Lulu's EthioVegan Cuisine

Coming from DC, I've had my fair share of Ethiopian food--some of the best in the country I dare say. Lulu's holds up to that standard, surprising and delighting tastebuds with little touches that make this menu standout. I only wish that we had more people with us so we could have tried more dishes!If you like mushrooms, the mushroom tibs is not to be missed. It came out sizzling and coated with incredible garlicly pepper flavors that paired so well with the veg sampler (med) which was plenty for 2. The collards, cabbage and red and yellow lentils were all delicious. Loved that they were prepared with well-balanced seasonings without much oil. We wrapped the plate (and the injera was fresh and bouncy, though I felt that we could have used more with the sampler). I'm glad we tried the Selba drink, which tasted like a toasted oat cookie in a glass, yummm. And felt soothing in the belly. Oh, and the sambusas are on point -- be sure to ask for the house hot sauce on the side. I'll return to try other specials and the baklava (they were sadly sold out)! The owners are an adorable family; kiddo served us and the chef came out and asked how we liked the dishes and shared her story with us too (including her time living in DC!). Delicious and family owned, everything made with love and care = a true gem.

Good Ethiopian food in a bright and stark cafe setting. Ordered a veggie combo and 2 drinks. The drinks were very thick and starchy, and so large that if you finished them, you'd be full on just that. The veggies ranged from lentils and beans to cabbage and beets. Made for a colorful platter, and each item was flavorful and fresh. It was served on a large spongy injera Also ordered an appetizer of foule dip that had great flavor, though the bread used to dip it in was pretty hearty. Would have preferred a different bread for this.

On a warm October Saturday morning, we met up with a friend for breakfast. She has food restrictions so we chose Lulu's Ethio Vegan Cuisine on Franklin and 1st Ave. I was apprehensive as this was only my second time trying Ethiopian food but it turned out to be a good choice. We didn't know they serve breakfast as their website didn't list a breakfast menu and we assumed we were going to order breakfast from the lunch/dinner menu so it was a delightfully delectable surprise! We asked Owner/Chef TG about it and she said it got missed but would be updated soon along with other changes they still have to do to the website.Located on Franklin, you turn into the alley then park in the back which is where we entered the restaurant. They also have a front entrance but there is no street parking on Franklin. As you open the restaurant doors, you're greeted warmly by the sun and the bright and lively colors of the decor while being embraced by the seductive smells of coffee and warm spices. There were palm fronds on the tables. We noticed there is more seating in a covered patio adjacent to the alley but the fall weather was not conducive to outside eating. Lulu's is coming up on its one-year anniversary in November. It's a family establishment, not a chain, so the chef's own family is involved throughout the week. Some days you'll be waited on by the chef's husband, children, or herself. We were served by the children who were very friendly and worked hard at their job but had trouble answering our questions about ingredients in the dishes and cultural traditions for the items we ordered. They referred us to Chef TG who was most helpful and knowledgeable. We ordered Ginger Tea, Spiced Tea, and Jebena Coffee to start. The Ginger Tea is made with fresh ginger yet it's not overpowering with its spiciness and the Spiced Tea had a warming effect from the blends of spices. My wife said she tasted subtle notes of cardamom, anise, and cinnamon but thinks there are more spices in it. Jebena Coffee is traditional Ethiopian coffee and Chef TG says she roasts the beans daily in the kitchen. It is presented in a ceramic carafe on an elevated platter accompanied by smokey incense and your cup. The faint smell of incense adds to the experience and taste of the coffee which looked thick and dark so I worried I would be over-caffeinated for the day, but it didn't happen. It tasted smooth and delicate with a light coffee aroma. It was an exciting and unique coffee experience for this Midwest dad who is a lifelong coffee drinker!Chef TG's skillful use of spices and herbs maximized the flavors and umami of her dishes which are also low in sodium. We discovered we didn't miss the salt at all because our meals were so well balanced with spices. For breakfast we ordered Ful, the Breakfast Combo, and Chechebsa. Our friend had the Ful which was creamy (from the fava beans) and slightly tart (from the tomatoes) which paired well with the pita and mini baguette. The side coconut yogurt cuts some of the creamy flavor in the Ful but it's a tasty palate cleanser on its own. Chef TG said this dish is traditionally eaten with bread but she offers pita as well because Americans are more familiar with this pairing. My wife had the Breakfast Combo (Firfir, Chechebsa, & Kinche) and enjoyed the range of flavors from the smokey sourness of the injera bread in the Firfir to the chewy bites in the Chechebsa. The Kinche was light and buttery which made for a nice palate cleanser with the other two dishes. She was so taken by the berbere, which is a spiced hot pepper powder, used in the Firfir that she asked for it alone so she can taste it to get the full smokey, savory umami of the chili confection. It's mildly spicey but all the flavors work well with each other. My wife took the small berbere sample home and made the most delicious simple tomato sandwich with it. Chef TG said she will offer it for retail purchase in the near future so look for it if you enjoy hot peppers!I had the Chechebsa which was also included in the Breakfast Combo my wife selected. The pieces of flatbread were chewy and well seasoned and not overly salty. My wife really enjoyed it and wished it had a little bit more sauce as it seems the bread soaked it all up. Given my MN upbringing, I am still teaching my taste buds to understand spices so my favorite dish was the Ful which I thought had flavors reminiscent of Pork and Beans, but while it did appear to have beans as an ingredient there was obviously no pork. I ordered Ful to go. In all, the flavors of the Ethiopian dishes were savory, delicate, and not overpowering. We liked the fact that there wasn't too much salt and oil in the recipes. Also, as a meat-eater I personally at no point missed meat and I came away from this meal full and very satisfied. We'll be back to try the lunch/dinner menu and we highly recommend this place!

The food was good and the coconut date was my favorite! My partner liked the plant based burger; it had a Smokey flavor we both enjoyed. I liked that you could get a platter with multiple dishes too. The service was incredible. Staff were passionate and helpful. Smaller, intimate restaurant maybe 10 tables and there's parking around back. Will definitely return.

Absolutely incredible vegan cuisine! From the moment you walk in, the warm and inviting atmosphere made me feel right at home. The food? Simply outstanding. The hot herbal tea? Delicious. And service was impeccable!

Lulu's has an unassuming store front on Franklin. Simply decorated, the quality of the food is evident the moment you step inside-smells so good and tastes even better. Ethiopian restaurants are typically a safe bet for vegans and vegetarians, but as a vegan restaurant Lulu's offers dishes you likely won't find elsewhere. PLUS your gluten free friends can order gluten-free injera. I tried the veggie sampler and selected Miser Wot (lentils with bebera sauce - my go-to dish at Ethiopian restaurants) , Gomen (sauteed collared greens), Fasolia (string beans and carrots) and Aitkin Wot (cabbage, carrots, potato in a curry sauce) . Everything was yummy - I eat Ethiopian food with some frequency and this was some of the best I've had in the Twin Cities. A lot of times Fasolia and Aitkin can be bland - not at Lola's. The right amount of spice and flavor. My companion ordered Mushroom tibs - heaping plate with rosemary. It was excellent. She also ordered the gluten free injera - which is barely distingushiable from gluten kind. It's a family restaurant, so the youngest son took our order, the daughter - LuLu, stopped by to explain a few dishes, and the mom, who's also the Chef also dropped by our table. They were all super sweet and attentive!I highly, highly recommend this place whether you're vegan or not. Such good food!!

If you want to take a culinary journey to a location outside your comfort zone Lulu's is a special treat. You know the place is good when you can't tell the difference between vegan and non vegan food. Lulu's Ethio Cuisine does a fantastic job at showcase vegan Ethiopian food in its full spectrum of flavors, and I am thoroughly impressed by the food quality here. This is only the 2nd time in my life that I've had Ethiopian food, so I'm no expert by any means in those matters, but textures, flavors, and taste are universal. And man, did it hit all the marks. The 4 piece sambusas were delicious. Crunchy exterior with "meaty" interior, which is flavored so well that I mistook it for meat but it's not! 5/5 would always recommend this option. The Ethiopian Spiced tea comes in a lovelt teapot, and the tea is light and not overwhelming. It's has a lovely scent as well, which is immediately noticeable when it was brought out, in a good way. 5/5 would recommend. The 4 veggie sampler is what I ordered simply because I could not figure out what I wanted for myself. The 4 veggies come on a soft pita and unlike European or Asian foods, you eat with your hands! They provide pitas for you to "scoop" the food into your mouths but this is the way to do it! Honestly, it's a different style of eating that I don't think I do very often, but it's fun and enjoyable if you're new and open minded. So the 4 veggies that I got were the Miser Wot, the Gomen, the Fasolia, and the Atkilt Wot. All were fantastic and deceptively filling, but I think the best one was the Miser Wot for being rich and filling. Personally it's not that spicy and I think most people can handle it, but here's what I would rank each dish:Miser Wot: 5/5 delicious, would recommend. Gomen: 4/5 Pretty good, nice filler for the other foodsFasolia: 4/5 Pretty good too, probably the best string beans I've had in awhile.Atkilt Wot: 4.5/5 Hardy, creamy, flavorful. I think Miser Wot edges it out though, still good. Overall, fantastic vegan place for both vegans and non vegan (the food is unironically good and different than your usual spots). 5/5 would recommend:)

The place is nice and seems like the owners are trying to make it welcoming. They greeted us and made sure we were happy with our meal. The food was fresh. We missed some spice and we would have liked it to have more flavor. I love everything mushroom so I ordered mushroom tibs but it came pretty bland without any spices. Same applies to atkilt wot. The only flavoring option was a very spicy hot sauce. Maybe we should have gone with samplers to experience more flavors. The sambosas were the best thing we tried today.

4.5/5We stopped here with friends after finding this place on Happy Cow. I think this is my first time having Ethiopian food, I liked it! We got the largest sampler so we could try all the mains. I'm not a big spice person so I was glad that the sampler has many items that weren't spicy. It was great to try so much on the menu!I got the spiced tea which was lighter than I was expecting. Baklava was tasty! Fitfit's were good (we tried two, one of them was Lulu House), very unique.Sambusa's were tastyExtremely friendly staff, I would go back again to try more on the menu!Space inside is small but cute.

So Good!! Excellent Ethiopian food and flavors. Owner and family are kind and attentive! Highly recommend!!