La Lanterna Caffe

I was here last night. such a romantic place. nice dessert & atmoshpere. it's a little too dark, but still good. I had a key lime pie gelato, it was very sour, but I still enjoyed it. I would definitely go back! Pros: romantic, dessert Cons: tables are too close more

For Great Pizza; For Great Wine; For Great Dessert; And for Great Atmosphere! I discovered this restaurant a few months ago as I was strolling through the village and have been a regular ever since. I have been impressed by everything i have seen here so far. They have made a fan out of me!!! I highly recommend you check this place out! Pros: Ambience, food, wine more

My bf put together a dinner celebration @ La Lanterna for my bday w/ friends. He & I arrived w/ 1 friend & waited for the other 4 to arrive. The staff offered us a corner table nr. the front to wait for our party to arrive while they readied our outside garden table. Finally, when no one had showed 20 min. late, we asked for our table. The staff was understanding about our missing party members & quickly readjusted unneeded xtra tables & chairs. An hr. past the declared dinner time, the missing 4 people showed up, scooting over the tables the restaurant had left open just in case. They were very accomodating to the late comers as well. Even though the service can be a lil' slow, they have great food & drink @ this restaurant! Some say it's noisy & unromantic, but I really enjoy the atmosphere of La Lanterna & will always enjoy introducing friends & family to this place. Pros: Great garden ambience, Amazing Italian fare Cons: Service can be slow sometimes because they're SO busy! But the servers are really nice & politely accomodating. more

I remember visiting La Lanterna in the afternoons while studying at NYU beginning in 1995; reading my text books and making notes as I sip a cappuccino and devour the best tiramisu in the city (yes, it is the best). The atmosphere has such a quaint European feel. The decor is warm and inviting with traditional hard wood floors and fireplaces that add the right touch in the colder months. I have literally eaten at La Lanterna hundreds of times since 1995 and always enjoy the atmosphere of this hidden treasure. \r \r My loyalty to La Lanterna continues after 12 years. I come to La Lanterna every year (almost) to celebrate my anniversary with my partner where we had our first date in 1999. A peaceful weekend dinner is still possible.\r \r While all should enjoy this Italian restaurant and wine bar, it did come as quite a shock to have a very poor experience during my last visit a couple weeks ago. A few friends and I decided to eat dinner at La Lanterna. We sat down and immediately had the worst experience I have ever had at La Lanterna. We were not treated well and we felt uncomfortable with our waitress. Not only did she forget one of our orders, forget silverware (twice), forget her manners, she never smiled or even said thank you during our entire hour. That may seem trivial, but perhaps you had to be there. It was not enjoyable, especially at an upscale restaurant. Although our food was well salted, the owner wasted no time pouring a little extra salt on our wounds.\r \r When confronted, quite diplomatically, with our disappointment, the owner was unconvincing in his apologies and was sarcastic in his tone and words. Perhaps he thought he was lightening the situation with humor, but asking us if he ""should kiII"" our waitress didn't quite seem honest and sincere in understanding our disappointment.\r \r If it were any other restaurant I would probably never go back, but I just can't bring myself to make that sacrifice given their great tiramisu. Cons: better customer service more

Such a sweet place. Such an extensive wine list. Such beautiful desserts. Such HORRIFIC service. \r \r Three friends and I stopped in last Saturday night around 10:00 pm. As the weather was beautiful and mild, the place was extremely busy. I do not allow that fact to justify the abominable service my friends and I received. Our cold waitress came over to our table with a ?what do you want??. No smile, no ?how are you??. In fact, accompanying her words was an extremely angry face as well as an extremely aggressive demeanor. When I ordered only a glass of wine, the waitress said, ?you?re not eating anything?? in nothing short of complete rudeness and disgust. We had to ask twice for silverware. And when she delivered it, the waitress threw it on the table. Yes, my water glass was refilled but it was slammed on the table. Our waitress appeared to work in a really chaotic manner. I have witnessed stellar service in busier restaurants. Though she was busy, my friends and I felt as though she had a real problem serving us. The tense feeling she created when she came to the table put a real damper on our dining experience. \r \r I called to the manager to express to him our real displeasure with the service. He then offered a bizarre apology by saying, ?what do you want me to do, k*ll her?!?? but also defended her a little too much, mainly by offending me, the only woman at the table: ?well, miss, you know how the ladies can get. They get busy and have things in their minds.? Well sir, I know how this lady can get, and she will not soon forget the poor service she received here, nor the insult you just dished out.\r \r We were all each comped a glass of limoncello. It was nice. It did not, however, succeed in numbing or sweetening our sour evening at La Lanterna. more

Went here last night with my date....ate outside in the garden, even though it was raining(they had a tarp-like roof covering....really quiet, romantic, great lighting, and the food (especially the pizza) was AMAZING. Great wine and cheese selection too. Pros: Romantic, quiet, great food/wine, not expensive more

Soft lighting, lush ivy covered walls, the sound of cascading water in the background, scrumptious lasagna, luscious wine, and delectable desserts. All of the aforementioned describe la Lanterna to a tee. Simply magical... Pros: Backyard Dining Area more

We went to La Lanterna the other night on a friend's enthusiastic recommendation and it was great! The thin crust pizzas were the real deal, the coffee and dessert-which I am told harkens back to their humble beginnings as Greenwich Village coffee house-were excellent, the Backyard garden is one of the city's finest, and Ken, our waiter, provided us with attentive yet unobtrusive service. We plan on becoming regular customers, and will recommend it to all our friends. You must try this place, you will not regret it!!! Pros: food and service Cons: Only one location, there should be a hundred! more

I'm always up for a romantic meal with my boyfriend, so after reading the reviews for this cafe, we headed out there on a Sunday afternoon. Our experience turned out to be the antithesis of romantic. We tried to sit in the outdoor garden area, but the acoustics of the space made it too loud to bear. I ordered the roasted chicken salad and the waiter made a joke about slaughtering a chicken down in the basement for me (how romantic). I was served with a bed of mesclun greens topped with what looked like cold cut slices of chicken-not very appetizing. The waiter became too busy to give us our check, even after we asked for it twice. We ended up estimating the bill ourselves and just left the money on the table and left. Pros: location, coffee Cons: service, loud ""outdoor"" dining, cold cut chicken salads more

my boyfriend and i tried La Lanterna after reading some reviews on city search. the food was affordable and very good. we recommend the lasagna bolognese and lasagna pesto for dinner, and the chocolate mousse cake for dessert. delish! the only con i can think of is that it's very dark downstairs, but once you figure out how to position the little candle to read the menu and order, it's fine. we will definitely go back and try to sit in the garden area - it was full when we got there. overall, very positive dining experience. Pros: prices, friendly staff Cons: super dark more

this is the place to go to when you're hungry post 11pm... they serve food until late and its good!\r why go to a crummy eatery or get pizza...\r dark, fireplace romantic... good service.\r Only Con - i was slightly annoyed that there is a wine list on the menu, and i took time figuring out what i wanted, and then the waitress gave me another list when i tried to order from the main menu list. not a big deal, but the prices were higher on the new list than the old list...they should just scrap the old list if thats the case.\r overall, a good place to take a date or a friend. more

Visited La Lanterna last night for the first time. And if you've never been there, I recommend you check it out. Everything was great! From the fantastic Pizza, to the manager, John's, personal attention. I can' t say enough good things about La Lanterna. The only thing I regret is that we did not have the time to listen to the live jazz emanating from the Bar Next Door. But we will soon. This place rates up there with the best!!! Pros: everything Cons: nothing more

My husband and I walked from the Upper West Side today for lunch, as the reviews here were compelling. PERHAPS this place was just having a bad day, but it was uniformly dreadful from beginning to end. The service was so bad we thought we were being secretly filmed for a reality TV show. The place was not busy, yet we had to wait interminably for simple amenities like menus and water. The waitress had a sullen, churlish attitude, with much sighing and eye-rolling accompanying every seemingly inappropriate question such as, ""What is the soup today?""---a question disturbingly unanswered by the soup itself. The pizza had some potential, had it been served sooner at a decent temperature. We noticed that diners at surrounding tables were all complaining and unhappy as well. The bathroom was hard to get to (downstairs, through the dark basement) and unclean. As for ambience, we found it dark and lifeless. We are not complainers and can usually find some merit in every place we go, but we came up snake-eyes, here. Pros: Location Cons: Everything else more

I was just here last night. It's my 3rd visit actually in 2 years. They have the best menu selection of little sandwhiches, pizzas, etc. and the best cappuccino and desserts! I've had their tiramisu, warm bread pudding, hazelnut gellato's, fresh mazzorella panini, etc...everything is just amazing and the prices of EVERYTHING is so reasonably affordable. This is the perfect date place. I particularly love sitting outside - with the garden, trees, candles, etc. It's so cozy even if you have a lot other cheezey couples or fun small group of intimate friends with you. YOU WILL LOVE THIS PLACE...and they are open till 3 am!!!!!!!! Pros: great service. great affordable menu. the best ambiance in the city without looking like you are trying too hard to impress! Cons: NONE! more

Most of the times I was at this cafe, I could hear someone ordering in Italian. It just reminds me of cafes in Europe. Thin crust pizzas are my favorite. Don't miss their dessert and coffee. Pros: Ambience, Food more

Great place to come in out of the cold and cozy up next to one of their fireplaces. Great coffee and desert. more

Great date place! I took a date here for a late dinner. It was a casual atmosphere, although very romantic. This is great for a first or second date. The small restaurant was almost completely illuminated by candle light. We sat at a cozy small round table near the fireplace. Considering the number of people in the restaurant, it was not really that loud so it accomodated conversation very well. Prior to arrival, I called to see if a weeknight reservation was necessary and the staff indicated that it was not necessary. When we arrived, we were seated immediately. The server was outstanding and when the candle burned out at our table, he replaced it within seconds! The food was very good and the cost was reasonable for NYC. more

I've been coming here on and off for the past five years and I have to say that La Lanterna has never, ever dissapointed me. The food is top notch, the service is attentive, and the atmosphere is great. If you' re in New York, you do not want to miss this place. Pros: food, service, atmosphere more

Say what you will, I still think the best feature of this fantastic restaurant are the four working fireplaces. There's nothing nicer on cold winter's night than to get one of their many hot coffees--with alcohol or without-and snuggle up to that special someone next to one of La Lanterna's many fireplaces (did I mention that they have four!). That's my vote anyway. Pros: fieplaces, food, atmosphere Cons: crowded at times more

Just thought i'd throw in my 2 cents: La Lanterna gets y vote for BEST PIZZA IN NY. i've been to italy and this is the real deal. Pros: pizza, pizza, pizza more