I finally got the opportunity to try this place and I was not disappointed. I tried the chicken tikka masala with rice and it was the perfect blend of spicy, savory, and filling for a night out. The service was quick and I was able to take home leftovers. I need to come back and try more of the menu read more

Saffron Indian Bistro - Mango Lassi - Indian Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Always a great spot for Indian food. Raju is excellent with customer service and always so polite and professional. The chef is also very humble and highly skilled with his cooking abilities. read more

Exceptional food and service! Outstanding experience..................................................................................... read more

If you're looking for traditional Indian Cuisine Saffron is the place to go! The servers were very welcoming! The atmosphere is dim and quiet, ideal for a date night. I tried the Tikka Masala medium spice and it was delicious. The rice it is served with is fluffy and light. The veggie samosas are flavorful and served with a cool, refreshing green sauce. For dessert I tried Kheer, rice pudding. This was my favorite! It is served cold and has a slight vanilla flavor. They also serve drinks such as the tequila sunrise which was fruity and enjoyable! I'll definitely go back for more! read more

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Popped in here before a show at Chrysler Hall. The service was not great. Waited 40 minutes to get a glass of water. It took another 15 minutes for our food to arrive. Our table was only 2 people and we had a simple order. The chicken masala that was presented was actually tandoori chicken with the masala sauce served on the side. Not the curried stew we are used to seeing, but okay, the kicker was it was served cold. The other person in our party got a couple of samosas for her main and they too were cold. We did not complain because by this time we were running out of time to eat and pay in order to make the show. Won't be back, though and will not recommend. read more

A Bistro is defined as a simple restaurant and it is as advertised. Saffron has all of your Indian food hits with some unique specialties. Staff is friendly and fast with service. Ordering took time because they were out of all Indian beers and the wine I finally settled on was skunked which will be a loss of a star for them. It usually happens when bistro's don't seek much wine and they record a bottle without a special preservation stopper. Here's my three things: 1) Saffron has plenty of seating for large groups, and kitchen works fast so probably no problem serving a group. Great location helps with downtown lunch traffic too. 2) Prices are in line with all Indian Restaurants I have eaten at lately but an appetizer, main and glass of wine will put you around $45. 3) I had the veg samosa with a cilantro sauce that was fantastic 5/5. Main was my favorite Rogan Josh with lamb 4/5 (dry lamb and rice had toasted cumin but it didn't come through probably sat for a while). Good food! read more

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I was interested in trying this place because I heard a lot of great things about it. So I went on a date, the environment was clean inside and out. Hostess was really nice but the waitress was kinda rushing us which I did not like. The food was good, I forgot to take pictures because I was so hungry but when I got home I noticed I had the hives. I only get them from cross contamination so hopefully they fix that! read more

Went here on a Sunday during the downtown Norfolk restaurant week. The inside of the restaurant was nice and calm. It was pretty empty inside, just a couple other people were there that day so the atmosphere was quiet and enjoyable. The $35 dinner menu came with a choice of drink, appetizer, main course, and dessert. I selected a mango lassi, vegetable samosas, butter chicken with mild heat, basmati rice, and kheer dessert. My friend ordered a mango lassi, chicken pakora, butter chicken with medium heat, basmati rice, and kheer dessert. The food was absolutely delicious and filling. After we had our mango lassi drinks and appetizers, we could only eat about 3 bites each of our butter chicken and had to ask for to go boxes because we were already so full. The food was very filling. Everything was hot and tasted made to order. The staff were all friendly and nice as well. Definitely happy this spot was featured for downtown Norfolk restaurant week. Will be going back again! My overall rate of experience: 9.5/10 read more

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Food was the only redeeming quality. The server did the absolute bare minimum. Didn't ask how the food was, didn't refill our waters, and we had to wave him down to get our check. He dropped off the check, said "scan the QR code to pay", then walked away. We were one of 2 customers at lunchtime, so busy-ness was not a factor. Will not be returning to this location. read more

They have you waiting forever and it is hard to get the attention of the workers. The food is relatively hit or miss was my 2nd time prolly won't be back read more

By far the best Indian restaurant around! Been to it multiple times and have never been disappointed read more

0 out of 5 (If I could give negative stars, I would) Review of Saffron Indian Bistro - Monticello Avenue, Norfolk, VA Absolutely horrendous experience. I'm rarely this critical, but Saffron Indian Bistro in Norfolk delivered the worst restaurant service I've ever encountered--by a mile. This wasn't just a bad night; it was a full-on case study in how not to run a restaurant. After hearing decent things and wanting to unwind post-show at the Scope, my family and I gave this location a shot. What followed was nearly five hours of dysfunction, disorganization, and utter neglect. From the moment we arrived, things were chaotic. There was no host or greeter managing the front--just a large, confused crowd piling up inside the entrance. People were left standing around, totally ignored, with no communication, no order, and no one taking names or managing tables. We waited close to an hour just to be acknowledged, and by the time we were seated, most people who came after us had already given up and left. The restaurant appeared severely understaffed--only two visible servers, one busser, and zero organization. Even reservations were meaningless; people with bookings were stuck in the same mess as walk-ins, completely disregarded. The staff walked past patrons like they weren't even there, and no one seemed interested in helping anyone. Once we finally got a table, we had to wait again for it to be cleaned. And even then, no one came to seat us--we literally had to flag someone down, just to be ignored again. From that point on, the neglect only got worse. TWO HOURS to get our food after being seated. NO drink refills. Half the food we ordered never even came. Other tables had it just as bad. One couple on what looked like a first date sat awkwardly for over an hour--no menus, no drinks, no service. Eventually, they just got up and left, like many others did. And the kicker? Guests had to get up and pour their own water from a jug behind the bar. Staff didn't offer it. Didn't refill anything. People were serving themselves--yes, at a sit-down restaurant! To make matters worse, we were charged for items we never received, and when we asked to speak to someone about it, we had to track down a member of the custodial staff--not even a server or manager! It felt like no one was in charge. Honestly, if someone had walked out without paying, no one on staff would've noticed--or cared. This was meant to be a relaxing evening with my family, but it turned into a disaster. I've eaten at many Indian restaurants across the country, and this experience was not just disappointing--it was insulting. No communication. No service. No care. Unless they undergo a serious overhaul in management, staffing, and basic customer service, I would strongly advise you to avoid this place entirely. If you're craving Indian food in Norfolk, do yourself a favor and go literally anywhere else. read more

Ordered DoorDash lunch today (Saturday). I'm a huge fan of Indian food and often cook it at home. I ordered chana masala, paneer korma, and garlic naan. It was all pretty good, but not the best I've ever had. Almost lacking in key flavors that I would expect in those dishes. It would have been nice if there was some fresh cilantro included as well. The prices are a too high for non-meat dishes, but I'm not sure if that's because of the restaurant location. I would order from them again and try something else, but I'd definitely be including some special requests. read more

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We visited downtown Norfolk and took family, two kids, to Saffron and it was outstanding. My partner is not a big spice eater so our waiter DK steered her toward the Chicken Marsala which was delicious. The kids went spicy and their lamb and chicken dishes were tremendous. This place has the right amount of everything, good portions, fantastic food and ingredients, extraordinarily friendly staff and an attractive and appealing decor. We highly recomment Saffron. They have the best for everyone! read more

I had the Samosa Chat and the Tandoori Mix Grill. Both were amazing and were generous portions. My favorite was the tandoori chicken which was very flavorful with great sauce and was very moist. The waiters made sure my water was always full. read more

Amother great experience at Saffron Norfolk. We had 25 people there for my twin daughters surprise 23rd birthday. Our service was outstanding, the food, as always was excellent! The staff was so accomidating to what we wanted to do, it made the evening even better. Sometimes when you have large groups, especially this rowdy bunch, there are mistakes, delays, you almost expect them. None of that took place. Could not have been happier! Thank you so much to our server and all of the great people at Saffron, I cannot recommend enough! read more

I was staying at The Main and was craving some Indian food. My husband were having a date night and we saw that Saffron was participating in Restaurant Week. The place was clean when we walked in. Nice and Neat. The host sat us down, and handed us our menus...their customer service could be better. The waiter literally asked us what to order after sitting down. We hadn't even picked up the menu. We asked if could get a minute....yea...about thirty seconds later he was back asking what was our order. So we rushed and ordered. My husband ordered the tandoori wings. They were so bland. It was terrible. Literally no flavor. I ordered the mango lassi beverage. It was delicious! I loved it. I ordered the butter chicken and my husband ordered the mixed tandoori for our meals with the garlic naan and the cool cucumber raita...after tasting the tandoori wings...we were very worried the main tandoori dish would taste terrible...but it was actually pretty tasty. I was happy with my butter chicken. You cant go wrong with garlic naan, but the raita was terrible. We got the dessert platter and all of it was delicious. The food was good but not off the charts and the waiter could have been much nicer. He was very pushy and seemed very grumpy. I didn't hate but I didn't like it enough to come back. read more

Really, really good tikka masala served at the perfect temperature with the right balance of sweet, savory, and spicy. And the garlic naan was some of the better naan I've had. The lamb biryani was also ordered mild but had much more spice added and I couldn't eat it. It was also pretty wet; the lamb was stewed and added to the rice before serving. I wouldn't order the biryani again. The booth tables were very cramped and uncomfortable. My feet kept getting stuck on the table legs when I tried to get out and I only had a couple inches between me and the table's edge. But the service would relatively quick, and given how good the tikka masala was, I would definitely order takeout from Saffron the next time I'm in town. read more

Absolutely fantastic delicious food and the waiter we had on 23 July 2025 was absolutely wonderful! I went to eat with a friend for Resturant week but will definitely be going back on a regular. All of the staff and I mean everyone was so pleasant. This Resturant was just a great vibe and we were well taken care of. The food was phenomenal and the best Indian food I have ever tasted. Greatly seasoned, flavorful and just downright delicious! Thank you Saffron at 420 Monticello Avenue! read more

I had dinner last night. The food was a absolutely Delicious. Service was great! The ambiance was great epic. Janice Thrasher read more

We walked in and was asked if we have dinner reservation, but they were able to accommodate. There's only one server working that night, not sure of the reason, and he was quite busy taking orders and seating people. The ambiance was great and cozy. We sat there for a good 15 minutes before asked to take our order. We had the lamb tikka masala, meat samosa, mix grilled platter, and mango lassi. The tikka masala was packed with flavors and the spiciness was bearably good. The mixed grill was a bit dry but packed with spices. The food was great but the lack of service was disappointing hence 3 stars for the food and zero for the service. read more

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If I had to pick a last meal, Saffron might just be it! I love a great Indian restaurant, if you're vegetarian you'll always have great options. Vegans, be on the lookout, because many dishes are served with cream, butter and other animal products even in dishes with no animal protein. Most days I eat vegan, but I have my days where I have dairy, so I'm flexible on that front and have no qualms with vegetarian meals. With that said, they do have some vegan options, just check the menu and ask your friendly server. My sister and I had a Thursday night out and started here. We started with Gobi Manchurian, which is their cauliflower - this dish was so amazing, it's worth the flight into town just by itself. I've had many versions and forms of cauliflower wings, cauli bites, crispy cauliflouretts, you name the version and I've had it from somewhere. Don't let the menu description fool you, I assumed we were getting a roasted or baked cauliflower dish because the description doesn't describe how they're cooked, but these came out crispy and delicious AF. I keep saying this with every new experience, but these cauliflower were the best dang version of a crispy cauliflower that I've had in my life. If you're my friend and want to give me a gift that I will cherish, these cauliflower are what I want for my birthday, my Thanksgiving, my child's kindergarten graduation, my "hey it's Tuesday and I was thinking about you", my last meal on earth - no matter the occasion, just give me all of these cauliflower! Just the right amount of spice, I'd say these are a level 1 out of 5 on the spicy spectrum and soo tasty! Veg Samosa Chaat was next on the list, a little sweet, a little minty, a little bite from the onion and spices, earthy and hearty potato and peas. This dish was well rounded and super delicious! Chana Masala as a main dish was so good, I do love a good garbanzo bean dish. The garlic naan, it's your standard garlic naan, but damn it was good paired up with all this amazing food. Eat the naan by itself, dip it in your masala, put some cauliflower on it and eat it like a taco, I'm drooling just thinking about this place and it's been a couple weeks since I dined there! Saffron, you will live in my dreams until the next visit; which hopefully, will be very soon. read more

Saffron Indian Bistro - Menu July 2022 - Indian Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Food was very good. Tiki Marsala was very good. Tandoori Shrimp was also very good. Service was quick and server was friendly. Can choose Heat (Spice) level of food from 1-5. 2 was still pretty spicy. Price was about $17 - 25 for most items. Convenient to Scope and Chrysler Hall, about half a block away. Will dine here again when in the area. read more

We tried this Bistro this past weekend and enjoyed the Indian Cuisine. We had the Cauliflower appetizer (Gobi Manchurians-Vegan) which was delicious, then a Shrimp Tandoori and a Saffron Chicken. They were also good. We also got the Naan (plain) which was delicate and crisp. These are dishes with spices unique to this Cuisine and that I can't produce in my kitchen. We would like to go Bach and try more. One drawback was that the "Romantic Booths" are very tight with not much room. I think that could be a fairly quick fix..... if you are thin, go for the booth. If not (And we are not that fat!!) sit at one of the tables. read more

The food here is amazing. Restaurant is very charming and the service was excellent. This is our favorite Indian restaurant.

Had the tandoori mix grill as a take out and tried the Indian beer tonight. The mix grill was awesome. It had lamb, salmon, chicken and shrimp. The lamb was definitely my favorite. The beef was not so good. For that $10 we should have gotten a mix drink instead that's why I gave it 4 out of 5 star. I would definitely try the another lamb meal before I go home. The guy that helped us was definitely awesome. read more

Fresh, delicious, healthy, super friendly staff that took their time explaining the food and making recommendations!

Great service and tasty food. Lots of items on the menu. Waiter took time to describe items and answer questions.

The food and service were amazing. The setting was very relaxing and welcoming. I enjoyed the food and have more than enough left over for lunch and dinner. This will be come to for Indian food. read more

Saffron Indian Bistro - Kids Tandoori - Indian Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Amaze-balls delivery of goat korma as and a tonne of Naan bread. Goat was so tender it fell off the bones and the bones were big enough so that I could give them to the dog to chew on. No gristle. Spice blend was perfect. The portion was a little too much for me but the secret was it was even better the second day. read more

Tried this place during restaurant week. Very nice on the inside. Everything was flavorful. They let you pick your spice level 1-5 w/ 5 being the hottest. I'm wimp. I stick to the 2-3 range. Also, not pictured but the mango lassi drink is sooooo good and it helps to cut the spiciness. Also, they have a lunch Buffet if you've never had Indian. read more

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The naan is amazing. Server felt like he was rushing a tad bit. And the food was slight underwhelming compared to my expectations. I still recommend you try it because everyone's taste is different. read more

Another visit and my opinion of this place has improved, the buffet didn't look good so I went with the option of ordering from the menu and I'm glad I did. Had the lamb korma and chicken Goan and it was tasty. The food had definitely gotten better. The service still sucks but what can you do. Another visit and my opinion isn't any better, the food is just bland. My server asked what spice temp we would like korma and Goan curry and we said 5 hot and it came out lukewarm like it was not even fresh(we were the first in the restaurant so there was no wait) and bland. I hate bland Indian food it's like a complete waste. To my dismay my receipt shows that our food was medium hot not what we ordered. If the server wasn't going to communicate my preferences why even ask me. Ugh I've had it with the poor service and prices here. $16.50 for chicken curry or any base meal is just ridiculous and uncalled for. And the food is not the best in the area. Very tiny take out portions also. Save yourself and go to Marsala bites in VB or Indian palace in VB or taj India in Norfolk they all have better prices and definitely better flavor profile read more

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Butter chicken - not terribly flavorful or as rich as I'm used to. The chicken was super tender though. It came with a ton of rice so if you're into that, you'll be more than satisfied. Garlic naan - lots of garlic and tasty but it could probably use a tiny bit more cooking to make it a bit more crisp. Mango lassi - good and I'm glad it wasn't overly sweet. Service was prompt and fairly friendly. The place is large and nicely done. read more

Saffron Indian Bistro - Butter Chicken - Indian Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Excellent Indian restaurant in downtown Norfolk. The naan is top of the line. A huge selection of vegetarian and vegan entrees that are labeled well on the menu. The spices are well balanced and appear to be high end. Highly recommend the "bread basket." read more

Saffron Indian Bistro - The "Bread Basket" - Indian Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Lovely dinner. Super fast service. Sign says they started lunch buffet last Saturday so looking forward to that.

Stopped in for a quick dinner before a show and really enjoyed it. Everything from the main course to the desert was wonderful. The cocktail I had was excellent. The only thing I might advise against is the wine selection. Stick with the craft cocktails. The wait staff were awesome. We will definitely do it again. read more

The interior of the restaurant is beautiful and clean. We ordered papadam to start and was asked what sauce we wanted. My husband jokingly said "all of them" at which point the waiter told us it would cost ya $2/sauce. We were quite surprised since ice never been to an Indian restaurant where the sauces were not free. We ordered the cilantro sauce and it was delish, but the initial surprise left me wondering if there were more surprises. For entrees, we ordered Chana Masala & lamb in cilantro curry sauce. Both dishes were awesome and the rice was just as good. The servings were just right and I had enough to take home. While we were taken aback by the sauce incident, the rest of our meal was really good. We plan on coming back to try other dishes. read more

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Horrible food awful presentation Ordered deliver of Chicken Tikka Masala and basically got a bowl of gravy with a couple is suspicious looking squares supposedly Chicken? read more

Consistently excellent. One of my favorite restaraunts. Honey ginger chicken and mixed tandoori grill are both favorites.