Red Lantern Asian Bistro

This is now called ASIAN TOKYO.
I predict this place will close within a year. The service was disorganized, we left within 5 mins without ordering.
Came here for lunch. We were going to order sushi lunch special. Then came the hilarity:
1) When we came in, hostess just looked at us like she was surprised that the restaurant had customers. After a few seconds of silence, I asked, «Are you guys open or did we come in at a bad time?» «Oh, no, we’re open. Please follow me.» (Oookay. I guess someone needs some coffee, huh?”)
2) We were given 2 menus when we sat down. One was «lunch special menu», the other was the dinner menu. We were told to look at what we wanted for lunch in the lunch special menu but for specific sushi rolls, check out the dinner menu. (Ex: Lunch special # 1 includes a regular roll and a special roll. Then, you look at the dinner menu for the list of regular rolls and list of special rolls.) Hmmmmm… bit complicated but that’s cool. I graduated college. I can do this! No problem.
3) If you do the math, it’s cheaper to order the sushi rolls ala carte versus ordering a lunch special. Who designed this menu?
4) Lunch special I wanted consisted of a «regular» roll and a «special» roll. Fine. I picked my regular & special roll. In addition, I also ordered another special roll. Five mins later, the waitress came back. «Sorry ma’am, can’t give you what you ordered. You have to order from 1 regular, 1 special roll.» I told her that’s exactly what I wanted. I had to show her the menu and pointed out to her which sushi rolls I wanted. I also said IN ADDITION, I want another special roll I will pay for in addition to the lunch special. She insisted I ordered 2 special rolls which is not allowed in the lunch menu. OY VEY! At that point, I got tired of arguing. We thanked her for her time but told her we don’t want to eat there anymore.
Ay yai yai! Word to your mother, Asian Tokyo Management:
1) Please redo the menu. Check your math.
2) Train your staff better.

This place has great sushi lunch specials! They offer typical Chinese fare as well but the fact that I can order sushi and have it delivered makes this place one of my go-​tos when I forget to bring food or have that sushi craving! For around $ 9 you get two choose two rolls and a salad is also included! Much to my disappointment I called to order today and no one picked up. Their website also says that they will open again in October! Not sure what’s going on but I hope they stick around!

I walked in to Red Lantern for the first time on a Saturday for Lunch. When I walked in, the hostess was on the cordless phone and turns her back to me and walks away. No «one moment please», no «I will be with you». nothing. So we were stuck waiting for someone to come back so we just browsed around the business cards spread across an empty display table.
When the hostess returns, we were seated in a booth and presented a laminated menu of lunch specials for $ 7.00 which included a spring roll, soup and rice. They also offer $ 9.00 Sushi lunch which includes miso soup and a salad. Prices are not bad. The food is definitely not authentic Chinese and it is bland for my taste.
In conclusion, I am not a big fan of Red Lantern but I will give it 2-​stars for the nice décor (I do like red lanterns hanging from the ceiling), the variety of lunch choices and price. I would rather go to Chef Ping, which is just down the street for the quality of food and service. I am giving it 2 starts for the Lunch menu and service.

It is just another American Chinese restaurant you can see anywhere. It is OKay, but not attractive for those who want authentic Chinese food.
My experience:
1) I ordered Hunan beef. which is cooked in typical American way.
I like the vegetables come with beef: little corn, brocolli, pepper, etc.

2) The next day, I went with a friend again to have authentic Chinese food. However, it is disappointing. They are not making authentic Chinese food.
Other features:
–They have «dinner for two» that costs $ 35.
–They have not only Chinese food, but also sushi, pad thai.
–Deco is good. Lots of red lanterns hanging. Classic Chinese music.

Move over Chef Ping! I am now I Red Lantern girl! Not only are the portions bigger and tastier, but they have a lunch special! $ 7 for entrees that come with soup, spring roll and fried rice. Yum! You can add a soda with unlimited refills for only $ 1. They also have sushi lunch specials for $ 9.
I had the coconut curry with chicken and it was amazing. Again the portions are huge! I had enough to take home for dinner as well!
I came to Red Lantern because I found it as a nearby restaurant on Unilocal and the pictures were awesome. The ambience of the restaurant is beautiful!
The service was prompt and friendly.
I also saw that they have mixed drinks and. Martinis for only $ 5.50. I will have to return for dinner.

Nice looking interior. Large bar area (considering the size of the place) with TVs. Ice tea came without sugar or other sweeteners. Sesame Chicken is lightly battered and not overly sweet or sticky. Very nice texture. Nice amount of garlic as well. Presentation is lovely. Hot and sour soup good flavor. Little runnier than I’m used to. Probably healthier too. Edamame could have used more coarse salt. Cocktail and martini specials available.

Pretty good place I used to pass by but never gave a chance.
I admit, I was very skeptical reading some of the reviews here. I gave this place a shot considering Chef Ping’s down the street was freakin packed.
To my surprise the food was actually pretty good. My wife and I ordered the Taiwanese beef noodle soup, firecracker fish, calamari appetizer, salt and pepper scallpops and this old dish that reminded me of what my grandfather used to make me as a kid.
I forgot the name of that dish, but it sort of resembles a crêpe with chives. That dish alone gets major props from me for nostalgia. I started hitting this place up on Fridays during Lent since they had decent seafood.
Outside of the firecracker fish, I also ordered a seafood pot that included broccoli, water cress, mushrooms, shrimp, fish and squid.

Went here a few times already… I also recommended it to friends. And they have gone here several times as well.
This restaurant is located on the corner… small mall strip, sharing the Walmart Parking lot. I want to say this is a chinese influence restaurant. But I may be wrong… It is most definitely asian… with a twist.
First thing I notice as I walk in, is the atmosphere. Very nice ambiance… lots of red lanterns everywhere. Very clean restaurant. I also want to include the employees here are pretty nice. Every time I’ve gone here, always get seated right away.
I have tried several dishes here. Most of them are pretty good. Here are a few things I’ve tried…
Fried calamari = ok. It comes with a sauce, so was an ok appetizer.
Firecracker fish= is one of my favorite dish here. It comes with a huge fried fish filet with this sweet, tangy… spicy sauce… all over. Looks awesome and tasted great!
Taiwanese Beef noodle soup= read about this and lots of people raved about it. It’s ok. Tasted a little bit plain for me. But it also depends on what you like. There are some really good beef cuts. that melts in your mouth. I also like the pickled greens they added in this soup… the taste just reminds me more of something I would have at home. or something my grandma would make on a cold day.
Seafood hot pot=another one of my favs. fish fillets. a variety of seafood… veggies cooked in a light gravy and white wine…
Scallion flatbread= very good starter. Not greasy… or heavy. But something I would like to have for brunch…
Salt and Pepper Sea Scallops = is very very good. I highly recommend this dish. It was tender… and juicy… and crispy… and just cooked perfect. I like salt and pepper squid… so this was a good twist to that dish. I love it.
Do I recommend this place and will I go back… yes. Of course. It has been a good «go to» place… and I’m looking forward to my next visit. I also want to say the price here is not that bad. It’s average… and definitely worth the price.

The best Chinese food within miles of Schaumburg, not to mention lots of other great Asian food (including sushi). I’ve eaten here many times and never been disappointed with any of the things I’ve ordered, though the Red Lantern Chicken (aka General Tso’s) is my favorite. Yes, I’m aware that General Tso’s Chicken is not real Chinese food; all I care about is that it’s delicious.
I’m particularly fond of the $ 7 lunch special which comes with a delicious soup and an egg roll.
It’s also a beautiful restaurant, much nicer than most places in this price range.

So much potential, but sadly the food just doesn’t measure up. I’ve been to Red Lantern a few times but this past week takes the cake.
The staff is great especially the many who I’m assuming owns the restaurant. The décor is super trendy and chic. They have lunch specials for just $ 7 which is awesome. The food is just rough though. I honestly think they could use a new chef and with that, things may greatly improve. I had the Honey Chicken lunch special this week. The meal started with egg drop soup which I love and it was quite good here. It has corn in it which is a bit different but I love me some corn and thought it made a good addition.
The honey chicken had a very nice presentation as you can see in the picture I’ve posted. It looked delicious when it came to the table. Looked is the key word there. The eggroll was honestly the worst I’ve ever had and I’ve had hundreds I’m sure. My friend had one bite and didn’t finish the rest. It came with fried rice, which I decided to put some sweet & sour sauce provided on the table on. The sweet & sour sauce was like water… what the heck. Now the honey chicken, this chef obviously doesn’t know how to make the honey sauce. It was as if he added sugar to honey and served it as such. This sauce also needs the addition to mayo with a pinch of lemon juice. The chicken tasted very good and was nicely cooked but this honey it was covered in made the dish absolutely horrible. It was sugar honey that hardened all the pieces together. When I would attempt to take a piece of chicken I would have to sever it from the rest of the pieces glued together in this mold of honey. When I ate a piece, honey literally got stuck on the roof and sides of my mouth to the point of me not being able to speak because everything was stuck together. The whole thing was so gross. In the end, I knew what the dish was missing so opted to take it home and fix it there to eat. When I tried to put it into the carry home box, everything was stuck together and I couldn’t get it off the plate. I could literally flip the plate upside down & nothing would fall off. So disgusting… and really how can they serve something like that??? Did the chef just forget to put the mayo ingredient in my sauce??? I was so upset & disturbed by it. When I went home, I fixed it up and it was just fine.
I want to give Red Lantern one last try before I say I won’t ever go back as those lunch special prices are very desirable.

Worst service I have ever had.
I ordered the 2 sushi rolls on the lunch special and one roll happened to come with hair on it. I told the owner and all he did was take the part with the hair on it off and put the rest of the roll on the plate and give it back to me. The quality of the sushi was poor and was not made fresh. The owner did not offer to make a new roll or offer any discount on the meal. Go to Kampai in Mt. Prospect instead for the best Sushi.

Nice atmosphere, friendly service. I ordered a tofu veggie dish. It was mostly good, but too garlicky for me and there was something a bit odd-​tasting about the tofu.
I was happy to see they had a brown rice option, but unfortunately the brown rice I received was undercooked, and my partner’s white rice was dry.
The $ 3.50 mango smoothie was surprisingly great — definitely made of fresh mango, and less sugary than usual. Avocado eggrolls were alright, but pale in comparison to the Cheesecake Factory/​Claim Jumpers version. Egg drop soup was good.
I usually love Asian fusion but the food here just didn’t seem to have the originality and deliciousness I’ve come to expect.

I don’t know what the hype is about Sushi Station. I walked in there once and immediately walked out. The place is tiny, bright, dirty and noisy. Even the entrance is a disorganized mess. If this is the environment, it’s frightening to think about what our friends’ definition is for good quality sushi. Cheap bastards! Zero star rating but thanks to them, I found the Red Lantern Asian Bistro.
As soon as I walked in, I felt as ease. The host was pleasant and the ambiance set the tone that we were going to enjoy our experience dining here.
We ordered the avocado egg rolls and jelly fish appetizers. So delicious, I can’t even explain it. Since the restaurant doesn’t specialize in sushi, my boyfriend ordered 2 of the sushi combination platters for himself (it’s the only sushi dish that isn’t a maki or a roll). $ 13.99 a plate but that’s a total of 16 pieces and 2 miso soups. I asked our server, Eka, if she would substitute one of those for an egg drop soup and she kindly obliged!
My new favorite Chinese dish is the Szechuan Fish Filet. The portion is heavy but the food is light and spicy. It comes with rice on the side. For $ 12.99, the portion is enough to feed a couple but since my boyfriend was too busy stuffing his face with sushi, I took home almost half the order, I was so full from the soup and appetizers!
Hopefully the next time we return, they’ll offer nigiri and sashimi sushi dishes and up the ante on their Asian Fushion concept.
When I eat, I spend 99% of my time dining out. From Wildberry (my favorite breakfast) to Ruth Chris (my favorite for steak), I’m more of a fast food junkie during the lunch hour, but no matter where I go, I always check out the bathroom. A dirty, unkept restroom = dirty kitchen? That’s my impression. As for the Red Lantern Asian Bistro, thumbs up on that area too!

Had dinner here on a Tuesday night… I waited a little bit for someone to seat me, even though there were only 3 tables that had any diners at them. No biggie, I was waiting for a friend to meet up for dinner anyway, and she was running a little behind.
Menu offered lots of choices for apps and entrees, including sushi.
For an app we had scallion fried flatbreads… and OH MY GOODNESS… SO GOOD! A little greasy, but the flavor was amazing! Totally enjoyed and wish it was something I could make myself.
I had the Red Lantern Chicken, which is one of their specialties, and is delicious! I enjoy Orange Chicken, love that sweet and spicy combo… and the Red Lantern Chicken met that requirement, with a sweet warmth… mmmmmm
My friend order sushi and enjoyed it… while I’m not a sushi fan, it looked beautiful on the plate and she had no complaints.
I had a Raspberry Orange drink, which was along the lines of a martini… and it was a little weak, but okay. My friend had hot saki and was not disappointed.
All in all, I would go again, probably bring the husband and the rest of the family because it is a rare Asian find where they actually have a kids menu!

The hot and sour soup was awesome! The flavor was on point! The crab Rangoon left something to be desired. It was overly fried and too much cream cheese in comparison to the imitation crab
Then comes the entrée, not only for my stomach but also for my ears! The fire alarm went off before the entrée came out, and continued for about 25 minutes.
The sweet and sour was good, but not good enough to trade in my hearing.
Sorry red lantern, you get the red light on returning.

Stumbled upon this place since the sushi place that we were supposed to eat at, had an hour wait, uhm, not for a place that I haven’t tried. So we walked over to the next best thing, the Asian restaurant in the next building.
Food was average, typical Asian food, nothing memorable, I’ve had better. What leaves an imprint on my memory about this place is the $ 1 beer that they offer with your entrée, not bad! Just one beer, it’d be nice if they offered it as a HH special and not just ONE beer.
Return visits, unlikely.

Neither great nor bad. This is kind of an alternative to Sun Shui since it has several types of Asian cuisines as well. Unlike Sun Shui though, this restaurant is inconsistent in delivery. The food temperature is fine but the taste can vary from day to day. I’ve had better experiences with lunch than with dinner but I prefer iChef cooking more since they tend to cook a bit lighter and less oily.

My friend and I came for a later lunch, at about 3−4pm. We had just missed lunch hours for lunch specials. Immediately greeted and seated. I like the décor: cool, dark, quiet. This is what we shared.
Chicago roll: yum. the tuna almost had a similar texture to sweet potato to me. but still good. I love any roll w unagi sauce.
crunchy 2 in 1: awesome for a cooked salmon tempura roll.
spicy tuna roll: I’m not a fan of my tuna chopped, but it still kept some of it’s fresh flavor.
I got a Thai iced tea. for almost $ 3 it was a tall and skinny glass. 60% ice, 40% drink.
For 3 rolls, 2 ice teas, our bill came out to $ 40. Kind of steep, but not too bad. I blame the over priced thai iced tea. None of the rolls were over $ 14, which makes a sushi lover like me happy to be able to get some variety. I appreciate their menu included different asian cuisines, which will probably invite me back in at some point. But… not quite the «jump-​out-​of-​your-​seat-​to-​get-​to» joint for me.
Still, it’s a place worth checking out, for sure. Their sushi lunch deals looked very inexpensive for the amount of sushi. I’d recommend taste-​testing these guys out during their lunch hour.

So much potential for a place with such horrific service. Using the English language as some sort of barrier doesn’t excuse you of not visiting our table for 15 minutes.
If you’re looking for a restaurant with cool décor and good food (aside from the street fried sweet potatoes) then this place isn’t so bad.
Like other reviewers, the Sushi Station was packed so we figured the other Asian place next door would be an adequate substitute. I want to be excited about how great my chicken fried rice was but I cannot get past the awful timing of the servers and poor attention to our table.
It was if each item came out as it was ready. The 4 of us never really ate at the same time. Really bad experience in that department.
When we did eat, everyone enjoyed their meals. Yum.
The best part of the experience was meeting the owner, Jimmy. He reminded us of the restaurant owner from Good Morning Vietnam. Not in an offensive way but in a really great, fun personality way.
Anyway — visit this place if you have a lot of extra time to kill, since quick service and attentiveness is not this place’s strong suit, but happily good food is.

I tried the Red Lantern Bistro, with a friend, b/​c we were at Caribou (across the parking lot) and got hungry. There are a lot of Asian restaurants in this 5-​mile square radius. We’re pretty spoiled in the Northwest suburbs. Red Lantern has the potential to be the best of all. Everyone seems to love Yu’s Mandarin, but I think this place is much better.
Red Lantern has a very nice ambiance and excellent prices. Let’s face it, if the food stinks, none of that matters. Thank God the food was excellent and I can continue this review. I’m not finicky and I enjoyed it. My buddy is a total foodie and he was very impressed w/​the food.
We ordered the Pad Thai and the Singapore noodles. Kudos to their chef. Both dishes were prepared with a delicate touch. The pad thai was on the sweeter side, but have to say that it’s right up there with any pad thai I’ve had anywhere. I was blown away by the Singapore noodles. There was a hint of yellow curry that I loved. It’s so easy to screw up curry dishes and this dish was different than anything I’ve tasted, at any restaurant, which is a nice surprise. I’m kind of excited to go back and try other things on the menu. I usually get annoyed when they throw Thai, Chinese and Japanese together; but I think it’s going to work for this place.
The menu was very diverse. I’m going to try the Pineapple curried fried rice next time and their seafood hot pot (Scallop, crabmeat, shrimp and fish in a white wine sauce).
I was a little surprised by one thing. Here is this gorgeous restaurant where they spent the money, and they have one server that barely speaks English. This is crazy. I get it, if you have a big Chinese clientele and you want a Chinese speaking person. It makes sense, but you have to do better than this.
They should ask people if it’s their first time dining. If it is, they should take the time to go over the menu. Also, adding some starts for «signature dishes» on the menu is a smart idea.
I was also happy that they have a full bar. Didn’t take advantage of that on a Monday night. If the food, next time, is as good as it was today; I think, dollar for dollar, it could get the 5-​star rating.