Chinese lanterns in Ipswich - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Me and a group of friends went to Lanterns last night for a meal and we were all very disappointed with the service. The food was mostly okay but the service was extremely slow. We asked for water for the table about 5 times before having any, we got told we could only order 8 dishes at a time whereas previous times we had been there wasn’t a limit on the dishes we could order. We ordered a buffet style meal and there was lots of food left over that we wanted to take home but we were told by the staff that we weren’t allowed and it would be put in the bin!! Last time I had been we were allowed to take the left over food home so we were all quite shocked about this! If you’re not allowed to take the leftover home this needs to be addressed prior to ordering as we wouldn’t have ordered as much food if we knew we could take the left overs home with us! The staff were overall very rude and were ignoring our table. They claimed they were busy but it was only our table and 2 others during the time we were there. Overall this was very disappointing and I won’t be returning.

We Visited Lanterns on a Thursday and it was so busy in there, The service was good & food was as good as the last time i been in January.. I would say this is the best Chinese in Ipswich because every dish had its own flavours unlike other Chinese that are bland.. I will be back very soon with my sons birthday party in November! Thank you lanterns for keeping high standards

Very disappointed , we have been to lanterns many times before but last night was just the worse time ever and we will not be returning !! Food was over cooked ( burnt spare ribs) hot and sour soup tasted like a lid had fallen off the pepper potpot and just been stirred in to it, the chicken and sweetcorn soup was very gloppy like a porridge consistency both sent back offered a replacement but didn’t want to risk my taste buds being inflickered to the torture again ,so declined , main course wrong orders came out some dishes didn’t even come out had to reorder them I asked if the chef was different to normal to be told no same chef and she “didn’t know what was going on in the kitchen” a very disappointing expensive meal having driven over an hour to get there

I will not be ordering from here ever again. Food is tasteless, for the price paid. Portion sizes small and lacking quality. Extremely disappointed!

Hot tasty, will order again. Only issue is that we spent £70 and had to pay a fiver for delivery, bag charge and admin fee on here so should’ve been £65. Food was decent though and turned up piping hot. First time ordering and turned up early so happy days

Lovely meal and delivered fast A+

The best Chinese food in ipswich without a doubt

Best Chinese restaurant I’ve ever been to! Food was cooked to perfection. Service was very good and friendly. Will definitely be returning.👍🏻

Excellent fresh food and plenty of it, been twice now and both times it was amazing . The quality of food was very very good and I come away satisfied . Such a good price and great staff

I absolutely love it here at Lanterns. It's hands down one of the best Chinese restaurants / fast food I have ever had. The unlimited buffet is fantastic value for money and have been a regular customer in a very short amount of time. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for some good food in town.

the best Special Curry in ipswich 100% recommend 👌 😋

Excellent food, came on time, recommended

Ordered through Just Eat, chose ‘vegetable chow mein’ and then the subsection was ‘hot singapore style’, when it arrived it had chicken, beef and prawn in it. Called the restaurant directly, and the person on the phone said we had made a mistake and ordered the one with meat in it. (I have a screenshot to prove I didn’t). Then later, we get a phone call back, and the person on the phone said ‘the chefs are laughing at you because it was your fault and you have ordered the wrong thing’. What a horrible thing to say to someone. Worst experience ever.

was 3 hrs wait food disgusting when got here driver rude

Zero stars delivered non vegetarian food and don’t care saying it’s not there responsibility

the food was hot when it was delivered and tasted fantastic, I highly recommend!

Good vegan options and ways to make things vegan. Good communication on the menu from staff. I had the mapo tofu hotpot and it was incredible and very generous portions. Left very satisfied and will definitely come back.

Delivery time was changed but only once and came within that time. Food was delicious but we didn’t receive and sweet and sour sauce with our s&s prawn balls which was disappointing

This was my first time here and i was pleasantly surprised how great the food was. I normally stick to one restaurant when it comes to chinese food. However, I will also be coming back here too. The food portions are generous, they didn't all taste the same and all had there own taste. The staff were very friendly and polite to us.

Really good tasty food and not too pricey

Worst chinese i have ever tasted in my life. Wouldn’t even give to my dog.

Really disappointed this restaurant accepted an order on just eat to wait over an hour to cancel, this is below par service.

Delivery was on time but food was cold & seems that we only had half portions!! Looks like someone had been eating our food!

the portion size was quite small the sweet and sour chicken didn't even come halfway up the tub, the curry was only slightly more.

Prawn toast was completely off. Was told I’d be compensated with a new order to then be told it would just be for another prawn toast, no thanks.

according to the map following the driver he was on the other side of town before I got my food. The restaurant is only 5 minutes on foot from my home so why was my food almost cold and took so long? the food itself was delicious after reheating it.

Overall the food was tasty. However, didn’t deliver won tons, just a bag of pastry scraps.

We came in on the 15th February for a meal and to be honest having been good customers supporting this restaurant before and after covid and having had many excellent meals to say the food was poor this day is being kind. When we mentioned to the manager that the food was not upto the usual standard we were told that the restaurant had been busy on valentines day and that the chef was off and the usual staff were not working, which in my opinion is not good enough. Follow on from this we gave it a couple of weeks and visited again to see if things were any different having been asked to organise a party for a group of friends, on this visit the food was back up to the usual standard and we left happy knowing that booking this place for our friends would be a good choice. I then booked a table for 16 people for the 27th of April on March the 19th, I was in town this evening and just popped in to make sure that the booking was ok I spoke to the nice young lady who we normally deal with and she said everything was fine and that it would be ok to up the number to 18. I received the email confirming that everything was ok only to receive a email about an hour and half later to say that they had now cancelled the booking. Bearing in mind that everyone who has been invited knows that we were meant to be going to Lanterns Chinese restaurant Ipswich and without any reason they have cancelled leaving me now having to find an alternative place to eat. To say I am disappointed is an understatement this is highly unprofessional and to cancel this table by email is poor, the management should have the guts to call me and give me a valid reason why they have just cancelled the booking.

Sadly I was disappointed with my order, the sweet and sour sauce tasted like vinegar and was very watery, I paid for a pot of satay sauce and it was 1 spoonful of sauce which was not reflected in the price. Hoping this was just an off evening

food was very delicious and very tasty a bit on the lukewarm side.

only had 8 mixed balls, sure it was supposed to have been 12; 6 of each chicken and prawn for 7.20. what food we did get, was very tasty.

Worst eat in Chinesse we have had in Ipswich chicken over cooked crispy beef no flavour chicken curry bland duck fatty toilets a mess no complaints about the service

Great quality always! My go to

I’ve been on a good few occasions in the past and always felt lanterns was a good option for a larger group but I echo some of other recent reviews by saying the service was quite poor largely due to the three waitresses being overrun and clearly quite stressed out. Food quality varied across the dishes but the chicken used was very cheap. Ordered some more drinks midway through which we had to bug them for quite some time later. Hopefully they can turn things around but won’t be going back for a while

Went there with a group of friends last night. Was greeted in a very friendly and welcoming manner. It seemed to have a very relaxed atmosphere. We were not rushed into ordering our food. We ordered a selection of appetisers which turned out to be a excellent variety to start our meals. We then ordered a selection of dishes for our mains. The food did not take long at all and again lived up to expectations. We were able to get some extra portions when we had finished the mains. We ordered some desserts which were a bit small but in my opinion the ideal size to finish off a lovely meal. Overall it was a most enjoyable evening and I am sure that we will be going back in the future.

Just eat organise the drivers, the restaurant had no control and helped all they could but limited to why they could do. They couldn’t cancel the order and said I need to contact just eat. There was no cancel button on the app, nothing on the webpage, found a phone number online that took me to just eat but for partner restaurants, so had no way to cancel via phone, website or app and no way of knowing when a driver would arrive at the restaurant to collect. Restaurant good, just eat awful.

Hard review as the food has previously been quite good. However, the last few orders have shown a clear cutback on the amount of meat provided across the menu. My last order I received (bitesize) satay chicken on skewers where the pieces are smaller than my thumb. Large chicken chow mein with a few shreds of wafer thin chicken. I understand times are tough, but this is just not acceptable.

The food was so so bad it was soggy and tasteless and the portions were far from generous the worst Chinese takeaway I have ever had was so disappointed

crispy chilli beef was inedible. slimy food, tasteless. really disappointed

This is a superb Chinese restaurant. Staff are all super friendly and the food is amazing. I was served by P and she was fantastic. I would defo recommend to friends and family. Can’t wait to go back.

Received half of my order absolute joke

SO GOOD Went here with my friends and it was a table of 5, the food was perfectly cooked annd it was very flavourful and the waitresses had amazing service! They were very polite and had given a such good atmosphere to the restaurant. The restaurants layout out was very good and will go here again.

Been coming here for some while and never had a complaint. Food is still very good but the service isn't. Only one waitress seems to be on the ball and looked stressed out from having to carry the other two who constantly got things wrong. Even attempting to give the Just Eat man the wrong order which I observed at the bar. I came on Thursday 15th February with two friends. One chose a la a Carte whist two of us had the all you can eat buffet. We ordered the starters no problem but weren't offered any intermediate course duck and pancakes. For mains the order was correct accept we asked for sizzling beef hot pan and ended up with chicken with green peppers and black bean sauce which was tasty so didn't complain. Signs in window advertising for more staff so hopefully things will improve as they desperately need to

We went to Lanterns in January for a birthday party of 15 people , The food and service was very good, I remember two waitresses names Flick & Ella which have been working there for a long time.. & they both made sure we got the best service throughout the night. Food was fresh and very tasty & with good garnishes. Will return when in the area and bring my family next time. Thanks

My other half and I had a lovely meal here. Food is amazing ( lovely vegetarian optons) service 10/10 atmosphere friendly the staff are friendly and can't do enough we were made to feel welcomed. The restaurant is very clean the decor is fantastic. Definitely going to bring our family next visit.

Really disappointed after attending their buffet on Friday night. £25 per person and I’m convinced we could have got the same amount of food between us from a takeaway for less Not only that but we were served raw chicken which ended up putting me off my meal. Unfortunately I ate some and I was poorly the next day. They weren’t even going to take any money off for this - until my two friends went up to request it. Seems to have gone downhill since I last went.

Terrible didn’t even turn up and mark it as delivered I want a refund

Brilliant service, arrived on time and taste's amazing, thank you very much will buy from here again 5*

Batter was soggy on the chicken could have been cooked longer

not the best tofu dishes as very soggy and notuch flavour in them nor the rice

Always been my wife and I best.

Not sure the satay was satay sauce

Had dinner here with friends, food took a while to be served but I appreciate that freshly cooked food takes a while to cook but the food wasn't exactly amazing and seemed quite basic..... Out of everything the best thing on the menu was the chow main. Things were missing off what we ordered and when the food did arrive, what was ordered was wrong..... Desserts were small, basic and again nothing exciting. I get it was quite a quiet night but, overall 90% of our party of friends left very disappointed with the over rated restaurant

The delivery and food was really good, however the quantity of food was very disappointing for the price. Have had food from lanterns before and have never been disappointed but last nights was not good!!

Food was almost cold, portions were very small and the crispy beef tasted stale. Sweet and sour sauce was oily. Have had food from here and it's always been good before. won't be ordering again.

Twice now my order has been cancelled, a joke of a place. Won't be back

Okay food but ignored request to have no bean sprouts in chow mein

Food was a little cold on arrival but otherwise really good and tasty.

When we walked in, staff were gathered at the bar doing nothing. It wasn't busy only another table at the time. But it looked quite unprofessional. Asked if we wanted buffet or a la carte so said a la carte. She grabbed the menus and showed us our table. She just slammed the menus on the table like she was irritated. We barely had time to look at the drinks when she came over. I ordered a bottle of beer which was lukewarm. Asked for tap water a couple of times but nothing had to ask again. Food took a long time but by this time a few more parties came in. Seems like they had more attentive service than us. When the food finally came out, presentation was unappealing. Had a tofu dish, just tofu and heavily cornstarch sauce. I could make that myself. The layout is not very spacious, very tight barely enough space between tables. I really didn't want to leave much of a tip but did anyway. Don't think it was deserved When we left no thank you or anything. Just found staff rude and unfriendly. Non-Chinese staff which doesn’t make it authentic. Food probably pre-made and just the case of heating it up in the microwave. Sweet and sour sauce wasn’t made from scratch from a packet more than likely. Horrible experience and food, waste of money and regret leaving a tip.

Food wasn’t very nice, didn’t have much flavour, chow mein tasted burnt, portions very small for the amount I spent, very disappointing

Very quick service from restaurant and delivery driver Food was hot, delicious, thankyou!

Went to the restaurant with my son who was eager to have dim sum on the lunch time menu, we were met by a very rude woman who informed us that the kitchen was closed due to technical issues and asked us to return later in the evening, when I asked if we would be able to have dim sum in the evening as the menu states it’s only served at lunchtime, her response was quite rude with attitude bluntly stating that she had just told me they served dim sum but the kitchen was closed! We walked out of the empty restaurant feeling very disappointed and upset about her attitude towards us. We will not return to this restaurant again after that.

Wonderful, very fast delivery and great value. Food was the same as that served in the restaurant.

Lemon chicken was great. Salt and pepper calamari was greasy and bland Egg fried rice was an artificial like colour yellow and didn't taste of much, was quite stodgy too. Delivery was very quick and food arrived hot. Shame, overall though.

Amazing food, staff were great, nothing was any trouble and you weren't rushed. Would definitely go again

Food was tasteless, cold and undercooked. DO NOT ORDER FROM HERE!

Chips not cooked and food taste not as before or as expected

Best Chinese - quick delivery, tasty, hot and great portions

My brother and i went to the restaurant on saturday 4th of november at 6pm we had some great food Elise and her team were amazing the service was excellent and all of the dishes tasted lovely i would highly recommend this restaurant to everyone we will return very soon thank you.

Everything was nice, crab claws overpriced though as cheap meat used! - Wouldn't order those again. Would order from here again though, but would just be more selectful on what we choose. Also, drinks weren't cold which was disappointing but no problem, at least everything turned up and nothing was missing lol.. all in all food was ok :-)

A Chinese food experience 😋 Great menu, taste WOW! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The food was cold the chips were soggy.

We visited this restaurant as a couple on a week night. It wasn't busy, there were only a few tables occupied and the service was fast. We chose the buffet menu where we could order as many dishes as we want for a fixed price. Made it through two appetisers, one main course, and a dessert each, so it was good value for money. The waitress was super friendly and recommended dishes which was helpful as the menu is very broad almost to the point where it's difficult to make choices! The food was nice, not the best Chinese I have tasted but very good still. I imagine this would be a very nice place to visit with a group and share various dishes together.

Very good quality, we ordered several dishes and everything was so fresh and yummy!

Ordered chicken fried rice and veg roll, my husband and kids liked it

Supportive of Accessibility needs

Was a really busy night but the girls were exemplary in the service they gave. They were so friendly and kind the whole night, I could not fault anything in what they did. They were constantly asking if we needed anything else, despite the restaurant being packed the whole time. I hear that another table were not happy with their service, which surprised giving how well all the girls dealt with the busyness of the night and I could not be happier with the the service we received all night. Thank you very much, we will definitely be back again soon!!!

2 hours and 30 minutes it took! Need compensation.

We were visiting Ipswich for the day on a Saturday afternoon and decided to pop into Lanterns Chinese Restaurant. It wasn't to busy. We ordered starters and mains and everything was very nice. The starters were the Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup and Hot and Spicy Chicken Wings. For mains we went for the King Prawn balls and King Prawn Chow Mein. The Chow Mein was in particular very tasty. With Peroni on draught what more could you ask for. The lady serving us was very helpful with getting our bearings around Ipswich. We had to wait a little while for the bill but that was ok.

Though the food was still eatable it wasn't as good as it would of been if it had not arrived a hour late

Excellent friendly service & great food

Food was good as was the service. Went for my sisters birthday so there was 10 of us. It does tell you that there is a service charge for 8 or more people. I'm afraid that a £35 service charge just stuck in our throats and put a dampener on the evening. It was very busy and a few large parties so can only imagine what they got in service charges.

The food definitely isn’t as nice as it once was, I know it’s under new ownership but the food isn’t that great

Had an amazing meal restaurant back on track, compliments to the chef and efficient staff. Everything we had tasted delicious 😋

Absolutely fantastic place to eat I took my wife for her birthday and it was amazing the food was spot on with every dish, I don’t normally do Chinese food but after this I enjoyed it and the service was next to heavenly I couldn’t praise the lovely lady’s who put every effort in to making your evening special, a BIG thank you to all I must say it’s got to be the best restaurant I’ve been to in a very long time ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Please Read!!!!!! We came to try the buffet as a family of four. From our understanding, the restaurant is now back under its usual ownership. I cannot fault the food, the staff, the prompt timing of the food from being ordered to on the table. A very thorough and friendly service by Ella. The food was so incredibly tasty and plenty of it! Apparently there are false reviews that are being left by the old management to sabotage, so do not believe everything you read! We absolutely enjoyed our meal and cannot recommend here and the buffet enough!!! Thank you to all the staff!!!

Great service from the staff. Good ambiance in the restaurant, the food was great and well cooked. Will definitely go again. A great evening.

The delivery never showed up, yet said it was delivered. I'm highly upset and have requested a refund because this is beyond ridiculous.

Great food I absolutely loved it

The best vegetable curry I have ever had. Food was well wrapped and delivered on time.

Very enjoyable take out from Lanterns. Will order from them again.

Good tasty food, delivered promptly, and good price for the food.

quick delivery and food was ok and order correct

Food could have been hotter and Foo Yung tasted slightly burnt but delivery was spot on

Food was delicious, arrived promptly and hot.

Food came piping hot nothing was missed. Now my new favourite Chinese and will be ordering again

Amazing service, very fast delivery and good quality food! Definitely our go to Chinese!!

Part of the meal was great but the won tons didn't have any meat in them - have been given credit for this item

Delicious food, would order again.

Only issue was no rice although stated curry comes with rice