One of my two favorite restaurants in the Lansing area. Food is always delicious. Dining area and bathroom are always clean. Pleasant service.However, it is disappointing/amusing that (like most other ethnic restaurants in Michigan) the food is not always served in the traditional manner. Should be family style with small plates given to each person. Utensils should only be by request.
They're busy on a Friday night, and rightfully so! Staff was friendly, ambiance is nice, but the food was great! I had the spicy chicken breast stew, and it had a great kick to it... It's ok to eat with your hands. ;) Definitely coming back. :)
I am a big fan of Ethiopian food and this place is so good! The staff is also incredibly helpful in helping you plan what you are going to eat! They also do a wonderful job at catering to food allergies! If you are in the area I would definitely recommend eating here!
Service? Great! The waitresses were super nice and always checked on us frequently. Food not so great and the portions are really small for the price. I got a feast for 2 for $40 and it was just not worth the money for the amount of food we got. I'm fine with spending money so long as its worth it but I left unfulfilled so take it as you will. I think because there is not a lot of Ethiopians in Michigan here the food isn't that great (like if you went to DC OR Minnesota). But I mean for Michigan you get what you can here lol
I've never had Ethiopian food before, but my husband rants and raves about it all the time. So last weekend when we were in Lansing, we decided to try it. For those who are unfamiliar like I was, they really don't use utensils. You can request them if you really want to, but I recommend diving in head first and eat like they do. They give you this sourdough spongy bread that you use to pick up your food (the menu explains it all). The spices they used are amazing and reminded me of a cross between Indian and Thai spices. Everything we ordered was delicious. We did a shareable of three veggies and two meats, all spicy of course. They have mild, too. But honestly, the spicy isn't overpowering. It's just enough to say hello. Try at least ONE spicy thing just for the flavor. I can't wait to make up another excuse to go to Lansing and try more things from Altu's.
2022-02-11 1401 local timeVisited here for first time today.This place was recommended to me by 3 people in my food circles. We came here for a quick lunch visit.I had the spicy ground beef and peas, spicy beef stew, spicy chicken stew (drumstick), spicy ground peas, rice, and injera.Firstly the overall spice of the meal was top notch. The 'spice' itself was hot enough to cause happiness but not make me lose my breath.The flavor of the spicy peas was almost perfect. The sauce complimented the rice perfectly.The beef and chicken stews were moist, flavorful, and filling.The injera was soft and soaked up the juices from the meats and sauces quite well. It was quite spongy as expected.The sambusas were packed to the brim with lentils and flavor. The outside was perfectly crisp and crunchy.The 'salad' was kind of silly. It was literally 5 pieces of lettuce and 2 quarters of tomatoe. The dressing was quite awesome however. The acid lemon flavor made me use it on some of the rice and it was quite tasty.I recommend this place.
Loved my good. Nice quaint restaurant. First time Ethiopian was a win.
We had never had Ethiopian food before and wasn't sure exactly what to expect. We ordered the meat and veggie sampler platter so we could try as much as possible. Everything was so good! The spicy is pretty spicy if you don't like heat, probably a medium. Ask for hot sauce if you like it extra spicy. Our service was excellent!
If I could I'd eat from here every day. The spicy beef stew hits the spot like nothing else. The secret has got to be the care that goes into making it. The staff are always friendly and they know you after a few visits. I love coming back to Altu's.
Service and food is fantastic, with a warm and inviting atmosphere. We had a black tea spiced with cinnamon and clove that was perfectly balanced. Dinner was their cubed chicken breast stew with spicy sauce, along with bread, and collard greens as a side. The jazz music is fine, relaxed with an exotic vibe, and overall this is a great place to bring your date. Reasonable prices, Expect about $40 for two people.