Review Zafran - Sydney

I was really impressed by this fine dinning Indian restaurant. This is in a prime location with amazing views of the darling harbour. The food is very tasty and great presentation and mild to medium spice to cater for the majority. Lots of things of the menu to explore different textures and flavours. Great place to bring someone for a special occasion especially night time.

Great ambience and amazing service. This is the place to go for delicious food, great drinks and also the most friendliest and amazing service. Being served by Vijay was just such a great experience. Highly recommend this restaurant for casual and formal dining to all those who enjoy great views and great service together with delicious food. Definitely a favourite to the list.

Great ambience and amazing service. This is the place to go for delicious food and great cocktails. Friendly and attentive service too. Highly recommend this restaurant for dining with small or large groups. Great views and a bonus to see the fireworks at 7pm and again at 9pm. Definitely a favourite to add to our list of places to eat.

*** Sydney’s BEST Indian Fine-dine restaurant with delicious vegetarian options *** Stunning location. The harbour view is just WOW!!! We parked at 201 Sussex St (Wilson Parking) and I believe it’s the closest car-park to the harbour. Very easy access. Staff is very welcoming & friendly. Special thanks to Mr. Vijay, Mr. Prakash and to the super talented Chef! Food was super delicious. Menu had good number of vegetarian options for Starters and Mains, both. Everything we ordered was so flavourful and tasty. We highly recommend: * Masala Soya Chaap * Bird’s Nest (Tokri Chaat with Bhalle Paapdi) * Beetroot Cutlet * Subz Malai Kofta (the best we had since we left India) * Mirch & Baingan Ka Mel * Zaaffrani Kulcha * Birthday Platter Overall, it was a wonderful experience and we highly highly recommend this place. Thank you for your hospitality, Zaaffran. You made our special day extra special!

I’ve heard so many great things about this place but it was such a let down! They’ve changed their menu with only little ‘meat’ option curries. The staff were unmotivated and unhelpful.. and the food was extremely average! Other than the lovely views, there’s nothing that would bring me back here unfortunately

The food was very delicious. The ambience inside the restaurant is alright but the outside view is amazing. The service was great and the staff was friendly.

Love the food and ambience . The staff is very friendly and the food taste amazing . Authentic indian food . Best butter chicken you can get in sydney. My favouirte place with best darling harbour views.

Extremely disappointed with the taste, service, price, MANAGEMENT, quality and quantity. This place basically lacks everything a restaurant should have. I am surprised how they are still holding their food license! May be they have never had a random food and safety check - lucky!! But till how long!!!! We’ll see…

This restaurant is great for those with dietary requirements e.g. vegetarian, allergies etc. as the chefs can cater to specific needs. ⁣⁣⁣<br/>⁣⁣⁣<br/>Of course, the Curries were great, the Naan was delicious (they have Truffle Mushroom Naan which you don't see too often) and crispy thin Pappadums are a fun treat.

We ordered the 58 dollar non-vegetarian set menu and was incredibly in love with it! The appetiser was great, and they gave us a lot of naan. They were soft and fresh; the butter chicken was very tasty, so as the dhal and the butter prawn.. honestly enjoyed every dish! The staff were friendly, service was not too bad too. What I love best is that we dined with a fantastic view.

Food is absolutely delicious, some of the best Indian I’ve eaten in Sydney. Gorgeous location, and overall lovely and helpful wait staff. Marked down half a point because we were quickly shown the bill and brought with the bill was the eftpos machine. Felt like we were being pushed to pay immediately which isn’t a nice feeling. Overall would come back and recommend to others to try it out, especially if you love Indian cuisine.

An indian is always in search of great indian food options. One can never leave back the desi side of thy personality. Zaffran is one of the most authentic restaurants around the world. Being an indian if you find the much needed indian flavor food specially from such a restaurant you now how blessed as a traveler you would be. I honestly felt the food that they served had a better taste as compared to rest other restaurants they have in india. The staff was friendly and served the food with a smile. The ambiance was beautiful as its located on darling harbor. So we ordered papri chaat, dal tadka, few naans and paneer makhani. The food tasted really good ..i found it lil sweet ..could have been more spicey as preferred.<br/><br/>Brownie Points for the chaat options they had. As a traveler this is a place not to be missed definitely.

Extremely bad customer service. Had to wait for about 20 mins to gets waiters attention, so we can place order. Only saw staff will taking order and clearing the plates. food was very average entree’s was good. But mains was very disappointing. Received burnt rotis when informed they took back and served same one after 15mins. Very bad experience. Will never go back again.<br/>Thank you Zaaffran for ruining my evening.

A group of us celebrated a friend’s b’day there last night. We sat at the balcony with a beautiful view of Darling Harbour city lights. The staff were friendly and attentive in explaining the dishes and gave us a few recommendatons. We enjoyed the gol guppa, papri chaat, a few curries and most especially the chicken biryani which was baked in puff pastry. And I loved the mushroom naan which I’ve never tried before - so much flavour in it I could eat it by itself without dipping into the curries. The tamarind rasa cocktail was delicious too. Will definitely revisit for the amazing mushroom naan & biryani!

The Curry's are good full of flavour. The naan was great. Lovely views :)

I went for my anniversary celebration and was excited about the food and the place. We ordered paneer tikka and a chicken starter. For main course I ordered dal and paneer. I quiet like the food. Also service was good and the view was amazing from where we were sitting, so all in all best dinner place for your special occasions. They charge surcharge on public holiday’s and Sunday’s. <br/><br/>Food 4/5<br/>Ambience 4.5/5<br/>Service 4/5<br/>Price 3.5/5 ( Expensive)

This is a nice place in Darling Harbour for a relaxing lunch or dinner. We had the non-vegetarian banquet. Very beautiful dishes, well presented and delicious. The prawn moilee was especially nice. Portions were ok, not too big but there was a lot of food. It was a bit pricey but we felt it was worth it, considering the quality of the dishes and the location.

Great location for dinner day or night. We had one of the bbq set menu , the food was ok but feels like it was very overpriced for what we got.

One of the fantastic restaurants for Mughlai cuisine with a lovely harbourside view. Ordered Papri Chaat,Bhara Kumb Nisha, Khazaana-e-khaas with onion Kulcha and Naan.<br/><br/>Delicious food, prompt service and courteous staff.

We went here for a friend’s birthday and were very happy with all the good food!<br/>Veg and Non-Veg platters/Butter chicken/Beef Ribs/Mushroom Kulcha/Kheema kulcha/Naan/Chicken Biryani/Veg Biryani<br/><br/>Being Friday night it was quite busy so for a long time no one actually to take the order but after a reminder, they did and food that came to the table was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!<br/><br/>Courteous Staff/Good Food/Perfect Ambience<br/><br/>A very special mention to Mr. Avinash who was so polite and friendly with us and also helped with a small treat for the birthday girl!<br/><br/>Thank you, Team Zaffran!

An Indian restaurant around Darling Harbour which serves decent food. We ordered dal tadka, paneer butter masala with naans. The dal was pretty much like we make at home and the paneer dish was good. Although not the best Indian restaurant in Sydney, but a decent one.

Its a great place located at a great spot! The place is also nice, warm and cozy for the experience. The food was just fine though. <br/>Staff was good and courteous as well. As for Basic Shahi paneer and Dal, This place could definitely do more justice to the pricing!

The place offers great food and service is also brilliant. Really loved the zaffran biryani of the place, <br/>Food 4/5<br/>Ambiance 4/5<br/>Service 4/5<br/>Value for money 3,5/5<br/>Overall I would definitely visit the place again

Its a great Indian Restaurant. Very tasty Food with an awesome view. They have Indian staff, which are really very friendly. The only drawback which i felt was the portion size of the food. Hope you guys, improve it very soon. And yeah, must try the delicious Pav bhaji. 👍🏻

Food here has an authentic Indian touch.<br/>I liked the flavour and the varied options in the set menu (Entree , shared mains and dessert) Vegetarian options were delicious too.<br/>We had a nice feast.<br/>Service is friendly but very slow , it took them 40 min to serve the main after the starter .<br/>The view is Darling Harbour so you get a nice night out. <br/>I found it good but the prices are a bit high. <br/>

Good quality food (4/5) with authentic flavours, nice ambience (4/5) if you get gallery seat overlooking harbour area, courteous staff and good service (4.5/5), decent value for money (3.5/5) and Overall a good experience (4/5)<br/><br/>

A really nice place for Indian food . Visited this place for dinner . Very nicely located facing the harbour side on first floor of complex . The outdoor seating with the view is really nice . Ordered a pav bhaji and paneer makhani with cheese naan . Service was fast . Food was really really good and tasted better than a lot of places in India . Good place good food and good staff 👌👍🙏😊

Our team headed to Zaaffran for a celebration lunch as we won a voucher for the office Harmony Day photo competition. Zaaffran is located near the river at Darling Harbour, it has a nice ambiance and large enough to fit big groups of people. They serve modern Indian food, I liked most of the starters that we shared though not a fan of the mains I ordered as it was too creamy and I could not taste any curry flavors (prefer it strong!) Service was friendly

Abit surprised at how high the reviews are at this restaurant... this place is definitely not authentic. Came here for lunch with the 50% off dining deal they had going on. We ordered the vegetarian banquet. The food was extremely westernised and lacked a lot of strong flavours that Indian cuisine should have. The curries were very disappointing and the worst one was the malai kofta. This was definitely not malai kofta - no where near! At first taste it was an extremely tangy gravy. The koftas has such a strange filling - it was just horrible in general. The palak paneer was so plain and did not have any spices infused. It was bland and just tasted like spinach. Baigan was ok but lacked flavour. I was surprised by the bhindi - this was the best thing there. It actually had a good flavour to it.<br/><br/>Overall, if you aren’t too fond of Indian spices you may like this restaurant. As someone who loves their Indian food this place really put me off. Food was extremely disappointing.

Zaaffran pleasantly surprised us. Because of its location, we thought it'd be one of those restaurants in Darling Harbour with overpriced, average food but amazing views. Yes, the views are incredible but the food and the service were also decent. Good Indian food is hard to come by in Sydney and though it wasn't the best we have had, we were satisfied. We came here on a deal; they often have deals on Groupon and Dimmi (now The Fork).

Delicious food, great presentation and wonderful service. The desserts are amazing, particularly the rose ice cream, and the biryani will satisfy anyone’s tastebuds.

Zaaffran has been a house favourite for years, so much so that we know exactly what to order without needing a menu 😂. With stunning Darling Harbour views, it’s my go to for a finger licking Indian feast.<br/><br/>I’ve enjoyed most of menu items here, but my favourite menu items would be.. Murgh Makhani; Khoorus Biryani (flakey crust); Garlic naan; for dessert I would recommend the Rose kulfi. Service is great, the waitress serving us was very friendly and a pleasure to deal with. Overall would come back again.<br/><br/>Here are some items, you should order when you do visit: <br/><br/>Zaaffran Khoorus Biryani: Saffron rice and chicken with golden fried onion, garam masala and mint; with flaky pastry crust and served with raita<br/>.<br/>Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken): Chicken, cardamom-bay leaf, tomato and cream curry with fenugreek leaves<br/>.<br/>Gol Guppa (Pani Puri): Mini poories with spiced moong beans and potatoes; served with mint and tamarind sauce to pour.<br/>.<br/>Bhuna Masaley Ka Chaap: Lamb cutlets tandoor smoked with coriander, fennel, star anise, red chilli and tamarind.

My friend and I went there for dinner on a Tuesday night. First of all, the dining area was very lovely, with the view of the harbor and the fresh wind. Secondly, some of the staffs were very friendly and professional, also with lovely smiles. Thirdly, the food was very delicious! We loved the mushroom naan and the potato naan, and we also enjoyed a chicken dish and a beef dish, finished with a dessert.<br/>Overall, it was a lovely dinning experience and we had a great time!

My friends were visiting from NZ and took them for dinner here.The food is average tasting indian food.Tried the paneer and parantha.The service is good but it felt a bit over priced.

Amazing views. Very good food. Nothing wrong with their preparation. Quantity of curries is adequate for 3 people. Authentic indian food though a little pricey. But for the view you can dole out a little extra bucks. Pav bhaaji is a must try and super delicious.

Awesome Indian food! The curries were all well flavoured with a generous amount of ingredients in it. The poori was definitely the highlight - a light and refreshing starter. Loved the pannacotta too! It’s quite pricey for Indian food though.

Great view and awesome food. We tried the banquet buffet. Everything from the starters to the sweet dish was really good. Tasty and authentic. The only flip side is that the portion sizes are very small.<br/>The cutlery were a little stained. So was the water jar. For a fancy place that is something that needs prime importance.

Had heard alot about this restaurant and wanted to give it a try. We bought a Groupon coupon- 4 course BBQ meal for 2. Spent $75+ $10(surcharge).<br/>Below was our experience with the Restaurant:<br/><br/>1. It took us a while to get our table as there was no body to assist us.<br/>2. The service was very slow. We spent exactly 2 hours in the restaurant out of which the total amount we took to eat was approx 20mins and rest of the time went in waiting for the next course.<br/>3. They provide a teeny tiny portion in every course. Which is a good thing though as the taste is not that great. It tasted really bland. Also the kulfi in the last course tasted no way near kulfi.<br/><br/>Over all really bad experience. Could have used the money in a better restaurant.<br/><br/>I wouldn't recommend any body to go for Groupon vouchers for this restaurant.

We bought a Groupon Banquet Coupon which was fantastic value for the dinner of 4 course. The service was excellent especially from Nand who was very attentive and friendly. Will certainly return. Highly recommended!

Visited here as a part of the dimmi food month. Great food and service. Excellent views from the outdoor seating. Highly recommend the barramundi curry.

Tried the bar b que buffet. Loved the taste and choice. My favourite was the mango kulfi followed closely by the kebabs. Need to book before you go in if you want a terrace table

Great food and even greater view is always a killer combination. Zaffran is a clear winner in both. As I have mentioned in my earlier reviews, Sydney rarely gets Indian right. So I was a bit skeptical as I usually am when booking this one. O how wrong I was! Beautiful food with amazing flavours. We went for the bbq banquet which has a good mix of veg and non veg. Loved the eclectic combination of dishes like phoochka, beef ribs, butter chicken, kebabs, rice, nan in the banquet. All of them tasted really good. The only miss would be the dessert. The mango and pistachio kulfi had a bit too much cardamom infused for our palate. Other than that highly recommended if you want to take your friends and family out for great Indian with a fantastic view 👍

Nice restaurant with lovely views, which is reflected in the prices as well. It is hard for me to do fine dining indian because I like the bigger portions and authenticity of street food in Indian culture. I had a Dimmi offer, which I ended up finding quite pricey anyway. Good choice however for a celebration or special night out.

🍭Before mentioning the food, I must say that I was really wowed by the view at Zaaffran. It overlooked the darling harbour along with the ferris wheel and the beautiful city view at night. Perfect for a date night with my partner. Try to get a seat outside if you can!<br/><br/>We decided to go with the Grand Feast which is perfect if you want to try out different types of curry. It started off with some poppadum, followed by a plate with three proteins – chicken, lamb and a prawn. They were seasoned beautifully with fragrant spices, the only thing I could fault was the chicken was dry, probably overcooked.<br/><br/>After our starters, we were greeted by this platter of 5 different curries, accompanied by biryani rice and naan bread. 3 of the curries were a hit for us, which were the butter chicken, prawn curry and the vegetarian curry, while we felt that the beef and the lamb curry were just alright. Ended up absolutely stuffed by the end of our mains, we could barely move!<br/><br/>The dessert was simple, we had two traditional Indian desserts which were the Rabri and the Gulab Jamun along with three small scoops of ice cream. The Rabri was really an interesting dessert to us as it was essentially solidified milky bits, which we enjoyed. The Gulab Jamun unfortunately was too sweet for me, but it is traditionally that way, just a personal preference. As for the ice cream, well, they’re just regular ice cream flavours but I would recommend Zaaffran to perhaps substitute the pistachio scoop for something else as the taste was very synthetic.<br/><br/>We had a pretty good time here, and definitely enjoyed both the view and food. Also, we made a reservation on Dimmi which gave us a discount on the food bill.

2 stars for the location and service....Food is nowhere near any other Indian restaurant in Sydney. Exorbitantly priced but that I can imagine as its at Harbourside. Been to this place twice and got disappointed both the time with the food quality...Wont visit this place again...

I am always particular while visiting fine dining Indian restaurant since they mainly caters to western tastebuds. Despite the fact having 2 bad experiences at zaaffran, we decided to go again with no expectation as we are visiting that area.<br/><br/>To our surprise, service which was over main concern was top notch. We were served by an gentleman named Mr Prakash. He took care of everything from the spice level and other preferences. Only miss we had is when we were served Golgappas without water and on asking some server told us they do not serve if golgappas are part of platter:)<br/><br/>Food tasted great and it got spices. As requested, we didn’t got sweet taste in any of the curry.

Lovely ambience and delicious food. Would definitely recommend anyone for Indian cuisine. The view of the harbour and people around make this place more beautiful

One of the best Indian restaurant in Sydney . we ordered Malai seekh kebab and masala chaap for starters . The Khoorus biryani and beef vindaloo were among the must try's. Ambience is just amazing , I was lucky enough to sit on the corner tables to get a great view of the Darling Harbour.

The food was authentic and good. Service was good but I am not too sure about the lady at front desk. She was awful, didn’t give us a good table, not polite..,,

The food is really nice , ambience is amazing - darlinghurst and staff is v friendly. We had biryani and mocktails over there and both the items were simply good. Chicken Biryani was well cooked and spice level was up to the mark . Must visit for good Indian food .

This place dishes out some mouth watering Indian delicacies that is a must try for Indian platter enthusiasts. From piquant hors d’oeuvre through the appetising main course ending with the glacé dessert will dance on your tastebuds.Dined with Hubby on a special occasion & the food did account for the dinner being more special. The staff was really friendly & even offered to click a photo of us. Though the service was a little delayed between the meal courses but I guess it was an extra busy evening with lots of guest at the table to wait. Definitely going back & worth a recommendation.

Awesome food... Very cheerful service and nice ambience and darling harbour views.<br/>It made my evening memorable and would definitely come back again. <br/>Special thanks to Simran for being amazing host for the evening.

Such rude service. Really quite shocking. The manager refuses to come to a table? Demands we walk over to her because she is “busy” it was an empty restaurant.

I'm not an aficionado on Indian cuisine but zaffran was a mellow version of spices and curries which at the most would tickle your taste buds but not send you on a journey where you could say wow, this was amazing. The location specially the outdoor seating is a great visual provided the weather permits. The service is able but the grub falls a wee bit short. Prices would remind you of a dillar, a dollar,in simple words you would spend more than your expectations. If your around the corner choose wisely.<br/>

Delicious is the only word to describe the food at zaaffra. Never lets you down. We ordered veggie platter for starters, which has beetroot tikki, khumb, papdi and much more. For the mains we went for butter naan, malai kofta, kadhai paneer, and last but not the least for desserts it was their unbeatable gulab jamun. Treat yourself with food at zaaffran and it will never disappoint you. We loved it.

<br/>Very Niche Upscale and a Ethnic Indian Restaurant <br/>Located In the Most Distinctive Location on Level 2 of Harbourside Mall, this Restaurant is truly an experience <br/>With Subtle authentic tastes of Indian food it has a pinch of Modern Feel to it as well <br/>Excellent way of presentation and delectable Dishes <br/>Service is Quick, Prompt and Very Courteous staff.<br/>The Ambience is impressive and worth a visit for sure.<br/><br/>The Must try's are <br/>The Chowpatty Pav bhaji <br/>And the Alu parathas <br/><br/>Please dip in to some Ras Malai<br/><br/>Highly recommended to visit when in Sydney <br/>

Best best indiand food must try d only indian best restaurant in sydney on darling harbour veggie lovers..derez a guy dere from dehi at ur service he is amazing guide to ur indian craving

Excellent service ! Nice food and of course stunning view ! We had a birthday dinner here and everything was beautiful. The restaurant is huge and if you can ask for outdoor seatings and you will have the best time ! Their icecream<br/>Is so yummo !

We didn't have a booking, they seated us right away in a very nice spot on the balcony. The view is fantastic. Me and my friend are very alike and both ordered the butter chicken and rice. The Butter chicken was very nice and creamy.They had set menus that looked good also, maybe another time. But overall the view was the best thing about this place.

Decided to eat there as our vegetarian friends had few good options in Sydney. We had high expectations given the hype around this restaurant in Darling Harbour. The inside seating area was pretty empty, however, on entering we were asked if we have a reservation. We did not, and were informed of a $5 surcharge per person as it was a Sunday. The service was not impressive - not many recommendations from the staff, slow service, and the food is disappointing after all that arrogance. The beetroot starter was the best of the lot - but portion size was poor. We were informed that chicken biryani will take half an hour as it is twice cooked, and hence ordered veg biryani. Interestingly, that took half hour too! It wasn't worth the wait and even the butter chicken was pretty tasteless. The price is definitely not worth it - especially if you know what good Indian food tastes like!

Had heard a lot about the resturant , was good but below the expectations. Tasty food but very little quantity. Staff was sweet but did not return our change. Chicken biryani was amazing.

With the recommendation from an Indian friend of mine who recently came here and thought the food was really good, I then suggested to my family that we come here to celebrate my nephews birthday over lunch.<br/><br/>As the weather was windy and wet, it was nice to sit inside this spacious restaurant and have some curry! But to start we tried their minced skewered chicken kebab and lamb cutlets to start. The lamb we found a bit too salty but had a good kick of spice. We tried their mango lassi which was deliciously rich and thick. <br/><br/>Then we shared their version of butter chicken which was good as I found some restaurants make it a bit on the sweet side, their beef vindaloo, palak paneer as well as their tiger prawn, scallops and calamari curry. Each of us had a different favourite dish but the weakest dish for us were the palak paneer. We had this with their saffron rice and we ordered a variety of naans. Their multi-layered buttered naan was a favourite with the young ones, their garlic version was also good but their mushroom naan with truffle butter was an interesting creation.<br/><br/>They have $10 cakeage but that was fine for our small group and the service from staff was friendly. I would like to come back to try some of their other dishes from their menu.

Dining with the work crew during a business trip we booked here to accommodate our vegan and vegetarian diners. <br/><br/>The views of Darling Harbour surpass the plain jane decor and really the food is what we were there for. Our dinner party ordered the banquet menu which was an easy choice and delivered 3 tasty samples for entrees and 5 for mains (I can’t remember each dishes name) Every course served was fresh and extremely moorish. The mains were served with the usual suspects - garlic naan, saffron rice and a spinach naan; which were all replenished without question from our eagerly dutiful wait staff. Safe to say everyone was fed to the brim.<br/><br/>Unfortunately I had to leave for my flight home before I got to enjoy the desserts. But the phots received from my colleagues, conveyed that they were throughly enjoyed.

Good to find Indian delicacy in Sydney.  The staff here is friendly and they have harbor view as well if you want to sit outside. I have a meal here, it tasted fine but could have been better.

The dining experience was pleasant, in terms of food quality, ambience and service.<br/><br/>I made the booking for Saturday 6.30 PM dinner on the same day around 12.30 PM via phone call. The staff asked me whether I needed the baby high chair. It was a thoughtful question even though I don't need the chair.<br/><br/>We ordered one entree, which was Chowpatty Pav Bhaji (similar to garlic bread came with a bowl of tomato puree, a slice of lemon and red onion) and two main dishes, which were Rada Maans (lamb curry) and Zaaffran Khoorus Biryani (yellow rice with chicken with a layer like pastry on the top, which took 30 minutes to be served). The chowpatty bread was soft and the tomato puree had a pleasant light taste. The biryani rice was nice as well, and the chicken was soft and well seasoned. I wasn't a big fan of lamb but I like the lamb curry, the meat was tender and had no strong smell. Overall, the three dishes suited my taste buds. They were delicious without being overpowered by heavy taste and too gravy sauce like the other Indian food I've tried previously.<br/><br/>Ambience was great, we were sitting at the balcony facing the ferris wheel and Darling Harbour spectacular view.<br/><br/>The waiter service was impressive. He paid attention to detail. When we ordered the food, he asked us whether we were big eaters or small eaters. When we said we were small eaters, he suggested us to order small portion of saffron rice with chicken instead of the large one because the lamb curry was quite filling. He was right, we were full by the end we finished the whole meal. He also asked us about what we thought of the food. <br/><br/>We will come back again to try another dishes.

Well if you are in Sydney and craving some delicious Indian Food then this is the place you should visit. Situated in beautiful Darling Harbour this place serves some of the best dishes with awesome views.

The staff were rude The Manegar kept us Waiting for more than 15 Mins despite The fact that we had reservation <br/>The waiter got boared after couple of questions regarding The menu .<br/>If it wasn't a weekend night, and we were not starving , we would have left<br/><br/><br/>poor poor poor<br/><br/>keep out keep out keep out

Our experience wasn't so good. The staff were so unfriendly, despite the fact that we had a reservation, and that the restaurant wasn't that busy, we were ignored for around 20 minutes although we were told that we would be seated in a minute or two. The waiter on the other hand didn't feel like explaining to us whatever we needed to be clarified from the menue. The food was ok, but the atmosphere was so un-welcoming.

For a restaurant to shine, along with the food, its staff too should be equally welcoming and warm. <br/>I will not be rating this restaurant on their food and beverages because honestly, we didn't get to the part of actually eating here.<br/>I was here with my family in the month of June, looking forward to a nice meal overlooking the harbor on our last day in Sydney. When we walked in, we could see a couple of tables empty in the outside seating area and we requested to seat us there. The manager was quite rude to us and said that all that tables are reserved and we can only sit inside, which was quite stifling. I must point out that no one was sitting inside and it was already close to 8:30 pm; with the restaurant closing by 9:30 pm, I doubt there were that many people coming in at different tables in the outside seating area.<br/>We had kids with us and did not argue much. But when my father again approached the staff about a table outside to enjoy the weather, he was once again spoken to quite rudely by the manager which was completely unnecessary. <br/>We obviously could not stand for such an insult and left to eat at the Thai restaurant next door, which was probably a good thing since the food was good there and their staff were vastly better.<br/>Being an Indian, it was shocking for us to see such behavior at an Indian restaurant in Sydney of all places. I will always remember this as a sour point in our visit to Sydney and would only request the restaurant management to have a more courteous staff who know how to behave with 'paying' customers. <br/>As I said, the rating from me is not for the restaurant food, but only for their staff and management.

Dishes: Whatever you do, order the classics and be amazed at the high quality of authentic taste, as well as generous serving size. We ordered butter chicken, lamb seekh kebab, and a few naans. Unlike most popular Indian restaurants in the city where their butter chicken is sweetened to accommodate the "western" palate, the butter chicken here is not too sweet, it's creamy and aromatic, with a very generous serving of chicken. The seekh kebab was beautiful - not too salty like other restaurants. Their naans come out piping hot in sanitary conditions - baskets lined with new absorbent napkins. Their garlic naan are thin and crispy, while their cheese naan has a generous serving of cheese. <br/><br/>Ambience: classy, with nice balcony seating available. Have seen some Australian celebrities here recently too. Also have heard that the Indian cricket teams have come here in the past.<br/><br/>Service: top notch service here. Best I have ever experienced in a classy restaurant setting. The best thing is that the waiter knew exactly when and when not to come to our table. They didn't come when they saw we were enjoying our food, and came to give us the bill a while after the dishes were cleared from the table. The waiter came occasionally to ask us if we wanted any sides to accompany the main dishes. <br/><br/>Price: came here with a Dimmis deal so it was 50% off our food bill<br/><br/>Note: I am a big fan of Indian cuisine and have been to several establishments that are popular amongst my Indian-Australian friends, as I know they know the cuisine better than I do, so to come here and have a beautiful and memorable experience that surpasses many known establishments in Harris Park and Homebush is something that will indeed have me coming back to this amazing establishment.

Great food and Service and amazing location! Had been there couple of times when I was in Sydney for a month. Zaaffran came into rescue when we were badly craving for indian food.

It is one of the best fine dining Indian restaurants in Sydney.  The menu is not what you normally find in Indian restaurants in Sydney. Food is very tasty (most of the times) and the view is amazing. I advise making a reservation if you are planning to visit it during weekends. as it normally gets pretty busy on Friday and Saturday nights. I am a vegetarian so I can only recommend vegetarian dishes. I highly recommend tandoori achari paneer,  subz biryani and ticky date pooding. It is a bit pricey for an Indian restaurant ($40-$50 per person).  Service is strictly okay and can be improved.

Food taste was to a decent quality, however the appearance seemed to be slightly watered down. However the location was decent, boasting picturesque Harbourside views.

The mushroom naan was really good. We also ordered Briyani which came with a layer of pastry, like a pot pie. It was different and i quite like that. The curry though, wasn't that great. <br/><br/>It's definitely toward a pricey side for Indian cuisine. Those 3 dishes and a glass of mango lassi costed us $90. I would love to give it another try one day and try something else on the menu.

Typical fusion Indian food. Nothing special about this place. Small serving with top $$. After booking I still had to wait for 10 mins. Not happy with their service.

Great location! I was waiting for fireworks in Darling Harbour,many cafes and reataurant were fully booked that day so I took dinner in Zaaffran. The curry was mild, cheese nan was yumz, and also good services.

This is the best place for indian food...we were in Australia for our honeymoon and we discovered this place on darling harbour...the food actually indian taste...plus the location was amazing...<br/>We ordered dakhni murgh in appetizers and nizam murgh and dal makhni in mains....all three were great...dal makhni was amazing...its good to have an indian authentic restaurant in sydney...<br/><br/>Although the price was a bit high..they charged arpund 4 dollars for onions as well which was a bit strange for us...maybe thats how it is in Australia...so deducted .5 for that...

Great food and service! The location in darling harbour is perfect and you can get a seat over looking over the water. Although can be quite pricey (and a $5 surcharge on sundays) it is well worth it!<br/>

Zaaffran provides you with a pleasant dining experience in prime location but for me the menu lacked crucial, and favourite dishes. We started with some lemon chicken tenderloins and flash fried squid, all with their accompanying Indian-themed condiments (attached). However I couldn't order any my personal favourites like the Korma, Vindaloo, Rogan Josh (Kashmiri), or Madras bases. So we went for the Butter Chicken and Rada Maans (diced lamb, stir fried). I'd rate the dishes average, so nothing extremely worth noting. The waiters were attentive and the and they gave our 2 kids a free Mango Lassi each. Also if you have a pram, don't bother trying to ask for the balcony seating as there's no space.

Wonderful space overlooking the water at Darling Harbour with a choice of a table inside or on the terrace.  We were attending a show at the new theatre which made Zaaffran a convenient choice for dinner.  The food was very good with wide selection of dishes.  We started with a mixed entree plate which was generous and tasty followed by a couple of veg curries and nan - delicious.  They have a reasonable wine list with a number available by the glass and also a good selection of beers.  Our waiter was friendly and helpful, making suggestions which turned out to be good.  We will be going back.

The Location of the Restaurant is just a cherry on the cake.<br/>One of the best Indian restaurants i have been to in Sydney.<br/>Delicious Food, Amazing servings and Great customer service.<br/>cheers.

One of the best fine dining Indian places in Australia specially if you are with non Indian friends . The chef makes it even more exotic with his presentation.

This restaurant is in a great location and has fantastic views if you get an outdoor table. The food concepts are great, eg Dhum Biryani, but poorly executed. If you're looking for great Indian food rather than views, is go elsewhere

Booked complete restaurant for an engagement function - Saturday lunch.<br/>Wonderful arrangement done by Zaaffran.<br/><br/>The service provided by management (personally) and staff was exceptional. There’s no room for improvement. Staff service was very caring, friendly and accommodating.<br/><br/>Food quality, menu choice, dishes flavours and variety, authenticity - everything was just great!<br/>Everyone praised about delicious food, ambience, lighting and list goes on and on. <br/>Having a nice weather also helped!!

Top level of harbourside, zaaffran offers a great range of vegetarian choices but also caters for the meat eaters! When we went it was pretty quiet, but regardless the service was top notch (our office has also held christmas celebrations here and it was amazing too). Given the location, prices are not on the cheap side but still worth it especially when there's deals on.

Food is a great fusion between authentic indian and western influences. The views are amazing and the staff are friendly. The BBQ'd meats are delicious and a must try !

Excellent location, very good service by Mr Prakash I think his name was, we had curry meen fish curry ( fish tasted wired-stale) but the curry it self was amazingly tasty, cut lamb shanks had no spice (lack of spices) asked for medium, entrees were very tasty the dips to go with them was excellent, butter naan was good. Lamb Frankie was hilarious ....! 😂<br/>The best part of the Dinner was the deserts and were the best I had in an Indian restaurant <br/>Rose Creme brûlée (excellent) and the saffron pana cotta......... Out of the world...!<br/>If the main course would have been good I would have given 5/5....!!!!! <br/><br/>

Zaaffran has been one of my better Indian dining experiences however, like all previous, there's always a combination of dishes I love and some that I find lacking. Again, this was the case at Zaaffran. The menu is quite extensive and wanting to try a number of dishes, staff were open to customising a banquet menu for us where it was possible in the 'Grand Feast' although I did find the silverware this was served in just a little over the top.<br/><br/>I loved the consistency and flavour in the palaak paneer and this was my favourite from Murgh Makhani & Rada Maans, and I found the Murgh Makhani to be far too rich. Mushroom naan easily won over the garlic, and this was the first time I had come across it. The real standouts for me were the poochkas and papri chat, although the poochkas were lacking some sweetness. Served atop shooters of the mint-tamarind sauce they presented well and the mint-tamarind mix itself was spectacular. I also loved the papri chaat. I'm generally not a huge fan of rice, so I didn't enjoy khooras biryani, although I found the chicken in this really tender.<br/><br/>The prawn in the Shanoz de zaaffran Jalpariyaan was cooked well and tender, as was the lamb cutlet in the Chaamp Chaarminar. I didn't find the flavours all too appealing in the prawn though. The wine list was decent and moderately priced. Service is attentive and perhaps a little on the formal side, which doesn't really appeal to me, although this probably goes hand in hand with one of the banquets being served on silver. Pricing is generally on the higher side however this is more or less the case around the harbour anyway.

Awesome food with awesome ambience. The view from fron the restaurant is AWESOME. The menu is amazing and the taste is yummy. The service is excellent and above all, Indians are everywhere. Feel good. A definite place to be on my list.

Food is not authentic Indian. It's Unreasonably expensive (feels like you're paying for their rent) and Absolutely awful "eye-rolling" (yup it happened!) service. All you're getting is the view and that's if you're seated near the window or outside!<br/><br/>There are amazingly better places in Sydney to go to for authentic Indian food with great ambience, great service and a great price. I don't even have to mention how good the food is. <br/>Thousand spices in Homebush or Malabar in crowsnest.

Location location! Wow is the location of the restaurant on Sydneys darling harbour. By the evening it offers a superb view and if you are lucky to be seated outside much merrier.<br/><br/>Average wine list and food menu has good spread. Found it to be tad expensive given similar location ambience venues offer different varieties. The food names listed on the menu are very welcoming e.g firangi frankie, chowpatty pav bhaji etc<br/><br/>Entrees have a limited veg choice and average non veg choice, more of sea food.<br/><br/>Mains we tried the laal maas which was lamb. Well cooked juicy tender. Lasooni naan was very delicious. Icing on the cake was zaffran chicken biryani. Superb! It was almost a Delhi or Hyderabad biryani and the meat melts in your mouth.<br/><br/>Staff and service was excellent and kudos to the person serving us from Thane!<br/><br/>Thumbs down on non availibilty of goat curries or biryani.<br/><br/>Revisit : Yes

This was our second visit to Zaaffran and I have to say the food has definitely picked up. Though still quite expensive, it easily will cost 2 ppl around 80$.<br/><br/>We started with the achari paneer, which was pretty standard. For mains we ordered the Salli murgh and for vegetarian we had the kofta curry. Loved the extra topping of the salli chips on the chicken it was a great touch. Both the mains were good and a touch spicy since we asked them to be medium towards hot.<br/><br/>We also ordered the Sabhji biryani, which is a vegetable biryani. I have to say that was best dish of the evening. It was a pleasant evening, food much better than what we had the last time we visited which was 2 to 3 years back. However it's expensive Indian food, great place to celebrate a special occasion.

My husband gave me the surprise dinner date on Valentine's 14/02/2016.<br/>Omg the view is spectacular.<br/>I just fell in love with.<br/>The service was extraordinary.<br/>They understood our requests as my husband is vege and I eat chicken.<br/>We ordered chicken tikka- no words, I remember and just feel like eating it right away, well cooked, nicely spice blend and juicy awesome.<br/>The desert raspberry sorbet or the specials always tastes great.<br/><br/>Always my stop to eat wen around darling harbour

I went here two other people and we all got the Che's Banquets. The food was well cooked and we loved every bit of it. <br/>However, I can say that the price does not match the amount of serving we expected and they were very poor at giving cutlery.

[Invite] One of the first thing diners are struck by when you arrive at Zaaffran is how great the view is. It’s perched above the busy walkways of Darling Harbour, overlooking Cockle Bay Wharf and Sydney City. An uninterrupted view of the entire city and harbour in one. For many Sydneysiders Darling Harbour and in particular Harbour Side shoppinh risks that ‘tourist trap’ feel, but Zaaffran has the charm of the harbour and also has fantastic food to accompany it.

For an evening of culinary delights, we were so excited to attend Zaaffran’s VIP menu launch in Darling Harbour, showcasing their new Koomcha trail menu and unique Indian cuisine. We started off with a sampling of their two famous cocktails – the Watermelon and Tamarind. Each variety was on the opposite end of the flavour spectrum, as the watermelon one was deliciously sweet, and the tamarind was tangy and sour, but both were equally as delicious, and the Tamarind one especially was so unique, and a great accompaniment to the spicy dishes.

Went to this amazing place last summer. The vibes of this place and warmth of the people was overwhelming. And, best Indian restaurant in Sydney. <br/>The food does complete justice to our Indian taste buds. And, the splendid view of Darling Harbour leaves you awestruck. <br/>

Super, subtle and delicious food. The views of Opera House ate even better. This is fine dining. Be prepared to pay the price for it but you get what you pay for. The ambience is great!

Went to this place over lunch with my team mates.<br/>It is well organised , nicely located and hospitality is good.<br/>People inside greet you very well.<br/>But it all comes down to food .It is just ok , nothing special.<br/>It is much over priced compared to the other co-located restaurants.<br/>I would recommend you this restaurant if you have fat wallet , and you just want to taste indian food, not the real spicy indian food.

Want to dine like a Maharaja? Then go to this waterside restaurant, get a table on the balcony over looking beautiful Darling harbour & the city skyline and order the feast for a king. You get served a variety of dishes to taste on a silver platter and each dish and all the accomlaniments are explained to you. The food is delicious & modern & service impeccable. It is a little on the expensive side but with the food, service, decor & setting, that is a small price to pay.

Tried zaaffran for the first time today, food was good but very disappointed with the service. Orderd extra bread during the meal, took 15 minutes to bring the first serve (had a break in food), and waited additional 17 minutes for the next serve of bread and until then the food wasn't eadible. Cancelled that last order, told the manager about it, and without uttering a single word, he cleared the payment and walked away. He wasn't even sorry (very rude behaviour, felt offended personally)<br/>Had to go to another restaurant later on, as we all were still hungry. Spending around $250 for one time meal is totally not worth it<br/>Ruined the night<br/><br/>Thankyou Zaaffran

I came back to Australia and Sydney after 9 years for a business trip. And I came back to Zaaffran. During our two year stay in Australia 9 years, the only Indian restaurant I remembered was Zaaffran (we lived in Melbourne, yet Sydney's Zaaffran stood out).<br/><br/>I wasn't disappointed. Two meals in a row - Zaaffran clearly had what it did back then. Good Food and Good Services. Prices of course have bloated but Zaaffran was always more expensive than most other Indian food joints as it was (a) in Darling Harbour amidst splendid view and (b) it came closest to authentic Indian tastes as only Indians would know.<br/><br/>Thanks Zaaffran, enjoyed returning.

Ok, so we decided to have a quick meal at this restaurant last Saturday and after we ordered our food, the wait staff came back to say we must order at least up to $100 worth of meals or move out. This is the strangest and rudest thing I have ever heard at a restaurant. I have been to Sydney's some of the finest (3 hat) restaurants and never heard such a thing. How can a restaurant force us to eat more even if we are not hungry enough to eat that much? It was not a planned dine out. When given the bill, the wait staff refused to take the payment at the table and asked us to go at the counter to pay. When I gave the feedback about the minimum $100 order requirement, the owner of the restaurant remained quiet and decided to move away rather than say anything response that would make us want to come back to this restaurant again. Won't visit this arrogant place again. The food isn't that good either.

Came to Zaaffran for a friends birthday and was really amazed by the food! For a table of 4 we ordered 4 different types of naans (cheese, garlic, butter and mushroom) and a saffron rice as a side, 3 different curries (butter chicken, vegetable kofta and prawn), 2 entrees (chicken tikka and lamb mince) and the rose lychee pistachio icecream for dessert. Everything was absolutely delicious and sitting outside we had an amazing view of the harbour. We were hit suddenly by a torrential thunderstorm and the staff were very quick at getting the blinds down and then eventually relocating diners indoors. The prices are a little on the higher side but the quality of the food and service is definitely well worth it. The girls also ordered the watermelon and strawberry mocktails which were brought out very quickly. The waitstaff was also constantly checking on us to see if we needed anything additional. Would return!

With a stunning Darling Harbor as a back drop this place is perfectly located to enjoy the skyline of night time Sydney down town . We were very hungry as we walked a long distance (Surry Hills) to reach here . We started with paneer tikka , papad masala and beet root patty . Paneer Tikka was OK ( you can get better paneer tikka in almost any good Punjabi restaurant in India) but beet root patty was exceptional. Served with tamarind sauce , it was just perfect starter with beer. For main course we ordered a lamb dish and dal makhni . I liked dal makhani and my colleagues (from UK) liked the lamb curry too. Service was good and owner himself came 2/3 times to make sure that we are enjoying the food. Prices are on the higher side but I think it is because of location ( very touristy). Only one disappointment for the evening - kitchen was closed at 10.30 and we have to rush through our meal. Go for it if you like authentic Indian food .

Food/view was good but the service was ok. I have been asked to spend 35$ per person while the waiter came to take the order. We were 4 in and When we ordered it was 20$ less to reach 35$ per person. This is the first time I've been asked to spend a certain amount in restaurant which is pathetic. not sure whether will go back there again for the service.