Red Lantern House — Restaurant in Wellsboro

If I could give this place 4.5 stars, I would—but since Google doesn’t allow half-star ratings, I’m rounding to a solid 4 out of 5. Red Lantern House is a surprising gem tucked away in rural Pennsylvania, offering some of the best Chinese food I’ve had in a long time.

🏮 Atmosphere: 4/5

Very clean and well-kept. The dining room is cozy and filled with traditional Chinese décor—red lanterns, bamboo art, and festive wall hangings—giving it an inviting, cultural charm. For a small-town location, the ambiance exceeded expectations.

👩‍🍳 Service: 4/5

The woman who waited on us was very friendly, attentive, and helpful. She did a great job making us feel welcome. The only downside is that they charge a service fee for credit cards and strongly encourage customers to pay with cash, which, while understandable, feels a little outdated.

🍜 Food: 4/5

We started with the fried pork dumplings, and they were exceptional—some of the best we’ve had. The wrappers were thick and chewy (in a good way), and the pork filling was flavorful. The dipping sauce added the perfect zing.

For our meals, we ordered combo platters—you can get one entrée with rice and an egg roll, or pay $4.99 more and choose two entrees. I chose the Kung Pao Chicken and the Chicken with Garlic. Both dishes were tasty and made with high-quality chicken, but the flavors were very similar. I was especially hoping the Chicken with Garlic would have some spice, but it really didn’t—still good, just not what I expected.

The egg rolls, served cut in half, were beautifully presented and crispy, flavorful, and fresh—a standout side item.

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✅ Final Thoughts:

Red Lantern House is absolutely worth visiting if you’re in the Wellsburg area. Don’t let its rural location fool you—this is top-tier Chinese food with a clean setting and warm service. A couple of small quirks (like the credit card fee and flavor overlap) kept it from being a full five stars, but it’s still a place I’d gladly return to...

Experience is good, staff is friendly and makes sure that your order is correct. Food is above par with most Chinese takeout, with texture, quality and flavor being take into account.

I ordered extra spicy chicken curry with white rice, the curry itself was thin and had light flavor. The chicken was a little spicy and the veggies were a bit waterlogged to hold flavor. Overall I would call it decent.

I also ordered fried dumplings and hot/spicy chicken, these were exceptional. The dumplings were full of meat and juice, while having a satisfying crunchiness. The hot/spicy chicken was not hot or spicy, but had a hint of both, a great texture, and a good taste.

Pros: Great service Good order turnover time Fresh flavors Decent Prices

Cons: Extra spicy is not spicy Vegetable cuts aren't favorable Beef with Onions had fishy taste (maybe reused pan)

In the end, I recommend this restaurant, I believe that if your visiting wellsboro, or a local, this restaurant will be a great lunch or dinner stop!

4 persons worth of food was purchased, paid $44 after tax. Roughly $11 or less a person for...

I was visiting out of town and was looking for a place to eat that offered meat-free dishes. I love Asian cuisine, so I chose to eat at the Red Lantern House. I was initially not sure how big their portions were, and I wanted to have some left over for lunch the next day, so I did end up spending $28 on myself, plus a tip. Let me just say how big their portions are and how delicious the food it! Everything that I ordered came correctly (I know some places accidentally mix up your order, but not here!) I had plenty for dinner, lunch, and another 1-2 meals after that. So I would warrant that someone could comfortably eat here on a low budget without sacrificing quality. In addition to great food, the service was amazing. The lady who helped me cash out for my order was super friendly, even complimented my ring, and had the brightest smile! If I'm ever in the area again, I will most certainly be coming back to eat here.

For reference, I got: 1 order of spring rolls (qty: 2) 1 order of veggie dumplings, steamed (qty: 8) 1 order of vegetables and garlic sauce...