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    Novo Lantern

    4.5 (37 reviews)
    Open • 11:30 am - 10:30 pm

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    NOVO LANTERN ATMOSPHERE

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    Peking duck
    Erin O.

    A delicious and romantic date night spot!! My husband and I loved our experience here from start to finish, and we'll definitely be back. The service is very attentive and the ambience of the restaurant is very polished, making it feel relaxed, yet higher end. We started with some dan dan gnocchi, which was recommended by other Yelpers. This dish was delicious and probably my favorite of the night. The peking duck was also great and had interesting toppings (the homemade hoisin sauce was absolutely amazing). The house-made pork soup dumplings were also a great dish for us to end our night on. There was a perfect balance of soup, meat, and dumpling that made it one of the better soup dumplings I've had in Boston.

    Magda C.

    The Dan Dan GNOCCHI was very interesting. Good portions to share, flavor and taste is all there. Nice selection of vegetarian too.

    IG: happyfoodietown
    Vy D.

    Great Chinese food in the middle of Boston. I love the family style dining. I had: 1. Pecking duck 2. Duck soup 3. Xiao long bao 4. Sizzling beef

    String beans
    Mary I.

    The soup dumplings are incredibly flavorful and they are on the medium side. There are only 3 of them. There is a very cute old Asian lady rolling them fresh for everyone to see. She is so kind and sweet. The string beans are very flavorful. The scallion and oil noodles are not good at all and lack flavor. This place is on the expensive side. However the portions are medium sized! Except the dumplings. I think there should be more

    This dish was garbage -- it's a common Chinese dish and I can name many other restaurants that know how to make this dish well.
    Tulsa H.

    Food was actually below average and nowhere close to being authentic. Seems as if they're selling to those unfamiliar with Chinese food. When asked what's their recommendations, the server said Beef With Broccoli! That's the very fake Chinese food Americans get at Panda Express! See the photos here: nothing was good about the food here. The crispy pork (see picture) was garbage -- it's a common Chinese dish and I can name many other restaurants that know how to make this dish well -- example, B2J Tasty Pot in Allston can do it way way better than Novo Lantern. Without exaggeration, I don't know how to make this dish, but am quite confident I can look up a recipe online and make it instantly better than what was served here... The server appeared to be either careless, or just extremely high, didn't even put in the order but lied that it was coming... The only thing pleasant about Novo Lantern was the hostess who seated us.

    Gabby A.

    Novo Lantern is a very clean, polished, and delicious spot in Boston's South End! We were greeted with some pickled cabbage and carrots when we sat down, to enjoy while we perused their menu. For all of those who usually come to Yelp to look at photos (me!), they provided a version of the menu with photos of each dish! Our server was very kind and attentive throughout the entire meal. Food came out quick and was very fresh - we could even see a chef working on it from our table! Scallion noodles were my personal favorite. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options as well, which is great. Definitely recommend!

    Chris T.

    This spot is right on Washington and Mass ave, parking on Washington has meters be sure to be courteous if you find a spot and park close to the sidewalk, it is a BUS lane next to you after all. The restaurant is done up nice! Great for small group of friends or date night / luncheon. Sesame bread with scallion oil - free right now and was nice, light, and paired well with the scallion oil dip! Fish roe soup dumpling- texture of the dumpling was really nice for me; the wrap was not overly thick and held the soup pretty well. HANDMADE fresh when you order at the dumpling stand near the back. The filling was well marinated and the broth was flavorful. I enjoyed. Wish they did 5-6 pcs for the price but I'm happy with the dish though Sizzling beef onion and peppers, could be the style from the region of China the cuisine is from but I'm used to canto style with some more salty seasoning and black pepper sauce style. Overall meat was tender; flames table side YES haha the charred pieces were tasty! Salt pepper squid and cod enjoyed this dish for the texture, light batter, and well cooked seafoood. Now the seasoning was all on the onions and peppers BUT the protein had no seasoning. Unfortunate miss here. Fried flounder hot and spicy - YES YES, like taipei style food i enjoyed this dish a lot. Fresh fish fillet, battered, fried, great seasoning. Overall i think the prices are a tad higher than i would have felt this cuisine should be at per dish but can't complain too much since i did enjoy the food overall. Server named Jack A+ service my guy! Appreciate you!

    Pork Soup Dumplings
    Jackie P.

    Stopped by Novo Lantern recently and had a good experience. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the service was attentive the entire meal. One of the coolest parts was watching the dumplings being made in front of us. It added such a nice touch and gave the whole place a really cozy, yet upscaled, authentic feel. We ordered the Cucumber Salad, Pork Soup Dumplings, Lantern House Braised Beef, Sizzling Cumin Lamb, and the Scallion Oil Noodles. Honestly, every dish tasted pretty good, especially the cucumbers and lamb. While the flavors are fairly classics and can be find elsewhere, the vibe and attention to detail make it a spot worth trying at least once.

    Menu
    Benny D.

    Very exciting to have an authentic Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood. They just opened in January 2026 and have a smaller menu for now. Not too much customers currently but here is my thoughts of the food: The Soup Dumplings are decent to good. Good when you crave it. Salted & Pepper Cod and Calamari is really good. Seasoned perfectly. Sizzling King Oyster is a great vegan options. It's king oyster mushroom that is chopped to small cubes and stir fried. Overall, food is seasoned well and hits the spot.

    Ian W.

    Novo Lantern opened for business on January 8, 2026 at the corner of Washington St & Mass Ave. At the time of this posting, they were in their soft opening phase with a limited menu, which offered a selection of handmade dumplings, noodles & rice dishes, wok fried dishes, appetizers, hot tea, & soft drinks. The pricing is moderate. The place has a bright full service dining room and also offers takeout. I stopped by Novo Lantern for a mid-afternoon meal and dined-in. The server informed me they just opened on Thursday and still in the soft opening phase, everything was homemade. I was given a menu and ice water. I ordered the Pork Soup Dumplings (3 for $8 plus tax), Crab Roe Soup Dumplings (3 for $9 plus tax), and the Egg Fried Rice ($17 plus tax). While I was waiting, a server brought out complementary homemade sesame cake with oil dipping sauce. The round sesame cake was hot and soft, very good. The soup dumplings arrived first with ginger sauce provided, followed by the fried rice. The soup dumplings were very hot filled with a light broth & meat fillings. The fried rice had strips of scrambled egg & scallions in soft lightly fried rice. The rice was a great dish for absorbing the broth from the dumplings. After I was done, I was given the check which was $36.38 with tax and before tip. A handheld payment reader was brought over so I could tap & pay by card. Overall, a very good early dinner at Novo Lantern with good informative service by two servers. I will have to stop back for more dumplings and other Chinese dishes when their menu is expanded.

    Hand-made soup dumplings
    Sandy H.

    We ordered the pork soup dumplings, Sizzling Scallion & Onion Beef, Dan Dan Gnocchi, and Sesame Pancake. I was honestly impressed watching the soup dumplings being made fresh right in front of us. They came out plump, juicy, and packed with flavor -- definitely the highlight of the meal for me. I seriously could've eaten another round. They are a little pricey at $8 for 3 dumplings, but the freshness made it feel worth trying at least once. The scallion beef was tender, savory, and really satisfying with the rice. The sesame pancake was decent but a little bland for my taste, and I wish the gnocchi came with more sauce because the flavor was actually really good. Overall, it was a fun dining experience with a nice atmosphere and a few standout dishes. I'd honestly come back just for the soup dumplings alone.

    General su tofu
    Rachel S.

    I visited for their lunch special on a weekday, and it was easy finding a table for the group of us. The staff were all very friendly, but it took 20 minutes for the food to arrive. My favorite part was honestly the complementary pancakes every table gets. We tried the fish and the general su tofu dishes ($16 or so), and the lunch special came with egg drop soup and rice. While my friends liked the fish, the tofu dish was rather disappointing with the tofu being dry if not in sauce and seemingly having an air-fried texture. The two pieces of steamed broccoli tasted fresh but were cold and seemed out of a frozen bag. I appreciated that there were plenty of vegan options on the menu, but I'd definitely choose something else if I were coming back. Overall some of the food was good, and I loved the free pancake appetizers, but be prepared to wait and maybe pick a different tofu dish than the general su tofu.

    Interior
    Lizzie Y.

    Novo Lantern is a rather new Chinese fusion restaurant in South End that opened earlier this year! We visited around 3pm and had no trouble getting a table for two. We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to order & requested for the following 4 dishes: - crabmeat soup dumplings -fried cod and calamari -sizzling scallion fried beef -hot & spicy fried flounder fish Each table gets a complimentary scallion sesame pancake/bread with scallion olive oil to start. It came with four pieces & was pretty tasty! The scallion olive oil was subtle but lovely. The star of the show for me was their crab meat soup dumplings! We were kind of bummed out when we saw that they only do 3 soup dumplings/order, whereas most places do at least 4-5 dumplings. Once we tried the dumplings, we immediately understood why it was $9/3 pieces... SO GOOD! I might even go as far as to say, best soup dumplings we've tried in town? Everything from the filling, the dumpling soup broth, and skin was PERFECTION! Very FLAVORFUL and honestly great size per dumpling. They make the dumplings in house & have a counter in the back of the restaurant where you're able to see the staff make the dumplings fresh! The second dish that arrived to our table was the fried cod and calamari. We almost always order calamari whenever we go out to eat & this was not bad! It was a generous amount of cod & calamari. I do wish that they included the tentacles (my favorite part!) and not just the body of the calamari. This dish was also under salted, so we did have to ask for some salt from our server. The sizzling scallion fried beef was under salted, as well. I always love getting sizzling plate dishes, especially when they light it on fire hahaha but flavor was definitely lacking here. This was my least favorite of all the dishes we ordered but I have the say, the beef was very tender and soft! Lastly, we had the hot & spicy fried flounder fish. It wasn't spicy at all honestly and unlike the previous two dishes, this was TOO salty for my liking. I noticed they sprinkled a lot of salt and I found it hard to eat w/o pairing it with some rice. I believe they use a black bean sauce for flavor... which is usually pretty salty already. Other than the black bean sauce, I felt like it was missing some depth in flavor I would've liked to see. I did, however, like the batter they used, how they fried it to be perfectly light + crispy, and fish itself was cooked well. Overall, I'm glad we were able to try a couple of different dishes & now we know which ones we like! Would for sure come back again for their soup dumplings. Their service was AMAZING. Very rarely do I say that but the server we had was incredibly attentive and checked up on us every few minutes! Parking: street meter parking

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    5 days ago

    The made to order dumplings are phenomenal! The Lantern House Braised Beef was a revelation! Well worth the trip down to Mass Ave.

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    19 days ago

    Service and food were amazing!! The owner is so lovely. Highly recommend the pork buns and seafood soup dumplings.

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    5 months ago

    Amazing quality food, great hospitality and service. Very good with allergies and accommodations. 10/10 would recommend trying.

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    8 months ago

    Get on to this place early because it's great... I live in the neighborhood and this will be my go to for great food.... 5 stars​

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    Mountain House

    Mountain House

    4.4(212 reviews)
    2.9 mi•Allston/Brighton
    Casual dining
    Romantic vibe

    Perhaps it's been too long since I've had good Chinese food, but this is the first time I've found…read moreSichuan cuisine to be this delicious... This is the closest I've had to modern Chinese cuisine in Boston so far. Swing Pork Belly 晾衣白肉: My first time trying Lizhuang pork belly, I'd heard so much about it! The pork belly was sliced ​​very thinly, chilled to perfection, and served with refreshing cucumber slices--not greasy at all. The minced fresh garlic was a bit too spicy for me, but the chili oil was very fragrant, making it very flavorful overall. Yibin Style Ran Noodles 宜賓燃麵: Another first time trying this, how could noodles be so delicious... The alkaline noodles were thin and firm, with a great texture; the flavor was oily, savory, and slightly spicy, with a delightful sweet aftertaste--fragrant but not greasy. The cucumber shreds added to the overall refreshing taste. Green Pepper Mao Xue Wang 青一色毛血旺: My first time trying Maoxuewang with green peppers, and it was surprisingly fresh and clean, with a medicinal aroma. The spiciness was only mild, and it wasn't oily at all. The ingredients were good: the pig's blood and konjac were smooth and chewy, the pork aorta was crisp and springy, the celtuce were crisp, and the eel shreds were chewy and crunchy--a very rich selection. Spicy Frog Lover 舌尖上的蛙跳: Relatively average. It had the classic Sichuan boiling flavor, but the broth was almost like it had been thickened with cornstarch; the frog meat was a bit firm, not tender; and the pickled vegetables were too acidic.

    Mountain House was a solid Sichuan meal. We ordered the sliced beef and tripe in chili oil, Sichuan…read moreboiled beef, and Chongqing style spicy chicken. Everything came out flavorful, spicy, and packed with that numbing Sichuan peppercorn kick. The spicy chicken was probably my favorite crispy, well seasoned, and loaded with dried chilies. The boiled beef had a rich, spicy broth and was great with rice. The beef and tripe appetizer was also really good and had a nice balance of chili oil, sesame, peanuts, and that signature mala flavor. Portions were generous and the food definitely delivered if you're looking for authentic, bold Sichuan flavors. Overall, a very good meal and somewhere I'd come back to.

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    Mountain House
    Mountain House
    Mountain House

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    JiangNan - Boston - 金汤娃娃菜, Baby Cabbage in Chicken Broth

    JiangNan - Boston

    4.3(361 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    •$$

    Great food here always!…read more We decided to eat here after line dancing at the Boston Common. We ordered mapo tofu and the kung pao chicken with rice. Both yummy and delicious. A bit spicy but so good couldn't stop eating! We were so full! Service was friendly and food came out fairly quickly. Place was crowded lots of people which is always a good sign. This is a beautiful restaurant, very elegant decor. Overall great experience!

    I came here with my mom and fiancé on a Wednesday evening, after seeing good reviews. It's a pretty…read moresmall spot right off of the Common. We ordered the pork xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), the shengjianbao (pan-fried pork buns), honey walnut shrimp, the stir-fried sliced beef, the water spinach w/ fermented bean sauce, and the stir-fried lotus roots. The beef, shrimp, water spinach, and XLBs were the high points. The beef was cooked in a slightly numbing sauce. The shrimp was perfectly crispy and doused in the signature sweet sauce. We didn't prefer the shengjiangbao, because the filling was a bit dry rather than juicy. The lotus roots were also pretty lightly seasoned - we had expected some more flavor. This is a solid Chinese spot in Boston! I think there are a ton of classic dishes done well. The service was a bit slow to me (it took about 30 min to get our first appetizers and we had to prompt for the check). It didn't wow me overall, but it was tasty.

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    JiangNan - Boston - Bar area

    Bar area

    JiangNan - Boston - Stir fry spicy beef

    Stir fry spicy beef

    JiangNan - Boston - Stir-fried String Beans $16.95 W.minced Pork 干煸四季豆

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    Stir-fried String Beans $16.95 W.minced Pork 干煸四季豆

    BOS Sichuan Taste

    BOS Sichuan Taste

    4.0(34 reviews)
    2.9 mi•Allston/Brighton

    This past weekend I saw a free delivery special from Door Dash so decided to give this place a…read moreshot. I had just tried Boston Soup Dumpling and wanted to see how the two compared. I was shocked by the price for the soup dumplings...until they arrived. $12 is great until you realize they're bite size. I'm also not sure if it was because I got them delivered, but they were rlly lacking soup. They were frankly a bit dry. The entire order didn't come with any sauces either so I had to use what I had at home. The chili pork dumplings made up for the soup ones. Super solid. They have their dough down to a science. Some of the best I've had. I am not sure I'd order from here again, gonna stick with Boston Soup Dumpling for time being!

    in my opinion this is a great spot for sichuan food (i am surprised by the negative reviews). BOS…read morehas a minimalist aesthetic and a large menu of options. We got the wontons, dan dan noodles, and i believe a sezchuan pork noodle dish. The wontons were fantastic, the pork was so well seasoned, the casing was soft, and the sezchuan was delicious and the perfect amount of spicy. I wasn't sure abotu the dan dan based on appearance being just the meat and noodles but the meat was seasoned very well, so it was super flavorful. The noodles were bouncy, and the sauce gave you the classic numb! The last noodle dish we got was good, not super memorable. Service was fast!

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    BOS Sichuan Taste
    BOS Sichuan Taste
    BOS Sichuan Taste

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    Cubist Circle - Yu hsian shredded pork (鱼香肉丝)

    Cubist Circle

    4.3(26 reviews)
    2.2 mi•Brookline Village

    A solid Chinese restaurant for the area. I have been to its Weymouth location. Not sure if this…read morelocation is newer than Weymouth or not. Limited street parking out front, but there are more street metered parking on the side street (next to the green line). The restaurant is much smaller than the Weymouth location, and the menu selection is also different. The server asked me to scan the QR code on the table for the menu, so I'm not sure if they have a paper menu. You can place the order directly via the QR code. I requested one dish to be non-spicy, and they were able to accommodate that. The only thing was that both dishes were a little bit too salty than my liking. I came here during a weekday lunch, and it wasn't super busy. I would return again.

    The best of the best!! The fish in a pot (干锅鱼)is the best!! It was crispy outside and very juicy…read moreand tender inside, the flavor was perfectly balanced with salty, peppery, and chili seasoning. Beef and tripe was very well seasoned and no weird taste at all. The duck blood is the best duck blood in Boston, very tender and delicious. The cost of the dishes surprisingly a little bit cheaper than other restaurants. Even though the restaurant was super super busy, a lot of people waiting for a seat, and there was only one server, a very friendly man, we had water refilled and all the dishes arrived quickly. The service was great. Because the food was so good, many people willing to wait for a seat. I love the small busy restaurant kind of ambience. I will definitely go back soon!

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    Cubist Circle
    Cubist Circle - Chongqing noodles (重庆小面)

    Chongqing noodles (重庆小面)

    Cubist Circle - Mellow lunching

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    Mellow lunching

    Novo Lantern - dimsum - Updated October 2026

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