Saffron
“I'd recommend sharing dishes because their portion sizes are shareable.”
“We loved Muglai (the restaurant that was in this location forever.)”
“My favorite Indian restaurant on the Upper West Side!”
Saffron
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
6 reviews
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Eat and be happy (or satisfied)
Like most people, I visited this place because of the all you can eat buffet. The website mentions 15 courses, but I think there was about 7-8 "courses" (chicken saag, chicken tikka masala, and the basic Indian flair). Perhaps, there are more courses in the earlier part of the day. The food was ok – not amazing but not sloppy. I will say that I was content with the food and its quality for the price of $14.95.
The waiters were very attentive with clearing the old plates and providing refills of the drinks.
All in all it is a pretty generous deal. Now, would I commute from anywhere outside of the Upper East Side to dine here? Probably not. If I am in the area (probably next door at New York Road Runners for race bib pickup) and I have a craving for Indian food then I will pay this place another's visit.
Unimpressed with the space itself, tablecloths were dirty and had food from previous diners caked on them. Seems like the staff is a bit lazy on keeping the front of the house clean and presentable. Salt/pepper shakers also caked with filth. These are usually warning signs that proper care is not taken with the food as well, so I was a bit nervous. The waiter who sat us communicated poorly, and was trying to upsell us on things more than once we didn't want. The bathrooms were disgusting. The food (surprisingly) was actually pretty good. I did find it very odd that that rice was not included in the lunch entree I ordered (chicken jalifreze), especially given it was close to $20. My overall take it they have a pretty good kitchen staff but very poor ownership and management. Service is subpar and I don't feel this is any kind of value for your money, especially with the dirtiness of the place thrown in.
Stopped by Saffron on a Friday night with some coworkers. The place was pretty empty so we did not need to call ahead to make a reservation. I'm not a huge Indian food fanatic so I let the others pick out some dishes and then we all shared. The prices were a bit expensive for the portion size but we ended up with more than enough food for 5 people and picked a huge variety of dishes as well. Although I don't have much to compare it to – I thought the food was really good! The options for vegetarians at Indian restaurants is fantastic so I could eat so much of the food on the table. The rest of the group really loved the dishes as well. I'm not too familiar with the neighborhood but if I find myself back near Saffron I'll definitely consider coming back.
Saffron is a quiet spot, mostly empty in the afternoons, not eye-catchingly designed but pleasant and bright thanks to a corner location and enveloping glass storefront–you can sit by the glass and enjoy the A.C. but people-watch as if you're sitting on Columbus. A mix of ragas and mellow Indian pop play quietly in the background. Service is relaxed but attentive. It's a nice neighborhood space.
I came here on a weekday for the $12.95 lunch special. I was expecting to be disappointed because of some mixed Yelp reviews, and because the price is suspiciously low for a proper restaurant. Instead I was pleasantly surprised. This wasn't destination dining–it was overall a little too bland and a little too greasy–but I enjoyed it, and a few items were better than solid, they were outright good. Three courses, plus rice and naan and yellow dal, in a pleasant location, for a weirdly low price. Hard to complain about.
Specifics:
Appetizers: Mulawgatany soup, lovely. Alloo papdi chaat, also lovely.
Mains: Lamb saag, too greasy by far and with lamb a little too chewy, but still enjoyable. Alloo gobi mutter: unexceptional but again still enjoyable (it'd be a feat to mess up a dish that's essentially just peas, potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower). Yellow dal: a bit bland.
Accompaniments: The rice was fluffy, and the naan both floppy and crispy, if a bit too drizzled in what I assume is ghee.
Desserts: kheer (a kind of rice pudding) and carrot halwa (a sort of sweet minced carrot), both surprisingly good. Neither dish was too sweet, both a touch subtle. A nice way to end.
Decent Indian food.
We stopped by early for a Sunday all-you-can-eat brunch, and it was pretty quiet, and only a couple people came in during our meal. The "15 courses" also happens to include a few smaller dishes, but there's still a decent variety of selections. The quality was generally okay, nothing outstanding, and some of the meat was decently well prepared and not too overcooked. We also ordered a mango lassi, which was pretty good but also came in a smaller glass than that of someone else when they ordered the same thing. Service was average, but the cost was pretty reasonable–I'd consider coming back for an inexpensive meal in the area.
Very good lunch menu ($12.95 for 3 courses). Choice for appetizer and entree consisted of a wide array of vegan/vegetarian, chicken and lamb dishes (no seafood at lunch). I started with Kalmi kabab, chicken wings that are marinated and then grilled in clay oven. They were flavorful but a tad overcooked. For main I got palak paneer, which is paneer (cottage cheese dumpling) cooked in finely chopped spinach. It came with naan, basmati rice and lentil. The dish itself was marvelous. The paneer here was firmer and cheesier than other Indian restaurants I've been to, and the spinach stew was garlicky and flavorful. It paired really well with rice. I was the least happy with the complimentary lentil – it was extremely soupy and flavorless. Barely edible after I seasoned it with salt and a lot of pepper. For dessert the choice was between a rice pudding and carrot pudding. I chose the latter and was blown away. Regardless of the small portion, it was decadent, nutty, and warm.
Every dish here is served piping hot so be careful. I almost burnt my tongue after first bite of the gajar halwa. Fruit/mint water is a nice touch and the dining room is bright and cozy.