Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar — Restaurant in Spring Valley

There is a huge difference between upselling and taking advantage of your guests. When I was greeted and seated by who I presume to be the owner, I was asked if I’d ever had Ethiopian food. Yes, about 3 times but it’d been awhile. I went with one friend and told him she wouldn’t be eating, only me.

He recommended that if I like meat and vegetables, to get the combination platter, while pointing to the menu with a photo of a large dish and a price of around $27. He told me if I got the combination I would have plenty to take home. I should have confirmed the price with him but figured it would be around $40 considering most single serving entrees are priced around $18, and I was the only one eating.

I’ve attached a photo of the food that came out. It is egregious to recommend something this large for one person. That already soured my experience but the food was fine so I tried to enjoy it. When he visited the table and I said it was too much, he smiled and said that he told me I’d have leftovers. Well I left without about 3 pounds of them and a bad taste in my mouth that hardly makes me want to eat them.

When the bill came, he had sold me two combination platters at the price of $39 for the meat and $25 for the veggie. He knew I was one person eating and proceeded to order $64 of food for one person, when a single portion entree is less than 1/3rd of that price.

After leaving a 20% tip as this was no fault of the server, my bill came out to $94.94. Between me and my friend we spent about $10 on water and tea.

As a hospitality worker in Vegas, I appreciate the thrill of an upsell but if it is a significant price jump I confirm that with guests because I care more about hospitality than my bottom line. I left feeling completely taken advantage of, and on top of that I am not in a financial position to spend that kind of money. Vegas is full of sleazy people and unfortunately my experience at Lucy reaffirmed this.

I’d recommend knowing what you want when you get inside - which is no fun if you enjoy a hospitable dining experience - or simply getting your Ethiopian food anywhere...

I love Ethiopian food, but I am usually stuck with the chain style Blue Nile in most cities.

Am Ethiopian craps dealer at Jokers Wild in Henderson recommended this to me. I was NOT disappointed, far from it. This is my new "Must Go" gem in Las Vegas when I come visit, and I come often, and I thought I knew ALL the "off the beaten path" gems. OH no, this place is now THE place for me.

I went for BREAKFAST, as my flight was leaving in a few hours. If breakfast (I believe the dish I had was called Quanta firfir) is this amazing, I can only imagine dinner.

My waitress was a DARLING! I sat outside to get the last of the warm desert sun before heading back to Snowland. I asked her to suggest something, and she suggested a dried beef/jalapeno/injera soaked in some kind of tomato stew.

It is also served ON injera, so there is a lot of injera.When it arrived, the smell was exotic and heavenly. The quality of the beef was wonderful, and the flavors were divine. SO good!!

Service was over the top. You could not want for anything, the waitress was running back and forth to make sure I always had what I needed,

And the portion was MASSIVE. THREE people could have eaten off of that one breakfast. I NEVER waste food if at all possible, so when I was full, I asked the waitress to box up the leftovers well, so I could give it to one of the many homeless in Vegas. I was sure I would find someone on my way to the airport.

So she packaged it SO well, put in napkins and everything. I found my hungry guy on the way to the airport, and when he smelled the inside of the bag, his eyes lit up like he had just found nirvana.

I cannot wait to go back to Vegas, and this is one of the reasons for sure. Can't wait to try more on the huge menu.

And the prices looked VERY VERY reasonable. And that's BEFORE considering how large the portion...

If you’re in Las Vegas and craving Ethiopian cuisine, Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant is a decent choice. Tucked away in a quieter neighborhood just off the Strip, it’s easy to find with plenty of parking. We discovered it thanks to our Eritrean cab driver, who highly recommended it.

We ordered a veggie combo and two samosas, which were the perfect portions for our family of three. The food had a home-style touch, satisfying without feeling heavy—something we appreciated. The service was surprisingly quick, especially for an Ethiopian restaurant, and the staff was warm and welcoming.

That said, there’s room for improvement. The women’s restroom was clogged during our visit, and while the flavors were enjoyable, they could have been a bit more complex. As someone who regularly cooks Ethiopian food and has dined at nearly every Ethiopian restaurant in NYC and Los Angeles, I’d say Lucy is a good option if you’re craving hearty vegetarian dishes or Ethiopian fare...