The Food and Drink Guy

Tag: Indian

  • Saffron Indian Cuisine (Johnston, IA) Review

    Saffron Indian Cuisine (Johnston, IA) Review

    4.6* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 5*

    Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely)

    Total check/person: $44

    04/24/2026 Saffron Indian Cuisine +1 (515) 897-0460

    It was honestly a bit of an accident that we even found this place and boy are we glad that we did – it was quite the hidden gem! We were out stopping at local spots to update my HappyHourDesMoines.com website and decided it was time to have some dinner. My wife did a restaurant search on her car’s system, this place popped up and since we both enjoy Indian food…we decided to give it a try. We left very impressed – especially with the food and the very attentive and helpful service from Kavya, who was awesome!

    We started by ordering a Mango Lassi (yogurt based ‘malt’) that was absolutely delicious – cool, creamy and full of mango flavor. We followed with Chicken Lollipops (see picture) as our appetizer and again, found them very good – especially with the side sauce.

    For our dinners, my wife ordered Korma (see picture) and substituted the chicken with lamb while I ordered the Gongura Chicken (see picture) at Kavya’s suggestion. We also ordered Basil Naan (see picture) and found it to also be very good – thin, tasty and fresh…and the basil flavoring was something we hadn’t experienced with naan before.

    They offer 3 spice levels and my wife ordered medium while I went with hot. We both like spicey food. Personally, I would have liked something in between the two on both dishes as my wife’s didn’t seem to have much spiciness and mine had a definite burn that overwhelmed some of the flavor. The good news is that we didn’t have to ask for extra rice to finish our meals as we do at most other Indian restaurants – both dishes were served with a generous portion.

    My only disappointment was the men’s restroom, as both the cleanliness and maintenance could use some improvement. The aesthetics to get there were also a little awkward, with it located in a hallway next to the kitchen that also had some carts and dirty dishes.

    If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Follow The Food and Drink Guy:

  • Indian Tadka (Waukee, IA) Review

    Indian Tadka (Waukee, IA) Review

    4.2* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 3*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 4*

    Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely)

    Total check/person: $24

    07/20/2025 Indian Tadka +1 (515) 987-3165

    We stopped here just after moving to Urbandale over 4 years ago with our son and daughter in law along with our parish Priest (who is an Indian native) and just took the opportunity to return. We enjoyed it during both stops and would definitely go back.

    Tonight my wife opted for the Chili Garlic Chicken (see picture) and I chose the Chicken Lababdar (see picture) along with an order of Garlic Naan. As usual, we shared tastes of each dish and while both were very good, the Chili Garlic Chicken definitely had a more flavor and a bit of a spicy ‘kick’.

    This is a solid Indian restaurant near old town Waukee with very friendly service.

    If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Chicken Lababdar
    Chili Garlic Chicken
    Garlic Naan

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Follow The Food and Drink Guy:

  • Kathmandu (Windsor Heights, IA) Review

    Kathmandu (Windsor Heights, IA) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    4.0* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 3*

    02/11/2023

    Update: We stopped back again last night with our son and again enjoyed the experience. I’m also happy to report that they made improvements following my initial review regarding poor lighting (and clutter) in the restaurant. The lighting was much better, enabling me to take some better-quality pictures (see below). From this, I increased the Atmosphere rating to a 4*.

    We ordered Lamb Curry (see picture), Chef Special Grill Platter (see picture) and Coconut Chicken Curry (see picture) along with Garlic & Butter Naan (see picture). We really enjoyed all of them – with the Chef Special Grill Platter providing the most food (including full chicken drumsticks) and the Coconut Chicken Curry having the best flavor (even though it my son ordered mild and I prefer spicy). I ordered the Lamb Curry as Hot on the spicy level and my wife ordered the Chef Special Grill Platter as Medium…but I’m suspicious that they mixed those two up, as hers was the spiciest at the table and I ordered extra spice for the Lamb Curry.

    Service was good for drink orders and food orders as well as a follow up shortly after we were served to check on spice level (and bring more spice…). Following that though, we ran out of rice and wanted another bowl but after unsuccessfully waiting for our server, I walked over to the kitchen area and asked for another bowl.

    Overall was still a very good experience and we really liked all of the food, so I wouldn’t hesitate to return and would recommend it as one of the better Indian / Himalayan restaurants where I’ve eaten.

    11/09/2022

    My wife and I stopped here for dinner to give it a try and are sure glad that we did.  While the service and atmosphere were average, the food was all delicious!

    We ordered plenty of food, expecting to take the extra home with us for later meals at home…so enjoyed several meals.  For the main course, we ordered Coconut Chicken Curry, Lamb Biryani & Shrimp Fried Rice (see pictures of each…poorer quality due to lighting).  For sides, we ordered Tandoori Roti (found it to be dry), Cheese Naan & Raita along with Rasmalai for dessert (pictures of each attached).

    We ordered each of the main dishes medium to medium-hot spiciness and really enjoyed all of them!  Don’t leave without trying the Rasmalai for dessert – described as cheesecake soaked in a sweet milk, it was delicious and not overly sweet!  We will definitely be back!

    If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.

    Lamb Curry
    Chef Special Grill Platter
    Coconut Chicken Curry
    Butter & Garlic Naan
    Basmati Rice

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Follow The Food and Drink Guy: