Saffron Indian Bistro — Restaurant in Oro Valley

Had a great time at Saffron yesterday. First of all, there are SO many gluten-free options (with the exception of appetizers, but that’s understandable, most are fried). Secondly, the food quality is EXCELLENT. Really enjoyed everything here. My wife, the one with the gluten allergy, had the Chicken Korma, and it was excellent (I tried it). Luis it’s great they offer some northern Indian dishes as well as Southern. I had the saag paneer, also excellent. I went with mild and it was a little hot but still glad I didn’t go with mild (which my wife got for the Korma, she’s less spice tolerant). But the spices are great, the spinach and cheese flavor is excellent, they don’t skimp by ANY means on the portion size overall and on the cubes of farmers cheese specifically. The naan was delicious and warm. The rice is even excellent. And get this, with the take out containers for the leftovers, they offered to include additional rice - who does that? There are restaurants the brow beat you into buying additional rice when you get something to go. Oh by the way, I got samosas to go and they, too, were excellent - great potatoes/peas/spices, love the consistency, and crispy on the outside. Very nice.

Service was over the top and I wish I could remember the name of the young man (blond hair), he was a GREAT server (I just don’t have the receipt with me right now). He got drinks quickly, was very personable and helpful with the menu, and generally a pleasant server who enhanced the dining experience. Adding to the great service was a really nice touch of the visit by the manager asking how our experience was, and even providing a gratis rice pudding to go. Outstanding!

Then there’s the ambiance. It was fun. I know, some of you are thinking “how can an Indian restaurant be fun?” And the answer is, I’m telling you, we had FUN. Because it was great food, excellent service, and while we didn’t sit at the bar, the bar looks cool and they have not just beer and wine but also mixed drinks. Staff appears to be happy working there and worked well together. I can see this being a go-to for us...

My first impression of this place was a strong one. When you walk in you immediately notice the hip Southeast Asian dining atmosphere. The look of this place is crisp, clean, modern, and bright. The service staff is very polite. The service seems to be better in the evenings. When it is time for the lunch buffet, the service seems to get a little lax.

The food is absolutely incredible! I've been eating Indian food for years, I've had Indian food in eight states and four countries in the past ten years. This place is my absolute favorite! Their chicken masala was easily the best I've ever had. The chicken is tender, and not overly dry (like most Indian places). The masala is so rich, creamy, and full of flavor. The fish masala is amazing, and just like the chicken masala it is very tender, juicy, and delicious. Their rogan josh is also outstanding! The goat melted in my mouth, the sauce was spicy, but still full of flavor. I've also had their signature lamb dish. While this dish is a bit expensive, it is outstanding. The lamb was fresh, moist, and had the most amazing flavor. My date and I suck every bit of meat off of the bone. The tandoori chicken is another food they really know how to make. Again, the tender was juicy and tasty. I savor every bite of food I have from this place. Even the rice and the garlic nan are above average. I couldn't find a single fault with any of the food. Their lunch buffet changes from time to time, but they offer the staples of an Indian buffet, and they are delicious!

The proportions are a good size, and larger than any of their competition in Tucson too. The mango lassi is also pretty good, and there was a lot of it. This is my go to Indian restaurant for everywhere. I really...

Remarkable service and easily the best Indian food I’ve eaten in AZ.

I dined in on a Sunday evening. There was no wait time. As soon as we were seated, the server promptly bought us complimentary papadums with chutneys and the menu cards. While we were waiting to be served, the server kept on refilling our papadums. We had a mid sized order between the 3 of us, and the food was served within 15 minutes of the order being placed. While we were eating, the server came to check on us 2-3 times and made sure that our water glasses were always full. The server was happy to walk us through the different dessert options on the menu, which would be particularly helpful to those with a limited knowledge of Indian food. We had a left-over entree for which we asked for a to-go box, and the server offered to fill the box with complimentary rice for the leftover entree. Overall, I think that the staff at Saffron deserves every cent of the tip they receive.

We ordered 1 plate of vegetable samosas and chilli-pakoras for appetisers, Chicken Tikka Masala, Paneer bhuna and 2 bullet naans for main course. They came with complimentary papadums and basmati rice. The food was delicious, authentic, hot, very flavourful and aromatic. I like my food spicy, and the spice level of the food did not disappoint me. We ordered Gulab Jamuns and Kulfis for dessert. The kulfis were good but the Gulab Jamuns were amazing. This much food was sufficient for a party of 3 reasonably eating people.

The ambience was excellent. We took outdoor seating. We ended up paying 80 bucks + tips total. If this place was in a bigger city, you could expect to pay much more and higher wait time.

Would be back again....