Not great if you love the classics of American based Indian cuisine. The naan isn't there. The bright flavors of great Indian food is just missing. Regardless of whether it's traditional or a modern take on this cuisine, you have to impress with flavor. There's not much under the hood here even though the presentation layer is hip. The really fishy and unfresh seafood in the bouillabase is noteworthy and shows the ingredients are pretty subpar. But the really boring naan that comes out cold and almost crusty really show that they have no idea what they're doing. Three stars for making up for the food with excellent service and nice ambiance. There was no alcohol in my cocktail.
Mike C.
Have not been able to get out of the apps yet! Really tasty treats, plated beautifully!
Candi R.
Saffron is one our favorite places in New Orleans. We usually make the reservations a month ahead to make sure we get in. The cocktails are top of the line at Saffron! The charbroiled oysters served with naan bread are the best I've ever tasted. Friends that came with us could not stop talking about them. For the table we ordered Pork Vindaloo, a few orders of chicken Biryani, one of the specials, a kebob dish, and a few gumbos. Every dish was better than the last. The food here is amazing! Saffron's staff are very attentive and the restaurant is so warm and inviting with ambient lighting. The bar is great, too.
Andrea A.
Really enjoyed the experience here. Beautiful ambiance, really low key. The grilled shrimp curry was much milder than I expected but I still inhaled it. Would stay away from the roti and only get the naan. Chicken biryani was good not great -- didn't quite meet expectations. The squash appetizer was the best dish we had (my picture came out blurry so I couldn't post )
Kimmie G.
Saffron Nola is such a gem! The ambiance has great attention to detail so you are blown away as soon as you take a seat. The service is very attentive and thoughtful. Everyone seemed eager to make our experience special and unforgettable. This would be a great spot for a special event. The food was very flavorful, tasty, and unique. There were a ton of vegetarian options as well.
Michael R.
Indian/Creole fusion? Sign me up! This was a great meal all around, and I can see why the chef is a James Beard finalist. The dining room and ambience is wonderful, very modern and with a cool modern playlist in the background. Service was on point at every juncture with a friendly staff, and we even had an appearance from the chef to present and serve the Biryani dish. The cocktail list is large, diverse and very interesting, not to mention delicious. The sommelier was great and helped explain our beverage options. Our waitress was friendly and professional. How about the food you ask? An explosion of flavors! Do not pass up on the "oyster bed roast". Fantastic flavors, perhaps not really Indian flavors, but wow did this plate surprise me with delicious tasting oysters. The onion Pakoda was another big hit at our table. Somewhat like a blooming onion but oh so much better. I could have eaten the entire dish on my own, but grudgingly shared with the other diners at our table. We were a party of four, and all were happy with our food. Entrees were reasonably sized and shareable if you have some appetizers. The biryani was really delicious and a large portion. Our waitress suggested the side order of Raita, which was a pretty sophisticated rendition, and so glad we ordered it. We enjoyed the food so much that we were just simply too full to explore the dessert menu. We will absolutely need to visit again on our next trip to New Orleans. In a city of great dining, this is a real gem
Amber Marie M.
So delicious! Everything was absolutely perfect ! We had the specials which was the short rib and the black peppered shrimp. Service was great and ambiance was so relaxing and trendy. If you are looking for amazing flavors this is your spot!
Felix P.
Love every aspect of this place. Ambiance A+ Food A+ Service A+ The unique dishes are like nowhere else! They have found the perfect fusion of Cajun and Indian. I highly recommend it!!
Gerald H.
My son and I had a great meal at Saffron NOLA. The wait staff were friendly, courteous and complimented the ambiance as they unhurriedly eased past tables. We had Oyster Bed Roast, a small Curried Seafood Gumbo and our entree was Pork Vindaloo. All three are excellent choices. As I'm a native of New Orleans I have eaten many types of gumbo; the Curried Seafood Gumbo in my opinion deserves 5-Stars. On my next visit I will try the Lamb Chop Rub and have a "large bowl" of Curried Seafood Gumbo.
Arthur W.
Ambiance/Atmosphere: This restaurant is very nice. I love how dimly lit it is for dinner. It feels very intimate and calming. I definitely recommend it for a date night. Service/Staff: The staff was incredible. At some point it felt as if everyone on the clock stopped by my table. Whether it was to clear my table, bring the next dish or just ask how I felt about the meal. Everyone seemed to take pride in the job and they gave the impression they really enjoyed working here. One waiter came over and asked if I planned on ordering the tasting menu for just myself or just decided once I saw the menu. I told him I couldn't decide and wanted to try as much as possible. He told me the chef looked out and saw it was just me and was very impressed haha. Another waitress proudly asked, "Did you hear?! New York Times named us one of the top 25 restaurants in New Orleans!". The chef also came to my table and we talked for a bit. He said he also goes out by himself all the time and orders a big portion of the menu. I definitely felt like a V.I P. from the attentiveness of the staff. Top tier experience. THE FOOD: Now I was on a solo mission. I knew I wanted something good but I really didn't know how to choose so I got the tasting menu (6 courses but I was gifted a 7th traditional Indian treat). The cool thing about the tasting menu is it's collaborative. You can say what you do/don't want on the tasting menu. I picked the gumbo and the oysters. I told my waitress to pick a dish she thinks I must have and I told her to tell the chef to surprise me. Just to be clear the tasting menu can/will include off menu items. Now here's the thing. I don't hear so well and after 3 courses I was experiencing an extreme food high. Sadly I don't remember the name of all the dishes. Everything was delicious! But I will speak on a few of the dishes. First up, THE CURRIED SEAFOOD GUMBO. Listen. I typically avoid ordering gumbo at restaurants. People that visit will all ask my top gumbo recommendation & I never have one. My favorites come from Ms. Dedra and Chef Toya. I only have access to that gumbo because that's family. Now I can confidently recommend THIS gumbo. In fact, at one point I was standing outside the bathroom and a lady asked me about the gumbo and I recommended it. Second, THE OYSTER BED, just get it! Thank me later. And finally, THE BONE MARROW on tomato chutney!!!!! This sent me through the roof!!! I'm definitely going back.
The food and ambiance were wonderful. The stand-outs were the New Money cocktail, Tandoori Squash appetizer, Khyber Lamb Chops entree and Kiss from a Rose dessert.
Will X.
I had heard a lot about Saffron, an Indian + New Orleans fusion restaurant, from various podcasts so was excited to try while in town. The oyster bed roast was delicious - a hint of curry but overall, a great charbroiled oyster that paired well with the warm naan on the side. We also had a few apps that were solid - not too heavy on the Indian flavors as I had hoped, but a decent infusion. Service was nice and attentive Be sure to make a reservation if you can!
Karen T.
This place is absolutely amazing!!!!! Group of colleagues went there and ordered different dishes. Biryani, Curry Shrimp, Lamb Chops. Curry Gumbo for shared app. OMG!!!!! Heaven to the palate...: everything was absolutely delicious!!! Service was incredible and Chef is OUTSTANDING!!!! Gabriel, our server couldn't have been more attentive!!! A MUST try!
Joi B.
Finally got to have dinner here! I remember when Saffron opened up over 10 years ago on the West Bank, a much more humble operation, and the buzz surrounding it. Once it opened on Magazine, it was next to impossible to get a reservation and it sounded like it was worth the hype. I love the idea of a place growing and gaining such a following. And it seems like they truly deserve it. The most impressive thing that I couldn't help but notice was how tight of an operation it is. They have a very dedicated team working both front and back of house and they are dedicated to providing a phenomenal experience for their guests. Saffron is not a traditional Indian restaurant. It's upscale/trendy and has a gorgeous modern atmosphere. Classy! The cocktail and wine list is impressive and I had a sumptuous passion fruit cocktail called Vanilla Handcuffs. It comes with a prosecco sidecar to cleanse the palate. Have you ever? This is not a vanilla vodka-forward cocktail at all, but involves actual vanilla bean. It's literally exquisite. That said, their lack of vegan options is a big disappointment because for decades, I've always counted on a vibrant selection at an Indian restaurant. When I asked about vegan options, our waiter seemed to think that several items would work, including the daal, however there are some items, like the daal, that have recipes that cannot be altered. I'll get to that in a minute. We started with the Aloo Tiffin Chaat which can be veganized if you ask them not to bring the spiced yogurt sauce. This is so unique and tasty, and the presentation utterly lovely, as a different server put it together at the table, lovingly describing each sauce poured over the potato cake. We shared it but it could easily be an entree. Honestly not sure, though, that it is so spectacular that I'd order it again at that seemingly high price point ($25). We also shared the pickles, vegan if you get roti rather than naan (which is rarely vegan at traditional Indian restaurants, by the way) to accompany it. This is another dish I felt was at a pretty high price point ($14) for a tiny bowl of pickles. The roti is brought cold and is not anything to write home about. Not sure about it accompanying the pickles. I'd pass (might be better if you can have the naan?) We waited a pretty long time for our entrees to come out. The waiter came over and explained a mix-up in the kitchen. No big deal, my friend and I were catching up and were in no rush. What was less than desirable was that I had ordered a side of potatoes and the aforementioned daal and only the potatoes came out with the food when it all arrived roughly 20 minutes later, because the kitchen informed the waiter that the daal wasn't vegan. Shouldn't he know this? So I ordered the Wok Gobi (cauliflower) and waited. I wanted to eat the potatoes with the entree (their rice has chicken stock, which I'm sorry, is extremely annoying when you consider so many people count on Indian restaurants to have vegetarian options. Can't they have a plain rice option?) so they were in fact cold by the time the cauliflower (delicious, so delicious) came out. While the potatoes had some nice spice going on, they needed salt. Here's my issue: I 100% appreciate the kitchen being aware of what vegan means and wish servers in this day and age took the initiative to learn what dietary restrictions mean. My experience was less than ideal, cold potatoes (unless I just wanted to eat them first which is weird) and cauliflower. I hate ending the review like this, when otherwise service as a whole is extremely impressive from host to bartenders and waitstaff. But this really pricey dinner was underwhelming and I'm doubtful I'd return for a meal when at the same price point, I could eat at Shaya or Saba (both of which are Israeli and not Indian but they are my favorite upscale restaurants on Magazine) where I have a lot more options. I would return and have another Vanilla Handcuffs at the bar, though. I appreciate the atmosphere (and if t
Anna H.
The best. I come here every time I visit NOLA. Great service, cocktails, and the best food!
Not great if you love the classics of American based Indian cuisine. The naan isn't there. The bright flavors of great Indian food is just missing. Regardless of whether it's traditional or a modern take on this cuisine, you have to impress with flavor. There's not much under the hood here even though the presentation layer is hip. The really fishy and unfresh seafood in the bouillabase is noteworthy and shows the ingredients are pretty subpar. But the really boring naan that comes out cold and almost crusty really show that they have no idea what they're doing. Three stars for making up for the food with excellent service and nice ambiance. There was no alcohol in my cocktail.
Have not been able to get out of the apps yet! Really tasty treats, plated beautifully!
Saffron is one our favorite places in New Orleans. We usually make the reservations a month ahead to make sure we get in. The cocktails are top of the line at Saffron! The charbroiled oysters served with naan bread are the best I've ever tasted. Friends that came with us could not stop talking about them. For the table we ordered Pork Vindaloo, a few orders of chicken Biryani, one of the specials, a kebob dish, and a few gumbos. Every dish was better than the last. The food here is amazing! Saffron's staff are very attentive and the restaurant is so warm and inviting with ambient lighting. The bar is great, too.
Really enjoyed the experience here. Beautiful ambiance, really low key. The grilled shrimp curry was much milder than I expected but I still inhaled it. Would stay away from the roti and only get the naan. Chicken biryani was good not great -- didn't quite meet expectations. The squash appetizer was the best dish we had (my picture came out blurry so I couldn't post )
Saffron Nola is such a gem! The ambiance has great attention to detail so you are blown away as soon as you take a seat. The service is very attentive and thoughtful. Everyone seemed eager to make our experience special and unforgettable. This would be a great spot for a special event. The food was very flavorful, tasty, and unique. There were a ton of vegetarian options as well.
Indian/Creole fusion? Sign me up! This was a great meal all around, and I can see why the chef is a James Beard finalist. The dining room and ambience is wonderful, very modern and with a cool modern playlist in the background. Service was on point at every juncture with a friendly staff, and we even had an appearance from the chef to present and serve the Biryani dish. The cocktail list is large, diverse and very interesting, not to mention delicious. The sommelier was great and helped explain our beverage options. Our waitress was friendly and professional. How about the food you ask? An explosion of flavors! Do not pass up on the "oyster bed roast". Fantastic flavors, perhaps not really Indian flavors, but wow did this plate surprise me with delicious tasting oysters. The onion Pakoda was another big hit at our table. Somewhat like a blooming onion but oh so much better. I could have eaten the entire dish on my own, but grudgingly shared with the other diners at our table. We were a party of four, and all were happy with our food. Entrees were reasonably sized and shareable if you have some appetizers. The biryani was really delicious and a large portion. Our waitress suggested the side order of Raita, which was a pretty sophisticated rendition, and so glad we ordered it. We enjoyed the food so much that we were just simply too full to explore the dessert menu. We will absolutely need to visit again on our next trip to New Orleans. In a city of great dining, this is a real gem
So delicious! Everything was absolutely perfect ! We had the specials which was the short rib and the black peppered shrimp. Service was great and ambiance was so relaxing and trendy. If you are looking for amazing flavors this is your spot!
Love every aspect of this place. Ambiance A+ Food A+ Service A+ The unique dishes are like nowhere else! They have found the perfect fusion of Cajun and Indian. I highly recommend it!!
My son and I had a great meal at Saffron NOLA. The wait staff were friendly, courteous and complimented the ambiance as they unhurriedly eased past tables. We had Oyster Bed Roast, a small Curried Seafood Gumbo and our entree was Pork Vindaloo. All three are excellent choices. As I'm a native of New Orleans I have eaten many types of gumbo; the Curried Seafood Gumbo in my opinion deserves 5-Stars. On my next visit I will try the Lamb Chop Rub and have a "large bowl" of Curried Seafood Gumbo.
Ambiance/Atmosphere: This restaurant is very nice. I love how dimly lit it is for dinner. It feels very intimate and calming. I definitely recommend it for a date night. Service/Staff: The staff was incredible. At some point it felt as if everyone on the clock stopped by my table. Whether it was to clear my table, bring the next dish or just ask how I felt about the meal. Everyone seemed to take pride in the job and they gave the impression they really enjoyed working here. One waiter came over and asked if I planned on ordering the tasting menu for just myself or just decided once I saw the menu. I told him I couldn't decide and wanted to try as much as possible. He told me the chef looked out and saw it was just me and was very impressed haha. Another waitress proudly asked, "Did you hear?! New York Times named us one of the top 25 restaurants in New Orleans!". The chef also came to my table and we talked for a bit. He said he also goes out by himself all the time and orders a big portion of the menu. I definitely felt like a V.I P. from the attentiveness of the staff. Top tier experience. THE FOOD: Now I was on a solo mission. I knew I wanted something good but I really didn't know how to choose so I got the tasting menu (6 courses but I was gifted a 7th traditional Indian treat). The cool thing about the tasting menu is it's collaborative. You can say what you do/don't want on the tasting menu. I picked the gumbo and the oysters. I told my waitress to pick a dish she thinks I must have and I told her to tell the chef to surprise me. Just to be clear the tasting menu can/will include off menu items. Now here's the thing. I don't hear so well and after 3 courses I was experiencing an extreme food high. Sadly I don't remember the name of all the dishes. Everything was delicious! But I will speak on a few of the dishes. First up, THE CURRIED SEAFOOD GUMBO. Listen. I typically avoid ordering gumbo at restaurants. People that visit will all ask my top gumbo recommendation & I never have one. My favorites come from Ms. Dedra and Chef Toya. I only have access to that gumbo because that's family. Now I can confidently recommend THIS gumbo. In fact, at one point I was standing outside the bathroom and a lady asked me about the gumbo and I recommended it. Second, THE OYSTER BED, just get it! Thank me later. And finally, THE BONE MARROW on tomato chutney!!!!! This sent me through the roof!!! I'm definitely going back.
Restaurantji Recommends
The food and ambiance were wonderful. The stand-outs were the New Money cocktail, Tandoori Squash appetizer, Khyber Lamb Chops entree and Kiss from a Rose dessert.
I had heard a lot about Saffron, an Indian + New Orleans fusion restaurant, from various podcasts so was excited to try while in town. The oyster bed roast was delicious - a hint of curry but overall, a great charbroiled oyster that paired well with the warm naan on the side. We also had a few apps that were solid - not too heavy on the Indian flavors as I had hoped, but a decent infusion. Service was nice and attentive Be sure to make a reservation if you can!
This place is absolutely amazing!!!!! Group of colleagues went there and ordered different dishes. Biryani, Curry Shrimp, Lamb Chops. Curry Gumbo for shared app. OMG!!!!! Heaven to the palate...: everything was absolutely delicious!!! Service was incredible and Chef is OUTSTANDING!!!! Gabriel, our server couldn't have been more attentive!!! A MUST try!
Finally got to have dinner here! I remember when Saffron opened up over 10 years ago on the West Bank, a much more humble operation, and the buzz surrounding it. Once it opened on Magazine, it was next to impossible to get a reservation and it sounded like it was worth the hype. I love the idea of a place growing and gaining such a following. And it seems like they truly deserve it. The most impressive thing that I couldn't help but notice was how tight of an operation it is. They have a very dedicated team working both front and back of house and they are dedicated to providing a phenomenal experience for their guests. Saffron is not a traditional Indian restaurant. It's upscale/trendy and has a gorgeous modern atmosphere. Classy! The cocktail and wine list is impressive and I had a sumptuous passion fruit cocktail called Vanilla Handcuffs. It comes with a prosecco sidecar to cleanse the palate. Have you ever? This is not a vanilla vodka-forward cocktail at all, but involves actual vanilla bean. It's literally exquisite. That said, their lack of vegan options is a big disappointment because for decades, I've always counted on a vibrant selection at an Indian restaurant. When I asked about vegan options, our waiter seemed to think that several items would work, including the daal, however there are some items, like the daal, that have recipes that cannot be altered. I'll get to that in a minute. We started with the Aloo Tiffin Chaat which can be veganized if you ask them not to bring the spiced yogurt sauce. This is so unique and tasty, and the presentation utterly lovely, as a different server put it together at the table, lovingly describing each sauce poured over the potato cake. We shared it but it could easily be an entree. Honestly not sure, though, that it is so spectacular that I'd order it again at that seemingly high price point ($25). We also shared the pickles, vegan if you get roti rather than naan (which is rarely vegan at traditional Indian restaurants, by the way) to accompany it. This is another dish I felt was at a pretty high price point ($14) for a tiny bowl of pickles. The roti is brought cold and is not anything to write home about. Not sure about it accompanying the pickles. I'd pass (might be better if you can have the naan?) We waited a pretty long time for our entrees to come out. The waiter came over and explained a mix-up in the kitchen. No big deal, my friend and I were catching up and were in no rush. What was less than desirable was that I had ordered a side of potatoes and the aforementioned daal and only the potatoes came out with the food when it all arrived roughly 20 minutes later, because the kitchen informed the waiter that the daal wasn't vegan. Shouldn't he know this? So I ordered the Wok Gobi (cauliflower) and waited. I wanted to eat the potatoes with the entree (their rice has chicken stock, which I'm sorry, is extremely annoying when you consider so many people count on Indian restaurants to have vegetarian options. Can't they have a plain rice option?) so they were in fact cold by the time the cauliflower (delicious, so delicious) came out. While the potatoes had some nice spice going on, they needed salt. Here's my issue: I 100% appreciate the kitchen being aware of what vegan means and wish servers in this day and age took the initiative to learn what dietary restrictions mean. My experience was less than ideal, cold potatoes (unless I just wanted to eat them first which is weird) and cauliflower. I hate ending the review like this, when otherwise service as a whole is extremely impressive from host to bartenders and waitstaff. But this really pricey dinner was underwhelming and I'm doubtful I'd return for a meal when at the same price point, I could eat at Shaya or Saba (both of which are Israeli and not Indian but they are my favorite upscale restaurants on Magazine) where I have a lot more options. I would return and have another Vanilla Handcuffs at the bar, though. I appreciate the atmosphere (and if t
The best. I come here every time I visit NOLA. Great service, cocktails, and the best food!