Lanterns Restaurant — Restaurant in Plymouth

(Detailed review below) Food & Drink ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ambience ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Accessibility ⭐⭐ Cost ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Service ⭐⭐⭐ Summary ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Food & Drink 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good menu, although due to COVID-19, some items were not available - I won't mark them down for that. The food was very good, witht he garlic mushrooms especially piquant. The souvla was off the menu, but the moussaka was very good and a decent sized portion, although I'd recommend sharing a side of chips with someone else.

Ambience 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ We visited on a Tuesday early evening and because of the COVID-19 "Eat Out to Help Out" offer of 50% off the bill Mon-Wed, it was busy. The staff had to turn away people who hadn't booked, which caused upset and unnecessary commotion for the poor staff to have to deal with. However, aside from those distractions, the restaurant had a nice feel to it.

Accessibility 2/5 ⭐⭐ The entrance and seating area are wheelchair accessible and on the same level, however, the toilets are up two flights of stairs with no obvious disabled toilet downstairs.

Cost 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The cost of the food and drinks was inline with what I would expect to pay for a restaurant meal in Plymouth, when you take off the offer. The bill came to £86 for 4 people, but I think the drinks (which aren't part of the Eat Out to Help Out offer) pushed that price up a bit.

Service 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The service was perfectly good with friendly, knowledgeable staff. The wait between courses was a little long, but given the hassle the staff had been getting from parties that hadn't booked, etc., I can't mark them down. It wasn't their fault.

Summary 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I don't think I've been to Lanterns before, yet it one of Plymouth's most established restaurants. It was an absolute delight to get out to eat after COVID-19 lockdown, and I will be going back - It's perfect for the occasional...

Lanterns has been a favourite place of mine to go for the best fillet steak in the South West for a long time now! The steaks are always cooked to perfection and some of the most tender and delicious you will ever have! I always opt for the peppercorn sauce too when I have a steak at Lanterns and the sauce is very nice and not overpowering to the flavour of the steak and accompaniments etc. I have also had the beef stifado and the moussaka previously and they were both very good. The staff are friendly and attentive and were even willing to make an affogato which is not on the menu for my father when he asked if it was possible to have one for dessert! The interior is a nice modern style with pictures of Greece and well known Greek landmarks and landscapes and the atmosphere is welcoming and friendly. Would highly recommend a visit but always worth booking in advance as on a busy night you can be waiting for a table for some time and people were queued out the door waiting for a table to become free - which just illustrates how good the restaurant is if people are willing to wait in the cold just to get a table at Lanterns as a walk-in rather than...

Was very disappointed. Our table was 30 minutes late. It was a surprise birthday meal, which ended up not being a surprise as we were all stood outside. We were not offered drinks whilst waiting, (having complimentary drinks would have been nice, but not even being offered a drink order that we would happy to pay for was disgusting) we were a table of 19 which was booked 6 weeks In advanced. We were split into 2 tables as they could not accommodate us. The food was ok. Not brilliant. Steak & fish was cold due to the side dishes taking so long to come out. Fries were over cooked, burger was greasy which made the bun soggy, sweet potatoe fries over cooked, The staff were lovely, however poor management, poor customer service, poor organisation. We were not even offered a little off the bill or a complimentary drink for the whole disastrous evening. There was no leeway from management. If you cannot handle large groups do not book them in. Very disappointed. Although on a postive the waitresses were polite friendly they deserve a pay rise for putting up with...