Lantana Cafe

This place is a hidden gem !! Me and my boyfriend only go here together because it’s our special place. dim lit and cozy … casual atmosphere with a top notch culinary experience but affordable … negative Unilocalers complained food was slow ?? Well duh … its not being heated in a microwave … the chef is actually cooking it to order and it’s delicious… isn’t that what you want ?? I refer everyone I know who loves trying new places to go here !! Its perfect I wouldn’t change a thing !

Nice cozy restaurant. Great food, horrible service. Plan on 1.5hrs for the most basic of meals and don’t expect a martini because they don’t serve hard alcohol.

Always on point ! Amazing chicken Marsala and pumpkin ravioli.
Service atmosphere and food is perfection

One of the best Italian meals I’ve ever had. We started off with the fried artichokes and a beet salad, and then got a complimentary basket of fresh baked (we literally watched it being pulled out from the oven) flatbread with an amazing olive oil, garlic and buffalo dipping sauce. I ordered the porcini ravioli, and my husband had the baked ziti with meatballs — they were both delicious and very reasonable. We were stuffed, but got a tiramisu to go — and when we open the container, it was plated so beautifully — and tasted unbelievable. The service was prompt and friendly. Our dining experience was so wonderful and we will definitely be back — and soon!

Pleasant experience, very good portions and value, steak was cooked to perfection and place is very clean, been here a few times and will continue to come back!

We have been coming here since they opened in 2003 and it’s still as awesome as ever. When they first opened it BYOB also just had 10 tables.
Now larger very cozy atmosphere. Staff very friendly and also can recommend great food. Love this neighborhood restaurant. Oh my forgot the best best pumpkin ravioli.

I loved this restaurant!!! It’s a quiet atmosphere filled with friendly staff. Their food is delicious! ;) When you sit down they give you bread with a Spicy hot sauce. It was delicious. I ordered the Pumpkin raviolis with a sweet cream sauce. It has cranberries on them too!!! The sauce was not too heavy but perfect. ;)
My fiancé bought the steak tips. It came with French fries and grilled veggies!!! He’s not a veggie person (I wish he was) lol but he devoured the steak tips and fries. He also got a salad and we ordered a bottle of resiling to share. It was so good all around! I will Definately be back there to eat!
I like how they don’t rush you! Even after you eat. We sat for over an hour chatting away and they were ok with it!!! Loved the staff!!! ;)

A few cousins came into town from NY so I thought I’d bring them here since it’s relatively close by. The experience I had was quite average. The menus given to us were stained, the tables were sticky, and the food was mediocre. When asking one of the older waitresses for an additional glass of water we received an eye roll. Will most likely not return.

The food is fantastic and the staff is great! Big menu, but I always stick to the chicken ornesto– delicious!

literally the best meal my girlfriend and I have ever eaten in our lives. wow!!! I had the Tuscan chicken special and my mind was blown. My girlfriend had the rolled eggplant and the stuffed grape leaves plate. Both also absolutely amazing as well. If I could afford to hire the men that cooked our meal to cook for us for every single meal, I would!

Hubby & I went the Lantana Café last night and were very pleased!
Pros: 1) Jackie, our waitress. She was pleasant, knowledgeable, and friendly. 2) Mozzarella bruschetta. So fresh and flavorful! 3) Tuscan chicken special. Really really tasty. Great crispy prosciutto. Lemoncello-​marscapone cake. So light and refreshing. Great end to dinner.
Cons: food was a little slow. There was a nice gap between courses, but things that shouldn’t have taken long (drinks, desserts) took longer than expected. Grilled chicken came out much later than the ravioli it was ordered with.
Overall, good food, nice atmosphere, friendly staff. We’ll be back and can’t wait to try the pizza!

Not a very good experience. The menus were dirty the tables were dirty it was freezing in there The waitress was clueless she didn’t know if was Tuesday or breakfast not to mention the funcky smell when we walked through the door. All in all terrible we will never ever go back. Terrible experience

Do you like linguini and clam sauce? Yeah? Well so do I and I’ve found my go to place to get it. LC is a quaint local restaurant on a busy street that you could drive right by and never really notice. Beer and wine only which can be a bit of a downer but the food makes up for it. My delish pasta dish had the choice of red or white sauce. Gotta go white when you go baby clams in my opinion. Can you say tender? They were the filet mignon of shellfish even after I just reheated them the next day. Can’t say enough good things about the food.
I’ve been told they rock a pretty good pizza especially when you have a pizza oven on the premises.

Pros: Friendly staff welcomed us in like family, didn’t rush us out the door, nice selection of Italian dishes ranging from staples to more unique dishes, cozy atmosphere, reasonably priced, accepts credit, serves beer and wine.
Cons: parking could be tough at times, small dining room so not good for big groups.
Overall lovely experience and the food was good. Shrimp fettuccine was creamy and had a nice buttery taste (defiantly not low cal), pesto tortellini was on point, chicken cacciatore was just okay, and the lamb shank was juicy, fatty, and fell off the bone (wish the sauce had more flavor though). We also had a complimentary salad and bread at the table. Wish they had freshly shaved Parmesan. Would come back for another family style dinner and try more of the seafood and pasta dishes.

Not sure what everyone is raving about. Got the NY steak medium and it was tough and overdone. Some of the vegetables were still frozen. Place settings were dirty, table was sticky. On a Saturday night at 7PM, only three tables were seated. The bread was good, the prices were low, and the server was nice, but the food was just not good. I’m definitely not coming back.

Everything was delicious! The red sauce, the caprese salad, yum!!! I shall return!

MUST GO HERE. Lantana is one of my favorite restaurants ever. I’ve been coming here since it was just a tiny room before they broke the wall down and expanded into the business next door. I took my roommate here for «some sort of pasta dish» as was her request for her birthday dinner. We were not disappointed.
We ordered a bottle of Il prosecco first and our waitress brought us some of their famous bread and olive oil which we ate all of immediately. I got chicken Marsala and my roommate ordered Fettuccini Alfredo with grilled chicken. They brought us a Caesar salad on the house which was a very nice surprise! Our dinners were both DELICIOUS. We ordered a slice of the chocolate mousse cake for dessert. Everything was absolutely delicious and I can’t say enough good things about Lantana. It is a fantastic restaurant that everyone needs to try.

Other Unilocal reviews had led us to give Lantana Café a try and I’m glad we checked it out!
The environment had a comfortable and warm feel, although sitting by the door was a bit cold. Parking was plentiful. Staff was friendly.
Food was delicious! The flat bread had some cheese sprinkled on it and the dipping oil had garlic and hot sauce splashed in (which made for an interesting touch). I ordered the pumpkin ravioli with cranberries and it came in a sweet cream sauce (which I worried might be a little too sweet, but it was actually perfect). My guest had the chicken marsala which was also a bit sweeter than typical marsala, but was still tasty.

Ambience: cozy
Service: attentive and friendly
Food: a bit oily (spicy chicken) but overall delicious. I had the baked lamb shank and french onion soup.
Overall a cute and satisfying local spot.

As a Medford resident, I was looking forward to trying other establishments in the area, and was really happy to score a good groupon deal to check out Lantana Café. This is a nicely run restaraunt with good food, friendly staff, and extremely dark Italian décor. Think blood red walls, chandeliers, dark wood furniture, etc. They seem to like a warm, rich ambiance, which is a little odd for the neighborhood. However, if you don’t mind that this inflates the prices, it’s still very much worth a visit every once in a while.
On the night we dined out, we were first greeted by complimentary garlic flat bread, which was warm, toasty, and delicious Instead of the traditional olive oil for dipping, they add a buffalo-​like sauce to the oil, which seemed a little odd at first, but was surprisingly good. I really enjoyed my pumpkin ravioli in cream sauce with cherries It was flavorful, generous, and really hit the spot. My husband liked his seafood linguini dish, which came with a ton of muscles. To end the night, we had tiramisu, which was tasty, but could have benefited from a stronger coffee flavor.
All in all, if you want good Italian food without having to travel far for it, but don’t mind slightly high prices, Lantana is a good choice for Medford.