La Lanterna — Restaurant in Great Britain

Terrible service and an ambiance more fit for a open mic comedy show than a romantic date. Great appetisers and deserts.

The perfect place to ruin your dates vibes. So after getting a reservation which comes with a £40 cancellation fee, £20 per person, you would assume that the staff would greet you after you enter after entering the restaurant through a locked door you have to buzz to get in, (that I did enjoy as it felt more high class). However disappointment came when not only did no one actually greet us or even talk to use for 20 mintutes till about 5 minutes after our table was scheduled to be done. (They have a coat room for coats but never asked for ours despite how attentive they were at the end of night asking if anyone had any coats to check out). Then after getting our table the waiter threw 4 different menus each onto our table, good amount of reading, and then proceeded to act like we were late for a plane. My god in 15 minutes we had to tell them we weren't ready to order from the atlas 5 times. Now all of this could have been fixed by the food and by the grace of God the appetisers were exquisite. The battered caliamri flaked and melted in your mouth, the prosciutto with walnuts and honey worth every penny. For a brief moment this restaurant really was the best Italian restaurant in Scotland. Then the main course came, after getting rushed again and again to order from the lexicon we ordered the scallops and chicken. For an almost £20 price tag for chicken you would expect to an abundance of spices and seasonings or perhaps a sauce to being out the flavour of the meal, what I received was basically a big chicken burger and painfully enough I have bought better from Asda. The scallops were good. They are scallops. After all this we come to the finale, desert. Cheese cake wonder absolutely marvelous with the strawberries. Ice cream with chocolate sauce marvelous. Was it worth it for amazing appetisers and deserts. I almost would say yes if I didn't get horrendously ill about 2 hours later and empty most of my stomach. (Date says she saw a staff member from a fork near the kitcken and put it back with the rest). So it seems Scotlands best Italian restaurant is clinging to its decaying title and though there are clear remnants of it's glory I personally doubt I'll ever go there again after emptying £80 of food...

We celebrated my daughter’s 18th birthday at this gem of an Italian restaurant last Saturday, and it was nothing short of magical. From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere felt warm, inviting, and almost like stepping into a little slice of Italy itself.

The staff went above and beyond — they didn’t just serve us, they celebrated with us. Every single person who came to our table had a smile, genuine enthusiasm, and made us feel like honored guests. My daughter was treated like royalty, and you could see how special they made her feel on such an important milestone.

Now, the food… where do I even begin? Every dish was a masterpiece. The pasta was so fresh it practically melted in your mouth, the sauces were rich and bursting with flavor, and the presentation was absolutely stunning. You could taste the love in every bite. The seafood tasted like it had been caught that morning, and the tiramisu… I swear it was the best we’ve ever had. Light, fluffy, decadent — truly unforgettable.

What really blew us away was the attention to detail. The team surprised my daughter with a beautifully decorated dessert plate complete with a candle and a heartfelt “Happy Birthday” written in chocolate. The whole restaurant seemed to sparkle with joy in that moment — even other diners clapped along!

This wasn’t just dinner. It was an experience — one that turned a family celebration into a memory we’ll cherish forever. My daughter said it was the best birthday she’s ever had, and I wholeheartedly agree.

If you’re looking for food that feeds the soul, service that feels like family, and an atmosphere that makes every occasion shine brighter, look no further. This is hands down the best Italian restaurant we’ve ever visited.

We left with full stomachs, full hearts, and a promise that we’ll be back again (and again, and again!).

Grazie mille to the entire team for making my daughter’s 18th absolutely...

Went for a valentine's night dinner, and despite the high praises I have heard about this restaurant, the experience was pretty lackluster. The dinner service was restricted to their set menu for Valentine's day and one could opt for a 2 course meal for 27.50 each or 3 course for 35 each. My partner ordered a mains and a dessert sharing platter, and I went for a prawn starter and mains. The menu did not state that if you share the dessert platter it will cost extra and after we were reassured by the service staff that it wont be charged separately, when it came down to the billing time, there was an extra 7.5 quid added on top of our 27.50 each. There was also an added service charge, automatically added on top of that, both seems disingenuous to me. I don't mind paying service fee and having worked in the hospitality industry I will gladly hand tips to servers, but this was not acceptable. The extra charge for sharing dessert platter makes no sense, 'cos essentially my partner paid 35 quid for a bowl of pasta and 4 shot glasses worth of desserts. We were told that the server did not know and she explained it to us incorrectly that it would be included in the price, and only after asking for clarification was one given to us. She also quickly went on to say that she would be happy to take off the service fee, as if doing us a favor while admitting to the fact that she gave us misinformation while taking the order. The whole situation left a bitter after taste, although the main course pasta was pretty good. The dessert platter portion wise was very disappointing especially considering the extra charge. Food was decent, I liked my risotto but the whole billing experience did not leave me with a positive impression...