Shrimp fest, lobster fest, and now crab fest. We had the crab lovers dream and it was very good with a larger portion than expected. Good service all around and they kept the cheddar biscuits coming?
(4)
Pattama H.
Once again with lobsterfest, I usually go for it every year but this time i felt it was special. Every thing we had was tasty. I didn't know if that's bcoz not many people came here on the game day (final four) and chefs were not too busy so that they were very focus on our dishes. However it was my great day. We got a free appetizer which was a bowl of garlic mussels. I would say I really liked it but the side bread was too salty for us. We had wood-grilled lobster, shrimp and salmon and lobster lover's dream to share. I usually don't feel craving for pasta but for this time I had to give the thumb up for the chefs. Awesome!
(4)
Kyara M.
Red Lobsters Biscuits is what drives me to dine at their restaurant. However, now that they sell their brand of biscuits at Costco, I fail to see why I would ever dine here again. I love seafood. It's my favorite food. However, Red Lobster seems to think that the best way to cook a good seafood dish is to drown it in garlic and butter. My goodness, it's ridiculous how much butter and oil is used in any given dish. I am (was) a huge fan of their Salmon New Orleans. It came with wild rice, broccoli, broiled salmon and shrimp covered in a tabasco butter sauce. I always got the sauce on the side because again, the add too much butter/oil. Since the dish is super easy to make, I decided to make it on my own with less butter. Viola! Dish turned out better than Red Lobster (IMO which is very bias I will admit) For what you pay to get a good meal, the food is very average while being coated in nothing but butter. Even the salads are iffy. Their food is nothing special. The most decent cooker can make anything on their menu. I never understood why the lines are always out of the damn door when I drive by on a weekend. Convenience? Must be. However, people must REALLY like it considering the wait time on a Friday or Saturday night can be up to a hour. If I am to leave one positive comment, the service has always been great in my past experience dining here.
(2)
Ally M.
Don't go here if you expect fresh seafood. This is pretty much similar to how Olive Garden calls themselves an Italian restaurant. The food is fried and greasy, and overpriced for the food that you get. The only thing that is craveable are the biscuits.
(3)
Casey P.
This was my first time ever going to a Red Lobster, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The flavor on everything was amazing. I would and will go back. We also had a really attentive and kind server. I also noticed that the rest of the servers were the same way.
(5)
Piper S.
Solid seafood place. I had the tilapia last visit in July 2014 and it was tasty. The service is good but not exceptional on our average visit. I could call this 3.5 stars quite honestly. The one thing that could help them out I think is having more variety of fish, they usually have salmon, mahi mahi or flounder sometimes, tilapia and one other fish fry generic fish like a cod. I would love to see them get things like grouper or sea bass, or ever more tasty fish for a weekly special like monkfish or barramundi. But overall a solid night out for a decent price for what you get.
(3)
Jon P.
First and probably last time I dine at this Red Lobster location. Restaurant half empty and food took 45 minutes. When food was brought out our less than spectacular server warned us that the plates were "scorching hot". Translation: "I left your food in the window under the lights for 20 minutes while I did my closing duties". Oh yeah, and even with 45 minutes to properly prepare and plate our meal.... Forgot the grilled chicken for my son. Then I had to wait for our server to reappear to pay the bill. Caribbean shrimp/salmon was bland.
(2)
April Y.
Food was great and in large amount! The bread they serve was Yummy and you can have as many pieces as you want. Worth price and definitely worth going! The waiter was so friendly and warm hearted! Pleasant experience!
(5)
Joe C.
Came in at dinner time and it was quite busy. After we were seated, a server came up and took the check off of the table left by the previous customer and stated that she would be right back. She then proceeded to pass our table without saying a word at least 5 times in the next 10 to 15 minutes. Finally another server, Alyssa, noticed we were sitting there and offered to get us something to drink while waiting for our server. When she returned with our Iced Teas, she stated that she was also ignored by our server when she mentioned us to her. Alyssa stated that she would be our server and the night improved from there. Red Lobster fare is Red Lobster fare, the service is what tips the event toward the favorable. This visit, between being ignored by our original server and not a sight of the manager makes us wonder if another visit would be worthwhile.
(2)
Jae M.
I'm a firm believer in second chances, and although it has taken us about a year to come back, we're glad we did. And we attribute our satisfied experience to the staff--and based on our last experience there, it was a surprise! First off, we were greeted by two young ladies in the front. Prompt. Polite. We were already impressed. Our server was Wes and can I just say, he was the easily the best server we've had yet. Everything he did seemed effortless and the attention to small details were not ignored. Very polite, patient, knowledgeable, prompt--he didn't miss a beat and he didn't overdo it by constantly coming to our table. It was a seamlessly perfect dinner. At Red Lobster. WHO KNEW?! We chose the 4-course meal which was a good thing and a bad thing. Mostly good. The bad was based on the fact we couldn't get out of our seats. We started off with soup: spicy chicken tortilla and New England clam chowder. Not out of this world, but still good and perfect complement to the mini-blizzard going on outside. I had the shrimp and scallop linguini; rich and creamy but it was a perfect portion. I didn't feel like it was an overwhelming amount. Thank goodness because I ate the entire thing and I feel no guilt! =) My boyfriend had the wood-grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce. That was also a nice portion, and the green beans were well-seasoned. We could've eaten an entire plate of that with no problem. I didn't get a chance to taste the chicken but he took it home and ate it for a late-dinner. No complaints from him as far as I know. Desserts were a triple-chocolate brownie a la mode and caramel cheesecake. RICH. RICH. RICH. Good gracious--what a way to top off the meal. At first I was a little annoyed by the small portion, but as soon as I took a bite, I was so glad they were that size. I think my pants would've hated me. Huge kudos to the management and staff (especially you, Wes!) for such a great experience. We were already having a somewhat off night and we took a chance to come eat here again, hoping it wouldn't be like the first time. Not even close. And I know the exterior was changed but I could swear the inside was remodeled as well. It just didn't seem like previous experiences at other Red Lobster locations where I felt like I was on a fishery boat. Regardless, two thumbs up!
(5)
Zom S.
Where to start? It was surprisingly busy for a weeknight, but the wait for a table was still longer than it should have been. Multiple tables at empty within view, but apparently they were low on wait staff so couldn't seat us. That was frustrating. Once seated, or waitress friendly and the bright spot of the evening. The food and drinks are high priced, at least compared to typical restaurants like this. The beer selection was very poor. No local taps are offered. The cheddar biscuits were heavily salted, almost to much to handle. We had the crab linguini, and it to was overly salted. The crab couldn't even be treated, as the salt overwhelmed everything. We had a lobster tail that was rubbery and also lacked flavor, except for salt. All the food was terribly disappointing. Overall, this made for a rather miserable and expensive evening. In Madison there are so many great choices for restaurants that I am amazed that people would even go to a place like this that is overpriced and serves rather food that is so bad. I hope to never eat here again.
(1)
Carolyn P.
I don't know what has happened to RL, but the food is not nearly as good as it used to be, with the exception of the cheddar bay biscuits. My last two visits there were very disappointing. The food was bland. The lobster was tough and lacked flavor. Not interested in returning.
(2)
Cassie C.
My boyfriend and I visited for the first time ever on Thursday. I work for Darden, so I was expecting great service and delicious food. The food was nothing amazing, but it was still a decent value for the price. However, our waiter was extremely rude. He acted like it was a burden to serve us. I'm assuming it was our age, but that shouldn't matter. I'm a server myself and it's wrong to treat your guests like they are wasting your time. It made the entire experience quite disappointing.
(2)
Brandy L.
We stopped here for dinner one night coming home from the Wisconsin Dells. There was no wait. We were seated immediately. We had 3 adults and 1 child in our party. The server was amazing. I think she was one of the best servers we have ever had in a restaurant. We all had different drinks which were kept full. Our cheddar biscuit basket was kept full. Everyone knows Red Lobster has the best cheddar biscuits. We all ordered different entrees. They were all brought out hot and were delicious. The manager stopped by to check on us. It was overall the best Red Lobster experience we have ever had.
(5)
Tamara C.
I am so happy they aren't keeping this crab and scallop "pot". It was overly messy and no return of flavor. Better off just having steamed crab legs instead. Overall, Red Lobster is a great place for me to get my crab fix when I need it. There isn't any other affordable place in town to support my cravings.
(4)
Thomas E.
I absolutely Love Red Lobster. I will go out of my way to eat at a Red Lobster for shell fish. Unfortunately, I have never had a good meal at this Red Lobster. They do not know how to cook seafood.
(2)
Orinda C.
Visited this location on 2/27 with a friend for Lobsterfest. I ordered the Lobster in Paradise.. The lobster was NOT fresh, it was tough and very chewy. I was really bummed out by this because I was really looking forward to trying this dish and I don't normally have any complaints about Red Lobster. The service was excellent, our waiter was very friendly and attentive.
(2)
David M.
My wife and I stopped at the Red Lobster on 7/4/13. It was open and the parking lot was busy. We started with the wood fire grilled bruschetta with shrimp. It was really good. A bottle of Kendall Jackson chardonnay made it even better! We then shared a trio of wood fire salmon, shrimp skewers, and crab legs. It came with a salad. The flavors were fine. The portions were small. Our server was pleasant. We'd return, but would probably stay at the bar to enjoy a bottle of KJ with 2 orders of the wood fire grilled bruschetta with shrimp and pass on the rest.
(3)
Yang J.
We had lunch at this place on X'max Eve, it was such a disappointing lunch given the food was not served 30 minutes after we finished ordering. After calling the manager the food was finally on the table but apparently there is something within this restaurant. The manger was friendly but the waiter at our table was showing us some attitude after manager was called up. So, service-wise, it was such a failure. Food is okay, just like any other red lobster place, but please keep in mind that waiting for 30 minutes is never acceptable.
(2)
Sharyn M.
Red Lobster is consistently excellent. The Biscuits may be a draw for some ,(altho I can only eat one myself). I go back over and over because of the great staff, the impeccable Long Island Iced Teas and the always Hot Steamy Perfect FRESH Lobster. Our Madison Red Lobster aims to please like no other chain in town. The menu is extensive and never disappointing. I am thrilled to have them here. Worth the time and money, every visit.
(5)
Cong Z.
love their special biscuit, soft and delicious. the seafood is fresh and nice. endless shrimp is a great choice.
(5)
Jason N.
I went here for all you can eat shrimp. The shrimp was alright, one of the plates I was brought was cold , the biscuits are great. The service was pretty good, we had about a 10 minute wait which wasn't to bad. Over all a average trip.
(3)
Heather C.
Red Lobster is always really crowded because peeps love the cheddar biscuits. Who are we kidding here? We all know it's the damn cheddar biscuits that keep em' coming. Even the wait staff knows it. Our waiter had his shtick down to a science and his main sell was the what??? Cheddar biscuits. In fact towards the end of our meal he greeted a couple that had just sat down behind us, and ran through his entire spiel word for word as he had done for us. The humiliating part was that the woman has the EXACT same reaction that I did when he said, "and might I say, the cheddar biscuits are the best part of the meal!" "Hahaha! Yes!!" *nods and smiles like a complete jackass*
(3)
Brianne I.
Typical Red Lobster. Busy. Good service. Food is delish.... cant get enough of those biscuits!
(3)
Arthur S.
Grade: C+ Yes, you read that rating correctly. Chalk this one up to a dare to see if I could eat 30 shrimp. Not a problem. Interesting clientle aside, this place was surprisingly not sucky.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Brian J.
Shrimp fest, lobster fest, and now crab fest. We had the crab lovers dream and it was very good with a larger portion than expected. Good service all around and they kept the cheddar biscuits coming?
(4)Pattama H.
Once again with lobsterfest, I usually go for it every year but this time i felt it was special. Every thing we had was tasty. I didn't know if that's bcoz not many people came here on the game day (final four) and chefs were not too busy so that they were very focus on our dishes. However it was my great day. We got a free appetizer which was a bowl of garlic mussels. I would say I really liked it but the side bread was too salty for us. We had wood-grilled lobster, shrimp and salmon and lobster lover's dream to share. I usually don't feel craving for pasta but for this time I had to give the thumb up for the chefs. Awesome!
(4)Kyara M.
Red Lobsters Biscuits is what drives me to dine at their restaurant. However, now that they sell their brand of biscuits at Costco, I fail to see why I would ever dine here again. I love seafood. It's my favorite food. However, Red Lobster seems to think that the best way to cook a good seafood dish is to drown it in garlic and butter. My goodness, it's ridiculous how much butter and oil is used in any given dish. I am (was) a huge fan of their Salmon New Orleans. It came with wild rice, broccoli, broiled salmon and shrimp covered in a tabasco butter sauce. I always got the sauce on the side because again, the add too much butter/oil. Since the dish is super easy to make, I decided to make it on my own with less butter. Viola! Dish turned out better than Red Lobster (IMO which is very bias I will admit) For what you pay to get a good meal, the food is very average while being coated in nothing but butter. Even the salads are iffy. Their food is nothing special. The most decent cooker can make anything on their menu. I never understood why the lines are always out of the damn door when I drive by on a weekend. Convenience? Must be. However, people must REALLY like it considering the wait time on a Friday or Saturday night can be up to a hour. If I am to leave one positive comment, the service has always been great in my past experience dining here.
(2)Ally M.
Don't go here if you expect fresh seafood. This is pretty much similar to how Olive Garden calls themselves an Italian restaurant. The food is fried and greasy, and overpriced for the food that you get. The only thing that is craveable are the biscuits.
(3)Casey P.
This was my first time ever going to a Red Lobster, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The flavor on everything was amazing. I would and will go back. We also had a really attentive and kind server. I also noticed that the rest of the servers were the same way.
(5)Piper S.
Solid seafood place. I had the tilapia last visit in July 2014 and it was tasty. The service is good but not exceptional on our average visit. I could call this 3.5 stars quite honestly. The one thing that could help them out I think is having more variety of fish, they usually have salmon, mahi mahi or flounder sometimes, tilapia and one other fish fry generic fish like a cod. I would love to see them get things like grouper or sea bass, or ever more tasty fish for a weekly special like monkfish or barramundi. But overall a solid night out for a decent price for what you get.
(3)Jon P.
First and probably last time I dine at this Red Lobster location. Restaurant half empty and food took 45 minutes. When food was brought out our less than spectacular server warned us that the plates were "scorching hot". Translation: "I left your food in the window under the lights for 20 minutes while I did my closing duties". Oh yeah, and even with 45 minutes to properly prepare and plate our meal.... Forgot the grilled chicken for my son. Then I had to wait for our server to reappear to pay the bill. Caribbean shrimp/salmon was bland.
(2)April Y.
Food was great and in large amount! The bread they serve was Yummy and you can have as many pieces as you want. Worth price and definitely worth going! The waiter was so friendly and warm hearted! Pleasant experience!
(5)Joe C.
Came in at dinner time and it was quite busy. After we were seated, a server came up and took the check off of the table left by the previous customer and stated that she would be right back. She then proceeded to pass our table without saying a word at least 5 times in the next 10 to 15 minutes. Finally another server, Alyssa, noticed we were sitting there and offered to get us something to drink while waiting for our server. When she returned with our Iced Teas, she stated that she was also ignored by our server when she mentioned us to her. Alyssa stated that she would be our server and the night improved from there. Red Lobster fare is Red Lobster fare, the service is what tips the event toward the favorable. This visit, between being ignored by our original server and not a sight of the manager makes us wonder if another visit would be worthwhile.
(2)Jae M.
I'm a firm believer in second chances, and although it has taken us about a year to come back, we're glad we did. And we attribute our satisfied experience to the staff--and based on our last experience there, it was a surprise! First off, we were greeted by two young ladies in the front. Prompt. Polite. We were already impressed. Our server was Wes and can I just say, he was the easily the best server we've had yet. Everything he did seemed effortless and the attention to small details were not ignored. Very polite, patient, knowledgeable, prompt--he didn't miss a beat and he didn't overdo it by constantly coming to our table. It was a seamlessly perfect dinner. At Red Lobster. WHO KNEW?! We chose the 4-course meal which was a good thing and a bad thing. Mostly good. The bad was based on the fact we couldn't get out of our seats. We started off with soup: spicy chicken tortilla and New England clam chowder. Not out of this world, but still good and perfect complement to the mini-blizzard going on outside. I had the shrimp and scallop linguini; rich and creamy but it was a perfect portion. I didn't feel like it was an overwhelming amount. Thank goodness because I ate the entire thing and I feel no guilt! =) My boyfriend had the wood-grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce. That was also a nice portion, and the green beans were well-seasoned. We could've eaten an entire plate of that with no problem. I didn't get a chance to taste the chicken but he took it home and ate it for a late-dinner. No complaints from him as far as I know. Desserts were a triple-chocolate brownie a la mode and caramel cheesecake. RICH. RICH. RICH. Good gracious--what a way to top off the meal. At first I was a little annoyed by the small portion, but as soon as I took a bite, I was so glad they were that size. I think my pants would've hated me. Huge kudos to the management and staff (especially you, Wes!) for such a great experience. We were already having a somewhat off night and we took a chance to come eat here again, hoping it wouldn't be like the first time. Not even close. And I know the exterior was changed but I could swear the inside was remodeled as well. It just didn't seem like previous experiences at other Red Lobster locations where I felt like I was on a fishery boat. Regardless, two thumbs up!
(5)Zom S.
Where to start? It was surprisingly busy for a weeknight, but the wait for a table was still longer than it should have been. Multiple tables at empty within view, but apparently they were low on wait staff so couldn't seat us. That was frustrating. Once seated, or waitress friendly and the bright spot of the evening. The food and drinks are high priced, at least compared to typical restaurants like this. The beer selection was very poor. No local taps are offered. The cheddar biscuits were heavily salted, almost to much to handle. We had the crab linguini, and it to was overly salted. The crab couldn't even be treated, as the salt overwhelmed everything. We had a lobster tail that was rubbery and also lacked flavor, except for salt. All the food was terribly disappointing. Overall, this made for a rather miserable and expensive evening. In Madison there are so many great choices for restaurants that I am amazed that people would even go to a place like this that is overpriced and serves rather food that is so bad. I hope to never eat here again.
(1)Carolyn P.
I don't know what has happened to RL, but the food is not nearly as good as it used to be, with the exception of the cheddar bay biscuits. My last two visits there were very disappointing. The food was bland. The lobster was tough and lacked flavor. Not interested in returning.
(2)Cassie C.
My boyfriend and I visited for the first time ever on Thursday. I work for Darden, so I was expecting great service and delicious food. The food was nothing amazing, but it was still a decent value for the price. However, our waiter was extremely rude. He acted like it was a burden to serve us. I'm assuming it was our age, but that shouldn't matter. I'm a server myself and it's wrong to treat your guests like they are wasting your time. It made the entire experience quite disappointing.
(2)Brandy L.
We stopped here for dinner one night coming home from the Wisconsin Dells. There was no wait. We were seated immediately. We had 3 adults and 1 child in our party. The server was amazing. I think she was one of the best servers we have ever had in a restaurant. We all had different drinks which were kept full. Our cheddar biscuit basket was kept full. Everyone knows Red Lobster has the best cheddar biscuits. We all ordered different entrees. They were all brought out hot and were delicious. The manager stopped by to check on us. It was overall the best Red Lobster experience we have ever had.
(5)Tamara C.
I am so happy they aren't keeping this crab and scallop "pot". It was overly messy and no return of flavor. Better off just having steamed crab legs instead. Overall, Red Lobster is a great place for me to get my crab fix when I need it. There isn't any other affordable place in town to support my cravings.
(4)Thomas E.
I absolutely Love Red Lobster. I will go out of my way to eat at a Red Lobster for shell fish. Unfortunately, I have never had a good meal at this Red Lobster. They do not know how to cook seafood.
(2)Orinda C.
Visited this location on 2/27 with a friend for Lobsterfest. I ordered the Lobster in Paradise.. The lobster was NOT fresh, it was tough and very chewy. I was really bummed out by this because I was really looking forward to trying this dish and I don't normally have any complaints about Red Lobster. The service was excellent, our waiter was very friendly and attentive.
(2)David M.
My wife and I stopped at the Red Lobster on 7/4/13. It was open and the parking lot was busy. We started with the wood fire grilled bruschetta with shrimp. It was really good. A bottle of Kendall Jackson chardonnay made it even better! We then shared a trio of wood fire salmon, shrimp skewers, and crab legs. It came with a salad. The flavors were fine. The portions were small. Our server was pleasant. We'd return, but would probably stay at the bar to enjoy a bottle of KJ with 2 orders of the wood fire grilled bruschetta with shrimp and pass on the rest.
(3)Yang J.
We had lunch at this place on X'max Eve, it was such a disappointing lunch given the food was not served 30 minutes after we finished ordering. After calling the manager the food was finally on the table but apparently there is something within this restaurant. The manger was friendly but the waiter at our table was showing us some attitude after manager was called up. So, service-wise, it was such a failure. Food is okay, just like any other red lobster place, but please keep in mind that waiting for 30 minutes is never acceptable.
(2)Sharyn M.
Red Lobster is consistently excellent. The Biscuits may be a draw for some ,(altho I can only eat one myself). I go back over and over because of the great staff, the impeccable Long Island Iced Teas and the always Hot Steamy Perfect FRESH Lobster. Our Madison Red Lobster aims to please like no other chain in town. The menu is extensive and never disappointing. I am thrilled to have them here. Worth the time and money, every visit.
(5)Cong Z.
love their special biscuit, soft and delicious. the seafood is fresh and nice. endless shrimp is a great choice.
(5)Jason N.
I went here for all you can eat shrimp. The shrimp was alright, one of the plates I was brought was cold , the biscuits are great. The service was pretty good, we had about a 10 minute wait which wasn't to bad. Over all a average trip.
(3)Heather C.
Red Lobster is always really crowded because peeps love the cheddar biscuits. Who are we kidding here? We all know it's the damn cheddar biscuits that keep em' coming. Even the wait staff knows it. Our waiter had his shtick down to a science and his main sell was the what??? Cheddar biscuits. In fact towards the end of our meal he greeted a couple that had just sat down behind us, and ran through his entire spiel word for word as he had done for us. The humiliating part was that the woman has the EXACT same reaction that I did when he said, "and might I say, the cheddar biscuits are the best part of the meal!" "Hahaha! Yes!!" *nods and smiles like a complete jackass*
(3)Brianne I.
Typical Red Lobster. Busy. Good service. Food is delish.... cant get enough of those biscuits!
(3)Arthur S.
Grade: C+ Yes, you read that rating correctly. Chalk this one up to a dare to see if I could eat 30 shrimp. Not a problem. Interesting clientle aside, this place was surprisingly not sucky.
(3)