Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Houston

This place is a must-try but be prepared to spend a little more money and time than usual and be careful with what you buy. We wanted to try new cultural food and decided to take on Lucy’s Ethiopian restaurant. At first, when we walked in it we were bombarded with the beautiful smell of seasoned food and it was nicely decorated and lit to be welcoming to its guests. We loved that the menu was very inclusive as it included definitions for the ethnic words that the average person may not typically know. We also noticed that a whole section of the menu was dedicated to vegetarian options as well as different types of halal meat so this restaurant is very inclusive for different diets. However, once we ordered our food it took 32 whole minutes just for the appetizer of two sambusas to come out, which tasted very exemplary, or maybe we were just hungry. By the time the food had come out, one of our girls had time to drink 4 glasses of water. After the appetizers came out, it took 10 minutes for the main dishes so that was nearly a 45-minute wait for 5 dishes in a nearly empty restaurant, but there may have been people in the Hookah Bar we did not see. However, the wait was slightly worth it as the food seemed hot and freshly made. Amongst all our dishes, we highly recommend the Curry Basil Chicken and would recommend being careful when ordering tibs as the Girgiro Beef Tibs and Grilled Chicken Tibs as they were drier than expected, but they tasted better when dipped in the basil curry from the curry basil chicken. Despite this, the flavors were impeccable and our taste palettes were satisfied. We also ordered Shrimp Wot which was packed with flavor and reminded us of typical Indian dishes. Lastly, we tried the Shiro otherwise known as the Chickpea Stew which was one of the vegetarian options. We expected it to have chunks but it seemed to actually have puree consistency. It was flavorful but coming from a group who had lived with flavors for their whole life it seemed like a bunch of spices mixed together, maybe consider ordering this dish to clean up your sinuses when you're sick. At the end of our visit, after ordering 5 dishes and an appetizer, and expecting to split the bill, we found out we could not split the check which totaled to a whole of $131.23. We considered this rather expensive for the overall experience but we did enjoy our time and the proportions were rather large, so they could be shared. Our server was nice and at the end, we talked to the owner who was very sweet and thanked us for coming. All this is to say, we recommend this restaurant despite the few minor flaws. It is a good place to try if you are curious to explore...

NOT RETURNING ‼ Hubby and I have been going here for years and have never recieved such HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE as we did on May 9, 2021. Upon entering we were haphazardly greeted with "here or to go". When Hubby responded 'for here' the man waived his hand "sit anywhere". That should have been RED FLAG for us to leave. Once seated, the waitress looked over at us and went on with another time as if we were not there. 5 minutes passed and the man who greeted us brought two waters over without saying ONE word. The waitress then brings us a menu from another table and says "hi" and walks away. Given we come often we already know what we want and don't need a menu. Another 5 minutes pass and we observed the waitress go back and forth to all the other tables and not say ONE word to us. I told my husband that I'm giving someone TWO minutes and then we're leaving. I was so agitated that I went over to bar and approached both the man and the waitress if ANYONE was going to take our order. She spouted "he's coming now" and he spouted "I'm coming now". 20 seconds later she comes over and he runs up behind her. I'm disgusted at this point and Hubby gives them our order. Samosas came. Food came and the man places his WHOLE hand over our cup touching the straw and all to place our food down. Hubby asked for two NEW waters. Injera arrived COLD. Took forever for more HOT injera. Salad and rice arrived 2 minutes after platter. Three Ethiopian men arrived at another table and waitress immediately took their order. Asked for to go, didn't leave a tip (and that's not norm for me) AND LEFT‼ Especially after a staff member had a LOUD conversation with customer asking how she has been and she responds "I have a REALLY BAD COLD". I'm like let's go.

I say all of this to say, service has turned horrible. Train your staff on customer service before NO ONE wants to wat there anymore (other reviews seem to be similar). COVID-19 is real. Staff needs to wear mask. Customers need to wear mask when...

I am long overdue to write this glowing review for Lucy. This place has become a staple for all occasions. Lucy's Ethiopian food has turned from a delicious new cuisine for me to a comfort food. It's always a great feeling to be here. When you walk in, you are surrounded Ethiopian decorations. There is a large dining area in the front, a lounge (with couches, stools, and TV's) in the back, and a bar which separates them. The music is usually Ethiopian, but sometimes its the greatest hits of Kenny Rogers. The tea pot is a delight to start with. Sambusa and the pita bread with dip are excellent appetizers. As for the main course, I have yet to go wrong with any of their selections. They are all so delicious, and the waitstaff is very helpful in making a selection if you have doubts. There are both vegetarian and meat containing dishes with a whole vegetarian section to the menu. If you come with a group, the Meat & Veggie combo is certainly the way to go. This has a sampling of some of most delicious Ethiopian dishes, of course served with hot, fresh injera. The service here is the type of homely hospitality is getting harder to find. They will see your injera getting low and bring your more delicious, fresh injera. The owner of the establishment is highly involved in making sure you have a great experience. Lastly, the Tej (honey wine) is absolutely delicious. It is deceicingly strong and comes in traditional glassware (berele) with a generous, sharable portion. Over the years, Lucy has remained exceptional for both the food and the experience. I wish the business years of continued success. I already can't wait to go back...