SAFFRON Indian Restaurant & Bar - Orinda, California

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This place offers a decent, casual dining experience in the heart of Orinda’s downtown plaza. The atmosphere is relaxed, with a straightforward setup, which is perfect for a laid-back meal. The customer service was pleasant, with several staff members attending to our table, ensuring that we had what we needed.

However, the food didn’t quite hit the mark. The tandoori chicken was a bit underwhelming, lacking the bold, smoky flavor one might expect (seems like someone forgot to marinate it for at least six hours prior to serving). Similarly, the garlic naan was somewhat plain and didn’t stand out. The mixed meat platter, while generous enough for two to share, was also average in terms of flavor having a deep fried chicken?!?

As for the drinks, I was disappointed by the over-sweetened Old Fashioned, which felt more like a sugary cocktail than the classic it was supposed to be.

Overall, it’s a nice spot with friendly service and a good location, but the food and drinks left something to be desired.

Sharfa Munas

A Hidden Gem for Authentic North Indian Cuisine!
During my visit to San Francisco, a friend recommended my family to try this North Indian restaurant in Orinda, and it was absolutely worth the trip. We ordered the lamb curry and tandoori chicken with naan, and every bite was bursting with authentic flavors. The food was perfectly spiced, fresh, and cooked to perfection.

The friendly environment and warm hospitality made the experience even more special. I learned that it’s a family-run business with the father as the chef, who brings a wealth of culinary experience to the table. You can taste the passion and tradition in every dish.

This place truly deserves more than five stars, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone craving genuine North Indian flavors.

Johanna Hussaini

We went here for our holiday dinner. The ambience was cozy and I loved the high booths for great privacy. The staff was helpful with answering questions. We ordered Chicken tikka sizzler, chicken korma, dal makhani and Shaba special naan. You can ask for the spice level you are comfortable with. We went with median for the chicken korma and my daughter who has low spice threshold loved it. We asked for the dal makhani to be spicy. Although it was not as spicy as I am used to still it satiated for the cold night. Will come again for my daughter for sure.

Indrasis Chakraborty

Love this place. We went there and had naan , keswari naan, aloo gobi and paneer bhurji. Loved every dishes , especially the kheswari naan, highly recommended. Also their spice level is really good. I do not like spicy food and they made a mild version, which is really mild in spice. Also the food came hot and fresh. Nice restaurant.

Update: I have taken away one star from them as they messed up with the delivery. They gave us stale food when we ordered the food from uber eats.

sandeep lakshmanan

One of the best flavors of Indian spices I had in SFO. The staff are very polite and concerned about how you feel about the food. I had lamb biryani, coconut soup, I would definitely recommend anybody who is craving for that Indian taste. This is the place. A must visit.

Rajan Bhanot

Big Indian restaurant. Great Indian aroma.

Christopher Seeger

This has been our go to for Indian food for years. I love the vegan options as well as the chicken entres. Naan is made fresh and great paired w chutney.

Anna Leontine Ortiz

Went to celebrate a friend's birthday tonight. Walked in and got seated immediately as there was plenty room, it was very nice and the booths were high. Unfortunately I didn't bring enough cash with me to order Naan but I got a Caesar salad without chicken, my son got Mac & cheese. I would've liked to order Indian food given the location, but short on funds so that's on me. The prices were decent for the area and my friend ordered Butter chicken and an extra side of rice as well as a Mango Lassi.

Really my only complaint is that all of the food took forever to come out. I got a Caesar but it took so long to get it, my son got Mac & cheese and my friend had nearly finished his whole meal before the Mac & cheese arrived at the table. I DO appreciate that they kept us in the loop for it being delayed, but man it took a while. All of the employees were very nice and refilled our waters regularly. Also I think on the website the Caesar is listed as vegetarian bur Caesar by definition is not vegetarian as the dressing has anchovies in it.