Saffron Indian Cafe

Best Biryani in town!!! Great customer service.. Me and my daughter enjoy almost everything they have to offer. Been to many restaurants owned by Rawat's.. by far this one is my favorite!!

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.

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.

"Good Indian food on Erwin Rd in Durham by Duke's West Campus"This location is between Firehouse Subs and Mediterra-- this spot has been the home of quite a few different restaurants over the years (most recently, Itaewon Grill Korean bowls). The space is brightly lit, and one orders at the counter (or online). If the weather is warm, there are a few tables just outside, though shared with Mediterra and the other restaurants in the strip. My wife and I came here on a Saturday evening around 5:45pm. No other customers were in the store when we started, and only one other couple came and sat in the whole time we were there-- I'm guessing most of their business is takeout. I got the chicken tikka masala, and my wife ordered the vegetarian anjeer bhare malai kofta, both mild and both came with rice, and we both got mango lassis to drink. It took about 15 minutes until the food was ready. Everything was packaged to go, but when the person behind the counter saw we were eating in, he gave us some styrofoam plates. Both dishes were very tasty. I really liked the chicken tikka masala-- it came with some bell peppers and onions, which I'm not used to seeing in this dish, but which complemented the flavors nicely. I had a bite of my wife's kofta, too, and it was nicely flavorful with a tiny hint of sweetness. The rice was good too-- it was basmati, but not just simple white basmati-- had a bit of something else mixed in, too. The only challenge for my wife was that "mild" here was not sufficiently mild for her... I'd rate my chicken tikka masala as between mild and medium (which I was fine with), and her dish was a little too spicy hot for her tastebuds.Service was good even without formal table service-- as I mentioned, they noticed we were eating in and offered us plates, and they seemed concerned when they saw my wife wasn't eating and asked her if it was too spicy for her.Quantity was good-- I did finish my dish, but I was pretty full with that. Price was fair-- $16 for mine and $15 for hers. Maybe a tiny bit cheaper than nearby Naan Stop (which I also like). Overall, I liked it and would recommend it, especially for takeout. And the location right beside Duke makes it ideal for students/ staff/ faculty/ visitors there.

Great food and people! We got the box lunch and it was ready in just a few minutes. Also try the mango lassi drink!

I suppose I expected an actual full-service restaurant, so I'm taking that into account in my review -- that this is primarily a takeout place. My friend wanted to try this new Indian restaurant with a hotshot chef from India. We were disappointed at the takeout vibe, but decided to stay.This restaurant has no provision, other than tables, for dining in. The curries are served in plastic containers with lids, the rice is delivered in takeout boxes. The naan is wrapped in foil. There are no trays, so you have to make multiple trips to the counter to pick up your food if you are dining in. Cutlery is self-serve and plastic. It is not at all clear which cups are to be used for water (from the soda machine) and there was no ice in the machine when we were there. Mango lassi is pre-made and served out of the bottled beverage refrigerator.We asked for lamb saag, mild spice and butter chicken, medium spice. It was delivered exactly backwards. The lamb saag was made with good-quality lean lamb, cooked just right (not too soft, not tough), but it was EXTREMELY salty. The flavor was good, but hard to discern under the salt. This is one of my favorite dishes so I expect it to be somewhat salty, but this was extreme. It was MY idea of medium spice, but my companion found it on the mild side.The butter chicken was loaded with nice chunks of tender chicken breast, but the sauce had an odd sweet taste (perhaps tamarind?) that neither of us had ever had from this dish before and that I don't think really worked, for the sweetness overpowered everything.Garlic naan was made fresh and was very good.Perhaps we should have figured that a place close to the hospital was going to be primariy takeout, but the credentials of the chef and the web site led us to believe that this would be a sit-down restaurant. For $62 for two people (just 2 entrees, 1 bread, and 2 mango lassi), including a tip that I don't know why I gave that much given that there is no service other than cooking and packaging the food, I guess I expected something different.

Great food but more importantly, great people.Definitely give it a try as it's the best Indian food you can find near Duke now.

First time trying Indian food and I must say it was quite an experience the different season of the food were very exciting and I will return

Weird pervert vibes from the cashier, felt like he was recording me but was slick about it so you couldn't be sure. Be safe if your a college student. Food was just ok, It is also a takeout only restaurant. I've been to the Cary location and the food is much better, with better service.

This place is astounding! The food is delicious and everyone is very kind. If you don't want to eat inside you can also order To-go. The mango lassi is also super delicious!! Would definitely recommend if you want a delicious Indian restaurant. Chef Balkrishan was also amazing and very nice in addition to cooking delicious food.