good eats in lansing, michigan?

November 13, 2006 4:32 PM

Business trip to Lansing, MI this week (Wed-Fri) with 2 colleagues. Where should we eat?

We all like good food of any kind, but we are all foodies so something upscale might be fun one night. Any Suggestions?

posted by mdiskin to food & drink (17 comments total)

Upscale casual--always good, innovative and right next door. I do not think you will be disappointed.Dusty's
posted by rmhsinc at 4:40 PM on November 13, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Beggar's Banquet is always a ton of fun.

Dusty's is a great choice too.

If you're into ethnic food, Traveler's Club is fun.

Note, I haven't lived near Lansing in 10 years, so this may have all changed.
posted by k8t at 4:44 PM on November 13, 2006

I haven't been yet, but many people I know have rave about Restaurant Villegas, not far down the road in the Lansing suburb of Okemos.

For a more casual dinner or a lunch, we love Altu's Ethiopian Cuisine.

Beggar's, Dusty's, Traveler's Club--all still there, all still good.

I feel strangely honored to have my little rust-belt city show up in a travel AskMe.
posted by not that girl at 5:01 PM on November 13, 2006

Emil's on E. Michigan Ave. - I miss that place. My boss and I used to walk there from our office on Fridays.

Clara's is nice - it's in an old train depot and has a huge menu.

Both of these are closer to the capital/downtown Lansing area. If you head to Okemos, you will pass a bunch of bars and stuff on Grand River across from campus. I'm also about 10 years out of town, so YMMV.
posted by blackkar at 5:16 PM on November 13, 2006

I have a Lansing favor for anyone out there -- if someone could send me some of El Azteco's excellent cheese dip, I'd be the happiest ex-Michigander around.
posted by k8t at 5:26 PM on November 13, 2006

k8t's got it -- go to El Azteco. I prefer the location in East Lansing to the one downtown. It's really close to Michigan State's campus. Have the cheese dip and a Topopo salad.
posted by amery at 6:49 PM on November 13, 2006

Clara's is nice - it's in an old train depot and has a huge menu.

if the clara's in lansing is anything like the one in battle creek, it's worth going to
posted by pyramid termite at 7:03 PM on November 13, 2006

Many thanks... looks like 3 days' worth right here.
posted by mdiskin at 7:41 PM on November 13, 2006

It's a pretty comprehensive list, too, mdiskin--you can have your whirlwind 3-day "best of Lansing" dining tour and leave feeling confident that you haven't missed anything.
posted by not that girl at 8:00 PM on November 13, 2006

Steak N' Shake
Dunkin Donuts
White Castle

I visited Lansing in October and made sure that I hit up all three of those places. Upscale? Oh no. Open 24/hours? Aw yeah.

Clearly I have very simple culinary tastes. :) I wish we had those chains in California.
posted by drstein at 8:51 PM on November 13, 2006

there's a white castle in lansing? ... i don't remember that ... where is it?
posted by pyramid termite at 9:17 PM on November 13, 2006

I second Altu's. I live in Seattle now, and I can't find an Ethiopian restaurant that compares to Altu's!
posted by jengineer at 11:19 PM on November 13, 2006

I should mention that I'm a food writer on the side. I think I'd disappear in a puff of smoke if I even stepped inside a White Castle. But any local dives with good food are right up my alley.
posted by mdiskin at 6:20 AM on November 14, 2006

And I believe the client is in Okemos.
posted by mdiskin at 6:21 AM on November 14, 2006

I prefer the downtown El Az to the EL El Az for authenticity and the downtown makes you pay for chips. (or did 10 years ago.)
posted by k8t at 10:29 AM on November 14, 2006

I'd check the forums at Chowhound. The users there are usually on point with food recommendations.
posted by reenum at 10:45 AM on November 14, 2006

pyramid termite:

6541 S. Cedar St.
Lansing, MI, 48911

From whitecastle.com :-)
posted by drstein at 11:55 AM on November 14, 2006