I was really excited to eat here, as there are a ton of great restaurants in this area. The restaurant itself is beautiful and clean. I went on a Wednesday night, it had a fair amount of customers, but it seemed like only one staff was waiting on everyone. We started outside, but it looked like it was going to rain so the server came to everyone outside to let them know what tables they would be seated at if it were to start raining. While I appreciate that gesture and have much patience for low staffed servers, they were more interested in the game on the tv and cheering loudly with each other than giving us plates to eat our appetizers. The drinks were okay, the whisky sour tasted like a whisky with ginger ale. Appetizers were great, we got the charcuterie board. Our entrees were pretty disappointing. On their Instagram, it shows that they serve bao buns. On the menu, they have an option where you can get "3 buns for 18 dollars" with a few options. I definitely should've asked if it was specifically the bao buns, so it's party my fault, but we were served 3 mini hamburger buns with breaded chicken lettuce and tomato. It was literally the same thing as a chicken patty that you got in high school. I'm not kidding. We also got the grilled chicken sandwich which was nothing special and the chicken tasted rubbery. It seems like they have a few good things on the menu but we just didn't get them. I'd come back for some appetizers and drinks at the bar, but don't think I will be returning for a meal. read more

The Lantern - The buns - Gastropubs Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

Solid brunch spot. Superb service and tasty food. Had fish and vegan tacos ; and avocado toast. Well presented , delicious , and decent portions. The waitstaff was especially charming and professional. read more

Sorry! Very disappointed! We had calamari for an appetizer, best part was the lemon aioli. Calamari was over cooked, not good! My husband had the Philly cheesesteak sandwich and it was so thin, the bread seemed like a hot dog roll. I tried the 6 inch shrimp pizza. The toppings tasted good but the dough was not cooked. I sent it back and when it came back, the toppings were hotter but the dough was still not cooked. We will not be returning!! read more

I finally made it to The Lantern, the latest restaurant to make a go of it in this wonderful but cursed location. Hopefully, they will be able to stick around. I'll admit that their menu doesn't exactly excite me, which is probably why I hadn't gone sooner. Nevertheless, I ordered the Detox salad and added shrimp. The salad was flavorful, light, and refreshing -- perfect for a warm day and the perfect accompaniment to a few glasses of rose. I will definitely return and try some other dishes in the future. read more

Was in town today for the Battle of Ridgefield and decided to randomly stop at The Lantern since we were hungry. I love the way the decor and aesthetic is. There was also a table of patrons who were dressed up in Revolutionary War garb so it definitely set a cool mood! Despite the busy conditions, the staff were kind, down to earth, and friendly. We sat at the bar and the man that served us (he seemed like the manager or owner and his name was Shaun) was amazing. Such a funny and friendly guy! He joked around with us and apologized for any wait times, which by the way were pretty short since we were only there for about 30-40 minutes. Now for the food. I ordered the smoked salmon sandwich which comes with fries and coleslaw. I thought it was a pretty interesting option on the menu and boy was it good!! It came cold on this multigrain flat bread with cheese on it. I will say the cheese, which I think was feta, was a bit much but that's no one fault and next time I'd love to try it without the cheese. The fries were pretty much the best kind of fries I've ever had. You know those thin crispy ones? Yeah those. And I'm not usually a fan of coleslaw but this one didn't have that overpowering mayo taste and I ended up eating all of it. Overall the food was great! I would totally recommend this place and would love to go back to try some different menu options and bar drinks. read more

Christmas Eve early evening with a good pal. Disappointed in service and quality of food. Few diners, our service was poor at best. Food was mediocre at best. Very disappointed... sigh. read more

The location is on Ethan Allen Highway. The appetizer was the "stuffed" mushrooms. It included 2 flattened rubbery mushrooms covered in spinach with a red pepper sauce that tasted spoiled. I ordered the $25 1/2lb Prime Ribeye, medium. The "ribeye" came with 3 different temperatures , dry, no taste. It was accompanied with weird breakfast potatoes. Weird packaged rolls. Weird run of the mill BBQ sauce (No Au jus = dry meat?) Drinks were fine. Stayed for trivia, the best part of the experience. read more

The Lantern - Prime ribeye - Gastropubs Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

Shared brunch here with my daughter a few weeks ago and enjoyed the decor and ambience. I had something new for me: an egg pizza. Just enough scrambled eggs and bacon, a little more crust than I'm accustomed to, but tasty and nice service. I'd like to come back and try something else another time. read more

The service was very friendly and timely, it was quite slow on a Wednesday evening which was good for us. The Resturaunt is casual and they have outdoor seating, the calamari was good, the salmon was great. The brisket was thinly sliced like bacon, a bit different than the smoked brisket that is about 1/4 inch juicy slices, but it was fine. read more

Nice little tavern! We had the cheese burgers on toasted buns. Cooked just right, also had a beer and fries. I will be back to try some more items. The servers were friendly and helpful. read more

We went just for take-out burgers...the place was packed for happy hour. Burgers were just okay.. average I'd say. I'd recommend trying anything else here. read more

First time, ordered the cubano to go. This was a very sad sandwich. I expect a cubano to be hearty and to be on good bread that has a slight crunch from a sandwich press. The Lantern's version is small, thin and served on what looked like a hot dog bun, evidently not toasted. (Another reviewer mentioned a hot dog bun on a Philly cheesesteak, so apparently this is their sandwich thing.) I want to like this place and will try other things on the menu, but an unimpressive first experience. read more

Ordered Christmas Eve dinner from here tonight and what an amazing choice that was. We ordered all kinds of plates- lamb meatballs, stuffed mushroom, ribs, pulled pork bun and duck bun, a side of Parmesan truffle fries and the mushroom pizza. Cannot recommend all of it enough, even the pizza is next level. The Lantern is such a fantastic addition to this town. It fills a gap food wise that was missing. Can't wait until we're able to go in person! read more

Amazing dinner. We hate the constant evolution of this location-hopefully The Lantern is here to stay! The salmon on a bed of greens, lemon dressing and Brussel sprouts on the side was all amazing. read more

Top moth h food and drinks. great comfortable place to chill for a bit when it's warm out. Try the smoked duck wings!

Our local favorite! We've never had a bad meal here. Highly recommend the Guacamole Greens and Nachos. Drinks are spectacular.

I live close to Lantern and lunch there 2 to 3 times a week. The food is fantastic and the service is right on. The Cubano has my name all over it. I highly recommend. read more

Excellent happy hour with lots of food choices for you to enjoy. Inexpensive cocktails and decent house wine choices

Newest iteration in what should be one of the best locations in town. This place boasts an Interesting menu that breaks the local pub stereotypes. We opted for take out due to present day concerns. I would have preferred that upon arrival our order was brought to us verses requiring us to tramp past the entire bar to pick up. Nonetheless, the food was ready on time and packaged in a very nice and orderly fashion. Important!! We enjoyed immediately upon our return home. Bao bun held delicious contents but the bun part was unfortunately chewy and dense. Judgement will be suspended as we may find that may be attributed that to the 5 minute ride in a car. Duck wings were a novel experience and quite delicious. Beet salad was more salad that beet but still pretty darn good. Two sourdough pizzas were a highlight! Crust was substantial but crispy and pleasingly light! Great flavors and generous toppings. A unique and welcome option in a town where "cookie cutter" pizza seems to rule the take out experience. We'll be back to further challenge the menu. read more

What an incredible spot for great food, good drinks, and a great atmosphere. The lobster sliders are great, and the half pound of ribeye is perfectly cooked, with very nice flavor. The fish and chips were great, too. The service is great across the board, and we always feel welcome and at home. Highly recommended! read more

Reserved a party room to celebrate my birthday and everything was beyond great. Separate room with private bar, bathroom and excellent service. Our waitress was great and the food was delicious too!! Loved the different options read more

The Lantern - Truffle pizza and fries, lobster roll - Gastropubs Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

Went their for take out fir the first time. I had fish and chips which were delicious . My wife had mushroom burger very good too but could have used a bit less salt. Takeout packaging was great too. Kudos to Gallo read more

If no stars was an option that's what I'd select- beyond disappointed with my experience. I went 12/2 for the holiday stroll, and from the moment we walked in, the whole restaurant stunk of body odor and onions. After waiting by the bar for about 15 minutes, our party gets helped by the only staff member that would address us. The bartender poured 2 of the wrong drinks (there were 7 of us, two of which were not drinking). Instead or correcting the drinks, the bartender argued about it before fixing. We decided the experience had been pretty poor at this point and wanted to just pay and leave. When we asked for the check, everyone working looked around, and carried on drinking by the server station to the left of the bar. Another 5-10 minutes goes by, and again we ask for the check. A bartender rudely tells me it's in front of me, which was someone else's already paid chit with a credit card slip and signature. After another 5 minutes of back and forth and wanting to just walk out, we finally got check, paid and left. I have never experienced such terrible service and blatant disregard for patrons. The place was a sticky mess, half the staff was drinking and the other half were on their phones totally ignoring us. I know it was a busy night with the stroll but from someone who managed restaurants for 10+ years that was a travesty and the managers should be made aware of how their FOH staff handles high volume nights. read more

Bartender Sean (Shawn?) was great. Yummy sliders, nice ambience. I'll definitely go back

service here is either a hit or miss. had a waitress ignore us for 20+ minutes after taking our drink orders and seating us. we had to flag down another waiter to assist us since she had decided to tend to every table around us but avoid eye contact with my family. food here is good. drinks are satisfactory. there kids menu is low quality, yet affordable all the way around. mainly go here for the outdoor seating and location. everything is up to par here besides service. read more

Wow! This is terrific. Anja and Pietro are welcoming and happy to help with anything. The menu is varied (lots of BBQ!) and wonderfully prepared. Pulled Pork was juicy, flavorful, tender - and they were happy to accommodate my request to make it a sandwich (on a Brioche bun rather than slider). Coleslaw is homemade (Yum) and Sweet Potato Fries, out of this world. In addition, fish lovers will ador the Salmon. Impeccably fresh, and perfectly prepared to order. The restaurant is casual, and the food is several steps above!!! read more

Went for lunchtime, Atmosphere is nice, service was "ahh" had a joke of a lobster sandwich (was very small amount of lobster) I asked for a discount since lobster roll price was $24 and did not get anything discounted. Will not be returning and will not recommend, was unhappy with service sans my small amount of lobster!! read more

Sat at the bar and had the happy hour menu. I had a duck bun loved especially at the $2 price! Had the pizza with salami & mushrooms with balsamic vinegar. For a thick grandma/silician style pizza, the crust was incredibly light & airy. However, way too have handed with the balsamic vinegar. Too sweet! Asked for salt which helped a bit but it overshadowed the salami & mushrooms. Would come back and try a different pizza. The bartender was friendly and knowledgeable! I like to pair cocktails with my dishes. He was thoughtful and discerning in his suggestions. I enjoyed watching him at his craft. My friend loved the caesar salad. I've been to this location when it was other restaurants and I by far enjoy the decor they choose. Much brighter, lighter, and comfortably elegant decor. read more

So excited to try The Lantern as we are big fans of Gallo. Sadly, the only thing the two locations share is the Owners names. The menu was lackluster - certainly nowhere near the menu at Gallo, but since the atmosphere here is aimed at being a pub, the offerings were too fancy. Focusing on solid pub food - amazing chili, hearty soups, banger & mash, etc...would better serve you & would entice families to visit. At 6:00 a few days before Christmas (with a bustling Main Street), the only other people there were 3 obnoxious drunks at the bar. I'm hopeful that the Owners embrace this second location & reintroduce themselves. read more

Awful experience. Server was rude, drinks were watery and my "buns" were hard (not soft and fluffy like they should be). Fried calamari was somehow both chewy and hard at the same time. Wife's salad was warm. read more

Great mixologist-Pasquale. One of the best I've seen. Extremely knowledgeable. Invents his own concoctions. A master! Strongly recommended!!

I can't believe no one has written about this yet. Before I dive in let me take a moment to talk about the place itself. The ambiance her is completely different from the other Lantern on Main street in Ridgefield. With it's lower ceilings and smaller square footage, this place is super cozy. It's the kind of place you stumble into to escape the cold, leave the elements at your back, and cozy up to the bar or a table (think American Werewolf In London). Now, what really makes this place an undiscovered Gem is the Italian Bartender/Boss Pasqaol. He has a thick Italian accent, with a face that reminds you a little of Adrian Brody. This guy knows everything about what to drink, when to drink it, and how to drink. Everyone seems to be going here looking for an extensive food menu. Well the other Lantern doesn't have that either. I think there angel on it is, medium scale comfort food in a cozy environment. Pasquale with the skill and knowledge that he brings is a definite bonuses to anywhere he goes. We are fortunate enough to have someone of his caliber right here in our town. So catch the Lantern if you can. Don't say I didn't warn you. read more

Recently went to the Lantern on Rte 7 in Ridgefield. Service was average. Food was tasty but meager. Ordered the fried calamari which was approx $16. And I believe there were fewer than 16 pieces on the plate. I'll never understand why a restaurant would chince like that. Charge me an extra dollar if you must and give me a respectable portion. I also ordered the cheesesteak. This restaurant must contract a bakery to produce extra-mini hoagie rolls.. the sandwich was very tasty but I felt like I was eating a slider-sized sandwich. It could have been a nice place but when I walk away from a restaurant hungry, you can guarantee I won't return. read more

Warm, inviting space with a perfectly comforting menu (ribs were amazing) and, perhaps, the most talented, passionate and charming (and genuinely Italian) bartender I've encountered in the 3 contiguous states! Open for lunch until; total shame the day crowd has not found this one yet although I will be sorry when they do as it feels like my own private club at the moment. Once fall and winter arrive, the two fireplaces will enhance the already convivial space to an "I wish I were here every night" degree. Would like a little more on the menu--if there were a daily soup and something "pickable" such as a pate or cheese offering, I would do everything I could to dine here every single day. read more

The pork belly was phenomenal! The burger was great, friendly staff and nice place. Highly recommend

Had dinner on January 14, 2022. Brisket sandwich was yummy. Beet salad was confused, because the beets were bland, Too much balsamic dressing, and almonds did not go well with the beets. My husband ordered the red pepper salad. It was mostly mixed greens with very small pieces of roasted red peppers that came from a jar. Generally disappointing, except for the pesto dressing which was delicious. The crispy duck bun was dry. The sauce that came with it was drizzled on the outside of the bun, (which was a bao, and not a bun) which then got all over his fingers when he went to eat it. Why the chef did not mix the sauce in with the duck is a mystery. The staff was friendly and enthusiastic, but seemed generally disorganized with all hands doing all jobs. The awful, droning electronica(?) house music, although turned low, was pulsing away, adding nothing to an otherwise potentially warm, high-end pub atmosphere. Hope it improves. read more

My family and I enjoyed an early dinner outside recently. The service was friendly and attentive from the moment we sat down. We started with the calamari- delicious, not at all heavy as some fried foods can be, and the aioli was a nice compliment to the flavor. I think the calamari was cornmeal dusted which was a nice break from traditional breading. My daughters shared the sourdough cheese pizza and parents will tell you that while pizza is a crowd pleaser children can be very particular about crusts and textures. Not a single complaint from our kiddos. The crust was fluffy and light and the sauce and cheese were in good proportion. I had the truffle pizza with prosciutto- so flavorful and delicious. I shared a slice or two with my husband and even my daughters because it was too good not to. My husband had a classic burger and truffle fries. All the fixings and the bun never got soggy, plus we all devoured those fries. Washed it all down with a sangria and IPA. We will definitely be back to try other dishes. read more