Red Lobster

Good was so/​so. I ordered the endless shrimp. Teriyaki barely had any sauce on them. The others were decent. The dipping sauce for the coconut shrimp wasn’t too good. The rice was bland. Portions are so small. My wife ordered a steak which was cooked to perfection. She asked for Brussel sprouts with cheese. No cheese. Undercooked Brussels. Meh.

It was «crab fest» at Red Lobster and I was hungry. I had not been here for a bit. We stopped in for some crab legs. There wasn’t any waiting. We were seated right away. Our server was warm and friendly. She really made the dining experience enjoyable. The menu has been newly updated, but quite honestly I am not real sure what is really «new» about the Red Lobster menu. She did tell us about the new, sweeter Bairdi crab legs. So, I ordered the medium size entrée for $ 27.99. (I didn’t realize their crab legs came in three sizes. There menu does not mention different portion sizes.) Cheddar biscuits were fresh, warm and tasty. The Caesar salad was fresh. I did not find anything uniquely satisfying about the Bairdi crab legs. They were not any sweeter than other legs, but still fulfilled my crab hunger. The corn on the cob was very small, had been sitting in butter and had a very soft texture. There were five, baby baker potato’s that were very small in size. I enjoyed my meal, but felt I have had better seafood entrée’s in the past. I was torn between the Bairdi crab legs versus their Bar Harbor Lobster Bake that I have had before. Next time, I’ll go back to the Bar Harbor Lobster bake.

My meal was perfect. The salmon was a piece of heaven. Crunchy, crispy and well grilled. The same for the shrimps in addition that they were very flavorful. Now, the lobster tail that I had was not up to red lobster’s standards. It was tasteless, chewy and somehow doughy!!! I mentioned it the great server we had so she sent me the manger who comped my whole meal that I didn’t ask her to do that. I just wanted to give them a feedback because I love and respect this place. I will still come back.

I had forgotten why we never go here anymore, and last night was a harsh reminder. Got the «Admiral’s Platter» — no better than frozen fish dinners you can get at the supermarket. Clam strips which were dry and stringy. Fried fish with little or no flavor. Tiny scallops which were overcooked and tough. A side salad with crappy iceberg lettuce and little else, with an insulting one small piece of onion, Overpriced dramatically for what you get, including the draft Sam Adams beer for $ 6. My wife specifically asked for fresh and still crisp broccoli, and they gave her a pile of mush. Had to ask for a fresh batch, which they brought promptly which makes one wonder why they served the overcooked junk in the first place. I think you could probably get a better seafood meal at Long John Silver’s, and at a fraction of the price. Sorry Red Lobster, but you are not worth the time or the money anymore.

Order the ultimate feast it use to be 25 $ now it’s 27 $ the salad is soo much smaller you get less crab legs and less shrimp. So the price goes up but the food is less than it use to be. Why the price goes up but the food less I don’t know. But for the price you should get more food.

Seated promplty. Waitress was honestly top notch and my chocolate martini was perfect. We had to return a glass of water due to lettuce being stuck to it… that can happen… not a huge thing… but… Unfortunately when our first course came there was a dead flying insect in my salad. Stuck to my fork full of lettuce on the first bite. Prewashed lettuce or not, the kitchen staff dropped the ball on this one. No other reviews like this on here so may have been a one-​off. Stuff like this just happens to me! My husband’s and kid’s meals were good though! The waitress was really embarrassed and apologetic and the manager graciously comped my meal and offered it to go as my appetite was now non existent. I’ve only been to Red Lobster 3 times, including this one. Don’t think I will be back.

Lobster fest is a total joke. Not only was my lobster tiny but it was over cooked and cold. I’m guessing it had just been sitting under a heat lamp for a while. Trust me, I grew up on the coast, just save your money for when you can make it to the beach. The food was a total disappointment. the only reason I’m giving it two stars is because the staff was friendly.

We went to Red Lobster for a small celebration. There was a good number of us and the staff wanted to ensure we were comfortable so they put us in their party room. It is a section of the dining room with an extra big table and some small wall partitions. That was really nice of them considering that we just showed up (no reservation or planning). I have gone to other restaurants and for a similar sized group was squished around some bodged together tables. This can be nice too but here it was like being upgraded from coach to business class. Leg room. ahhhhh…
The server we had was nice, to the point, knowledgeable, and friendly. He guided even the most fussy people at the table through the options available.
My meal was really good. Perfect temperature and presented nicely. I started with a a salad. This was a cheat day so I went for some blue cheese dressing. There were huge (wonderful) chunks of blue cheese included vs just the sauce. My main course was very tasty and consisted of scampi and fried shrimp along with their vegetable of the day. It was all really well done and flavorful.
One of the kids who was part of our group ordered crab legs from the kids menu. I figured for the price he would get one or two tiny legs but instead, he got a very generous portion. I helped him crack and process the legs so he could eat and I could see the quality of the meat inside. This kid loves crab and with the bonus of clarified butter, he could not have been happier.
I am super happy because my last sea food restaurant trip (see an older review) was not so good. It wouldn’t even have been a sea food feast in a prison. At Red Lobster it was different. For a better price point, we all got very good food prepared thoughtfully and served by someone who cared and wanted us to return.
We have been to this location several times and have also been to their older location which was up the street. I can say that the team (they work like one) and management have their act together. I consider this a safe group place and even a nice place for a casual date.

I agree with most other Unilocaler’s who have rated this place a 3 star restaurant. I know we got in right away with just being a 2 person table but the service just wasn’t there.
Both my husband and I ordered the 4 course entrée deal. We got the soup, salad, main meal and desert. Basically making the waitresses job simple we got the same exact thing. Except my salad had a different dressing than my husband’s. They didn’t have Italian dressing so I had to go with the red wine vinaigrette.
We also didn’t eat all the cheddar bay biscuits because we wanted to savor our meals so look how simple we are as customers. You barely have to refill anything for us except the waters. Trust me I drink like a fish as my husband says.
We first had the salad come out and I think because the waitress forgot we did the four course meal, she started bringing things out in two after that which made it harder to eat each thing together. I also got put next to a family with a screaming baby so I’m trying to talk to my husband but it’s so hard with so much screaming going on.
I think the only good thing was the desert which was the brownie with the ice cream and that was the only thing the waitress got right. Bringing that out last and so we can savor every bite of that sweet goodness.
Altogether, I prefer the Polaris Red Lobster over this one. I just think it’s because we always get better service there. As well as they always have what I want there instead of saying sorry we don’t have that twice to me.

Good service, quick and friendly. It’s been a long time since our last visit (in another city) but the food is still ok. We’re there for lunch, lobster bisque and a grilled shrimp salad. Tiny bits of lobster in the bisque and a little heavier than I like but ok overall. The grilled shrimp on the salad was neither cold nor hot, just a stranger lukewarm. Don’t know what temp it was supposed to be. Again the service was terrific and the food all right. May try again.

I mean, it’s chain seafood.
It is decent, but you can most defenitley find better.

When you think about the Red Lobsters in Columbus, you realize that most of them are located in areas that were nice 20 years ago but not so much these days. The one on Dublin-​Granville Rd and the one on S Hamilton Rd come to mind.
Fortunately, this Red Lobster on Sawmill Rd is still in a nice location. The building is recently renovated, the servers are friendly, and there’s ample parking.
Unfortunately, the same can be said about their menu. It was amazing 20 years ago, but not so much these days. The food has been consistent, although never mind blowing. I do wish the chain in general can step up their menu. That’s about as much as you can expect from a chain restaurant I guess.
Overall, a 3.5 out of 5 but will round up since I’ve always had a pleasant dining experience here.

Pretty standard Red Lobster experience.
We first walked in, and we were greeted by a very friendly hostess who immediately asked us how we were enjoying the weather, and had a full conversation with us while taking us to our seats. That was unusual, and a very nice touch! I wish I had gotten her name.
Unfortunately, our waitress wasn’t quite as noteworthy. I think our hostess was the best service we had. The restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, but our waitress took a long time to come back between when we got our drinks and when we ordered. She was nice enough otherwise.
We got a piña colada with a «peach topper,» which had a pineapple topper — somewhat confusing. But it had peach flavoring in it, and it was really delicious! We both enjoyed that a lot.
I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, so I ordered the lobster bisque. My boyfriend got the ultimate surf and turf. The lobster bisque was pretty good, and I appreciated that there were some discernible lobster pieces in it. My boyfriend really liked his lobster and steak. I thought the salad left a little bit to be desired, as it was a little wilted and a mix of iceberg and romaine. The biscuits were good, as always (wish we had taken some home!)
Overall, pretty typical. No major complaints, but we probably won’t go out of our way to come back.

You know I appreciate Red Lobster for what they are, and I try my best not to compare them to some of the better and cheaper seafood at other restaurants. With that said, Red Lobster will always hold a special place for me, as a child this was a major treat! I mean who doesn’t love cheddar baked biscuits. Standard fare, nothing extroidinary and the wait staff are incredibly kind. I’d come back just to smash a basket of biscuits.

Much better location, as opposed to the Southeast (Hamilton Rd.) spot. It’s our favorite place to go when we need to walk away from work and go relax for a while. I love the warm, comfortable atmosphere.
My boss and I went in yesterday for lunch. Service, as usual, was good. Our normal appetizer is calamari and clam strips, but we decided to try something different and went with the Seaside Sampler: 4 large cocktail shrimps, 4 coconut shrimps and 4 lobster and crab-​stuffed mushrooms. All very good. The coconut dipping sauce was fabulous.
I agree with another reviewer who stated they’re «heavy-​handed» on the sodium, but my boss and I agreed that our meals didn’t taste quite as salty as they used to, so maybe they’re backing off of that a little bit. Or maybe it just depends on what you get. I normally stay clear of the scampi-​type dishes, as they tend to be very salty and swimming in way too much butter.
The only food issue I have is with their scallops. They ALWAYS overcook them. Bay scallops are tiny and don’t need to be cooked very long. But it never fails, they come out rubbery and cooked so much that they’ve shrunk down to half their size. Don’t know what’s up with that. One to two minutes over the heat is all they need.
The crab legs are always nice and hot and snap well when you break one in half. Nothing worse than attempting to snap a crab leg and it bends rather than cracks.
In my opinion, one of the better Red Lobsters in the Columbus area.

Came here for my brother’s birthday with all the family. Our waiter Brandon was amazing!!! He was friendly, energetic, quick, and hilarious! He did an amazing job the entire evening. Like always when we come here, the food was fantastic! We all were very pleased with our orders… everything came our correctly and was also hot and fresh. I feel like there is more I could say because we always have a really good experience here. We paid for dinner and got dinner and a show! Lest you get the idea that Brandon was intrusive and hovering, he was not. He just made our entire experience really, really enjoyable! I’d recommend this place any time!

Went for lunch today with my husband and dad, as my dad’s choice. I ordered the sailor’s platter, which has shrimp scampi, fried shrimp and broiled fish. The best part of the meal was the fried shrimp, of which I received exactly four. Super disappointing. The scampi was good, but the broiled fish was bland and soggy. It came with a house salad, which was average iceberg lettuce and came topped with minced tomato and cucumber. It’s a good thing I like both on my salad because they would have been next to impossible to pick off.
We also shared an order of the stuffed mushrooms which were good. Very cheesy.
As usual, the cheddar biscuits were amazing. All in all it was a good meal, not something I would go out of my way for, but I wasn’t paying :)

Stopped in at 6:30 PM tonight. a Saturday night. we were told the wait would be 30 minutes … but were seated in 20 …
Got a couple of drinks at the bar and yes the bartender at the bar is tops. he is truly a great barman at the location at Sawmill. Everyone is friendly.
Our waiter was fast but he was over extended and a little green. I knew this when I ordered a dozen oyster on the half raw. My mistake by ordering these here. first off when I asked for horse radish with the oysters he looked at me funny and said, «not sure we have horse radish but I can ask». Of course they have them but I could not eat any more than 6, the oysters were not that fresh or tasty. I buy my own at Whole Foods and I have had a couple bad ones but since I shuck-​em I know when one is bad and they are always fresh at WF. These were not …
Wife had the Admiral’s Platter she said it was good — of course it is fried … the 5 year granddaughter had the mac and cheese but didn’t even touch it said she didn’t like it. But ate the broccoli from grandma’s plate.
I also had a bowl of New England Claim chowder … I didn’t know that you had to ask for crackers as it is optional … had to wait for it almost done with my soup. The whole experience was okay for a family restaurant but nothing special. actually I like eating in at the bar at this location. but of course with a 5 year old that was not possible. 2 hours for the entire visit. not bad for a Saturday night with family.

If your server is Bethany, get up and run. Lucky for us, food tasted very good.
1. Server forgot to bring butter with Lobster tail.
2. Server didn’t change plates between courses.
3. Server took 15 minutes to get a clean plate my wife’d asked for. Later said she forgot.
4. We felt rushed because it was closing time.
5. Check was wrong. We were table 9 and got the check for table 46.

I usually don’t go to RL because they are just a bit too heavy handed on the sodium but when I want some decent enough seafood and fast I go in here. We happen to be in the neighborhood and decided to try this place out.
It was packed in there for a Sunday afternoon so we decided to sit at the bar and got waited on immediately. A very congenial bartender was there which is always nice and, of course, the cheddar biscuits! The best thing RL makes.
We both liked our meals but as hubs said, for what you pay it feels like you should get more food than what you do. True, they did have some less expensive specials but I wasn’t feeling them.
I’ve had my biscuit fix so I won’t be back for awhile until I get the crave again.