Spice & Saffron Indian Cusine Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Oakville

🌟 A Truly Heartwarming Experience – Felt Like Home 🌟

From the moment I stepped through the front door, I was warmly welcomed by Iqbal Singh — the very first person who greeted me with a genuine smile and unmatched hospitality. That first impression? Truly impressive.

I was struggling to find a charging point for my device, and to my surprise, Iqbal Singh didn’t hesitate for even a second. He kindly offered me an entire six-person desk just so I could plug in and charge. That gesture alone spoke volumes about the culture and the people here. I truly hope nothing was scattered or disturbed because of this — but his kindness was absolutely unforgettable.

The calmness of the place is something I’ve never felt in a restaurant before. It was like wearing Apple AirPods Max — blocking out all the noise of the outside world. I could actually hear the sound of every bite — soft, crisp, and delicate. The experience was like tasting food in peaceful silence, enjoying every note of flavor. It felt… satisfying, fulfilling — just like home.

The atmosphere? Undeniably homely.

The flavors? Just like Maa ke haath ka khana (mom’s cooking).

Although I’m from Gujarat, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Punjabi food. My father once visited Punjab and raved about the lassi — he told me that after having it, he couldn’t eat anything else for days. That memory flashed in my mind as I experienced the food here.

This was my first visit to this place, and I must say, it didn’t feel like just a restaurant. It felt like Ghar… not just a house, but a home.

Iqbal Singh approached me not like a manager or staff member, but like an old friend — asking my name, what I do, and talking with a respectful tone that made me feel truly seen. That’s how you make family, especially in a world full of strangers. I haven’t visited Punjab yet, but today, I felt the fragrance, soul, and warmth of it right here.

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🙏 A big thank you: • To the chefs – for the soul-satisfying food and the love poured into every dish. • To the staff – for treating every guest with dignity and warmth. • To the owner – for building such a strong foundation of respect and excellence that flows through every member of your team.

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💼 And here’s the best part…

This is not the last time I’m visiting — I’ll definitely be back. Not just with friends and family, but even with my clients.

In fact, I’ve already decided — this is going to be my go-to spot for: • Client meetings 🤝 • Business discussions over coffee ☕ • And of course, enjoying great food in a peaceful, respectful atmosphere 🍲

Thank you once again for making my first visit unforgettable. You’ve gained a loyal customer — and many more who will come through me.

With heartfelt appreciation, Omkumar Vijaysinh...

My wife and myself visited this amazing 5 star Indian restaurant in the heart of downtown Oakville. We asked one of the servers to surprise us with the main dishes while we were enjoying our appetizers: The Fall Off The Bone lamb chops and the tiger prawns. They were the most tender lamb chops weve ever had, the flavours were unbelievable. The prawns have such a nice kick to them that we could not stop eating. The dishes she chose for us: the Chicken Tikka Masala had a beautiful aroma and had an amazing spicy kick to it. She also chose for us the chicken dish with the gravy made with cashews (cant remember the name) and it was also outstanding. The fluffy white basmati rice was one of the best weve had.

Now onto the Naan Bread. We ordered the garlic naan, and the zaatar naan. By far the best naan we have ever tried. We devoured both. The naan here is thin with a nice crunch, yet perfect texture for dipping. Wow is all we can say.

We have traveled may places and tried Indian cuisine in many places. By far Riyasat is one of our top 3 favourites.

The restaurant is absolutely stunning inside, the furniture, the decor and the cleanliness is superb.

We came back again tonight for my birthday, and we literally ordered 8 different dishes. And of course lots of naan. Everything was absolutely on point, and the chefs definitely take pride in preparing each dish with care and love. The lamb bariyani is out of this world. The tender succulent pieces of meat inside...wow, and the presentation was beautiful. The lamb kebob had a beautiful texture with amazing spices, and the tenderness was unbelievable. We also ordered a couple of chicken dishes, one boneless and one with bone in. They were both excellent with the array of spices like cardamom, cloves, coriander, mint...everything was paired perfectly and the aromas were delicious. I can sit here and talk about all the food and all the dishes all night. Two visits in one week, and totalling 12 different dishes weve tried. We will definitely be back very soon, and we will be bringing our friends to show them this beautiful gem in the heart of Oakville. This was by far one of the best birthday dinners Ive had.

Last, but not least, the most important part of this experience is the service. I am so sorry I did not remember your names. Our server/servers made our night extra special. Your attentiveness and professionalism made the experience that much better. Your amazing sense of humour and kindness took this to the next level.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my birthday a...

If someone wants to learn how not to run a restaurant must work at this place to take lesson’s, So our misery starts right from walking in, their is a welcome desk which is never manned, since we were walk in a server asked after a about a bit of wait how many people we asked for a table for three, which he said would be ready in 2 mins, later the manager Mr. Iqbal said they don’t have tables available for the next two hours, so we walked away few steps away from the restaurant we realized half the tables were empty so we checked online if we could get a table sooner and to our surprise a table was available within 15 mins and we booked the reservation for 20:45, nobody at the welcome desk is stationed so you just hope someone would show up, we waited about ten minutes from our reserved time and finally had to stop on of the servers to seat us, which took another ten minutes. After being seated I personally realized there was no server designated for particular tables and you just hope someone would show up to take an order. The order was taken well after 30 mins of being seated, the drinks were the first to be served about 25 mins from the time the order was taken, I personally order a screw driver and oh man never had a such badly made screwdriver no wonder they don’t have a trained bar person, meanwhile our drink were done and we were still waiting on our food. I did realized that the other tables had the same agony no server comes up to you and asks you if you need anything you just wait or you have to yell to gain their attention. Using of tray to serve food is not a concept here l, most of the servers would just had carry your food bowls, though we wanted to order more food since we were hungry we did not do so because of the exponential waiting times despite being at almost half occupancy. 2hr and 37 mins should not be a table turnover time.

If the owner is reading this please get rid of your manager Mr Iqbal who would ruin your business turning away paying customers away while the restaurant is at 50% capacity and being very unapologetic about it showing attitude is all...