Recently enjoyed a leisurely dinner here with my girlfriends - we started in the charming back bar, where we probably annoyed the bartenders to death but got some fabulous cocktails (notably their Hurricane & the Todo Bien). For dinner, we shared the chaat (YUM), the bento, every type of dumpling, a couple steaks, and the pork shank that was on special that night, and I did not share the oysters on the half shell with trout roe & crème fraîche. While nearly everything was delicious, the oysters were a failure, in my opinion - the fussiness of the roe & crème fraîche overpowered the brine, leaving me with only the roe as a flavor profile. Wouldn't order again. The crispy spinach that accompanied the steak, though, was amazing! I'd never tried it and it became an instant favorite. I think we had dessert, but that was several Todo Biens in, so who can say. read more

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Wonderful spot for dinner and drinks on a nice stretch of Franklin in Chapel Hill. The back room and bar are cozy and hip, and perfect for a small group or solo meal. The menu is stacked with intriguing-sounding dishes: I settled on pea shoot dumplings and a tea-cured salmon bento which was excellent. The outstanding bartender served up a top notch cocktail (the best I found in Chapel Hill) and a good wine rec, then offered good suggestions for other spots in Chapel Hill. Friendly folks at the bar rounded out the experience. read more

I've been to over a dozen restaurants in my 55 years on this planet The Lantern is my favorite. Thoughtful food, intelligent bar. Kindness in a fancy package. Met my wife here. Respect! read more

Two of us shared four small plates and the hot fudge sundae. The food was amazing. The Asian influence was clear with a sesame sauce on asparagus. We also had the scallion dumplings, chaat and salt and pepper shrimp. The mint chip ice cream tasted like freshly picked mint. The cocktails were delicious. When making the reservation, I had asked for a quiet spot. They seated us indoors and no one as seated next to us. Much appreciated. Decor isn't very exciting. Service was prompt. Servers are still masked. There s a pay parking lot very close by. Definitely would return. read more

Lantern is a great place for dates. The environment is pretty nice with a wall of plants and good aesthetic. They only have outside open due to covid precautions. The food came out pretty fast. I would recommend the Vietnamese style spring roll. The chicken and pork was alright. If you are looking for authentic Asian food this is not the place to go. The service was pretty good and the waiters were very helpful. The food was not very expensive. They change their menu regularly. I would probably come back again. read more

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In my experience, Lantern is always a cut above. The food is reliably tasty and interesting, the vibe is friendly and informal. I'm in my 70s, am not a drinker, and often eat by myself, certainly not the ideal customer, but I'm always treated with courtesy and warmth. Every Chapel Hill restaurant has the occasional hiccup, but Lantern has been my most consistent favorite. One of its underrated superpowers is the dessert menu, which is small but full of exceptional items. read more

Lantern - Salt&Salt And Pepper Shrimp, pea soup, mocktail - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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We had been looking forward to dinner here and were definitely disappointed. I am giving it 3 stars because of our group of 4, 2 people thought their dinners were very good and 2 people thought the food was just ok. Also, the service was VERY slow. I know this isn't Applebee's, but I've eaten at many fine dining establishments where they manage to get the food out in a timely fashion. The Good: Salt and Pepper shrimp appetizer was good, though not as good as the hype surrounding it. The BBQ Pork chop with kimchi potatoes was very good. The chop was also huge. The Steamed fish with baby bok choy was also very tasty, but a little too salty. The Meh: Japanese Pot on Fire was just ok and the person who ordered it finished the large BBQ pork chop rather than finish the dish. Chicken was just ordinary chicken, nothing special for the $27. read more

Lantern - Steamed NC fish with baby baby Bok choy - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Truly a wonderful restaurant whether we want a sit down dinner or a evening at the bar with friends. Menu has an Asian flair with a seafood, chicken, pork or beef options as well as vegetarian options. I especially love the dumplings Great selection of wines by the glass or their specialty cocktails. read more

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The biggest "I can't believe I never reviewed"... Must have been here 25 times over the years. In my book one of the top 3 restaurants in North Carolina (along with Curate, Chef and the Farmer). Also the menu rotates by season so not everything is awlays on the menu. * My advice: don't eat in the front, only eat in the back (no reservations) * Mainstay appetizers: chaat, bento box (i've gotten this as a main), pork & chive dumplings * Mainstay entrees: tea smoked chicken with XO sauce * Dessert definitely rotates, they had this peanut brittle ice cream thing that is money Usually tax & tip it's around $150 for two read more

Some of the dishes here are amazing in freshness, creativity, preparation, and presentation, but there are some culinary missed steps - a bit surprising for a restaurant of this reputation, and the ambiance is anything but quiet and relaxing, and the entire dining experience suffers greatly as a result, imho. The tables are small, and packed in close, making the room very noisy, with waaaay too much information coming from the surrounding tables, even the ones on the other side of the room. The good news is that you need not concern yourself with dressing up, or casual even, apparently anything short of outright nudity or dumpster fire chic is perfectly acceptable - just Chapel Hill, I guess. We selected the Salt & Pepper Shrimp (pushed VERY hard by the staff - a great favorite, they said; you'll love it, they said); the Local, Pasture-raised Pork & Chive Dumplings; the Seafood Hotpot (lobster dumplings in broth, wild NC shrimp, littleneck clams, spring rain noodles, fresh lime leaf, tomatoes, pea greens), and the Lantern Bi Bim Bop ( hot iron pot with seared Red Poll beef, chestnut sticky rice, marinated seasonal vegetables, slow-cooked farm egg, homemade hot pepper sauce). The Salt & Pepper Shrimp was, simply put, poorly done, and even more poorly presented and explained. The shrimp are too large I think, there was no salt or pepper taste, and when presented, the servers said to eat them as you would Soft Shelled Crab, shell and all! This was just not possible, the shell was thick, and splintered as you tried to eat it, and your only option was to peel the shrimp, or pass on the dish. That this restaurant would serve this dish, with these instructions, is amazing.The dumplings, on the other hand, were incredible - full of flavor, rich and and moist. And then the main part of the meal went South, very South. The Seafood Hotpot was not good at all - the broth was bland, and the Lobster Dumplings were more like fritters, with a heavy coating that quickly became a soggy mess in the broth. The remainder of the hotpot was just a mish-mash, nothing stood out, and there was no blending together. The Bi Bim Bop was no better, the shaved beef was chewy and lacked flavor. The Chocolate Cake was very nice, but the clear winner for the whole dinner was the Fig Sundae. That was probably the single best dessert I've ever had, and I would come back to this restaurant solely to have it again. It is not a regular item, but it should be, it is that good. The Fig Sundae notwithstanding, this was not an enjoyable dinning experience, and would not have been even had our food choices been better - the lack of privacy smothers all aspects of the experience - for us anyway, others will feel different, and perhaps are better at filtering out the mindless chatter. read more

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Yelp menu doesn't reflect the actual menu. Absolutely nothing for kids. Too political signage. We were a large party that didn't even get to main course because of limited menu. Used to be good, but will not be back. read more

Came here for double date and also recommended by someone. Came here with high expectation and expectation met. Price: gourmet/ fine dining Food: Asian fusion. We tried salmon tartare, port dumpling, salt & pepper shrimp, fresh catch whole fish ( red snapper) and pork chop. Samson tartare was very interesting with corianders that made the taste more complex and pleasant. Shrimp was under seasoned but the shrimp chips and fried vegetable and jalapeño made up the dish. I don't recommend the dumpling. I can make a better one at home or you can get about the same thing in Asian market. Whole fish was the center of attention of palate, the ginger sauce was amazing. Mix opinions on the pork chop - it can seem mediocre, because... well it's a pork chop- ($29) but it was the most tender pork chop I've ever put in my mouth. Great flavor as well. Service: great and awsome service here. All staffs were friendly and very helpful. Knowledgeable with their menu and what they are serving. read more

Asian fusion is so hot right now. Lantern is the hottest one in the country according to popular food magazines. They use local, seasonal ingredients that keeps it interesting. I think we've gone to Lantern more than any other upscale restaurant in the triangle. I'm sad we missed restaurant week this year but the last time we participated we were stuffed. read more

Lantern was good... but not that good. I felt like something was missing from nearly every dish. Perhaps salt...? I'm honestly not sure. The service was fast and polite across the board - props to the hostess and waiters! We ordered cocktails, beer, and a bottle of wine. All good, and the server had nice recommendations. I liked that mezcal was used in a cocktail and the selection was great. Like I said with the food, it all seemed to miss something. The pork chop and pork belly were excellent. However the spring rolls and pot on fire were either bland or just had the wrong flavors. The dumplings were decent but didn't blow my mind. I still think this was a great dining experience overall, I think it just needed a little more "umph" to get it they extra something. read more

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Came in here for the third time, once before covid (seating in the main dining room), the 2nd in the back bar area. I much prefer the back area in terms of ambiance and service from the awesome bartender we had. First visit did have perfect service, but I found the food really overpriced for what it was. My buddy (and his girlfriend) were visiting in town and asked to go here, which I was happy to oblige. Our server was trying his best, but my friend's girlfriend had a couple of specific allergies that she told the server about. The server never confirmed whether she could eat any of the menu items. She finally asked him if he checked with the kitchen, and his response was, "um, yeah you should be fine to order whatever". Not exactly imparting confidence. Our drinks also took a really long time, around 20 min. Overall, I found the food mediocre and would rather enjoy various asian cuisine somewhere else. I would visit the back bar again, though for drinks. read more

I had a work trip on Chapel Hill, so naturally, I did some research as to the top restaurants in the area. Lantern showed up on many sites and had decent reviews on Yelp, so I thought, why not? Once again, since Yelp doesn't allow half stars, I can't give 3.5 stars, where I think the restaurant actually sits. We started off with some sake. We asked the waitress for something not too sweet, light and crisp. She did not disappoint with her recommendation. It was some of the most smooth sake I have ever had. For food, we started with the Tom Kai Gai, pork dumplings, and salt and pepper shrimp. The Tom Kai Gai reminded me of the soup we had in Thailand. I loved the lemongrass mixed with spice. The chicken in the soup really soaked in the flavor. Definitely worth having, especially on a cold day. The dumplings were good too, and also recommendation worthy. I am conflicted, however, is about the shrimp. The guy who delivered the food to the table was at least honest and told us they left the skin of the shrimp on when they coated the shrimp. I don't know that I liked that personally because the texture of the shrimp skin was a bit off-putting. Plus, I don't think I recall seeing any fried jalapenos, and that made me sad. For entrees, we ordered the Japanese Pot on Fire and the green curry. The pot on fire was a bit disappointing as the flavor was very one-note, and that note was salty. Even the oxtail dumplings were a bit flavorless. The green curry was actually quite delicious and I loved the spice. It's just a shame that it only comes with tofu. Overall, it wasn't terrible, but the dishes were definitely hit or miss. read more

Proof of vaccination demanded at the door without any warning and we had to lose our much anticipated reservation! Absolutely absurd that this business supports this - let alone doesn't ensure to make this clear when booking. Will not return. read more

Ambiance: The restaurant was literally under construction/total renovation. All walls were completely covered in paint drop cloths. Whole restaurant smells like it is on fire. 5 person table we were sat at would have comfortably fit 3. Service: Took 1 hour to place food orders. Dinner took 3 hours total. Apps did not come out first. No dairy free dessert option on prix fixe menu and no accommodations or substitutions could be made for dietary restrictions (still had to pay for a dessert we could not eat and were not permitted to box it up or take it to go). Food: Shrimp were fried with shell on (not edible). Dumplings were clearly microwaved from frozen. Vegan dumplings were even worse. All 3 ramens were underwhelming at best. Nothing came with soy sauce, dipping sauce or any spice (you can ask for chili oil but it is also not spiced). Best thing we ate was the candy on top of the dessert (I think it is the peanut brittle from Trader Joe's). read more

I'd been dying to come here for months, and I have to say it was definitely worth the hype! Service: Wonderful. Our waiter checked in throughout the meal, but gave us space, and made some good recommendations. The rest of the staff was also great at making sure we had water, clean silverware for new courses, and anything else we needed. Food: A+! We kicked it off with some spring rolls that were served with a delicious spicy sauce. I had the hot pot with potatoes, which may sound weird but it was divine. My boyfriend's catfish dish was crispy perfection, and the red curry paired with it put the dish over the top. Our favorite, though was the pecan brittle ice cream served with our chocolate cake. The server told us it's made in-house, otherwise we would've bought a pint! Tip: If you like something less formal, the back bar is a bit more relaxed. But if you want a fancy restaurant ambience, the front is a better bet! read more

Great place if you are around Chapel Hill NC. The menu keeps changing frequently so you wouldn't be sure what you would get next time. The prefix menu was $36 plus tax plus standard 18% gratuity. You need reservations to get in but they also accommodate walk-in at patio and at the bar. The bar tender, Guss, is very friendly and good conversationalist. The food was ok for the price being charged. The price is worth only if you get to seated inside. I would not pay for Patio which is super hot and uncomfortable. I would definitely go back with reservations next time. read more

It was worth the drive from Greensboro. They have everyday menu. We went for port soup, they did not have it for the day. But, rest of food was definitely a big hit. Would love to go back again and recommend this!!! read more

Lantern - Chaat Chaat Coconut braised local pork shank Local pasture - raised pork and chive dumplings Salt And Pepper Shrimp Hot chocolate cake - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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This place is awesome! It has excellent meat, seafood, and vegetarian options and an amazing place to go for a nice dinner out. There are some neat fusion dishes like the Chaat, and they do a great variation of the Indian dish! So good. They also have an amazing moon viewing hot pot with noodles and different types of mushroom which is truly excellent. I can't rave enough about their desserts - I've only had the hot chocolate cake with strawberry ice cream and it was phenomenal. The ambiance is lovely - dim lighting and candles. They also have a really cute private room for parties with a large glass wall and separate entry from the remainder of the restaurant! Definitely recommend! read more

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We loved the food and service. Try the dumplings and pork shank. We will definitely go back.

While the food and menu are fun and have some flair, the price is a bit steep for what you get (especially the cocktails). The space is extremely cramped and the service was incredibly slow. Would be better for them to lose two tables and focus more on the service quality. read more

Wow this place is good. I am slowly chipping away at my NC restaurant bucket list. Less than two months until I move out of state, and I am REALLY happy I got to eat here. My dining companion has been here before, but I have not. We shared a bunch of plates, and we both were in love with every single thing. (Usually there is an item or two that we feel very "meh" about, but we couldn't find ANYthing that was just average. Everything that graced our palates was way beyond our expectations.) We each had a cocktail with cinnamon-infused bourbon and it was a nice winter warmer. For starters, we had the Chaat- crispy chickpeas and potatoes with cauliflower, pickled red onions and mint chutney. Delicious. The Korean fried chicken was out of this world. And then we had the mushroom dumplings, which were duly amazing. We were caught between the duck, the local steamed fish, and the pork chop, but we settled on the pork chop. Perfection. It was served with these crispy kimchi potaotes, and it was just so good. For dessert, we chose two: the hot chocolate cake, served with homemade strawberry ice cream and the persimmon pudding served with whipped cream, pecans, and candied kumquats. Wonder if I can sneak in another visit before I move? read more

I was really hoping to like this place, but unfortunately our experience was incredibly disappointing. My husband and I came here for his birthday dinner. We had a reservation for 8pm, but our table wasn't ready until 15-20 min after, so we had to wait outside in the cold. The interior felt super claustrophobic and overpacked, like seriously you had to keep your arms locked in to avoid knocking over someone's drink. The low ceilings and black walls made it feel even more small than it was. The music was also pretty loud so you could barely hear each other on top of everyone else's conversations. Before we even got our drinks, the waiter came to grab our order and told us we should order everything now bc there was another party here so if we waited it could be a long wait. Although I appreciated the warning and understand they are busy, it made us feel super rushed, and it really ruined the mood as we felt like we had to hurry to get our orders in so we could eat and leave. That forced us to make quick decisions on the spot before we got a chance to really decide what we wanted. At least they have a small menu. We got the NC flounder sashimi, seafood hotpot and pork shank. The food at least came at a reasonable time, but it was just OK. Nothing great especially given the price. The pork was meh, the papaya side salad did not have much of a taste, and it came with a tiny portion of rice (definitely not an Asian thing). The noodle soup was same, just okay, and way overpriced for what it was. During our entire time, not once did anyone stop by to check in to ask if everything was okay until the very end to get our check. No one tried to clear our plates when our check came, which usually doesn't bother me, but when the space is this small (barely room to sign the check on our table), and you are spending all this money at a restaurant, I would have appreciated our dirty plates getting cleared and someone checking in just once during our entire time there. Maybe we came at an unlucky time, but if the owner knew there was another large party here, maybe plan for less reservations or a less packed dining area for other guests, so that service doesn't get sacrificed? I would like to give it another chance, but likely won't be coming back given all the issues we encountered above. read more

The food was ok. There was a popcorn shrimp dish that was fried but with the shell still on and it made it almost impossible to eat. We heard several other people complain. It just seemed lazy to not shell the shrimp before frying. Everything else was a bit too salty. The ambiance and service were lovely and the drinks were good. read more

Very disappointing.. visiting chapel hill and I don't know if there are better Asian options but this was disappointing. The best thing was the pork/chive dumpling and it was dried out and the dipping sauce was literally just soy sauce with garlic in it... The worst thing was the noodles.. again so dry it actually was breaking up. So bland.. the BiBimbop was the best thing but that's a stretch. The spicy sauce was bland too. It needs more gochigang.. very disappointing Service was friendly and they automatically add a gratuity FYI. 18% no big deal but food is just so disappointing . read more

First time I went food was amazing. Second time I went they were having a big party and had clearly open the oysters ahead of time maybe hours before and they were inedible . I haven't gone back since they started making you use the QR code To order from which is shocking for a restaurant like this. I could see it at Burger King but not at a place like this where you're paying for service and experience. read more

I SOO Wanted to love this restaurant! I first saw the review on the show Unique Eats and then read many good reviews on yelp, so I was super excited to try it. I'm a huge believer in locally sourced and seasonal ingredients and being that I'm Asian and my boyfriend is American, we were both very curious about their Asian fusion style. We went there over the weekend and probably should have called for reservations as the wait was about two hours. We order the scallion dumplings and salt & pepper shrimp as appetizers, then we split the full sea bass and ended with a desert of coconut cake. Plain and simple, it was horrible! It's one thing for a single dish to be bad but when every dish you order is really bad, there isn't much to say! Everything was served cold! The dumplings were easily in the top three to four of the worst I've ever had. The shrimp was cold and at the very best, just ok! When our main course, the full sea bass with rice and fermented carrots arrived, we thought for sure things were going to take a turn for the better but in fact, it only got worse. The sauce was SO salty, the fish was dry inside, and the flavors of fish and fermented carrots absolutely did not work with each other. The service was as bad as the food! Our waiter had the personality of a mortician, seriously! It was so bad that we contemplated just paying, leaving and going to get a small dish from another local restaurant instead. I've eaten at restaurants of all different types and in different regions all over the world. Unfortunately, this restaurant wasn't good. Sorry, but there are several other restaurants in the area that are MUCH better and cheaper. Unfortunately for the customers, I think Lantern has just done a great job of marketing and creating the "feel" of something unique but simply can't deliver! read more

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Absolutely wonderful dinner that started with a flounder sashimi with a 7-spice and sea urchin sauce. The dish was all but perfect. I also had a chicken dish which was equally as good... but that appetizer was the star of the show. Thank you Lantern!! read more

Lantern - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Been here twice for work. It is small place. You can't bring a big group unless you call ahead. This is very intimate so you better like your co-workers or your date! The food & service hands down are the 5. I will def come back if my work travels brings me here again. read more

Great place for a fancy dinner on Franklin Street! Parking on a Wednesday evening was better than I expected, in a small lot down the street. My aunt and uncle heard about Lantern from a "Best thing I ever ate" TV show and invited us to check it out while they were visiting NC. We started off with the salt & pepper shrimp appetizer. It lived up to its hype and was crispy, salted just right, and you can eat the whole thing, tail and all. My uncle, who used to own a Chinese restaurant and makes his own salt & pepper shrimp, said that this was his favorite part of his meal. We also tried the Vietnamese crab/pork spring rolls, which had great filling, but otherwise were similar to spring rolls I've had elsewhere. Entrees: Apparently Lantern is known for their tea and spice chicken. Each bite of the chicken was infused with some of the smoky tea flavor--yum! My husband loved the sauce that accompanied the chicken, mixed in with the shrimp fried rice and green beans. I ordered the seafood hotpot with shrimp and clams---the broth flavor was AMAZING and unlike any broth I've ever tried; rich with a bit of a tang to it. You can bet that I took home the leftover broth and used it to make more soup! Fig leaf panna cotta--creamy, not too sweet, garnished with candied local figs. The cooconut and rose cream cake was my uncle's favorite and the texture is light and airy. Lantern's menu is not inexpensive by all means but if you're looking to splurge a bit, this is the place to go! read more

So you ever have that feeling that you're in a version of the emperor's new clothes? But in this case it's a restaurant everyone loves and raves about and you're left feeling extremely underwhelmed? That was what happened to my boyfriend and I tonight. We had both wanted to go to Lantern for a long time- tonight we decided to celebrate and finally try it out. Maybe the problem was we were too excited? To start, the table was extremely low compared to the bench- everyone outside had to bend over the table in order to get comfortable, and it was awkward. We decided to do multiple appetizers and split an entree. Someone had suggested the salt and pepper shrimp, so we ordered one of those, the pork belly, dumplings, and ordered the seafood hot pot as our entree. The 3 appetizers came out and they were very pretty. The servers asked if we had ever had the dishes before, and when we said no, they gave us some information on what we were eating, which was actually a really nice part of our meal. Once we took a few bites though, I was less than excited. The shrimp were explained to us as brined in order to keep the shells on which they claimed gave the shrimp more flavor and made them similar to soft shell crabs. 1- no, these were not like soft-shelled crabs, they were shrimp with shells on(which would be fine, as that's what they are supposed to be, but don't BS me) and 2- they were not flavorful and it was disappointing. The flavor was extremely light and not particularly exciting. The pork belly was okay. It was 4 tiny pieces of meat for $14. I was not blown enough away to be particularly impressed. The melon salad was fine, nothing special. The dumplings were tasty. Nothing special, but good. The seafood hot pot came out, once again, I enjoyed the explanation provided with our meal, including laughing a bit about telling us not to eat the kaffir lime leaf(I make Thai food regularly, so my boyfriend has made that mistake before hah). However once we tried it, we were once again underwhelmed. The broth wasn't particularly spicy enough or sour enough. It's like it was the base for a soup that could be delicious and exciting, but they forgot to finish it. More chili, more lime juice at the end to up the sour, more lemongrass, just more. The lobster balls were tasty, but couldn't save the soup as a whole. The hot sauce with the soup wasn't particularly spicy either sadly :/ We decided to try one more item, the spring rolls. They were probably the best part of the meal. They were a nice mixture of hot and cold with the Butterhead lettuce and rolls. The sauce was bitter with a nice flavor of fish sauce and chili. My SO had 2 drinks- they were fine, but nothing exciting. The girl in the glasses and the hibiscus one. Overall, I won't be going back. It was too pricey to justify flavor that just wasn't really there. I'm glad others like it, but I'm all about that flavor, and Lantern just didn't provide. read more

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I was excited to try this restaurant as Reusing was named a James Beard Award winner and the restaurant came with tons of published praise. Yelp seemed to agree. I have to say that it was a very average experience. Flavors were tasty, but nothing particularly exciting. I do think that I am probably a much more tougher critic when it comes to Asian Fusion, as I'm asian myself and look to be surprised by the combination of flavors but it was quite unimaginative for me. I have found that ever other asian person I've talked to about this restaurant have been equally disappointed. For entrees, we got the steamed black cod and seafood hotpot. Both, unfortunately, came out cold to lukewarm, which probably didn't help me with my view of the dishes. read more

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Disappointing meal. There were only 3 entrees on the menu. While the beef entree was tasty for the price I would expect more than some greens on the side. We specifically asked the waitress to point out the spicy appetizers. When she didn't mention the salmon tartare as spicy I ordered it. The chips that came with it were very hot and inedible. They were so hot I had a coughing fit. The Diet Coke I ordered was ridiculously small and no refill was offered despite my glass being empty for most of the meal. The decor was just plain ugly-painter's drop cloths hung on the wall with weird lights sticking through the canvas. It looked like the restaurant was in the middle of a renovation. Perhaps this was someone's idea of avant garde but it was a complete disaster. and why is the beverage table in the middle of the room? All in all, a disappointment. read more

I have been looking forward to trying this restaurant out. Well I am not going to say it was a bad place, but not all that I had hoped for either. The food was delicious, whatever had was pretty good. The only thing is that there were not too many choices if you are a vegetarian person or one who stays away from red meat. The menu is pretty limited, it is a pretty romantic place with the right company. We had the special salad they had, I believe it was the Kombucha squash, dates and paneer salad. It was very good, the flavor combinations were great. Like I said a one time go for sure, I would defi check the menu to see how it has changed before going. The experience was pleasant but I think I had hoped for the food to be better and one that leaves a good taste. It was pretty forgetful food. read more

I treated my boyfriend to his birthday dinner here, and it was just right for the occassion! Customer service was spot on even before we walked into the door. My bf's colleague had gotten him a gift certificate to Lantern, but the certificate wasn't going to arrive in the mail until after our reservation. Lantern staff graciously took care of that, and the first thing we saw when we sat down at the restaurant was an envelope with a gift certificate. The ambiance was intimate, romantic, with dim lighting, and of course, with lanterns. We started the night off with 2 glasses of wine (about $8.50 for a prosecco, more depending on what you get), and with the tom yum soup and spring rolls. The tom yum soup broth was great! The flavors of the various seafood in the soup were INFUSED in the broth. Spring rolls were solid as well. For our entrees, the bf got the lemongrass grilled pork chop, and I got the Vietnamese style catfish. The texture of the catfish was perfect---delicate, melt-in-your-mouth. My only critique of the catfish was that the glaze slathered the catfish a little too much for me---the glaze was delicious, but I think I would have enjoyed it in a smaller quantity. The bf enjoyed his pork chop, and especially liked the cucumber salad that accompanied his dish. For dessert, we had the bruleed muscadine sundae. The muscadine on top were crispy and sweet, a nice touch to our dessert! We are both pistachio lovers, so we had zero regrets about our dessert choice. All in all, an enjoyable, pleasant, meal. I had mild food envy for the woman next to our table who ordered the fried whole black bass...and so I may have to go back... read more

Lantern - Vietnamese catfish :) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Lantern is great, and offers multiple seating areas each with a different vibe. We ate up in the dark, sexy bar area. I would have preferred the beautiful indoor / outdoor area, which is calm and relaxing. Overall, it's a beautiful space. We had the okra, which was unbelievable. I love okra, and this was lightly battered and fried to perfection. We also had the salt and pepper shrimp, which was tasty but not my fave. Finally, we had the dumplings. NOTE: the dumplings are completely forgettable. Take them off the menu. They add NOTHING to the experience. I'm sure they're made of quality ingredients but they tasted no different than thousands of dumplings (even frozen) that I've had at all price points. For dinner, I had the flounder, which was gorgeous and perfectly executed. Dessert was awesome! I had a plum pudding something or other, and opted for cream fraiche ice cream instead of the clove. It was great, and not too sweet. I'm really happy with desserts that have a lot of flavor and not a ton of sugar. This was exactly what I wanted. I really LOVE the cocktail menu, by the way. I had the junebug, and it was delicious and bubbly. The ice cubes are perfect little cubes, and I couldnt get enough of them. It was just a really nice touch. But I would like to reiterate: DISPENSE with the dumplings! read more

Lantern - Flounder is their specialty! And it was wonderful - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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This is a cute place in franklin street with really good service. However I thought the food was just okay. We started off with drinks and my husband got a bout an mixed drink which was good and I got a glass of wine. For apps we ordered the Chaat which was very flavorful and had good texture. It was my favorite out of everything we ordered. The chickpeas were crispy and the chutney on it was super yummy. We also got the mushroom and cabbage dumplings and that was good as well but again the chaat was the best. I also has the NC crab and pork spring rolls. I thought these could have been crispier. The sauce that came with it was good but nothing amazing. We split the wok seared rice noodles because I was pretty full after the apps. I felt like it was overpriced as it was veggie and there were not any super expensive ingredients in it. I also thought it lacked flavor. It came with a chili oil to top it with but I still thought that more could have been done to it to make it better. We did not get dessert so I can't comment on that. Overall the food was just okay. The service was outstanding. And I felt like the place was overpriced which I rarely ever say. read more

Lantern - NC crab and pork spring rolls - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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