Lantern House in St Albans

I’m traumatised at what they gave us tonight as a takeaway go on off chicken foul smelling food undercooked omelette then I asked for a refund and they handed over 5 pound out of 62 pound over the counter and swore at me and made my kids cry I’m so upset and don’t no how this buisness is running I’m calling trading standards in the morning I have images of the food there providing. Dodge going here Sam’s and china express is lovely however we thought we would give this one a second chance as we was passing both times been vile

I’ve placed an order and the food was absolutely vile!!! I’ve got a omelet with mushrooms and the mushrooms were not cooked at all raw muchrooms inside and a chicken curry with rice and salt and pepper chips the curry was cold and definitely under cooked this is ridiculous behaviour I’ve rang the shop and explained everything they suggested I went to the shop and but the phone down on me when I went to the shop they refused a refund for there uncooked food what kind of a Chinese is this !!!!!!!!!! St Albans do better !!!!!!!!

It is one of my regular for Chinese takeaway. Either walk-in or ordered via phone . Very friendly staff - family run business. They are extremely efficient and fast at getting your order ready within minutes . Great all-around service! Never had any disappointment or anything bad to say. My go to Chinese every time and taste amazing !

Tried to contact them for 1 hour there phone continuously engage,as advert for just eat. Phone took off the hook. I have ordered food from lantern house for a few years. Very disappointed

I went to this takeaway this evening because Chinese express for some reason was closed. I had deliberately stayed away from the Lantern house for absolutely years because of an experience we had a long time ago, after reading the reviews I thought it must be under New Ownership But I was wrong! I ordered chicken and lemon sauce and vegetarian Singapore noodles, The noodles had no taste whatsoever and the lemon sauce was absolutely Disgusting , It tasted like it had been made with artificial sweetener which gave me an awful art of taste in my mouth. I called them to give them some feedback, and the lady I spoke to said that they had made loads of orders today With chicken and lemon sauce, of course they did. The sliced chicken was chewy and not fresh, but overall the attitude was appalling, how did they get the reviews that they have, These have to be fake!

Absolutely fantastic Chinese food. Staff were very friendly and gave us prawn crackers on the house too! It is very challenging to find a nice authentic Chinese takeaway in St Albans but after visiting Lantern House yesterday, the food was great, staff were friendly and we will definitely be back again soon!

My favorite Chinese takeaway, always cheers me up with something delicious like a sweetcorn soup or black bean beef.

Have been there twice in a week already! I'm fairly new to St Albans but will keep going back here for any Chinese food. Very tasty food and one can easily get the feel of freshness in their dishes. Recommend anytime! 5*s

Amazing service. Food was amazing. Delivered on-time. Thank you for the fortune cookies, it was lovely touch. ♥️

I really enjoyed the food tonight from The Lantern House in Hatfield Road. The food was all piping hot and very tasty. I collected it and was served politely and promptly by a very efficient assistant. (I have no affiliation, just thought they deserve a mention) They also have a 5 star hygiene rating from the council. Well done.

Stuff are very friendly, lovely service and delicious food!! Highly recommended 👌

This used to be a great place, many many years ago(20yrs) but ever since No!! It's awful. Cheap, tasteless not a pleasure at all .tbf all Chinese takeaways now are similar.😰 really miss really nice food, like use to be. But I forgot last time I had food from here, but back mind was telling me wasn't nice, but I thought go for it. Big!! Mistake. Curry tasted like gravy, bamboo cashew nuts stunk,all taste mushrooms.. chicken pineapple not good but pineapple part nice.. The only thing nice was the prawn crackers ,prawn toast and chips .NEVER AGAIN! Waste of money.. Not a pleasure at all

The chicken in our meal was not cooked properly it was very rubbery and a couple of pieces were a bit pink inside. We phoned them to tell them about it and was told “that perhaps we were not used to their chicken” at 76 years old I think I know what chicken should be cooked like. They told us “we should try the beef next time”. Told them there would not be a next time.

Best Chiense takeaway in St Albans. However I do park in Morrisons car park and collect my order normally. But, I tried to call them tonight and other time to place an order but their phone system needs to be updated. As there is an automated voice saying " please wait, the person knows you are waiting." For about 20 /30 mins. Not happy.

I left a two star review six months ago. The food was so bad I binned it. The last five times I have been there the food has been superb. The exception was the Kung Po Chicken... Which tasted fine, but it just wasn't anything like Kung Po Chicken. I will get food from here regularly now.

rang up 30 mins later the food arrived, piping hot every aspect was first class, this is my goto Chinese restaurant forever.

Shockingly poor food. Thai green prawn was inedible. Will never use again.

Ordered salted and spicy chicken wings and Thai special fried rice. Food taste good and in decent portion, the place is clean and people are friendly.

My favorite food is Chinese but I have to say this was the worst that I’ve ever had, noodles were burnt, barbecue sauce on the pork was watered down and the curry well what can I say it was not good at all the only good thing out of the whole order was the pancake roll and that’s why it gets a one star

I'm sorry to have cause to leave a poor review. I had Beef in Blackbean Saauce. It was inedible and went into the bin. It had a marked smell of fish and tasted dull as if old and re-heated. Disgusting described it well.

We visited St Albans this week and ordered a Chinese Takeaway from Lantern House. We ordered our food it arrived 35 mins later piping hot and it was delicious

By far the best chinese in St. Albans.

Tried here for a take-away for the first time last week, and can honestly say- extremely tasty spring rolls, chicken batter balls, prawn crackers and chow mein!! Better than a lot of other places we have tried in our old town address. The only thing (Why I have not given 5 stars) is that the Kung Pao chicken isn't as we like it, as it seems everyone makes it different, and not quite for us which is a shame, and a little pricey, but I guess all Chinese take-aways are these days! Very friendly lady on pick-up though!

Excellent Chinese take-away. Definitely the best for Chinese in St Albans. Great taste and reliable. Just be prepared to wait on the phone when ordering at peak times.

We regularly use Lantern House for family takeaway. The food is consistently tasty, delivered quickly and hot.

Our family grew up using the Lantern House 3 decades ago. Last week ordered from them for the first time in 20+ years and feel the urge to leave a very positive review as the food was excellent - very tasty & flavoursome, good ingredients & up there among the best Chinese takeaways I've had in St Albans. A happy, new returning customer.

I have been lucky enough to be eating good Chinese food since 1968 when I met my Chinese friends at Business College in London and I have been to China 4 times in the last 10 years and experienced the 'real-deal' in many of the Provinces - so I know what I am talking about! The meals we have ordered from the Lantern House have been truly exceptional by take- away standards and even compared to the best Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. Keep up the high standards and we will continue to recommend you to all our friends as the best Chinese take-way in the district!

Just had delicious takeaway. Food fresh and vegetables crunchy. Large portions and good quality ingredients. Best takeaway we’ve had for a long time. Don’t know why we didn’t try Lantern House before. Delivered hot and at time requested. Very very happy with food and service. Try it. We will again!

Great for take away! Very friendly and a reasonable price and very quick!

I’ve ordered from them few times and recently food is even better than before. Fresh and tasty, lots of veg not just almost plain noodles and nice, big prawn balls with perfect amount of batter. Very good, recommended!

We ordered tonight as it’s the only Chinese open in St Albans, it was a major disappointment. Salt and chilli prawns were ok Salt and chilli chicken flavour not great and overcooked Chicken chowmein didn’t taste like chicken chowmein, they really weren’t nice and if possible almost tasted like water Singapore noodles were stale definitely refried, really greasy and not the taste of Singapore noodles I am accustomed too. I don’t like to complain or leave bad reviews usually but as a meal it was bad and given the price paid I must say something. I unfortunately won’t be ordering again. Sorry

This a an okay Chinese takeaway. Its located in Hatfield Road so it's a bit hard to get parked. The shop has been there for many years .

I've been ordering from this Chinese for a couple of years now and it has never let me down. Always speedy delivery & always delicious! Couldn't recommend enough!

Ordered takeaway , crispy shredded beef , not so crispy , soup a bowl of salty washing up water , special fried rice , not so special , I actually threw it away and ordered another one from somewhere else

Tried calling numerous times with no answer then line was busy and still not answer after that when they are said to be open

Despite the non attractive look from the outside and the feeling of not being busy I thought to trust the reviews and try this place. Only had noodles and prawn toast but I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent flavour, big siE and def competitive price compared to the Chinese where I normally go on the other side of Hatfield road. I promised to myself to try it again when I will order a wider choice of dishes.

Pop into this place as fancy a chinese and prices looks reasonable. What was order was really nice and cooked well and well worth coming again

I had a delivered meal: Beef Satay with egg fried rice. The satay was superb, just the right amount of chilli and good flavour. The egg fried rice was not fatty at all and there was plenty of egg in it, unlike some restaurants where the egg is barely detectable. The rice also had a slight rubbery bite to it as is should have if made well. Thanks!

Best delivery Chinese in St. Albans by a mile. Great size portions, very speedy delivery, take card over the phone and food is really tasty.

Been using this place for years and I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal.... It is quick, fresh and the staff are really helpful....... Great value for money....

Great food. Lunchtime specials are good value.

Our usual takeaway has closed so we were looking for a local one to take its place. This was high up on trip advisor for ratings but we were so disappointed.The food came quick however the quality was poor. The chicken was a very strange texture and we gave up on trying to eat it and other bits of meat in the house chow mein which which just grisly. The sesame prawn toasts were very small and just tasted of vinegar. If it wasn’t for the rice being edible we would have gone hungry! Will not be using again.

Not the easiest area to park, seems the council had spare yellow paint and painted double yellow lines everywhere.Open on bank holiday...nice surpriseThe staff were very happy to change my dishes to cater for my allergies and like for more spice.Good sized portions, reasonable price, fantastic taste.

Always been great food and often surprisingly quick to deliver too! 👍🏻

Said there open till 11 on google and called about 10 times between the hours of 8 and 9pm and no answer.

Sick food not greasy nice and crispy

At the time of posting this restaurant has only got 3.5 stars for some reason. Maybe some delivery issues, but it can’t be because of the food. I’m giving this a five because it’s better than the majority of Chinese restaurants/ takeaways in St Albans. I know because I’m trying them all one by one. The women on the counter is entertaining in the busy period as she works at double speed.The Chinese food served in the UK isn’t authentic Chinese food as you probably know, but at least this is above average.

Terrible service, food was bad, called the store and they told me to bring it back. When I returned it they said they won’t give me a refund. So I paid for terrible food and wasted my time and petrol returning to the shop. MUCH BETTER ALTERNATIVES IN THE AREA!!!

Unable to rate the food as when they answer their phone they just put it down - unique approach to generating business - not sure it will catch on! If you want a business you need customers! Get it sorted!

I have had a couple of orderd from here now and always very pleased good food at a reasonable price and offer home delivery would like an online menu that was easy to get but apart from that very good food

Best chinese takeaway we have had in St Albans. Fast delivery, fresh lovely flavours and excellent value. This will be our go to chinese.

I've been here numerous times, and have never had a bad experience. Would recommend to anyone and everyone.

We ordered a meal for 4 people, tasteless, bland and greasy. Such a shame the other reviews were misleading

Great food . Very quick service , have ordered many times and never disappointed . Highly recommend .

Chinese takeaway is hugely competitive business, not least in Saint Albans .Lantern House is our number one choice. food always tastes fresh and delivery so fast I'm often surprised who is the door. In short everything to recommend, nothing to criticise

I'm. Not sure why all good reviews making out best one around. I disagree,portions same size elsewhere, price extortion, curry is bland tasteless, have tried it several times eacvh time it pointless.the seaweed is however better as less salty than other places, in fact all the disused less salty,but certainly not as tastier. The satay sauce good portiin but wasnt blended properly was very very grainy.Delivery was fast polish Lithuania driver assume legal paid job. Food OK, but I def prefer Me old Chinese, curry and satay sauce taste lovely, esp certain nights, portions are same.much much cheaper, I paid an extra £10 for even less food as don't even get bonus like free prawn crackers if spend over certain amount and have biy more for delivery.

As always, Lantern House is the best take away with great service and friendly folks. Will go back again!

Poner en un orden para 9 personas como parte de una fiesta de Año Nuevo. Servicio amable por teléfono, entregado a tiempo y la comida era fantástica. Grandes porciones y no había nada a la izquierda al final de la noche! He estado buscando un fiable china para llevar y nuevo.

Much better alternatives in the area

There is almost no waiting time if you turn up or phone ahead. I found the staff very friendly and the food hot and well cooked as well as very tasty.

Got meal for 1 take away. Get a lot for your money and it's really good. Best Chinese take away on stage Albans for the price

Have used the Lantern for some years, both delivery and collection. hardly ever have to wait when collecting and food is always good.

We started to have chinese food delivered from the Lantern House since a couple of weeks and we cannot stop anymore. My son is enthusiastic of the chinese spaghetti and to use the chop sticks! Usually delivered fast and with no problems for the moment. Excellent

Well cooked, good sized portions and delicious. Love this restaurant, keep up the good work guys!

We used this takeaway on 20th December 2015, to order for a group of 8 people.The food arrived at exactly the time we had ordered it, it was piping hot, delicious and very good value. What more could you ask for? We are using them again this evening for a Friday night treat!

Despite it's rather shabby exterior along Hatfield Road, Lantern House is an absolute gem for Chinese takeaway. The food is not as greasy as some, the menu is broad, the service fast and the prices cheap. What more do you want? The woman who runs it is also lovely - keep up the good work lady!

First time using Lantern House last week and we weren't disappointed. Ordered for collection and was ready within 20 mins, had two main dishes, a mixed starter, a rice and extra sweet & sour sauce and it came to £21.90 - amazing. The food was tasty, not greasy and the service was fab. We'll be going back!

This is the third time using the Lantern house , previous 2 times the food has been good, but this time quite disappointed, the mixed starters seemed as though they had been cooked a long time ago, the young chow fried rice is still lovely, the shrimp chop suey was far too runny, roast duck chinese style tasteless and the Malaysian Sambi king prawn which was supposed to be hot and spicy was clearly missing these. Did we catch them on a bad day or is the sign of things to come. It is difficult enough to find a decent Chinese in St Albans without the ones you did like going down hill, may have try else where next time

Family run takeaway, good food and reasonably priced. Never have to wait long and they're always happy to cook the dish as you like it (we always have then without onions).

Very first order and impressed. 20 minutes from ordering we had the order. £16.90 for spring rolls, ribs, chicken & sweet corn soup, rice and red Thai chicken chilli. And free prawn crackers. The curry was slightly oily but all else was very nice with the soup being the highlight. Cheap, quick, yummy. Coming back for more.

Just had a takeaway from lantern house delivered:Cons:The prawn crackers didn't taste of prawnThe kung po chicken dish and the chicken with cashew nuts were indistinguishable from each otherPros:The man that delivered it was politeThe food was hot

We always get our chinese takeout from Lantern House - the food is consistently good and you always get a friendly service. Try the wonton or hot and sour soup...wok steamed dumplings also great.We always come back to lantern house after trying elsewhere - it is simply the freshest and tastiest chinese in St Albans.

easily the best chinese food i've ever had. the crispy duck in particular is amazing! the delivery is generally quick, food is good value and always tasty. it's so consistent i wouldn't go anywhere else.

The food here is consistently good and the service is always friendly and efficient. We have tried other chinese takeaways closer to home, but always return to this one as the quality is so much better (no dodgy tums).

Having been using this take away for the past 12 years and it has consitently produced grea food at a good price.Have tried others in St Albans but always gone back to Lantern House, regretting having gone else where.