Saffron Indian Cuisine 番紅花

☆☆☆GOLDEN☆☆☆

Taipei restaurant offering: Indian Food ​/ Curry / Tandoori Meat / Biryani / Samosa / Appetizers / Lassi / Salad / Naan & other Indian Bread / Dessert / Iced Tea / Red Wine / White wine / Beer / Champagne / Alcohol

Address:
No. 38-6, Aly. 10, Ln. 50, Tianmu E. Rd., Shilin Dist., Taipei City 111
台北市士林區天母東路50巷10弄38-6號
Phone: (02) 2871-4842
Hours: Mon: 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Tue - Thu: 11:30am - 2pm & 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Fri & Sat: 11:30am - 2pm & 5:30pm - 10pm
Sun: 11:30am - 2pm & 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Last Reviewed: 10 July 2016

Throughout my years living in Taipei, when asking the question, "What Indian restaurant is the best in Taipei?" to any Indian or Pakistani who had been living and working in Taipei long enough, 80% of the time the answer was: Saffron. The only reason I put off visiting Saffron for so long is that I thought it would be too expensive, but after finally being persuaded by my Indian friend, Asif (who happens to be a marvelous photographer), I made two trips to Saffron and found that not only was it easily the best Indian restaurant in Taipei, but that it wasn't any more expansive than most of the other Indian restaurants in Taipei. Now I find it hard to eat anywhere else when I go out for Indian food. The one exception is when I want to go cheap and eat at the best cheap Indian restaurant in Taipei: Calcutta. It obviously doesn't come close to comparing to Saffron, but it still satisfies my Indian food cravings without spending too much money. However, Asif will not dine at Calcutta after going there once, so if you're Indian and have a higher standard for your homeland's cuisine, you may not be able to enjoy this cheaper option. If you don't want to make the venture up to Tianmu from Taipei City center, assuming you don't live in Tianmu, Balle Balle is the best Indian food option in the city center area. It will cost you the same as Saffron and won't be as good, but it will still be great.

Saffron Fine Indian Cuisine 番紅花印度美饌 has been around since 2007, and they show no signs of closing, because almost everyone knows that they serve the best Indian food in Taiwan. If they ever decided to close -- of course, it wouldn't be for lack of business reasons -- thousands in Taiwan would be weeping themselves to sleep over never being able to truly fulfill their Indian-food cravings again. Indian food isn't just coveted in India, its rich dishes have become very popular and hooked The British, Americans, and other nationalities around the world; India's strongly spiced, delicious food is many people's favorite cuisine. Scientists have data crunched 2,500 recipes and created a mathematical equation as to why Indian food is so delicious, stated an article in The Washington Post back in March of 2015.

There are some other Indian restaurants that tie Saffron when it comes to tandoori meat, naan bread, Indian desserts, Indian drinks, and biryani (Mayur has the best lamb biryani), but no other restaurant comes close to Saffron's curry dishes -- The Spice Shop comes the closest -- and as everyone knows, curry is the cornerstone of Indian food, so if an Indian restaurant has the best curry dishes, they're the best. Saffron's curry dishes are exquisitely spiced, seasoned, and sauced. Their curry's bases are distinctly different from each other in appearance and in taste, unlike many Indian restaurants in Taipei that serve curry dishes that are hard to tell apart. Every bite of Saffron's curry dishes conveys the quality in the ingredients used. Saffron stands alone on a high pedestal, looking down upon -- and perhaps encouraging  -- other Indian restaurants in Taiwan to step up to the challenge of matching their fine Indian cuisine; they have thrown down the gauntlet, but will they ever be rivaled? Those living in Taipei City center certainly hope so in order to avoid the long trip up to Tianmu, but until then, the journey to Tianmu has become a necessity for Indian-food lovers.


Vegetarian options: Like all Indian restaurants, Saffron has many vegetarian options: many appetizers, many curry dishes, Indian breads, salads, desserts, and biryani/rice plates.
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Saffron Indian Cuisine Facebook page
Saffron Indian Cuisine Taipei Times review (2008)
Saffron Chinese review
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Address:
No. 38-6, Aly. 10, Ln. 50, Tianmu E. Rd., Shilin Dist., Taipei City 111
台北市士林區天母東路50巷10弄38-6號
Phone: (02) 2871-4842
Hours: Mon: 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Tue - Thu: 11:30am - 2pm & 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Fri & Sat: 11:30am - 2pm & 5:30pm - 10pm
Sun: 11:30am - 2pm & 5:30pm - 9:30pm

​English, Chinese, & Shuruwat Menu
Average Meal: NT$600 to 800
Credit Cards Accepted
Reservations Accepted
10% Service Charge
Free Wi-Fi

Click on the link below for their Google Map page for the street view and/or other visitor's photos. Afterwards, you can click the dedicated back button on Google Maps to view the destination on a full-screened Google Map for directions.​
Saffron Indian Cuisine

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​Saffron Fine Indian Cuisine 番紅花 TV spot

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