My husband and I visited Red Lobster in Colonie, N.Y. recently. It's not very close to our home at all, but well worth the drive. Our server was Shirly and she was the kindest, most thoughtful server we've had in a while. She offered us things I was planning on asking her for, like extra napkins and lemon for our water. Before I got the words out she was at the table with them. It was an exceptional experience. read more

My daughter graduated from UAlbany yesterday and wanted to eat at Red Lobster (yay!). We had a wonderful meal and great service from Olivia, who is terrific! Things we ate: Endless shrimp, Chicken Parmesan, Lobster Dip and some Happy Hour margaritas. A great time overall! read more

Red Lobster - This hit the spot! - Seafood Near Me - Colonie, New York

Well I can see why Red Lobster is closing down a lot of their locations. I'm a long time lover of Red Lobster but they've gone downhill fast. Let's start with the good... the location is clean, basically the same as it was 10 years ago. Service was excellent, our waitress was very attentive to our needs as were the greeters. The restaurant was about 1/4 to 1/3 full! So let me give you my negative results now. Let me start with STICKER SHOCK! The prices were unbelievable, their "Ultimate Feast" which has shrimp scampi, fried shrimp, snow crab legs and lobster tail. This combo is $49.99 and that doesn't include the salad anymore! The two versions of shrimp were exactly like I remember in the past flavor wise. The crab legs portion was small, even if they were normal crab legs. These were baby legs and they had hardly any meat in them. The Lobster tail was small, and I mean very small, half the size of a regular lobster. In my life I've had the Ultimate Feast dozens of times and never left hungry! So for almost $50.00 I got 5 fried shrimp, 8 small shrimp scampi, 2-3 ounces of crab meat and a Lobster tail that couldn't have weighed 3 ounces, and NO salad. I'm saying BYE BYE to Red Lobster, you can't stay in business providing this to customers. Oh, before I forget, the Baked Potato I had with it had to be reheated for a few days, then finally found a sucker who ordered it. Sorry Red Lobster, you've definitely lost this customer and I'm certain many more. read more

There are not a lot of casual seafood restaurants in the area, minus the new seafood boil type of restaurants that have been slowly popping up. Red Lobster on Wolf Road has been prominent for years as it stands next to their sister restaurant (as they mostly do in every location). This chain restaurant is a very run of the mill seafood spot (if you can call it that). The prices have become not so casual, but the atmosphere is still the same as twenty years ago. I am unsure why this spot is still up and running (maybe due to a lack of true seafood spots in the area) but they seem to do well enough to get by. No more endless shrimp deals like before (though everything was very salty), but now they do have other deals like their 3-course shrimp sensation for $19.99. Besides their complimentary cheddar bay biscuits which I find most comforting when they are hot and fresh, the quality of the rest of the food I've consumed at Red Lobster have been absymal. The lobster bisque was creamy but was salty and didn't have any visible chunks of lobster meat in it. The garlic shrimp scampi was cooked well but again had so much salt I couldn't taste the natural sweetness of the shrimp. The baked potato and broccoli sides were basic and typical. The coconut shrimp however was the star of the show with a perfectly fried and crunchy exterior and nice coconut flavor, great with or without the side sweet coconut dip. All in all, a run down Red Lobster location that still seems to attract some locals looking for seafood in a casual settinf for a very mid experience. While there are many other menu options including sandwiches, burgers, and even steaks, they don't do well for my taste as they aren't what I'm looking for in terms of both flavor and cooking quality. read more

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We arrived in Albany last Friday and had stopped by on the way to our vacation home. We were promptly greeted and Shirley was our server. She was fabulous. Very personable and took very good care of us. Food was cooked perfect to order and good serving for price. Today headed back home and stopped in again for lunch! Was so nice to be remembered especially that I loved the Brussel sprouts. I told them I was coming back today and the manager made sure I had a serving. How great is that!! Customer appreciation makes the nice atmosphere and good food even better. I'll always come by for my 1st meal when I come back in the summer. read more

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Red Lobster used to be my favorite chain restaurant, but it has sadly gone downhill. To start, the prices are astronomical. For example, the Ultimate Feast used to be about $30, now it is $50. Likewise, the lobster lover's dream is now over $60. I thought Red Lobster was supposed to be cheaper seafood, but it's now much more expensive than local seafood restaurants. I don't understand how that even makes sense. In the same vein, they have recently ruined their clam chowder. To explain, their clam chowder used to be delicious, but now it's awful. The new chowder was pasty, watery, and had an insane amount of potatoes in it. The entire thing was a watery bowl of potatoes. Just an absolute travesty destroying a once great chowder. On the other hand, the shrimp, lobster tails, and biscuits are still pretty good. They are the only reason that I would still go here. To put a stamp on it, Red Lobster has gone downhill with its crazy prices and terrible clam chowder. read more

Red Lobster - Biscuits - Seafood Near Me - Colonie, New York

We got there and it took a while for our drinks and food to come, the food barley tasted good and it took hours for the boxes and the check to come and the worker barley did her job. read more

I went to Red Lobster for Mother's Day and it did not meet my expectations of service. I did not have a reservation and was told it was a 2 hour wait for 5 person table. I added my name to the waitlist and by luck, we were seated in 45 minutes. This is when it began to go downhill. We waited 30 minutes for the server to approach us, he didn't ask if we wanted water, anything to drink, etc. and we had to request biscuits. The biscuits came and no plates were brought over; they arrived at least ten minutes later. We figured it'd be busy so we placed our order for all food items (appetizers and entrees and drinks) at one time. We did not get our food for another hour. The appetizer came out quickly but the server told us that it's out of his control and the kitchen is backed up which we understood since it was Mother's Day but being in Red Lobster for 3 hours was less than ideal. By the time the food arrived, we wanted to go boxes and the check. There were a lot of disgruntled customers around us voicing similar dissatisfaction. I would recommend that Red Lobster review staffing ratios and set realistic expectations. If they cannot accommodate, please do not seat us to wait even longer for a glass of water. The staff seemed very overwhelmed across the board from the check in to check out. When we left things seemed to be operating smoother and I did see management step in on a couple of tables. read more

Quiet, not too busy. Great seats and fast service. Good specials and excellent server. read more

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Dinner here was okay. The service was great, all the food was very nicely flavored and everything came out quickly, but a lot of things were just slightly off, and a little less than the consistency I usually get at a Red Lobster. It started with the six cheese biscuits we got - only one of them was actually fully cooked, the other five were doughy or even mushy. Two of our entrees came with broccoli, which again was nicely seasoned. But it was obvious just looking at the plates that one serving was cooked perfectly, and the other one (mine) was overdone. The grilled fish entrees were a little inconsistent too, one was still moist, the other was too dry. The fries were seasoned with salt but also with what I thought was paprika or a blend with paprika, and a wee bit too much. I also hope grilled or broiled scallops will come back as an entree in a future menu, I miss those as an entree choice rather than merely as an appetizer or a combo portion. Hopefully this was just an off evening. This is a convenient location for my family to meet for seafood dinners, and I'm always glad to improve a rating over time. read more

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We came to this restaurant for my dad's birthday I am a first time mother and have a one year old with me . She got a little fussy so I bought her to the front as to not disturb other guest to calm her down the manger took no time coming over and holding a conversation with my daughter (even though she's not really saying words yet ) showed her the lobster helped me calm her so we could go sit back down . It means a lot that I will be able to enjoy my meal and not feel like me or my daughter are a disturbance or inconvenient. Appetizer are amazing so far and our waiter has been just as patient dealing with a bigger party would definitely come back and also recommend ‍. Just having a great experience overall read more

Red Lobster - Bacon wrapped scallops - Seafood Near Me - Colonie, New York

Let's start off by saying the bartender, Tabatha, we had Friday night June 27th around 6 pm was absolutely amazing. Full bar full restaurant doing it all by herself. And she killed it. The food was pretty enjoyable. On the other hand this is probably the most poorly managed restaurant I've ever been to. The manager , Daniel, has no business being in that position let alone the restaurant industry at all. It is peak dinner hour on a Friday and you have one bartender? And this places is packed. I could barely find a parking spot. The only thing Daniel did to help was to go behind the bar to ask how people were doing while Tabitha was running around getting everyone's drinks. I'll tell you one thing for my first time ever being in a red lobster the only thing bringing me back is Tabatha and the food. Not Daniel. I feel horrible for these employees. When leaving I told Daniel maybe he should get the bartender some help or go back n help her him self instead of just walking around aimlessly. His response was "good idea" read more

We arrived at 1:30 and the place was hopping. We were greeted and promptly seated in Shirley's area at our request. She has waited on us in the past and remembered us. You can tell she really likes her job, as busy as she was she took excellent care of us. The food was cooked to order and was delicious. The fish and chips and the shrimp were perfect and the Brussel sprouts awesome. Shirley and Dean, the manager made sure there were sprouts when we got here. What a nice winter day to enjoy this great meal. Serving is a good portion as is the price. This is a 'go to' place!!! It was busy but the service was great!! read more

Shrimp shrimp and more shrimp! Delicious! Been coming here for 20 plus years... tonight the shrimp was amazing. Service was good. Drinks were outstanding. read more

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Its Red Lobster, hard to truly rate chains on food because you know what you are getting... But on service thats a different thing. I have been to this location a few times in the last few months and each time the people working there seem to really hate their jobs and I know the world is in a weird place right now with people (customers) being impatient and then taking it out on the service industry so I get employee's impatience and attitudes, But at some point, YOU Choose to work in Customer Service, so interacting with people is kinda a big part of your job... But last trip I ordered some Biscuits and who ever boxed my order gave me like 2 dozen so I love them much more now... But seriously, this isnt the worst place I've ever been, I just wish I could make people feel better, I want to walk into places with a sign that says "I Tip Well" and wont be THAT customer just to make people feel better!!! read more

Red Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Colonie, New York

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My sister wanted to have a shrimp cocktail and suggested Red Lobster. I love lobster so we chose to have an early dinner. Our server, Suzanne (with a Z, I asked!) was delightfully friendly and also attentive in making sure my steak was fine, that my sister's cocktail sauce was fine, and she made our experience so pleasant. I hadn't been to a Red Lobster in a very long time, and as I've heard that so many have closed, it was fun to be there. Thank you, Suzanne! read more

I just received the $12.00 "bowl" of "clam" chowder that I ordered through Door Dash. The delivery itself was super fast and the food was still hot, so kudos to DD. Considering that it costs $4.00 for a five pound bag of potatoes and $2.00 for the remaining ingredients, you should probably rename this "potato chowder" on your menu and charge nine bucks less. read more

Awesome food! Lobster fest is back really enjoyed my lobster, salmon and shrimp plate

We went there last night to celebrate a friends birthday. The menu has changed quite a bit and many of the old favorites are gone. For this not to be fresh seafood, and coming from frozen shrimp and such, we found the prices to be crazy! We used to do the pick three different types of shrimp for a meal and now it's preset which ones you get on the trio. To get the ones you wanted were considered add-ons at $7-$9 per serving. Even a basic fish sandwich was $22. The food had definitely sat under the heat lamps, so long the asparagus and brussels sprouts that we paid $4 as a premium side were dry, and the coleslaw was warm. Lobster tail was ordered as one of the premium sides on the pick four and you could tell it did not belong in the shell it came in. It was about 1/3 of the size of the shell. True lobster tail has always been served still with shell on. This was literally just laid on top of a shell. Five people eating basic meals, NO alcoholic beverages ended up being $245. One of them was the sandwich, one was waltz fried shrimp... No frills or add-ons... A shrimp trio, and the two specialty meals at $55 each. Very disappointed. Service was great! We can't take it out on him what they choose to charge, but we will not be going back there anytime soon. I imagine this new menu will hurt their business quite a bit. read more

It had been a long time since I had a meal at Red Lobster. Thank you for tmobile for handing out 2 free appetizers on their tmobile Tuesday. This is my second visit in less than a week and ordered coconut shrimp and crab stuffed shrimp Rangoon. The appetizers were appetizing yummy. I would definitely order this again!! I would give it a 5 star for food and prompt service. I tool off a star as I did takeout and ordered food online. With me having difficulty navigating the website and placing the order, I took a star off. read more

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My first visit in a while. I had the Crab carbonara. It was horrible! Sauce was just like a melted butter. The meal was so salty I could barely eat it. The crab was in such small pieces, I couldn't even find it! For $27.99 I would expect better. I will never be back.....ever...... read more

This evening we had the best dinner and experience we have ever had at a Red Lobster. First, every single staff member (from the host/hostesses, waitstaff, server (two who brought food to the table) was friendly, helpful, and accommodating. They went out of their way to make us feel "at home". We had a non-traditional dinner... two appetizers (the crab queso and the spicy dragon shrimp), two cocktails (blue margarita and tito's twisted lemonade- both good and we appreciated the extra lime and lemon which we used since we like our drinks a bit tart. All of these were on special since we happened to be there during Happy Hour. Then we shared the Wednesday steak and lobster dinner with special rice and a Caesar salad. And of course the traditional Red Lobster biscuits. EVERYTHING was very good. Biscuits were hot and tasty, salad was fresh with just the right amount of dressing and Parmesan cheese pieces. Both appetizers were excellent.... each with a little kick of their own. Generous pieces of crab in the queso and the shrimp coating and sauce were yummy. The lobster tail was excellent... cooked just right for dipping in the fresh hot butter. Steak was prepared at the temperature requested and was tender. Pat yourselves on the back. It is not often that we give a five star review (BOTH of us agreed this should be the rating)... and it is even more unusual with a chain restaurant. read more

I was in the mood for a frozen drinks, so I decided to get the famous Lobster-ita from Red Lobster to go! Due to Covid-19, I opted to take my drinks to go, and my server was nice enough to pack them up nicely for me. I must say, my bartender was generous with the alcohol, which is always a plus! You also can't beat a $10 margarita! read more

Red Lobster - Lobsterita to go - Seafood Near Me - Colonie, New York

Don't bother going to the Albany Red Lobster on Valentine's Day unless you don't mind hanging out at your table for 2 hours waiting for your food to be served... with wait staff saying sorry over and over..they aren't making money with each party of 2 sitting in their booth for total of 3 hrs. Although we did see a few parties get seated after us, eat and leave while we sat waiting for our meal to arrive. The takeout orders were flying out the door as inhouse patrons sat watching... and getting apologized to every 20 min.. with new lines of it is almost ready, it is being plated, they are bringing it right out... then comes out with vegetable missing... another 10 min wait, the check was another wait..then to be paid and receipt another wait. What a frustrating waste of a night out.​ read more

The host was friendly and polite. The manager was great! Food was delicious and wait staff was friendly and attentive!

Very good food. All the food was tasty and delicious. Great experience. Had such a great experience.

The food was alright but the rice tasted like the ones you buy at stores and then microwave . The service was not great because our table needed water and they didn't come check on us for a while. The place looks old fashion and the seats were cushioned and it was pretty nice. But overall it's a 3 star. read more

Red Lobster - This place was in Albany. - Seafood Near Me - Colonie, New York

Wow!! My husband and I drove from Dannemora NY to Glens Falls NY because I was absolutely craving a Lobster Pizza. Over 150 miles. We got there and everything is fine. He ( the manager acting as host) brought us to a nice booth. He said I hope you guys know about our fantastic new menu. Of course, why didn't I check menu before we left. I said to him As long as you have lobster pizza we are good. Well we don't have that. We now have a lobster flatbread. UGGGG! My husband ordered a new calamari dish. Thoroughly disappointing and uninviting food. It wasn't inedible, it was just not good. Service was good. read more

Their fish & chips is absolute garbage, the coleslaw is unpalatable and their fries are soggy. In short I preferred C Rations and MREs over that swill. Never again. read more

Red Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Colonie, New York

I love this restaurant. Always delicious seafood. You can never go wrong. The food is always good. The people who work there are personable and friendly. Service is excellent. The ambiance is nice. It's never too loud and it's easy to listen to your own conversations. read more

Some friends wanted to come here for dinner and I agreed, mostly because I hadn't been to a Red Lobster in 20 years (in part because I really don't like seafood). Despite it being a chain restaurant, I decided to give them a chance so I set my expectations low. They were met, and perhaps exceeded. The place shares a parking lot and entrance with Olive Garden and upon driving in it looked like both places were packed. But, after entering R.L. it was clear that much of the crowd had decided to eat Italian instead of seafood. Many tables here were empty, at least at the beginning of the Sunday dinner time. Our waiter was friendly and for the most part attentive. After reviewing the seafood-centric menu, the three others ordered various combinations of seafood to make up the create your own "Ultimate feast." I settled on the "Dragon Shrimp" which per the menu (and website) was "crispy shrimp tossed in a spicy soy-ginger sauce with broccoli, served over rice. Topped with green onions and served with choice of side." The menu also indicated elsewhere that all entrees came with a salad and side, as well as biscuits. About ten minutes after placing our order, our waiter came to tell us that the popcorn shrimp had run out. Two people had ordered it, but they found substitutes. We ran out of biscuits and it took many requests to get more, yet I don't know if that was because our waiter was slacking or the kitchen was just behind. Drinks came relatively quickly. My Caesar salad arrived and the dressing was absolutely dreadful, tasting of sweet mayonnaise with no hits of anchovy or garlic or anything else. The dressing reminded me of other bad Caesar salads I have had elsewhere from chain restaurants, and I suspect that it just means that they all order from the same supplier who has vile dressing. The croutons were dry generic from a bag items. It was a large salad though. While eating my salad, I realized that I was due a side item and the waiter hadn't asked what I wanted. I was told that the broccoli that came with my dish was my side, and if I wanted something else I should have requested it. Having reviewed their list of side items, I realized it wasn't worth the fight so I let it go. But, either he was incorrect in his interpretation of the menu or the menu was wrong. I cut/pasted the menu's language above which clearly indicates that the broccoli was not the side. Oh well. My food arrived and the shrimp was from a bag breaded shrimp, but it was okay. The rice had quinoa in it and was surprisingly enjoyable. The five pieces of broccoli that I received were hard, and so were the other people's broccoli too. A butter knife wouldn't cut it. I prefer crunchy broccoli over mushy broccoli any day, but this can't be how they normally should be served. The ginger sauce was sweet, like you would get as a Chinese restaurant, but I liked it. And lastly there were the biscuits. The first batch was deliciously crunchy on the edges and soft on the insides, but very salty. Our second batch were all soft and not crunchy, so either they were cooked for less time or perhaps they are group-baked on a large tray and we just didn't get any corner ones. I still liked them, but the first ones were better. All in all, it was an okay meal. My companions seemed to enjoy their food. The portions received and the appearance of everything were much smaller and less appealing than what was shown in the menu. The price was reasonable, and had I wanted to push back more I might have received my missing side dish and more free biscuits. But in the end the service miscues, lack of attention to detail, and overall saltiness of the food made me just want to leave. read more

The food was awful i ordered the bar harbor lobster bake. I had to ask for Alfredo sauce to try and make it taste better. My husband ended up in their bathroom throwing up. The 20-year-old looking manager only offered 15percent off and a free dessert. We declined the dessert and got it at cheesecake factory. When I got home. I was sick and threw leftovers in the garbage I used to love this place but they have fallen off bug time never again read more

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Walked in around 2:30 pm yesterday. Not many people in the restaurant. Asked for a booth by the window. Hostess "you can have a booth but not by a window" now understand multiple booths open at windows. I said Why, the answer "because". That's it, "because" Right off the rip, bad customer service and a very rude welcoming. Ok next. It seemed she just wanted to say No because we asked for a booth at the window. The waitress was nice so that's good. Order steamed clams, out of twelve, three where not open, three closed clams! The price $17.99. Just gave up and left! Outrageous! Never again! Get a clue! Your "hostess" should be welcoming and your clams should be open! And...it's not like the prices are responsible. This is what eating out has become, Terrible service and terrible experiences! read more

If I could leave a 0 star review I would. My fiancé and I went in to have a nice sit down meal together. When we arrived there were many open tables and lots of staff walking around. We were seated right away, however we were seated under an extremely bright light that cause both of our heads to hurt. 40 minutes passed and nobody had come to take our drink or food orders. As we waited, we watched countless servers walk around doing nothing. We eventually left as it was clear the service was not good, and as we left we saw about 5 servers standing at the host stand just doing nothing. read more

I have not spent New Years in the city within the passing 3 years. I thought, let's eat dinner at Red Lobster. I had my 1st dinner of the year at the midtown Manhattan location, IT WAS LOUSY. I ordered 1 pound of Snow Crab legs and the grilled Brussel Sprouts which were charred. The restaurant elevator was not working and the restaurant was extremely loud with people talking. read more

I was eating a biscuit and found a hair in it. I showed my server. He did bring out fresh ones. The manager did nothing. The only reason that there is not photos is because I am blind and did not take them. read more

Ordered the crab Alfredo and a salad. The salad was an extra 3 bucks. The salad had been sitting somewhere for quite a while. Wasn't appetizing at all. The pasta came out Luke warm. I realize they don't cook anything, they just microwave it but come on. And everything on the menu is ridiculously expensive. I will never eat there again read more

My mom and I came in this evening, we had Rachel for our server. She was amazing! She was very sweet, attentive, and friendly. We can't say enough good things about her, we hope to have her again at our next visit! read more

Walked in. Several staff members walked by but no one acknowledged us. We waited 10 min and no one approached us. They saw us but couldn't even say we'll be right with you or anything. Walked out. read more

I still enjoy dining at Red Lobster, even though there are no Red Lobster locations back home in NH. Those Red Lobster commercials for their promotions including Endless Shrimp and the Four Course Seafood Feast are shown frequently on local TV in NH, which does not seem to make sense, but make me hungry. This is a teaser since the closest Red Lobster to NH is this location in Colonie NY. Fortunately for me, I can get to this Red Lobster when visiting the area. I was here several months ago to take advantage of the Endless Shrimp promotion and in very recently with a friend to enjoy the Four Course Seafood Feast promotion. A friend and I arrived here for dinner around 9:35 PM on a Saturday night and were told by the hostess that "we're closed!" and we kind of looked stunned and thinking about our second dining choice at 70 Wolf Rd. The hostess was only kidding, but she sounded believable and we were immediately seated at a booth. Both of us went for the $14.99 Four Course Seafood Feast, which included choice of soup, choice of salad, choice of one of 7 entrees and choice of dessert. We enjoyed Manhattan Clam Chowder and fresh baked Cheddar Bay Biscuits, which are very fattening, but taste soooo amazing!! Next we enjoyed a fresh Garden Salad and a Caesar Salad, both pretty good. For entrees, we had the Jumbo Coconut Pineapple Shrimp with spicy pineapple glaze & relish served with rice medley & broccoli and the Garlic Alfredo Shrimp & Scallop Pasta (Linguine). The coconut shrimp entree was decent and tasty, a modest portion of food. The pasta dish was a good sized portion with plenty of small soft shrimp (cleaned) and bay scallops with diced tomatoes and a thick alfredo sauce. For desserts, we enjoyed the Triple Chocolate Brownie a la Mode (vanilla ice cream) and the Apple Crostada with Caramel Drizzle, both served very hot in small bowls, the right sized dessert for a big meal. Overall, a good meal at a good price with friendly service. The waitress was attentive and prompt, she brought out refills of ice cold Diet Coke without us asking, an empty takeout container to pack the leftovers and more fresh baked cheddar bay biscuits upon request. I will be soon enjoying my Red Lobster leftovers back in NH, a non Red Lobster area. read more