Third Ward’s Saffron Debuts New Menu
Contemporary Indian restaurant pushes boundaries with creative presentation, global influences.
Tandoori chicken momos. Photo by Sophie Bolich.
Forget the groundhog—Saffron’s annual menu refresh is the true harbinger of spring.
The contemporary Indian restaurant is soon to celebrate its third anniversary and has introduced two menu revamps along the way. Now fully settled into its Historic Third Ward location at 223 N. Water St., Saffron continues to push boundaries in Milwaukee’s dining scene.
One thing owners Hanish and Fatima Kumar have learned along the way? Sometimes a plate just won’t do. The married couple, both avid travelers and culinary epicureans, have a knack for bold presentation.
That manifests on the latest menu through dry-iced cocktails, tableside garnishes and gold-flecked desserts, but is perhaps most striking in the Saffron canapé flight.
The dish, listed as a small plate, is anything but. It features several bite-sized appetizers — lamb tart, duck croquette, sweet potato achappam, crab pie tee and a tiny fish taco — arranged on a series of platforms, each at a different height.
At its core, the new menu highlights traditional Indian cuisine through curries, korma and proteins cooked in the tandoor. However, dishes also borrow from global cuisines, incorporating Japanese togashari, Greek kataifi and steamed bao, which lend unexpected flavors and textures.
Standouts include tandoori chicken nomos: six tender dumplings filled with ground chicken, broiled until the edges are crisp and served with chili aioli. Truffle mushroom masala arrives with a built-in cover, concealed under a cone of crisp dosa. The rich, saucy mushrooms — shiitake and porcini — pair perfectly with the accompanying tamarind black garlic chutney
New mains include banana leaf-wrapped branzino malabar curry, shrimp alleppey curry with fennel and lobster saffron malai, featuring a whole lobster tail atop its shell with saffron-infused sauce and quinoa pulao.
Saffron also offers creative vegetarian entrees, including charred paneer steak in smoked, tomato-based curry with red pepper coulis and pesto; beetroot ricotta kofta with cashew sauce and mushroom do pyaza with tandoori pickle mushrooms, spinach puree and apricot gel.
The cocktail list includes Saffron’s take on the classic old fashioned, a smoked cherry Manhattan and an Asian-inspired riff on the Peruvian pisco sour. But at a Monday menu preview, the standout was gin & jade—honeydew-infused gin, melon Midori, and an “aroma diffuser” that filled the glass and air with fragrant vapor.
Desserts, including 24 carat coffee stones (bon bons with gold leaf), sweet potato bread pudding, shahi tukda (brioche in saffron creme) and kullar chai, are not to be missed.
The menu indicates vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes, along with items containing nuts and those that can be modified to be vegan or dairy-free. Saffron uses certified Halal/Kosher meat, according to its website.
The Kumars opened Saffron in June 2022, replacing Rivalry in the historic building. Since then, the couple have hosted an annual new menu launch, with dishes exploring different proteins and preparations. Throughout the changes, crowd-favorites such as butter chicken, kulfi and smoked tandoori lamb chops have remained.
The full menu is available to view online.
Saffron is open for lunch daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner is served Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Reservations can be booked online.
Photos
Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
