The service was excellent but I think the food to be very mediocre. The waitress, Shalonda, was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and caring about the food (i.e., whether the salmon was farmed or ocean and whether the fried shrimp had hydrogenated oils in it or not) and was always there when needed. The food is another matter however. The biscuits were somewhat bland and do not hold together in your hand. The steamed broccoli was salted, detracting from broccoli's naturally wonderful taste. The salmon was borderline dry, overcooked and too "fishy", making me wonder just how fresh it really was, despite Red Lobster's written insistence on its fresh fish. Even my choice of desserts, the Apple Crostada With Caramel Drizzle, was a bust with the crust a seeming duplication of the biscuit (i.e., essentially tasteless), the ice cream very cheap tasting but the mini apple slices good. I'm glad I came here because, now, I won't feel like I'm missing anything when I pass it by all those next times. I give it 3 stars, though I'd like to do only 2, because I realize that most people don't have my preferences for good, healthy and tasty foods, so I biased my answer for the sake of the typical person who'd actually plan to go to a Red Lobster.
(3)
Arin M.
Friendly greetings when we walked in. The cheddar biscuits were to die for. Our server Brian was very fast, polite, efficient, and accommodating. The decor was warm and pleasing to the eye. The food presentation was lovely, and hit the spot. A fantastic overall experience.
(4)
Brad K.
So a few years have gone by since we went to this Red Lobster. We had our gift card to use from some cashing in of credit card points. So we figured what the heck. Today we were reminded why we hate this Red Lobster location. The food quality is what you get and would expect form Red Lobster, nothing to rate here. It the service that stinks ! We can't figure out how they could be just as bad as we remember from dining here 3 years ago. It was service then and it's service now. Our waiter was polite enough as with everyone other server we've had here. What we think is this place is either to big and or understaffed or both. The waiters and waitresses are always hustling around. But you can expect a LONGGG drawn out dining experience. We figured dining on Sunday after the lunch crowd at 1:30pm would help. But nope, same ole' wait in line to get seated (20 min), sit down, wait for server to greet and get drinks (took a long time), getting water refills and other things was impossible, total in the door out the door dine time was 2.2 hours for a basic two person with toddler lunch. It's not like we had a huge party. WOW was that painful !! So needless to say we won't be back for many more years. We'll use our cards at Olive Garden, much better service there. Note to management, get with Olive Garden and duplicate at the Red Lobster. Our thought is they don't care since this is such a busy location with trapped business. But we won't be back and can't recommend given the awesome service trend still continues years later.
I have visited this location three times. I'm going to write about my last two experiences. Experience 1: I came on a Saturday night around 8 p.m. with my bf and they told us it would be about 30 minutes before we could be sat. We chose to wait and it ended up being around 10 minutes. I can admit that I am a bit critical about this since I worked as a host for a couple of years, but quoting accurate wait times is necessary. They were going to seat the two of us at a huge round table in the middle of the restaurant. I asked if we could sit in the empty booth and they obliged. Our server was nice. He said he would be giving us exceptional service which raised my expectations (not really). He started out great, but he got weeded (caught up with tables). I ordered the four-course feast. I got the potato bacon soup, caesar salad, cajun chicken pasta (minus the cajun), and caramel cheesecake. The soup and salad came out together, which was fine. The soup was delicious and the salad was lackluster. When I got my pasta is when everything went downhill. I tried eating a few bites, but I couldn't get over how greasy and heavy the Alfredo sauce was. I leaned the plate and oil just slipped and slid to the other side. Our server was no where to be found which was when him being weeded really affected our dinner. My bf was almost done eating his meal by the time he came back to check on us. He was really nice about it and let me get something that wasn't on the four course feast since I'm allergic to shellfish (ironic, I know). I chose the wood grilled chicken which was actually really good, but I took it to-go. My biggest complaint, however, was that we were there for TWO hours. I'm serious. We wanted to go see a movie afterwards, but we had to see the 10:15 showing since our dinner took so long. I felt like I was in some weird sci-fi apocalyptic movie where you are in a never-ending dinner. Experience 2: I went for a friend's birthday dinner. It was a rather large party (20) and we had two servers, one of whom was my server from the previous visit. I get that they close at 10 and our party came at 9, but they did not seem like they wanted to deal with us at all. I got the four-course feast again (only for the soup), but instead opted for the grilled tilapia. The tilapia was so greasy. I didn't understand how something that is grilled ended up being greasy and sliding on the plate. The side of broccoli was very overcooked. The texture was comparable baby food as soon as I put it in my mouth, there was no crunch to it at all. The rice was fine and nicely seasoned. For the dessert I'm guessing my server forgot about it because he was ready to give me my check when I reminded him about it. My cheesecake was so frozen that I could not put my fork through it. I'm not joking. I just ended up taking the tiny thing to-go so it could at least have a chance to thaw out. The service wasn't that great, he did not ask if our food came out ok. I think he was much more focused on getting us out of there and going home. Final thoughts: I most likely won't be coming back. The food wasn't good enough for me to want to go back.
(3)
Clifton M.
Arrived at 11:30 to eat lunch ,big mistake This place is not lunch friendly! Took forever to get seated and service was extremely slow. The reason I have it 3 stars cause the food was good.
(3)
Jessica S.
We came here on a Saturday night, craving some seafood. As great as the food was, it's unfortunate the service was not. By far. It took 15 minutes to get some water in front of us, my bf finished his drink and the waiter did not come by to refill it until he was done with his entree. Then charged us an extra fee for asparagus when the waiter said it came with the meal. I do have to mention he did end up taking it off the bill, but decided I had to pay first before he can adjust the deduction and the coupon. Besides service, food was great
(3)
Lee W.
After we have been to Wahoos seafood and grill, red lobster does not compare. we got one of the lobster plates, 1/2 lb of snow crab & it was very disappointing. lobsters and crab legs were very small and tasted bad. wahoos is so much better for the price.
(1)
Jake D.
Dinner at Red Lobster Ive been a few times, tonight for dinner being one. Right now they're doing an all you can eat shrimp. The first time I ate the all you can eat shrimp I put away somthing like 100, had it all different ways, buffalo, grilled, fried.....They all tasted pretty good. Again later I had the A.Y.C.E. shrimp and it was just as good. On tonights return visit I had the seafood stuffed flounder which was very good. Im really picky when it comes to seafood and this is good, definatly not the best Ive ever had but still very good. My Girlfriend orderd the Cajun Chicken alfredo and I took a bit and was pretty impressed with it. I wouldnt call it "Cajun" but it was really good. The restaurant is dim and quiet, booths are comfortable and clean. The servers are polite and quick ..... somthing I found kind of funny was that everytime I walked by an employee they said "hey how ya doing" or "thanks for coming in" but sounded like sombody was holding a gun to their head .... not happy or upbeat... At least pretend like you give a shit. overall- I like this place and will return. The food is good at a medium price with good service.
(4)
Bradley A.
New management raised prices wife and daughter ordered the choose 2 for $18.49 when the bill came they was charged for the meal plus $3.50 for the small piece of salmon and an extra $1.99 for the 4 scallops. We got the wrong salad dressing baked potatoes came without butter or sour cream no longer a Red Lobster customer !!!
(1)
Lanise A.
It's been a while since I've been here since I usually don't eat out at restaurants a lot. Since my mom was in town and she's a seafood person we visited along with her college friend. We waited for about 10 minutes for a booth, then we were served by Derek who was super nice. Mom and I ordered the seafood trio special. Mine consisted of the shrimp scampi, lobster Alfredo, and maple chicken. My mom complained that the lobster Alfredo was too salty, and I couldn't agree more. It was so salty I could barely finish it. The cheddar bay biscuits aren't what they used to be growing up, yet I still enjoy them. Derek was very knowledgeable for the many questions we had about the menu, and he constantly refilled the drinks without us asking. Nothing too special about this place, but the food was good for my second time here in three years.
(3)
Russ B.
Hit or miss, you never know. Sometimes you get great service, sometimes not. Fortunately the food is usually good. Not great, but consistently good. Decent value.
(4)
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Address :6910 W Newberry Road
Gainesville, FL, 32605
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Harvey M.
The service was excellent but I think the food to be very mediocre. The waitress, Shalonda, was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and caring about the food (i.e., whether the salmon was farmed or ocean and whether the fried shrimp had hydrogenated oils in it or not) and was always there when needed. The food is another matter however. The biscuits were somewhat bland and do not hold together in your hand. The steamed broccoli was salted, detracting from broccoli's naturally wonderful taste. The salmon was borderline dry, overcooked and too "fishy", making me wonder just how fresh it really was, despite Red Lobster's written insistence on its fresh fish. Even my choice of desserts, the Apple Crostada With Caramel Drizzle, was a bust with the crust a seeming duplication of the biscuit (i.e., essentially tasteless), the ice cream very cheap tasting but the mini apple slices good. I'm glad I came here because, now, I won't feel like I'm missing anything when I pass it by all those next times. I give it 3 stars, though I'd like to do only 2, because I realize that most people don't have my preferences for good, healthy and tasty foods, so I biased my answer for the sake of the typical person who'd actually plan to go to a Red Lobster.
(3)Arin M.
Friendly greetings when we walked in. The cheddar biscuits were to die for. Our server Brian was very fast, polite, efficient, and accommodating. The decor was warm and pleasing to the eye. The food presentation was lovely, and hit the spot. A fantastic overall experience.
(4)Brad K.
So a few years have gone by since we went to this Red Lobster. We had our gift card to use from some cashing in of credit card points. So we figured what the heck. Today we were reminded why we hate this Red Lobster location. The food quality is what you get and would expect form Red Lobster, nothing to rate here. It the service that stinks ! We can't figure out how they could be just as bad as we remember from dining here 3 years ago. It was service then and it's service now. Our waiter was polite enough as with everyone other server we've had here. What we think is this place is either to big and or understaffed or both. The waiters and waitresses are always hustling around. But you can expect a LONGGG drawn out dining experience. We figured dining on Sunday after the lunch crowd at 1:30pm would help. But nope, same ole' wait in line to get seated (20 min), sit down, wait for server to greet and get drinks (took a long time), getting water refills and other things was impossible, total in the door out the door dine time was 2.2 hours for a basic two person with toddler lunch. It's not like we had a huge party. WOW was that painful !! So needless to say we won't be back for many more years. We'll use our cards at Olive Garden, much better service there. Note to management, get with Olive Garden and duplicate at the Red Lobster. Our thought is they don't care since this is such a busy location with trapped business. But we won't be back and can't recommend given the awesome service trend still continues years later.
(2)Brent C.
We ate here around 5pm, at the seat-yourself bar area, and was a little disappointed with the service. We had to search for menus after 5 mins or so of waiting, no one else was in the bar area customer wise, and were not given silverware before entrée was delivered. The order was slightly wrong but fixed quickly and kindly by the bar tender. In their defense they were setting up the bar and seemingly getting ready for the dinner rush. The food was good quality and pretty quick. Four stars given because I don't think this would be a typical experience for most people. P.S. The bar tender was very nice and humorous.
(4)Miklane W.
I have visited this location three times. I'm going to write about my last two experiences. Experience 1: I came on a Saturday night around 8 p.m. with my bf and they told us it would be about 30 minutes before we could be sat. We chose to wait and it ended up being around 10 minutes. I can admit that I am a bit critical about this since I worked as a host for a couple of years, but quoting accurate wait times is necessary. They were going to seat the two of us at a huge round table in the middle of the restaurant. I asked if we could sit in the empty booth and they obliged. Our server was nice. He said he would be giving us exceptional service which raised my expectations (not really). He started out great, but he got weeded (caught up with tables). I ordered the four-course feast. I got the potato bacon soup, caesar salad, cajun chicken pasta (minus the cajun), and caramel cheesecake. The soup and salad came out together, which was fine. The soup was delicious and the salad was lackluster. When I got my pasta is when everything went downhill. I tried eating a few bites, but I couldn't get over how greasy and heavy the Alfredo sauce was. I leaned the plate and oil just slipped and slid to the other side. Our server was no where to be found which was when him being weeded really affected our dinner. My bf was almost done eating his meal by the time he came back to check on us. He was really nice about it and let me get something that wasn't on the four course feast since I'm allergic to shellfish (ironic, I know). I chose the wood grilled chicken which was actually really good, but I took it to-go. My biggest complaint, however, was that we were there for TWO hours. I'm serious. We wanted to go see a movie afterwards, but we had to see the 10:15 showing since our dinner took so long. I felt like I was in some weird sci-fi apocalyptic movie where you are in a never-ending dinner. Experience 2: I went for a friend's birthday dinner. It was a rather large party (20) and we had two servers, one of whom was my server from the previous visit. I get that they close at 10 and our party came at 9, but they did not seem like they wanted to deal with us at all. I got the four-course feast again (only for the soup), but instead opted for the grilled tilapia. The tilapia was so greasy. I didn't understand how something that is grilled ended up being greasy and sliding on the plate. The side of broccoli was very overcooked. The texture was comparable baby food as soon as I put it in my mouth, there was no crunch to it at all. The rice was fine and nicely seasoned. For the dessert I'm guessing my server forgot about it because he was ready to give me my check when I reminded him about it. My cheesecake was so frozen that I could not put my fork through it. I'm not joking. I just ended up taking the tiny thing to-go so it could at least have a chance to thaw out. The service wasn't that great, he did not ask if our food came out ok. I think he was much more focused on getting us out of there and going home. Final thoughts: I most likely won't be coming back. The food wasn't good enough for me to want to go back.
(3)Clifton M.
Arrived at 11:30 to eat lunch ,big mistake This place is not lunch friendly! Took forever to get seated and service was extremely slow. The reason I have it 3 stars cause the food was good.
(3)Jessica S.
We came here on a Saturday night, craving some seafood. As great as the food was, it's unfortunate the service was not. By far. It took 15 minutes to get some water in front of us, my bf finished his drink and the waiter did not come by to refill it until he was done with his entree. Then charged us an extra fee for asparagus when the waiter said it came with the meal. I do have to mention he did end up taking it off the bill, but decided I had to pay first before he can adjust the deduction and the coupon. Besides service, food was great
(3)Lee W.
After we have been to Wahoos seafood and grill, red lobster does not compare. we got one of the lobster plates, 1/2 lb of snow crab & it was very disappointing. lobsters and crab legs were very small and tasted bad. wahoos is so much better for the price.
(1)Jake D.
Dinner at Red Lobster Ive been a few times, tonight for dinner being one. Right now they're doing an all you can eat shrimp. The first time I ate the all you can eat shrimp I put away somthing like 100, had it all different ways, buffalo, grilled, fried.....They all tasted pretty good. Again later I had the A.Y.C.E. shrimp and it was just as good. On tonights return visit I had the seafood stuffed flounder which was very good. Im really picky when it comes to seafood and this is good, definatly not the best Ive ever had but still very good. My Girlfriend orderd the Cajun Chicken alfredo and I took a bit and was pretty impressed with it. I wouldnt call it "Cajun" but it was really good. The restaurant is dim and quiet, booths are comfortable and clean. The servers are polite and quick ..... somthing I found kind of funny was that everytime I walked by an employee they said "hey how ya doing" or "thanks for coming in" but sounded like sombody was holding a gun to their head .... not happy or upbeat... At least pretend like you give a shit. overall- I like this place and will return. The food is good at a medium price with good service.
(4)Bradley A.
New management raised prices wife and daughter ordered the choose 2 for $18.49 when the bill came they was charged for the meal plus $3.50 for the small piece of salmon and an extra $1.99 for the 4 scallops. We got the wrong salad dressing baked potatoes came without butter or sour cream no longer a Red Lobster customer !!!
(1)Lanise A.
It's been a while since I've been here since I usually don't eat out at restaurants a lot. Since my mom was in town and she's a seafood person we visited along with her college friend. We waited for about 10 minutes for a booth, then we were served by Derek who was super nice. Mom and I ordered the seafood trio special. Mine consisted of the shrimp scampi, lobster Alfredo, and maple chicken. My mom complained that the lobster Alfredo was too salty, and I couldn't agree more. It was so salty I could barely finish it. The cheddar bay biscuits aren't what they used to be growing up, yet I still enjoy them. Derek was very knowledgeable for the many questions we had about the menu, and he constantly refilled the drinks without us asking. Nothing too special about this place, but the food was good for my second time here in three years.
(3)Russ B.
Hit or miss, you never know. Sometimes you get great service, sometimes not. Fortunately the food is usually good. Not great, but consistently good. Decent value.
(4)