Stopped by Red Anchor Seafood and it definitely hit the spot. Went with a seafood boil and it was loaded -- lobster tail, shrimp, corn, potatoes, egg, sausage -- all soaked in a buttery, seasoned sauce with just the right kick. Everything tasted fresh and the portions were solid. Messy in the best way. Casual, no-frills vibe and the food came out quick. Perfect kind of place when you're craving seafood and want something filling and flavorful. I'll be back for sure. read more

Red Anchor - a sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

Dined in on Tuesday evening around 5 PM, and Lakisha was our server. The restaurant was not busy at all when we arrived. Unfortunately, her attitude toward us came across as rude and unwelcoming. She barely approached the table and instead stood off to the side while taking our order. This actually was not the first time we've experienced the same demeanor from her. I chose not to say anything the first time, but after a second similar experience, I felt it should be brought to attention. On a positive note, the food was amazing and the restaurant was very clean. However, the service experience left a bad impression. I'm not sure if I will return, but if I do, I will definitely request a different server. read more

Visited the location and asked for a booth instead of a table. Waiter made us stand and wait for no reason while a booth was readily available. This was done purely out of spite. Very pettty... read more

The good was disgusting and tasted like freezer the "SEAFOOD GUMBO" if you can call it that tates nothing like it tasted more like a can of mushroom soup read more

Red Anchor - NASTY NOT SEAFOOD GUMBO - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

If you like Cajun seafood boil...this is the place for you! I wasn't really expecting much when we decided to try this place out, but I was pleasantly surprised and it definitely exceeded my expectations. If you've had the pleasure dining at a Boiling Crab in California (or Texas, or Hawaii), this is the closest thing you'll get to that experience. From the butcher paper on top of the table, the bib you wear and your food being served in plastic bags...it really adds to the ambiance and the dining experience. Yelp pro tip--Bring your own latex/nitrile gloves. The plastic gloves they give you may just frustrate you as they slip in and out of your fingers. read more

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Went here for Fathers Day and it did not disappoint. We ordered the seafood deluxe and added on an extra pound of shrimp since there were six of us eating. We also ordered hush puppies because , well hush puppies are always good and these were. Our food came in a reasonable amount of time and it did not disappoint. We ate every bit of it and walked away very satisfied. Our waitress was very attentive and we will definitely be back. read more

Red Anchor - Seafood Deluxe Combo - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

Awesome little place great food, and the service was very helpful and loving, I did not understand the menu so they walked me through and helped me and even set me up so I didn't go home full of butter read more

Had birthday reservations in advance and they decided to have us sit in the front and in the main walkway even though the restaurant was mostly empty. Reservations are irrelevant here. It took 15 minutes before we were given menus. The table was dirty and there was a layer of I filth on the napkin container. The server was nice. Kids enjoyed the food. Other peoples in our partys food arrive 10 minutes before the main food arrived. read more

The food in edible. Everything had a thick nasty coating on it or batter. Service was mediocre. Everything was dipped in the same batter and had a horrible horrible taste. I didn't know softshell crab get taste as bad as it did. Will not be returning. Prices were decent, food and edible. read more

Sunday dinner with family/friends at Red Anchor Seafood! I've been wanting crab legs all month and finally got them on the last day of 2023!!! read more

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Honestly 1st time I ever went to red anchor I loved it. But ever since the 1st time its been worse and worse with every visit. This time it will definitely be my last visit, I got severely sick after eating here. My food was still fridge cold when I got it they have really dropped the ball. Do not waste your money on this place. read more

first time i tried seafood and i fell in love,service was good and fast. only thing was being stared by others for eating so quick! would definitely recommend this place to my friends. read more

Red Anchor - seafood food boil,chicken wings and french friesss.. - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

very good service the food was awesome. The boys had a good time. Very, very very very very very very very very, very, very good. read more

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My family and I love to come to here for crab!! We come for special occasions, mostly birthdays. We have never had a bad experience here. Waitstaff have always been nice and very informative when we have asked questions. The atmosphere of the dining isn't loud but isn't quiet. You can hear and talk amongst your group without any issues. I will say this, the place isn't cheap but it is so worth it. I recommend the Dungeness crab! read more

Made it here for a late lunch today. We tried the hushpuppies for an appetizer, which were very good. Then we had the weekend special and the food was very tasty. The service was excellent and they have a military discount. read more

i've been there a couple of times and my seafood boil is always good. Seasoned well and the crab legs cook perfectly. The only reason I'm giving it is a three is I don't feel like you get very much for the money. read more

I really like the ambiance of this place and as someone who lived in cajun country, I really wanted to like the whole experience. I was not impressed with the service. The host yelled and gestured to us rather than having us approach the stand. Our waiter was attentive but had terrible breath that I could smell while he was talking to us at the table, and he wasn't extra close or anything. The menu was good. It has an interesting combination of american seafood items and some asian influence as well. Prices were fair as seafood's expensive these days. The execution was just ok. The gumbo was good, but they don't use a dark roux so to me it doesn't taste like I expect gumbo to taste like. The crab was great, the shrimp was good but overcooked, the sausage wasn't andouille, and the overall boil plate was oily and over salted. Lastly, the oysters were huge but lacking the brine flavor that I expected. They said the oysters were imported from Korea, while I would have preferred domestic gulf oysters. read more

Service was good, our waiter confused our orders but we eventually figured out whose was whose! This is definitely a place you need to try the hot was not hot, if you like spice go up one or even two! Flavor was so tasty! I eat this fast because once it gets cold the butter starts to get hard I kept mine in the bag since I feel like it stays warm longer! The place is decorated so cute and appealing. I would definitely go back again! read more

Red Anchor - King Crab legs, shrimp no head extra sausage with Cajun hot - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

Stopped here for the first time. We ordered the soft shell crab, hush puppies and calamari. First time trying calamari and soft shell crab and they didn't disappoint. Service was very friendly and food came out hot and fresh read more

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Service was great. Attentive. The bloody Mary was nice. The seafood boil was so delicious. I loved the flavor combination and the heat. I would definitely recommend splurging the extra dollar for head off shrimp next time. I would also recommend splurging on the crab. A lot of the meat was stuck in the shell. It also just seemed like a lot of extra work for the blue crab. They were hard to open compared to the regular crab I'm used to getting. I would crack open a leg and the shell would go flying which is not what I'm used to when I have crab legs. Overall I definitely will be back I just will be splurging a little more. read more

Red Anchor - Seafood boil: blue crab and head on shrimp. Hot & house blend seasoning - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

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We had the lunch special snow crab legs with cajun seasoning medium heat and headless shrimp with house/old bay seasoning medium heat. AAAAAMAZING!! Next time will probably go a bit hitter because it was very very mild.. It has been a hard go trying to find a seafood place in the area that doesn't cater to sushi and has perfect serving sizes, we have found a new favorite for sure. We will for sure be returning customers. Thank you all so much for the great impromptu lunch date.. read more

Red Anchor - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

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This was my first time here. We were sat immediately and our drink order was taken. We decided to share a boil. We got the crab, headless shrimp and sausage. It came out surprisingly fast! They gave us bibs and gloves to help keep ourselves clean as well which was a great. They atmosphere brings a casual sea feeling. The inside is a combo between a sit down restaurant and a fast food place vibe. Staff was friendly and helpful with deciphering the menu. I will definitely be back! read more

Got combo B, fried catfish, a create your own combo with crab legs/shrimp, and fried shrimp. The combos were excellent! The catfish was a little under done for my hubby. The shrimp looked good. The place was clean and servers were friendly enough. They all had earbuds in so it made it so they couldn't hear you. I asked for a soda halfway through the meal. He didn't hear me and walked away, but he was nice. Overall, would highly recommend! read more

Management needs an attitude adjustment along with actually taking proper care of seafood items. Health department will be contacted.

Excellent food and service ! One of the best meals I have had. I had the shrimp and snow crab legs in the combo seasonings, hot. It was incredible. read more

Rude service from the lady up front. Tried to get a To go order and she made fun of me and my girlfriend with a really bad attitude. We were nothing but polite too. read more

Brought my fourth wife to this place. She's a Cajun from Louisiana and she was craving some food. It was good. We both agreed that we should have ordered spicier versions. I didn't like the gloves and bibs. That's not how they do it in New Orleans. A-B beer. Bad! We will be back for crayfish. Basically ignored by the servers. Indifferent. read more

Keep in mind we are rating "fresh" seafood in the Midwest. I had the Crab Legs, Shrimp and Crawfish in Garlic Butter. The food is steamed in individual plastic bags and delivered to your table piping hot. My combo had half a pound of each, 1.5 pds total. The crab was cooked well and tasty. The shrimp, a little over cooked but enjoyable. The crawfish is hard for me to judge, not as good as the home boils I have had, but for the price, not bad. Overall $28 for this meal, worth it. I'll go back, but will always enjoy home boils or coastal seafood dining more. A solid 4 for Iowa seafood. read more

Red Anchor - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

Service is good and fast. I visited for 2 consecutive weeks and ordered the same thing. There are some inconsistencies with the taste of the sauce and the freshness of the shrimp. The gloves are a bit large in size and made it a little hard to use. The ambiance goes with the food. Bathroom may need more attention when it comes to cleanliness. read more

Red Anchor - 1lb shrimp with all mix seasoning. - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

Dropped in for a fast seafood lunch with family. Red Anchor cooks most of the meals in a boil and flavors to your taste. The food is good, filling and quick. Service was good, and the restaurant is a nice match for the sometimes messy consumption of your meals. read more

Great Idea, Good Food and a reasonable price, not cheap. The only thing missing - clear speaking english and customer service. If I wanted to be treated rudely by food service help I could go to North Omaha for BK, KFC or TB for 1/2 the price. read more

I want to start off by saying this was my 3rd time going to this place. It was my mother's 74th birthday and she wanted to try it. Get there it's like 8 of us we are waiting on 2 more, I made reservations for 13. When I attempted to tell me my reservation he shit that down so fast! Asian man in glasses goes get table ready come back and states" Your table is in the back you can go to it" . The rest of them look and head to table I stand there like so when don't you all walk your customers to the table. I ask him‼ he says it's in the back. If it wasn't my mother's BD this would've ended way different. My girlfriend has the same experience entering with her of African American and being treated RUDELY ‼‼ I WONT BE BACK‼‼ THE LIGHT SKIN WAITRESS IS GOOD NEEDS SOME POLISHING UP BUT GOOD AT HER JOB..... THE ASIA MAN AT THE DOOR NEEDS TO TAKE A CUSTOMER SERVICE CLASS IF YOU WANT OUR MONEY SUCKA read more

I am a sucker for seafood boils and this place even though being perhaps as far from salt water as you can get, came through just fine. I have had costal seafood boils and this place could compete with those places! We went with the seafood combo deluxe on the menu. The corn was maybe too ripe and over done but everything else was great! read more

Red Anchor - Seafood Combo Deluxe - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

Seafood in Iowa? I was skeptical. Red Anchor does it up right. Having lived in Louisiana for 12 years and having been to more neighborhood boils thanx we could count, this place scratches our itch for seafood boils. We found this gem after we were looking for seafood and in CB on other business. We had the daily special, sausage, 2 lobster tails, crab legs, head off shrimp, corn, potatoes and boils eggs all covered in your choice of seasonings. Spice levels come in 5 levels There really is only one choice in our opinion, Old Bay Hot or really hot. Food came out hot and spicy. Only thing we were missing were boiled whole garlic cloves, lemons and baby mushrooms and a dusting of Tony's like in a creole boil. Everything peeled cleanly and the flavor was spicy and good. If you don't like spicy, go mild or try the garlic seasoning instead of Old Bay. Service is friendly, not over attentive but nice. If you like low country seafood boils and live in Nebraska or Iowa, make the drive over to Council Bluffs. It will be worth it. read more

The gumbo was creamy with shrimp and okra. The crab boil was delicious. The lobster tails were large. We had great service. My husband chose the butter garlic sauce, I would have preferred something with a little more flavor. The waitress was attentive. I would go back again! read more

Red Anchor - Weekend Special with snow crab, shrimp, lobster, corn, potatoes, sausage - Seafood Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

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Very good crab boil, service was fast and friendly. Got my crab boil pretty fast after ordering it would recommend portions are good

I was not expecting the excellent meal that we had here, but Wow! A seafood boil in the middle of Omaha doesn't seem like it would be as awesome as it was. My husband and I split a shrimp and crawfish boil and it was perfect. Our waitress was patient in explaining the menu and how ordering worked and helped our big group decide how much food would be right for us. Don't sleep on this place. It's somewhere I will be coming back to. read more

WASTE OF MONEY!! I placed an order for pickup today and it was my first time trying this place. The guy who took my order on the phone was rude and didn't give any clear explanation on the flavors, choices of meat or the pricing. After i placed my order he asked if there was anything else i wanted. I said no that's all and he told me my price of $32. I said thank you and went to ask how long the order would take, but before i could even get my full question out, the guy said "Mmm bye" and hung up on me. I'm on a budget so i'm not looking to spend a lot of money on food for one. But the make your own combo seemed good. I ended up getting snow crab as both of my choices of meat. It was supposed to also come with potatoes, corn and sausage. When i got home with my food (20 min away) i opened my bag to find only crab and sausage. No corn. No potatoes. Needless to say, I was pissed. I'm not a fan of sausage all that much but i love corn and potatoes. Not worth $32 AT ALL. This place is a total waste of money. read more

Let's make it clear from the beginning- I am neither reviewing the food nor the service. But please stick with me when considering this restaurant. I am a delivery driver- I know, not the highest on the social ladder. Doing my best to make it, much like the servers you might encounter at restaurants like these who are trying (and- based on other reviews- probably succeeding at treating you to a not-quite fine dining experience of exotic food). As a third-party driver affiliated with a company this restaurant has chosen to partner with (I can only guess to make more money, which is honestly a good choice), I experienced something quite awful while picking up an order recently. I walked in nearly before close (I can't control when orders are placed). I asked the server if she had the order. She did. She reached back to grab it and hand it to me. As she did, the "manager," stepped into this anodyne transaction. This is Lou. I've also heard what would be incorrectly spelled as Delueze, but he has identified himself on other reviews. Lou (I'm willing to edit this review if I'm spelling his name incorrectly) walked to the server's desk, told me it would be a few minutes (again, the order was ready and in sight), and proceeded to berate the woman acting as the server. I have never eaten here before. I lived in New Orleans, LA, for a good portion of my life, so I'm sure they're serving authentic, culturally approrpriate food to the fine people of Council Bluffs, IA, across from Target. So, for all I know, this is the worst server in the world who screws up every job she is given. That's what I heard anyway. I had to sit in the front to overhear Lou (maybe Lou Lereux, for funsies) DEMEAN and DEGRADE this woman in front of me. Specifically in front of ME. I have no skin in the game of this restaurant that may be offering you faux-Cajun cuisine. I heard how she was a horrible employee and how she had gone through many warnings. I was just doing my job. About five minutes later, as Lou (Master Louis Leurex, if we wanna go with it) told her to go finish her work for the night for what I can only understand was the benefit of me witnessing, he handed me the food and told me to have a good night. If you enjoy dining like this on special occasions (like I do), I know how grateful you can be for the woman who brings you drinks and plates. Even if the service isn't great and you can't always afford to tip what you think would be correct, someone is providing it, and I know all of you are grateful. I won't lie- I can be annoying. Yesterday, I called the restaurant. Lou answered the phone. I know this because he went out of his way to identify himself as Lou or De Loux or something like that. I, in as literal terms as possible, explained what happened. I gave off no expressions of condescention (that an Iowan manager hosting a Cajun-restaurant in Iowa might feel). He proceeded to give me a rundown of everything this server has done wrong recently. ME. The person not involved. Other than identifying myself as being there and calling to express the sentiment that server the was being demeaned by a man (in the worst way. Even if you're also sexist, it couldn't have been worse), I was treated to an about 5-10 minute call of what this SERVER had done wrong. Again, I don't know her history. But it is NOT my in my interest to know her work history. I was then told that, because I called in, this worker would be fired. I don't know what actually happened. I'm not someone who is petty. I don't call and complain. But I was told that because I personally called to complain about HIS behavior (not hers), the server would fired thanks to me PERSONALLY. Really. Because I called in to give feedback, I was guilted because the person I spoke to agreed this server deserved poverty. Because of De' Lou Leroux, do not give this place your custom. You are supporting absolute fascism slave labor. Us, in Iowa, like exotic foods we can drive to with our families for special occasions. Know that the people in charge here treat US people like poo. Anyway. Just to give you an idea of my experience. I would also point to their official menu/site listing locations in Cajun=native places like Lousiana, who, when I called, told me they had no idea what this restaurant in CB was (same with the other six locations, none of which mention an owner). I'm sure their food is fine. Take your family there on a special occasion, if you'd like. I would not judge, even though I know they have nothing to do with Cajun food and want to trick you because you live in or near Council Bluffs and want to treat your family to a "fancy meal." There are reviews reporting injuries. I would say to take those into account. Monseur Lou needs some training, though, I would say, and I would want you and your children to know there are other restaurants who teach and act better. read more

Was not for me. I do love seafood, but not all the grease. Just had funny taste. The gentleman left next to me because of absolutely no substituting without a double charge. That was a clue, should have left myself and gone someplace else. read more