Lantern Chinese - Ballina

The food at this restaurant evokes a wonderful sense of nostalgia, featuring delicious, spicy, and fresh flavors that take me back in time. With COVID restrictions now lifted, I really think the restaurant should have fully reopened. While the takeout window was a convenient option during the pandemic, I’ve noticed that the staff can be a bit unfriendly when you approach them. Rather than simply opening the window, they prefer to call your mobile for payment. They claim to accept only cash, yet their card machines seem to work just fine for delivery orders. One staff member, a petite woman, tends to pass the food through the window without fully extending her reach, which can be a hassle for customers. It would be much better if they were more accommodating and handed the food directly. Nonetheless, the food itself is outstanding. The recipes have been passed down through generations, maintaining the same delicious quality as they did 20 years ago, if not better. The food is truly exceptional and absolutely worth a return visit.

I ordered takeout for my family of six from this restaurant. We spent 55 euros on our meal, and we were truly impressed by both the quantity and quality of the food. The honey chicken was especially exceptional—hands down the best I've ever tasted. We'll definitely be ordering from this restaurant again the next time we're in the area.

Absolutely disgusted with what I just received in my delivery order. Coated fat gristle with hardly a hint of actual meat. Not good enough. Shocked as I had always loved this place as a youngster and was looking forward to tasting my go to...dish again. I won’t make that mistake in future.

We have ordered regularly from this restaurant over the years. We were customers when they were in their previous location across from where Lidl is now. We have also celebrated occasions in this restaurant. We ordered a takeaway recently, it was a substantial order as...we had some family over to dine outside. The chips were terrible and the sauces in the dishes had split and were very greasy. We contacted the restaurant and the staff really just did not care, They offered to give a credit note for a very small sum but at that stage the meal had been ruined. We offered to drop the chips back down to them but they declined and insisted that the chips were freshly cooked. Overall, extremely disappointed.

Chicken and sweet corn soup was ok, then I opened something that may be described as food in certain parts of the world. I thought o would give it the benefit of doubt and now wish I had trusted myself.