08/24/09

Underwhelmed

by cccrowder3

Five of us girls went to Lantern for a Girls' Night Out on a Saturday night. We were seated right away, and ordered drinks. Then, we waited. And waited. Seriously. It took over 20 minutes to get 2 cocktails. One member of our party asked to have her water glass refilled. The waiter huffed, got the pitcher, refilled it, rolled his eyes and asked if she'd like a larger glass. Rude! Appetizers: salt and pepper shrimp (tasty!), pork and chive dumplings (good, but unremarkable), seafood spring rolls (eh - not much too 'em). Entrees: Shaking beef (REALLY good!), ribeye steak special (not terribly flavorful), tomato stew (good), smoked chicken (yummy). Desserts: sweet corn panne cotta (different, but not bad), hot chocolate cake. Three members of our party were concerned about the "chocolate rum" on the cake (they're pregnant!) and inquired if it could be left off. The snooty waiter said it was part of the ice cream (not at ALL how the description on the menu reads!) and we'd "be fine." Really. But, the desserts were fine, even though it took a long time to get them. Several of us ordered coffee, and it was never refilled or warmed up. No split checks at Lantern, so we figured out our portions and had just paid when the manager came over and asked us to leave since the "next reservation" had arrived. Wow! I understand the need to turn tables over in a busy, small restaurant, but really. I'm not sure how Lantern was named Best Restaurant in the Triangle last year, but we won't be returning. If I feel the need to go to Chapel Hill for Asian Fusion again anytime soon, you can be sure I'll visit Jujube instead!

• Pros: Food's not bad
• Cons: Ridiculously rude staff

07/30/09

Be careful if you have food restrictions

by cpaule2

Great food - friendly staff, but please be sure to ask about ingredients if you have any allergies or food restrictions.

I had dinner there this weekd with a friend who's a recovering alcoholic. My friend ordered a dessert and was shocked by the taste of uncooked alcohol. Alcohol was not included in the item's description; and when we talked with the manager, she was sorry, although unconcerned that this might be a problem for other restaurant guests, and wouldn't consider including important information such as this in future menu listings.

• Pros: Great food
• Cons: Problematic for people with food restrictions

09/03/08

Chic Gourmet in Chapel Hill

by CarolinaJames

Having spent significant time on the west coast, where gourmet Asian fusion places are a dime a dozen, I was pleasantly surprised to find Lantern in Chapel Hill. Although it would be fairly common-place in a larger city, Lantern really shines in Chapel Hill... tasty and fairly unique food, imaginative drinks, and slick decor. The only drawback is that it gets quite loud when it's busy... an atmosphere that can be pulled off in chic restaurants in larger cities, but one that doesn't quite work on Franklin St.

08/04/08

Best of Chapel Hill

by JPP1123

I was really impressed with Lantern - though the ambience wasn't as elegant as comparable DC restaurants, the food more than made up for it. The dumplings were excellent, the chicken delicious but not as delicious as the farm fresh long beans that accompanied it. Our favorite was the pork lettuce wraps - absolutely wonderful. The drink menu was exciting in a town of $2.99 miller lites - I recommend the dark and stormy (rum and ginger beer). We did not sit at the bar, but we did peek in and we plan to go there next time - its dark and romantic, a complete contrast to the bright, stark restaurant. We didn't save room for dessert, but next we'll try!

02/28/07

ok

by carlagina

After seeing all the raving reviews, I had to go here. I'm Asian and love Asian-fusion restaurants. Unfortunately, I wasn't very impressed with the food. Everything my date and I ordered had no taste. I was disappointed...especially for the cost. Although, I must say...LOVE the bar... the drinks, decor, and cozy feel are great.

• Pros: drinks, decor, bar
• Cons: food, price

02/20/07

Very good Asian Fusion

by eahudimac

Went on a Friday night without reservations. I had called earlier in the day to make them, but they were full. The person on the phone said to come around 8:00 or 8:30 to get on the waiting list. She said it would be about an hour wait. We went at 8:00, got on the list and at 9:00 they seated us. We hung out in the bar area in the meantime and it was fine. Once seated, the service was excellent. The waiter was very knowledgeable about the dishes, not to mention courteous and prompt. I had the tea-smoked chicken and my wife has the steamed stripped bass - both excellent. Almost for got to mention - I had the bento box as an appetizer. It's basically roll your own sushi, but the presentation is very cool. The dessert we had ordered was excellent. All in all, a really good experience. We'll definitely be back.

• Pros: Food, service
• Cons: Hard to get reservations on a whim because it's so popular!

01/10/07

Best Asian Fusion in the Triangle

by yt

I've been to the Lantern Restaurant and it's bar on several occasions. The food has always been excellent. I've been to many asian fusion restaurants -Slanted Door, Buddakan - and the Lantern's food is among the best. Their pork, fish, and lamb entrees have been great! Try their special farm dinners as well - they're really wonderful. The decor is sleek and minimalist in the main dining area, and more trendy and very dark in the bar. The service has always been good - however, it is not the level that I would expect from a "Gourmet Magazine top 50" restaurant. But maybe that is not the goal of this restaurant. My only real complaint is that in the past the desserts have been uneven - it's been mostly pretty decent but I've had some boring and bad dishes. A pavlova is not a super sugary crunchy merengue - and it was nearly inedible with the overwhelming sugary-ness of the sorbet and fruit. Overall, I love this restaurant, definitely the best I've been to in the Triangle.

• Pros: Food, Ambience, Farm Dinners
• Cons: occasionally bad desserts

Cool ambience and fiery flavors teach a fabulous lesson in contrast.

by Contributor

In Short
An Asian-inspired atmosphere boiled down to the essentials: green-tea colored walls, sleek black tables, iridescent paper lanterns that hang from the ceiling like mismatched baubles. Lantern fills a niche in Chapel Hill with its nouveau-funky attitude, but even casual diners will feel comfortable gathering here. The steamed black cod is light and succulent, perfectly flavored with ginger, scallions and black beans. For dessert, the hot chocolate cake with ginger ice cream is near perfect.

02/02/06

Good but not consistent

by lduse

Our first visit to the Lantern was fabulous! We ate in the bar and had only drinks and appetizers. On our second visit we had entrees and were less pleased. The dining room is nice, but doesn't have as much ambience as the bar. The appetizers far surpass the entrees in creativity, value and are just better all around. The entrees we found uninspired and more basic. The flounder dish (whole flounder) was highly recommended, yet we found that it had very little actual meat on the fish and had no unique side accompanying dish. Overall, we like the restaurant, but haven't had the same unique experience as the first time we dined there. We feel that it is a bit inconsistent.

• Pros: great appetizers, fun bar, good drinks
• Cons: bad parking, poor entrees, pricy,forwhat you get

09/01/05

Excellent experience in the bar on two occasions.

by maxwax

We've been to Lantern's back bar for food and drinks on two occasions over many weeks. We found consistently high quality in the service, drinks and food provided. The food is rewarding if you are in an adventurous mood and willing to take a chance. The deserts have been excellent. We'll definitely go back.

• Pros: service, food, atmosphere