7 Red Lobster Items With The Best Reviews And 6 With The Worst

We all know the cheddar biscuits reign supreme at Red Lobster, but what about the rest of the menu? The seafood restaurant has been a household name for decades and is one of the most well known chains in America. Despite recently filing for bankruptcy, Red Lobster maintains over 700 locations throughout the world and is "here to stay" indefinitely. With menu items that have been staples for decades, as well as regular new rollouts, it's hard to deduce which items are worth a visit. We've sorted through years worth of food reviews to find the very best and worst of the seafood giant's menu.

It's important to note that Red Lobster is a chain and franchise establishment, which means each location is responsible for its own quality. Just as not all visits are the same, not all Red Lobsters are created equally. Some reviews will have to be taken with a grain of salt. With that being said, here are the very best and worst Red Lobster menu items based on enthusiastic reviews, and critics with some serious notes for improvement.

The most beloved Red Lobster item is hands down the chain's famous cheddar bay biscuits. The savory accompaniments have been a huge part of the restaurant's brand since their introduction in the early '90s and have inspired manycopycat recipes (check out Mashed's own Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuit copycat recipe). The internet goes feral for these buttery, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits.

The iconic biscuits are so well loved that Red Lobster put out an at-home mix available in stores. If you're stuck on the real thing, though, they're complimentary for dine-in customers and all entrees ordered to-go come with two warm biscuits. Most current reviews of the biscuits come from to-go orders. The general consensus is that they're pretty great in a to-go box, with both the crispy outside and fluffy inside remaining fully intact.

Even if nothing else on the Red Lobster menu speaks to your soul, the cheddar bay biscuits by themselves are worth a trip to your local franchise. Luckily, the long time Red Lobster staple is on the menu and available in semi-bulk orders. Patrons can order either a half or full dozen of the spiced up biscuits.

Though simple and pretty hard to mess up, the Caesar Salad is one of the Red Lobster menu items that you should never order. It's not that this salad is exceptionally off-putting, more that it's overwhelmingly underwhelming. While this salad has all the ingredients to qualify as a traditional Caesar, that's about all it has. There is no innovation or overachieving when it comes to Red Lobster's Caesar Salad, and as such, it really shouldn't have made the menu at all.

The salad is basically a bunch of romaine lettuce under some croutons and Parmesan, served with a side of Caesar dressing. Something so basic is pretty hard to mess up, but one Reddit user shared their distaste for the dressing, saying it was too creamy and bland overall. The croutons have also been called too salty, which is a strike too many for such a basic dish. Even adding protein to the Caesar is a bummer, as Keith from The Try Guys reviewed the chicken Caesar as being incredibly overcooked.

Apparently Red Lobster knows just how good pasta is for the soul, because the restaurant's variations of linguini Alfredo are typically big hits. The seafood spot has a shrimp Alfredo as well as a Cajun chicken linguini Alfredo, and both proteins turn the pasta base into an explosively flavorful entree. The linguini is also found in a lobster pasta dish and the Bar Harbor lobster bake, both of which are well received dishes.

We scoured the internet for full reviews on the linguini Alfredo variations, and the dishes regularly score high with diners. People consistently say the Alfredo sauce has a nice creamy texture to it, which works well with the cheesiness and strong garlic flavor found alongside the sauce. A commenter on Reddit offers up the Cajun chicken linguini Alfredo as a stellar option for those Red Lobster diners who prefer not to eat seafood. The suggestion has a lot of support from fellow lovers of the dish, and many say the Cajun chicken linguini is the best item on the menu and one of the only reasons to go to Red Lobster.

Calamari comes in so many different forms, it can be hard to know what to expect when ordering the dish at a restaurant. The texture tends to vary depending on how it's cooked, and reviews of this particular Red Lobster dish are all over the place. While some people are happy with the appetizer, others are left with a plate of oven crisped crumbs or a soggy mess.

Before you order calamari at a seafood restaurant like Red Lobster, you should understand that it's incredibly easy to ruin fried calamari. Slightly over and under cooked calamari will be chewy, losing the tenderness that makes it desirable. Extremely overcooked calamari, which can absolutely happen when kept in the fryer even a minute too long, can be reduced to a shriveled husk of its former self. This is likely why reviews are so skewed, and the inconsistency of the quality of the dish is why some diners don't recommend it. If you end up ordering this unreliable dish, do so in house. Calamari to go orders will lack the crunch factor that all fried calamari dishes should have.

Artichoke dip has a choke hold on appetizer menus everywhere, but Red Lobster really ups the ante by adding lobster into the mix. The creamy texture that dip enthusiasts love is present with this menu item, and the chunky artichokes and lobster add to the rich mouthfeel of the dish. Admittedly, the chips that come along with the dip are nothing special, but reviewers don't seem to mind as they're enthralled with the dip itself. Additionally, it can be combined with other items of your meal to create an all new, flavor packed dish. 

YouTuber Erik The Electric's review of popular Red Lobster menu items started out strong with the lobster artichoke dip, which he raved about. Business Insider's Eric McDowell also liked the dip, especially noting the large chunks of lobster present throughout. Though you may want to think twice about ordering the Langostino lobster dip at Red Lobster due to its calorie count, it may just be worth it from time to time.

At face value, Red Lobster's seafood stuffed mushrooms look pretty awesome. Not only do the stuffed caps look thoroughly spiced, but they are oozing with cheese and look to be packed with flavor. However, reviews of these bite-sized mushroom appetizers fail in the quality control arena, and the reality of the shrooms is that they don't stand strong on their own.

One Yelp review claims a portion of the stuffed mushrooms were defective, stating both of the two plates of mushrooms ordered had a few mushrooms that did not meet quality standards. When The Try Guys tackled the mushrooms, one third of the taste testers couldn't stomach them and had to spit them out. While the other two tasters were surprised they didn't mind the stuffed mushrooms, they admitted they'd taste much better with hot sauce. Dishes coming from a professional kitchen should stand solidly on their own. Even the occasional compliments toward the dish seem to be conditional.

Despite being named after a completely different crustacean, Red Lobster is historically associated with a whole lot of shrimp. The long-standing endless shrimp deal once allowed diners on a budget to load up on as much shrimp and biscuits as they could eat at an affordable price. The truth about Red Lobster and its endless shrimp offering, though, is that it has almost broken the chain more than once. Post bankruptcy, the popular seafood chain no longer offers this money pit of an item, but shrimp is still very much on the menu here.

Red Lobster's shrimp, in general, are well loved, no matter how they're prepared on the menu. From sauteed shrimp to various fried shrimp dishes, Red Lobster has covered pretty much all of the shrimp bases. The long-standing coconut shrimp seems to be one of the favorites among Red Lobster's many offerings. While plenty of restaurants have a version of this tropical dish, Red Lobster puts its own unique spin on it with a piña colada dipping sauce.

If fried shrimp isn't your thing, Red Lobster offers shrimp sauteed in garlic and grilled shrimp skewers with street corn that are a win. Both of these are popular with diners, but the garlic butter shrimp leave behind the perfect buttery dip for the infamous cheddar bay biscuits.

Key lime pie is one of those desserts with a very specific taste that people who love it look for in different renditions. This means that a lot of the people who order Key lime pie already have their expectations high, so a restaurant that offers the dish should be aiming to nail it. Red Lobster does at times, but not enough to satisfy some reviewers.

Red Lobster changed its Key lime pie recipe in 2024, so quite a lot of existing reviews for the dish are irrelevant. However, those who have tried the most recent version of the dessert have quite a lot to say. YouTuber SJohnsonVoiceOvers found quite a few issues with the Key lime pie, but the freshness was a major concern. Not only did he say the pie tasted like freezer, but he added that the ingredients themselves tasted subpar.

Considering Key lime pie was once a huge hit at Red Lobster, this new version of the dish may be a letdown to restaurant goers. Key lime pie lovers will appreciate, though, that the signature tartness of the treat is very present in this dessert.

The Key lime pie may be a letdown for a lot of dessert lovers, but Red Lobster has one sweet treat that chocolate lovers should take the plunge on. The Brownie Overboard is a version of a dish that a lot of chain restaurants have on their menu: a big chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream on top. The seafood restaurant puts its own spin on the classic by shoving it in a margarita glass, baking the brownie studded with chocolate chips, and serving it with caramel, hot fudge, and whipped cream.

The Brownie Overboard typically comes into play after diners have scarfed down filling meals of savory seafood. Still, the rich brownie and ice cream combo is extra satisfying, and chocolate chips act like an extra sweet treat. The margarita glass also has the added advantage of helping each bite contain a little bit of everything. The slanted glass allows for whipped cream to follow the line of the brownie, rather than sit atop a mountain of brownie and ice cream.

Even reviewers ordering the Brownie Overboard to go have great things to say about it. Yes, the ice cream might be a melted slop, but using the dairy puddle as a kind of dip for the brownie still makes it a huge win.

We love a good soup, but when they go wrong, there is really no saving them. Red Lobster's lobster bisque is one soup that should be blacklisted, because there is very little good to be said about it by a lot of reviewers. Bisque is a soup that should be good to sip whether it is hot or cold, so there isn't any excuse for it to be such a letdown, even if some reviewers took the dish to go.

The Try Guys' Keith had an almost painful run in with the lobster bisque, though it looked promising at first. The moment the soup entered his mouth, the YouTuber had a visceral reaction to it. Even giving it a second chance, he called the lobster bisque the worst soup he had ever tasted. YouTuber KarissaEats didn't have quite as terrible an experience, but she did say the bisque was so salty she could only eat a few bites before abandoning it. A soup so bad diners can't eat it? This may be the worst thing to touch on a Red Lobster menu. 

Brussels sprouts have always gotten a bad rap and are often voted as one of America's least favorite vegetables. This dislike of the mini cabbages is a bit unfair, though, as there are ways to prepare Brussels sprouts that transform them into quite a delicious side dish. Red Lobster has seemingly cracked this cuisine code, because its side of fried Brussels sprouts has some rave reviews. The Try Guys' Red Lobster taste test deemed the Brussels sprouts the very best menu item, so you know they're top notch.

These Brussels sprouts have the ideal taste and texture, with the perfect combination of hearty, bitter, and sweet flavors. The crunch of the fried sprouts and onions mesh well with the slight give of the cooked middle. Try making them at home with our Red Lobster Brussels sprouts copycat recipe or grab the real deal to go, just know that the box will cook the sprouts up by finishing them off with steam. 

One note before you order this tasty side: Just because it's a veggie, it doesn't mean these Brussels sprouts are low calorie. If you're watching your diet, you may want to skip this delicious, yet calorie ridden Red Lobster menu item.

There are only a handful of places where an order of french fries is a bad idea, including gas stations, Chinese takeout spots, and chain seafood restaurants. Though Red Lobster has more offerings than just seafood, the fries are not a focus and the menu would be stronger if they weren't even on it.

Reviewers either pass right over the french fry portion of their meal, briefly say they don't care for them, or go into detail about how much grease the to go order of fries seems to collect. The existence of the fries on the Red Lobster menu just seems silly. The only exception to this rule is the fish and chips entree and the kids menu. French fries are half the idea of fish and chips and kids are french fry magnets, we just wish Red Lobster would up its game on the adult fry recipe. Even a sprinkling of seasoning would improve these sad side orders.

It would be pretty lame if a restaurant's namesake wasn't one of its best offerings, and thankfully Red Lobster serves up a mighty lobster tail. Compared to other seafood chains, Red Lobster's lobster tails are quite large. This, combined with how tasty they are, will make you wonder just why the chain needed to go bankrupt in the first place. Both the texture and taste of the lobster tail is great, usually leaving reviewers with no notes. The lobster tail is a juicy and tender chunk of meat, even before you dip it into the clarified butter that comes with it. Though the tails are seasoned, the taste of lobster pretty much speaks for itself when it comes to this dish.

If you have a hankering for lobster tail, you're likely not considering a chain restaurant for a quality seafood meal, but don't discount good ol' Red Lobster. Not only are the lobster tails a component of many of the signature feasts and available as a meal add-on, but patrons can also order a live lobster to be prepared and served to them. Other than these live lobsters, the lobster on the menu is frozen. This is expected even for a seafood restaurant, and the preparation is clearly good enough to warrant ordering one of these juicy lobster tails.