Had lunch with my family today at Red Lobster. I heard on the news the CEO was switching things up and wanted to check it out. Wife, 2 y/o, and I never been to a Red Lobster so didnt really have much to go off of. The interior was a "dated", after seeing the Red Lopster interior change on TV, i was hoping to see the new interior, so that was a bummer. Ms. C was our waitress. We had the corner area, probably about 7 tables? It was around 1145 so not many guests were there. Our child has allergy concerns so before we ordered, Ms. C brought the allergy booklet out and confirmed all our orders the Shrimp, lobster, salmon, potato and broccoli. Jambalaya shrimp and sausage. She recommended not to give our kid the biscuits (allergy concerns) so instead brought out fruit for him. Not requested but such a generous offer and showed her above and beyond care for our kid. Our big concern was the food being salty ( as most Cajun seafood places are). Food wasn't salty, perfectly seasoned, juicy lobster and shrimp. Salmon wasn't overcooked, Orzo rice was amazing. Ms. C was attentive, genuinely caring, and professional. We are a Red Robin or Texas roadhouse fan. But this Visit put Red Lobster on our top list. Family of 3, Lobster shrimp, salmon, Jambalaya, biscuits, fruit, great service for under $70 for a sit down restaurant? in this economy. Rare. We will be going there again. Thank you Ms. C for a great experience. read more

Red Lobster - Jambalaya Lobster, Shrimp, Salmon - Seafood Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

Even though I reviewed this Red Lobster years ago, I never got around to updating it. When I first wrote the review, our daughter was working for Red Lobster. I made the mistake of reviewing the one in Fairfax when our daughter had given us coupons to try some new non-seafood items that Red Lobster was introducing at the time. I made another mistake by mentioning she worked for Red Lobster -- never mind, it wasn't at this particular location. Yelp removed my review. Well...she hasn't worked for "The Lobster" in years now. So I can now update :D Red Lobster came very close to going out of business. They closed several of their restaurants nationwide. The one in Sterling was never on any lists for closures. We would go from time to time. Recently, Red Lobster has started adding new entrees and side dishes. When I saw that they were now offering seafood boils, I wanted to try one. Neither of us had ever had a seafood boil, but we grew up knowing about them We were here on a Saturday for an early dinner and were surprised to see how many other customers were there. As the evening progressed, even more came in to eat. Good to see that! Our server was friendly, polite, and efficient. We each ordered a seafood boil. I got the Mariner's boil, which has crab legs, lobster tail, a dozen shrimp, corn on the cob, and potatoes. My husband got the Sailor's boil, which has 2 dozen shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes. There are 3 dressings available. We both chose the original one, which was garlic butter. It took a while for our food to come out but, no problem. We were served cheddar bay biscuits that were fresh out of the oven so we didn't feel like we were starving. When our boils came, our server shook the bag to make sure the sauce was evenly spread around. The bags came in what looked like a pie plate. I had thought ahead and brought along some disposable kitchen food prep gloves for each of us. Thus, we were able to dig right into our food. As I'm not a fan of shrimp, I gave my shrimp to my husband. My boil still had a generous amount of crab legs, plus a lobster tail. The crab legs and lobster tail were properly cooked, as was the corn on the cob. We both agreed that the potatoes could have been cooked a bit longer, but they were still edible. The corn on the cob was sweet and flavorful. My husband said he liked the sausage that was in his boil. Overall, we both enjoyed our meals and were glad we gave them a try. Hopefully, they will stay on "Red Lobster's" menu. As for ambiance, it's still the same old seafood restaurant vibe. And, yes, we will continue to go from time to time. read more

Red Lobster - Sailor's Boil - Seafood Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

See all

I feel bad I didn't get our server's name but he's early 20s, blonde middle part hair, with a forearm tattoo sleeve. He was a great server for us. He got all of our order correct, made sure we were ok without asking too frequently. We also went to Red Lobster to check out their new service since CEO Damola took over. I gave the new Old Bay + Parmesan seasonings on the Crab Your Way a shot and it didn't disappoint. A little salty but that's what the Tropical White Sangria was for, which was a breathe of island fruity breeze. read more

Red Lobster - The Old Bay + Parmesan seasonings for the "Crab Your Way" with crispy potatoes, and a side of hush puppies - Seafood Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

I've been to specifically this red lobster, I can't say the same with the others. But this place is something of a bittersweet place. I've never had a bad time at this place and I always ate the food. It's not the best seafood, but it's good food. The inside if just like any other red lobster, mellow and warm colored on the inside and it's really nice on the eyes. every time I was here in my youth to adult years every server that served me has always taken great care. That's all I have to say, specifically this red lobster has a place in my heart. read more

I haven't eaten at a Red Lobster in years, but they have been getting a lot of hype on social media lately due to their new menu so I was tempted to give them another chance, and I was not disappointed. The infamous biscuits came out hot, buttery and fresh. I tried the Crabfest special, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and quantity of the meal! The Crabfest includes 1 lb of your choice of crab, potatoes and a sauce of your choosing. I opted for snow crab legs, and they were cooked perfectly. The meal also came with a side - I chose the Brussels sprouts and they were crispy and delicious. For about $34, the meal was pretty reasonably priced. Besides the food, the servers were attentive and polite. I would absolutely go back again in the near future. read more

My wife and I ate dinner there on August 2nd. We had, I think they call it, Rocket Shrimp as an appetizer. It was very tasty, the sauce was delicious. The cheddar biscuits were delicious as always. She had the baradi crab legs, crispy potatoes, and steamed broccoli. The crab was tender, sweet, delicious. The crispy potatoes were delicious, they needed salt but so nice and crispy. The steamed broccoli was cooked perfectly but also lacked salt. I had the stuffed flounder, Mac and Cheese, Brussel sprouts. The fish was tender, the sauce was delicious. The bacon Mac and Cheese was very tasty. Lots of bacon. Needed a little more sauce but very tasty. The Brussel sprouts are delicious. Perfectly cooked. Just the right amount of balsamic vinegar. Our server was friendly and attentive. read more

See all

Why does red lobster price like they are fine dining, when they are just at the level of Applebees and chilis The margarita tastes like water The pasta has no flavor the lobster is disgusting. read more

I was saddened when the Embarrassed Bug declared bankruptcy and closed, but am seriously happy they are back. The menu has new items; what we tried is very, very good. Hushpuppies are back! Cheddar Bay Biscuits are still here! All Good! Prices are... high. I cannot afford this place very often, but I understand why they had to go up. The food is worth the price. read more

Glad to see Red Lobster is back! The food was wonderful. The hush puppies were better than I even remember. The margarita flight wasn't too good but it may just be that I'm not a huge drinker. The server was attentive and very friendly. The dining area was clean and nice but the female restroom was horrible and smelled like a sewer. I took a star off for cleanliness of the restroom. read more

See all

I can't tell you the last time I've been to Red Lobster but I was inspired by posts regarding the $20 Tuesday Crab Legs on TikTok so I said let me go on and see what everyone is talking about. I arrived around prime dinner time and was seated immediately. My 1st server Freddie immediately greeted me and I told him I already knew what I wanted because I was here for the Tuesday Crab Leg special to which he said was a good choice. You can opt for traditional steamed legs or garlic butter and I had to go with the garlic butter because why not!!??!!?? The deal also comes with crispy potatoes and your choice of one side. Once upon a time all entrees came with salads if I recall correctly, yet I guess with inflation over the years that wasn't the case anymore and a side salad as a side has an up charge of $2.49.... so I "splurged" lol and ordered the side salad as my side. As I waited Freddie brought a basket of those delicious cheddar bay biscuits and on first bite, they were just as I remembered .... PURE HEAVEN! Once my meal arrived I was excited to dig in! And let me just say that everything was YUMMY! The only critique I have is that the crab leg shells were a little soft which was unusual (I'm used to them being pretty firm and with the cracking device cracking them it being a bit of a SNAP, yet that wasn't the case) but the meat in those legs came out perfectly and there was zero fight in getting it out. I was checked on a few times throughout my meal by a new server, Marvin, and he ensured that I was enjoying everything and that I had everything I needed. I was able to eat all the crab legs and left 75% of the potatoes, not because they were bad (they were actually delicious), but because I was full! So, this Tuesday deal is truly a GREAT ONE because it's delicious and filling and all for just around $20! Needless to say I'll be back Red Lobster and the Endless Shrimp will be next on my list :) read more

See all

I have been an unabashed fan of Red Lobster restaurants wherever and whenever we dine at one. My wife and I both chose the Tuesday special for dinner; snow crab legs with garlic butter. Service was helpful, friendly and attentive. (Brian H). The crab was properly prepared, the crispy potatoes a nice addition, and the brussel sprouts were excellent. How DO they make those biscuits so fresh and delicious? We eat at a lot of restaurants covering the full range of price and amenities. Red Lobster is always an exceptional value. We are always shocked that the restaurant is not full of diners, since the restaurant is always clean, spacious, nicely decorated, and efficient. The food prices are reasonable (I could even say inexpensive for the quality and portion sizes provided.) It is obvious that their management is engaged and effective, as the staff is always in a good mood and seems to spend any idle time checking back with diners or tending to keeping tables and floors spotless. Even the rest rooms are kept clean and inviting. So glad this property is so close to home and work! Thanks again to Brian for great service. We will be back frequently. read more

Taking off two stars for the over an hour delayed service as well as taking an hour to bring biscuits. We ordered lobster boil and ultimate feast, food was great but wait was terrible, we went on Valentine's Day. read more

Can't give any stats because we Just walked out, along with other couples!! Host is clueless! Not taking names. Tons of open tables. The restaurant actually smells funny. Lobster tank is murky and greenish in color with one lobster. No wonder Red Lobster is suffering! Where's the manager? Manage the front of house! Know what's happening under your nose! Corporate needs to visit this location! It needs cleaning, music, upbeat employees that want to be there. The vibes are awful! And bring back the crab Alfredo/fettucine! read more

We were excited to try the seafood boils and new items. Danny was our waiter, nice guy. The bad: it was hot in the restaurant!! Like no AC hot. I began sweating immediately and suggested to my bestie that we get the food to go. We decided to sweat it out and eat there. I ordered a mango lemonade , ice water, sailor's boil with a side of old bay butter and garlic butter. I was unaware of the $2.99 each charge for the side butters. Good: The Sailor's boil is tasty, sausage, corn and shrimp cooked to perfection then I noticed the potatoes were missing. I alerted Danny and he brought them out on a small plate promptly. I had to incorporate the missing potatoes into the garlic boil bag. It was good but have the staff work in such hot conditions and the customers is unacceptable. We ate rather quickly and packed up the food to go so to get some cooler air outside! Yup, even in this heat the outside was cooler!! The biscuits are always the star! Kudos to the new menu items. Opportunity: Fix the air ASAP for a more pleasurable atmosphere! read more

Red Lobster is always hit or miss but this visit was a hit. Food (5/5): Cheddar Bay biscuits were fresh and hot. The food was great. We came for Lobsterfest. We had coconut shrimp- which were large and freshly fried. Hubby got the seafood stuffed flounder and I had the Lobsterfest special of grilled lobster tail and steamed lobster tail (the grilled was the best). We had sides of salad (fresh simple garden salad), broccoli (steamed with butter and garlic- my favorite), cole slaw (just ok), and mashed potatoes with a special lobster cream sauce (5.50 extra and worth it). Overall, we ended taking half of the meals home (other than the lobster tails) so we got another meal from this.). Service (5/5): the servers were kind and attentive. Value (3/5): The food is really overpriced for what you get and I'm always surprised that Red Lobster is still in business. read more

See all

Growing up Red Lobster was pretty decent place to dine in but this location service is low average. Visit this location during lunch time and it pretty much empty with only 2 table with customer. The waiter show no enthusiasm and was really dry like he didn't want to be there. Food- 3/5 Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms 5/5 ($11.79)- It was yummy and perfectly cook with nice filling. I wished it come with more given the price that it is. Sunset Passion Coloda 1/5 ($10.69)- The drink it self wasn't bad but it had no alcohol what so ever. I got it for my coworker for her bday since she don't ever drink and even her self didn't taste no alcohol (rum). I took a sip and I didn't taste it as all as well so I mention the server and he say it was in there, didn't even bother to make a new one. Sirloin and Lobster Wednesday special 3/5 $24.99- Sirloin was below average ok, i ask for medium but it come more of a medium well with no warmth on the meat. The lobster was old or either over cook because it was tough . My loaded mash potatoes that suppose to be serve with my meal didn't come out until I almost finish my meal . The last draw was I order a slice of cheesecake and ask him if he can put a candle on it for my coworker bday. ,He literally brought a plate with a slice of cake with a nonlit candle. I was thinking maybe it went off while he was walking so I ask him if we can relight it, he say we don't have a lighter !! in my head I am like then what the point of bringing the candle with out it being light, he didn't even make a nice gesture as simple of saying happy birthday. I think he see that i was upset so he didn't charge for the cheese cake which he make it clear to let me know . I honestly think he just wanted additional tip and normally I will only give only 15%tip if the service was below average but I actually give him a 25% tip just so he can go be bless because I doubt he will be there long. Overall I would not come back. read more

Red Lobster has the worst service in my life. The food is always really good, but the workers just do not exist. I went on a Sunday night around 7pm. There were maybe 6 groups of people and 3 waitresses and we were helped maybe twice. No water brought to us, I had to go to the bar myself for water because our server took 20-30 minutes after we ordered drinks. My boyfriend and I did the $25 Endless Shrimp - you choose 3 initially and up to 2 after. After our first order of 3 our server Amy basically never came back. They have a cheaper $17-20 option for 3 choices of shrimp, we should've just done that. Anyway - either avoid going here or expect really awful service. read more

After a 6 hour flight we decided to eat close to hotel found this place and wish I didn't. Bar tender did try her best but considering this place was not busy at all around 7 Pm it was disappointing.. bartender had to google how to make our drinks ) dry martini) took forever to get our food and food was wrong .not to mention brought out my apps after my dinner arrived. And dinner came out then my soup . Bottom line totally disappointed especially since I was starved read more

We returned here for the "Shrimp Fest" in July 2023. At $20 for an "all you can eat" shrimp, this was a bargain in today's restaurant environment. My favorite was the "coconut shrimp", especially with the accompanying "coconut dipping sauce". The highlight of the meal is still always the biscuits. Our server even let us take the remaining shrimp and biscuits home from out final order. read more

Phoenix was simply outstanding this evening. She was not only pleasant and polite but was a superb waitress. Her personality and professionalism was "off the charts". I suggest you utilize her in training other staff. read more

Well, I thought why not so we came in for lunch right a quarter before noon and place had lots of vacant tables, a couple tables taken so I expected good service. The waitress Jan came over, took our drinks order then a few minutes later brought the drinks so good. We then ordered 3 appetizers, langostino dip & chips, lobster pizza & mussels! Jan said she will bring some bread but not sure what happened because 20 minutes had passed no bread yet. Jan was attending to the table next to us and by all accounts only had 3 tables she was tending to including us. By this time more diners were being seated, in fact the last one seated across from us had a different server but they got their bread and salad before us. 30 minutes past, I waived at Jan and asked about the bread, she said 3 more minutes we had to wait. Huh, how come the diners that came in 20 minutes behind us got theirs and yer here we are still waiting on ours after 30 minutes. A few minutes later Jan came back with our orders and still no bread. I again asked and she finally went back with it though at this point I lost my appetite for them. It got worst when we asked for more napkins she would bring them later than one would expect.. in fact as we were finishing up after an hour, we asked for a goto plate for the half eaten pizza and again she could not be found. I waived another server who brought the goto plate within seconds. Finally, we asked the other server if we could get the check, Jan finally showed up with the goto plate, which we did not need. We again waited for eternity for our check. Lunch here took longer than necessary and food was not great either. In fact, we end up leaving that uncooked half- eaten pizza on the table afterthought how awful it was. The whole experience from service to food to check out was pretty bad. Definitely not coming back! read more

Red Lobster - Totally forgot til we were done eating... - Seafood Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

Always nice to come here. The service is great and the food is pretty good and the staff seems so patient and friendly with kids lol. Whenever we want to go and sit down at a restaurant with our little one, this is our go to. She seems to love it too! read more

The restaurant seems extremely understaffed given the capacity. We came in and the restaurant wasn't busy at all. Only about six tables were seated on one half of the restaurant, but were told that it would be a 15-20 minute wait. Regardless, we decided to wait and throughout that period the hostess was giving exaggerated and inconsistent wait time estimates to the parties coming in after us. We also ended up waiting about 30 minutes before we were finally seated. Our waitress was the only employee in the facility that had a mask on whereas the rest were all maskless. Truthfully I thought the quality of the food might be the same as the service, but asides from the wait.. the food was pretty good. The biscuits and shirley temple were as delicious as I remembered them to be. I got my usual seaside shrimp trio which was a huge portion for the price. Will probably just get take-out next time though! read more

Very poor service, decent food, but small portions. Never permit them to sit you at the bar as they have to much going on to ensure good food service. In summary, took 42 minutes to get our food from the time we ordered. Never received water, only one round of biscuits, we both ordered bottomless shrimp and had to chase the server down to get one reorder. We arrived earlier, 4:50 and after a short wait, they walked us to a booth at the bar. I almost said something, but I thought it would be ok. It wasn't, the server was too preoccupied with drink orders he was unable to manage a table with a food order. I got up several times asking for items (water, refills, biscuits and shrimp). We eventually gave up, paid our bill and left. They must give you a different type of shrimp with the "Bottomless" order as they almost looked like popcorn shrimp. We love the food, and both of us have been going to red lobster since the early 80's, but service needs to be improved. read more

It's been awhile since we've been to Red Lobster. Came on a Saturday night and it was quite busy. We waited about 40 mins for a table. The hostesses are all welcoming and friendly. Our server was incredibly sweet, attentive, and had a lovely personality. She was so loving towards our little ones. Our dishes came out in a timely manner and we enjoyed our meal. Their portions are generous, which is great for leftovers. I'm always able to split my dish into 3 meals. Is Red Lobster forking out the highest quality seafood? No, but we still enjoy their dishes. You can't go wrong with their cheddar bay biscuits. read more

See all

I had a very good dinner two weeks ago I went for lunch yesterday I enjoyed it very much I had the crab legs delicious my wife had the lobster enjoy it so much service was excellent I will go back very soon read more

I took my wife to Red Lobster for Valentine's Day. We have three great sons and we take them with us all the time. This year we decided that just the two of us would go out. It's not the most romantic place to go, but we love seafood. Even on Valentine's Day we had a reasonable wait. The staff could not have been nicer. Our food was prepared almost perfectly and was very good. It was a great way to spend the evening. Enjoy read more

See all

We come to Red Lobster often. We always ask for Janice. She is so much fun to talk to. Has been with the company for more years than I can count. She makes it fun. The food is always good. I like how they are always updating the menu. I like to try new things read more

First our broccoli was brown looking and tasting like it was on its way out. Then my husbands lobster tail was mushy. We got new broccoli that was still terrible. We got a new better lobster tail we waited close to 30 minutes for. Our dinner out was basically ruined. The biggest disappointment is that the manager never stopped by after two errors on their kitchens part. Very disappointing! Server was great! This was not his fault! read more

Food is really good. Especially the shrimp. With the sauce Signature perfect!, service is really good this old lady is really nice. Ambiance was great! Background music pretty much good. Love this restaurant. Might come here again! read more

The service was great. Didn't like how I had to ask for bread, usually it's just handed to you because the restaurant is known for their cheddar biscuits. The Lobsterita was okay, could have more raspberry flavoring, I could just taste pure alcohol. Other than that the food was very good. read more

Red Lobster - Red Lobster bread, Rasberry Lobsterita, and Tropical White - Seafood Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

See all

Five stars for great service! Shout out to Tegan! Food is fair Piping hot food Shrimp is bacon scallops terrific! read more

4:30pm, Sunday November 7 afternoon we see two parties walking out even though the parking lot is a ghost town. So I drop my daughter at the door and tell her to get a table while I park. That was the first mistake. My daughter is deaf. I walk in with my husband and there is no line, nothing -just my daughter standing there. I ask if she got the table. The hostesses (there were 2 standing there) would not help her because she was deaf. Despite her best effort to tell them a table for 3. I speak to them first about their refusal to assist my daughter when she tried to get a table, and then requested a table for 3. The 2 of them spend another five minutes pushing buttons on their screen saying nothing. Finally they say it will be 20 minutes for a table. Are they in the same restaurant I am? There is literally 4 tables seated, i point this out to them, there is NO-ONE in their restaurant. 20 minutes. Maybe they didn't want to be reported for their flagrant violation of refusing to help a deaf person which goes against ADA to their manager? Either way i would think having it posted online for the world to see is worse than just letting the manager know proper training protocol. read more

Service was bad unfortunately, Delicious food, amazing collection on menu. Needs a lil bit improvement on alcohol beverages. read more

Red Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

Today my bf and I went to the mall but before we could go walking around and spend money we don't have, we stopped at Red Lobster for lunch. Okay, so we walk in and wait to be sat. We literally stood there for 3-5 minutes and didn't see a soul. We almost left because we thought they were closed. We saw a waitress walk out of the kitchen and waited a moment more and were sat. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly. The food took a while to come but I understand because of staff shortages so I won't hold that against them. The biscuits were fresh and soft. The bacon wrapped scallops were good. My bf ordered the Wednesday special of steak and lobster and enjoyed his meal. I ordered the unlimited shrimp and it was good but I wish it came quicker. I got full waiting. I would go back. read more

See all

Bryan served us and he was great! Food was as expected and service was awesome, thanks Bryan!

Went for a late lunch and enjoyed "The All You Can Eat Shrimp", most delicious and our Server was on top of the concept "all you can eat". Very satisfied! Shout out to our Server, Jason ... Great job! read more

Terrible service , sat the bar area for 10 minutes without anyone handing me a menu or drink. 7 servers mingling and texting on a Monday night and no one to help . read more

Red Lobster - Bar area - Seafood Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

Went in for lunch, no crowds. Went with a friend. The service, the food were all perfect. Will definitely stop through again soon. BTW, those stuffed mushrooms are insanely good ! read more

Okay okay so it's my fault you say... well your right!!! What was I thinking going to Red Lobster for a seafood meal. We all know this chain restaurant is just that! A chain restaurant that is over priced with small food portions. My food was swimming in butter. I definitely do not recommend this place if your going out on a date, you will both end up shitting your brains out What a waste of $20!!!!! Oh well... we live and we learn read more

See all