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Cuisine(s): African, Middle Eastern
Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Price: $$
Serving: Dinner
Reservations: Not Necessary
Parking: Lot Available, Valet
Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
Attire: Casual
Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Private Party, Catering, Banquet Facilities

Houston Press Insiders

Saffron

2006 Lexington

Houston, TX 77098

713-522-3562

Check out this wild Moroccan bar and restaurant for fabulous and unusual food -- such as the delicacy pie, with lamb livers, sweetbreads and mountain oysters -- a romantic interior and belly dancer shows on Friday and Saturday nights.

show/hide reviews (2) Please log in to write your review

Overall:

After reading about their fabulous all-you-can-eat shish-kebab, we (eleven of us) went out to celebrate birthdays. We arrived at seven pm and were greeted at the door by the (?)host who looked us up and down and asked how many were in the party, asked if we had a reservation, and rolled his eyes and dramatically closed the door in our face. We were perplexed, standing looking at each other wondering if we should leave. Then he returned and whisked us into a little side room. There was NO ONE else in the restaurant so I'm not sure why the drama. Anyway the food was absolutely delicious- but way too expensive for what we got, which was a tiny salad, lots of meat, no bread, no rice, no couscous. All a-la-carte and VERY expensive. The kids were all charged full price except the 4 year old and the 6 year old who were charged half price (fifteen dollars!) and each ate maybe about one piece of chicken. Also, the kids weren't addressed when salad orders were taken by our waiter or ever offered drink refills. Our waiter, although entertaining, was rude and did not deserve the 18% tip included on the atrocious bill. It would be a great date restaurant due to the location and ambience, but it's definately not group or family-friendly at all. I would suggest at least speaking to the manager to get discounted prices or a recommendation for something kids could enjoy. Our mistake- we chose the place from the info they provided on their website!
Review by srmtx01
Overall:

My friends were meeting for a birthday party of eight. We arrived and parked at about 7:45pm. It was dusk so we could still see the curb appeal (or lack thereof). Anyway, this restaurant got mixed reviews when I checked online before my wife and I left home. Although, we were skeptical, we decided to remain open-minded. When entering, we noticed that there is restaurant called �Mia Bella� next door, which is connected and evidently operated by the same owner. It actually looks legitimate (due to the d�cor). There is a patio in the front outside of Saffron and is decorated with lattice work overhead and wrought iron fencing with vines and shrubs growing around the perimeter in order to create a garden-like area. To bad it was overgrown and created more of a �rundown� feel. That was the first �sign�. Next, you enter through a �Huge Medieval Door� which is definitely Moroccan but more like a dungeon. Immediately inside is their idea of a reception area but more like a teacher�s podium. We were not greeted for a while and were left standing there with all the other patrons staring at us. When someone finally approached us, they did not have our reservation and instead of accommodating us, they looked at us as if they were annoyed that we were there. They kept disagreeing with us about the reservations and did not make any efforts to fix the problem and set up seating. Restaurant reservations get botched all the time but professionals would know what to do, which would be to direct us to the bar area or patio for cocktails while a table is set up. Instead they took a long time for one person to make that decision and they looked like �DEER IN HEADLIGHTS� and we found ourselves standing there with the restaurant guests staring once again. This whole debacle was the first major �RED FLAG�. Finally, they set up some tables in the bar area and seated us there. It seemed like no one knew what to do. No one asked is we wanted a drink. I thought for sure if I walk up to the bar, the bartender would whip up some drinks pronto! After all bartenders should be very quick to serve drinks especially when patrons have $CASH$ in hand. Hello..I am here to spend cash and tip you! Anyway, we were somehow seated, but who was our waiter? We couldn�t tell who the manager was and who the waiters were. We weren�t given menus or silverware. We had to ask for all of that and then we only got 3 menus to share among 8 people. My friend and I ordered 2 bud lights and my wife and her friends ordered wine. When I asked for another BL the waiter said they ran out but they do have (3) Heineken left, (4) Michelob Ultra, and they had a case of Corona Light. That was the 2nd RED FLAG. That means that they don�t �turn over� enough drinks in order to always have them stocked. So I started thinking� should I assume the same about the food? Are things fresh or left over from last week and re-heated? By this time I had given up on any notion that we were going to have good service or tasty food.

When the food did arrive�it was obvious that it was frozen and merely heated up! It reminded me of something straight out of �Ramsay�s Kitchen Nightmares�. I�m glad I only ordered appetizers (I was very skeptical and didn�t want to take a chance on something like an entr�e). Also, the waiter thought his primary function was to entertain us�not serve food. He kept hanging around bugging us and scaring the girls. This guy definitely was on ACID, Ecstasy, or some other hard drug. I actually caught him falling over into a wall! This guy was wasted. All in all we made the bad experience into a great one because the whole debacle was extremely entertaining. We literally sat back and critiqued everything as if it were an episode of �Kitchen Nightmares� and had so many laughs at the expense of the restaurant, waiter and the cheesy belly dancer. I expect this restaurant to be in business much longer. If you are looking for a good dining experience, this place is not for you. If you are looking for a place be to entertained by pure stupidity�you can get loaded and laugh at the operations of this place.
Review by Amused

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