I have always loved Red Lobster and will always root for their success as a one of my favorite chain restaurants! Red Lobster is nostalgic and brings back so many happy memories for me growing up! I was recently craving crab legs, lobster, and their infamous warm buttery cheddar bay biscuits, so my husband and I took a trip to our closest Red Lobster at the E Towne Blvd location in Madison, WI. Red Lobster as a national chain restaurant has made improvements since their new CEO took over/initiative in 2024. Although, Red Lobster no longer offers their all you can eat endless shrimp offer, they have revamped their menu adding new entree/drink items including family dinners serving about 4 people and different daily deals different days of the week such as the Spendless Shrimp, Tuesday Crab Legs special, and Wednesday Steak and Lobster special. Lots of people love trying Red Lobster's new different seafood boils with delicious crab legs, shrimp, etc with delicious flavored butters for the seafood boils as the cajun, Old Bay, and roasted garlic butter! As an appetizer, we tried their new popcorn shrimp. The popcorn shrimp didn't taste the freshest. It tasted like the cheap frozen popcorn shrimp you would get from the grocery store. I ordered my favorite main entree the Ultimate Feast with Maine lobster tail, snow crab legs, Walt's Favorite Shrimp, and garlic shrimp scampi. It was delicious and satisfying! However, I chose coleslaw as one of my sides and it wasn't very fresh or didn't taste right. My husband really enjoyed his Cajun Chicken alfredo pasta! Red Lobster is still going strong but they could still use some improvements like working on the freshness and quality of the food but overall Red Lobster is a great choice to enjoy those classic buttery cheddar bay biscuits, seafood, and some fun cocktails! Red Lobster really knows how to satisfy seafood lovers' cravings but also offers menu items even for the pickiest eaters. Definitely try some of their daily seafood specials also! read more

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Where do we start with such a bad experience? We made a reservation and showed up 5 mins early. We were greeted by a hostess with AirPods on and wasn't sure if she was talking to us or on the phone. She looked like someone just kicked her dog or something. She was not friendly at all and did not seem like she wanted to be there. After 15 mins of waiting, we sat at a table that was open the entire time (we can see the open table while waiting). The restaurant was not busy at all. We sat at our table for another 15 minutes with absolutely no service at all - not even someone saying "Hi. I'll be with you in a minute". Since we felt like we weren't welcome here, we decided to take our business elsewhere. We got up and left. read more

We were craving Cheddar biscuits and crab legs, and Red Lobster delivered! We came on a weekday evening and were seated right away. Both of us ordered the snow crab for about $25 pp, which came with crispy potatoes at the bottom. I chose the Cajun butter, just the right amount of kick without being too spicy. One tip: they don't provide crab scissors, so bring your own if you want to get through the legs faster. Overall, a tasty seafood boil, good service, and a satisfying meal! read more

Red Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I was craving crab and couldn't think of many options in Madison besides Red Lobster, so we headed to the east side around 5 pm on a weekday. We were seated right away and both ordered crab legs--mine plain, and my partner's with Cajun butter. The server said the Cajun butter was spicy. After trying the Cajun butter, I liked it and asked if I could get some on the side, but was told it would be an extra $3, which felt a bit unnecessary. I didn't even touch the plain butter. The crab legs were tasty but not the easiest to crack--I wish they provided scissors. On the plus side, the potatoes were crispy and delicious. We finished with brownie overload dessert which was very sweet and rich. Overall, a decent experience, though a few small touches could have made it better. read more

After the bad situation on November 15th, Red Lobster contacted me to try to make up for their mistakes. They gave us coupons that paid for much of our next meal and they made sure that our service was perfect. The food was delicious and we had a great evening. I am glad that we gave them an opportunity to make it right. read more

Red Lobster - Husband is enjoying his meal. - Seafood Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Our food was phenomenal and timely, the drinks were discounted for happy hour, and we were seated early for our reservation. The dining room was full, but surprisingly quiet, and the ambiance was perfect. The real star of the night, however, was Micah. I have been in culinary for more than half of my life, and never have I had such fantastic service. He was attentive to our every need, worked fast and efficiently, had recommendations, was extremely friendly, and the kicker? It was his first week! Micah deserves every positive thing that comes his way and more, and I hope someone higher up sees this, and commends him accordingly. It was my birthday, and they even comped a dessert. 10/10, please eat here, and ask for Micah! read more

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I ordered 1/2 pound snow crab leg with uber eats delivery to my home. On receiving, I felt it exceptionally light weighted. So I scaled it in my kitchen. It is 4.59 ounces. It's only half of its advertised weight. What is going on? I usually close one eye with restaurants. This is a little too far away. read more

Red Lobster - Snow leg 1/2 pound - Seafood Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I have had hit and miss experience at Red Lobster. I would not recommend the calamari or crab legs. My crab legs were served room temp and quickly got cold as I ate. The scallops, chicken and biscuits were delish tho! There are good items on the menu but also some not so good ones. We also really wanted to sit in the bar area to watch sports that were on and they would not let us due to being understaffed so that was disappointing as well. read more

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We came in for the Wednesday special--7oz steak and lobster--with a side of bacon mac. The meal was solid, and the atmosphere was nice and laid-back. The steak was cooked perfectly, and the mac and cheese was a great side, but the lobster portion felt a little small--maybe we just got an unlucky one. The restaurant had a chill vibe, and we liked the pictures on the walls. Overall, a good experience, just wish the lobster was a bit bigger! read more

Red Lobster - Wednesday night special - Seafood Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Food was mediocre. The "new" popcorn shrimp looked and tasted as if they came from ALDI frozen food section. I sent them back after only one bite, the server got extremely nasty with me, asking whether or not I knew what they were before ordering them?. Their trademark biscuits are just totally disgusting now. They're hard and cold, almost burnt each time. They're that way even when you request a fresh batch. read more

I did takeout To-Go and my food was great, they were even accommodating in the comments to give tartar sauce instead of ketchup. I waited a little longer than the expected ETA, but the food was fresh and hot. I will say this location is next to the bus stop and while waiting, a man came down the hill and tried panhandling my car and the other car in the To-go spots. If not restricted by city regulations- a privacy fence might be good, or even moving the to-go spots closer to the building with more light rather in front of the bus stop. 4 stars as the food was good, but there are certainly better 5 star worthy seafood places out there, however service was 5/5 for a Togo order experience read more

Seated right away by very friendly Hostess! Waitress came over took our drink order right away. Very friendly and helpful. Ordered ultimate feast and seaside shrimp trio! Food was fresh and delicious. Only two complaints first the crab legs for the ultimate feast were tiny and got 4 legs also every time I go I do get the broccoli because normally it is sooo yummy with garlic and butter but this time it was inedible! Tasted sour I have never had broccoli like that! I did let the waitress know later ! I said I wasn't expecting anything but wanted to just let her know the broccoli was not good we both tried it and spit it out! She did inform us there were multiple complaints that day yet they kept serving it ‍ our service was excellent the food excellent except for 4 legs and the broccoli!l read more

Went to Red Lobster on a whim for fast seafood and was craving the biscuits. I got the three choice shrimp platter and everything tasted the same and I just wasn't impressed. I won't be going back. Our waiter was amazing though! read more

Red Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Excellent Salmon New Orleans dish and amazing hush puppies. Top it off with great service, and I will definitely be back!

We recently arrived at this Madison location for a celebratory lobster dinner. What a disappointment. No one there to welcome customers. A grope of people sitting in the lobby waiting to be seated and we were told there would be a 15 minute wait. Don't you just hate being misinformed? Additionally, the overall look of the establishment was not, to us, inviting. This chain is not what I remember it to be. read more

Never disappoints! Great service! Food was delicious! Didn't order dessert, was too full lol read more

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It isn't like it used to be unfortunately. Food is fine, service was fine...everything was just fine

We went to Red Lobster on 2/28/25. The biscuits were tasteless, my husband's brandy old fashioned didn't have any brandy it and the Cajun chicken linguine was horrible. The seafood my husband had was good though and the waitress was nice. I have contacted customer relations 3 times and the manager has never reached out to me. We won't be going back. read more

After having a not so great experience at Outback tonight, we headed over to Red Lobster to hopefully redeem the night. Happy to report everything was great. Our waitress, Sarah was awesome and took great care of us. Our bartender, Mandy, made our cocktails perfectly and my Old Fashioned was yummy. We started out with the Jumbo Coconut Shrimp and it was delicious! The Lobster, Shrimp and Salmon Feast was delicious and plenty enough to share. My Caesar salad and the warm, yummy garlic cheese biscuits never disappoint. Very thankful that we ended tonight better than it started!! We will be back!! read more

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This is a true advise for customers who are coming and plan to coming at this location ( 4502 E.Towne BLVD in Madison ) THINK TWICE before you go. We are coming today for dinner (Sunday 8/31/2025) for a party of 8 adults + 1 kid, check in around 6:45pm and we been told to wait 30 mins , happy to wait and finally @7:15pm we had a text said our table is ready ,everythings are fine until we sit down at 1 table of 5 and other table of 4 ( split table) is far away of each other, we are asking 2 tables to being sit closed by each other and 2 of my friends spotted one lady ( i think could be manager ) wink at our waitress before she left and the story begin, after placed our ordered , we are waiting ...waiting... and waiting ..Could you believe until 8:45 pm my Kid so hungry for her Bacon Mac & Cheese and none of us have any foods bring out meanwhile the others 3 to 4 tables came in way after US already have foods on theirs table ...So angry we are all decided leave the tables and walking out , a minute after we stand up and leave 1 lady start bring out part of the food ( not completed orders) , it was too late and ruin our night . My message to the owner of this store please pay more attention to the manager and your employees if things keep going on like this i'd bet you know what 'd happen to your place. Once thing for sure that myself and all of us will not coming back and we will cancel our accounts with RED LOBSTER as well. very disappointed and feel bad for the owner for hiring the wrong staffs.Thanks all for your time to read this. read more

I just wish they'd try a bit harder to have 1. Fresher food 2. Knowledgeable staff that knows the menu and promos. And I get it... RL always have promos so it's something to keep up with. The good: 3. Glad the host guy is a consistent person. 4. Coporate responds to contact made, yet I just wish it would work as my seafood options are limited. My Summary: Nonetheless, consistency seems to be the issue and once they get that part down then things will go up from there. 5. I learned during this 2019 CrabFest during the week of July 4th (days after the promo started) that not all promotional dishes are not served at every location. Idk why and corporate hasn't explained when asked. I also asked which locations in the US carry the Captain's Trio as offered via Crabfest. To date: no reply on that. I know for sure it's not Milwaukee nor Minneapolis. May I get the strength to call the Chicagoland area locations. read more

The food was great! I had the snow crab and lobster. The regional manager was very friendly and let my son hold a lobster.

Review while visiting the Red Lobster in East Towne Madison my dining experience there started out not so great.I drove about 40 miles for a dish the only dish that I go to any RL for only to be told by my server verbatim "We don't have that anymore". but it was a listed menu item. the Visiting G.M . Amy Wood from Rockford , Il came over and very politely explained that due to shortages they were all out of the ingredients for the Crab Alfred sensing that I was incredibly disappointed she opted to have the dish made with lump crab instead, well she once again came back to explain the they didn't have the lump crab either before I could say anything she she told me that they were in the kitchen cracking crab from the shell in order to make my dish I was incredibly delighted that she went over the top to make the situation right the dish turned out absolutely amazing full of luscious tender sweet crab... Mrs Wood said the manger on duty for the location was in the kitchen helped to de-shell the crab. It was evident that Amy truly cares about every guest leaving satisfied and with memorable dining experiences. Her passion and attention to even small details is what sets her apart. I will most definitely return again soon because of Amy and her exceptional leadershi.... Tim read more

Had a party of 6 so we arrived at 4 to beat the crowds even though it was a weekday. We were told a 20 minute wait so we had an over priced beer in the bar area while we waited. We left after waiting 50 minutes, when I told the manager to take us off the wait list he got mad and snapped at me saying were next and it will only be about 10 more minutes. Only 3 tables had customers and the servers were just wandering around not even helping the people who actually got tables! Oh well they lost out on a $200 tab read more

Server was too busy! To many tables or inexperience or our party of 2 was too small. We waited 15 minutes for her to take drink order and another 40 minutes for the food. Server was pleasant. read more

Would be zero stars if I could Spend $75.00 for 12 shrimp one small salad 3 small bowls of bland soup Sides none 3 dollars for games??? read more

I have a hard time giving a chain over 3 stars. This was okay not anything that was amazing but solid food lot better than ate the last tiMe we went out. I got a holiday drink called the grinch not my favorite but okay, the wife got a sangria she liked it. The wife ordered crab linguine and I got sailors sampler. read more

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Good food and drink nice atmosphere enjoyed our experience there been there several times

Haven't even eaten there yet and already horrible service. I made a reservation thru another app but they only allow a max of 6 people. Fine at first, but we're up to 7 people now. I am currently on the phone attempting to talk to a live person. I have been on hold 16 minutes... Well that's wonderful, recorded message "We're sorry, no one is available to take your call, please hang up and try again later... good bye" (click) How can they stay in business if they don't answer their phone? It is 6 PM, so I get it's dinner rush time, but answer the phone! Looks like we'll be going somewhere else for my Mother's birthday dinner. read more

Took one bite and almost throw up. Crab was going bad, manager said "no way it's going bad". The picture below looks like it's brown. The waitress came by 3 times the entire time we're here for approximately 1.5 hours between waiting for food and ordering. I had to go find a manager myself. Don't come here, stay away, way better choices in madison. read more

Red Lobster - Crab going bad - Seafood Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I hadn't eaten at Red Lobster in about 2 years but remembered it as being pretty good. That was not the case with my most recent afternoon visit. I ordered the Admirals Feast with crab, scallops and shrimp scampi. The scallops and scampi both tasted way too much of black pepper which wrecked their flavor. The snow crab consisted of the smallest legs I've ever seen, and was a 1/4 pound at most, instead of the 1/2 pound it was supposed to be. The entire meal wasn't worth anywhere near the $56 it cost with drink and tip. I wouldn't even have paid half that for what I was served. Unless they improve, I doubt I'll ever want to go back there again. read more

My husband and I visited the East Towne Blvd location in Madison, WI last Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. I am a Rewards Member, and we were looking forward to using some of the rewards I had, as we don't have a Red Lobster near our town. We ordered the seafood stuffed mushroom appetizer, as that was one of my rewards. This was at noon, by the way. Our waitress came back and said that they were out of mushrooms. At noon. I asked if we could substitute a different appetizer. She had to check with the manager, and he didn't seem to be too happy about it, but she came back and said we could. Nothing much else appealed to us, as we were looking forward to the mushrooms, but we decided to go with the shrimp cocktail. Let's just say that I'm glad we didn't have to pay for it. It was definitely not worth the listed price. And the shrimp did taste a little off. We ordered our main dishes, and my husband ordered the Create You Own Ultimate Feast, and asked for rice as his side. I ordered the garlic crab legs. When we got our food, there were no crab crackers, I didn't get any butter for my crab, and my husband didn't get his rice. After about 5-7 minutes, the waitress came back and we asked for those items. Another 5 minutes went by, and she brought the crackers, and a bowl of mashed potatoes, and told us they were out of rice. At noon. He didn't even bother to argue at that point, because by now the rest of the food was getting cold. Needless to say, this was one of the worst experiences we have ever had at Red Lobster. We would have complained to the manager, but he honestly didn't look like he gave a crap if we were happy or not. I don't normally complain, but wanted to bring this to someone's attention so it could be followed up on. Our waitress was very nice and did try to accommodate us, even though she seemed to be extremely booked with tables. We don't normally spend $100 on lunch, so it was just a huge disappointment to us after we were looking forward to it. read more

The wait was was very long they said 10 to 15 minutes but it's was more like 30 and the tables were open and staff was just talking. Luckily it goes up from there the food was great and we didn't wait long for that. It's a very nice place people always get mad about it because it's a chain restaurant but it's really great and every time I've gone there the food has been amazing. My dad doesn't even like sea food but he still goes here. read more

This was only the 2nd time I've eaten at RL. The first was about 40 yrs ago and I'm pretty sure it was okay. Tonight was like eating at The Taco Bell of seafood. This was the worst so called seafood restaurants we have ever eaten at. We ate at the bar and I must say our bartenders/servers were great, but as far as the rest of the meals the French fries were the best part. A Friday night local bar fish fry would have been a lot better and by far cheaper. read more

An online order was placed at 4:54 PM for a pick-up at 5:25 PM at our local Red Lobster here in Madison, WI. I arrive to an overfull parking lot, guests standing outside the entrance and no communication from staff about what was going on. 30 minutes after my anticipated pick-up time and I learn there were to be delays due to an excessive amount of online orders, with no communication to purchasing partners about these delays. An hour goes by after that and I was standing outside, in the 40 degree rain, waiting for a team member to come out so I could ask for any kind of an update. No communication from staff about what was being done to make things right and only interested in taking names for cancellations to give refunds. 2 and a half hours after my pick-up time, I'm called by a team member to let me know my food is ready. I ask for the business card of the General Manager so I could reach out when it wasn't slammed at the dinner hour on a holiday and I'm told, "Oh, just go to our website, his name is Thomas Spencer." There is no way to get ahold of Thomas Spencer, General Manager of the East Towne Madison Red Lobster so this is what I am left with. Cold food once brought home, a crying wife and starving kids and no clue what is going to be done to make me feel whole about this experience which cost me almost $100. read more

If you're black, stay back. After several requests, we got our bill comped at 50%. The service was dreadfully bad. A party of 6, with 2 being small children, we waited 20 mins to be seated when the restaurant was not even half full. I watched two parties of 4 be seated before us. The table we were assigned had no assigned waiter. After waiting 20 mins and still no server we had to ask the checkin staff where a waiter finally came over and explained that's not his section but he took our order and reviewed it twice for accuracy. 20 more minutes passed and we still had not even received water. We again went to the check in desk to request a manager. There was no assigned manager however some substitute lead staff came to our table with no interest to help, we explained the issue and he walked away saying NOTHING. 20 additional minutes later we still had no beverages let alone bread and salad. We watched a family be seated and served after us, before we even got water. We complained again. Our waiter was very apologetic. We arrived at 4:27p on a Sunday but didn't get food until 6pm. Beyond unacceptable. Never going back, highly suggest you avoid this place. One star because the food was very hot in temperature and tasty. read more

Red Lobster is a guilty pleasure of mine. It is nothing special when compared to other seafood restaurants but they clearly get the job done. On the weekends, the location on the east side is totally packed with a significant wait. Prices are competitive for seafood depending on what you order, but, quality may be questionable as you get what you pay for. The menus for lunch and dinner are different with the exception of some elements remaining static. Menu variation may occur due to what seafood is in season, aka crab fest or lobster fest. Most dishes are served with some soup or salad. After you order, you will be served fresh, hot and amazing, cheddar bay bay biscuits. Generally speaking, I try to stick to french fries or steamed vegetables as my side as it seems as others, like the premium mashed potatoes, still taste like they were out of a box. Service is just fine most of the time, prompt and appropriate. Wait staff know the menu well and seem to be willing to help make subtitistions based on patron preferences. Drink options are decent with a couple of unique cocktails. Overall a good place to eat with decent food, drink, and service. read more

Haven't been to this location in a few years. Glad to see it was still here. Visited on my birthday this year. I know with menu choices and COVID rules things are quite different. Our server was wonderful. Very attentive and sweet. I had ordered the lobster lovers dream. Sadness The issue was the lobster. The butter poached tail was wonderful but the other accompaniment baked/ broiled tail was Very tough and Very fishy and I had a huge shell fragment in my shrimp lobster Alfredo pasta. That tail was pretty much inedible. I was coming off a long with shift and didn't want to complain, just happy to be there, but the dinner was such a sad comparison to days long ago. I hope things improve in the future. But money spent on the lobster was not worth it. Go with another choice Still love this chain. But please stop serving old overcooked super fishy tails. read more

Went to this location for the Endless Shrimp promotion and I have to say I was really disappointed in the location, the service, the food and the promotion. The location seemed very short staffed. There was only one employee to check people in and seat. There were several tables open when we were taken back after our 20-30 minute wait, though there had been several groups of 2-4 in the waiting area waiting on a table. Our waiter was very slow, wasn't familiar with their drink list (which is not large by any means), and stopped being at all attentive as soon as we said we wanted Endless Shrimp. My husband and I both ordered a drink, which took a long time to come, and water. The waiter only brought one glass of water and never refilled it. After we ordered our second refill of shrimp, his attitude implied that we should be done and he was reluctant to bring us another. It is not mentioned anywhere on their menu or promotional material that take home boxes are not available for this promotion if you can't finish the last plate ordered. After eating half my last plate, our waiter told us we weren't allowed to take it home. So it went in the garbage instead of home with me to be eaten for lunch the next day. I do not approve of restaurants that needlessly waste food like that. If I had been aware that was their policy, which has changed since last I came for this promotion, I would not have ordered the last plate. This is an oversight that is unacceptable and needs to be fixed ASAP. The initial plates are decent size and you're allowed to pick 2. The refills are one at a time, absolutely tiny and the quality was not as good as the initial plate. The shrimp itself was okay, but nothing to write home about. Only one of the five available options came with cocktail sauce. Sometimes the dishes brought out were too hot to eat and others were just lukewarm. All in all, a disappointing experience and I can say I won't be heading back to Red Lobster in future, this location or any other. read more

Red Lobster is a top tier chain restaurant. It Offers great food at a reasonable price and CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS!!! This day we were celebrating my Mom's 60th birthday with her children and sisters. I will state early that I appreciate the "Call ahead" option they now have, I called a few days early and was able to reserve our seats, so when we arrived we could just be seated. Indeed that was the case. Though the party had 3 additional people attend, which was fine, there was a table next to us that couldn't be used because of the angle we were in. We asked the manager to use that table and add it to our party, he willingly agreed, and I helped him move the tables and re-seat everyone. We placed appetizers and meals and the famous biscuits arrived with salad and soup. I ordered shrimp cocktails and lobster and artichoke dip for the whole table, shrimp were huge and juicy and delicious. The dip was piping hot and flavorful. I had lobster bisque, rich with flavor, chunky with lobster pieces and yummy! All of the sisters and my Mom ordered fried catfish...myself and 2 others ordered the Admirals feast. It is always a good treat, the only down side to the feast for me was the clam strips, they are always so gummy...Overall it was a wonderful experience, the fried fish took some time to get out, because it was made to order, but nothing was sent back because of the temp was too cool! read more