Saffron Restaurant & Lounge

I live in New York and have tried some of the best Indian Food and when I went to Raleigh my friend took me to Saffron and I really loved it. It's wasn't one of those typical Indian Fast food kind of a place this was Gourmet. The Bindi was great you don't find that in all the resturant. I highly recommend this place. The ambiance was great. Service could be improved. But I love the food so I'll go back when I visit Raleigh again.\r more

I was really impressed with the food and the ambience. It was a perfect setting for the business dinner; all of my guests really enjoyed the food. Their Grilled Salmon, lobster and the kebabs are one of the best I ever had. Overall it was a very pleasant experience, with very good staff. I would highly recommend this restaurant for fine dining. more

I am of Indian descent, so I know my Indian food! I have been to every Indian restaurant in the area. When Saffron opened, I was really excited to try it. The restaurant website made everything appear so trendy and lavish, and the items on the menu sounded so good. However, I am sorry to say that I was disappointed when I went. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I found it to be rather bland for indian food. I also found the decor to be dull. In short, I wouldn't go out of my way to go back, but I wouldn't mind having to go back either. For great Indian food in the triangle, I recommend Azitra. more

We had seen this place a few times since we shop at Harris Teeter. Tried it tonight for the first time and wow. It was a quiet Tuesday night and only 5 tables had guests. The waiter was very friendly, the food was amazing. The chicken tikka masala is the best Ive ever had at any restaurant. The spiced hot tea was fragrant and very delicious. I can imagine that the lunch crowd might slow things down due to the fact that this place is in the RTP area, but the food is worth it. Give this a try if you love flavorful Indian cuisine. The decorations were tasteful, modern and very pretty. I liked the romantic ambiance of the candlelight at dinner time. Who would have expected such an amazing place tucked into a shopping center. Try it!!!! more

We have travelled a lot and tried several Indian restaurants and are thrilled to say that the best food is right here in our city! Everything on the menu is very flavorful and authentic, not filled with cream like most other places. The food presentation is also very classy. With a savvy ambiance and excellent service, this place offers it all for someone looking for a great meal. We frequent this place a lot and recommend it very highly. Pros: Classy restaurant with excellent food. more

This is truly a great place. It has the TASTIEST, most delicious, Indian food I have had not just in RTP but even compared to Silicon valley area. The chef is really creative with spices, the variety on the menu is great, and they have great vegeterian selections. The ambiance is lovely and the service is extremely attentive and good. I highly recommend this place for any occasion and meal. Pros: Everything: Location, ambiance, but mostly the food and its flavor Cons: Pricy for dinner but well worth it more

This is one of the best Indian's outside of chicago.. It has a wonderful buffet. The food is always excellent. good choice of wines. and the vegtable samosa is terrific. The staff are always helpfull and so nice to talk to. Pros: excellent food. very clean and very friendly great value more

I'm gonna have to turn my rating of Saffron down a notch since they seem to be SO DEAF and SO ADAMANT about fixing their most obvious inconvenience to customers - the long 1-way lines in front of the buffet table. IT SUX. These guys make good food, but they really DO need to reconfigure the buffet layout so people can access both sides of both tables. I have waited in the line about 5-10 minutes on multiple visits. IF they were truly short on space, that would be understandable - but they have plenty of space. ALSO, what's with the cash counter in the middle of the dining area ? Is that like, feng shui or something. HELLO ?\r \r PROS: Finally an Indian buffet that does not all stink like same ole' same ole' garam masala ! What a refresher this place is. The food tastes new and different even if the names are familiar. Even the tandoori chicken is actually tasty and not dyed red like everywhere else. Vegetarians also get a fair share of novelties here. The ambience is spectacular. The wait staff could be better trained to be more cordial and friendly, as could the owner/proprietor. This is WAY better than Sitar and Spice-n-Curry, IMHO.\r \r CONS: The table arrangement of the buffet is terrbile - and makes for long lines when they have a crowd. Opening up 2-way access to both tables should be easily possible and is highly recommended. Pros: good food Cons: TERRIBLE LAYOUT of buffet leades to LONG LINES more

I just went to Saffron for the lunch buffet. The food was good, but they were out of a couple of items on the buffet and when they restocked them, there was immediatedly a 10 person line to go back through the buffet. I only ended up going through the line once for the entrees and once for some mango ice cream. Didn't get $10 worth.\r \r The service was bad. We were greeted at the door by the owner of the restaurant who seemed like he was going to seat us right away then he took someone's credit card and started ringing up a table. He just left us standing at the door for a number of minutes. After we were seated, I had to ask for the naans, but I was half way through with my food before they came. It seemed like they had enough bodies to provide good service but were too interested in talking to their Indian customers to deliver. It is a shame because the food is good and in a very convenient location. I have a hard time spending my money in a restaurant where my patronage is not appreciated. \r \r Pros: good food, good location, nice restaurant Cons: bad service, oblivious to some of their customers more

I've been to quite a few Indian restaurants in this area and after just one visit to Saffron, it became my favorite. I now go almost every week -- The lunch buffet is a great value with the best Indian cuisine served fresh constantly, fresh Naan, and great service. The waiters know me by name, always keep drinks and Naan topped off, and the owner has introduced himself personally. Saffron is very popular with the RTP lunch crowd so arrive early or late to beat the lunch rush.\r \r The people who reviewed Saffron and said the food was bland or Americanized don't know what they're talking about. Saffron's food is hardly bland -- it is the most flavorful in the area. The Chicken Tiki Marsala is highly recommended, as well as their excellent Tandoori chicken. Chicken Saag is very good. They've hired a very talented Indian chef from New York and it shows -- keep up the good work, Saffron! Pros: Great Indian Food; Very friendly staff more

Since childhood I have been a connoisseur of Indian food. Ive frequented dozens of Indian restaurants in the triangle. I visit one at least once a week, most of the waiters know me by name. A few months ago I tried the Saffron Indian Restaurant and was hooked! \r \r The buffet is the freshest around and expertly prepared. Naan, made to order and brought directly to your table, is included in the buffet. The atmosphere is modern, creative and upscale. Everything is kept very clean. The staff is attentive and friendly. The owner introduced himself to us on our first visit, hes a great host making sure everything is perfect. In subsequent visits Ive noticed how everyone seems to know him. He really adds a personal touch. \r \r Saffron is the best Indian restaurant in the Triangle! Pros: Great Buffet, Friendly Staff, Clean more

We went for the lunch buffet. The food was alright. There was not a lot of flavor to some dishes. it was rather bland for indian food. Maybe it was just the stuff on the buffet. I haven't been back to try the dinner menu. As for the service, well, it was not the best. The staff was friendly but they were not suffiently staffed for the amount of customers they had. It was slow. Our waitress, a nice lady, was as attentive as she could be considering the table load she was serving. However, she was overwhelmed because there was not enough staff there. So it was good. I would recommend going; however, be prepared to not have the best service because they don't have enough staff to meet large crowds. Pros: Astheticly pleasing restaurant Cons: Slow service--a lot of bland food more

My husband and I come to NC, about 3 times a month, an we always stay at the DOUBLETREE, We had gone to your business, to eat and meet people. I love the Dal Bukhara, but what I dont like is the waiter(s) not knowing the wine selection, and what wine would go best with my dinner, and my husband loves to drink mixed drinks/ liquor, and the waiter, has no clue what to do, so what I say to do, is find a more experienced bartender/waiter/waitress, that has full knowledge of this stuff. If or when that happens I would rate a 10. \r Thanks Andrea & Petr Struminsky more

Great ambience, wine list and food. We had a great time and loved the Dal Bukhara - my favorite dish.\r \r MY son was thrilled when they got the dessert with his name on it....strongly recommend trying this place for dinner. Pros: Food, wine selection Cons: Music was not ideal more

Wow! what an unlikely Indian place, I recently moved here from NYC and was used to these kind of places there. I was very impressed to find such a cool place in Morrisville. Went there after reading about it N&O, the food is truely impressive, very nice presentation and quality of service was outstanding. They probobly have one of the coolest bar I have seen (Onyx stone that glows at night). Pros: ambience, bar and great food more

I went to Saffron for lunch yesterday. The buffet was good especially the Chicken Tikka Masala, but there was not much variety. The only thing that I did not like was the service. I asked the waiter, who apparantley was the owner, for some ketchup to eat with my veggie patties and he looked at me like I was weird. The worst thing is that he never brought my ketchup. I had to ask another waiter who was nice and friendly who brought my ketchup. So, I liked the food but not the service. Pros: Good food Cons: Bad Service more

I visited Saffron for dinner after stumbling across its location in a relatively new shopping center. What a find! The menu contained many traditional Indian dishes I was familiar with, but also a variety of new ones. The wide array of seafood options is especially nice - we tried the Crab Masala and Grilled Scallops appetizers and both were wonderful. Ditto for the desert menu (try the mango cheesecake).\r \r The wine list was way beyond anything I've ever seen in an Indian restaurant before, and the environment was perfect - clean, modern, and upscale. Service was prompt and courteous. I'm definitely looking forward to trying the lunch buffet on my next visit.\r \r Pros: Great environment, excellent food more

I have eaten Indian food at many restaurants across the world and Saffron rates among the best. Surprised to find such quality in this area. Good selection of wines, coktails, night caps and courteous service round out the experience. Pros: great ambience, great food, great service Cons: drive to get there at dinner more

Have enjoyed Saffron's lunch buffet a number of times. The Tandoori chicken is fantastic and subtle changes in the preparation make each trip unique. Other dishes are equally fresh and delicious. Just prepared bread is served at the table. The wait staff is attentive and the atmosphere exquisite. more

For starters, the service was mediocre. To make it worse, to split our check, they got it wrong 4 times in a row!\r The food was well cooked...but VERY bland for Indian. I asked for the spiciest level they have and when I got it, I tasted hardly any spice at all! They've obviously ""Americanized"" this cuisine quite a lot. Pros: Nice atmosphere Cons: Service, Bland food more