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Saffron Indian Cafe

4.5 (60 reviews)
ModerateIndian
Open • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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SAFFRON INDIAN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Dogs allowed
Outdoor seating

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CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA and naan bread
Ray L.

Great food! Service was good, food made fresh and very tasty! Not too spicy. Wouldn't definitely recommend and go back.

Muryel W.

We had a great lunch today at Saffron Indian Cafe. We got there right when they opened and the service was exceptional. I got the lunch deal with chicken tikka masala, potatoes, naan, and a tandoori chicken appetizer with rice and my husband got the lamb vindaloo - both were phenomenal. The garlic naan was also amazing. My husband got the mango dessert, which was also great. The food came out quick, hot and had tons of flavor. It was exactly what we were looking for for lunch! We will definitely be back.

Outside seatings

Great place with delicious Indian food. I just love their Mango lassi. Real mango and most delicate taste. Very friendly people work in this cafe. The service is fast and caring. Very tasty food. The chef tries to count all your preferences and makes the food as spicy as you ask for. I sincerely recommend this place. I like to sit outside, but the inside of the cafe is also nice.

Counter
Mansoor B.

The place looked great and the service was too. The food was amazing and we really enjoyed it, especially the chicken tikka masala and mango lassi were our favorites. Chef Balkrishan personally stopped by and checked on us to make sure that we enjoyed our food and that is why we think that this place deserves a five star rating.

65 momos, butter chix, paneer saag

Amazing service, food, and no-frills hole in the wall ambiance. Can't wait to go back. Everything tastes very fresh and housemade. The samosa chaat was perfectly balanced. Could taste the fresh strained mangos in the mango lassi. And the butter chicken was divine, especially with plain butter naan. More tomato based flavor than im used too, which I liked! 65 momos were a great compliment to the saag.

Butter Chicken, Chicken Korma, Garlic Naan
JJ C.

Atmosphere: Saffron Indian Cafe is a newer restaurant conveniently located on Erwin Road. The interior has a few tables but is mainly set up as a takeout restaurant. Service: We ordered on the phone and our food was ready in ~30 minutes. Food: We ordered the Butter Chicken, Chicken Korma, and Garlic Naan. We found that the Butter Chicken and Chicken Korma tasted pretty similar, which we were a bit disappointed by as we were hoping for a more buttery, rich taste from the Butter Chicken and a more savory, complex, and aromatic Chicken Korma. The portions were also quite small for the price point. The Garlic Naan was pretty soggy despite us eating our food ~5 minutes after picking it up. Overall: Despite Saffron's convenient location, we thought that the quality and portion of the food did not match its expensive price tag. We hope to see Saffron grow and improve, but would likely opt for other Indian options nearby.

Sanitation rating as of August 2nd 2025 is 97.5

Very nice food presentation. Very friendly staff. Very clean. Wheel chair accessible. Apple Pay accepted. Can sodas and fountain machine. My wait time at 7:40PM on Saturday was about 12 minutes for chicken tikka masala. You can get spicy or non-spicy. Outdoor seating is available. Handicap parking is available. Security cameras in the area for everyone safety.

Tikka masala with chicken
Stephanie B.

Omg, the food was amazing. I'll start with the tikka masala - it was tied for best ever. Thick, creamy sauce with tender flavorful chicken. Reminded me of Pintu's tikka masala in west Springfield Mass - my prior best. We started with the Aloo Tikki Chaat. Wow - so much flavor packed into it. Spouse pulled out a cardamom pod, and I think I tasted some tamarind sauce. Touches of onion and lots of other goodies smushed in. And it had a nice kick to it. Spouse had the beef Pepper Fry which was quite good. The peppers were fresh and still had some crispness; there was lots of meat and it was tender. I had a cup of masala chai which was creamy and full of flavor, including a bit of pepper-heat. This was their second day of being open, and the food was excellent. Don't let the strip mall ambiance deter you; the food here is too-notch.

Chicken korma and chicken biriyani

Nice little restaurant in a convenient location with plenty of parking. The staff are friendly and welcoming. The food is delicious! We had chicken biriyani, chicken korma, and garlic naan. So glad we stopped by!

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Food was very very good. Ordered Chicken Korma, Butter Chicken and Lamb Vindaloo. Will definitely come again.

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2 years ago

Really enjoy the food and the service was lovely. The employees were so kind and accommodating. I will definitely be coming back!

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3 years ago

It was my first time eating Indian food but they were very helpful in selecting my entree. It was delicious! Very friendly service!

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3 years ago

I love the food here. The samosa chaat is amazing and so is the lunch menu. The are very quick in service and would visit again very soon.

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Ask the Community - Saffron Indian Cafe

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Kabab and Curry Durham - Chana Masala

Kabab and Curry Durham

4.7(52 reviews)
1.3 mi

Great food great service, will expand on the perfectly spiced salmon later! Thank you Kabab and…read moreCurry - it's always a great experience.

Met a friend here for lunch on Friday afternoon. Street parking was actually pretty easy to find…read morebut there is a paid lot really close. May be free lots close by as well but I was fortunate not to have to look very hard. There were three young men waiting at the front to assist. We were seated quickly. We got water and I ordered a Kingfisher to start my weekend early LOL. (Unfortunately they did not have it on draft, only in bottles, but it was still really good beer!) They brought us out some (I think) roti (crispy thin flat bread) with three different dipping sauces. A cilantro mint, a charred pepper, and a brown sauce. All pretty good. I ordered the Mulligatawny Soup and the Veggie Platter while my friend got the Chicken Tikka with a garden salad. The soup was just okay. It seemed to be very lacking in flavor at the restaurant. I took the rest of it home and ate it a couple of days later and it was much tastier. I guess it just need time for all the flavors to meld, I don't know. But the veggie platter was phenomenal. My favorites were the samosas (of course!) and the veg pakora. I would highly recommend those. My friend said her chicken tikka was just mid. Her garden salad was big and looked fresh and delicious. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the service either. The waiters constantly refilled our waters and the wait time was not long. They didn't even rush us when we spent an hour and a half at the table. The only reason this is a four and not a five is that there are other Indian restaurants close in this area that I enjoy the food more.

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Kabab and Curry Durham - Dining area.

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Viceroy - Chicken Curry, Garlic Naan, Red Thai Seafood Curry

Viceroy

4.4(507 reviews)
2.5 mi
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For my birthday, we decided to check out Viceroy restaurant in Durham…read more We had a wonderful dining experience at Viceroy! We started with the Guava Pani Puri and Veg Samosa, then moved on to the Achari Paneer, Anjeer Kofta, and Pumpkin Paneer Curry. The Achari Paneer and Anjeer Kofta were my highlights. Both were beautifully seasoned (medium spice), flavorful, and easily the best parts of the meal. The Anjeer Kofta, in particular, was a delicious mix of sweet and savory flavors. Everything was well-prepared and made for a truly enjoyable meal. I'd definitely come back to explore more of the menu. Viceroy is a great spot for anyone looking for flavorful Indian food with some creative twists!

really good food and drink!…read more when there are SO many indian restaurants in the triangle area, viceroy stands out by having menu items that are different from all the rest. we ordered a bunch of stuff to share and everything was great. the decor was interesting and very reminiscent of a british pub; although it got loud, it was never overpoweringly so. i started with a drink - the carda-mami, which was wonderful. the gin & honey & lemon combination was really well done and the drink wasn't too strong. for appetizers, we got the momo bhel and the guava pani puri. the bhel was awesome. i would order that again any day of the week. the pani puri was also good, but i couldn't really taste the guava and didn't think it was special enough to warrant the price or order more than once. for mains, we got the smoked dal and the anjeer kofta. both were amazing; i especially loved the anjeer kofta and could taste the figs in the kofta, which worked really well with the sweet malai sauce. the naan was great too. we wanted to try the pineapple hibiscus sorbet for dessert but they were unfortunately sold out - however, our server recommended we walk down the street and get ice cream at the parlour, which we did and thoroughly enjoyed. i had a lovely evening here and am happy this place with its menu exists!

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Viceroy - Inside. Front part of dining room, facing W Main St and front part of restaurant.

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Barsa New Indian

Barsa New Indian

4.8(73 reviews)
2.7 mi

Ok, let me get this clear. Many people love this place and I now know why but I also don't want to…read moreunderstate my pure glee when trying this food. I'm a fairly practiced home cook that loves to make food-sciency dishes, Michelin inspired stuff, and true comfort food alike. Most places I've been I could now recreate the majority of the food on my own (including a variety of ethnic food, especially Indian). I think it would take me a few years to recreate ONE DISH from this place. I should seriously be spending time with my mother and grandmother but instead my head is currently buried in my phone while trying to envision the tastes that hit my tongue. Anyways, this place beat the brakes off my expectations, so let's get talking about food and service. First Impression: Upon walking into the restaurant, I was kindly greeted by the man working the front of house (Sonny) and he shook my hand after recognizing my voice. I called fifteen minutes prior to push our reservation and add a seat, but I did not expect to feel so welcomed and comfortable so quickly. Amazing hire and clearly keeps things running smoothly. No notes for the other staff either, they were all exceedingly kind, courteous, and responsive when we had questions. Ambiance: This greatly contributed to the fantastic meal we just had. They had flowers and balloons out for Mother's Day (which was not expected at all either), but also the whole place is filled with natural light and a simply great vibe when eating food. Music wasn't loud/distracting, acoustics never made me worry I was yelling either. The food also was so pretty that it just tied it all together organically. Appetizers: I think this place is pretty well known for its Gunpowder Lamb Chops. So I won't go into excessive detail, but yes it is just that fucking good that if you don't get it, you're probably not thinking straight. I will definitely be back for those because I wouldn't dare try to make it myself and ruin it. We also had this Chaat dish that was a more modern take and it was without a doubt the most creative Chaat I've ever tried. Excellent. Entrees and Sides: We ordered three entrees to share amongst 5 adults (although 2 are older folks) and had two small boxes of leftovers to argue over. The first thing that I tried was the Duck Vindaloo (9.8/10) - I knew immediately I would be writing my very first food review afterwards. I don't even know if putting duck in a vindaloo is conventional, but it's EPIC. My grandparents thought it was a touch sweet but I liked it better that way and it perfectly complemented the duck. Next was the Ember Lamb Shank Special (9.5/10) - which was of course amazing. I actually forgot to put the gravy on top for the first half of the lamb I ate, so the half point off is honestly my fault. Would've been a ten if I was locked in. We also got the Nustea Shrimp (10/10) - which I think you will have to try yourself to believe my rating. I won't even try to describe it other than the sorba (sauce) that we almost licked off the plate. Lastly, we had Naan (8.9/10), Chili-Garlic Naan (9.3/10), Raita (9.7/10), and a vegetable salad (9/10) on the side. I have always thought most Indian restaurants cheap out on the sides, but this one makes them expert level. I genuinely have no idea what the orange crunchy spheres in the raita were, but this was the only time I've ever had raita outside my home and liked it. Desserts and Beverages: We ordered the Kumbala Brulee (9.5/10, genius idea btw). The lovely staff ALSO gifted us some Raspberry cake (9.7/10) which was phenomenal. That was honestly the cherry on top that made me a true believer. Final Note: If you read this far and haven't made a reservation yet then unfortunately you didn't get the point... Go try this place ASAP I pinky promise you won't regret it. I even ordered a goat curry to go so my girlfriend could try the art they are calling food. Oh and did I somehow forget to add ALL THE MEAT IS HALAL??? What a way to put me in the running for favorite grandchild . And Sonny if you're reading this thanks for making this Mother's Day one of the best you're the man!!

Did I come to the same restaurant as all the other reviews? Because I was distinctly underwhelmed,…read moreespecially for the price. I came here on a Friday night with 3 of my friends for a Girls Night out. Preethi seated us and she was very kind. I knew that I had been to this place before, but it was a different Indian restaurant then...I think it was called Monsoon? But they had the same decor, umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. We started with an order of Cloud Sips ($15 each), which was lavender syrup, tequila and lime juice...these were delicious (once they got to the table...bar service was SLOW.) Then we ordered several dishes for the whole table to share. The Saffron Malai Murg Royale ($14) had a very cool presentation (it was covered when it came to the table and smoke poured out when you opened it). The chicken was tasty but nothing amazing. We then got the Gun Powder Lamb Chops ($29) which also had a really neat presentation where the lit them on fire at the table! Too bad they were so overcooked and dry that it made me wish that they had not flambeed them. Next we got an order of the Zesty Cauliflower Delight ($19) which was the best thing we had all night...which, beside the Cloud Sip, the only thing I thought anywhere near worth the price. We also got some jalapeno cheese naan ($8) and chili garlic naan ($6). Both were fine although I like the jalapeno one better. In between courses, we ordered a round of Chaand Showers, which was passion fruit puree, mango, coco run, and coconut water. I wish I would have had another Cloud Sip. Overall, I was disappointed. The bill came to about $200 so with tip it was over $60 for each of us ladies. We had two drinks each and shared mostly unimpressive dishes. I did like that tip was not automatically added. But I've had far better Indian food at far less expensive establishments. I will not be returning here.

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Tandoori Bites - Chicken 65

Tandoori Bites

4.2(138 reviews)
4.6 mi
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Service: wonderful! They were quick and they were so sweet. We made a quick reservation online and…read moreby the time we arrived the table was set for us! Ambiance: perfect for a 1st date. It's a casual restaurant but all the decor and the modern touches with Indian influence gives it a great sultry vibe. Food: top notch. Thus far is our favorite Indian restaurant out there. The naan itself is freshly made and SOFT, thick, and has a nice chew. Best naan in the triangle area. Highly recommend the bread basket as you get a good variety of their different naans. The paneer pakora is crispy, piping hot, and has a great cumin and lightly salted taste. In the middle is mint chutney so it's has nice layers of flavors. The lamb palak was super tasty as well! The spinach was nice clay cooked where it was creamy with no bitter after taste. The lamb was fall apart tender! The lamb jalfrezi was also a show stopper, it was spiced, slight tomato sauce, and lambs again, super tender that can be broken up with just fingers. The malai chicken was good, but wasn't our favorite. The meat is tender, but I felt like the flavor wasn't hitting as much as the other two. It was lighter and even with the lemon it still felt like it was missing something. Overall: will definitely be coming back!

We had a much better meal eating at the restaurant than when we got takeout a year ago. The…read moreambiance is nice and the service was good. We shared the Chicken 65, which was tasty. I especially enjoyed the crunch from the onions and peppers in this dish. The Garlic Naan was so good: buttery and perfectly cooked. I had the Beef Curry at spice level "hot," which was perfect for me. Some pieces of the beef were a little tough. My husband ordered his Chicken Vindaloo "extra Indian hot" and still wanted it spicier, haha. We got more than enough rice for each curry dish. The Mango Lassi was perfect to sip between spicy bites of curry, I highly recommend this if you like the flavors of yogurt and mango!

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Tandoori Bites
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Urban Turban Indian Grill and Bar

Urban Turban Indian Grill and Bar

4.5(133 reviews)
6.3 mi
Vegetarian friendly
Takes reservations

Tonight I found a gem! Urban Turban is a lovely restaurant that serves delicious food. They ask…read morebeforehand what level of heat (spices) you would like your food prepared in. If you are new to Indian cuisine the very friendly staff will help you along. I was very impressed with the vegetarian menu. Appearance matters here as well as food quality. My waiter, Baron, was top-notch.

Urban Turban has awesome decor and vibes, it's such a beautiful restaurant! I came for lunch and…read morethe service was great. The music seemed to be modern Indian music, which I enjoyed. I had a lunch special, the Non-Vegetarian Thali, which came with a Vegetable Samosa, Dal Bukhara, Butter Chicken, Butter Naan, Rice, Raita, and a Gulab Jamun. This is the first time I've had a Thali and the presentation was beautiful. Vegetable Samosa: Perfectly crisp on the outside and soft inside. Mild spicy. Dal Bukhara: Delicious lentil curry! I've never had this before (I usually get Dal Makhani), and I now know I prefer Dal Bukhara because it has lentils only. Butter Chicken: Delicious curry. I loved the smoky flavor and char on the chicken. The curry was perfectly spicy (I ordered medium spicy). The butter naan, rice, and raita were all good in supporting the dish. Gulab Jamun: A delicious sweet doughnut in syrup, a nice little treat before leaving the restaurant. The lunch Non-Veg Thali is a great deal at $24, especially for the amount of food you get (I ended up with leftovers too). I can't wait to come back and try their dinner and bar offerings!

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Urban Turban Indian Grill and Bar
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Cheeni - Indian 75 cocktail with style

Cheeni

4.1(61 reviews)
2.6 mi

For the appetizer our server, Fern, reccommeded the Chettinad-Style Chicken. It was the dry style…read more Cooked perfectly and had a nice kick. Mangalorean Chicken was full of flavor. Not a spicy hot dish. Would be good to introduce someone to Indian food. Lamb Vindaloo was spicy, but a really nice flavorful spicy. The lamb was cooked perfectly. What I believe I love most about the dishes is that they were so meaty! Most times you get more sauce in the dish than the meat. I loved the dishes weren't soup like, thicker and bursting with flavor. We ended the night with a cranberry oatmeal and chocolate chip cookie. Definitely a must have to get the cookies! Will be going back to experice the bar area which you wouldn't know was there if it was closed. Fern took great care of us andmade fabulous recommendations. Love the decor of the restaurant and speakeasy feel of the bar. The added touch of the box with the menus and silverware gave the experience that special touch.

This place has been on my list for a while and I'm glad I finally got to visit to celebrate my…read morehusband's birthday. The good: - The decor and ambience is excellent, I love the thoughtful design and wanted to take photos of everything! - The service was friendly and explained the dishes well - The mango lassi was heavenly, I'd come back just for the drink, loved the cardamom flavor! - most of the meat was halal! - The chettinad chicken was delicious, like the best thing we tried. Flavors were great and I liked the texture. - the garlic naan was different from most Indian restaurants and more bread like but heavenly, I've tried naans like this before and so glad I could taste it here too! - the fish moilee, low key felt a little expensive for what it was but at least it tasted good! I like the tangy coconut flavors though the paratha it came with was disappointing, but flakey and very dry. Room for improvement: - We ordered the jaggery chicken because it's not something we usually see on menus, I wouldn't call it an Indian dish but an elevated chicken roast and I liked it a lot! Unfortunately it wasn't hot or warm when we ate it so we took most of it home to reheat. I also feel like it should have come with some sides, tandoor dishes typically do like even a little side salad would have been nice because it was too dry to eat with naan. - the aloo tiki chat was not it. It was potato wedges with some sev sprinkled and barely any yogurt. It definitely needed a lot more going because it was super dry and not flavorful. Nonetheless I'd return to try the mango lassi again and try their featured cake!

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Cheeni - Cute decoration

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Cheeni - Coconut Prawn Croquettes: baby prawn & potato croquette, coated in coconut, served with mirchi pani (a light, spicy sauce)

Coconut Prawn Croquettes: baby prawn & potato croquette, coated in coconut, served with mirchi pani (a light, spicy sauce)

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Saffron Indian Cafe - indpak - Updated October 2026

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