Saffron Indian Bistro
| Address: | 1143 San Carlos Ave, San Carlos, CA 94070, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-593-4269 |
| Site: | saffronindianbistro.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
MI
Michelle Morris
I am a rental business owner and I was working solo in San Carlos for a event that I wasnt invited to. I had some down time before the event ended and my tummy was grumbly. Being a total white chick foodie, whose younger step-children resist trying anything outside their comfort zone, I rarely get to eat Indian food. When Saffron popped up on my quick restaurant Google search, I knew I was going there. My large box truck doesnt fit in any parking structures, so I had to park a couple blocks away on the street. As soon as I walked in, the Host (I think is also the manager) sat me at the only open 2-seat table which was right near the kitchen. Yay! I get my food ASAP and being at the back also meant that every other time a server walked by my table to the kitchen I was attended to. There were several groups of people, many of them including young children. Everyone seemed to be happy and full except this one guy. He was either eyeballing me or staring at kitchen, I couldnt tell but I tried to ignore him. I am not vegetarian but I love Paneer so I ordered a Taj Mahal beer, Lahsooni Saag Paneer with Garlic Naan and after had Gulab Jamun (honey-soaked cake balls, served super hot!) I dont know if I ate it correctly, as I poured the green goo (saag?) from my spoon onto a chunk of naan and ate it like a nacho. I figured since I wasnt sharing, I could spoon it right out of the bowl into my mouth if I wanted (and I did when I ran out of naan at the last bite!) The final price of my meal was a little higher than my usual blue-collar-budget spending but I thought all things considered, that it was a good value. The service was superb. The food was delicious. Im not in San Carlos often but now I have a go-to place... As long as I can find parking! :) Thank you for a great meal,
SA
Sandy Tezen
I’m a regular at this place going there twice a week and I decided to take my friend today. Everything was going great until I found a piece of RAW CHICKEN in my food. I was about to throw up, but I didn’t want to make a scene for the other customers and because it’s bad for business. So I decided to take it out of my mouth and put it in my napkin. Since it was so disgusting, I decided to go get different food from the buffet. When I started to eat again, I of course didn’t have a napkin anymore. The waiter wasn’t close, so the more convenient solution was to grab the napkin from another table. At this point, the manager came to our table. He was so upset and he started to yell like if he knew us almost like if he was yelling to his wife or something. He said that we shouldn’t have taken the napkin from the other table because that table was clean. We tried to explain him about the raw chicken and the waiter not being close, but he just didn’t get it. I didn’t want to make a scene, but instead the manager made the scene for a napkin. I got so mad and the manager noticed it, but he never apologized or anything. We just decided to pay and we even left a tip. BUT I will never go back to that place. They lost a regular loyal customer.
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A Private User
Summary - Good lunch buffet for $10, atmosphere pleasant - The lunchtime buffet was tasty, a fair variety of richly flavored food, none overly greasy. The entrees were about 50/50 vegetarian and not. Food flavorful but not spicy, probably made mild for "gringos". Fresh, hot Nan served right away, a nice touch. Simple desserts and hot chai tea included in buffet. White tablecloth service, staff was OK but a bit bored, typical for a lunch buffet since tips are minimal. The three Indians in our party said they thought the food was good for Bay Area Indian buffets, but not exceptional. For a quick, tasty lunch it seemed fairly priced at $10. Only real issue I had with the food was that it was not served on hot tables, so it was all lukewarm temperature. About half the customers were Indian, the other half not.
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vandana menon
I completely agree with Pankaj. Most of the reviewers are non Indians. After some recommendations, we went to Saffron hoping to have good Indian food.but it was a big disappointment. Butter chicken and other 2 vegetable dishes were very mediocre.Nothing close to authentic Indian food. The big put off for us was they charged us $ 3.75 for onion and lemon that we asked for to have with chicken dish. Secondly, it was a very hot day. I asked whether the air conditioner was on and they replied yes BUT the air conditioner was not on at all. Contrary to that they had the door and the windows open making it worse to sit inside and enjoy the food Will not go there again ever. They are cheapskates.
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A Private User
Saffron Bistro has some great Indian food for delivery. I have never been there in person, but when I ordered for delivery it came quickly and was delicious. I found it to be pretty high quality ingredients that were full of the luscious aromas and rich spices that good Indian food must have. I thought the prices were reasonable although the servings were a little on the small side. The menu is pretty good sized with lots of options that run the gamut from seafood, to vegetarian to meat. They have a fantastic UI for their online delivery which is a huge plus for me. Ill definitely be ordering in from these guys again.
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A Private User
If you want to go here, dont bring Indians. We drove all the way from work to try out the place, buy they would not seat us in an empty restaurant. The problem seemed to be that my friends were Indian. For some reason all the tables were "reserved". It was pretty obvious they would not seat Indians. I guess they are new to this Country and dont see what they are doing. With that attitude Id be surprised they will be in business in six months, or they fire the waiters and get someone in there who knows what they are doing.
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brian g
consistently great food, with good variety on the buffet, especially on the weekend - all the standards, plus some interesting additions that vary enough to keep the menu fresh even if you come back reasonably often (which I do and have for a few years now!) a la carte menu is complete as well, offering good range and reasonable prices. paneer makhani, lamb vindaloo, onion kulcha, keema naan, and many others are among my favorites - just writing the review is making me hungry!
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A Private User
Ive only eaten at the restaurant once, but weve ordered home delivery dozens of times. Their sauces are delicious and the food is more authentic than other Indian restaurants in the area. I especially love their chicken tikka masala. (Other favorites: lamb korma, vegetable samosa.) With free home delivery, pretty generous portions, and friendly staff (the home delivery guys, anyway), Tava is a regular for us. One of the best restaurants in the San Carlos / Belmont area.
BO
Bob Finger
Good, not great. The dinner buffet was reasonably priced. The dishes were good but lacked the bursts of flavor I want to taste when eating Indian dishes. Of course, one expects flavors to be muted somewhat in buffet dishes, but still.... The best dish was the dal. I liked the butter chicken and the chicken kabob but was disappointed in the aloo ghobi. I suspect they can do better and would return to try ordering fresh off the menu.
