Altaye Ethiopian Restaurant

Reviews 3

LA

Lance Rasmussen

While not very experienced in Ethiopian cuisine, my wife and I have tried a few places in the area. We also have a well known Ethiopian eatery down the street in West Seattle. Our search ended after trying Altaye. Titi creates such incredible food with love that you would expect during Thankgiving at grandmas. Both Titi and Essa are warm and friendly, deeply caring about their food and your enjoyment. Weve lately been ordering their sampler special and having Titi surprise us with a separate dish to accompany, so we can start to expand our knowledge of their cuisine. Titis injera bread is authentic and home made, yet does not have the sourness that seems to be the norm at other eateries. I think we both enjoy that better, leaving any sourness to be intended in specific dishes. For those new to this cuisine, this is the vehicle used, in torn off pieces, to scoop your food and eat. And having good injera makes a difference. While Im not a lentils fan, hers sets the standard for me on what they need to taste like.I also love that they include the dry cottage cheese like curds, which helps the stomach at the end of the meal deal with any discomfort the stomach may have for those not use to this cuisine. Be sure to order the Ginger Tea. While simply nothing more than water and ginger, they have mastered the recipe to create this wonderful tasting drink that also works wonders to aid in digestion, without being medicinal in flavor. My wife and I love Indian cuisine and have learned that if we eat until we are stuffed, the food tends to expand, making us feel bloated for the rest of the day. With the food at Altaye, her wonderful Ethiopan food can be enjoyed until you can not stuff another bite and then have that wonderful content full feeling without "paybacks". If I was forced to say anything negative about Altaye, it would be three things. One is that the neighborhood area in Seattle is far from the upscale areas of Belltown or Bellevue. That area of Renton avenue would never be where I would prefer to live. Altayes decor is sparse and not what you would might be use to if you spend most of your time eating in downtown Bellevue or Seattle. Its simple, sparsely decorated and in an older building. The last thing is that the meal does take time to be prepared. If you have 15 minutes to order and eat before going back to work, you best order ahead and take it to go. Freshly preparing your meal takes time. I dont think they prepare volumes put in steam trays like you might find in many Mexican eateries, allowing prompt order to eating times. Ill take waiting 10 minutes extra to have that extra time it takes to cook my meal fresh, thank you very much. That being said.... Run, dont walk to Altaye. Your taste buds will thank you. You will have a wonder meal hosted by a wonderful couple. They are less busy for lunches than dinners as well. I seriously doubt you will find a better Ethiopian eatery in the Pacific Northwest. Weve been several times now and they have a customer for life, with us.

A

A Private User

If you live in the RV, or are traveling through, and get the craving for authentic, delicious Ethiopian food--or youre willing to try something totally different--then head to Altaye, which, roughly translated in English, means "never seen before." You wont regret your choice. After some friends recommended this place to us, we finally went down to try it out. Its easy to miss along busy Rainier Avenue, and parking can be limited, but its definitely worth your time. Dont let the bars on the windows dissuade you. Youll know youre in the right place when you see their sign and the door that says, "GET IN." The interior is simple, yet cozy. They have atmospheric lighting with candles and string lights. But, the two things that really make this place shine are the friendliness of the staff and the amazing flavors of their food. We were welcomed and seated right away and soon after our order was taken, sambusas (samosas)--fried dough pockets with lentils, onions, and mild spices inside--arrived at our table unexpectedly. We gobbled them up promptly. Yum! For our main meal, we ordered the Yebeg Tibs (lamb stew), veggie combo (including Misir Wot (spicy lentils), and a variety of other vegetables like potato, carrot, spinach, okra, split peas, etc.), and foul (crushed fava beans in spices served with chopped tomato, hard-boiled egg slices, spicy pepper relish and feta cheese). This last dish is typically eaten for breakfast in the Middle East and parts of Africa, but Altaye serves it all day with crusty French bread. Foul is definitely a treat and a meal on its own not to be missed. A couple of us had Harar beer, an Ethiopian pale lager--one of my favorite beers. The food here was very, very good. We all were full and satisfied upon leaving. And I am so happy to know this place is near my house--I can walk there for breakfast and order foul! Im so excited to know this now. It is easy to miss this place, as it blends in with the background as you drive down Rainier, but you will be nicely rewarded if you seek this place out. GO, treat yourself to a culinary adventure and spend your dollars at a local business that adds to the rich tapestry that is the Rainier Valley. They will be happy to see you!

CJ

Cjatani

THIS IS BY FAR THE WORST ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO! I am Ethiopian myself, and this was the worst traditional food Ive ever eaten. The hostess was rude and inconsiderate. We would make an order from the menu and she would say that she didnt prepare any of it so we would have to pick something else to eat. I wouldnt have a problem with that but her tone of voice was very careless & showed how much she didnt care about our satisfaction.. The subusas we ordered were made with lentos instead of beef (which she never gave us the option to choose between) even though meat in a sumbusa is the most common way to prepare it. When we asked to get the beef sumbusa instead she said "I didnt cook that either" like what? If you are going to own a restaurant, you can not have a lazy day and decide not to prepare half of the meals on a menu. She also served us warm water with no ice on a hot summer day! What restaurant does that? This was the first time my friends ever tried ethnic Ethiopian food and i was so furious that i couldnt present my cultural food in the best way. The whole experience was horrible. The food was disgusting. The folks at the other table didnt know that the food was old, not throughly prepared, and tasted horrible. I dont think they knew what it was actually suppose to taste like. They just thought it was good bc it was "authentic" when in actually it was quite disgusting. Food from an Ethiopia restaurant is usually always made fresh so that fact that hers wasnt was astounding. My sister and her husband went to the restaurant before my visit and when I told her about my service she said she almost had an identical experience! The cook has the worst attitude and I truly feel like she favors the service of someone who is not a person of color (or her ethnicity) for tips? Possibly shes seeking for a good word from a non poc about her food since they wouldnt know the true authentic taste of the food? I have no idea but DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT! Please seek another Ethiopian restaurant. There are others in Seattle that have wayyyyy better service & food. Whoever reads this, please take my advice.