Amber Lantern Restaurant

This is a great spot for dinner. The staff is very friendly and the food is excellent! I had the lobster tortellini it was excellent.

The Amber Lantern is a cozy restaurant on the water in the Chesapeake area. It was the perfect spot to celebrate with friends and family for a special occasion. While it's definitely in the most unassuming spot: off the highway and by what appears is a lot of construction. Once you get there, you'll find a peaceful, refined restaurant that's nice but not overly pretentious or fussy. The menu is a mix of seafood, American, and pasta dishes. So there's a good mix for pretty much everyone! Don't sleep on the warm bread. It's excellent. They also have delicious drinks and cocktails if you're looking for a fun libation. I really enjoyed my pasta. It was rich and tasty. The serving size was generous, so I definitely didn't leave hungry. The service was so friendly and accommodating. While this place is not an everyday staple. It's definitely a nice once in a while treat if you're looking for something nicer.

The food was delicious! I had scallops with mashed potatoes and my husband had the rack of lamb. The waitress was absolutely phenomenal and accommodated our anniversary dinner with care. The ambiance is always great and we enjoyed the South dining side of the restaurant with a nice view of the bar areas and games. Great experience as always!

This was my 2nd visit to Amber Lantern. It seems like my 2nd visit to certain places is never as good as the 1st. Unfortunately this is the case for Amber Lantern. I'll start with the waitress Kayla. She was very nice and conversational but she failed to clear our table of empty dishes and empty bread baskets until the very end. She also didn't seem to be very knowledgeable about the food. I got the lobster bisque soup. The good points are very tasty AND huge pieces of lobster that you can see and taste and the lobster wasn't overcooked. Not so good point is it was over seasoned. You could taste the old bay and that's fine in my opinion the mis step was putting more old bay on top when they served the soup. It was just too much salt. For my main dish I got the salmon. It was cooked to perfection. You have the option to get mashed potatoes or risotto. I chose mashed potatoes and asked for parmesean cheese on top. The potatoes were also very tasty. In my opinion the mis step with this dish was the sauce. It was served with a raspberry type sauce. The color and flavor were off putting. It resembled pepto bismol and it did not complete or enhance the taste of the salmon. My date got the crab stuffed shrimp. The buttery lemon sauce that comes with that would have been much better with the salmon. Just my opinion... the mixed veggies were the best. Seasoned to perfection. The atmosphere in the restaurant was great but the personal conversations and laughing coming from the wait staff was a little distracting. Not sure if I'd be willing to go back?? Considering the price point and my current experience.

The Amber Lantern Restaurant is one of the best kept secrets in Chesapeake. The restaurant has a beautiful view of the Elisabeth River, or at least one of the tributaries of the river.If you can make it there on time, the sunsets are magnificent and just by themselves, well worth the visit.They specialize in Fine Dining seafood and steaks. There are many other options on the menu but those are some of my favorites. If you love She Crab Soup, theirs is some of the best in the area.

Definitely a " hidden" gem! I thought I was lost for a moment, but just around the corner you see a 3 story building and at the top is the restaurant. Thank goodness they had an elevator! As we entered it was nice intimate setting. We were seated at a booth which was nice. I wanted to try everything, but opt for the sea scallop appetizer, fried oysters and crab bisque. Omg...let me tell you all of the appetizers were sipped, dipped and plate clean! Lol! Also they did provide "Bread & Butter" for free.. Most places now do not offer or charge you for it.Okay, so for the main course I ordered the Filet Mignon with garlic mash and steamed mix veggies. The steak just melted in my mouth juicy and tender. The steamed veggies and mash just complimented the dish even more. If that all wasn't enough. I couldn't resist and ordered the key lime pie. Delicious! I'm telling you this restaurant is a definite place to experience! Will definitely come back.

First the negatives. Everything needed seasoning. It was pretty bland. The cook and presentation was good but seasoning was uneventful at best. I have never had to add salt on my steak except here on the east coast. Not sure what is happening here but if you spend forty bucks on a steak then it should be seasoned. The risotto was overcooked and dry. The veggies were uneventful. The good was the service was awesome the Brie was amazing as was dessert. The look out the window was nice overlooking the river wished I could say more I wanted to like this place.

Never been disappointed eating here! We have been several times and will continue going. Love the food and the atmosphere!

I just read Caroline T's review (2/13/2025) and I commiserate. My wife and I were there at the same time and for the same reason. Our meal may have been a bit better (meh calamari, but very good NY Strip), but we had problems with the mixed drink order and our final bill (we were overcharged), several of the dishes were chipped, and service was lacking. We've decided not to return.

My husband and I have eaten at Amber Lantern numerous times. Tonight was the worst dinner we've had. We decided to do an early Valentines. To start we had calamari and the first bite we both spit into our napkins. It tasted like strong fish. We replaced it with the oyster appetizer which was good. For our meals I got grilled salmon and it was dry and no flavor the orzo was cooked to a mush. Way over cooked! My husband got a $65 filet and scallops and took a few bites of both. The filet had no flavor and the scallops had a strange taste. He did not eat 25% of his meal. Very disappointed with our food. Will not be returning. For $200 including the tip we expected a good meal at all. Thanks for ruining our Valentines