This lunch date with my hubby was not the best. When we walked in we waited 05:16:20 minutes before a hostess appeared. Keep in mind, it was not crowded. I gave my name and we waited 10:20:17 minutes to be seated. Once seated, we waited 03:46:12 minutes before we received our biscuits. We waited 07:06:51 minutes after the bread to get our drinks. The waitress returned 03:35:36 minutes later to take our orders. After placing our orders, we waited 24:21:21 minutes before we received our food. I could have dealt with the delay had our food not been served lukewarm. I should have known by the initial contact with the hostess that this would not be a good experience. The environment was extremely noisy. We had ti listen to the guys across from us condemn poor people while the customers behind us talked about jumping a girl into their club. Needless to say, I will not be returning. Our waitress did her best but she was extremely overworked and the restaurant was understaffed. read more

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First time back in over a year. I was pleasantly surprised that the service, food, wait times were all great!!

From walking inside the door to being seated... the staff was great especially Kellie.. she was really sweet and well informed... read more

Red Lobster - Half Dozen Cheddar Bay Biscuits - Seafood Near Me - Alton, Illinois

This is my first time having red lobster we got seated immediately and I was surprised with the great service they had I got my drinks very quickly and I ordered mozzarella sticks and they were out in a flash and they tasted amazing the bathrooms are nice and clean always used a new cup for refills instead of using the old one the biscuits they serve were very flavorful the steak and baked potato were amazing and exactly were made exactly to how we asked overall this was a great experience but it is on the pricier side of things read more

Red Lobster - Mozzarella Cheesesticks - Seafood Near Me - Alton, Illinois

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We ate there on the 6th. Ordered grilled salmon. Server brought us New Orleans salmon which was spicy and greasy. This was not what was ordered but we didn't say anything. Also each dinner was $4 more so cost me an extra $8. Not happy about this. Also my friend ordered shrimp and 2 sides...baked potato and coleslaw. Server brought her shrimp but was quite a while before she brought out the sides. My friend had to ask for them twice. My friend went to pay with a Red Lobster gift card. Server brought it back saying it wouldn't go thru. My friend panicked. I don't think she had any other way to pay. Then finally the manager ran it thru manually. Why didn't the server just do that rather than telling her it wouldn't go thru and upsetting her. Not too happy with this server.​ read more

I have never had Red Lobster's food, just the biscuits, We decided to try our luck on New Year's Eve, and we were able to get a table with no trouble! We both had the shrimp 3 ways, and it was freaking delicious. I had the coconut shrimp with some awesome sauce for the shrimp - I want to go back now! The server was nice. It was New Year's Eve, so they were busy, but our server made sure we had just about everything. I could've used a refill of water halfway through dinner, but our server was absent for a bit of time. She was nice and personable, though. I'm sure on any other night, everything would've been perfect. The ambiance is that of a 90's seafood restaurant - pictures of ships, waterways, a live lobster tank. It works for them, honestly. Thank you, red lobster! I'll be dreaming about that dipping sauce read more

Got the surf and turf tonight. With lobster tail and ouch see the for a filet mignon instead of sirloin. Everything was fine except the filet mignon. It was to Pugh and hard to chew. Paid $9 extra but maybe we got the sirloin instead. Very disappointing. Filet mignon should never be tough and hard to chew. Never!! So not right. I feel cheated. Blah!! read more

I can only rate the service because after an hour, we never received any food- not even biscuits. We got 2 of the 3 drinks we ordered after we were told numerous times they were checking on it. Unfortunately this is not the first time for experience like this, but we were hopeful things had changed. read more

Had a special occasion lunch at Red Lobster. I had the Coconut Shrimp and Gary had the Steak & Lobster. The food was delicious! Best I have had in a long time. Gary enjoyed his as well and since it was the daily special the price was very reasonable! Our server was attentive, knowledgeable, and efficient. It is a nice restaurant, clean, easy to get to, nice decor. It has an intimate feel even though it's roomy. read more

We came in this evening for a first time date night in a long time. We are promptly greeted by the hostess the moment we walked in. It was very slow for a Tuesday evening. I feel like there is maybe 10 people in the entire restaurant the entire time that we were there. We were promptly seated in a booth there was no trash or debris anywhere and the table was very clean as well as the menus. However our server did not greet us for about 15 minutes while we sat there waiting. What to order: Snow Crab Legs 1 lb Sunset Passion Colada Brownie Overboard Titos Strawberry Lemonade Atlantic Salmon The crab legs were delicious according to My Husband, the salmon came with two pieces of salmon and was very delicious very tender and cooked perfectly. I liked that the salads came premixed whereas some restaurants put the salad on the side I prefer mixed so that was a nice touch. The drinks were OK I felt like they were virgin drinks and there wasn't a lot of flavor to them. The brownie we did order but did not end up receiving. The kiosk was not working for a bit and when we finally got it to work there was an issue because they kept wanting you to sign up for the rewards program instead of just paying and leaving. It gives you the option to print out a receipt but we did not get a receipt either. read more

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I'll try to review my experience prior to the moment the police arrived. Yes, it was dinner and a show! The restaurant resembles all others in the chain. The menu consists of various forms of seafood entrees. There is a full service bar for ordering drinks. Everything seems up to par for this franchise. The problem begins with staffing or lack thereof. While our waiter was attempting to do his best, he seemed to cover too many tables. He hurried to get us what we needed in the moment that we had him but once he moved to the next table we were forgotten for awhile. Fountain drinks and water were brought quickly while bar drinks sat after being made. As for the dinner, I ordered a filet medium that was well done. My daughter ordered lobster that was somewhat cold. A person on one table next to us had their order sent back while a person at another table was missing his altogether. Another table seemed to have an issue but then it started. Over the muffled conversations and background music someone started screaming at another. It was the cooks! "cold crab legs" seemed to be the topic. Staff members made their way to the kitchen as the music was made louder. The issue seemed to pause for a moment then started up again. People around us already frustrated just got up and left. The argument moved to the lobby. Then the cops arrived. By now it was just my party and the one on the next table. While the police sorted out matters the waiter informed the other party that his order was no longer on the board to be cooked; however, there is a medium filet prepared if he wanted it. Was that supposed to be mine??? We left having to move past 4 police officers questioning various staffers. Getting to my car I realized that I was probably the only one that paid for dinner in the last hour. Long story short this facility is struggling with staffing issues. While tonight exposed it more than most, it is still below par and for that I only gave it two stars. Definitely an expensive and disappointing experience. read more

The wife and I just came back from the Red Lobster in Alton ill. and it bland wife had shrimp Linguini with Walts shrimp and I had the grilled trout, baked potato loaded. We have been there many times but the last two times have been very disappointing. The drinks was good and service very good. read more

I can't complain about the food quality or the servers however the food is definitely over priced. Last visited Mothers day, 2024 at 2:30 pm. The wait was 45 minutes to get a table only to find half the tables were empty. There were more than 30 people waiting. No wonder Red Lobsters are closing everywhere. read more

Total honesty. I had fond memories of Red Lobster as a child but had not been in decades because I thought that they probably had gone down in quality. I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG! RED LOBSTER WAS WONDERFUL!! I had the popcorn shrimp ( just as wondrous as I remembered from childhood) clam strips ( fantastic) But the true winner was the grilled scallops. Soooooo delicious. Totally top quality and fresh. My beloved had Walt's shrimp and the scallops. Don't forget to order the crispy Brussel sprouts! I'm just so so happy that Red Lobster has remained a wonderful place to go. When was a little boy of five my neighbors who adored me would take me to Red Lobster. It was a huge huge deal to me. Now I can take my family to this special place and give the gift of a special meal. read more

Out for a birthday lunch for my husband and had an excellent steak and lobster x2 plus Chrunchy Brussels sprouts that were to die for!!! The atmosphere was mellow and had great 70's music playing! Our server "Iona" was the best! Thanks Red Lobster! read more

Love their food!!!! Always good service and great biscuits definitely be going back and back

Sadly, this will be mostly a negative review. Over the last 3-5 years the Alton, IL establishment has declined. This is not directed at anyone employed by Red Lobster and this has nothin to do with the covid restrictions. I'm okay with waiting in line to be seated or waiting for a pick-up order, if the food is good. I get how it can be busy sometimes. Nonetheless, I believe you should get what you pay for when it comes to food. I would frequently dine here as I grew up in the area. It was always delicious and usually great service. More and more often the dishes that are on the pricey side have strongly disappointed. Some of the recipes have also changed....for the worse and for whatever reason they stopped serving a salad with an entree.... I've paid extra for a salad since then. Currently, I have not even been able to order one at all. Which is what it is, but I'd still like to know why. I, however, am definitely talking about the crab legs and lobster more than anything. What used to be a delicacy is now a huge waste of money. Now, the shellfish varieties that are ordered are more often than not dried out, shriveled and then waterlogged. Like it was prepared then tossed in a bucket of boiling water to reheat. Not to mention flavorless! Neither sweet nor salty and no essence of fresh seafood from the ocean. My best conclusion is that this is more of a corporate issue with training and staffing. I could be wrong and once again, I'm not judging our cooks and waitresses. I see this franchise not lasting much longer, at least in my area. Which is truly disappointing because I'd love to own a restaurant one day myself. Hats off to the amazing waitresses and bartenders! I don't think I've had one bad experience with them. Xoxo read more

The food was good-service was slow and the wait for food was awful. The hostess was not the hostess with the mostest.... Definitely not the same as it was when Annette was there! read more

I'm 71 and going back out for the first time in a year! received my two vaccinations, waited two more weeks and chose Red Lobster as my first venture into indoor dining in almost a year. I usually have king crab or the Admirals feast.. Since the only two of your side options I care for at all are fries or rice I OFTEN choose a double order of rice pilaf because it goes so well with fish. On this visit I was informed that Quinoa rice was now the ONLY rice available. IT SUCKS.. I DEARLY HATE IT AND LEFT TWO SIDE ORDERS OF IT UNEATEN! Now I'm stuck with hundreds of dollars of Red Lobster gift cards from last Christmas.. and I don't look forward to eating there anymore because of what I'm sure that management feels is a minor gentrification of the menu! Won't be back unless they ditch that seedy/chewy mess they now call rice! Which is pretty bad since I still have over $100 in gift certificates there from last Christmas! read more

Absolutely horrible customer service. It is Christmas Day and everywhere it is posted that this Red Lobster is open until 6pm. The recording when you call this location also states open until 6PM. I called ahead at 4:30 and spoke to an employee as we were in route and she ASSURED me if we were there by 5PM we would be seated and able to eat. We arrived at 4:50. A lady at the door wouldn't even let me in the door and said "we're closed". I said ma'am I was told minutes ago by an employee HERE that my family would be seated if we arrived by 5. She then tried to say they were out of food. I again said why was I told minutes ago that we could be seated? She then asked me how many in my party. There are 5. Myself, husband, 2year old, 8 year old and my dad. She then said oh then no sorry we are closed. Again all places it's posed online and on phone it states they are open today at this location until 6PM. I was told by an employee AT THIS LOCATION on the phone we are good as long as there by 5PM. Then I arrive before 5 and some lady won't even let us in the door?! Never. Again. Will I or my family come to this location and give them our money. read more

This particular location for Red Lobster is okay. I was trying to give them accolades for being a good restaurant. but after Wednesday 11/4/2015, they are not the best anymore in my opinion. I ordered the grilled shrimp and it came out rubbery and hard, then I had the shrimp scampi and it came to me with no garlic butter or juice or anything on it, dry as a bone! I have had better shrimp before at this same location, but today they have let me down on this occasion. I enjoy shrimps, but not as much as other fresh shrimp I have had. For some reason the cooks were having a bad day and they were delivering food not prepared as before, this makes me very angry, when you know the cooks For the price I get partial quality and the food is brought out dry, over cooked and not that tasty at all. Red Lobster does have some fresh catch fish and plenty of live lobsters swimming in a tank for you, but after the service I have gotten I would be weary of them preparing it, because they may over-cook it or under-cook, depending on how the cook feels that day. On any given day the daily fresh catch, rivals most restaurants in their area. Don't let the low prices fool you, for a full order of some fresh catch you can spend $30.00 for an entree, which to me is still reasonable compared to most seafood restaurants, which may charge $45.00 or more for the same items. I know Red Lobster is a chain restaurant, but has lost some of the class they once had. I would rather spend a few bucks more and know I will have consistent service and quality in the food and value for my money. Red Lobsters restaurants are always clean to me. This time the waitress did not correct my issue with the food and tried to make excuses for the cooks and preps. I need to be able to get good food and good service and it is very important for my total dining experience. I work long hard hours for my income and if I am going to spend it, I want to enjoy the experience! I think, I am going to try and find somewhere other than Red Lobster to have my seafood. There is no value in food served to you overcooked or not how you would like it, because the cook, not the chef but a cook, is in a mood and the prep crew! You know me, if I can sit in a back alley under a hut and if the food is good I am there, not for the fancy places, because I place way more value in good service, quality food and in this case Red Lobster did not deliver. read more

Red Lobster - Cajun shrimp scampi. - Seafood Near Me - Alton, Illinois

I've had better food from long John silvers. The stuffed mushrooms were made different than normal. They tasted like they were stuffed with stove top dressing. Terrible. The clam chowder was so thin with butter floating on top. I sent it back without even tasting it. The popcorn shrimp were such small pieces and overcooked. If you order grilled shrimp, you get 4 pieces. Overall the food was horrible and the price ridiculous. They have lost a customer. read more

I think they are serving more pre breaded frozen seafood, I ordered fried bay scallops and they weren't the same as the time before. One order of rolls were good but the next were awful. Tarter sauce was completely different as before. Very disappointed! read more

The food was meh and I payed the server 102$ and 7 cents and I was supposed to get 10$ back but he only gave my 8$ and my friend payed 50$ for her meal and was supposed to get 1.27$ back but my friend only got 1$ back, the server was Charles something and I get he was busy with other tables but seriously our food took an hour to get here and our to-go orders took almost two hours.. and our server constantly forgot things we asked for. Not to mention that we had issues with constantly being forgotten about with our own food and sides. But oh my gods! Charles tried stiffing my friend and I both for our change. And he forgot my smoothie when he delivered our drinks and looked at my tits more than once read more

Red Lobster - a receipt with a qr code on it - Seafood Near Me - Alton, Illinois

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Food is good the service is terrible we were there for 1 hour and 30 minutes before we got our food and had a hard time keeping our drinks refilled we will never be back read more

Where shall I begin? Just me and the bf (kid free night) ran out of green beans at 6p, brought my salad out with my dinner, my snow crab legs were waterlogged and lukewarm at best, my bf said his shrimp tasted funny. $60 wasted and will never be back. So nice that the servers are more worried about who likes guacamole/avocados rather than tending to their guests. read more

Update: A Valentine's Day disappointment! 1) Cheddar Bay biscuits flat and dripping with grease 2) Fish and Chips--strange piece of cod split in half and full of bones. Definitely not the size and shape we've had before 3) Side dish MIA 4) Vanishing server read more

What can I say about Red Lobster I thought the pictures that at all there is nothing better than a lobster tail I have never had a bad meal there I have celebrated my birthdays there for years it's my favorite place to go are any occasion just take me to Red Lobster yum yums read more

Red Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Alton, Illinois

Went for my mother in laws birthday and it was ridiculous. Asked for a table for 6 and had to wait almost 20 minutes to get our table and they weren't even busy. Manager basically had an oh well attitude about it. Waited another 20 minutes to order only to be told that they were out of baked potatoes and slaw. Horrible service and management. Definitely will not be back. read more

I go to Red Lobster for the Brussel Sprouts. Get them! Service was sparse like everywhere else. The poor waiter we had was having a hard time keeping up with the endless shrimp and the kitchen was slacking on the biscuits. read more

If you want a decent seafood meal this is most certainly not the place to go! The only good thing I can say is the waitress was nice and provided good service but you could tell she was embarrassed to have to keep saying "I'm sorry, we don't have that today" I heard it at least 5 times & what kind of restaurant has a special advertising fries and doesn't have French fries available, seriously, French fries!!! The staple biscuits were just ok. Side dishes of salad and cups of clam chowder are now called "premium sides" and are an up charge of $2.49 EACH! How are side salads and clam chowder at a seafood restaurant considered premium sides?! The clam chowder wasn't even clam chowder, it was literally 1/3 cup of lukewarm milk with a couple little clams and and a few tiny bits of potato on the verge of going bad. The Caesar salad was swimming in dressing that wasn't Caesar dressing, not sure what it was. The shrimp if you could call it that, obviously frozen, was pure mush & tasted nothing like shrimp. The scallops were the size of marbles, way way over cooked and tasted like rubber. Steak wasn't cooked properly and was tough. A glass of flat soda costs $3.89 each! This was supposed to be a nice lunch for my mom who was visiting but this was anything but nice especially when I got the $85 bill without the tip. And no, I didn't take the tip amount out on the waitress, she still got the tip she deserved even though the meal was absolutely horrible. Portion sizes have been cut in half and prices have doubled. We used to love visiting Red Lobster but this was the last time. Quite frankly, I would have enjoyed a bologna sandwich more than this meal. It was a terrible waste of money but my mom and I now have a new joke we share, that's all there is. read more

Food was cold, and no notice of upcharge on changing fried to grilled. Server was friendly, but am disappointed in an extra $4 for grilled choice. Other places will substitute without extra charge. And did I mention my meal was cold? read more

Seating, ambience and cleanliness are usually decent. Caesar salads are under dressed. Kitchen habitually screws up food orders. Garlic shrimp scampi is hit and miss. Maine Lobster tail has been consistently good for 3 years. Their iced tea is consistently good. Greater attention to clean silverware is needed; check yours before you order. read more

We waited 20 minutes for a seat. We were seated and quickly ordered. Then we received a very small salads that was overly sauced wilted lettuce . Note this is approx 15-20 minutes later and we still have not received our biscuits. After I drank my soda she never offered to refill. And believe it or not we spent $65. NOT AGAIN!! read more

I Am not coming back to this location this place sucks so bad the girl told me it would be 30 mins I was okay with that then I check on my table she said another 20 mins !!! Thanks for nothing I wouldn't suggest this red lobster to no one !!!!! read more

We celebrated my grandson's birthday at this restaurant. The hostess Lori was so rude from the moment we walked it. Told us there would be an hour and half wait on a Monday night and only a few tables filled. Then she came back and yelled at our party three times. She made it obvious we were NOT welcome in this restaurant. Our waitress was awesome Mary! read more

The Alton Red Lobster is usually not too busy and you can get seated fairly quickly. Tonight I had the grilled salmon with broccoli and a side salad. The wood grilled salmon is very good. The cheese rolls are always hot and delicious. The server was very friendly and probably the best server we have ever had at this restaurant. I would recommend this restaurant. read more

Tried this Red lobster again. Bad choice! The food was awful!!!! Crab legs were so over cooked there was no grab meat left. Plate was full of water. Husband had the Admiral Feast and was nauseous within 30 minutes. Granddaughter was ill as well... We won't be back! read more

I had a business lunch today, and she suggested Red Lobster. I must admit that I have not been to a Red Lobster in years, so I was not excited about her choice. Apparently, they have changed the look of their restaurants. I arrived before my person. I was immediately served with menus and asked for my drink order. The server brought drinks and their famous "biscuits". I don't eat much better, so I did not indulge and neither did my guest, so I can not tell you how they tasted, but they had a pleasant aroma. We ordered from the lunch menu, I like that when they offered "lighter" versions that out the calorie count next to the item. Nice touch.. I had the garlic shrimp scampi with the wild rice. It was the perfect size, I felt full when I finished and felt like I got my money's worth. My guest had the maple glazed chicken with rice and broccoli. We both enjoyed our lunches without feeling guilty about our choices. I would do this again for lunch. read more

I hate to write this review but it has to be done We went out for my birthday. Usually we don't go to Alton, we go to Fairview Heights, but we had some place to stop at in Alton. The biscuits took a long time to come out but that wasn't the real issue. Three of us got our meals, the fourth didn't. My husband's meal didn't come until we were almost done with our meal. This was after asking several times. Also, there was no butter brought out. Finally the entree arrived, the manager brought it saying we recooked it, they thought it was cold. Well yeah, after you let it set that long. It was still cold and the lobster tails were not fully cooked. My husband got sick from his food. That's not good. The waitress was pretty much absent through it all. After she brought the bill, I told her our night was pretty much ruined. I told her after waiting so long for his meal, I didn't feel like we should pay for it. She got the manager and she did give us some compensation. I still would be leery coming here because of the underdone seafood. read more