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“The chicken tikka masala and chicken xacutti were both excellent.”In 3 reviews
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“Very good mango lassi.”In 3 reviews
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“Both of the lamb dishes I tried were excellent, but the Gosht Dhansak...”In 3 reviews
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- Alexandra B.
- New York, NY
- 11 friends
- 100 reviews
These guys are great. They need your business and they're super friendly because of it. The ambiance could use some help, and they're still working on the menu, but I think it's a great place to get a moderately priced meal and be treated like royalty. Definitely a solid option!
I had the aloo gobi matar with a lassi and it was not bad at all! Definitely tasted better the next day when my leftovers seemed much spicier :)
Best of luck to Saffron Garden and thanks for a positive dining experience. -
- Chris H.
- Communauté-Urbaine-de-Montréal, Canada
- 6 friends
- 15 reviews
AVOID THIS PLACE ... I feel obligated to warn that this was truly bad quality food and an overall disappointing experience. My wife and I are very familiar with Indian food and have enjoyed a wide range of flavors and variations on traditional Indian food. This experience was, in every sense of the word, ... odd.
The restaurant is close by to our apt, so we dropped in without a reservation one evening. It was nearly empty inside and the bar was playing a mix of 70's rock. Our waiter was really friendly and helpful, I later came to suspect he was sympathetic to our upcoming dining experience, offering a free refill to the wine we were drinking.
I have no other way to describe the flavor of the food aside from sweetened BBQ sauce-like, almost as if the person preparing the food had no frame of reference in terms of flavor. It was extremely odd and the most unlike Indian food I've ever experienced while eating at an Indian restaurant.
We left the meal confused about what we had just experienced; the atmosphere, the staff, the music and the food seemed so completely out-of-whack with one another and way off-target for delivering a nice Indian meal. -
- Anna F.
- Alexandria, VA
- 0 friends
- 4 reviews
Ordered delivery. Food arrived late and was tepid. Know that when you order from this restaurant you will not get any utensils, napkins or even naan bread.
Will not order from here again. -
- Chi E.
- Manhattan, NY
- 0 friends
- 34 reviews
I ordered delivery from this place and I must say that they were very fast and super friendly, so 5 stars for service. Unfortunately the food was a different story. It was not very good at all. The veg samosa was tasteless and super greasy, while the mango shrimp tasted like salty overcooked shrimp with mediocre (at best) mango chutney poured over it. Sadly, I will not order from here again. -
- Vick P.
- New Milford, NJ
- 64 friends
- 50 reviews
I came to this place with a party of 14 on a Friday night. (Yeah, I roll deep son.) Believe me it's amateur hour at this place from the moment you walk in. The entire place was empty when we arrived at about 8:30PM so accomadating us was by no means a problem. The ambiance was quiet, dimly lit without wall art; I felt like I may have been in the basement of a suburban family home. Even still, I kept a very open mind. I agree with the previous reviewer that yes it did seem like a one man show with the waiter being the busboy and cook! The service was subpar and they did not accept my Yelp check in offer! Apparently from a previous reviewer they also didn't accept their Groupon offer.
Let's talk food now. Being Indian American, I feel that I can be more critical of these Indian restaurants. I ordered the Paneer Makani and the waiter insisted I order the Paneer Tikka Masala so I ordered it, but this confused me very much. Then I tried ordering naan and he told me they ran out. Mind you the entire place was empty when we walked in. How can an Indian restaurant run out of such a staple Indian food? The food was bland and I did not enjoy it. My theory is they probably have frozen food back there that they are heating up and serving with modifications. Maybe that's why he didn't let me order my Paneer Makani because they ran out of the frozen supply.
Believe me I feel bad for writing such a bad review. The guy was friendly. But the people must know the truth! Don't waste your time here! -
- Rachel L.
- New York, NY
- 5 friends
- 53 reviews
Yet another example of mediocre food on the Upper East Side.
I had the food delivered to my apartment, so I can't speak for the restaurant ambiance. But I can speak for how bland and unexciting the entrees were. First off, the food was cold when it arrived. I generally expect a long wait for delivery on a Friday night, but I don't expect the food to be cold when it arrives.
I ordered two vegetarian dishes and naan. Both dishes were extremely mild. I like a little spiciness, so I wished that they had at least asked if I wanted it spicy. The dishes were also very bland and unexciting. The naan was okay.
Overall, I would not order from here again. -
- Phil G.
- Manhattan, NY
- 0 friends
- 23 reviews
I went here because they advertise having gluten-free bread on their website. I was very disappointed when that turned out not to be true. However, the food was fine. -
very friendly and attentive servers
decent tasting food. Portions were a bit small, but typical Indian restaurant size
Very good mango lassi
the place was quiet and felt very calm
would come back here if craving for some indian food -
- Chris L.
- New York, NY
- 29 friends
- 124 reviews
I am legitimately grateful to have Saffron Garden in my neighborhood. For one thing, they seem blissfully unaware that offering their entrees at $10-12 is low for the area. For another, there's a new chef and management, and the food really did blow me away. The decor is all-new, and the background music is 100% less irritating.
I have gone twice so far (two days in a row, actually), and sampled a number of dishes (thanks to my fellow diners). The chicken xacutti ($11), which I had never heard of, sounded interesting- curry with coconut. Of all the Indian chicken dishes I've had in New York, this one stands triumphant- sweet and creamy but with an interesting spicy (not hot, though they'll do that if you want) kick that really sets it apart. I have a new favorite, and another reason to not leave my neighborhood for dinner. Both of the lamb dishes I tried were excellent, but the Gosht Dhansak (lamb with curry and lentils) really stood out. That'd be my girlfriend's new favorite.
Dessert came out in the form of a baseball-sized portion of gulab jamun. Delicious, as expected. Service was extremely attentive and friendly in the small dining room. They are still awaiting their liquor license, but they are fine with BYOB (oh man. Indian drunk brunch, anyone?). Also, in the spirit of the New Year, they poured (comped, in fact- another perk of not being able to retail alcohol) my table a round of sparkling wine.
I am hoping that Saffron Garden sticks around a while. They've really gotten off on the right foot since opening. -
- Jeannie C.
- Manhattan, NY
- 25 friends
- 32 reviews
came home today and was getting huuuunnngry! Didn't really feel like cooking (well, I never feel like cooking) and none of the leftover looked good. So, out I went. A Groupon Now deal led me to Saffron Garden. It was $6 for $10, but honestly, even without the Groupon, it's a pretty good deal. Entree are $10-13. Portions are not huge, but fairly typical Indian restaurant size.
It was 7pm on a Thursday, and the place was a little quiet with only a few tables. I believe they opened only a few months ago, so I hope they build a clientele. The food was decent, though not wow. English is a little lacking with the servers, but they were nice and friendly.
I live in UES, and at these prices, I'll happily return to Saffron Garden. -
- Rob K.
- ROOSEVELT ISL, NY
- 3 friends
- 1 review
What's special about this place are the attentive waiters who are always eager to modify your food to your liking especially when you ask to make it spicy as hell.
That and their (BYOB) $6 lunch which is rare for Yorkville. If you want good cheap lunch and friendly service in a quiet place so tiny it's impossible to ignore customers then I highly recommend this hidden gem. -
- Naomi B.
- Manhattan, NY
- 0 friends
- 5 reviews
This is my first yelp review because I really like this place and want to see it succeed. Like Chris L. said, their prices are AWESOME. We got appetizers and entrees and everything was under $35 -- but the quality of the food is not sacrificed for price.
They start you off with papadom and chutneys/dips -- all very tasty and fresh. Boyfriend got some kind of lamb dish entree -- I think maybe Achari Gohst, which was delicious. I got the Chicken Jalfrezi which was also really good. They made the entrees actually spicy per our request, nice because a lot of restaurants assume their patrons can't handle it (we can!).
The atmosphere is really cozy and intimate but still very clean, definitely worth sitting in for dinner rather than ordering delivery. We got there somewhat maybe an hour before closing time and never felt rushed, nor did we see the other patrons rushed at all. Our waiter (who was maybe also the owner?) was attentive and friendly. We were the last ones in there and we were surprised with a comped desert of rice pudding (so good!) and they may or may not have brought a glass of wine for each of us. Not sure if they're allowed to do that so I'm not confirming anything.
We'll definitely be back. Of the Indian places I've tried in Yorkville, this one's my favorite. -
- S S.
- New York, NY
- 0 friends
- 6 reviews
If I could rate the service and staff separately, I would give them 5 stars. However, the food itself was too sweet and reminiscent of catsup to be called authentic. -
- Amruta U.
- Manhattan, NY
- 0 friends
- 1 review
I had placed an order for Chicken Curry and Samosa from this restaurant. We called the restaurant after 40 minutes to check on the status of our order. To our surprise the restaurant owner suggested they have just received their stock of chicken and it would take them 3-4 hours to make chicken curry. So he suggested that I change my order to Chicken Tikka Masala and Veg Pakora which was way off that what I originally ordered. Being an Indian I know that chicken curry does not take more than 2 hours to cook.
I had to literally call him twice again to get my food. I did finally receive my food after 2 hours and 45 mins. To my surprise I had literally received half a container of Chicken Tikka with about 30% being only a layer of oil. Also, the food was cold and stale..
When I called him to take it back and cancel my order he suggested I eat what I have got. ..... Really first he dictates my order and then he tells me what I should eat and what I should not..
Not only was he non-cooperative but also abusive. This was totally unasked for when I had my order changed as per the original order to receive it after 3 hours and then received only half my food with a floating layer of oil. To top it all the owner has the guts to tell me he cannot take the food back as it was not his fault that he changed the order and gave us only half a container of food. THIS IS THE WORST
CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED in my life and I have given it one star as I cannot submit a review without selecting a star. -
- Diana W.
- FOREST HILLS, NY
- 60 friends
- 50 reviews
I have to say that I'm being quite generous giving a 2star rating but my experience here was absolutely HORRIBLE!!!! Now I don't mean to make fun but I swear I think our waiter was the delivery guy, bus boy annnd the cook! Slow night? Maybe... But the food took forever. I can say the second star was for the mediocre food ( ok now I'm lying) food tasted microwaved and the lamb tasted funky. I dunno how this place got such good ratings!! service, food and ambiance was all off. Never going back again. FYI- eating here was a total impulse for an indian craving I'm never in the UES! Don't always believe wut you read. You don't even have to believe me! Try it for yourself and let me know ur experience.maybe this was just a bad follow up for me after dining at junoon. Lol -
- Cassie L.
- Manhattan, NY
- 0 friends
- 10 reviews
The food is amazing and the decor is beautiful--wood panel walls, low lighting, small and intimate, laid back ambience. My friend and I ordered the shrimp biryani, ghosh madras and house naan. It was all delicious. They also have a full bar. I'm giving the place four stars because the waiter wasn't very communicative about when our food was coming, esp since there were no other customers during the hour we were there (it would have been nice to have our naan out first so we could snack on it while we waited). But now I know to ask, and I'm definitely going back. -
- Carey Y.
- Sarasota, FL
- 190 friends
- 322 reviews
I crave Indian food just a few times per year. It's not really my favorite, but once in a while I get an intense hankering that just won't go away until I satiate it. Today was one of those days. It just so happened that I was walking past Saffron Garden, hungry and with a craving, and I noticed a Groupon Now deal for pay $6 for $10. As luck would have it, they have a $9.99 lunch special advertised in their window. It was fate indeed.
It was an empty restaurant, which wasn't off-putting given that it was 3pm, kind of a weird time for a meal. I sat down and was given a vague idea of what the lunch special included. Frankly, I didn't really care. I asked if spinach paneer was an option, which it was, and looked forward to whatever else the lunch included as a surprise to come.
It began with a delicious hot and crispy potato/pea samosa with a side of chick peas and the 3 classic sauces that I love. One is a chopped onion mix in a red sauce, one is mainly cilantro and herbs (yum) and one is a sweet brown sauce. I wish I knew more about these and what is in them, I just know they are the common trio at most Indian restaurants and I'm definitely a fan of putting them on everything I'm served.
Next came a basket of naan, a dish of basmati rice, and a dish of spinach paneer. Everything was surprisingly delicious, especially the chunks of cheese in the creamed spinach- YUM. The naan was a bit over-cooked and crispy instead of soft and chewy, but it was great anyway and made a great vessel for my spinach and sauces.
The service was a bit lacking, very slow and he hardly spoke any english. It was also a problem that the waiter TOTALLY didn't understand how Groupon works- he actually kept saying no no no, it wasn't good except for dinner- but I showed him that it said clearly that it was valid from noon until 9pm. He persistently asked for my phone number so that his boss could call me later. I insisted that they'd need to speak with Groupon instead and wrote down my coupon number on my check for him. It was a bit annoying, but not a big deal, and certainly not a reason to not return.
If I do end up craving great Indian food at an extremely reasonable price, I will most definitely go back and I'll probably try ordering delivery in the near future. The rest of the menu looks quite appealing and tempts me to branch out from my normal choices. Mango shrimp? Perhaps next time. -
- Shyda H.
- Brooklyn, NY
- 2 friends
- 7 reviews
I was raised with Bengali food cooking in my home as a kid and rarely go out for Indian/Bengali food as I understand how much work goes into preparing it. I was delighted with stumbling upon Saffron Garden and am happy the owner has decided to branch out from Queens and open up a restaurant that offers great food and wonderful service!!!!!
Both my boyfriend and I were impressed with the presentation and quality of the food and will come back soon! Now we only wish he would open up a restaurant in Brooklyn! -
- Jane B.
- Manhattan, NY
- 18 friends
- 4 reviews
I just moved to NY and came in cold and starving at midnight last week without any idea who delivered. Found Saffron Garden on my iPhone and called. I was told they had been closed since 11 and there was no chef so I begged them to refer me to anyone that would bring me hot food that late.
The gentleman on the phone told me he could rustle up a few things and voila! he hand delivered it to my door and explained that it was his place and that if the food wasn't up to standard to call the next day for another meal or refund.
The food was unbelievably great!!
I lived in England a few years ago and my standards for good Indian food are pretty high. This was the best I've had in the US. I just ordered from them again and remembered I should write a review. Great customer service to boot, I'm totally sold! -
- Dan S.
- Manhattan, NY
- 12 friends
- 1 review
Had a wonderful experience here for dinner with a few friends. The food was outstanding and the owner was very friendly / generous. We took his advice and changed our Chicken Tikka Marsala order to Chicken Xacutti and were not disappointed. Meat and vegetable samosas were also fantastic. We will definitely be coming back again. -
- Michael P.
- Woodside, NY
- 2 friends
- 2 reviews
This place was great! The chicken tikka masala and chicken xacutti were both excellent! Our waiter was very friendly and unobtrusive. Also, he gave us complimentary wine and dessert! The prices are very reasonable. And again, most importantly, the food was top notch.
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