Reviews for Altu's Ethiopian Cuisine in East Lansing, MI
Best restaurant in the area that has vegetarian options (as well as meat)! Unique food that you won?t find anywhere else around... here, unless you head towards Detroit or Ann Arbor. I always get the vegetarian options. The vegetarian dinner combo is around$14 and you get to choose 4 options from the vegetarian section. I usually get the Mild Lima Beans, Garlic lentils, split peas,and spicy ground peas and collard greens. ???? I used to come here often while I was in college at MSU. Graduated in 2010 andhaven?t been back until now (2022). Altu?s underwent a major renovation! It looks amazing and has more space to seat people. Read more
It?s always nice to inspire your taste buds with new flavors. At Altu?s I was able to do just that. Ethiopian food is usually... hard to come by. But, when you do find a place, like Altu?s (name of the owner) it will really hit the spot with robust flavorsand spiciness. I met a friend here and we decided to get a group feast with injerna. Injerna is the unique style of spongey flatbread, made from a teff flour sourdough and used to scoop the different stews and side dishes with your hands. We ordered thespicy beef, spicy lentils, mild split yellow peas, and spicy ground peas. The feast came with a side of the signaturecaramelized cabbage and tangy salad. The salad left more to be desired, as 1) the portion was small and 2) it was simply dressediceberg lettuce, my least favorite type of lettuce in a salad. The cabbage, on the other hand had a nice buttery flavor and softtexture but, I wish there was more. They do offer it as a separate side but the day we went happened to be the day when theirstock of cabbage and lamb was low and they weren?t allowing extra side orders. Unless having a rotating menu is what arestaurant is known for I do not believe that running out of ingredients or menu items is exemplary for a 5star rating. But, forAltu?s I?d let it slide since they embody that home style family kitchen feel. And after trying all the different dishes on thefeast, I walked out satisfied. The spicy beef stew was my favorite, with tender chunks of sirloin beef in a flavorful spicystew. The spicy ground peas was a blended concoction of chickpeas in the same spicy stew that the beef was in. The closest thingto compare the texture to is hummus but with a very different flavor profile. My next favorite, surprisingly turned out to bethe yellow split peas. The texture was a bit gritty and the tanginess was foreign to me. But, after a few more bites I grew ataste for it. Finally, the spicy lentil stew, while I am calling it my least favorite, it is only because it Read more
I absolutely love this place. For 6 years I lived in Albany, and every winter I flew home for Christmas. This also meant taking... the shuttle from the Detroit airport to Lansing to get picked up by my family. I flew in a day early as often as I could andcame straight here. It's always been a great way to unwind and feel at home. Read more
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. :) Read more
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 themif you really want to, but I recommend diving in head first and eat like they do. They give you this sourdough spongy bread thatyou use to pick up your food (the menu explains it all). The spices they used are amazing and reminded me of a cross betweenIndian and Thai spices. Everything we ordered was delicious. We did a shareable of three veggies and two meats, all spicy ofcourse. They have mild, too. But honestly, the spicy isn't overpowering. It's just enough to say hello. Try at least ONE spicything just for the flavor. I can't wait to make up another excuse to go to Lansing and try more things from Altu's. Read more
2022-02-11 1401 local time Visited 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 tocause happiness but not make me lose my breath. The flavor of the spicy peas was almost perfect. The sauce complimented therice perfectly. The beef and chicken stews were moist, flavorful, and filling. The injera was soft and soaked up the juicesfrom the meats and sauces quite well. It was quite spongy as expected. The sambusas were packed to the brim with lentils andflavor. The outside was perfectly crisp and crunchy. The 'salad' was kind of silly. It was literally 5 pieces of lettuce and 2quarters of tomatoe. The dressing was quite awesome however. The acid lemon flavor made me use it on some of the rice and it wasquite tasty. I recommend this place. Read more
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. Read more
Slightly on the pricer side. My daughter and I wanted to try something new. Super courteous place and quick service. We did a... take out but the dining area and bar setup looks great. We loved the food and will definitely go back. Don't over order as thecombo portions are value and could serve 1 person well and leftovers. Read more