La Lanterna

Featured reviews

• G

  Google user

  ·2 months ago

  “Incredible Italian restaurant. Following a recommendation from our wonderful concierge at the nearby Voco hotel we dined here on a Wednesday evening it was charming, busy and full of life . Smiles from the wonderful chef and kitchen as we arrived so welcoming! The food was absolutely delicious , sea bass was quality and presentation superb . Our waitress was fantastic and was so knowledgeable of all the dishes and wines her enthusiasm contagious . Desert was exceptional home made meringue and fresh strawberry. Totally blown away by the quality of this non assuming authentic Italian . Thank you for a wonderful evening. Big thank you to Voco too for the recommend !”

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• G

  Google user

  ·3 months ago

  “Right outside Glasgow Central station is an absolute gem of an Italian restaurant. It’s strap line is ‘the best Italian restaurant in Glasgow’ and I would be happy to agree. We come to Glasgow regularly and have eaten Italian food many times… this was good! I had sole on the bone with a lemon and caper sauce. It was excellent and served with sautéed potatoes to which I added broccoli which had the perfect bite and garnished with Parmesan and chili. My husband had crab ravioli. You could taste the crab so well. I coupled my meal with an excellent red wine. The service was timely and friendly. We will definitely be back next time we are in Glasgow and so pleased we found it. Please forgive the fact that we had started eating before I took photos. NB. There is little signal so make sure you have an interesting dinner companion to enjoy the food with.”

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• G

  Google user

  ·3 months ago

  “Food is excellent, Service is spot on and great value. Hands down some of the best Italian meals I have tried in Europe and Australia. Definitely will come back , highly recommended.”

• G

  Google user

  ·4 months ago

  “La Lanterna calls itself the best Italian restaurant in Scotland. Be that as it may, we had lunch there and the food was decent. I found the portions smallish and the service dour. Coming from India, its not cheap but my wife and I wanted 'authentic' Italian, and this was suggested. So we went. The soup of the day was a mixed something that reminded one mildly of minestrone. The food decor outdid the size and flavours. Recommended if you like your food to look good. The deserts outshone the main course and soups.”

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• G

  Google user

  ·5 months ago

  “Lunch here, on what we thought would be a quiet Tuesday was excellent, but the buzz of many people around us added to the homely atmosphere with all the low hum of chatter. Starters Caprese salads & A Carpattio platter with parmasan shavings yummy! Mains, Sea Bass & Veal Milliano were outstanding.Service was quick & delivered with a smile. Nothing to moan about, would go back in heartbeat.”

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• G

  Google user

  ·5 months ago

  “Absolutely brilliant food. Quick service. The staff were excellent and the atmosphere was very nice indeed. I'd recommend this place.”

• G

  Google user

  ·6 months ago

  “Me and my wife recently visited here on a Saturday evening to celebrate my wife’s birthday, and we weren’t disappointed. The food was simply superb and the service was really good too. This is definitely somewhere we will be visiting again when in the city!”

• G

  Google user

  ·7 months ago

  “La Lanterna is a family-run Glasgow institution known for its characteristic basement setting and dark wood beams. Given its reputation as one of the city's oldest Italian restaurants, I arrived with high expectations. Unfortunately, the experience was quite lackluster. We started with the fried calamari, followed by mains of Crab Ravioli, Penne Broccoli e Pollo, Pasta Carbonara, and Sausage Risotto. The portions were inconsistent; the Carbonara was significantly smaller than the other dishes. Furthermore, the chicken in the penne was bland and tough—seemingly boiled—which was very disappointing. The dessert platter also missed the mark. The "50-year-old recipe" Tiramisu was surprisingly dry, while the Crème Brûlée was watery, though the cheesecake and mousse were acceptable. The most sour note, however, was the service and billing. An automatic service charge was added, which felt disingenuous given the inattentive service; we had to find a different waiter just to order dessert and hunt down our original server for the bill. When I questioned a "No Tax" line item on the receipt, the waitress was defensive and provided conflicting information before abruptly offering to remove the service charge as if doing us a favor. Her demeanor was stern, and she left without a word of thanks or a goodbye. While the risotto was good, the unprofessionalism and poor "aftertaste" of the service mean we won't be returning. We still left a tip, but her rude departure ensured we won't be back. A legendary name doesn't excuse poor hospitality. Despite the high praise La Lanterna often receives, my recent visit was disappointing. While the basement setting is charming, the food and service failed to live up to the legacy. The meal was a mixed bag. While the risotto was enjoyable, the Carbonara portion was tiny compared to the other mains, and the chicken in the penne was tough and tasteless. Dessert was equally hit-or-miss; the Tiramisu was oddly dry and the Crème Brûlée was watery. The real issue was the unprofessional service. After struggling to get our server's attention all night, we were met with a defensive attitude when questioning the bill—specifically an "optional" service charge and a confusing "No Tax" label. The waitress became visibly frustrated when we asked for the service charge to be removed, despite her lack of attentiveness.”

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• G

  Google user

  ·7 months ago

  “As part of a deal with my friends we are visiting new places for dinner every month this year. This was our first visit to La Lanterna. And we were amazed how a place ao good had passed us by. We highly recommend the arancini pesto salmon and the chocolate brownie. We will certainly be back. We could not recommend this place highly enough.”

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• G

  Google user

  ·9 months ago

  “A brilliant spot for a festive meal, the decor is gorgeous, like Nancy Meyers Christmas. And the service was wonderful start to finish. Highly recommend for all year round.”