Top 12+ dishes you should never order at Red Lobster
Brownie Overboard
If the only dish you'd ever tried at Red Lobster was the crispy dragon shrimp, you probably wouldn't be shocked to find out that the Brownie Overboard is also way, way too sweet. This one is less offensive than the shrimp, of course, because a brownie is actually meant to be sweet, and that's probably what you want if you're ordering dessert anyway. But it's definitely possible to go too hard on the sugar, and that's exactly what's happening in this dessert dish.
When we tried this dish, we found that they basically just pile some brownies with every sweet ingredient they have stocked in the kitchen. It starts with a few big scoops of vanilla ice cream that add nothing of interest to the dish and then comes the caramel, fudge, and whipped cream. Why a chocolate brownie needs fudge on top is beyond us, but the result is not good. Plus, the size of this dish is absolutely massive, so it's really something you'd ideally want to share with a few people. We love personal-sized desserts that offer just a little sweet treat after the main course, and this brownie is absolutely not it. You might want to stop for an ice cream on the way home if you're craving a dessert that's a bit more restrained.
Admiral's Feast
One mark of a good meal is a plate that's filled with a variety of colors, ranging from the bright green of fresh veggies to the pop of orange or yellow from spices. Of course, there will usually be some bland colors in the mix, but when it all comes together, you want your plate to be colorful, which is a huge part of what makes it appetizing. But that's definitely not what you're going to get when you order the Admiral's Feast from Red Lobster. We found that this dish is just a big plate of beige, and it has a flavor to match.
The massive plate of food comes with a smattering of different types of fried seafood. Shrimp, flounder, clam strips, and bay scallops should all offer a range of textures and flavors, but since they're all breaded and fried to a crisp, you're basically just getting a plate of barely seasoned bread crumbs. Sure, it's nice to have an element of crispiness on the plate, but when that's the only thing you're eating, it gets boring really fast. If all you want is some fried food, head to a fast food restaurant and save yourself some money. Otherwise, check out the fresher seafood options on the Red Lobster menu.
Lobster baked potato
There are few dishes on the Red Lobster menu that feel as random as the lobster baked potato. Sure, a baked potato is a nice, albeit simple, side dish, and it feels like the kind of side that would be offered at a place like Red Lobster. But we really don't get the point in smothering it with cream sauce-infused Maine and langostino lobster. The flavors and textures don't really go well together, and overall, it just feels like more of an afterthought than a coherent side dish. Since you're likely to be ordering seafood as your main course, anyway, putting even more lobster on a baked potato is kind of gimmicky.
You can also probably safely assume that you're not getting the best-quality lobster in this baked potato dish, as they're likely to save that for main-course lobster dishes. In the end, we found that this is an overpriced baked potato with some sad lobster on top that you're better off skipping. Ask for the baked potato without the lobster, or order something else entirely.
Lobster
It probably doesn't even have to be said, but if you want the freshest, highest-quality lobster you can get your hands on, you're going to want to get it at a lobster pound by the side of the road in a small town on coastal Maine or somewhere else where lobsters are fresh, abundant, and caught nearby. If you've had lobster from one of these places before, then you know just how good it can be: The meat is plump and slightly sweet, and every morsel feels like you've been blessed by the seafood gods.
It should not come as a surprise, but we found that you're almost definitely not going to have an experience like that if you're ordering lobster at Red Lobster. Sure, it's what the chain is known for, but at the end of the day, it is a chain, which generally means you're not getting the best quality. That might not matter much when it comes to a burger, but it makes a big difference on the lobster front. Most Red Lobsters are not located on a waterfront where the lobster is sourced, so it's not going to taste as fresh as the stuff you can get from a top-notch seafood joint. We're not saying that you have to skip the lobster completely, but just keep your expectations in check.
Sesame Soy Salmon Bowl
Sometimes, when you go out to eat, you want to order whatever on the menu sounds best, even if it's not the healthiest dish you could eat. Other times, though, you may want to try to stick to the healthier end of the spectrum, particularly if you eat out a lot. If you fall into the latter camp and are planning on eating at Red Lobster, you may think that the sesame soy salmon bowl is a good option. This dish may not be your best bet, though. With over 2,500 milligrams of salt and over 1,200 calories, the sesame soy salmon bowl is probably not ideal if you're looking for the healthiest option on the menu.
But don't worry — you're not really missing out on much. Overall, the dish is pretty flavorless, with not much going on besides the saltiness of the soy sauce. Depending on which Red Lobster location you go to, the salmon might be overcooked, yielding a tougher texture than you're probably looking for. There are definitely better menu items to choose from.
