Saffron Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Kalamazoo Charter Township

Update 2025:

Pros: beautiful space, great staff Cons: lunch buffet is a bit pricey, not a lot of variety, spicy flavors were not for me, only 2 meat options

Everyone was so kind and the restaurant had a beautiful ambiance. I used to love coming to the buffet when I was in college -but it’s changed a bit with regard to offerings and price. We paid $38 for two buffets drinking water -which is a little steep when you’re a one-plate-and-then-full person. Offerings were two rices (basmati and saffron, salad, raita, naan, and 4 entrees (tandoori chicken, chickpea curry, vegetable curry, meatball curry). The chicken was a bit dry and the curries were too spicy for me. The meatball curry, I think, would’ve been my favorite, but again, too spicy. They used to have 2 additional meat entrees that were delish and not too spicy (beef keema and I think a tika masala), but those were no longer available. The dessert rice milk was my favorite part of the experience. Absolutely perfect! I think this would be a great place for vegetarians who love spicy food -just not for me anymore :)

Heads up, the lunch buffet is no longer everyday so make sure to check if you’re making a treck :)

2018: Food was kept hot, fresh, and replenished. The atmosphere was clean, welcoming, and staff were very friendly and attentive. The food was very good, with the exception of the tandoori chicken. Batch after batch after batch was very, very dry and yielded very little meat. Most pieces were all bone to the point where I wondered why they would waste money buying, seasoning, and roasting product customers literally couldn’t consume. The pieces I did find were incredibly dry in addition to having little meat. I don’t eat carbs, so this was one of the few dishes I could consume. I wouldn’t recommend if you hold a keto or low carb diet. The only dishes I was able to consume were the keema and gobhi -which were absolutely delicious! Lots of raita too, of course! The selection isn’t huge, but it’s good (not including the chicken). The lunch buffet runs M-F only -it’s $13/per person not including beverages. At that price, we won’t be back anytime soon -but it was nice to...

I loved this place. It isn't my first choice to take my children because of the quiet setting. However, management was amazing with my children. The owner came and played with my kids and offered them candy.

Though we have had Indian food at home, we have never eaten out. We were skeptical because of spiciness. However, we asked one of the women about the menu, and she was very helpful. She recommended shrimp Tikka masala, lamb biryani, and Chicken Malai Noorjahani for our entrees; the veggie platter for appetizers; plain and garlic naan; chai and three desserts at the end (pistachio ice cream, Indian donuts, and "Indian" cheese cake).

The naan is to die for. My children couldn't stop eating it. I was hoping I'd get some Hyderabadi biryani, but what we got was a bit different. Still delicious, but not as spicy as I'd hope. Our lamb was a tiny bit dry, but it was easily forgiven. The coconut milk in the malai noorjani adds such an authentic sweetness to the dish, it was great just absorbing the sauce with the bread. My children killed the shrimp tikka.

Skip the cheesecake, as there didn't seem to be anything Indian about it. However the pistachio ice cream is AMAZING and I can still smell the fragrance of it. My husband thoroughly enjoyed the Indian donut/donut holes. He couldt put his finger in the backdrop of flavor--safforn--but he did wish he had more (we got two donut holes)

I would return, but not any time soon. The prices are kind of high for the amount of food, it's true. We ate a la carte, but still. The desserts were priced at $5 each, but the scoop of ice cream was tiny. Our food totalled about $120, so I can't imagine going regularly. But it was a nice,...

If this is the best Indian cuisine in Kalamazoo, then there might as well not be any Indian cuisine at all. I ordered Tandoori Mixed Grill for $16.00 and got 5 pieces of meat a child could eat in 2 bites each. Weird measurement, I know, but I didn't take a picture because it was a special occasion so I just shut up and ate it. 2 of the pieces were so charred as to be only 3/4 edible and if those are the Malai Kebab that specifically mention being charred on purpose, then they failed at the "boneless" part of their description miserably. The Seekh Kebab (identified because it is described as "flute" shaped but looks more like a literal piece of feces) had close to no flavor along with the two other small pieces of meat. If it weren't for the date tamarind (a sauce provided) the meal would have been a complete waste. The grilled fruits and vegetables were swimming in oil and not at all grilled, generally flavorless.

As for my wife's order, Chicken Tikka Masala, the flavor was alright but in the 10 minutes we sat eating we watched a pool of grease form at one end of the dish that put us off eating the rest of it. The garlic naan bread costs close to double an equivalent amount bought from a grocery store, and was inferior in every possible way: It was burned on the bottom, rubbery throughout, thin, and greasy. The saffron rice had whole cloves left in it which meant picking through the rice before eating any since biting an unexpected clove in a spoonful of rice is downright awful. We've eaten at Saffron a few times with friends and family, always with disappointing results but this last meal will be the one we remember for why we don't eat...