of waiters orchestrated a fine and cheery operation to tend to our desires. Everyone was friendly in an honest and jovial way, without a hint of insincerity, and everything ran incredibly smoothly. To much of the table's delight, the food was swift to arrive too, and further drink orders were made.
  
  I must have a spare stomach in me somewhere, as I managed to finish a whole side dish, which contained mostly potato. I believe it was the saag aloo - that means spinach and potato, right? Regardless, it was divinely spiced and wonderfully flavoured. Subtle but incredibly addictive, almost like comfort food. (Any potato is comfort food to be fair.) I also managed a third of my karahi lamb gohst, which was of an incredibly high standard. Spicy enough to give you that kick that you crave, but not so burninating that your mouth ceases to taste. (When you're merely chewing the cud through the heat as you're hungry but can appreciate nothing but spice.)
  
  Somewhere along the line the team had been informed we were a birthday party, and so a little chocolate cake was brought over with the most magnificent firework. Yes, firework. Not sparkler, not candles, but a white furnace that erupted for at least two minutes about 2 feet into the air. After far too many songs, including happy birthday and for she's a jolly good fellow, we eventually let her off the hook (she was looking for the ground to open up by this stage) and cheered.
  
  Basically, my thoughts on this place are thus: it's pretty remarkable to retain somewhere with genuinely attentive staff, beautifully executed dishes, and a bit of personality when you're a rather large chain. I've seen few manage it, but I'm happy to say my experience of Aagrah was a great one. I'd still prefer an intimate little place, but I certainly would consider booking another large party since the service and food was great!

• Rob W.

  star star star star star_border 3 June 2026

  This was my first time back in here for a couple of years, and I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised. I'm a massive fan of independent or individual types of Indian restaurants, rather than (what I think of) the more generic branded venues.
  
  I had the fried paneer starter & a keema rogan josh - both of them absolutely gorgeous! The food was tasty without being over spiced, well presented & definitely more than generous in their portions. My personal preference will still always be some of the other Indian restaurants in Leeds, but at least now I won't necessarily avoid this particular one if I'm going to be about that area of town or if friends are wanting to go there.

• Michael B.

  star star star star_border star_border 27 May 2026

  I'd actually forgotten I'd been here before a couple of years ago for a Leeds-based colleague's leaving do and remembered having a great curry so was eagerly anticipating sampling their menu again.
  
  As is typical, we all ordered piles of poppadoms and chutney trays to munch whilst perusing the menus. Though you couldn't normally get much wrong with such a simple staple, the poppadoms were somewhat soft and flimsy; the mango chutney and onions both tasted 'cheap'.
  
  For the main event, I ordered a Saag Gosht with some chappatis (instead of naan - I wouldn't opt for this again as they're just not as good). Now I've mentioned before that I'm a real curry wuss, but this blew my head off chilli-wise, which has never happened before with a Saag as they've always been on the mild side. As soon as food starts having an adverse affect on me I can't eat anything else. Others in our group were also caught off-guard with the level of spiciness in their dishes.
  
  That being said, the mains were all finished (mine being the exception) and everyone did enjoy them, once the nuclear fusion in our heads receded.
  
  For drinks, as well as a sizeable wine menu and cocktails they offer draught (Tetley, Lal Toofan, Kingfisher and Carlsberg) and bottled beers (Cobra, Bud, Corona, Bangla and Becks).

• Rik K.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 19 May 2026

  Aagrah made me a saaaaad panda.
  
  On a long-overdue - but poorly organised - catch-up with some friends, we were united by one thing: we all wanted curry. Usually we headed to Bradford (of course) but ourur last Chaps Curry Club had been at Akbars on Greek Street, which had seriously impressed. We were about to head there but I'd heard good things about Aagrah.
  
  A short, cold, wet walk later and we were standing in the warmth of Aagrahs doorway, crazy-eyed with hunger and taking in the smells. The place looked fantastic but we were hurriedly seated. Our table was right next to the kitchen, sorta-hidden by some sort of shelves/bookcase but it mattered not. These were hungry times.
  
  The five of us were given menus, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that 4 out of 5 of us struggled with that menu. Long and unwieldy like a comedy pencil from Bridlington, we were lucky not to smash any glasses with them. But more-so it was overwhelming - small text, bunched together and hard to read. Maybe I'm getting old, or maybe I'm a pretentious designer but it was genuinely difficult to focus. It didn't help that waiters kept bumping by on their way to and from the serving hatch.
  
  Food was ordered. Food quickly arrived. My starter, vegetable pakoras, were fantastic. Each piece was a separate chunk of vegetable, each a different shape and size rather than the shapeless globules that are commonly served elsewhere. It was almost tempura-like; no mean feat. Very more-ish.
  
  Sadly, when I got to my final piece a waiter arrived. He stood over my shoulder for a full minute until we finished and put our plates down, and then whisked things away. It wasn't the first or last time that night that we'd feel rushed.
  
  Not long after, my lamb bhuna landed. This was followed by two family-sized naans - the waiter looked at us like greedy pigs when we ordered them, but we're out of the recession now so what the heck. It's a good thing we ordered two - they weren't particularly large. They had that 'just-microwaved' feel to them too, which was a little disappointing. As a Yorkshireman, I love anything bread-esque - and can turn any meal into a sandwich - but both of these were sub-par.
  
  The curry itself wasn't bad. It wasn't great either, mind. It was... okay. Not what I'd expect from somewhere that tries to present itself as a luxurious, high-quality eatery. The lamb was a little over-cooked and the sauce was no better or worse than a ready-meal. It was fairly bland, by Indian standards. I grew bored of it toward the end, and had noticed waiters hovering and eying our plates. These guys wanted an early finish, it seems.
  
  Would I go back to Aargah? Well i didn't hate it, and if I was overruled by a group of mates I'd quietly give-in and have an alright meal.
  
  Would I recommend other people try it? No; there are much better (at both higher and lower prices) all over Leeds and Bradford. Places with more character, better service and much nicer food. The menu isn't very varied or imaginative and the food is distinctly average.
  
  The doorway was warm though.