We had an extraordinarily poor experience at this restaurant tonight, October 23, 2022. Since we were dining with a three year old and an infant our party of four adults and the children arrived at 5:40 pm. We were seated fairly quickly but our server was very inattentive. We waited an hour and a half before being served our meals, drinks were irregularly refilled and only if we repeatedly requested it. We were not offered biscuits, sweet tea was unavailable "until we get some made". Terrible experience for marginal food, with no apology for the delay in being served. I would never recommend this establishment. read more

So it's my first time ever going to Red Lobster and I must say that I'm pretty darn impressed. The quality of the food is a notch above a chain restaurant; however, you have to pay $5-$10 more than your average chain restaurant to get this quality. The alcoholic cocktails are amazing and the lobster pizza is a dish that's worth trying. read more

Red Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

We had a nice and funny waiter. We loved the service here, lovely manager. The appetizer (calamari) -- it was below average. It was too salty that we could not taste the calamari itself. And the calamari was small too! read more

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we went to red lobster in champaign il on Friday sept 24th. The meal was horrible. You get a handful of salad which has been cut down drastically. The seafood was burnt and dry the baked potato had been sitting for quite sometime because it was cold and shriveled up didn't even melt the butter. It will be a long time before we go back if ever. read more

Pretty darn good! It wasn't a busy night. It also helped that we didn't arrive until after 830pm this evening. More than 3 decades ago, I worked in the 1st Red Lobster of Champaign as part of the opening crew until about 18 months later. At Red Lobster I learned to cook all manner of food. Other than their grilled food, I imagine the food is prepared and cooked the same way as in times past. That being said, I am not a fan of seafood (unless grilled outdoors) and generally defer to a nice steak and baked potato. My guest will most always choose the seafood side of the menu. I had a good NY Strip steak. She had a "Festival of Shrimp". The shrimp was reported to be completely delicious. The steak was... OK. A couple of times I've had to send back steaks that are overcooked or tough. This time wasn't one of those times. It was cooked to medium doneness properly with a warm pink center. Good food. Certainly not the least expensive. Which is probably why Red Lobster is only visited about once every 3 months. Had it been maybe $10 less expensive, it might have earned 5 stars. read more

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Ethan was my waiter on 09/11, I had fantastic service. My boyfriend and I had great food and just a roundabout wonderful time. the service really helps make the food better and this place really had it going with their night staff. so shoutout to Ethan and that whole shift for the wonderful food and the service. read more

Absolutely horrible Red Lobster use to be a go to spot for great seafood at a good price, last couple of visit shows the food and service was lacking in taste or courtesy. read more

Normally I don't go to chain places but it sounded good. The food was actually better than expected but our service is why I felt compelled to review. Our waitress, Marnetta, was the most attentive server I have encountered. She was above any beyond polite, knowledgeable of the menu, made good recommendations for my husband dinner, and was just awesome. If you find yourself eating here, ask for her and you won't be disappointed. She was just amazing! read more

9/14/2015 My wife and I took out my mother for afternoon lunch at the Champaign, Illinois Red Lobster on Monday 9/14/2015. Was greeted as we entered the restaurant and with a quick scan of the seating area, noticed that it was really clean. We were seated, received menus and had our drink order placed in a timely fashion. My wife and I each ordered the endless shrimp special while my mother had the popcorn shrimp. Our waitress, Lori B., was very nice and prompt. Did not have to ask for refills on our drinks and did not have to wait for our next plate of shrimp. I will be asking for Lori B. as our waitress next time. If I had to come up with one complaint, it would be the price of their sodas and ice tea. At $2.69 a drink, even with free refills, a glass of water is a bargain. read more

My fiance usually needs at least one or two trips a year to Red Lobster, to fulfill the Korean side of him that craves seafood. I personally find the atmosphere and food to be vulgar, but how can I say no to someone who NEEDS seafood?! I usually get the half portion of salmon with a garden salad, rice palaf and vegetables. It tastes exactly like I think it's going to: bland salmon flavor with lettuce, salty rice and salty vegetables. Blech. read more

After sampling many chain restaurants, I know that not all chains are created equally, even if they operate under the same name. I've stopped by Red Lobster restaurants in other towns and have been overwhelmed by delightful, positive experiences, so I thought I'd give the local one a try. When I went on a weekend night packed with other customers, I was concerned about wait time but fortunately my party was seated almost immediately. With so many patrons vying for the attention of their servers, we were overlooked and felt we got the cold shoulder because of our age (a young college group). The interior is old and ragged, which conveniently fits the "shipwreck" theme. We were pushed into a dark corner (intended to be "romantic lighting," I think), but I could still make out the wear on our seats and the carpet. For dinner, I ordered one of their "daily catches" and had it cooked on the grill. The fish was bland, unmemorable, and did not justify the cost; the only flavor came from the lemon that I judiciously squeezed on top. As for my side dish, I was horrified by my broccoli. It had been cooked beyond redemption, with each bud shriveled and blackened. The saving grace of the meal was the biscuits (crunchy outside, hot and buttery inside), which have been consistently good between all of the Red Lobsters I have visited. At the end of the meal, the bill for my boyfriend and I came out to about $40 (including tip). Not a happy customer. read more

My family and I had never been to Red Lobster before. We thought it would be exciting to try because it's "so American" and its marketing is ubiquitous. And, as a bonus, when we walked in, we noticed that every single patron was morbidly obese. I took this as a sign that the food must be irresistibly delicious. After this experience, I will never use those three criteria for selecting a restaurant. The food was one of the worst I've ever had in my life. It tasted like butter, not seafood. Everything was dripping with butter. It was so salty and buttery we felt queasy. My family and I were just... It was so bad we laughed and were like "wtf lol" and vowed never to come back. We were so surprised that such an apparently popular restaurant could be so bad. Over the years, I've learned that this kind of poor quality is common at American chain restaurants. Such a sad waste of money. I fell for the marketing. Now I know better. read more

Don't quite like the western way of cooking seafood and 20-30 dollars for several bites of shrimp is not that worth it. I guess my hubby likes the biscuits which is why a lot of ppl go there. read more

Good service. Lobster had a bit burnt taste at the beginning, but wasn't too bad. Forgot the butter with it, but whatever, I am used to eating lobster plain. Food was good overall. I had the feast plates. The price was pretty decent. The waitress was nice and cute. If go to restraunt request Jessyca Diaz as she pays attention to detail and serve the customers good with a positive attitude. Would defenitely go again. read more

What could possibly go wrong with AYCE shrimp?!!! The food was deliciously great as always!! I'm about on my 12th skewer of shrimp and I tell ya, after eating so much, it's getting a little warm in here from my tummy processing all this goodness! It's a BEAUTIFUL 64°F outside and they have a nice outside patio. Unfortunately, the reason for -1 star is because as much as I really would have enjoyed this meal outside, the anti-bird chirper thingamabob is so ear-piercingly loud and the frequency is so high-pitched yet within human hearing range, it also keeps otherwise happy/hungry humans away as well. It has actually been a deterrent for a good portion of this summer as I love to eat outside weather permitting. As to the food, awesomely cooked and our server dude was awesome too with nothing but positive outgoing energy in his service and he knew when to check on us without being too overbearing. Two thumbs-up for EVERYTHING but the stupid chirping outside. read more

Red Lobster - AYCE Shrimp Monday night special til 6pm - Seafood Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Blech. I'm always skeptical of a seafood place that has an overwhelming fishy smell as it tells me the seafood isn't that fresh. Red Lobster has that smell. read more

Service is typically great. But this time I sat at the bar and that bartenders/servers in the bar area seemed distracted. Like hella distracted. Like we had to ask for things twice and try to get their attention. When I am sitting at a table, that almost never happens. I'll probably go back to sitting at the table and leave the bar alone. Otherwise, this is the only place I trust to eat seafood (judge me! IDGAF!) around here. I also get the crab legs and it never fails me. NEVER. Although this time my corn was burnt (took one bite and left it alone). If you are looking for good seafood, go here. Seriously. read more

About 4 years ago, (has it really been that long?) Kridz and I started going to Red Lobster on Xmas eve. I'm not exactly sure why we started this, but we've done it ever since. Part of the reason has to be that... after about 5pm, it's practically the only restaurant open on N. Prospect. We pulled up around 630 or so on xmas eve, the parking lot was pretty packed, but we found a spot. Walked in and noticed many people sitting there waiting (again, everyone else was closed). I'm not sure why they were waiting, One was like a party of 6 (sadly, no reservations, not that they appeared to be reservation making people), the other was a party of 2. We go to the host stand and ask if we can just sit at the bar, she asked if we were going to wait for a table, and we are like... nah, we are bar folk. So we sit at the bar. The draft beer selection is not great. There are so many different versions of the same thing. Budlight, ... other things. I went with a Sam Adams. After finishing, I noticed they have Lagunitas IPA in bottles, so way to sell that Clint! Red Lobster isn't really a place for craft beer drinkers. It's a fancy place... for people who don't know how to be fancy. It's a place for some people to splurge (monthly, semi-annually, annually???). I ordered the stuffed mushrooms appetizer. I believe they have recently changed/adjusted their menus, as there was really large pieces of (lobster or crab?) (apparently lobster AND crab) in the caps. There was a healthy (or was it unhealthy) amount of butter in the bottom of the dish as well, which is excellent for being sopped up by their biscuits. Seriously, the biscuits is probably a good enough reason to go to Red Lobster, but you already knew that. Around here, everyone always raves about Beef House Rolls. Oh, you went to Beef House... how many rolls did you eat? And how was your salad bar? And finally, how was the steak? If you are a restaurant and you are known for something other than the words in the name of your restaurant, you are doing something wrong. Most people who go into Red Lobster will never eat a full lobster. They may do scrimps.. but not the lobster. When the exwife and I drove back from Alaska, there was no Red Lobster in Alaska, heck, there really was no live lobster in Alaska, so when we were driving back, and finally saw a sign on the side of the road for a Red Lobster, we pulled over to go eat lobster! (she's from Maine). They had a special then, that you could get a lobster tail, to go with your meal (probably still have that) So we each got a lobster... with a second lobster tail. They looked at us funny. We didn't care. For dinner this time, I went with the Bar Harbor Lobster Bake (or should I say Bah Hahbah Lobstah Bake). (Actually I did say Bah Hahbah Lobstah Bake). Kridz went with scrimps 2 ways, popcorn and like a popcorn coconut. The Bah Hahbah Lobstah Bake is really good. Extremely large scallops, 3 lobstah tail halves, loads of scrimps, and plenty of mussels. While I'm ok with mussels, I'd prefer clams. Clams seem to have disappeared. Everywhere has mussels. No one has clams. While I appreciate the aesthetics of mussels and their black shells providing a contrast on the plating, I prefer the taste (and memories) of clams. For sides, Kridz got the Brussels sprouts, I went with the asparagus. The Brussels sprouts were apparently cooked in a browned butter, then sautéed, They were even better with extra butter drizzled on it. The asparagus was very good. After eating my (and Kridz) veggies, and eating all of the seafood in my Bah Hahbah Lobstah Bake, (and a biscuit, and the stuffed mushrooms) there was really no room for the pasta in garlic and white wine sauce. It was tasty, I just couldn't eat any more. Everytime I go anywhere, I always run into someone I know. These instances can be expected (of course I will know someone in Champaign), or extremely odd. Like the time I went to a hockey game in Charlotte NC, and ran into the girl who lived in the room next door to mine, from the barracks in Alaska. At basic training, I ran into the guy who was in my brothers grade in school, from Green Bay, who in 5th grade jumped up onto the table and yelled G-FORCE, and said "I PUT A CURSE ON YOU MRS. PELLETIER!!!" That's just the way life goes for me. I always place a line on an over/under bet, whenever I leave the house. Red Lobstah was no exception. It was only 1 person though. Robert (I believe it's Robert) from Black Dog. The guy with the really really big afro. He was out with his grandmother and his kids. Our total for the app, beer, 2 entrees was only 66. We were expecting it to be more, but were pleasantly surprised. read more

- Food I loved their biscuits, and all the salads were just fine. We had the bar harbor lobster bake, wood-grilled lobster shrimp and salmon, and the lobster meat taco with mashed potato. With lobsters being lobsters and shrimps being shrimps, what I didn't like was the linguine inside the bar harbor lobster bake. It is not a pasta. Nobody cooks pasta that way. I deeply regret for once considering ordering a shrimp pasta here. Also, since they were out of salmon, we were served of some scallops instead. It wasn't too bad. - Service There were too small number of waiters, so that we waited for like 30 minutes looking at the empty tables. Two and a half stars were earned by a waitress who served us tonight. Katherine B, (if i am remembering that B correctly) was really kind and careful. I wish I could have given a half star more to this restaurant solely for her service. read more

For a chain restaurant Red Lobster really does a nice job. Our server was very knowledgeable, efficient, and friendly. We stopped in after a U of I volleyball game and it was about 1/2 hr. before closing. The whole restaurant was great from the greeter to the busboys. Our food was served hot and quickly. Just a great experience. read more

Worst red lobster i have been to. Came here ob a rainy late afternoon. The whole restaurant was empty. Service was nothing stellar. But not dreadful. They brought out their signature red lobster biscuits. That was the best part of our whole meal. Ordered the calamari appetizer. Dont get it unless you are expecting to get breaded fried bell peppers and broccoli. Seriously, there were hardly any squid. And the breading was extremely weird, not breading well, the crumbs were fall off. The seasoning was also off. Overall that appetizer ended up being a disaster. It was over $10. By this point, we were ready to leave, I'd rather finish off the rest of my meal elsewhere. read more

We love us some Red Lobster!!! My boys beg to go here. Everything is always clean and food is hot and fresh tasting. Something that makes this location stand out is that there is always a manager on the floor! read more

My food was good, sadly, I had very disappointing service..... I had to ask for each thing separately, SEVERAL times. I sat without a drink or my condiment for many, many minutes. There were three people behind the bar and only one helped me. There were at least 3 managers that came thru apologizing (to others) about the lack of bread, none of them asked me about my service. Not one asked why I wasn't eating the full plate of food in front of me! The worst part.... A manager came thru at 630ish and gave a trainee to the one bartender that WAS working. I waited even longer for my check. I will not go back. #thebreadwasgoodonceigotit read more

This used to be my go-to seafood restaurant. But over the past few years I see the quality of food and service dwindling. Now days about the only time I go is if they have raw Oysters on the half shell. My server was very friendly but her uniform was filthy. She made the comment that she was just starting her shift so her uniform should have been clean. Cheddar biscuits and their Caesar salad are still awesome. read more

For the price I paid the food portions were more than adequate. I left with a to-go box filled with leftovers. We were seated immediately, but unfortunately we were put into the same corner of the restaurant as everyone else and had 3 very unhappy young children sitting near us, one of which was having a birthday party. I suppose this could be because we went later in the evening when they were trying to clean up the other part of the restaurant. The service was agreeable, our waiter was very friendly, knowledgeable of the menu, and was prompt on drink refills. We did have to ask for some delicious Cheddar Biscuits though. The quality of the food was acceptable, but for the price I paid I would've expected better. Then again trying to get "good" seafood in central Illinois is a bit of a joke. All aspects considered: it was an enjoyable evening out with friends, and I left satisfied. read more

Well I love sea food, so my review might be biased. Every time I step in (any) Red Lobster they remind me of beach restaurants in California, which to me brings fond memories. Anyway, Tonight we had lobster tail, crab legs, shrimp scampi and fried shrimp. They were all very good. Their biscuits are a bit on the salty side, but I think I could forego them and not take a star off as the sea food itself was great. Also, one of our party mentioned that we have a birthday among us, and the staff surprised us with an ice-cream + chocolate desert after our meal, on the house. The waitress and staff are very courteous and polite. read more

Worst dinning experience ever. Waiters do nothing but staring at me. They are incredibly rude. The manager is not even wearing her uniform and the waiter who served us did not even take notes when we order. Tell me if my experience could be worse. read more

I feel like for a Red Lobster this place is great. Service is excellent, food is decent, and the place itself is pretty nice (I'm surprised they remodeled recently). Considering the price it's a top rating for me as the service is excellent and the food is good enough. read more

I went to the endless shrimp special at this location on Labor Day. The waitress was friendly and the food came quickly. I tried all the shrimp dishes and each was as tasty as the last. The food was well prepared and hot when it arrived. I would recommend this location to anyone visiting the CU area. Great staff, great food! read more

We ended up at Red Lobster because they had less of a wait than other places in town (it was Dad's weekend at U of I and every hotel and restaurant in town was overflowing). It was my birthday and our family was going out to dinner to celebrate. As soon as our food came I found out why no one else wanted to eat here... There were four of us and we were given a basket with only three biscuits in it (and we had to ask in order to even receive that...). All of the shrimp and lobster ordered was over cooked and rubbery. The shrimp scampi I ordered was disgusting! On top of rubbery shrimp was a sauce of a butter like substance that could not have been real butter and about 20 times more salt than was needed. I even brought the shrimp home to see if I could salvage them but, even with very hot water, I could not was off enough salt to make them edible. I will never go back. read more

The five star review is primarily because this is the best Red Lobster I've been to. It's certainly not the best seafood you can get, but then again we're in Champaign/Urbana and it's pretty okay. The food is consistent and I should know because I rarely stray from my trusty favorites. I've also received very good service each time I've visited. Shout-out to my favorite server Danielle! You should ask for her. We have family in Savannah and my children have grown to love crab legs which leaves very little options in C-U so it's always Red Lobster when they're jonesing. Maybe this isn't exactly a glowing review, but for a Red Lobster, the Champaign location is the best. read more

I was very excited to go here for dinner it was one of the worst dinners I had out in a long time. They served me bad mussels and the rest of the seafood was way overcooked. I was sick for several days after eating the few mussel which is the only part of the dish I finished. They tried to give me something else but if you can't get one of advertised specials right I have little fate in another dish. On a side note we haven't been there for over ten years I don't think I'll ever go back and I love seafood. read more

We were in for our grandson's birthday. Our servers were nice and helpful, but the food had a lot of room for improvement. I initially ordered the caprese salad, and it was full of water. The cheese and tomatoes were even a little slimy like it had been soaking in the water for a while. There was either no balsamic on it, or the balsamic had been diluted by all the water. I returned it and ordered a house salad with no croutons. My salad ended up coming with croutons, so I picked them off and gave them to my husband whose house salad had been delivered without croutons back when I got the caprese. My granddaughter's potato soup was thick and brown as if it had been sitting in the warmer for way too long. It didn't come with any of the toppings (bacon, cheese, sour cream). When the entrees arrived, I had ordered a filet and rock lobster. The filet was supposed to be medium, and it was well done. My daughter's shrimp Caesar was so drowned in dressing, that she could only pick out the shrimp. The salad itself was inedible. Her sister-in-law ordered the same salad, and hers was brought out without croutons. Finally, my son-in-law and his brother both ordered the endless shrimp, and each time they reordered scampi, there was a different number in the refill. Get that kitchen together, and start having a little pride in your food quality. I get that Red Lobster isn't a five star restaurant, but these are basics. read more

Red Lobsters around the country have gone through a recent renovation of both their decor and their menus that you may have missed. The move has made the restaurant into more of an upscale offering, with concordant higher prices. It is the act of offering that is now more upscale, however, and not necessarily what is offered to you. The change results in an additional menu section where you can choose any of a selection of fresh fish and then choose how you want it cooked (oven, pan or broil). Then you get a couple of their standard sides for $13-20. The rest of the menu, other than the big crustaceans, is cheaper than this. Its not a bad deal if the fish is good and fresh and then cooked skillfully. In my limited recent experience, (one recent trip to this location and two recent trips to other Red Lobsters) their cooking is hit or miss. I was very happy with my broiled salmon in terms of size, flavor and doneness. Others have been less enthusiastic, with classic fish complaints (size/strong smell/consistency). Don't worry, they still have their stupendous cheddar biscuits and the coconut fried shrimp with rum sauce that are even better. These shrimp are so good, I think of them as the crab rangoons of the Red Lobster and get them every time. The rest is pretty much the same, but with slightly different (less?) stuff on the walls and probably higher prices than you may remember. They have a decent variety of beers and booze and a chain restaurant's expected bevy of froofy drinks. But is it worth it? If you go for one of the shrimp or lobster fests, or you have a coupon or gift card to soften the blow, its definitely worth it. I am a pretty frugal guy, and even though I love fish, there are many places I would rather spend this kind of money at, like Yellowfin. If somebody spruces up Seaboat into a nice take a date joint though, its over. read more

I wanted to go to Red Lobster for awhile, because I thought that, if nowhere else, I could get some quality seafood there. I was very disappointed with the food I ate. My wife and I ordered some of the more expensive dishes from the menu, and all seafood came either heavily breaded and deep-fried or drenched in cooking oil. Fish and shellfish have very delicate flavors, and they were totally destroyed by the cooks. I couldn't taste anything behind the oil; it all tasted like French fries. Given that this is one of the priciest restaurants in town in its class, it's definitely wasn't worth my money. I'm not going back. read more

This review is purely for the service. Red Lobster food is Red Lobster food, and you're going to get subpar seafood pretty much no matter what. You're in the midwest...what do you expect? The service here is fantastic. My salad had something funky going on with the lettuce, and the waitress handled the situation beautifully. She apologized, and promptly offered me a new salad, and went to get the manager. I declined the salad (eh.), but the manager was very sweet, and took my meal off the bill. Additionally, my boyfriend wanted dessert, and they paid for that too! Despite the fact that it was a small mistake and not their fault, they dealt with the situation by putting the customer first. We will be back because of that great response...and maybe the cheddar bay biscuits. read more

Red Lobster is one of my favorite seafood restaurants! I have tried the new Jumbo Crab and the quality of the food was horrible. Red Lobster hasn't disappointed me yet. Love this place! read more

Hmmm, I cannot say the food is bad but...the service is really unsatisfying. They arrange the seat closest to the restroom for us. I don't know if this is because we are Asian. Maybe I'm too sensitive...Anyway, I'm not a fan of either shrimp or lobster. So I won't come here again unless I have to. read more

We went to RL for lunch today. They still have the shrimp tacos that I raved about but this time I tried one of the lunch catches. I just want to send a shout out about the portion sizes. I ordered the wood grilled shrimp and chicken. The chicken breast was about the size of a chicken tender - very thin and small. The shrimp and potato were small too. The potato was about the size of my fist and the shrimps about an inch big. The flavor was wonderful. Everything tasted really good and although it sounds like I am complaining about the size I am really not because that was all I needed to eat for lunch anyway. I just wanted others to know the scaled down size so they don't leave hungry. It was only 8.79 so the price is scaled down as well. read more

I have been to red lobster many times. Sometimes the food is great but sometimes it's subpar. Currently, the crabfest is going on at re lobster. My husband and I decided to visit and enjoy some crab. We ordered Alaska bairdi crab, stuffed mushroom with seafood and crab cake dinner. Now, I hate sides available at red lobster. They should include an option to add soup as a side or have some better tasting side options. Now, coming back to the food, stuffed mushrooms tasted really nice. They had good stuffing of seafood. Alaska bairdi crab tasted sweet and fresh. Crab cakes tasted really great and I was happy that they had crab lump meat not shredded. We were so happy with our meal that we went again next week. I again ordered crab cake dinner for myself, my husband ordered fresh whole lobster from fresh fish list and sweet chilly shrimp. Sweet chilly shrimps had too much oil in them. I felt as if I'm drinking oil. They did not taste nice. Crab cake was ok as this time crab meat was shredded and was a little bit dry. Lobster was overcooked and was so rubbery that my husband couldn't even cut it with knife. We told our server about the lobster and she immediately called her manager. She offered us to replace it. But our food already had come so late and we were getting late for the movie so we declined the offer. She informed us that she will adjust the bill accordingly. My husband had just taken two bites of pretty expensive lobster. When the bill came, we realized that they took off 50% off from the lobster dish. We still felt bad, as we did not have eaten even 20% of that dish. Anyways, first experience was good but second was a disaster. read more

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