SAFFRON NOLA
Indian restaurant · East Riverside ·
Elevated Indian fare with local influences, craft cocktails
Elevated Indian fare with local influences, craft cocktails
"The best things at Saffron, a consistently excellent Indian restaurant on Magazine Street, are the dishes that seamlessly incorporate Southern flavors into their food. We’re talking about the comforting seafood gumbo loaded with tender okra, perfectly cooked gulf shrimp, and plenty of curry spice, and the roasted oysters sprinkled with curry leaves and served with fluffy naan. The restaurant works best for a special occasion, where you can drink a couple martinis, lean back in a cushy booth, and chop it up with the chef after dinner when he’s making his rounds in the dining room." - chelsea brasted, zella palmer, carlo mantuano, megan braden perry
"This James Beard-nominated restaurant and Eater New Orleans 2017 Restaurant of the Year deserves the accolades. Against a stylish backdrop, diners can sample a complex cocktail program, informed by Indian spices and herbs, some of the best char-grilled oysters in town (maybe it’s the curry leaf?), and feast on sophisticated dishes that marry Indian gastronomy with local ingredients. And be sure to try the Saffron old-fashioned to see what it’s all about — it’s the top-selling menu item at the restaurant. The curried gumbo is epic." - Beth D’Addono
"Saffron’s well-received debut on Magazine Street was years in the making. Prior to its 2017 opening, the Vilkhu family served modern Indian food in a West Bank strip mall, on weekends only, for five years. Devoted diners eventually convinced the family to go all in on the business, and the result is a modern, dazzling space with a buzzing energy and multiple James Beard Award nominations. Among the many menu highlights, which at times fuse Indian and Louisiana cuisines or North and South Indian styles, include an outstanding curried seafood gumbo with local crabmeat and shrimp, rum-marinated lamb chops and the vegetarian roasted eggplant with coconut, peanuts and tamarind, Hyderbad style." - Beth D’Addono
"A family-run restaurant by Arvinder Vilkhu and Ashwin Vilkhu, nominated for Best Chef, South." - Clair Lorell
"Saffron is one of the sexiest restaurants in the whole city — think soft lighting, copper chainlink drapes to separate spaces, dark wood booths, red paneling, and touches of velvet in deep grey and burgundy throughout. The incredible Indian food from the Vilkhu family, the small plates especially, shine as much as the cocktails, with names like Raw Silk and Queen of the Hills." - Clair Lorell