I previously had a bad experience trying to order from here. I wasn't able to get any food previously. I decided to try them again. I"m glad I did. Very good soup dumplings and scallion pancakes! We also had the sesame chicken (+$3 for white meat) and the bbq pork lo mein. Both were good. We will definitely add them to the rotation when we order out. read more

So happy I found this gem! Had tickets for a show at the Wellmont Theater and was looking for a nearby place for a quick bite before. We made reservations for 2 hours before the show and good thing since the place was packed about 10 minutes after we got there and there were other tables reserved- so plan ahead if you can to make the reservation. Very cute and decorated inside. The ordering system is through an iPad and actually allows you to see each dish your ordering. For appetizers we went with wontons in chili oil, chicken dumplings, and pork bao buns. I got chicken and broccoli as my entree and my fiance got a chili chicken dish. Everything was fabulous and relatively affordable for the amount of things we got. I can't wait to come back and try more things they offer! read more

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amazing service, ambiance, and fantastic food! This place has it all! We went during a cool Sunday afternoon and it wasn't too busy, but I'd recommend reservations just to be on the safer side. Ordering is done via tablet on your table - super easy, and so many options! We tried quite a few items and everything was fresh and high quality. Portions are great for sharing or taking home if you order more than you can eat. I always go for chicken and broccoli, as well as scallion pancake and both were AMAZING. Highly recommend! Will be back for more! read more

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I ordered food from Uber eats so I can't speak about the ambience and service of the restaurant, I can only speak about the food. I ordered steamed pork buns and chicken lo mein. The pork buns were good although one of them was kind of shriveled and not as plump and soft as the others. The lo mein was a little disappointing. It was kind of dry and didn't have much flavor. I may have gotten an old batch. Overall, it was alright. I'd like to go in person and see if there is a difference in the food. read more

Paper Lantern - Chicken lo mein - Chinese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Paper Lantern in Montclair gets five stars from me for both dine-in and takeout/delivery. I was at a sit-down dinner at the restaurant yesterday. We were a party of three. When we walked in, the host greeted us and brought us to one of the tables. She handed us tablet menus. Here's what we ordered and had family style: ** Spring Roll - recommended. 3 pieces, so each of us had one. ** Garlic Cucumber Salad - fresh, flavorful, and vegan. may require high-level chopstick dexterity (slippery). ** Shrimp Dumpling - you don't see this often on menus and many places don't pull if off. it was fine here. It's har gow, but it's not har gow. too much wrapping? idk what it was, but it didn't work for me. Maybe I was thrown off by the broccoli on there. ** Mapo Tofu - legit! ** Eggplant in garlic sauce - husband-approved ** Chongqing spicy chicken - this was my and my friend's favorite dish that arrived to the table. You must love heat. The crew running the late lunch/dinner shift yesterday were on their top game, which is a major factor of the five star experience you'll get from Paper Lantern. A friendly and welcoming vibe, and liveliness and energy emanating from each dining party table. I've also ordered from Paper Lantern via Uber Eats. Fan of the Boletus Mushroom Fried Rice and Kung Pao Chicken. They use nice noodles too for Cold Sesame Noodles. read more

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Paper lantern is a solid choice for any dim sum needs. I have yet to eat there in person but no complaints whenever we order delivery. Highly recommend their shrimp dumplings, pork soup dumplings and their bao! read more

Paper Lantern - Chinese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

I stopped in at this restaurant for dinner! When I arrived I parked on the street nearby. I walked into and the place was busy. I was greeted and sat and served by Victor and he was great! I ordered: Iceberg Lemonade Slush Shrimp Dumplings Fried Chow Fun With Chicken Beef with Broccoli Peking Duck with Bao Buns The drinks was delicious! I also really loved the Shrimp Dumplings and the Fried Chow Fun With Chicken! It was a really good experience! read more

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Okay I was very impressed by this location. We had a long tough day as a family and arrived about a half hour before close and they happily sat us. We ordered a TON of food and it all came out delicious and quickly. I was also so impressed with how well priced their meals are. Would both return and recommend! read more

Paper Lantern - Chinese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

This was the second time I visited.. I came with my family and I ordered noodle dish but it had curry in it.. I asked to return it and the waitress said "no" smh, so we had to pay for dish I didn't eat.. I was turn off the fact I couldn't exchange the dish for something else without having to buy another dish..Due to that I won't return.. The first time I came the food was a little salty but I returned to retry it again but it didn't work out.. read more

I rarely leave reviews, but this experience was significant enough that it warrants being documented. A group of approximately 15 of us stopped by during a food crawl, excited to try the dumplings. The restaurant was nearly empty, with only one table occupied. When one of my friends--a Black woman--politely asked about seating, she was immediately asked if we had a reservation. After she said no, we were told they could not accommodate us, despite the visible availability. We made it clear we were more than willing to split into smaller groups and did not need to sit together. That request was also denied. Taking them at their word, we began placing takeout orders. During this process, another staff member approached us rather abruptly and told us to make our orders to go, reinforcing the idea that we would not be seated. What happened next was both striking and difficult to ignore. Several members of our group--who are white--unaware of the prior interaction, separately asked for a table. They were immediately accommodated without being asked about a reservation. At that point, it became evident that there was a clear inconsistency in how patrons were being treated. When we brought this to the staff's attention, the explanations we received were contradictory and unconvincing. We were told we could not be seated because we had already placed takeout orders--orders we had only made after being instructed to do so. We were then told that had we paid and tipped, things might have been different, which was both confusing and inappropriate. Only after we explicitly pointed out the disparity did the staff suddenly offer to seat us, hastily attempting to rearrange tables. By then, the damage had been done. The experience had already created an atmosphere that felt unwelcoming and discriminatory. We briefly spoke with the manager, who appeared dismissive and uninterested in addressing the situation meaningfully. At no point was there a sincere acknowledgment of the issue or an effort to take accountability. We ultimately stayed only briefly out of principle, but it was clear we were no longer comfortable. It is unfortunate, as we had been genuinely looking forward to dining here. Instead, what should have been an enjoyable outing was overshadowed by an experience that felt inequitable and deeply disappointing. I hope the management takes this as an opportunity to reflect and implement better training and oversight. Every customer deserves to feel equally welcomed and respected--anything less is unacceptable. read more

I came here for dinner on a Thursday evening and it was decently busy. Overall, it was a good experience. The service is good and the vibe is great, but the food needs work, especially for the price. Their main dishes were good but some of their appetizers could be better. My favorite dish that I felt was most authentic was the Spicy Boiled Beef. Their Cumin Lamb was really good too. The scallion pancake roll was very good too cause the pancakes was very flaky and crispy. The Wonton in Chili oil was also tasty. However, the most disappointing was probably their Soup Dumplings and the Pan-Fried Buns. The buns weren't fried enough and the meat inside was a small little sliver, so you're eating 90% dough, even though the dough was tasty. The bottom should have been more crispy. The Soup Dumplings stuck to the paper and tore when you picked them up. Some of them were even already torn and broken when it got to the table, so you don't even get to taste the soup inside. The Shumai wasn't anything special either. Also, the crispy noodles you get when you first get there was SO greasy and oily. So overall, the food is hit or miss depending what you get but it seems like their main dishes are the selling point. It's a good BYOB authentic Chinese food spot to try. read more

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I am calling this place "un-take out". Craving Peking Duck and decided to give Paper Lantern a try. We started with Dim Sum--shumai, wontons in chili oil, steamed vegetable dumplings. Also had wonton soup. For mains, we ordered Peking duck, General Tso's chicken, and Beef and Broccoli. Everything was delicious. We love a good Chinese takeout for a quick fix. But if you want better without the commercial taste and not having to go to NYC's Chinatown, this is the place. read more

Paper Lantern - Checked in! - Chinese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Wasn't sure if they took reservations, but I called and they do. BYOB! We went Saturday night early @ 5:30 and they were empty. By the time we left the place was packed. Sat immediately and seemed a little aggressive before we sat. Offering water and hot tea, placing menus and just saying hello. I'm not complaining, but I'm more of a relaxed arrival diner. Let me take off the coat, sit down and look around. Having said that, all through the night the service was exceptional. Ordered a few appetizers. Dim Sum so be ready to share most items. Dan Dan Noodles had some heat, so it was a table favorite. Pork Potstickers were packed with flavor another fav. Spring Rolls we're a little small and bland. They reflected the low price, but I'd prefer to pay more for something better. Pork Soup Dumplings were my wife's entree and she had no issues. I didn't try one, but my daughter did and she said they were okay. Beijing Beef was tasty. Expected it to have a little more heat, but certainly sweet. Was expecting a sweet Heat, at least that's how I interpreted the servers description Overall, I didn't love it or hate it. Friendly staff and nice decor. Wish the dishes had a little more flavor and heat. While there it seems like thy do a big take out service. Which, I'd put them in that category. Much better quality take out Chinese, but you can dine in if you want. Field goal is good!!! read more

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I've been looking for a local chinese restaurant that I can go to and can definitely say that I will be back. The interior is cozy and the waitstaff very attentive. I ordered the garlic eggplant and vegetable chow fun. Both were really good. Not greasy or tasting of msg. The Garlic eggplant was spicy- just the right amount. My friend ordered the pork dumplings and really enjoyed that as well. read more

Great: Food was fresh and looked great, great ambience. Good/ok: Taste. Service. Didn't hit the spot. read more

Pleasant Sichuan & Modern Chinese restaurant that has a droolworthy menu & a warm ambiance. Must try delicious items are the wontons with chili oil, singapore style rice noodles & Sichuan style fish hot pot. The kung pao chicken was underwhelming. Service is fast & courteous. A good dependable neighborhood restaurant. read more

Paper Lantern - J4. Sichuan Chili Fish Fillet (Chef Recommended) - Chinese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

What an absolutely delightful experience!!!everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. We had a party of 8 and they accommodated us with pleasure. We ordered cucumber salad, shrimp shumai, fried wontons! Super cool that we ordered on an iPad and our server confirmed what we picked and made recommendations. We ordered a beef dish, chicken, shrimp. The kids LOVED the fried rice! And traditional chicken and broccoli everything came out quickly. Food was honestly perfect.... But the star of our entire experience was the service. Our Server Daniel was just one of a kind! So patient with all of our questions, taught our kids the coolest tricks with paper fan toys, helped us pick food and was just so filled with JOY! You can really feel when someone loves what they do. As we left he gifted our children Chinese Paper Lantern. We left full, and so grateful for such a wonderful experience. Please come experience this gem it won't disappoint. read more

The soup dumplings were delicious, thin wrapper and yummy broth. The cucumber salad was also super yummy and a little kick that wasn't tongue numbing, also a good portion. The thai rice noodles was super flavorful (I will be coming back to have this). The sesame chicken had big pieces of chicken instead of the usual small pieces most places do. Everything tasted fresh and I don't think we waited that long for our food. Staff was also friendly and attentive. read more

What could improve? Everything. Either flavorless or bland. Yes I asked for my tofu to be not spicy. This does not mean that the only flavor is something resembling soggy cardboard. Straight into the garbage. Kung pao chicken mild does not mean that it is somehow just a sugar sauce. Again: no flavor to be found. The wonton soup was nice. Actually to be accurate the soup was largely flavorless but the wontons were nice. Which was surprising given the order of Fried wontons - four pathetic little bits of nothing which were completely flavorless and had no sauce to go with them. I don't know on what planet they sell these things but it's not Earth. Blech and a ripoff. I did not think it was possible to mess up wontons in chili oil. I was wrong. There should be a softness or a sweetness as a back note not just dump in some harsh chili oil. Nobody taught the chef this. The spicy fish fillet and bean sauce - asked for not spicy - no sauce. Very fishy tasting. Very tender which was nice but doesn't make up for the rest of it. Now the Yangtze fried rice a.k.a. Yang Chow fried rice was PROPER for what it is supposed to be. NOT soaked in soy sauce and full of wok hei. Worth coming back for this. Even the shrimp in it were tender which is harder and harder to find these days. Unfortunately really good Yang Chow fried rice is not enough to go back to a restaurant. This is my second time trying it and clearly I had not made my notes on the first time clear to myself because no. Just no. Not when there are dozens and dozens of better Chinese restaurants around. read more

Pretty good Chinese food spot. Easy to order. Quick service. Friendly service. Very bright restaurant and you order on iPads. Food is very yummy and a good go to. Not too busy or loud. read more

See the before and after of the Peking duck. Within a 2 year time Space. This place ain't the same. Idk what's going on. Bye bye. read more

Paper Lantern - Chinese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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I am so excited about the opening of this restaurant. Located right on Bloomfield Ave, the decor is really beautiful and the soft music sets a peaceful vibe. All of the servers were very attentive and friendly. The menu is Szechuan heavy, so there are many spicy options. This is not your usual takeout spot. This is authentic Chinese cuisine. I order the Scallion Pancake Beef Roll and the Beef in Golden Soup. The Pancake was so crispy and flaky, and inside was tender beef with cucumber and hoisin sauce. This would be a crowd pleaser. The Beef Soup was just stunning! Served in a large casserole, the pot is brimming with a beautiful broth, pieces of cabbage and mushrooms, succulent beef, and rice noodles. I felt like this was something that a grandma would serve on a chilly day. The broth has a vinegary bite that is addictive. It is a large portion, easily enough for three people. I had plenty left to take home. There are so many interesting dishes that I cannot wait to try. I am already planning on returning with more people, so that I can try more things! read more

Grand opening weekend kinks! Definitely giving the benefit of the doubt. My husband and I dined here during the grand opening weekend. We came on Fri night around 6:20pm. We were greeted when we walked in and seated right away. The restaurant was clean and tables were spaced comfortably. We were brought out complimentary tea and wontons. We enjoyed the steamed pork soup dumplings, pan fried pork dumplings, and chicken fried rice. The first to come out were the pan fried pork buns, then soup dumplings and fried rice. Everything came out pretty fast (~10-15min) and tasted great. We then ordered another order of soup dumplings and we waited an hour and it never came so we just canceled. The restaurant started getting pretty busy around 7pm and I don't think they were prepared or staffed for it to fill up so quickly. There were only 2 servers for the entire restaurant and every table was seated. The poor servers were running around like crazy trying to keep up. They definitely worked hard and I know it wasn't their fault. It appeared that the kitchen was also backed up on take out orders as well , which I feel like they should have stopped taking at some point. It was also pretty cold in the restaurant as if they didn't want to turn the heat on. Other than that the food I did try was really good. I will definitely come back once the opening kinks are worked out since the servers were so apologetic and the food was good ! read more

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Checked out this place for their grand opening and it did not disappoint! It's hard to find good Chinese food in the area so I'm glad this place opened up. All of the food that we got was excellent and delicious! The wait was a little long due to how small but busy the place was but it was worth it. Would definitely come back again. read more

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I ordered their marble goby stone pot fish dish . By the time I opened it at home, the soup spilled everywhere, there was barely half of it left in the container. The remaining broth was just a shallow puddle. Now let's talk about the fish. I originally thought marble goby was a small fish based on what I received. But after Googling it, I realized marble goby is actually a pretty large fish. Clearly, what I got was maybe one-tenth of a whole fish -- for a $40 dish. I finished all the fish meat in about three minutes. There were no vegetables included, except for a few sad slices of green pepper. The rest of the dish was just rice cakes and glass noodles. I honestly don't know why they even bother running a restaurant. If you're just trying to grab money like this, there are probably easier ways than pretending to serve food read more

Paper Lantern - Marble goby J3. Stone Pot Fish(Marble Goby) (Chef Recommended) - Chinese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

We ordered the Beijing Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, Air Fried Cauliflower, Shrimp Lo Mein, Chicken Lo Mein, and a Strawberry Lemon and Mango Peach drinks. I give it 3 stars more so because there's nothing really special about this place. The food tastes okay, place is clean and you have to order everything through a tablet even a fork, nothing I would write home about though the Cauliflower dish was the best thing we ate. I gave it 3 stars because the manager (I'm assuming it was a manager) spent the better part of the night berating one of the workers for something that happened earlier in the day. Since there's nothing that "separates" the back of the store they were right by our table and he kept scolding her. At one point he even told her to go up front and call a customer over the phone(a customer who didn't pay) and take another employee with her. Then when she did, he called her over the walkie talkie and said "nevermind come clean off this table!" just ping ponging her back and forth. The way he was talking to her I would have quit but I'm guessing she needs the job which is understandable! This is no way to treat your employees and this entire situation could have been handled when the restaurant closed or in the office AWAY from the patrons. read more

Paper Lantern - Dry-Fired Organic Cauliflower, Beijing beef, Shrimp Lo Mein, Chicken Lo Mein, Kung Pao Chicken, Mango Peach drink, Strawberry Lemon Drink - Chinese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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I went here for Mother's Day dinner. The interior was clean and nicely decorated. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Most of the dishes were spicy but delicious. On my way out, one of the staff gave me a rose and wished me a happy Mother's Day. I'll definitely be back to try more of their dishes. read more

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our experience at this restaurant was great. we got the bolentus fried rice with beef which was really delicious- it had an interesting and yummy peppery flavor. the ribs were also really good! service was also great- our water cups were refilled several times during our time at this restaurant, which was great. the owner was super friendly and even enlightened us about chinese culture, which i appreciated. i also liked how they divided the meat dishes by "land", "sea", and "air" read more

Major hit with our four year old granddaughters The peaking duck with bao was a major hit They loved the thin rice noodle with chicken dish as well Came back two nights in a row New spot for us Service was friendly and on top of things. Nice decor read more

Tried this place out today and liked it quite a bit. The soupy pork dumplings are as good as any to be had in NY-NJ area, I believe. The wonton dumplings in chili oil were something new for me, quite good, and the house special lo mein was excellent. My wife is hypercritical about food, and wasn't quite as enthused about the mabu-dofu, but I thought it was fine. Because we had spent $30 on a Wednesday we got some free potstickers to take home. Ambiance and service are fine, and we will be going back. read more

We ordered 4 twice-cooked Pork for four people. The proportions were absolutely awful. I did order takeout so it could be that you get less with a takeout order, but the amount of meat we got was equivalent to one dish. It was mostly vegetables which isn't terrible but if the dish is advertised as a meat dish you would think there would be more than 3 strips of pork belly. Extremely oily, but it was flavorful. However, even though the flavor was nice, the proportions, lack of meat, abundance of oil takes away from the flavor. Even after the meal, we are still hungry. I will try it one more time dine-in to see if the proportion sizes are better and will change review then. read more

The appetizers - the pork buns, scallion pancakes and veg dumplings were incredible The entrees, chicken with broccoli, bok Choi, string beans were delicious The only reason I gave them 4 stars was th Er lamb entree was very stringy But what a fantastic meal Must revisit as there is so much more to try read more

Paper Lantern is the latest Montclair treasure. From the moment you walk in you realize you're in for a treat. The decor and lighting is perfectly curated for a calming dining experience. The waitstaff is super attentive and friendly. Every dish is better than the last. In the 2 times we've been there, we got the fried wontons with chili oil, soup dumplings, BBQ spareribs, Szechuan beef stir fry, chicken and broccoli, and General Tso's chicken. Each one has its own very distinct flavor profile, with spices and flavors that pack a punch without overdoing it. For such amazing quality, the price points are more than reasonable. And I can't wait to branch out to try more dishes. If you've been wanting to try it, go for it. read more

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Take out here can be iffy. I just ordered a few dishes and most were good, especially the string beans and pork fried dumplings. However, the salt and pepper shrimp were awful. They were so overcooked that they were mushy when you removed the shell. C'mon guys, you can do better than that. read more

Best food and ambiance!!!! Highly recommend! Attended a lovely bridal shower and they were so attentive and caring!! Truly amazing experience! read more

The Szechuan style dishes are done very well here and make a great addition to the area. Had the cauliflower, string beans, and cumin lamb and enjoyed them all. Contrary to other negative reviews, pricing for this style of food is quite reasonable. If you're looking to order american-chinese staples here, then I'd probably stay away. read more

Delicious food and nice decor! Good service. Good atmosphere. Highly recommend Everything we ordered was good read more

I took out several dishes from Paper Lantern the other night, and I'd call my experience slightly uneven. The hot & sour soup was tasty but lacked a lot of the texture and ingredients I'm looking for, such as mushrooms. The scallion pancakes were tasty, and thankfully not as greasy as many I've had. The dried string beans were quite good, spicy but way too salty, and were highly overpriced at $18.95. The spare ribs were tasty, albeit a bit overly saucy. The Singapore noodles clearly stole the show. Quite flavorful and teeming with shrimp and other ingredients. Now, my biggest issue. How can a high end Chinese restaurant not have any "real" containers of hot mustard and duck sauce. Just those fairly tasteless plastic pouches that have been sitting around since the Ming Dynasty. Will I order again? Absolutely! But I'll be sure to have plenty of fresh mustard and duck sauce on hand before I do. read more

It recently opened and I think I'll need to return to give a fair rating. It was not busy, but the waitstaff seemed overwhelmed. The food was decent. I enjoyed my two dishe. The husband of wife special is a cold dish of beef, tripe, and tendons in chili oil. That was my favorite. It's like a spicy light meat salad. I ordered wanton soup to pair with it. The soup flavor was a bit strong for me but I enjoyed the wantons. However, I did not enjoy that it came in an asymmetrical soup bowl. It makes it difficult to scoop the wantons or hold the bowl of I wanted to. My husband had the general tso chicken with rice. We didn't care much for it because they were big pieces of chicken. Overall filling and for the price and location, it's worth a second try. read more

Paper Lantern - Chinese Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

Ordered delivery. My mistake. $102 take out order was delivered cold and had an incorrect/not as advertised menu item. Regarding the items orders, I do not recommend the pork buns (yuk), house fried rice---mostly rice, no flavor, no protein (very little pork, chicken or shrimp). I've had more sustenance, flavorful house fried rice from my local take out at less than 1/2 the price. There was nothing special about the other four items I ordered. Stick to your local Chinese takeout, you will regret paying for straying. read more