The food was only mediocre, and some of the food was almost inedible (pork dumplings were incredibly salty and steak was very tough).
The service was the WORST I've ever experienced regardless of price point. After sitting down for a 6:30 reservation, it wasn't until 7:15 that the server took our order, as a result the appetizers didn't start coming out until after we had been there an hour and did not fully arrive until 1 hour and 15 minutes into the meal. When the food was arriving, the server brought single items to the table, and then would disappear for 5-10 minutes before bringing the next item.
This is unacceptable service at any price point, and especially egregious at this price point. I will NEVER be returning to this establishment. There are too many better alternatives in the triangle.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
James Glenos
I’ve been looking forward to trying Lantern for years. Overall the food and atmosphere was good, service OK, but do not appreciate all the extra fees and charges on our bill with no verbal mention or notice. Why not make an effort to at least mention these things
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Christine Hartley
Kitchen does not do waiters any favors. 1 1/2 hours between apps and main. Pork dumplings served cold to lukewarm. Afraid of food poisoning. Steak just ok. Bc kitchen was closing they were going to nuke same dish. Bad, loud, rock music adds nothing to the dining experience in the back room by the bar. Sorry our experience was not as good as last time we ate here.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
Carl Manner
A case study in well-polished mediocrity. I feel like this restaurant used to be better, but all but one dish kind of sucked.
Cocktails are serviceable but nothing to write home about.
The salt and pepper shrimp were incredibly bland and sit atop a giant mound of fried parsley that - surprise - tastes like a fryer and nothing else.
The squash salad had no balance. The dressing is overpowering and strongly acidic, and the selling point - warm butternut squash - is in short supply, which is a shame because it could’ve balanced the overwhelming acidity of the dressing.
The oysters were okay. There’s a certain weirdness to broiled sabayon, but this was at least flavorful and well-balanced, if not terribly interesting.
The lobster Tom yum soup had good flavor, and once you get past the conceptual weirdness of what seems to be a lobster matzah ball, it is mostly fine. The broth isn’t really spicy at all, but it is garnished with a chili oil that has some nice heat. This is all well and good unless you slurp or inhale even slightly when taking a bite, which aerosolizes the chili oil and causes people to choke. Indeed, we could tell which other people ordered it based on their fits of coughing.
The sticky rice is nothing of the sort. How this passes for sticky rice is beyond me - it is a bad risotto. It was a soupy mess and kind of disgusting in terms of both flavor and texture.
If you have the palette of a drunk suburban toddler and want to feel fancy and drop $200+ on a bad dinner for two, this is the spot for you.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
alexander Edwards
Upscale dining that felt like I was in the movie “The Menu”. Never heard of the place but my partner and I always do a date night in chapel hill on NYE. They had a 3-course meal that was $75 a person plus $27 for a wine pairing. I had oysters, duck, and coffee cake and my girlfriend had lobster dumplings, salmon and chocolate cake with ginger ice cream. All of my food was good, oysters were salty though. The lobster dumplings my girlfriend got tasted like deep fried lobster in broth and the salmon was basically uncooked in the middle. The highlight of the meal was the ginger ice cream that came with her chocolate cake. It was amazing but that was the only thing I can truly say was great and worth the hefty price tag. The vibes of the restaurant reminded me of the movie “The Menu”. It felt like we should be hyper analyzing the food and give critical thought to the tastes when it didn’t feel like there was anything crazy going on im the flavors. My biggest gripe is the 10% kitchen charge they add to the check. It says it’s not the tip to the waiter. Like seriously, pay your staff fairly, don’t push the cost onto the customer because you refuse to offer fair wages.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Private Browser
Our server was cool and funny.
However, we ordered the pork dumplings and I've never smelled food like this. It smelled like hot garbage. The taste of the dumpling on its own was like eating loose grainy meat. Dipping it in the sauce? Incredibly salty, but I had to dip it and hold my breath. The lettuce wrap wasn't any better. The server said he recommended ordering apps and entrees together, but maybe that's because the apps are bad?
It was a first date, so we had only ordered apps. We didn't complain to the server, but we finally we're open that the food smelled and was really bad and ended up going to get a burger across the street.
I did like the street view and the decor. The drinks were good, even though they were the tiniest glasses I've ever seen.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Wendell Zee
We ordered four appetizers. Two were good, pork dumplings and the cauliflower. Two were sub par. The salt and pepper shrimp is not peeled. We were told the shells were on the shrimp to add crunchiness. We found it to be better when we peeled the shells off, but then you lost all the seasoning! The lettuce cups were flavored with a strange sugary spice mix that we did not care for.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork and Chive Dumplings
Mr No
Loved it. Interesting and very tasty food. Very nice atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Shaking Beef, Pea Shoot Scallion Dumplings, Bento Box
Matthew Tuck
Great, creative food and excellent cocktails. Thanks for looking after the large wedding group last night.
The wine was fantastic too, the whole trio of white, rosé and red. It looked like everyone had a great time, just like me!
Eli Holder
We made reservations, got a babysitter, and drove in from Raleigh for a Chapel Hill date night. We were running late. I probably should have called, but I thought we'd make it within their 15 minute grace window. Alas, I grievously misjudged, and we were 16 minutes late. So they refused to seat us. And instead of figuring out some way to make it work (a slightly rushed meal might have been a more fair penance?!) the host decided to berate me for not answering his earlier call(s), 8 minutes prior, which I missed while we were walking toward the restaurant ("I called you five times!!! Look I'll show you!" he said, angrily jabbing at his monitor!). Uh... what?
On the bright side, Cosmic Cantina's new location is lovely! Lantern's best efforts to murder the vibe were no match for the restorative powers of Cosmic chicken nachos.
This is the first place I had to drink for 2 because we hadn't told anyone my wife was pregnant yet. Dope place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bethany Lee
If you’re looking for fine dining in Chapel Hill the answer is Lantern. We were simply blown away by the quality, presentation, atmosphere, and service. Our server Sophia was very attentive and knowledgeable, and the back patio was the perfect ambience for our dinner date. Stars of the show were the spicy cucumber soup, pork & chive dumplings, and the mint chocolate ice cream ??? (best mint chip ice cream I’ve had in my life) HIGHLY recommend!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gerrie Dean
Love the little bar in the back. The food is superb and the bartenders make great cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork and Chive Dumplings, Coconut-Braised Local Pork Shank, Dim Sum
Jacob
Had a delicious meal here and the steak was the star of the show. Very tender and the sauce was a delicious savory, umami concoction. The side asparagus was also quite tasty but the other appetizers were a bit unremarkable. That being said, I really can’t say enough about the steak.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jacob Sperber
Had a delicious meal here and the steak was the star of the show. Very tender and the sauce was a delicious savory, umami concoction. The side asparagus was also quite tasty but the other appetizers were a bit unremarkable. That being said, I really can’t say enough about the steak.
The food was only mediocre, and some of the food was almost inedible (pork dumplings were incredibly salty and steak was very tough).
The service was the WORST I've ever experienced regardless of price point. After sitting down for a 6:30 reservation, it wasn't until 7:15 that the server took our order, as a result the appetizers didn't start coming out until after we had been there an hour and did not fully arrive until 1 hour and 15 minutes into the meal. When the food was arriving, the server brought single items to the table, and then would disappear for 5-10 minutes before bringing the next item.
This is unacceptable service at any price point, and especially egregious at this price point. I will NEVER be returning to this establishment. There are too many better alternatives in the triangle.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
I’ve been looking forward to trying Lantern for years. Overall the food and atmosphere was good, service OK, but do not appreciate all the extra fees and charges on our bill with no verbal mention or notice. Why not make an effort to at least mention these things
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Kitchen does not do waiters any favors. 1 1/2 hours between apps and main. Pork dumplings served cold to lukewarm. Afraid of food poisoning. Steak just ok. Bc kitchen was closing they were going to nuke same dish.
Bad, loud, rock music adds nothing to the dining experience in the back room by the bar. Sorry our experience was not as good as last time we ate here.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
A case study in well-polished mediocrity. I feel like this restaurant used to be better, but all but one dish kind of sucked.
Cocktails are serviceable but nothing to write home about.
The salt and pepper shrimp were incredibly bland and sit atop a giant mound of fried parsley that - surprise - tastes like a fryer and nothing else.
The squash salad had no balance. The dressing is overpowering and strongly acidic, and the selling point - warm butternut squash - is in short supply, which is a shame because it could’ve balanced the overwhelming acidity of the dressing.
The oysters were okay. There’s a certain weirdness to broiled sabayon, but this was at least flavorful and well-balanced, if not terribly interesting.
The lobster Tom yum soup had good flavor, and once you get past the conceptual weirdness of what seems to be a lobster matzah ball, it is mostly fine. The broth isn’t really spicy at all, but it is garnished with a chili oil that has some nice heat. This is all well and good unless you slurp or inhale even slightly when taking a bite, which aerosolizes the chili oil and causes people to choke. Indeed, we could tell which other people ordered it based on their fits of coughing.
The sticky rice is nothing of the sort. How this passes for sticky rice is beyond me - it is a bad risotto. It was a soupy mess and kind of disgusting in terms of both flavor and texture.
If you have the palette of a drunk suburban toddler and want to feel fancy and drop $200+ on a bad dinner for two, this is the spot for you.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Upscale dining that felt like I was in the movie “The Menu”. Never heard of the place but my partner and I always do a date night in chapel hill on NYE. They had a 3-course meal that was $75 a person plus $27 for a wine pairing. I had oysters, duck, and coffee cake and my girlfriend had lobster dumplings, salmon and chocolate cake with ginger ice cream. All of my food was good, oysters were salty though. The lobster dumplings my girlfriend got tasted like deep fried lobster in broth and the salmon was basically uncooked in the middle. The highlight of the meal was the ginger ice cream that came with her chocolate cake. It was amazing but that was the only thing I can truly say was great and worth the hefty price tag. The vibes of the restaurant reminded me of the movie “The Menu”. It felt like we should be hyper analyzing the food and give critical thought to the tastes when it didn’t feel like there was anything crazy going on im the flavors. My biggest gripe is the 10% kitchen charge they add to the check. It says it’s not the tip to the waiter. Like seriously, pay your staff fairly, don’t push the cost onto the customer because you refuse to offer fair wages.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Our server was cool and funny.
However, we ordered the pork dumplings and I've never smelled food like this. It smelled like hot garbage. The taste of the dumpling on its own was like eating loose grainy meat. Dipping it in the sauce? Incredibly salty, but I had to dip it and hold my breath. The lettuce wrap wasn't any better. The server said he recommended ordering apps and entrees together, but maybe that's because the apps are bad?
It was a first date, so we had only ordered apps. We didn't complain to the server, but we finally we're open that the food smelled and was really bad and ended up going to get a burger across the street.
I did like the street view and the decor. The drinks were good, even though they were the tiniest glasses I've ever seen.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
We ordered four appetizers. Two were good, pork dumplings and the cauliflower. Two were sub par. The salt and pepper shrimp is not peeled. We were told the shells were on the shrimp to add crunchiness. We found it to be better when we peeled the shells off, but then you lost all the seasoning!
The lettuce cups were flavored with a strange sugary spice mix that we did not care for.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork and Chive Dumplings
Loved it. Interesting and very tasty food. Very nice atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Shaking Beef, Pea Shoot Scallion Dumplings, Bento Box
Great, creative food and excellent cocktails. Thanks for looking after the large wedding group last night. The wine was fantastic too, the whole trio of white, rosé and red. It looked like everyone had a great time, just like me!
We made reservations, got a babysitter, and drove in from Raleigh for a Chapel Hill date night. We were running late. I probably should have called, but I thought we'd make it within their 15 minute grace window. Alas, I grievously misjudged, and we were 16 minutes late. So they refused to seat us. And instead of figuring out some way to make it work (a slightly rushed meal might have been a more fair penance?!) the host decided to berate me for not answering his earlier call(s), 8 minutes prior, which I missed while we were walking toward the restaurant ("I called you five times!!! Look I'll show you!" he said, angrily jabbing at his monitor!). Uh... what?
On the bright side, Cosmic Cantina's new location is lovely! Lantern's best efforts to murder the vibe were no match for the restorative powers of Cosmic chicken nachos.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
This is the first place I had to drink for 2 because we hadn't told anyone my wife was pregnant yet. Dope place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If you’re looking for fine dining in Chapel Hill the answer is Lantern. We were simply blown away by the quality, presentation, atmosphere, and service. Our server Sophia was very attentive and knowledgeable, and the back patio was the perfect ambience for our dinner date. Stars of the show were the spicy cucumber soup, pork & chive dumplings, and the mint chocolate ice cream ??? (best mint chip ice cream I’ve had in my life) HIGHLY recommend!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love the little bar in the back. The food is superb and the bartenders make great cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork and Chive Dumplings, Coconut-Braised Local Pork Shank, Dim Sum
Had a delicious meal here and the steak was the star of the show. Very tender and the sauce was a delicious savory, umami concoction. The side asparagus was also quite tasty but the other appetizers were a bit unremarkable. That being said, I really can’t say enough about the steak.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a delicious meal here and the steak was the star of the show. Very tender and the sauce was a delicious savory, umami concoction. The side asparagus was also quite tasty but the other appetizers were a bit unremarkable. That being said, I really can’t say enough about the steak.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
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