The Lantern

We were pleasantly surprised with the food at The Lantern. Everything we ordered was wonderful and our waitress was on top of everything.

Food was good, service was HORRIBLE! When we arrived there were over 5 tables that were empty, but they told us there would be a 30 minute wait. We found out that it was because the waitresses were «too busy» aka too tired and lazy. Luckily the bartender offered to serve us at one of the tables instead. However he never came back to serve us and pay our bill. Really unreal experience. In a bad way

After reading the bad reviews, I’m glad that I went after they got new management going on. I went after a great day of skiing. The Happy Hour was such a bargain, and as a result, we got to enjoy more of the beer selection. The Bar Manager was our bartender, and he was phenomenal. Very personable, knowledgeable, and welcoming — This guy is definitely committed to making his restaurant shine. Next time, whether for a beer, happy hour, or a proper meal, this is my first stop after skiing.

We had a party of 5 for dinner on Sat night & the service was great, the food was excellent, & the prices were not shocking (for Waterville)!

Service terrible. Food good one and half hour for a dinner for two. Drinks took way to long. Soup we wait 30mins. Aahh do you have bread? After 30mins. Management fault to hire young servers and not train them. Don’t waste your time. Bad service. Good food

I read the mostly negative reviews in TA and Y. Since we have a second home in the Valley, I was hoping for an alternative for restaurants. I had decided one way or another I would go and do a review.
We sat at the bar. Many reviews said the bar tender was slow and she spent more time talking with men. The bar tender who told us he (Corie) was the new bar manager. Drinks came very quickly and were very good. Very friendly and made suggestions and tastes for my wife.
I ordered the NY Strip, my wife order the Haddock. Both meals were very good. No complaints, even though I asked for a side off the menu.
Their new web site said they had a new chef as of January 2014. The Bar manager said he was there only two weeks. I am assuming the Manager took the negative comments seriously.
I would suggest to give it a try. I am glad we trued it even with the negative comments. It seems they have cleaned up their act!

At 7:30 PM on Sunday night MLK weekend, my group of 6 walked into the lantern looking for dinner. There were about 10 people inside and the restaurant was mostly empty. The man at the door asked if we had a reservation, and we did not. He said he would not be able to sit us because they were full. Confused we looked around at the mostly empty restaurant wondering how they were «full’ with only 10 people. So of course we mentioned to him that there was clearly nobody in the establishment so there was obviously room. Upon realizing his blatant lie to us, the man then said, oh we are understaffed in the kitchen… How could a restaurant possibly not have any kitchen or wait staff on a holiday weekend at a ski mountain??? Did they not think that anyone was going to go out to dinner tonight? How can you turn anyone away on a holiday weekend? Management must have no idea whats going on. We had to leave and getting food elsewhere, and were not the only ones to do so tonight. By my guess, they will be out of business by the end of the year.

This place tries to be something it’s not. Little early for dinner, but not too early, after 5, when they opened at 4, there was nobody to seat us for five minutes, we had to ask the bartender and then a way too young and inexperienced hostess showed up. There were only about four tables of guests and a waiter for each table yet service was slow, the waitress didn’t have a clue about the drink menu. Chicken Parmesan was small. The piece of chicken was ok, but the pasta was overcooked and the sauce tasted like Spaghetti’s Oh’s sauce. Fish and chips was a deep fried piece of fish shaped like a fish and disgustingly fishy tasting and not edible. The only good tasting food was the bread. Over the top pricing made this an even worse experience, I guess they feel they have a captive audience being the only fancy restaurant on the Town Square. After only two small bites of the fish we were asked if it was ok and we advised no, it was too fishy, they only credited our bill with a kid’s meal hot dog for about four bucks. Go a little further and walk to the Coyote Grill across route 49, in walking distance from this God awful place.

We were big fans of the former restaurant in this location, The Diamond’s Edge. We were very disappointed when they closed. We had been coming here for years.
The next time in WV, we asked former employees of Diamond’s Edge and others what they thought of the «Lantern». They all said negative things…“food’s no good”, «they will never make it», etc.
One night, after doing the rounds at the other restaurants in town, I didn’t want to go out, so my fiancé went for take-​out from The Lantern. It was the best we had during our trip, and excellent by any standards, and we have been back 3 times, every night, since.
Whoever gave this restaurant bad ratings may have done it during the «growing pains» early time, and haven’t truly given this restaurant a chance.
In my opinion, the best in town, the best venue in town, and well worth it.
Glad to be able to return to our favorite «spot» in the Valley.

Great dinner and great service! Our waitress Jessica was very attentive and helpful, the restaurant has a new menu and the lobster salad was very fresh and tasteful and beautifully plated with even fresh strawberries, blueberries, and black raspberries on the side. A great summer salad! My friend enjoyed the chicken parm with linguine and warm ciabatta bread. All with a lovely view! We will be back!

My friend and I went to The Lantern later on on a Saturday night to get some drinks. The bar was full but the place wasn’t very crowded. The manager greeted us and acted like he was going to show us to a table, only to stop in front of us and start talking to his friends, to which he said, «Oh sorry, am I in your way?»
After finding a table, no one came over to us and the manager told us to order a drink at the bar.
It took forever to get a drink at the bar even though there were multiple people behind it, including a bartender who looked more interested in flirting with the young men at the bar instead of taking care of other customers.
We finally got drinks several minutes later but the tea was not hot and the other bartender seemed annoyed at the request for hotter water.
Also, Wi-​Fi is apparently available but no one knows the password or even tried to help us.
It’s too bad because the atmosphere is nice, but the service was terrible! They should pay more attention to their customers and not their friends that come into the restaurant. After a long day of skiing, we just wanted to relax and this was not the place to do it. Will not return.

We were pretty excited to see a restaurant that was so close to the resort that offered a lot of gluten free options. The Menu lists about 6 options specifically gluten free. We sat at the bar and we ordered food and drinks. My girlfriend asked about the gluten free options and told the person taking our order that she had a gluten allergy. The response was not very promising, the bar tender looked at us and said that it might be gluten free and that she wasn’t sure about it. She said there might be a little bit or that she couldn’t make any promises. I asked her to check and make sure it will be prepared gluten free. She came back from the kitchen and said that it they would make sure to do it correctly.
The food came, Prime Rib and Herb Parmesan Polenta & Wild Mushrooms. The food was good and in a resort environment such as this the prices were fair.
After our meal, the bar tender asked how everything is and asked if my girlfriend was having any allergies to the food. My girlfriend said it typically takes around thirty minutes for her to start feeling the effects, to which the bar tender rolled her eyes and said that it doesn’t work like that. We paid our tab and left.
What should have been differently was the bar tender should have been more attentive to the needs of a customer. Then when the bartender said that my girlfriend didn’t know how her own allergy worked, and rolled her eyes, it was incredibly rude.
If the service was better I would have given it a four stars. The two stars were for the proximity to the mountain/​inn and for the food.

Slow service, food overcooked and annoying loud music making dinner conversation impossible! More like a college pub atmosphere than a good restaurant. We were regulars when it was Diamond’s Edge but were really disappointed. Will not return, apparently you must go out of the valley to get a good meal.

What a disappointment! We waited eagerly for this to open. The food is mediocre at best. I will never waste a night out dining there again.
On a positive note: the drinks are fine along with listening to some live music.
Not a whole lot of choices in this area. My opinion, stay clear… :(

We loved this restaurant! It took the place of diamonds edge (which is now out of business). The food was good, and the service was really helpful and friendly (although not the fastest). The Buffalo Chicken wings were SOOO good, and really spicy! We went with friends, and everyone loved their food. The teriyaki chicken wasn’t the best, but everything else was wonderful. Also, the salads were a little small. The atmosphere is great, not too loud, and the live music was a welcome addition. Since the restaurant is on the second floor of the Town Square, the view was great: a lit Christmas tree, a clock, and lots and lots of snow. Overall, this was a great experience, and I will certainly be going back!