Village Lanterne

Really good authentic German food. Sauerbraten was great. Pumpernickels still best around. Parking was an issue and entrance through the bar with all the locals wasn’t what I anticipated.

It took over 20 min. before someone came to our table to see if we wanted a drink it took another 10 min before they asked what we wanted to eat 30 min. later they came out with the appetizer i had to call someone over just to get another soda a few minutes after that a beer was asked for that was brought right away had to go to the bar just to get the soda that was asked for (at least 10 min) the salad’s came after about 1 hour after order was placed it took almost an hour and a half before they started to bring out the meal (from when we got there) so i told them to just wrap it up the waitress started to argue with me saying it only took 35 minutes to get my meal when I started to get loud she finally stopped arguing and just threw the meals in a bag she was made to re-​wrap everything because it was leaking all over the bag

Great German beer, great German/​continental food, but the homemade rolls steal the show. Nice to have live music on a Friday night. Corny, but romantic.

I don’t think I’ve ever had German food before and Village Lanterne was definitely a great first experience. Upon walking in, I felt like we were entering another country/​time period. The inside is decorated BEAUTIFULLY. So festive and homey with trinkets and ornaments and things everywhere. It was really a sight.
My friend and I sat in a booth and were greeted with a basket of fresh, warm pretzel rolls. Oh my god… I would’ve been satisfied with just these rolls. They were that good. We shared the bavarian cheese dip appetizer which was so so so good (you can taste the beer!) and came with more warm pretzels, pickles, cauliflower, and some sort of meat to dip. It was also a lot bigger than we expected aka perfect for sharing if you’re with a group. I also had the chicken stroganoff — delicious and again a huge portion. The homemade mashed potatoes and string beans were made just right as well. I wasn’t a huge fan of the salad that came with our entrees (too much dressing) but it was clear that all the ingredients were very fresh.
As great as our food was, our waitress was even better! I wish I got her name. So friendly, welcoming, attentive, and assured us that we could take our time and stay and chat for as long as we wanted (which I really appreciated, seeing as my friend and I hadn’t seen each other in ~9 months and wanted to catch up). She really made our time there a better experience.
Also, for a Wednesday night, they had a full house. You can tell the place was filled with regulars and they had live music throughout the evening that was very enjoyable. German cuisine isn’t my go to but I would definitely come by again when in the area for dinner or even just for a drink.

Great place for excellent comfort food. Large portions, great service, tasty entrees and wide selection made us craving more. Live entertainment was an added plus. No room for dessert, but we did get take out desserts from their bakeshop!

We love this place! The pretzel rolls lured me in but once I ate here, I’m obsessed! As a vegetarian I was a little skeptical about finding something to eat, but the potato pancakes were awesome. Portions were huge as well as the beers. Service was great, our waitress (the owner’s daughter) was super polite and helpful and even offered me an extra salad. The Bavarian cheese dip was delicious as well. I mean, how could you go wrong with cheese dip and pretzels??? My boyfriend got the sauerbraten and said it was delicious but had to take half of it home because we were so stuffed! Will definitely be returning here again soon (once we finish our leftovers)!
ps. We also tried the crab cakes appetizer and it was less than satisfactory. Tasted like mushy mayonnaise (I hate mayo!!!) and not crispy on the outsides AT ALL :(plus way too expensive for two very small crab cakes. I’m still giving this a 5 star review though because everything else was A+.

This is the 5^th or 6^th time I’ve been here, so obviously I am a fan. I did stop coming for a period of time though — previously they would basically stick parties of two into the back room behind the entertainment and I felt like I was banned to Bogeyland. This new location is a few doors down from the previous one and so far has been more small-​party friendly.
So, on to the review:
This is the BEST German joint I’ve ever been to. I find the place kinda ‘homey’ with all the wood décor and an abundance of German knick-​knacks abound. Live OomPahPah /​Accordion music on the weekends seems a bit hokey but it really adds to the light-​hearted atmosphere. The wait staff is in stereotypical German garb but I appreciate the effort from management to make the place feel different.
My wife always gets the Sauerbraten — it must be good if she keeps ordering it.
I go with the wursts — never disappointed. I did discover my new fave, Bauerwurst, which I never knew existed before I came here.
This place beats the respectable German restaurant in Farmingdale and hands down beats the new German place in Patchogue.
Side Note: Restaurant messed up our confirmed 6PM reservation but crabby hostess made us feel like it was our fault. A quick talk to the owner by my wife got the situation resolved quickly with him offering us his «family» table. Much appreciated.

A restaurant fully deserving of 5 Christmas stars. Decorated beautifully with live music, you feel the buzz as soon as you enter.
German beers on tap followed by authentic old world food. Everything delicious. Servers in period costumes add to the experience.
And, it doesn’t hurt to have an attached Bavarian bakery.
Nice people, nice crowd, nice evening…

Was pleasantly surprised by the size of the place and it’s fun atmosphere when we walked in. Had lively German music and dancing in dining area, bartender was friendly and knowledgeable, he let us have different tastes of beer in these cute pints– so we were excited to be there. Unfortunately, our server, SEAN, is what brought this place down. He wasn’t friendly, seemed annoyed that we were asking him questions about the food and kept disappearing. Our waters were constantly empty and we had empty dishes on our table. We looked at his other tables and it seemed like we weren’t the only ones feeling this way. At the time, the place wasn’t busy. Food was good overall, not the best, but portions are huge so you get your money’s worth. May go back and just sit at the bar instead.

Loved this place! They had great food & amazing entertainment (Werner was awesome).
We got the potato soup & potato pancakes. Which were delicious. Then we shared (3 adults) the German platter. Which was delicious & more than enough for two!
My dad is from Hamburg & mom from Poland. They loved the food & ambiance !
Both can’t wait for our next visit!
I live in the city but can’t wait to come back for more !

Only went once but LOVED it here. Authentic German on the inside with a live band (at least on the Friday we went) and a nice patio to eat outside in the back. Pretzel rolls were declines. German beer secs in steins. Sausages mmmmmmmm! I had potato pancakes and the appetizer mixed sausages. It was so good! I liked the weiswurst the best! I can’t wait to try this place out again.

I live almost two hours away but my doctor is literally down the street from this place. Since I cannot find a good German restaurant by me, I loved seeing this resturant down the street after I had gotten done at my appointment. And boy did it suffice my need for good German food: P

I end up coming here a few times a year because my husband, with his affinity for German food and beer, adores this place. Personally, I don’t see what all the fuss is about.
Pros:
— good, free pretzel bread to start
— yummy pickled cabbage, other sides are not as tasty
— great desserts sourced from bakery next door
— sauerbraten is flavored well
Cons:
— don’t accept Amex
— live band is cute for the first 5 minutes but quickly becomes deafening and annoying
— annoyance heightens with every minute you wait for food and drinks as the service is SLOOOOWWWW
— steer clear of non-​German options. Ordered a medium rare burger once. It was well done and tasteless

Beware — Beer fueled craziness inside… We joined another couple for a night of drink, dining, dancing and song. The German beers were most excellent, and the huge stein lifting replaced my usual Thursday night gym workout. Alex Meizner, Grammy nominated accordionist, and his band put on the most frenetic display of musicianship I have witnessed since the heavy metal era. His repertoire include polkas, waltzes, zydeco and old time rock and roll. The crowd was on their feet dancing and whooping it up. Of course, every half hour or so their was a loud chorus of toast, something to lift the glass to, pound one back and order a refill… repeat…repeat…repeat. They have a nice but intimate outdoor beer garden and alley seating when the weather finally breaks.
My only peeve was the hour and a half wait from the time we ordered entrees until they arrived. By 10PM, I was so drunk and full from beer, the last thing I wanted to do was eat schnitzel (which was crisp, tender but surprisingly flavorless).
Go for the atmosphere, go for the beers, go for the joy of getting crazy and drunk and out of control!

We came here with 2 other couples a week ago and we met here after not seeing each other for quite some time. We were seated in the back of the restaurant near their outside patio and there was a huge party of about 20 men gathered in that room who were so loud and overbearing that we literally could not even hear ourselves think. We asked to be moved into the main part of the restaurant and although they originally told us that they couldn’t do it, we were going to leave and they moved 2 tables together for us after WE suggested that this was a possibility. It was fine for a while but the service was terrible. They do not have not enough staff and it took about 30 minutes until we even got our beers.
We managed to have about 20 minutes of time talking to each other and we were so happy to be out of the back room when their band set up to play. Well, needless to say, they began playing and the decibel level was excruciating to our ears. Now this is a very small restaurant and they had 3 musicians and an Elvis impersonator this particular night. When we complained to our waitress and host they agreed that is was very loud but no one even bothered to do anything about it. We were totally unable to speak to each other without virtually yelling at the top of our lungs and we were still unable to hear each other unless we screamed to the person next to us.
To add insult to injury, it was very busy and although we were seated before 2 other tables near us, they received their food about 15 minutes before us and our food didn’t arrive for about an hour after we were seated. We did have some of their very delicious pretzel rolls while we waited and suffered but we were forced to endure this awful, extremely loud music and we were about to pick ourselves up to leave and to just pay for our beers just as the waitress finally began bringing out our food. At that point we felt badly telling her to cancel it so we stayed and ate without being able to have any conversations at all. I could not enjoy any of the food and the entire experience was a total letdown.
Had the manager realized or even cared how terrible this experience was for us, they would never have even considered allowing such loud music in such a small closed environment but they obviously have no clue. I am not a fuddy duddy and I listen to Z100 on the radio so I am not into piano concertos. I did not expect to come to a silent German restaurant but this was just ridiculous. I knew beforehand that this was not a place for «dining» and I expected a louder place but certainly nothing like this.
The food was very tasty and had there not been any issues with the extremely high noise level, I would have given them 4 stars but they get 10 stars for loud noise levels. The portions were very large but we didn’t even have the leftovers packed up, nor did we order coffee or dessert, because we couldn’t stay another minute longer. Our eardrums were actually hurting us from this abuse.
By the way, the Elvis guy had a decent voice but he wasn’t even a good impersonator. I loved Elvis back in the day but this guy sang such obscure songs that no one had ever even heard before. He saved 3 popular Elvis songs for just before his break but we were fortunately already gone by the time he came back on.

I LOVE IT HERE !!! Call it Epcot, whatever… A frickin blast. This guy on the accordion… Omg … He is insane !!! The energy of the crowd. Great beer, great food. Love it !!!

Every time I am within 30 minutes of Lindenhurst, I make it a point to stop here. Seriously, there aren’t many good German restaurants around these days that aren’t beer halls. Sure, you will leave fuller than you would at most other restaurants … German food is not exactly the stuff diets are made of. Beer, Meat, Potatoes, More meat and cheese.
The décor here feels like it could be straight out of Epcot. Its a fun little mix of coo coo clocks, beer steins, fake vines with white Christmas lights and faux aged wood beams. Not exactly authentic but more the type of place you’d want to visit if you were a tourist in Bavaria. It is fun. I LOVE the German music playing in the background. I am an ‘atmosphere eater’ and the fact they have fun kitschy German songs playing adds to the fun.
The staff here is super great. I have had the same waitress most times and she is fantastic. Efficient, friendly and has the memory of an elephant. Never once have I made a request (and as a picky diner … I realize I make lots) that she has ignored or forgot.
They have 12 or more German beers on draft. From their own label to all the ones you’d find if you were in Germany. The food here is amazing. The bakery next door is owned by the restaurant so when you realize how in love you are with their pretzel rolls, you can stop by and buy some to take home. They give you a basket of them, which won’t last long!
I usually opt for the German platter, which for $ 23 could probably easily serve 2 or 3 people even though it is intended for one. It includes your choice of sausage (many are house made), Schnitzel, Sauerbraten, side dish and includes red cabbage and green beans. A true belly buster. For lunch, the $ 11 Best of the Wurst gives you 3 sausages.
While I usually go for Knockwurst, I will admit that it is a bit bland for my liking. Still, a German meal isn’t a German meal without a Knockwurst. The Sauerbraten is what they are known for. Its basically a pot roast with a sweet gravy. For some reason, you cannot get a better food to pair with beer than Sauerbraten. They just bring out each other’s flavors perfectly (especially medium to dark) The schnitzel is just as I remember in Germany. Crispy batter, pounded veal … I usually go without the sauce but there are 4 different Schnitzels to choose from.
Potato dumplings are a great side. Spatzel is also good. You also get a salad with entrees. The lunch menu is in the $ 11 range and features a few German specialties and some American ones. The dinner menu can also be ordered from at lunch and is more extensive and expensive ($ 18 – 25) Usually, I am too full for dessert but stop next door to get a giant éclair to go. Most bakery items are $ 3 to go. All are amazing
The value, atmosphere and staff make this cute little place a great value. Go with business colleagues for lunch or bring your family to dinner. Don’t put your belt too tight though … You will leave full! They have a small outdoor sitting area which they call their Biergarten and I think Tuesdays they have a German accordion player during dinner. I love to go here, listen to German music and have lunch.

Enjoyable German that makes really good sauerbraten and delicious goulash. Wursts are ok and huge. Be sure to make reservations, getting a table here on the weekends is not easy. Service isn’t that friendly and prices are a little high but portions are big and the food is always good. Not to be mean, but you may want to bring earplugs on the weekend. Why? They often have this singing duo playing old school German songs and, well… they’re awful. But don’t let that deter you from coming here.

As usual the food was so soo good… there is no complaint in this department. In fact, I can never catch a picture because we attack the food like alligators when it hits the table. One thing they make there is the homemade garlic dill salad dressing… it is fit for a god.
However…
one thing that REALLY urked me
yesterday was that we called an hour ahead to reserve one of the booths in the corner which are cozy… and I was hoping for the same one we had last time.
When we arrived one of the 3 booths was taken, one was not cleaned from the last party that had it and the 3^rd one (my favorite) was ready, and looking so nice. The lady went to go seat us in that one and then «oops sorry your gonna have to go back to the front and wait until they clean off the other one because we cant give you this one»
When I asked her why and told her I really like that one she said that they needed to keep that clear for the owners dad who favors that booth…
very unprofessional if you ask me. I would have put my customers before anybody else to be honest. nevertheless we went and waited at the front for 7 minutes while they prepped our correct table. The entire time we were there the one we were not allowed sat empty. I guess money is not an issue for this place.
Also last night was particularly loud and. since im getting over being sick it was pretty aggravating — but damn the food is worth it all…

Quite honestly, for YEARS hubby wanted to go here and I was like… NAH, not in the mood, and well FINALLY the mood struck me, being October might have helped and WHOA — WTF was I waiting for!
Seriously! Order a stein of one of those tasty biers and wait for a table & drool as food passes you by!
Maybe sure you start off with the Bavarian Cheese dip… YUM!!! that cheese sauce is PERFECT in so many ways! Then entrée time, and well with the huge menu, you can get lost in it all, but of course I had the Wienerschnitzel — PERFECT! I don’t have to tell you to get dessert — you already know you should when Black Forest bakery is right next door!!!
The décor is a little bit much, but it is cute, and quaint and well it was Oktoberfest-​y!
Took me years to go there, but I know it will NOT take me years or months to return!