The Lantern

Nice friendly bar with great atmosphere.
Pub grub good and well priced. Good variety Tap Beers. Will visit again.

Always, friendly people at the Lantern. Food is good and the prices are fair. Check out the specials!

We’ve been coming for over a year and it’s such a great place.
Great food
Great atmosphere
Cheap beer and good selection
Good music on jukebox
Waitstaff/​bartenders are all great!
(Cobb salad is delicious)
Not to forget — chili, hawg wings, quesadillas, buffalo wings, burgers, grilled cheese.

Its very evident why your server Chris works the slow afternoon shift, as she completely lost herself when it got busy. Of course it was fairly busy during the late afternoon on St. Patricks Day. I met some friends there who had been there for about 20 minutes before I arrived. Chris came over with a round of beers and quickly disappeared without noticing that two people including myself had joined the table. I’ve been a server before so I always give people a break when it comes to crappy service. What we received wasnt just crappy service, but appalling how disrespectful and rude Chris was to us. After trying to flag her down multiple times for a drink, I finally went to the bar. I finally got Chris to stop at our table and I asked for a menu because I wanted food. She brought over a menu and stood there while I scanned it over. I had never been here before so I wasnt sure what I wanted. When I asked if she could give me a minute, she rudely threw her hands up in the air and grunted loudly. She came back a couple minutes later and I had decided that we were going to leave after being treated so poorly. She yells «REALLY» right in our faces and stomps away like a 12 year old. Mind you, Chris is 61 years old, as she proudly told us later in our interaction.
Chris’s attitude towards her guests rivals that of a server at Ed Debevics. She is rude, crass and has no respect. I wont even get into the screaming she engaged in when one of our friends asked what her problem was. She asked where we served so she could come over there and give us hell.
I confronted the manager who came and apologized as Chris has an «off putting sense of humor». I’m sorry, but if you know your server is like this, you shouldnt continue her employment.
We will NEVER return and will tell friends and family to do the same. There are so many other great spots in Downtown Naperville who actually treat their customers with respect.

Awesome place-​an old time local bar with real locals-​lol. Popcorn all the time-​menu is good and reasonable. A historical landmark! A must!!!

Been coming here my whole life. The food is what it is great bar food. The chili is excellent and the staff is fun. Chris who serves at lunch is an institution. During the week and at lunch it’s a local place but accepting of anyone. Weekend nights its a good time.

I’ve been coming here since the late 70’s and literally returned home after a 25 year absence. The place hasn’t changed. Good bar fare, cold beer decent specials and service with an attitude. Like all downtown Naperville establishments the parking is risky at best adding stress… Hence why I didn’t give it 5 stars. We had 4 drinks and 3 meals under $ 40. Can’t beat that. Brings back great memories. Definitely will return.

First time in. Small menu, but everything ordered we really enjoyed. Cheese curds for an app, husband got bacon cheese burger, and I got the reuben. Good place to watch a game or have a few beers.

Absolutely one of the best bars in town. The staff is outstanding. Try it and you will see.

If you’re looking for a relaxed scene and some good laughs, this is the place for you. The $ 2.50 bud light pints is what brought me in, but the free popcorn has be coming back.
The clientele is a little bit of everything, especially with NCC so close, but everyone is very nice.

We like this place. It’s got a decent bar and the atmosphere is laid back. The staff is always nice. Free popcorn and the normal beers on tap. 5 stars if this place had a roof or a patio.

Be warned if you are from Wisconsin or have an ID that’s vertical you are refused service. The bouncer Lee will refuse you even if you bring in 10 paying customers. Not a friendly environment right from the door.

The Lantern was where my friends and I chose to hangout when I was in college at North Central. Nothing too fancy but it gets the job done… Bar food, darts, beer, TVs, and free popcorn… Pretty much what everyone else has said. A divey-​bar in the heart of Naperville.
The only reason I don’t give it a 5 is sometimes the bartenders don’t seem to give a crap about you and act like they’re doing you a favor. This isn’t all of the time, however, so I usually look past this.

Had lunch here today with an old friend; lots of people watching the Bears game. Got a small table in the back so we could talk. Popcorn available, but didn’t have any. My Lantern burger was very good and at $ 5.25 with a side, quite a deal. Onion rings and cole slaw good, too.

«Where everybody knows your name…» The good ‘olé Lantern. Such a staple in Naperville.
I just love coming here — especially with large groups! As long as we get there by 8 we’re always able to pull together huge long tables. Which is hard to do anywhere else dt nape on a weekend night.
The Lantern has a super divey home-​town feel which is most of its charm. This bar had all the essentials: friendly staff, cheap drinks, bar food, darts and free popcorn. Nothin fancy, just everything you need for a successful night out.
Their food isn’t gourmet bit it’s damn good. I suggest the grilled cheese, Reuben or cheese curds! Contrary to popular belief they serve more than domestics beer! I’ve sipped on a handful of craft beers here and the Lantern may not advertise fancy beverages, but those bartenders know how to mix a good drink!

Juke get shutdown by bartender if you don’t play her Miley Cyrus crap. Wings are good but seem to be getting smaller since last visit.
Mixed crowd, 70’s thru 20’s

The Lantern is a good spot for a more quiet night out. If you prefer a bar to sit down and talk with people, this is a good choice for downtown Naperville. The free popcorn is a bonus!

I didn’t LOVE this place, I didn’t hate it either… if you like a crowded bar full of 20-​something year olds, this is it! Not being in that age bracket, I didn’t care much for this place and just lucky to have a table to sit down at. It appears from other reviews too that this is just a crowded bar all the time.
I came here on a Friday night just after 10pm on a pub crawl and the place was jumping for sure. This place is deep and narrow, and has a crowded bathroom. I didn’t eat there and only had one domestic beer which I didn’t even buy so I don’t even know if this place was reasonable or not in price. Considering the location of this particular place, I get why it’s the hot spot being right on the main intersection of downtown Naperville. If you’re looking for the crowd… this is your place.

I dropped in here with colleagues for lunch. The mushroom and Swiss burger I had (with tator tots) was quite generous and good for $ 7.25. The place was quite crowded, maybe unusually so due to US Men’s Olympic hockey being on TV. Overall, looked to be a great place to have a beer and watch sports as there are a ton of TV’s also.

Unlimited popcorn is not something that’s going to keep people coming back. Neither is basic beer specials (Bud or Miller), but somehow the Lantern has survived and thrived in downtown Naperville. That’s probably due to the fact that it isn’t as pretentious as some bars, and wannabes can talk about their favorite «dive» bar. Look, Napervillians, just because a bar doesn’t have a martini list does NOT make it a dive bar.
The Lantern was super crowded on the Monday before Christmas, which is the total opposite of what was happening at Features. The interior is dark, with large uncomfortable wooden booths. It isn’t a dump or a dive, it’s actually rather clean, but there just isn’t anything going on here.
Underwhelming. Crowded. Not a great hangout spot for large groups. They had some bar food specials, like sliders for $ 1. Meh.