Red Lobster

I had been waiting for an excuse to visit Red Lobster during LobsterFest. It’s an occasion I usually enjoy, and I rarely leave disappointed.
This trip was the exception. I ordered the Lobster Lover’s Dream, which includes a split Maine lobster tail, rock lobster tail, and linguini Alfredo with shrimp and langostino lobster. At $ 30, it was pricey, but I was bent and determined to eat lobster, so I flipped through the pretty menus and tried to ignore my screaming wallet.
I had a bad feeling when my food arrived. Both lobsters would have been better if served hotter. They were lukewarm to room temperature when they arrived. But that wasn’t the biggest problem.
There was a distinct odor that immediately reminded me of my childhood spent traipsing through fish houses and oyster shops in the bayou. Seafood is wonderful when it’s fresh, but on a hot summer day in Alabama, the smell of old seafood is gag-​worthy.
This wasn’t something I wanted to smell while eating. As soon as I bit into the rock lobster, I knew I had found my culprit.
Here’s the thing about rock lobster: First of all, it’s a spiny lobster caught in warm waters and shipped frozen to Red Lobster. The only edible part of the spiny lobster is the tail, and the reason you can’t buy it at a changing market price is because it isn’t fresh. It tends to be dryer, tougher, and less flavorful than other varieties.
The rock lobster is generally considered to be of lesser quality than Maine lobster, so don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s the biggest thing on your plate.
And here’s the thing about seafood: If you over-​wash it, it loses some of its taste, but if you under-​wash it, it can taste decidedly fishy, and not in a good way.
So our spiny friend, the rock lobster, had a lot of strikes against it. And it was indeed rubbery, with the only flavor being a rank fishiness. I spat my first bite into my napkin, an uncouth behavior reserved for only the most foul foods.
The Maine lobster, as expected, was very good. Red Lobster purchases them live, as they should be, and it is worth the price. Sweet and tender, it is the «classic» American lobster. I try very hard not to think of the poor lobsters trying to climb out of the pot of boiling water. I know it’s silly, but it kind of depresses me.
Anyway, the shrimp and langostino linguini was easily the star of the show, which is a bit sad when you’re staring at a $ 30 check.
A few notes about langostino lobster: It’s not a real lobster, and the fanciest thing about it is its name. Technically, langostinos are from the same family as lobster and are similar in taste, but the FDA does not allow them to be labeled solely as lobster. This is the cheap meat you find in fast food restaurants’ «lobster bites» and sometimes in knock-​off, non-​New England lobster rolls.
That being said, whatever the thing is, it married well with the tasty pasta, and I would order it again.
Service was average. Food arrived quickly. Salad and biscuits were good and consistent with the other restaurants around the country, but that wasn’t enough to carry this meal above two stars.
Hot, higher quality seafood — or a lower price — would have helped this meal be a bit more palatable. I will return, but I won’t order this dish again.

Good food! Service is out standing!

I was surprised this chain was still open and in business. And being in East Alabama for the day and with not many food options to Choose from, the road to a late lunch took us to this Red Lobster in Auburn.
It was nice see the old ladies all Dressed up with their nice hats coming in from Sunday church, very Southern (-; the place is stuck in the 80s with its thin industrial carpets and brown/​dark burgundy everything else; it was very busy with Super friendly and efficient staff.
The menu is typical RL, the fast food of seafood, but I gotta say, the platter with a broiled salmon, lobster tail and shrimp skewer with green beans and rice pilaf was pretty good for $ 26 and adding a side of grilled corn on the cob made it hit the spot.
They still serve those addictive cheese biscuits when you sit down and the stuffed mushrooms appetizer still tasted the same from what I remember them as a teenager when we went to Red Lobster a few times back in Canada, it was so long ago; just like the look and taste of this old but clean location. So not bad, considering.

First visit with my family for dinner. I really like this place!
Service was amazing! Server was really nice and friendly.
Their biscuit was superb!!! You must try it!
Ordered three combination; Ultimate feast, Wood-​grilled lobster, shrimp, and salmon, and Live Maine lobster. Also ordered lobster scampi linguini.
All three combinations were tasty!
I don’t really like lobster scampi linguini though. Lobster was too salty and noodle was dry. Don’t recommend this plate.
I will go back there!

Caleb was an amazing server. We came in pretty late on a Saturday night, around 10pm. Although they had already started closing down the restaurant due to being slow, the service was great! We were greeted within 30 seconds of sitting down. We had biscuits and drinks delivered to the table within 5 minutes. To top it off, the food was cooked to perfection. We had Parmesan Crusted Tilapia over corkscrew pasta alfredo with a side of green beans and the Tilapia with Mixed Vegetables with a side baked potato. Just what we needed after a long day of moving. We will definitely be coming back!

Though I have always considerd RL to be fast food, we decided to try it out and it was very good. The meal was well prepared and from the reception to the server, service was great. The lunch menu is complete with many options. No complaints and will go back.

Very few lobster dishes, and most of the dishes are shrimp. Hope they could provide some vegetable in the dishes so that not all food in the dishes are shrimp or lobster.

Probably the worst Red Lobster I have ever eaten at. The service was inattentive, slow and the food was not up to the typical RL standard. I’d love to eat the AYCE shrimp, but having such bad experiences here deter me from taking advantage of the offer.