La Lanterna Caffe

Recommends

giugiuro

Joined 3 years ago

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! <3. I went there with my boyfriend for my birthday dinner... Without having to wait a minute, the waitress escorted us to a kind of "winter garden" dining room... AWWWWW!!! The small fountain, the ivy, the coloured lanterns... 5/5 cum lauda to the atmosphere!!! :)

The waitress was lovely, fast enough, but not on a rush and always around to give us pepper, pour us wine... without satying to close. The foos was eccellent, from the appetizer to the pizzas to the dessert! You can also hear the jazz music coming from the jazz lounge when you eat under that kind of light that makes your dinner an amazing romantic experience.

The bill was even less than we expected, considering also the great service and the wine list.

Greenwich Village is an area full of cafes and attractions... but please stop by this pearl of a place when you're there.

Recommends

cicerone10

Joined 7 years ago

A Downtown treasure. I adore this caffe'. Nothing spells a perfect NY Saturday to me more than being able to sit at La Lanterna with a book and a cappuccino. Perfect location, wonderful light...if only they could get a handle on the dishwashing noises....

Recommends

Athena Chang

Joined 3 years ago

Cute Garden Italian Restaurant. Romantic and cozy. I really like their dessert here. Great tiramisu and flavorful gelato. Entrees were good too; I got the prociutto pizza and my bf got their pesto lasagna and both were yummy. The funny thing is there is a lady reading tarot card right next to us. IT is kind of eccentric.

Beautiful outdoor garden in the back btw for those seeking dining in the green.

Doesn't Recommend

alexed

Joined 4 years ago

Maybe if you are masochistic.... What made this place unique? The worst service in five boroughs... want your waiter to treat you like your most crazy ex used to? Try out La Lanterna. Like snarky answers to simple questions? Would you like to be denied a napkin or a glass of water? This is your place.

Recommends

xoxogirl44

Joined 5 years ago

great. great REAL italian pizza for low prices, with a lovely garden to sit in the back. don't miss this place b.c there are lots of other italian restaurants that will charge twice or more for the same thing.

Doesn't Recommend

PsychoHarrier

Joined 4 years ago

Extremely Over-Rated. After reading all of the reviews for La Lanterna Caffe, I expected this place to be the perfect Valentine's Day dinner spot; boy was I wrong. I can certainly deal with the slow, absolutely flat and disinterested service on a holiday evening, but the food was shockingly bad. I've had better lasagna come out of a microwave in comparison to what was plopped in front of us. The cheeses they used were completely separated, and it was obvious that they were just re-cooking giant batches of lasagna being carted in every five minutes by surly kitchen staff who seemed to take some glee in allowing the door to the outside SLAM constantly. The lasagna was truly awful, all of the cheese solids were clumped up into a disgusting mass and all of the oils had COMPLETELY separated. If eating not just over-cooked, but poorly reheated lasagna with enough separated oil to make you think you were eating grease soup sounds good, be sure to go to La Lanterna Caffe for their Valentine's Day lasagna dinner.

Recommends

Nassafrass

Joined 5 years ago

This is where magic happens.... I met my now fiance here on a blind date and it was perfect! So romantic, the cappucinos and desserts are great and the service is just attentive enough to get what you want/need but hands off enough to allow the magic happen. We go here all the time and relive the wonder of that fateful night...We love you La Lanterna!

Recommends

rtet81437

Joined 5 years ago

Nice little place to try. Wife and I went before a show. The pizza was decent. Thin crust, sauce was a little runny. She had lasagna. Would have been nice to have bread with it. Service was nice. Didn't bother us a lot but when he showed up he would chat a little. The weekend "see New York" scavenger hunt groups were coming through so we got an unexpected floor show while we ate. The manager was there and stopped by to see how things were.

Prices were very good. Our bottle of wine cost more than the two meals and it wasn't that much for the bottle. Dessert was good too. I would recommend to someone who wants medium to light amounts of food.

Also we sat out in the covered garden. It was nice as the sun went down and the lights went on.

Recommends

neilglassman

Joined 5 years ago

Nice pizza and lasagna if you are in the neighborhood. The prix fixe menu mentioned in the "Know Before You Go" was not listed on the menu. When we asked our waiter, he had no idea and called over the manager. The manager recited the "deal" which, at $40, did not sound like a bargain. Actually, it sounded like the manager made it up on the spot. That said, the food was fine. Something to keep in mind if in the Village late at night. Perhaps I would have liked the restaurant better if we had been seated in the garden.

Recommends

nycinephile

Joined 5 years ago

Not Compelling Enough to Merit Frequent Visits. Five members of Meetup?s Thrifty Gourmets group and I field-tested La Lanterna Caffe on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at 7:45 PM. The restaurant did not appear to employ a host. I was greeted instead by a friendly young man who was working the floor and who, later,waited upon our table. My reservation had been held. The six of us were seated promptly at two tables that our waiter pulled together in the front of the restaurant. In retrospect, I wish that we had been seated elsewhere, as this area soon became crowded with individuals waiting to be seated, as well as other diners. It appeared that La Lanterna?s management wanted to fill as many tables as possible in the venue?s limited space. Our waiter, although warm and courteous, was not self-assured, was not familiar with the prix fixe special mentioned in Citysearch?s description of the restaurant, and delivered a glass of wine other than the one she ordered to a member of my group. At various times throughout the evening, the restaurant?s manager needed to coach him. Our dishes were delivered promptly and, other than that glass of wine, as ordered. They were presented simply and straightforwardly. The portions were sufficient, just large enough to be lightly filling. I shared the duck salad and lasagna with pesto with a fellow diner. Both were flavorful, if not memorable. The lasagne?s thin noodles were moist and chewy, and its rich flavor lingered nicely on my tongue. My meal, with tip, cost $15. It was enjoyable, but not compelling enough to return to La Lanterna frequently.