Chinese Lantern

Plain and simple this place sucks. Ordered delivery online and then got a call from the business saying I should cancel my order and they aren’t coming. Saw someone else’s post saying they deliver where they want and are open when they want. No accountability what so ever.

Go to takeout joint; It’s delicious, fresh, clean, & fast.

Found the takeout menu in the lobby of our building and decided to give it a try one very rainy night. Was very happily surprised – very tasty, very fresh, traditional Chinese food. I’ll order again, definitely.

Received Fried Shrimp instead of Mongolian Beef. When I called the restaurant regarding the mix up I was told it would be made for me tomorrow or I could contact GrubHub for a refund… rest of the meal was decent, nothing special

Terrible service. MAJOR communication problems. I literally spelled everything out and they still couldn’t understand what I wanted, my address, or my telephone number. I don’t demand fluent English, broken is perfectly fine, but they should at least be able to complete an order. 2 hour wait for delivery, after being told 50 minutes. Tried to call several times, but kept getting busy signal, as this place likely only has a one line phone. I NEVER complain or write bad reviews, so it hurts to do this, but I’ve got to say something. This was just downright BAD service.

The food is very good BUT they’re open when they want and deliver where they want. I had to convince the man to deliver to me and I’m only two miles away. Turns out my order wasn’t BIG enough for them.
Must be nice!
BEWARE!!!

I am typically not a fan of chinese food, the sauces are generally too sweet, thick and give me a terrible feeling afterwards. However, the food here is always fresh, simple and clean. I usually order the following: SHRIMP WITH LOBSTER SAUCE, CHICKEN WITH BLACK MUSHROOMS and TOFU BEEF; these were recommended to me by a friend and I have never veered away which might be why I’m giving this place 4 stars. I always get two free egg rolls which are to die for! I have had the fried rice and it is what I would expect.
I have heard that the interior is quite shabby, which is why I only order take out. Pick up that menu and order people!

This is hands down my favorite place to get Chinese food in Chicago. Yes, it is a dive and yes, it takes about 20 minutes to get your order. The wait is worth it because they cook every order fresh. There are no hot plates waiting for you to order like most Chinese restaurants. My favorite is the beef chow-​mien. The beef is super tender and the stir-​fry sauce is really flavorful. The lunch special is also really really cheap.

Crab wontons were fried alright, but the filling tasted like old, half-​melted cream cheese, no crab flavoring at all (or any chives/​herbs/​spices). Garlic chicken — chicken was rubbery and completely bland. Perhaps it was steamed? Shrug. Canned mushrooms. Schmea. Threw it out and made fish sticks for dinner.
The hot and spicy sauce was fantastic. Might get some a la carte for my next Chinese food takeout.

Like so many have said before, if a restaurant puts a menu near my apartment door, chances are, I’ll order from there. Usually, there’s a really good chance they’re hungry for new business and because the menu is there, I know they deliver to my address. Those are two good reasons right there.
So a day or so ago, I notice their no-​fuss menus in the lobby. That’s usually a good sign, too. That means they’re probably not that expensive. I grabbed one and then immediately, just like a Pavlov dog, I had a hankering for Chinese food! It doesn’t take much to get me interested in certain types of cuisine. If I haven’t had it in a while, chances are I want me some. Especially when it comes to Chinese.
I went ahead and threw caution to the wind, not checking Unilocal first, because damn-​it, I was HUNGRY! I wanted some food NOW. So I ordered. The first surprise was that a person who spoke perfect English answered the phone. Haven’t had that happen in ages! Usually, it’s someone struggling to speak English, with me hoping to God they get the order right. So that was nice.
The food came very quickly — right on schedule. Right before I was about to pass out from hunger. The delivery guy didn’t seem like he was in a very good mood. When I said «How are you?» He said «Oh, hangin’ in there…» very sorrowfully. Now, I realize I DID ask how he was. But usually, it isn’t a good idea to tell a customer that you’re not doing well. Because then I felt guilty that he had to bring me my food. I shouldn’t feel that way after dropping over $ 15 for some rice and veggies. Really. I then felt awkward, so I just said «You must be really busy today, eh?» He says «Why, did we sound busy?» «No, but since it’s Saturday, it would seem like you would be.» I still gave the guy a $ 2 tip.
Now, for the food. I was in a no-​nonsense, get me some food now mood, so I ordered 2 egg rolls, which were very, very good. And that ain’t just because I was starving, either. These reminded me of the Chinese places my mom would take me to as a child. I used to LOVE going out for Chinese. That little white tea pot and those little cups used to make me drool! That reminds me, I need to do this right and have me some tea! I think I’ll have some lemon ginger.
And now back to our program. I ordered a small pork fried rice. I usually get the combo, but I’m on a budget. This rice is okay; I’m starting to realize that I prefer Thai fried rice a whole lot more. From the color to the taste. So I think when I really want fried rice, I’ll get it from Hello Sushi down the street. Picked up some GREAT fried rice from them once.
I also got some veggie chop suey, which is quite good. The portions look okay … but that serving of white rice for the veggie chop suey is the smallest I’ve ever seen. I mean, it’s rice, for God’s sake. I have to admit, these portions truly are small, just like the menu said. I think I could get 2 meals out of it, which I guess is better than one. And I eat small portions.
Now I just gotta see if I’m hungry an hour from now. You know, like they say. If I am, that’s okay. I still have the rest of the fried rice and veggie chop suey to slaughter. That second egg roll is definitely gonna get eaten later. Like tomorrow.

I read the reviews to Chinese Lantern beacuse I kept seeing their flyers everywhere. I mean everywhere, they really invest in their flyers. The reviews were complimentary so why not give it a try. I am a huge fan of chinese food so I am always looking for new dishes from different locations. I like a lot of sauce, our 2 dishes had very little.
Beef Lopster and Cashew Chicken.
First off, they used canned mushrooms, not a big fan. Next, they load you up with rice. You want rice delivered to you, order here. Too much rice, not enough sauce. Thats all I really have. With over 10 000 chinese restaurants in Chicago, I will try another location.

Simply Amazing!!! I have been going here for years… literally, my parents took me here every so often as a child. I continue to go because there great. The taste is amazing and authentic.
The place looks rather small, but this hole in the wall is excellent.

OK — since the mysterious departure of Panda Panda (my previous go-​to place for Americanized Chinese takeout), I have tried several places near my domicile with less than stellar results.
Recently, I decided to give Chinese Lantern a try. It’s no Panda Panda, but it’s the closest thing I’ve found so far.
The vegetables in their dishes are plentiful, fresh and not overcooked. The meat is pretty generous in portion. Overall, their entrees are tasty and well-​prepared. You get pretty much what you expect. Nothing is mind-​blowing, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you just want some no-​nonsense Chinese takeout. They will make things spicy if you want (VERY important to me). Delivery is fast and prices are cheap. As with many takeout joints, if you spend a certain amount they throw in free eggrolls (and the eggrolls are fine). The staff is friendly and accommodating.
On the minus side, their crab Rangoon are not very good. They aren’t awful, but there’s not much to them, so there’s no reason to order them. Call me crazy, but for whatever reason, I love a good crab Rangoon. In this case, the entrees are solid enough that I won’t hold it against them (much).

Bad, unhealthy chinese food that smells metallic. And, they spam the neighborhood with unwanted solicitation. Bad, bad, bad. Do not support this bad business.

My family has been going here since before I was even born. Safe to say we’re hooked!
All other Chinese food I ever have is held up to the standard of my Lanterns dishes. So far I haven’t found a place that measures up!
Fave dishes? Shrimp Egg Rolls, Wonton Soup (best in Chicago!), Shrimp Fried Rice and the Shrimp Chow Mein. Yummmmm!

Not sure if it was MSG or bad something, but the last meal the bf and I had from there made us both pretty ill, not quite food poisoning ill, but enough that we were pretty out of commission for the next 24 hrs. I am disappointed as it was a good little area and a great deal, but regardless of cost, I don’t want to be sick from what I eat.

This place would get one more star from me… if they were ever open!
I started ordering from this place cause my grandmother’s friend’s family owns it. I had ordered some real crap from other places and decided to give this one a try. There’s a million of these Americanized Chinese restaurants in the area and I was on a quest for cheap, delicious egg foo young.
This place hit the spot. For cheap too. Their hot and sour soup was pretty good (it ain’t no Silver Seafood, but nothing can compare to that). Delivery was efficient.
But… the last few times… when I’ve called I get this cryptic message that says something like «we’re not open. Bye». I got that message on a Tuesday. And a Friday. And a Saturday. I dunno man… my grandmother owned a very popular Chinese place in Lincoln Park and it was open come Hell or highwater. It would take a lot to close… SERIOUS emergency. So… knowing that… it makes me less inclined to keep trying when I’m in the mood for some delivery. There’s other places that I know will be open.
Meh. We’ll see if we order again.

I’ve been seeing their menus left in my building regularly, and since Chinese food is totally a comfort food for me and I was feeling sick last week — I gave it a shot.
Here’s the thing — get it delivered. I made the mistake of just stopping there after work to order and wait for my food in person. The place is gross. It’s dirty looking.
That said — the food was good and super cheap. I had Chicken Kow, an egg roll and some won-​ton soup. It was all tasty and the portion size was good.
Will I order from here and have it delivered in the future? Absolutely. Do I ever want to go back to the place itself again? No thanks.

I’ve walked by on my way home, but never went in. I would always see people ordering, so one night I decided to stop in.
I had a small shrimp chow mein with two egg rolls ($ 8 total). The customers are a little suspect, as is the storefront (let’s face it, most places in my area are suspect), but the meal was EXCELLENT and cheap! The family running it was very nice, and their children were helping to pitch in and very respectful.
The wife has the patience of a saint, since a lot of drunk/​crazy customers seem to stop in. To me, it’s not only the food, but the personalities of the people working their that make it enjoyable.
The shrimp chow mein wasn’t too salty, and the veggies in it were fresh. It was ENOUGH FOR TWO MEALS, even though I only ordered a small, and I just noticed that they deliver too!
Now, if they would just do scallop chow mein too, I’d be in heaven.

Ancient Chinese secret, huh?
My wife and I would order their Beef Lo Mein like we were sick and it was the only cure. We were on it like Walken on cowbell. The grease level was just right, the beef plentiful and the noodles thick and perfectly cooked. This was back in 2004. So imagine our surprise when we ordered it recently and what we got was lifeless, dull and bland noodles.
Don’t know what happened in the time span, perhaps they were defeated in battle and as a concession had to stop making their food edible. Whatever the happenstance, they totally suck now and the only reason I didn’t give them one star alone is I have faith the power of teh intarwebs might convince them to start making their food like before.
And quick.