Saffron Indian Bistro

no longer in business

Uninspired food at inflated prices pretty much sums up Saffron Indian Bistro. Perhaps I am spoiled by the likes of Sabri Nehari in Chicago, but I found the lamb biriyani to be way too bland and the mango lassi to be far too sour. That only one other table was occupied at peak dinner time should have been my first clue to the quality of food. The kicker was receiving a bill that appeared to be wrong and, upon questioning it, being told that the prices had increased by 25 percent and the menu had yet to be updated.
People of Milwaukee, you don’t have to suffer such sub par cuisine. The drive to Chicago is well worth it to try out the great Indian/​Pakistani restaurants on Devon Avenue.

This was a great find through Unilocal!I haven’t had much luck on this business trip with good food, so I searched Yahoo for nearby restaurants based on my favorite cuisines. The original links from Yahoo were a little scary. One implied this restaurant had been closed/​fined for health violations. When I searched Unilocal,I found a recent review that gave 5 stars. Unilocal is a great resource, and Saffron has really great food. I choose the vegetable samosas, butter chicken, naan, and lemonade. The lemonade was a lot like Crystal Light. but I’ve never had indian lemonade before. I couldn’t finish my portions, and took them home for a midnight snack. The place is on the small side, and was just under half full when I got there. There were a few takeout patrons, and the restaurant continued to fill up during my visit.

When I read all the reviews, I knew I had to try it because it’s rare to find great ethnic foods around there. (Or maybe I just don’t know the right people to take me…)
From all the other Indian lunch places that I’ve tried (from the Indian co-​workers that take me around Bay Area California), this buffet is amazing. All the food is set up really nicely and you get a wide variety of curries to choose from. Their sauces, especially their mint sauce, is made very fresh.
You also know this place is good when local Indian people come and eat there for lunch in big groups.

Not much more to add but also check out the dosa selection. The only thing that surprised me about our dosa was the way it was served. I’m used to getting a fat, long dosa. Saffron’s dosa wasn’t completely rolled up (and it seemed a little skimpy on the filling) — it was like they tucked part of the dosa so the filing would be covered but didn’t go all the way. Excellent cauliflower tandoori.

We had been going to eat at Louise’s tonight, but after discovering a significant wait, elected to find someplace else… As we came back down Bluemound, I happened to see Saffron out of the corner of my eye and remembered Laura’s review. She got it exactly right. And, after an excellent meal of freshly made food, we decided it was yet another indicator of the fine good sense of the owners that they would elect to open in a place where the rent was low. We enjoyed a tasty Indian cabernet sauvignon with our meal, which started with traditional pakoras and another appetizer I only remember as mashed potatoes with vegetable stuffing, both of which were nothing like what you get at a standard Indian buffet… FRESH! From there we moved on to a rice-​based main dish, intriguingly flavored with coriander and cinnamon; I had the lamb version and he had the shrimp. We finished with desserts (Saffron’s crème brûlée, which is soupier than the western version, but very delicately flavored, and the Galaj Halwa, which is the honey-​sweetened carrot dish that I go nuts for), and brought half of our entrees home. We both loved it – and noticed on our way out that Zagat’s has also rated them well… so the prices were actually surprisingly low for having seemingly quite a buzz going among food aficionados.

My mother used to take me here during Milwaukee-​bound shopping trips, and recently I finally was able to rediscover it. (I mean that seriously, this restaurant is in an unmemorable strip mall across the street from CompUSA — it is VERY easy to miss.)
The food has always been quite incredible and memorable. Start out your meal with a Massala Chai tea. I tend to get the Palak Paneer or another vegetarian dish, and I am always amazed with the variety of flavors. My dining companions enjoyed their Chicken Biryani and Tandori Shrimp immensely. Get a side of the garlic basil nan, it’s quite addictive. Our service is always amazing, polite, and attentive. Saffron Indian Bistro is a real jewel in a sea of chain restaurants and fast food joints… you have to go here.

When I used to manage Chin’s Asia Fresh in Brookfield, a man used to come in regularly for our stir-​fries and one day told me he was going to open an Indian restaurant in the strip mall across the street. I was a bit skeptical, because the most exciting thing in that strip mall at the time was a Hoover vacuum store. Although it seemed an unlikely place for a fabulous Indian restaurant, I am definitely proved wrong. In my few experiences at Saffron, I have been wowed by the food, which has been extremely high quality, flavorful and delicious. Although the dining area is small and sparsely decorated, it has a simple elegance which is complimented by friendly and attentive service.