Zaaffran

Darling Harbour, Australia

4.1

15 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+61 2 9211 8900
Website:
www.zaaffran.com
Address:
Level 2, Harbourside Centre 10 Darling Dr, Darling Harbour, New South Wales, 2000
Sydney
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
410 ftConvention
0.2 miPyrmont Bay
0.3 miExhibition Centre
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
No
Accepted Cards
Credit, Debit
Good For
Dinner
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
Yes

Today

Today 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Local time (Darling Harbour) –

Business hours

Monday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Tuesday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Thursday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Friday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm

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1
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15 reviews of Zaaffran

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Craving Indian food today and all the spots around me seemed to be either a food court style
Or high end dining. Took the chance in the fine dining avenue and was completely surprised. The short ribs masala portion was enough to feed two less than hungry adults or one very hungry adult. The ribs were soft and pulled right off. The garlic naan went perfectly with this dish. The view was an extra bonus as the restaurant is in the harbor with one side built with top to bottom glass walls. Outdoor deck also makes this place a great spot in the evenings. Definitely will be coming back. Highly recommend it!
Place rating: 5
Fremont, CA
Good place to come for some indian food. Clean and fast service the view is excellent. Cheers
Place rating: 5
Sydney, Australia
Indian dining, maharajah-​style — with my giant sapphire ring that I bought for $ 10 on a cruise ship and a 40-​person banquet overlooking D-​Harb (I’m sticking with it, it’ll catch on, I swear).
Shout-​out first off to the service: exemplary. Fast, friendly, attentive, and with good grace in the face of a huge bunch of increasingly drunk older folk making finicky requests (like whisky, with a side pot of chilled soda water, and a tumbler of ice). Could not praise them more highly.
The food was the banquet menu, the only way to feed such a giant group, and they rolled out their classics. The beef vindaloo didn’t pull any punches, it was spicy as hell and I had the happy curry sweats while I spooned riches into my gob and beamed at anyone around me. The pistachio and rose kulfi was a fine finish, too.
The unexpected coup de grace was the 9pm fireworks going off in the harbour, which we of course claimed was part of the celebrations for the birthday girl, because why wouldn’t you?
Place rating: 3
Buffalo, NY
I was with some colleague who were insistent on eating in Darling Harbor. As one of our group was vegan, there were few choices. I will be honest and say that this area is just not my scene. It is all a bit too much and too pricey for me. With the way my colleagues order, we ended up at over $ 50/​person which actually wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated.
The food was good but a bit uneven. Some things were amazing and others a bit lackluster. The Purple Goodness (which is surprisingly not purple) is amazing. Order extra. I would pass on the Aloo Palak. I never really like it when restaurants turn the spinach into a purée as fine as they do. I have been to two places that make their palak this way and while it is pretty, it isn’t tastier. The folks in the group who eat prawns (not me) said they were amazing.
Service was excellent but the division of labor there is so complicated it was often challenging to figure out who to ask for what.
I saw a couple walk in with a living social deal, so it may be a place that regularly has some daily deals going on. I also recommend reservations if you want to sit outside on a weekend evening.
Place rating: 5
Sydney, Australia
It’s very unlike me to say about a Sydney restaurant that both the food and the service is phenomenal but I have no other way in which to describe Zaffraan.
Place rating: 5
Adelaide, Australia
Superb food. Great views of the bay.
We had a waiter who was absolutely great. Went out of his way to get food (not on the menu). Amazing.
Great papdi chat, chicken tikka, nizam’s chicken.
Nice atmosphere. Slightly on the expensive side, but well worry it.
Place rating: 5
Australia
Outstanding, creative, beautifully made Indian food. The $ 52.50 dinner banquet (or $ 47.50 without desserts) is out-​of-​this-​world delicious and fantastic value for money, given the quantity and quality of the food you get. I’ve been to this place three times now and I’ve loved everything I’ve tried here. I can’t recommend this place highly enough. It is head, shoulders, torso, legs and ten extra people above the rest when it comes to the tourist-​trap wasteland that is the Darling Harbour restaurant scene.
Here’s what our banquet comprised:
FIRST COURSE
Potato patties
Lentil wafers
Garlic naan
Assorted dips
Green salad
SECOND COURSE
Chicken skewers
Chicken tenderloin
Mushroom naan
THIRD COURSE
Lamb curry
Butter chicken
Beef ribs
Stuffed mushrooms
Saffron rice
DESSERT: ice cream kulfi thing — but we opted for the banquet without the dessert because we wanted to go to Zumbo at The Star after dinner.
My favourite dish from the banquet was the lentil wafers, but everything was sensational. There wasn’t a single thing on the menu that I didn’t like.
Place rating: 4
CORTLANDT MNR, NY
One of the Better Choices in Darling Harbor Area
Three of us dined at Zaaffran, including 4 small beers draft, $ 150 AUD not including any extra tip. With nice harbor views.
Enjoyed the Beef (not Lamb) Vindaloo. Most tasty. Pic uploaded.
Convenient to harbor ferry nearby, to/​from Circular Quay.
Even small items are charged separately, such as $ 4 for sliced onion and $ 4 for pickled chilies.
Gripe: Draft beer size is almost petite, perhaps 10 – 12 oz for $ 8 AUD.
American Puzzlement: $ 5 surcharge for dining on Sunday… I guess to help offset the higher wages mandated by law.
Place rating: 5
Perth, Australia
came here for sunday lunch with spreets vouchers. sat outside with the harbor view. had the chef’s banquet (original price $ 88), which included a canapé, 2 starters (salmon, chicken, prawn, burramundi), 4 curries (lobster, vegetable, lamb, prawn), naans/​rice/​vermicelli, & pyramid ice-​cream dessert. The food was beautifully spiced and we couldn’t finish it. took away the 4 curries with naan & rice. the service was mixed — the male staff who brought out the food were humorous & explained each dish; 2 female staff — 1 was polite, while the other was not too friendly. overall, it was very enjoyable & will return for more food.
Place rating: 2
Pasadena, CA
I’ve been here many times and must say that the quality has really slipped. The starters were overlooked and not hot when they reached the table. Service was horrible, and confused. When I asked if I could have some more white wine, the waiter looked at me like I had insulted him, and I had to ask again, and then he only poured my wine and not my two guests. No excuse. Not worth the money.
Place rating: 4
Toronto, Canada
We went to this restaurant in December as it had good reviews on trip advisor. I really enjoyed my meal. One of the appetizers (can’t remember the name) was really good. I think they were called Poori’s and they made them like the way they are made in India by street vendors. The biggest difference is that you don’t have to worry about getting the runs LOL. My Chicken with Byriani rice was really good. I had never had the Naan bread cooked into the pot like a pie. It was very tasty.
Place rating: 4
Australia
Went for lunch on a «deal» voucher for their set banquet.- — was pleasantly surprised (even the house white was quite good) — lovely location at Darling Harbour — down the south side –and the staff were attentive — (ok there were surprisingly few for lunch).
Place rating: 3
Sydney, Australia
Supposed to be one of the finest Indian restaurants in Sydney? It’s A-​ok. Let me explain.
The location (Darling harbour) is fantastic. The food however, is quite average. The naan is just as just as what I would expect from an Indian restaurants, soft and warm, nothing extra special here, while the paneer vegetable curry was quite honestly plain. Not bland but nothing exciting either. The portion size is small too or maybe I was craving more?
The service definitely has room for improvement. It’s possible that on weekends they are quite busy and therefore could not provide good customer service.
Why am I being so harsh? Well, because this is my one hope of finding good Indian food in Sydney and it’s just not there yet! Most of the Indian restaurants are just in food courts and thats very depressing.
C’mon Zaaffran, I know you can do better.
Place rating: 3
Sydney, Australia
At the risk of sounding like a food snob, most of the restaurants down the Darling Harbour way aren’t really worth bothering with. At least, that was how I felt until visiting Zaafran.
Sydney’s not exactly a breeding ground for good or authentic Indian restaurant; most I’ve tried seem to be simply filling a gap in the takeaway market with butter chicken and garlicky naan. Zaafran, however, offers up a diverse menu that represents its cuisine’s many influences and regions. Tender lamb cutlets coated in a thick spice rub of finely chopped coriander, green chilli and star anise pack a serious punch, while melt-​in-​your-​mouth ribs have been marinated in a fragrant, sweet combination of cardamom, honey and yoghurt that’s really helped to tenderise the meat. To follow, a coconut curry infused with turmeric and fresh ginger plays hosts to plump prawns, calamari and white fish.
It is a strange location with access via the Harbourside shopping centre, but if you’re absolutely desperate to show visitors around Darling Harbour then it’s a good place to stop for dinner with water views.
Place rating: 4
Sydney, Australia
I’ll admit I was incredulous when my friend suggested we meet at Zaaffran. Indian at Harbourside? It smelled of a tourist trap. But my friend was confident that this was the place we should eat before our trip to IMAX, and my word did I have my naan and eat it too!
You definitely need to be a good orderer to make the most of Indian food. I wish I had taken notes that first time, because my second visit wasn’t quite as successful. That said: if the naan is good and the curries are delicately flavoured and not mouth-​burningly spicy, then I’m pretty easy to please. But Zaaffran can be so much more — especially if you go with a group and dare to order something a bit different from your usual butter chicken.
Writing this review reminds me to ask me friend just what we ordered that first, auspicious visit. Because, with such surprisingly wonderful food, great service and an Entertainment Card that the staff has kindly let me use a second time, I’ll definitely be going back.