Saffron Cafe & Bakery

Let me start off by saying that the desserts here were pretty amazing. I had the strawberry shortcake and it was perfection. But getting it was the issue… We told the girl behind the counter what we wanted and were told that she would plate it and that a server would then bring it to us. The kids grabbed a couple of drinks out of the cooler and we were directed where to sit. We had a group of 7 so some of the stragglers were still trying to decide what dessert they wanted. The stragglers asked for it to-​go (not knowing that the rest of us had gotten it to eat in the café) and came and sat down. Then we waited for a server… and then waited some more… The to-​go orders were brought to our table and then the lady took them away because she said since we were sitting she would plate them… so then we waited some more… Eventually we got a server and our desserts were brought out to us… but lesson learned: In the future, if you want dessert only, just get it to go.

This was a quick stop in for lunch before going to Ft. Sumter. The service was a bit slow and spacey, and my order was given to me wrong. I didn’t have enough time to ask the server to fix it and ate it as is. The food was fine, but nothing spectacular.

The worst eggs Benedict I have ever tasted!!! Horrible service and food was cold after we waited for an hour. Will NEVER GO BACK!!! Waitress was rude and told me it was not possible for my food to be cold. I told her to try it herself!

We enjoyed lunch at Saffron! The weather was beautiful so we sat outside — in February! Both the shrimp curry and the cheeseburger were fantastic and fresh. Our waiter was really really good — cheery and helpful, but not stopping at our table every two minutes. Loved it! We’ll go again!

Don’t listen to the snobs. This place is fab, especially on Sunday. :) I had the Mac and cheese, meat loaf, the chocolate lovers cake, raspberry crème (tart? Cake?) and lemon square. All fab!

Best lamb gyros and pasta salad! Went with my best friends who advised the hamburger was the best she’s ever had. Service is also wonderful. We go here at least once a month. And don’t even get me started on the desserts. Yummy!!!

Bakery is great. I’ve had business meetings here over coffee and pastries a couple of times. It’s plenty spacious enough to find seats that aren’t crammed right next to someone else. Have only eaten from the café menu once or twice; nothing stands out, not the reason I go. Service is almost always good. It’s especially good if Lisa is your server.
They do have a bocce court in back, which can be enhanced with some wine or beer on a nice day.

Service was very slow. My coffee mug had a chip in it. When food finally arrived, the garnish on my plate was wilted lettuce — very unappealing. Food was ok. Biscuits are not light and fluffy but more hockey puck like. I don’t recommend this place for breakfast.

Apparently this used to be great? Not sure what’s happening here but today was not good. Brunch starts at «9:15am» yet we waited (no one told us it wouldn’t be ready for a while) and there was nothing at 9:55 still. I guess they wait until they have a crowd to cook the food? Poor waiter, terrible management. So glad we decided to leave instead of wait. It turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve ever had in Charleston — see Stars. It was incredible!

I will begin by saying I used to love Saffrons. Their cakes were amazing. However, I came here yesterday and ordered a slice of cake. On the cake are chocolate covered strawberries. I open the box and on the strawberry is a white fuzzy lining. For a second I think maybe it is some kind of frosting. I was hoping. On closer inspection, it was mold.
I could understand a mistake was made. However, when I called them to complain, their tone was I’m not sure what you want me to do. They actually asked for me to bring the cake back.
You are serving moldy strawberries to your customers and you don’t think its a big deal? This is not the bakery I remembered.

We were recommended to the place by the concierge and some tour guides. It worked perfect for us since we didn’t have much time to spare before our flight, and they had a great brunch buffet. The girl who was waiting on us seemed like she had an attitude. The food was okay. The best thing IMO was the shrimp and red suace over the red rice. I tried it over just about everything else, but none were as good. My girlfriend really liked the chicken stir fry as well. The salad bar was extremely fresh and extremely good. Loved the tomatoes! The fried chicken was also pretty good. Everything else on the buffet seemed mediocre. Unfortunately, I think we should have ordered off the menu. The dishes people ordered looked amazing, but realistically we didn’t have the time. It’s a great location right in the middle of Charleston. The pastries at the front looked amazing, but vacation is over so I have to start eating more salads. I’d go back to try some of their menu items for sure.

This is a review of Sunday brunch buffet (bakery items would rate much higher and breakfast fare is much better). Just terrible. Pretty sure everything came out if a can or frozen bag. Except for grits, because then they wouldn’t have had lumps the size of quarters. Could always go for salad bar, but very limited. And if going to eat salad somewhere like east bay deli cheaper and much better. My wife gave up and went and bought a danish from bakery.

Had lunch here today. It was ok. Cheap by Charleston standards. Very big space & great for groups or for people who are visiting the Aquarium. It’s very close by. Great parking on site front & back. Outside inside dining also. Fantastic desert showcase as you enter along with fabulous breads. Wide variety on menu from full meals to sandwiches. The coffee is excellent. Large plates of food. I got a Reuben. It was ok just a little too greasy for me. I’m sorry I didn’t opt for lighter fare. My son had the pasta & broccoli dish & said it was a little too creamy which surprised me as he has a ferocious appetite & loves heavily laden foods. I don’t know if I would return for lunch but definitely for the coffee & cakes.

The food was simply not good. The server was very pleasant and helpful, but the food was subpar and really did not justify the price tag. Sorry I really wanted to like it but didn’t!

Terrible service — took an hour to get an app. Wait staff is slow, inattentive and almost rude. Food is ok. From other reviews I’ve read — this is a common problem here.

Funny thing about breakfast out is that I always want to stop somewhere, but I’m always chasing time; like if I wake just 15 minutes later than normal, I’m chasing time to beat it to East Bay Street from the wilds of Park West and not be late, or if I get stuck behind slow traffic, I’m chasing time when I hit every red light (it’s Murphy’s law!) and I’m CRAZY STARVING. So about once or twice each week, a small miracle happens and I’m up and at ‘em earlier than usual. I habitually wind up in the car lane at Starbucks because a coffee can hold me until lunch, but there are those mornings that I just need fuel. The problem with Mount Pleasant is that there really are no breakfast spots (that are quick) along highway 17 unless you’re willing to go the fast food route. I haven’t eaten fast food in years and years, so that’s a big nope. Thus, and largely because of lack of selection, did I end up at Saffron for the first time a few years ago. Their menu is pretty standard as far as your egg selections, pancake selections, hot cereals, and of course, their pastries. Oh, the pastries. I am the traditional bacon and egg type, so for me, there is only ever one thing on the menu that I order. Now, I mentioned that I’ve been going to breakfast here for years, and about once a week. This is where I need to explain the three stars. Some days it more than three, and other days, it’s less than three. Consistency is not to be had here… and I wish they’d make an effort to change this because they’re in a great location and they’re virtually the only gig on East Bay without having to veer off course and find parking, etc. Can’t complain about the service because I’m always almost the only table in there that early, so they’re on top of me, but the food, despite me ordering the same thing over and over, is different every time. Why do I come back? The fact that there’s largely never anybody in the place means that I have 45 minutes by myself with hot coffee and with quiet time to plan my day around a plate of bacon and eggs. #stuckinmyways

I was a bit disappointed in Saffron. I made a reservation for a Sunday morning at 11am. They stop serving breakfast at 11, with only one or two breakfast plates remaining on their lunch menu. We chose this place due to it having Vegan options, but it was slightly small with the lunch menu versus the breakfast menu.
I opted for the buffet, which was not very good. The food tasted old and not fresh. I was super sad about that. Others at my table had a single bagle, which was fairly small and had barely any cream cheese, with one other person ordering a side of hashbrowns– which was the smallest serving. It was barely two bites.
I may try this place in the future for lunch, since the portions and food looked good going to other tables– but for now, it will not be on my radar of places to go back to.

Looking for a quick, casual lunch downtown … with great pricing and lots of menu options? … then, head to Saffron … conveniently located on East Bay near Calhoun Street. There’s on-​site parking in the front and back and a spacious, covered area in the rear if you want to dine al fresco.
Our lunch party of six was warmly greeted and immediately seated. Saffron offers sandwiches (most offer a Mediterranean slant … think Falafel, hummus, eggplant); however, our group decided to stick to ‘basics.’ Two of our diners ordered the turkey club … a wise choice. The preparation was traditional … turkey, bacon, lettuce tomato and mayo, layered between 3 slices of toasted white bread. Saffron does not skimp on the portion of turkey and it’s moist and delicious. the sandwich comes with a choice of sides. One diner plate selected tabouli (I understand it was quite tasty); however, I couldn’t deny the appeal of the other diner’s side of fries … crispy and many. Either way, priced at $ 10.50, this sandwich is a winner.
The remainder of our group opted for the salad bar selection of which there are two options … with. or without pizza ($ 9.00 and $ 7.00, respectively). It’s a decent offering of veggies and toppings in addition to a delicious creamy hummus … and much to my delight was a platter heaped with slices of chargrilled squash, zucchini snd tomatoes. What a feast! Though I did not opt for Pizza, at least five different choices were available and I understand all were tasty.
While heading towards the salad bar you will definitely want to stop to ogle over the yummy-​looking and very large selection of pastries and other desserts, available to enjoy while dining at the restaurant or to take out.
I’ll be back, for sure.

Went in for lunch after a long absence. Our server Kierston was super polite and professional. My wife had the omelette, grits and fruit. She loved the omelette but didn’t like the grits, said they were to salty plus her coffee was to strong, she put 3 creams in it and it didn’t change the color. I had the brunch buffet. Was great! pork chops, mac and cheese whats not to like? Enjoyed the buffet. I will say the service was better than the last time I was here.

We went here today for lunch and it was absolutely delicious. We’re Charleston locals, but since we had the day off work, decided to venture downtown to wander around and being tourists in our own city. I’ve wanted to try Saffron for awhile, and we just hadn’t been, so we went today for lunch.
The first thing you see when you walk in are the desserts, which are to die for and not overpriced either. It’s tempting because you walk past them to get to the seating area. But, we were there for lunch.
We looked at the pizza buffet, but none of it looked super fresh (we did not see anyone ordering it, nor did we see them restock the buffet, so I don’t know that it’s popular). So, we both decided to order off the menu– after all, with all the Greek food, who wants slices of pepperoni pizza from a buffet?
To start, we shared the hummus and falafel appetizer. We knew we wanted hummus but it was only $ 1 more to get falafel with it, so we did that (only 2 pieces of falafel came with it, though). The hummus was really good with warm pita bread and just the right hummus to bread ratio! No leftover hummus, no leftover bread.
I had a Mediterranean salad. It was field greens with chickpeas, beets, grape leaves, tomato, italian dressing, almonds, and feta. The salad itself was huge and delicious– very filling, but I didn’t leave absolutely stuffed. Hubs had the lamb burger with onion rings and curly fries. He said the burger needed some tzatziki or something, but he ate it all and seemed to like it. I really enjoyed my salad and especially the feta cheese, which was rich and creamy, but not overly salty.
The service was great, waiter kept checking on us but wasn’t intrusive. You could also buy a dessert or a loaf of bread on the way out. The bread is sold at Harris Teeter grocery stores as well, so if you like Saffron’s bread but live in North Mt. Pleasant or West Ashley, you can just buy it from the grocery store without having to go downtown. It is very delicious bread.
We had a great experience and would recommend it, we will also return.