At Saffron we use time honoured family recipes, mainly from the Punjab district in the North West of India, this region is known as the culinary heart of India and the traditional home of vegetarian and tandoori cooking. Our family moved to Derry/Londonderry from India in 1965. My mother worked in the shirt factories for many years, whilst my father sold clothes door to door and eventually opened a shop in Carlisle Road.
As one of 3 boys I often helped my mother and had a keen interest in cooking from an early age. Whilst studying in Manchester University near the curry mile of Rusholme, there were around 30 restaurants in one street, I wanted to introduce Indian food to my home town. During the early 80's there were only a handful of restaurants, with hotels being the main place to dine out.
As one of 3 boys I often helped my mother and had a keen interest in cooking from an early age. Whilst studying in Manchester University near the curry mile of Rusholme, there were around 30 restaurants in one street, I wanted to introduce Indian food to my home town. During the early 80's there were only a handful of restaurants, with hotels being the main place to dine out.
Reviews (21)
Hubert Lynch
Jan 16, 2022
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Olivia Tinyears
Sep 25, 2021
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Dmcdaidr Taylormade
Aug 01, 2021
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I'm not traditional in any sense nor adventurous but I have always enjoyed saffron b4 it was saffron .I believe they where once India house from Carlisle Road.their food is as reliable as rain in our wee corner of this planet.my own personal favourites are their vegetable samosa as one of my sides and for main medium massalla sauce ,chicken shaslik , basmati rice finished with their chips that are probably the finest in the town.
Dee S.
Jun 29, 2021
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The positives are that we were happy to dine-in just about everywhere. This place seems popular but have to agree with previous reviewers on the food. It’s not Indian but Indian-like. Bland and definitely not cooked properly. Had a dessert and coffee which was also a mistake, cheesecake was old and stale.
Gary Mc Donald
Jun 21, 2021
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Danika Ahn
Jun 17, 2021
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James Breslin
Jun 10, 2021
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Sean Pol
May 22, 2021
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Claire Dooher
Feb 02, 2021
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Ordered from here tonight and experienced exceptional customer service. One of our dishes wasn’t available and we had entered an incorrect telephone number so they actually came out to our home to check what we… would like as replacement. It really was over and above. When food arrived it was lovely, great flavours, piping hot. Fantastic.
Jenna Campbell
Dec 27, 2020
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Mateo L.
Dec 26, 2020
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Mike G.
Aug 10, 2019
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Jacqueline T.
Sep 17, 2018
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We had yet to have Indian food on our Ireland trip so I was excited when I saw this was one of the top rated restaurants in Derry on Yelp.
We went for an early dinner and the restaurant want better crowded when we got there. We were seated right away.
This was probably the best Indian food I've ever had. We did two meal deals (starter and main course for 17 pounds). For starters we got the Chicken Pakora and Vegetable Samosas. The Chicken Pakora was just ok, but the Samosas were very good. For our main courses we got the Karahi Curry with lamb and the Makhan Tikka which came with chicken
We went for an early dinner and the restaurant want better crowded when we got there. We were seated right away.
This was probably the best Indian food I've ever had. We did two meal deals (starter and main course for 17 pounds). For starters we got the Chicken Pakora and Vegetable Samosas. The Chicken Pakora was just ok, but the Samosas were very good. For our main courses we got the Karahi Curry with lamb and the Makhan Tikka which came with chicken
Julia D.
Aug 27, 2018
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Not as good as I was hoping it would be, unfortunately. The mixed kebab appetizer was really strange and full of an incredible amount of spices that literally made the meat neon red like I've never seen before. It was not good at all. The rest of the food was lacking any kind of real spice and was all very bland and most of it came out lukewarm. Didn't seem fresh in any capacity.
The cocktails were very nice, though, so that kept us from complaining too much during the meal.
The cocktails were very nice, though, so that kept us from complaining too much during the meal.
James McNally
Jul 08, 2018
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Michael K.
Jun 23, 2018
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Visiting Derry for a few days, we asked the ladies at the hotel front desk to recommend a good Indian restaurant in the area. Both simultaneously said "Saffron", and boy, were they right. It was an outstanding experience. The wait staff was spot on, they worked hard and as a team. The food was excellent. I had the shish kabob, which honestly could have fed two people. My wife had the Lamb, which was also a generous portion. The manager, Suki, stopped by several times to check up on us, and to answer any questions we had. It was fairly crowded, but not so loud that you couldn
Mick C.
May 05, 2018
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I had a very nice meal at Saffron - The staff were very friendly - the food was delicious, and spicy. The prices seem reasonable for good quality, good tasting food - (they have some kind of deals on main dishes early evening and midweek.) The restaurant itself is nicely laid out - I was there early on a midweek evening, and it was not crowded.
If/when I am in Derry again I will definitely visit Saffron again.
If/when I am in Derry again I will definitely visit Saffron again.
Melanie G.
Aug 05, 2017
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We have been traveling around Ireland for the last several days and were lucky to have been refereed by our innkeeper to Saffron!!! Probably the best meal of the trip to date!!! Upon our arrival we were greeted by the owner who introduced us to the menu with special recommendations for my granddaughter who is a vegan, and then waited on by a highly attentive staff. The restaurant is very chic and has a wonderful ambience. Saffron also has a full service bar with a very experienced staff. Our meal was both delicious and comforting and the perfect way to end a wonderful day. I highly recommend this
John M.
Jul 07, 2017
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Stephanie K.
Apr 26, 2017
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Very good Saturday night meal in Derry. It's modern Indian cuisine and the space has a nice design and is welcoming. It's located in a pretty central area of town and is not hard to find. It's one of the bigger, non-pub restaurants and is open late.
They had a nice variety of sauces for the flatbread appetizers - the sweet and spicy sauce was my favorite. For my main dish I had the Chicken Patia and it was a perfect balance of sweet and creamy.It was very good! I paired it with the garlic naan. It was a good portion of food - I would say it was enough to share between two people
They had a nice variety of sauces for the flatbread appetizers - the sweet and spicy sauce was my favorite. For my main dish I had the Chicken Patia and it was a perfect balance of sweet and creamy.It was very good! I paired it with the garlic naan. It was a good portion of food - I would say it was enough to share between two people
Ashley K.
Aug 06, 2016
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