Iron Lantern Restaurant

Stay away from this place! Ordered a sea food dish and could not eat it, seafood was bad, real bad — smelled and tasted of bleach! Advised the waitress who took the meal and then returned to the table and says «Owner smelled them and they are fine, here you go. If you have any further issues you will need to speak with the owner but she is busy now and not available, here is your bill» I spoke with the owner who advised me I just «must not know the difference between good seafood and a bad». She then advised me that should I return at some point I was not allowed to order that dish dish again and if I did she would refuse to serve me”. I told her I would not be returning to which she replied «You coming back here does not hurt our business, we do a good one here, just look around, my attitude is not a problem, people keep coming». I was making every effort to be discreet about my issues however she was raising her voice and was very aggressive, I have never seen anything like it, all this while people are waiting to be seated at the door where we were standing and she was also acting as the hostess for the night, she proceeded to want to continue and argue and raise her voice in front of others. She then rambled on about how I would have to pay for the salad bar and she could not understand how I could complain as they are very popular and have a ton of business with no complaints. Not worth it and would advise to stay away bad service and bad food all the way around…

Wow! What a total experience in hospitality and good food. Can’t say enough good things about the experience.
Let me start at the beginning… we’re traveling the country in our RV and have spent most of the last 2 weeks at the Lake Bomoseen KOA having a wonderful time.
I’ve probably passed this place a half dozen times and had the perception of it as being a Vermont version of a Road House Honky Tonk — after all they advertise 50 cent Wing Wednesday on a small sandwich sign close to the edge of the road. Besides, check out all the Pickups in the parking lot.
Well looks can sure be deceiving. We were greated by the owner and promptly seated at a window seat overlooking a small garden, the parking lot and the highway beyond. Perfect!
We went in for the wings and a beer or two but instead feasted like royalty for a very fair price.
Ellie had a steak and lobster special and I had a seafood fettachuni dish with an incredible wine sauce and nice fresh clams, shrimp and. oysters. OMG, was it good.
I need to back up because the dinner entrees all come with an unlimited soup, salad and bread bar. Have I said OMG yet. The soup was an Apple-​Squash Chowder that screamed Fall in New England. There were a half dozen loaves of different homemade breads on a board, waiting on me to slice off exactly what I wanted. Then there was the Salad Bar with over 50 fresh ingredients. Can anyone say, «Farm to Table»? I could have just had this and been more than content
One last observation… Service was top notch. I really appreciate a team approach so that everything is handled and I’m not waiting on a busy server to fill my water glass or clear dirty dishes — NEVER an issue here. Plus, in spite of it being busy, our waitress took a gem minutes to hear our story and make us feel welcome — love it when that happens.
All in All — nothing to grip about and plenty to rave about. Just wish I found the place sooner and could have tried more of their food. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ! ! ! !

My wife and I just got home from a late dinner at the Iron Lantern. We’ve been there several times before and have enjoyed their salad bar, several specials, and their 50 cent wing nights. Tonight we thought we’d try their $ 15 pasta specials… big mistake!
Shame on us for expecting descent seafood in Vermont, but we each chose a shrimp dish: I had the Shrimp Tortellini Alfredo, my wife had the Shrimp Parmesan & Pasta. My tortellini itself was okay, the sauce had a lot of room for improvement. The shrimp were just canned cocktail shrimp stirred in with the sauce. Thy wife’s dish had the same kind of shrimp, just much fewer of them. She essentially had buttered penne pasta with some Parmesan cheese & bread crumbs, with a smattering of canned cocktail shrimp. Maybe we should have opted for the spaghetti & meatballs.
My advice: stick to the salad bar, the wings, the steaks, etc.

Excellent food at reasonable prices. My favorite from the standard menu are maple glazed pork chops. I’ve never been disappointed on any selection. Their salad bar is the finest — and freshest — I’ve ever seen. Sadly, they’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

This is a favorite. I’m a regular patron for wing night on Wednesdays… best wings in town! Additionally they have a great salad bar and when we go for a full sit down dinner I’ve yet to be disappointed (I usually order a steak or grilled chicken). I’ve had most of the desserts which are also great.
We keep coming back so it’s a place we enjoy, we don’t have a perfect experience every time, but it’s by far our favorite Castleton restaurant!

Delicious food at reasonable prices! It is always an amazing culinary experience!
The Surf n Turf is delicious! Plus the salad bar is always loaded with fresh food!

Another great dining experience with my family at the Iron Lantern, 10÷4÷2014. Prime rib and salmon night for us. And don’t forget their salad bar, the best around by far. Also our waitress was very polite, and friendly. Always a fine experience.