Saffron Spice

I know it’s closed but this must be said and in the event the owner ever looks back on his business listing and reviews, I need him to know I appreciated his food.
I started ordering takeout a month or so after they opened. The flavors of entrees were always spot on on but my biggest gripe was that they never spiced it as much as I wanted. Also if orders were behind, the food would draggggg and there wouldn’t be any update on pickup times. When the food dragged there would be other problems too like overcooked samosas or entrees that had gone cold.
Sometime later, I decided to visit them and have a talk with the manager /​owner. The food had promise and I wanted it my way. (I know it’s not Burger King, but often times restaurants ((Especially Indian)) will give it the spice level to meet your eating needs.) So, after a discussion with him I came to realize his business woes.
First, though it was a large restaurant it was only himself and one other kitchen helper. Sometimes his wife was there to help but only in the front of the house. Most other times while he, (owner) the main chef, would do much of the cooking, he would also take orders. (Not a smart move since this often left the front of the house empty.) I can think of a few occasions I’d stopped by to order food and was asked by the prep guy to sit and wait for the chef to return! A few times, I waited up to fifteen minutes because the chef was up the street getting groceries. On occasions where I dined in, because of their short staffing, dining sessions could take up to an hour plus.
Aside from that, once I got the chef to understand the spice level I needed, every order after that was perfect. Occasionally if I stopped in and ordered dine-​in, he would spice it up a bit higher. Or spice up other items I ordered like appetizers or chutneys used with the meal.
At some restaurants in regards to Asian food, sometimes, many entrees can taste similar. For instance, it’s a lazy tactic to offer four (supposedly, different) tomato based entrees when there’s only one or two ingredients that differ between the different names. Never the case at Saffron spice, every dish was cleverly created. On a few occasions, I brought friends and family and we ran the gamut of the menu ordering several entrees. Happily and heartily surprised at the heights of the flavors he created with every dish.
One hangup I had though which I have to mention was the biriyani. The chef had a big head about his skills and felt that his biriyani was top notch. So much so, that he had a neon sign created and proudly displayed it nightly. I think it said, «Best dum biriyani in Chicago.» Although I can give him praise over much of his talent at cooking great Indian food, I could not say the same in the realm of preparing great biriyani.
Some months back when I learned they had closed I was BUMMED. I’m still bummed. I remember that week, I had called them many times for the last two weeks wanting to order talke-​out and been unable to get through to someone. Curious about what was going on, I drove by and saw the bad news. «Closed.»
Even if you’ve got mad skills, never open next door to buffets. The previous owners had run a buffet and did so for over a decade and they sucked! I wish this owner would have considered running a lunch buffet at least on weekdays.
I don’t mind sharing this with the public, but if I had some throw away money. I would probably invest in this owner and run a food truck with him.
Bummed, bummed, bummed. I am bummed.

This place was great. We ordered delivery, and it was a stab in the dark so we didn’t have expectations set too high… and we were blown out of the water. I think the owner delivered the food himself because he was worried his driver was taking to long.
We had samosas (hard to mess up, but quite delish!) and then we ordered an array of vegetarian dishes. The Dal Khati was absolutely out of this world. The flavors were awesome, and I would order this again every time. The mixed vegetable curry was also delicious and a very good go to dish. We enjoyed plenty of rice and Naan as well.
For simply just trying any old place that would deliver to us, we had a great experience and would definitely get this again! We might branch out next time– but that Dal was so hard to beat! Give this place a try– you certainly won’t be disappointed!

Great place. Good ambience. Good biryani with mixture of spices. I will give it 3.5÷5. The chicken 65 was not so good. I will give it only a ²⁄₅. Had good time and I loved the sweet lassi. Do try it out. I recommend it. I think price for chicken 65 was high for that taste! But overall everything was good and fulfilling

My new go-​to on Devon!
We had the tandoori chicken, butter chicken and chicken korma (yes, we like chicken) with garlic naan, samosas, mango lassi, chai, gulab jamun… Everything was so delicious, and very affordable. The owner Mir was super sweet and very helpful in advising us what to order. Will definitely be back!

My husband and I just went for a late lunch/​early dinner. The man who served us was the owner and also the chef, very nice and accommodating. We ordered the butter chicken and the tikka masala chicken. Both of these dishes are pretty basic but my husband and I have been to numerous places off Devon that haven’t been very good. THIS place is amazing! The naan, even though it’s huge it’s cooked to perfection. (Try the garlic). We will definitely be back and we will be telling all our friends to try it out too!

One of the best tasting food i got to taste so far in devon or in chicago, In Fact food was accurately spiced per indian standards. I ordered chicken 65 and tandoori onion cilantro naan. Very tender well cooked bread and chicken was rightly curried. People pls try out the food and give owner a chance as he is a chef too. I see this very commendable. I saw a another review negatively saying about salt. I would say yes salt was little more for me if i tasted without bread. But it balanced with bread well. You can ask owner to put less salt if u are not a fan of salt. per indian taste it was 5 on 5 strike! I highly recommend the place.

This was the worst Indian food I’ve had in my entire life. The owner came over after and suggested we go to Unilocal and I think that’s why so many people have given this place a good review.
Everything that we ate (the biryani, the tandoori chicken, and one other tomatoey shrimp dish) was unbelievably one note… and that note was salt. I don’t know if they tried to «amp up the salt» when they saw we were Americans but the flavors here simply are not good. There was only one other table of people at the restaurant do I doubt this was an «off night.» There are so many better places in the neighborhood, I recommend eating somewhere else.

Bland and over-​priced. What else to say?
I went based on good Unilocal reviews and it was really, truly disappointing.

My friend and I decided to try this place base on the review and it did not lead us wrong. We had the mango lassi, potato samosa, butter chicken, garlic naan, and chef special chicken dish.
The waitress was super nice and we even got to meet the owner/​chef. He was telling us how everything is fresh made when we order. The wait wasn’t long for the food and you definitely tasted the spices. This is indeed now one of my favorite place to eat on Devon. The naan was really soft and the biggest I’ve seen. The garlic is really present upon taste. The butter chicken was my favorite and a great combination with the naan. The samosa was huge, almost the size of my palm.
I love this mom and pops place that just opened ten months ago. The environment is beautiful which reminded me of a wedding reception due to the chair decorations. This place definitely can be an dress up or dress down place.
My friend and I both agree that we love this place and would return. It was both of our favorite out of the other restaurants we have tried on Devon. Since this restaurant just started, I wish that it would stay here forever. This way I can enjoy this delicious place indefinitely.

I ordered the Paneer Mixed Vegetable Masala and it was excellent! Complex flavors and a fitting amount of food for the $ 10 price. The garlic na’an was also very good.
The rice portion is huge and could feed a family of four. The na’an is also a large order that could feed 2 or 3.
By far the best Indian food I’ve eaten. Will definitely eat here again.

We went here on a recent trip to Chicago. There were so many Indian restaurants on Devon Street that it was difficult to decide. We looked up Unilocal reviews and went with this place.
We were a little unsure to begin with as we did not see much crowd of people at the time; however, we are very happy that we did, because the food was awesome. Their biryani is simply marvelous. And their other dishes tasted great as well. Their complementary chutneys remind you of home-​style chutneys, which is great. We think they could do better on their dessert — we ordered two things, but both were overwhelmingly sweet for us.
Note that their portion sizes are quite large you can almost serve two people with each entrée.
The owner mingles with you and is very helpful in making the appropriate food selections.
Definitely a place to go to again!

I chose this place based on the Unilocal reviews. My mom and I went to India last February and we were itching for some delicious Indian food. The restaurant was completely empty when we walked in but people started to filter in as we continued our dining experience. It very clean and well put together. The owner came over and introduced himself as the owner and chef. He recommended some items on the menu.
We ended up ordering the Chicken Boti, Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Gobi and Garlic Naan. The food took a bit to come out but we were not disappointed. The food was delicious. The boti broke apart easily and was moist and tender, tikka was amazing and aloo gobi fantastic. My mom thought the Boti was a little salty for her taste and as it cooled I think that I agreed (aka it was probably brined so eat it hot!).
I think my biggest complaint would be that it took us about 15 – 20 minutes to get togo containers and our check while another couple who came in after us got their food first and got out of there in a very quick manner.
All in all a great experience. I would definitely come back here again. The food was excellent.

I chose this place based on the many positive reviews. My fiancé and I walked in and we were the only people in there as it was 3:30 on a Friday during Ramadan. We were promptly seated and looked after.
We ordered the butter chicken and the green lamb masala as well as the garlic naan and the onion and cilantro naan. After we ordered the owner/​chef greeted our table and explained how the restaurant was relatively new. He has over 30 years of catering service both here and in India. As a side note, I over heard him speaking on the phone about catering and he said that anything was possible with the catering. I’ll have to keep that in mind.
Anyways, he told us that the garlic naan was the best, and how he makes everything fresh, and how cooking was his passion. He also asked if we wanted to try the mango lassi. We agreed to one, they brought out two and only charged us for one.
Let me just say that the food was amazing. Every bite my fiancé took he made a small pleasure noises. The lamb was to die for, and I must say, I loved the onion and cilantro naan the best. We were even able to take some home. You’ve got to try this place. You will not regret it.

Absolutely phenomenal — without question the best Indian in Chicago. The owner/​chef is a master who clearly understands technique and ingredients. His use of spice is sublime.
To start we had samosas (one order meat, one veggie; both fantastic). Chicken Boti Kabob puts to shame every single tandoori chicken I’ve previously had. It is moist, perfectly cooked, seasoned beautifully, and comes with a sauce so good I had to resist the urge to lick the bowl. We also had the mixed vegetable curry, chicken tikka masala, and malai chicken, each of which was heaven on a plate. Saffron rice and garlic naan rounded things out.
Don’t miss the mango lassi.
This is what Indian food is meant to be.
Can’t wait to go back — even as full as I am right now, I already want more.

Unassuming by décor/​sign, but don’t be fooled. the food here is easily the best on Devon! naan is warm and buttery. Best dish? Malai Chicken. Wow. Mutton Biryani were delicious as well.
Go to Saffron Spice, you won’t be disappointed.

Delivery took an hour and a half even though I live 1 mile away. I paid with my card over the phone and when the food finally got here the driver told me it was $ 5 extra for delivery, then asked for a tip.
The food was cold and not good
I am mad I paid for this instead of ordering a pizza.

Since my visit to India, last August, I can’t get enough naan and lamb. I’ve ordered here twice through Grub Hub (pick-​up, not delivery). I am very impressed with both the food, owner and staff.
One trip to India does not make an expert in Indian cuisine; but this food is as delicious as I’ve tasted in Delhi, which is indicated by a second visit. The garlic naan is superb (even when reheated). I’ve ordered the Saffron special with both lamb and chicken. Lamb Masala is delicious, as is the Chicken Pepper Tandoori.

Honestly this is my review based on three things. (Delivery, Tikka Masala, & Sick from eating it.)
Was so hungry on a Saturday night, starving, didn’t want to drive out in the snow. Was craving Indian food so wanted to get delivery. This was the only restaurant in the area that delivered.
DELIVERY
Ordered on a Saturday during snowstorm I understood that it was snowing, however, we live 3 miles away, the gentleman on the phone told me t would take 25 – 30 min. It took 1:34min.
TIKKA MASALA
Was lukewarm by the time it came. Not hot.
GARLIC NAAN
Yummy — Traditional Naan (Ordered 6)
HEALTH CONCERNS
One entrée shared by FIVE individuals and we all got sick. (2 females, 3 males) Hugging the toilets for the next 2 days. Some immediate reaction, others the next day. We’ve eaten Indian food from other restaurants before and have NEVER had this problem. Coincidence that we ALL got sick except a 2yr old child whom did not eat the Indian food with us.
Illinois Department of Health really needs to check on the sanitation. I believe we will be contacting the health department… Horrible experience I hope no one else has experienced what we did.
This was my first and very LAST visit.
Be cautious, do your research about there restaurants… I’ve been told that restaurants on DEVON aren’t the cleanest.

Best mughlai food I’ve ever had! When it comes to mughlai chicken dishes, i’m a true foodie. However, I can safely state that saffron spice’s butter chicken, pepper chicken and chicken tikka masala are unmatched! Add to that the warm welcome you receive from Mr Mir, their head chef, and you will never regret going there even on the coldest days in Chicago! Honestly, the food is so good and expectations so high that every time I go there, I’m somewhat worried if they will be able to match my high expectations. So far, I’ve walked out of saffron spice a happy and content man. Hope this association continues! Going in there in 5 min… :)

As a first timer to the little India corridor I can highly recommend Saffron Spice. My wife and I came in at around 8:30 and were immediately seated. The owner stopped by to welcome us to the restaurant and drop off the complimentary cracker bread and salad. The salad is like nothing I have ever had before (diced bell peppers, onion, tomato, dried cranberries and croutons). You would never guess that this combo of ingredients could be so delicious. A great start to the meal.
My wife and I both ordered the Chicken Boti kabob which was super moist, well spiced and cooked to perfection. All of the chicken was dark meat (personal fav) so if you are not a fan you may want to let the chef know. The best part is that no oil was used to cook the chicken. Then came the naan. BE ADVISED the naan portions here are HUGE. Picture your typical naan and double it. So crispy, ample amounts of garlic and cilantro, less than $ 2. You cannot lose.
All in all Saffron Spice was fantastic. Food is delicious, service is spectacular and the price point is a awesome value. If you enjoy indian cuisine I suggest checking it out.