Red Lobster

There are reasons why we only go to Red Lobster about once every ten years, we just forgot them this evening. My wife was hungry for trout so we went to Red Lobster. She ordered the trout. After waiting to the point of frustration for our food to be served, our server came out and said the chef had just told her that they were out of trout. Would my wife like another fish? She settled on cod. Our meals finally came. She couldn’t eat the cod which she described as tough. Server was apologetic and offered tilapia. When the tilapia came it was at least two servings. By now my wife was just upset and wasn’t in the mood for anything. We weren’t charged for her meal (she only ate the salad). So, it will probably be another ten years before we try a Red Lobster again.

Took my dd today to eat around 5, the restaurant was empty. We were immediately greeted and seated upon entering. I ordered the Ultimate Feast, but subbed lobster pasta for Uncle Walt’s shrimp (I hate coconut). DD had NY strip and lobster tail. Colleen told me there was an upcharge for the pasta sub, and helped dd pick which kind of tail was better. Overall, delicious food, enough left for two more dinners. I was surprised by the upcharge of $ 10. But it was an entire dish in itself. Fresh biscuits and FOUR takeout boxes, and we’re still full.
Colleen W was a wonderful waitress, keeping our drinks full, and clearing dishes without hovering. She deserves a raise!

We had a combo dish and a trout dish. The trout dish was adequately cooked and lightly flavored, it was ok though not particularly memorable. In the combo, there were breaded shrimp and unbreaded shrimp with a pesto-​based sauce. These were pretty good. The lobster was cooked well enough, but not expertly, and was pretty much a standard lobster. And the crab was again ok, cooked well enough, not remarkable. So, 3 out of 5 stars. It’s adequate for a safe, unremarkable seafood dinner.

This restaurant has continued to decline over the past decade. The size of the shrimp and lobster if half the size it used to be, the white fish is bland, the broccoli over seasoned! There are too many quality alternatives. I won’t be back!

Red Lobster has always had a special place in my heart when it comes to commercialized restaurants. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of going there with my late Grandma, or the unending biscuits, but no matter what the reason, Red Lobster does a fine job of carrying everything from healthy, protein based dishes to fried, fun meals. Whether I’ve ordered a steak in the past, or ate endless shrimp recently, the food has never disappointed. I’ve gone to Red Lobster when I’m on a diet and when I’m not on a diet and every time staff was very helpful, friendly and catered to my dietary needs! Most recently, I went to enjoy the endless shrimp and was amazed at how you can change you selection of shrimp as often as you want and get truly unlimited food… all for $ 17. My family and I switched off different shrimp. We tried the tempura, garlic shrimp, grilled/​plain shrimp, popcorn shrimp, hand breaded shrimp, and shrimp alfredo. The tempura was not very flavorful. It came with a ginger dressing, which added flavor, but my go to was the popcorn shrimp. Red Lobster seasons the breading with a similar seasoning that they use on the biscuits. I did try the grilled shrimp, which was also very good– fresh and light. The garlic shrimp and hand breaded (tail on) I wasn’t crazy about. Endless shrimp is by far worth the money you spend. You have not lived until you have tried endless shrimp at least once! You start off with a big plate of shrimp and 2 sides, you can continue to order sides with your shrimp orders! As for the restaurant and service as a whole– definitely an A grade. The ambiance is great– dimly lit, spacious in between booths and a subtle hint of nautical flare! The bathrooms are always clean and staff is always helpful and friendly. I have been and continue to be a Red Lobster fan, I am always satisfied with all aspects of the restaurant!

I came to this location a few months ago with my mother. It was a very slow midweek afternoon. We both ordered the Ultimate Feast, which featured lobster tail so chewy I had to cut it with a fork and serrated knife. The breaded shrimp were soggy with grease.
I had a glass of lemon water. No matter how much lemon I squeezed in, I couldn’t disguise the dirty taste. It tasted like what dirty bathrooms smell like. I thought maybe the ice machine needed cleaned or something. After a few sips, I ordered a pop instead. The following night, I showed the first symptoms of what would be a week and a half of salmonella hell. I had to call off work and it was honestly atrocious. I never called to complain but I honestly should have for the sake of other patrons. I know it was the water because my mother had the exact same food and did not get sick.
Every time I’ve been back to this location over the past five years, it has been worse every time. Overly greasey and overly buttered, rubbery or underdone. One time a manager tried to tell us that scallops that were cold and slimy in the middle were done, yet he refused to touch or inspect them. The only upside is the very friendly staff.

Stopped in for a quick bite at the bar after our flight. The mussels appetizer was nothing to write home about. It seemed like were served from a frozen state and dropped into a hot sauce, not very fresh. The toast points needed more toasting. The main course of lobster tails were average, the corn on the cob and roasted potatoes were good. Service was friendly but the bar maintenance needed a little help. (See pic)

About what you’d expect from this chain. A nice lunch date affordable and never busy except during lent.

My mother and I went to enjoy dinner at 5:30 on Wednesday night. We were seated quickly. The dining room is entirely too dark to read the menu and the table was extremely small. We had, a brisket basket, a glass of wine, a glass of sweet tea, two salads, a cup of soup, a appetizer of mussels, an Ultimate Feast, and a pick three entrée. These all barely fit on the table and we had to keep moving things around. Our server, Emily, was fantastic! She took the time to help my mom read the menu without her feeling like an idiot for not being able to see it. She knew the menu very well, was able make recommendations for my mother and helped create a fantastic meal for her. Emily kept my tea filled, the biskets filled, and checked on us regularly. The food was typical Dardin fare, corporate recipes made in corporate ways but the price was decent for the food received.

I’m really not a big chain restaurant guy. In fact, I’ll typically go out of my way to avoid them. Red lobster surprised me tonight as I wasn’t going into this with high expectations. I think if the service wasn’t as wonderful as it was, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the experience as much as I did. However, Georgia out waitress was just wonderful. She continued to go out of the way to keep my son happy. She even brought a lobster out of the tank for him to pet. He was so excited to watch it do «tricks» like hold crayons.
The food actually wasn’t bad either. I went with the lobsterfest dueling lobster tails. One had a seafood stuffing and was just okay. The other was topped with grilled shrimp and a tasty sauce that I enjoyed. The drinks were good as well, the featured lobster punch goes down almost too easy and the after dinner adult coffee was the right balance of smooth sweet alcohol and bitter coffee.
All in all id actually be back, and coming from me for a chain restaurant that’s about the biggest compliment I could give.

We had a wonderful time at Lobsterfest. We had Georgia as our server, she is fabulous and really takes care of you. The food was very good, we had a lot of lobster on this night and splurged. We left full and satisfied with what we had. Of course the dinner rolls are just amazing.

I’m writing you this letter to let you know what an exceptional experience my family and I had at your restaurant on the evening of August 6^th 2014. My family and I came to celebrate my mothers 61^st birthday. Upon entering your establishment we were greeted by one of your friendly female hostesses (I’m now sorry I didn’t get her name) she was a friendly woman with a nice smile. She looked to be in her late 40’s with short red hair. She greeted us and immediately showed us to our table.
A short time after being seated we were greeted by our waitress Colleen W. who was absolutely extraordinary. Colleen was prompt, very friendly, knew the menu items well but most of all, she was very patient with us (a party of 6 people) Colleen kept her smile the entire time and never once looked to be agitated or annoyed. We immediately got the feeling that Colleen is a very genuine person and is very good at her job. Several of the comments made by my family members and I while we spoke at dinner were as follows: «our waitress is very good…, you can tell she’s a genuine person…, all servers should be like her…, Wow! she pays very close attention to detail» I couldn’t agree more! Colleen kept our glasses filled the entire time and made our mothers’ birthday dinner one of the best!
Of course we can’t forget to compliment the kitchen and how delicious our meals were. Everything was cooked to our liking and we enjoyed our seafood dinners very much. I plan to share this exceptional experience on my media networks i.e. Unilocal,Urbanspoon, Facebook, etc… Thanks again to all of the RED LOBSTER staff members who made our evening out to dinner one of the best!

food and service at this location was great! ordered a dozen of oysters and they were extremely fresh!

It’s been a while since I’ve been to red lobster and on a night I wanted something light and close to my house this won out. I decided on there 4 course dinner. I chose tortilla soup which was ok but not the best I’ve had. I had a caesar salad that was quite good as well. My main course was wood grilled tilapia which was fresh and right off the grill. The broccoli was quite good. The brownie with ice cream was a perfect top off and great to share with my little man who loved his little scrimp. Now for the service. Our waitress was the loopiest person I have ever met in my like. She spilt 2 drinks forgot silverware and straws twice. The service was just weird but the food was surprisingly better then I was anticipating.

Oh, I like Red Lobster. Kill me. I had the same dinner Darren had (Wood-​Grilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops) and thought everything was succulent and juicy. I also liked the Lobster Artichoke Dip. The service was great even thought we came in an hour or so before closing.

When I was a child, my parents brought my sister and I here every so often for what we thought back then to a be a feast of feasts. Since then Red Lobster has lost her luster with increased independent competition and a sharpening of tastes, but sadly enough, old RL is still as good or better than some non-​chains. She even matches nearby seafood restaurant Baltimore House in quality.
Why the hell did we come here? Sentimentality. I hadn’t been to this Red Lobster in 10 years.
No, that’s not really why we came. Well, partly. I hadn’t Unilocaled it yet!
Kay’s grandmother in Texas mailed us a $ 50 gift card for Darden group franchises. I’d already been to Bahama Breeze and Olive Garden (well, the one out here in West Mifflin, but that was 10 years ago…), AND we have no Seasons 22 in our metro area, so to the Cardinal Claw we came. There’s the truth, spilled out onto the floor. Page the janitor.
A decent supper was had, and the service was more than that, our waiter accommodating us comfortably and unhurriedly despite our arrival 75 minutes before closing.
RL’s food isn’t inedible at all even though I’ve heard rumors, particularly through a co-​worker who claims he used to work for the chain, that 80% of their menu is flash-​frozen and merely re-​heated. When I heard of this — and to me it’s highly plausible — I immediately knocked my rating of the Robinson RL down a peg or two.
For $ 24.50, the Wood-​Grilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops gets you a mighty hearty helping of oceanic critters to munch on, and while I wasn’t in a reverie over any of it, it was all juicy, and when dunked into that clarified butter, hell I couldn’t have cared less where it was caught. My hunger probably also allowed me to enjoy this more than I normally would have.
Our server was so honest, when I really wanted to splurge on a live lobster, he just pointed me to the aforementioned entrée, saying «Dude, this is cheaper. Maximize your gift!»
Combine that with an acceptable side of slaw, a baked potato, those opiate-​laced cheddar bay biscuits (don’t eat too many), and a solid opener in the Lobster Artichoke dip (complete with freshly fried tortilla chips), and I really feel like I’d be a
cur if I gave them anything less than a 3. RL passes, not with streamers aloft, but she passes.
And if I gave them anything more than a 3, I’d hate myself. Nostalgia only goes so far.
P. S. We were honestly so stuffed, we didn’t even consider dessert.

Great food and awesome service from our server Dorian T. We had the Stuffed Flounder, Cajun Tilapia, Buffalo Strips, Calamari and Salads. Everything was Perfect !
They really Wowed us tonight — When we first got there my daughter was sad when she found out that there were no more Lobsters left in the Tank. However she left the restaurant smiling when our server Dorian came to our table (along with a 3 other servers) singing a Christmas song to my Daughter. They brought her an Apple Dessert with a candle in it. My Daughter is only 7 but after such a great experience tonight she now wants to have her next Birthday party here :-)

First off there were 14 of us for my girlfriend’s pap’s 88^th birthday and the service was great! They let us bring in an outside cake and they still sang to him. Our food came out all together which was a plus. Refills were promptly handled as well!
I got the surf and turf (lobster tail and sirloin steak) with french fries and broccoli as the sides.
The lobster tail was good, but had a lil bit of a rubber texture, but it tasted good, very sweet.
I ordered my steak medium-​rare and it was overcooked just a little too much, but still juicy and tasteful.
The french fries were horrible! They are thinner fries and were ridiculously soggy and bland tasting. I actually soaked them in malt vinegar (which i never do) to give them some flavor.
The broccoli, was well… plain steamed broccoli… nothing special by any means.
Overall, we had a great time and the service was great!

Wow! Came in for the $ 15 dollar special and got about $ 50 worth of food. Our waitress (Nicole) was great!

Better is available, but its not so bad that I wouldn’t return.
Certainly, Red Lobster is not the definitive answer to seafood!
That said… we’ll go through the pros/​cons:
PROS:
Seafood close to home.
CONS:
Could be cleaner (Restrooms are definitely an opportunity to explore greater cleanliness standards);
Some of the staff could be nicer (its a mixed bag);
The wait can be outrageous and there seems to be no rush to bus tables and turn them over after a check is cleared;
Food quality is not consistent.
Overall, Red Lobster is still an okay place to get some seafood. Its close to home, its moderately priced (for the fare), however, the food is inconsistent.
Let me clarify…
7 times out of 10, the food is okay.
There are those couple of times, though, that the food is absolutely disgusting! It’s either cold, tough and overcooked or it just doesn’t taste fresh at all.
Its really just chalked up to «consumer beware».
The Cheddar Bay Biscuits, though… oh yes… they are always amazing! lol
Do I recommend it?
If a friend said «Where should I go for some great seafood?»
Red Lobster (any location) wouldn’t even be in my Top 5 list.