Akmal Pakistani & Indian Cuisine
Akmal is a small Pakistani & Indian restaurant located in a new food complex on the corner of Kilauea Ave & Lanikaula St which also has Spoonful (coffee/ice cream shop), H&K Lunch Shop (Korean), Soontaree’s Deli (vegetarian cuisine), and a Subway.
Akmal is supposedly the only restaurant of its kind on the Big Island. I was excited to see an Indian restaurant popping up in Hilo since I’ve only tried Indian food a couple of times on Oahu, and I’ve never tried Pakistani food.
Inside, there are only a few tables (~5-6). A counter with a variety of different dishes are kept hot to choose from during lunch time. During dinner, you order from a menu. When I entered at about 11:30am, I was the only person there, which seemed strange since the last time I came here, there were a lot more people.
They have this cool display of spices.
I ordered a plate of Garbanzo Bean Curry and some kind of Tempeh Curry to go, which also came with basmati rice and yogurt chutney ($7.00).
The basmati rice is a wonderful long, fluffy, and very light type of rice. It went really well with the curries since it can soak up a lot of liquid. Considering this was all vegetarian, I was amazed at the amount of flavor and richness there was in both curries.
The garbanzo beans had a nice firm chewable consistency and it still soaked up a lot of the flavors (lots of coriander and cumin). It was just slightly spicy. The tempeh curry was really good! Very rich and creamy with a nice spicey flavor. The tempeh went great with the curry sauce and it looked like it had potatoes, zucchinni, and onions inside of it. The yogurt chutney tasted great with everything, mellowing out the kick of the spices.
A co-worker ordered a Samosa Plate ($6.00).
Two samosas (deep fried pastry stuffed with spiced potatoes and green peas) topped with garbanzo bean curry, salad, and yogurt chutney. I’ve had this the last time I came here and it is perfect for a light lunch. The salad and garbanzo beans go really well with the light and crisp samosas.
I’m not sure if what I ate was Indian or Pakistani, but it all tasted yummy. Good times.
View Akmal’s menu and more reviews at Hilo Eats!
Akmal Pakistani & Indian Cuisine
14 West Lanikaula St, Hilo, HI 96720
Phone: (808) 969-7479
December 21st, 2005 at 9:41 am
mmm. indian food is one of my favorite treats. indian and pakistani food are very similar. however, i’ve found that pakistani food is a bit spicier. you’ll have to let me know if they have chicken tikka masala or any other murgh masalas.
December 22nd, 2005 at 12:32 am
Hi James,
This looks like a wonderful addition to Hilo’s dining landscape. I’m happy to see that your town is going more international. That said, this looks pretty good…what else is on the menu? I’m curious.
December 23rd, 2005 at 5:00 pm
Hi Dean, I can see why Indian food is one of your favorites… I love spicy foods, especially curry. I’m not sure if they have those dishes that you’re talking about, but I’ve tried their Sabji Masala (which was really good).
Hi Reid, Yes, I’m very happy about it too! They also have some chicken and lamb dishes, which were really tasty, and I also liked the daal (sp?)… lentil beans I think. I’m pretty much clueless about the food, so I just choose whatever sounds/looks good.
February 10th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
Akmal is a great restaurant. I’ve eaten there a number of times and the food is always up to high standards. I grew up in Hawaii and have traveled many times to India, and the food at Akmal rivals what you get in India, for sure!
August 29th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
Some killer grinds for sure…First time having this kine food and was good to me, I guess when it cimes to food its jus a matter of opinon cuz my frinend thought the food was gross oh well…try the lamb veggies winner for sure
January 18th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
I love Akmal! I can’t live without it anymore. After being convinced to try something new aside from the endless rash of local style cuisine, I was hooked. I’m a frequent customer, sometimes twice a day! Addict yes :). Their pakora’s are to die for but too bad they don’t always make them. It goes well with the #12 (Murgh Dansk) which is a chicken dish served with curry and lentils. This restaurant is a nice change to the sameness in Hilo. It’s perfect for guys like me who look to the alternative. Thank you Jesse and Samania for coming to Hilo!!
August 26th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Dear sir
Kindly quote us your lowest /keenest /most competative /prices for your products, and we need complete specification of those.