The Saffran is one of the best-preserved of Zurich's medieval guild houses — the Zunfthäuser that line the Limmatquai. The guild itself, founded in 1336, originally united the spice merchants, apothecaries and silk weavers; the current building dates from 1718 but incorporates parts of a much earlier guild hall on the same spot. The pale-coloured Baroque facade faces the river, with elegant carved window surrounds and the guild coat of arms above the door.
The ground floor and first floor still operate as a high-end restaurant, where the original Gothic vaulted dining room — the Zunftstube — survives intact and is occasionally opened for diners. Even from outside the building is worth a careful look: the carved date stone, the window mouldings, the iron sign in the shape of a saffron flower. Most of the guild houses along the Limmatquai have similar stories; Saffran is the most architecturally complete.