Saffron Grill House - Authentic Indian and Pakistani Restaurant — Restaurant in Yorkville

This place is a love/hate affair. In short, the food is good (not great) but the portions generous. The service was incompetent at best. The price was reasonnable. We did not see wine or beer on the menu.

The Food: The appetizer was Samosa Chaat. This was very good and rather large for an appetizer. We followed with Goat Biryiani. The flavor was adequate, the portion very generous. The goat pieces were buried at the bottom and somewhat fatty. The yoghurt sauce was too runny, almost watery. We ordered the Biryiani "spicy," but we got "Wisconsin spicy." If you prefer true spicy seasoning, order "Very Spicy." We also ordered garlic naan, which was acceptable, but somewhat bland.

The Service: The waitress, though polite, was unfamiliar with properly waiting tables, and the business's procedures left to be desired. Water was served in individual plastic bottles. I asked if they recycled, and her answer was "No." No glasses were given or offered. We ordered Karachi Chai, which tasted very good, but was served in paper cups with plastic tops. The appetizers took some time to come around... but they were served along with the entrees and the naan. So by the time we got to the main dishes, they were already getting cold. At no point did the waitress pick up empty dishes of her own accord. I had to hand piles ostensibly to her for her to take away (this was a busy table of four). Even then, it didn't occur to her to come back and pick up the rest and clear the table for dessert. We skipped desserts and headed out.

The Facility: Parking seemed adequate. The dining hall was clean, reasonably comfortable, spacious. No background music or Indian-themed decoration. The large TV above the bar was way too loud and the shown program incongruous. The hard surfaces in the dining hall worsened the TV noise. I'm assuming on a busy night, the place may be pretty noisy (there were only 3 other occupied tables when we dined...

We had the pleasure of dining at this culinary crime scene today, and I must say—it redefined the word terrible. We ordered two of our favorite dishes: Chicken Marsala and Curry Chicken. Little did we know, we were about to play a game of “spot the difference.” Spoiler alert: there wasn’t one. Both came drowning in the same exact mystery sauce—like the chef made one sad vat of liquid confusion and just threw in different chunks of chicken.

Portions? Think “sample size” at Costco, but with less flavor. For $17 each, I expected a meal—not something that looked like it belonged in a shot glass. And speaking of flavor, let’s just say my taste buds are still in recovery.

Now the garlic naan—sorry, was a masterpiece in deception. Store-bought? Check. Reheated? Of course. Garlic? Not even on speaking terms with this bread. Instead, we got a lovely drizzle of maple syrup-scented butter with the subtle aroma of burnt herbs. Mmm… just like grandma never made.

This place boldly claims to serve authentic Indian food. Bold indeed. Honestly, calling it “food” is already a generous stretch. And to top it off, our stomachs launched a full protest shortly after.

This is my first ever review—and it’s not because I love writing. It’s because I needed to warn humanity. Do yourself a favor: keep walking. Your money and your digestive system will thank you. And to the owner—please, taste your own food sometime. Preferably before charging...

Really lovely place and interior. Not a lot of desi options nearby so was happy to see this place and give it a try. I ordered the mixed grill which I usually order from many Indian/paki restaurants when available. It did take about 60 minutes to receive my food on a Friday night with only a few other tables. Understandably the meats and such need time to be prepared/cooked, but I’ve never waited more than 30 minutes for such an entree. Think there just needs more care to be put into the kitchen to more timely deliver on the food. The food itself was good I’d say. Didn’t wow me, but was a good value for the price point. The waitress was fine. Didn’t give me a fork for the meal so I ate with my hands. Didn’t bring the yogurt/raita I ordered either. She had a few tables so it is what it is. But I guess some additional attentiveness wouldn’t hurt on the service front as well. All in all, I’m sure the curries and other items are great. I’d give this place a try. But don’t come if...