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I ordered Big Lantern through DoorDash, and the whole experience was seamless. The food arrived in about 30-40 minutes to FiDi, which was pretty quick. I ordered the garlic noodles and the BBQ pork fried rice. The garlic noodles were very garlicky in the best way and loaded with protein. I liked that they included chicken, pork, beef, and prawns all in one dish. I don't think I've ever had garlic noodles quite like this before as it almost reminded me of combo chow mein, but with a strong garlic-forward flavor. It was really good and definitely the standout. The BBQ pork fried rice was more of a classic fried rice, but still very tasty and satisfying. Overall, a solid option for Chinese food, especially for delivery. I'd definitely order from here again.
We came after watching "A Better Tomorrow" at the Roxie and it felt fitting to eat Chinese food after seeing this John Woo and Chow Yun Fat classic. There is a famous scene in the movie in a Chinese restaurant with potted plants and this had a very similar vibe. One of our friends is Vegetarian so we only ordered vegetarian, even though it was meant to be just a light snack we ended up over ordering but the food was so good we finished everything. Just browsing on yelp I see the owner with an award in 2019 for the best Asian Food in the US! Vegetarian Fried Rice: This was excellent and it did not make me miss meat at all. It was well seasoned and had that wok char taste that makes Fried Rice like this taste unique. Imitation meat Cheung Fan: The rice paper was not too thick and the fake meat tasted great. Fried Turnip Cake: Also with fake meat, tasted excellent and everyone who was not hungry had a bit and kept eating after tasting how good this was. We had a bottle of Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc and it was surprisingly good as well!
I love this place. A go-to lunch special spot. Huge menu with many options for all dietary needs. Super friendly staff. Great delivery as well. The Hunan fish is my favorite. They also have dim sum options. Highly recommend for good old American style Chinese with some interesting choices.
Big Lantern is one of the best inexpensive, good Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, in fact, I'd hazard to say that it outperforms most Cantonese restaurants in Chinatown or the entire Bay Area. It is a staple of the Mission District and the quality of the food, good service, and comfortable atmosphere makes it on of the staples of the no-nonsense restaurant scene. Prices are low, portions are large, the menu is vast, and the service is speedy. The food tastes excellent here, no matter if you are a vegan, vegetarian, or even a carnivore. You don't have to fear food being overly salted & smothered in MSG, or service being cold & staff being unfriendly, Big Lantern is a place that you can come into early or late, bustling or empty, and expect the same level of quality, taste, and service, consistently, and without fail. We came in for dinner on a late-Saturday night when the entire Mission District was really bustling with bars, music venue, clubs, and entertainment options open & packed with many, many Saturday night partygoers just ahead of the holidays. There were a lot of people inside of the restaurant, still, there was no wait. We were seated in a really cozy comfortable booth right next to the window to enjoy a little people watching and a glimpse of the busy 16th Street foot traffic outside. Big Lantern is a fairly big restaurant with a mixture of big tables, little tables, booths, and even a sheltered outdoor seating area for larger parties. The restaurant is extremely clean & comfortable and features some nice Chinese art & a full koi pond right by the front entrance. Even the bathrooms were remarkably clean & graffiti-free, quite unusual for any restaurant let alone a Chinese restaurant in the Mission District. Service was very good. Polite & attentive waitresses that are bilingual and friendly. They bring you hot tea & place settings right away, and check back often to see if you are ready to order [yet]. After perusing the vast menu with countless meatless, vegan, vegetarian, meat, poultry, and seafood options, we decided on some spicy options to warm ourselves up on a cold, damp Saturday night. We ordered the spicy sautéed string beans with tofu, the spicy yum yum eggplant, and some rice. Food came out within a few minutes, despite the restaurant being very busy with in-person dining, lots of take-out via PostMates, GrubHub, and UberEats drivers. They probably make a killing in to-go food orders alone, but this does not distract them from serving those diners like ourselves who come in person for a good, hot meal. The portions were incredibly huge, and very fairly priced. Spicy does mean spicy! The yum yum eggplant was very yum yum yummy, with a mound of eggplant chunks cooked perfectly with red pepper, garlic, and a savory type of hoisin sauce that was not too salty, not too abundant, and not too overpowering. I'd say this is one of their best dishes. The other dish was less impressive, but still equally tasty, the sautéed string beans & tofu. Tofu was a bit on the salty & drier side, perhaps a bit too fried & salted with sesame seeds coating them. The string beans were very fresh & crunchy, yet cooked & hot. They added a dash of red chili flakes to kick up that spice level, for people who love their food to be spicy hot (like us). We split a single bowl of rice between the two of us, which was plenty (even with some being leftover) to cover eating two big entrees. Food was delicious, hot, spicy, and served really quickly, despite the busy-ness of the restaurant as party hours approached. Service was great. No attitude, no rush, no struggling to communicate, and no neglect. Our waitress came back several times after delivering the food to check up on us, refill tea or water, as well as to bring out any additional napkins or utensils as needed. She was friendly, accommodating, efficient, and attentive. Big Lantern has always been my go-to late night Chinese-food craving restaurant ever since I used to hang out in the Mission District in the early 2000's. They've survived the dot-com crash, COVID, and economical uncertainties with the same formula: good tasty food, lots of it, delivered quickly & professionally, in a clean and comfortable space, at low to cheap prices. It doesn't get any better than this, whether you are on the go and need quick fuel, or are even on a date night with a limited budget, Big Lantern satisfies all needs, budgets, expectations, palates, and dietary requirements for excellent Cantonese Chinese food. Always, one of my favorite restaurants to go to when I'm in the neighborhood, and I really encourage you to give them a try, in-person or takeout. You won't be disappointed in the food or service! Big Lantern gets a BIG RECOMMENDATION from me!
Big Lantern became the spot for a Thanksgiving lunch this year because of their plentiful veggie based dim sum options and Cantonese dishes. Nearly everything on the menu can be veganized especially with using their faux meat. There is already a lot of plant-based options available to choose from. We went with their Vegetarian Dim Sum ($13), Mock Chicken Congee ($10), Rice "Tamales" as they called them ($6 for two), and an order of their Kung Pao Faux Chicken. The congee, cha siu bao from the dim sum platter, and their 'tamales' were all fantastic. It reminded me of what I used to eat back in the day. Their kung pao could've been a bit spicier but I appreciated being able to enjoy it with their plant-based chicken, which seems to be made from seitan. Some of the vegan faux meat items though weren't as exciting. The Chicken Siu Mai was the biggest letdown and I wouldn't get that again, but everything else where they used the faux chicken was great. Aside from the food, service here was incredible. Everyone was super sweet and checked up on us often. Fun fact - they were once ranked the best restaurant in all of the U.S. by a publication and you can find their accolade proudly displayed inside.
Came here for the various meatless protein options in the menu did not disappoint. They had a full page dedicated to meatless or vegetarian options, which was really appreciated and unique to this type of cuisine. We did order the crispy garlic, meatless, chicken, and accidentally received the curry meatless chicken, which was still phenomenal, but would be very interested to return to try the crispy garlic. Also enjoyed the Mongolian beef. It was super saucy and very well cooked. We also ordered the numbing spicy noodles and it was interesting and definitely made our mouth tingle, but would maybe pass on it next time. Did appreciate how saucy it was. Last week we ordered the hot and sour soup. I wish it came out a little bit hotter, and it was more spicy, but it was still comforting, and I liked how chunky and thick the tofu pieces were. We were served by a very sweet waitress, who was really kind and took the time to explain the different menu options.
Classic American style Chinese food, with just the right amount of vegetables. Excellent lunch specials, I like the Szechuan fish, the mushroom medley, and the Chinese medley. The sesame beef is very crispy but good if you're into that. They make a vegetarian version of pretty much any dish.
very solid place! ambience was good and food was pretty affordable. not my favorite dim sum but it was decent and we also got the green beans with tofu which was excellent! quick service, wish they didn't charge for tea but overall still good value for the meal
It's hard finding a decent Chinese spot in the Mission, and sadly this was not it. I will not order from here again. I ordered takeout and got the baked dim sum combination, Shanghai baby bun (pork), string bean with beef, and chicken porridge. The baked dim sum combination was disappointing. I hate being wasteful, but the curry chicken puff tasted rancid and was so bad that we had to throw most of it in the trash. The BBQ pork bun was bland, and the egg custard was just okay. The Shanghai baby bun (pork) was really just 4 pieces of soup dumplings, or xiao long bao. The naming was super confusing. Unfortunately, there was barely any soup in these. The string beans with beef was so ridiculously salty that it was difficult to eat without downing multiple cups of water. The chicken porridge was actually decent (for the most part) but a bit too oily. Everything was pretty pricey here. For the high price point and low food quality, I don't recommend this place at all. For now, I'll still have to resort to places farther out in the Richmond and Sunset for decent Chinese food.
Came here for lunch with family Saturday at 1pm and got seated immediately. We got onion pancakes and the sweet rice tamale with meatless chicken to start. Then the spicy chow fun with meatless chicken, eggplant with tofu, and wood ear mushroom with meatless fish. The sweet rice tamale was the best! The onion pancakes were okay and came with a sweet peanut sauce which was a little weird of a pairing. Eggplant with tofu was delicious and saucy but definitely needed rice. Spicy chow fun was a solid choice, a little kick but not too bad! Heard the veggie dim sum is not that great aside from the sweet rice tamale so we steered away. Great mix of both vegetarian/vegan and meat dishes. read more
3 years ago
They offer many meatless options including in their dim sum! Homely style Chinese food offered in clean, non stuffy atmosphere! Check out their lunch specials! Ordered Lemon vegan fish and it was delicious. I'll try them again for their other meatless options they offer! read more
5 years ago
Yum! We did dine-in for dinner on a Sunday night, and the restaurant was neither empty nor full. We ordered the dim sum combination, chow mein, and orange chicken, everything vegan. As all other reviews have mentioned, the orange chicken is amazing. The dim sum platter was interesting as well in that my favorite was different than my partner's favorite so clearly a win for pleasing both of us. Portion sizes and price were also great. We had plenty left over and it was completely worth the cost. There aren't too many vegan dim sum options around so I was very happy to have this. We will definitely be back! I want to try all the different vegan dim sum options and work my way through the mock meats as well. Highly recommend! read more
5 years ago
Ordered from DoorDash. Here is what we ordered: 1. Big Lantern spicy fried rice 2. Spicy cumin chicken 3. West lake beef soup 4. Numbing spicy mandarin noodle The portions were huge, which is typical from Chinese restaurants I suppose. The fried rice (1) was okay, we asked for it very spicy but didn't think it was very spicy nor flavorful. The cumin chicken (2) was also just okay, bordering on bland. I think it needed some more salt to bring out the cumin flavor. The soup (3) was delicious with a bit of added hot sauce and soy sauce. The noodle (4) dish was by far the best. The pork on top was sweet and the sauce itself was numbing and spicy. This dish really made up for the rest of the meal. read more
10 months ago
We drove all the way from San Jo for this veggie dim sum and were not disappointed. Show the quality of the food isn't top tier, every single item was absolutely delicious. And as a vegetarian the amazing variety of options, items that I haven't been able to enjoy in forever was what made this. Oh and the excellent customer service. the Auntie was so very sweet and didn't judge us for the amount of food we ordered. Lol We were so excited to have veggie dim sum options that we almost ordered one of everything. (See photos) we honestly can't wait to visit again!! read more
11 months ago
Very impressive selection of vegetarian and non vegetarian items! If anything there's maybe too many options on the menu. The chive dim sum was ok, the real highlight for me was the tofu vegetable roll which was delicious. The tofu skin wrap has a unique texture and the stuffing is great. The noodles we ordered (meatless chicken chow fun) was dry and tasty, the meatless chicken was very well made. The prices are very reasonable too, 2 people can easily have a good dinner + leftovers under $40. read more
2 years ago
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3 years ago
Food can be good but you have to know what to get. I order here sometimes because it opens late until 12am. !!!!!!!BE WARY!!!!! I just got my debt/credit card info hacked/stolen by ordering here and there are fake charges from CHINESE DELIGHT in Georgia! Until they resolve this, I suggest do not use their website and place an order with your card. Maybe pay CASH on delivery or something. read more
2 years ago
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1 year ago
I've been here a couple times now - pretty solid Chinese food in the Mission. Some menu items are hits while others are misses. Hits: sesame beef, sesame chicken, spicy meatless chicken. Misses: chow fun (it's very bland.) The first time I came with a huge group and there was a dish brought out that nobody ordered, so make sure to confirm everyone's orders when you're in a big group! read more
** The following review reflects my takeout experience DURING the COVID-19 pandemic. ** How big a lantern are we talking about? Anyway, this particular block of 16th between Valencia and Guerrero was so hipster-heavy in the pre-pandemic days that I never thought to try this Chinese restaurant until the sidewalk was cleared out. They have a pretty robust vegan menu and I actually like mock meat dishes to take a periodic break from my carnivery. I was drawn to a couple of dishes here. The first was the $18.95 Portobello Mushrooms with Meatless Chicken. It melded well into their atypically tasty brown sauce accompanied by snow peas, carrots, and zucchini (photo: https://bit.ly/3qfq5LX). The mock chicken had that poultry-like texture without the inevitable rubberiness. My second dish was the $14.95 Wood Ear Mushrooms with Tofu which was just as hearty with the same accompaniments though less sauce (photo: https://bit.ly/2KalDyR). I really like this type of woodsy fungus, so it worked for me. I walked it home and it kept pretty warm. I never did find out how big the lantern was. FOOD - 4 stars...hearty vegan fare for the meatlessly minded AMBIANCE - n/a...nice little koi pond but I was here for takeout only SERVICE - 4 stars...definitely fast enough for seamless takeout TOTAL - 4 stars...how big is your lantern? RELATED - Hungry for Chinese food? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: https://bit.ly/36XdeaP read more
I would want to give it one star, but because the people here are nice, I give it a two. It is a typical Americanized Chinese restaurant. It fits perfect the "greasy Chinese food" description. We ordered a dim sum, the twice cooked pork, garlic eggplant, and sesame ball. Except the sesame balls, other dishes are rather disappointing. The dim sum was flavorless and the tofu skins was rather hard to chew, huge disappointment. The two main dishes taste exactly the same, YES, exactly the same. Twice cooked pork is a famous Szechuan food, but it tastes nothing like it. It was just a bunch of ingredients with some Chinese sauces mixed together. They were huge disappointment. I will never come back here. The decor is quite nice. You see some Chinese paintings on the wall, but as a Chinese person, I will not come back here again nor recommend to other friends. read more
Just moved to mission area and found this place on a rainy day! Nice warm food, quick service, and affordable prices. Surprisingly , they have really good dishes with meat substitutes! The fake sausage was so flavorful and served sizzling hot! I will be getting it again next time and can't wait to return and try the other meat free dishes! Also got the tempura fried eggplant which was delicious, only regret is that we didn't order more :p read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
Two huge wins with Big Lantern. 1. An immense amount of vegan & vegetarian options. 2. Cheap! Between me and my boyfriend, we had the large hot and sour soup to share, the veg dim sum combo, and the big lantern spicy chow fun. It didn't sound like much, but the portions were a lot bigger than expected. Hot and Sour Soup (7/10): It was really tofu heavy. My boyfriend isn't crazy about tofu so I ate most of it. Just wish there was more of the actual broth and a bit more of a kick. Overall it was still great and we each had about 2-3 little bowls of it! Veg Dim Sum (10/10): Only about $13 for Shu Mai, Dumplings & BBQ pork buns. What they don't tell you is that they're huge! When I saw 3 pieces each, I thought we'd take it down easy, but I was wronggg. I've had many veg dumplings in my day, but I can't remember ever having a veg BBQ pork bun since going vegan. This was such a treat. All three items were great. Big Lantern Spicy Noodles (11/10): Literally woke up this morning still thinking about these noodles. At first glance it looks like your run of the mill greasy chow fun, but the quality of the noodles is what set them apart. Our server brought us a side of chili oil and it added the perfect kick to an already delicious dish. Flavor, portion, and price were all top notch here. We left with tons of leftovers, and somehow only spent $25 each for tons of great food, a beer and a coconut water. The joint is small and cute and there is an actual koi fish pond in the front. Will definitely be returning! read more
Decided to try this spot out as their doordash reviews and ratings were out the roof as well as their yelp reviews! So when they are 2 for 2, it's a must try for me! I ordered a few dishes for the family to share and can say it was quite tasty! my fave was prolly the chive dumplings and the Singaporean noodles. the sesame chicken was a bit sweet for me and the bok choy broccoli was a bit misguiding as they still managed to send me american broccoli. For that I reduced a star from the review & since it was too garlicy and over powered the sauce and the rest of the dish. However, the dumplings were made to perfection! just the right amount of chives and shrimp in them to make em taste real good! DEF gotta come back to order some more dumplings! Better yet, might just order all dumplings the next time I order from here. Def a fan and will be returning but not for their veggies! read more
2 years ago
They charged $7.25 for this Thai tea...... just saying. I ordered online so when I saw the price I thought it would be large or fresh or something and then it was this can of premade stuff worth $1. I'm confused as to how a restaurant owner could charge that. Even in SF that is unprecedented highway robbery. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
5 years ago
Big Lantern has 40+ vegan options on their menu. Came here for the dumplings, stayed (and will be returning) for their vegan chicken siu mai, tofu rolls AND everything else I have yet to order. Their menu is divided into sections like "meatless chicken" (mock meats--pretty sure soy based) and "vegetable & tofu" categories so you're not playing Where's Waldo scouring for veg options. We've all been there. Thank you for making your restaurant a vegan paradise!! They were super friendly despite me placing my pick up order the moment they opened at 11am :) Wish I tried their bbq vegan pork buns, but it's just something to look forward to~~ Here's what I ordered, favorites listed first, but enjoyed everything and would order it all again: -chicken siu mai (pls try) -tofu vegetarian roll (was expecting egg rolls, but this exceeded my expectations: veggies, mushrooms and tofu wrapped in yuba sheets) -general tofu -kung pao meatless chicken -vegetable dumplings (just wish these were in a sauce) read more
1 year ago
This place is in my old neighborhood and has been a curiosity of mines for a long time. I had some delicious dishes. The walnut prawn was great and not full of mayonnaise . I asked if they had a scrambled egg prawn chow fun which I did not see in a menu of over 60 items. They made it to order and I was very impressed and it was so delicious l. Now I will go again with over 60 decisions to make next time read more
3 years ago
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2 years ago
I came here because I was craving dim sum but did not want to have to drive and find parking in Chinatown or the Sunset. I decided to take a gamble by coming to Big Lantern and was pleasantly surprised! Congee is one of those classic Chinese dishes that I HAVE to have every time I get dim sum. It is a seemingly simple dish that I am somewhat picky about. The congee I had here met my expectations; the broth was savory and they did not use MSG or over-seasoned it. The chive dumplings were also pretty good. I would definitely come here again in the future. read more
More info about Big Lantern
3170 16th St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Mission
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(415) 863-8100
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http://eatbiglantern.com
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Ask the Community - Big Lantern
Do they take reservations?
I just called before I saw this question, and they took my reservation for three people for tonight. So, maybe it's not consistent or maybe Yelp's AI generated responses are off base.
Does anyone know what the main ingredients are in their meatless chicken options? I am vegetarian but allergic to tofu. What's the base of their faux meat? They have tons of meat-free things I would love to try. Thanks!
I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure that they use seitan.
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