Safran — Restaurant in Dusseldorf

I visited Saffraan in Düsseldorf today with a friend, excited to enjoy some Persian food. Unfortunately, the experience was quite disappointing.

For starters, we ordered Mirza Ghasemi and Kuku Sabzi. The Mirza Ghasemi was tasty but the portion was extremely small. The Kuku Sabzi, however, seemed like it had just been taken out of the freezer because the spinach still had a frozen crust, which was very unpleasant.

The man working there was neutral and professional; I have nothing negative to say about him. However, the woman who seemed to be the owner or manager was quite arrogant and unwelcoming. When I was calmly explaining our reservation, she interrupted me in a condescending tone, telling me to give her more time, which already set a negative tone.

While serving the food, she made inappropriate jokes that I didn’t find funny and frankly, not something you expect from someone working in hospitality. As someone who works in the restaurant industry myself, I know that dining out is supposed to be a pleasant experience. When I politely asked for another iced tea, I was told I didn’t need to ask because I’m paying for it anyway. This kind of communication, especially in Persian (a language we both spoke), felt unnecessarily rude and dismissive.

At the end, the bill was €80.40. I had €80 in cash and asked if I could pay the remaining €0.40 by card, since I would otherwise need to break a €50 bill. Her response was, do you enjoy bothering me? I was surprised by this, and when I asked, why would I be bothering you, she ignored the question and claimed that such small amounts can’t be paid by card in Germany. I found that hard to believe because I’ve paid small amounts in German supermarkets before. I explained that I’m from the Netherlands, and eventually I changed the larger bill just to end the conversation.

Of course, paying is part of the deal, and €0.40 is not the issue. The real problem was her tone and attitude. She doesn't know me, and I don’t know her, but I was treated as if I were a nuisance rather than a customer.

As for the main dishes, they were mediocre at best. The Koobideh tasted like it came from a factory, not at all like freshly hand-kneaded kebab on a skewer, which I was hoping for.

I drove all the way from the Netherlands to try a taste of my own culture, but sadly, this visit left a bad impression. I won’t be returning and I wouldn’t recommend this...

My experience at Safran was anything but straightforward. While there were some undeniable highlights, particularly the exceptional service, the overall visit left me with mixed feelings.

Let’s start with the positive: the service was phenomenal warm, professional, and attentive throughout. That level of hospitality is unfortunately rare in many Persian restaurants across the Netherlands, and it truly stood out here. Kudos to the staff on that front.

However, the kitchen side of the experience was less impressive. I ordered the starter platter, which consisted of pre-made items, yet it took surprisingly long to arrive. When it finally did, it lacked that “wow” factor and didn’t feel worth the price.

The main courses followed with more delays, and although the kebabs were truly excellent juicy, well-seasoned, and cooked perfectly the rice was a major letdown. It wasn’t traditional Iranian rice, and it came out dry, without the usual knob of butter to balance things out. That simple omission made the dish feel incomplete.

Another hiccup came right at the beginning: despite having a reservation, we waited quite a while to be seated. Apparently, there was an issue with their booking system. While understandable, it still added unnecessary frustration.

As for the atmosphere, the space felt cramped and disorganized, which took away from the dining experience. A bit more attention to layout and ambiance could make a big difference.

In Summary: Safran has real potential, especially with such an outstanding front-of-house team. But the kitchen efficiency, food consistency, and space planning need work to match the level of...

Good food ! BUT unfortunately overshadowed with an awful service and bad attitude of staff whom are not friendly nor professional. in last few years every time that I have visited this restaurant there was always some sort of bad attitude.and I tried to avoid this restaurant but as its located close to Düsseldorf central station (Düsseldorf Hbf ) I had to give into insistence of friends or family once in while.

Yesterday was one of them 13th of july 2024 1-start from beginning when we order food and immediately the waitress ask how you going to pay for you food all together or separately 🤨😳! 2-she bring the food and her thumb was inside the food plate 🤯come on you just touch money with those hand,I let it slide and start my food from other side. 3-tables are so close to each other she couldn’t serve a food properly and had to lean over me poor placement of tables 4-I ask for another cola in the middle of my meal ,waitress took another table order and take her time, put it in the in the system start going trough her cellphone in front of bar while our table 4-5 step from the bar,another few min passed so I walk to bar and ask for a cola, they refused & ask me to sit we bring it to you,in response it’s fine I can take it to my table no worries,again NO! sit we bring it to you !!! after they talked to each other and pointing at me finally she come with cold slam it on the table roll her eye and left !!! new type of hospitality !!!

In conclusion your better off with take...