Red Lobster Side Dishes Ranked From Worst To Best, According To Customers

Red Lobster has earned a reputation for specializing in decent-tasting seafood that you won't always find at your local American dining establishment. But what about its side dishes? Are they any good?

That depends. We've done a bit of digging and have discovered that, like most restaurants, Red Lobster hovers somewhere between having awesome side dish fare to dishing up food we're inclined to give the side eye. In this post, you'll find a list of side dishes found at our local Red Lobster eatery, along with common customer opinion regarding each dish. And while we haven't tried every side dish ourselves, we have tried some, so you'll likely find us giving our own two cents here and there as well. We've also gone out of our way to glance over the pricing on the menu to see how the dish stacks up against other sides offered at lower or higher rates.

So, without rambling on too much further, let's get into the details concerning Red Lobster side dishes ranked worst to best.

The mashed potatoes at Red Lobster are a bit of a mystery. After all, there's no real description of what they contain on the company's website, and we find it a bit suspect that traditional toppings like butter are considered extras. On the positive side, it does seem that you can at least add the butter, optional cheese, and optional sour cream onto your mashed potatoes at no cost, although adding a bacon, cheddar, and green onions combo will cost you as much as an extra $1.49 at the time of publication. Since the potatoes are already $3.49 per order, your mashed potatoes may cost you a little more than you bargained for, especially considering that customer reviews of them aren't so great.

Yup, we hate to break it to you, but customers don't seem very happy with the mashed potatoes served here. Some refer to them as simply decent, while others think they're downright gross. One patron insists that these mashed potatoes are nothing but watery, instant potatoes. Yikes!

We hope this isn't true of Red Lobster mashed potatoes, but we've yet to find many glowing reviews concerning this side dish. Bummer.

Orzo rice is usually such a great side dish. It pairs beautifully with light meals like chicken and seafood and is oftentimes a really great break from the traditional rice-style fare. With that said, the orzo rice at Red Lobster does not get as much praise as we had hoped from those who have tried it. Instead, people seem quite disappointed, though the reviews on this particular side dish are somewhat limited.

Reading further into what is irking people about Red Lobster's rendition of orzo rice, we've come to a few conclusions. The first is that the orzo rice is rather bland. Several reviewers have mentioned the flat taste of the orzo, which is unfortunate given its commonly tasty flavor. The second tiff that taste testers have is that the orzo rice is either under- or overcooked once it's served up. We don't know about you, but neither option is what we had in mind to pair with a luxurious seafood dinner.

Look, we know it's Red Lobster, and we really shouldn't expect fancy fare, but come on, Red Lobster — do better. We'd recommend you go for another side dish instead of potentially wasting money on this orzo rice; from what it sounds like, it may not do wonders for your taste buds, no matter how you slice it.

Not sure if you'll believe us on this, but despite the tempting description of this side dish, the bacon mac and cheese offered at Red Lobster isn't as well received as we would have assumed. Maybe it's just us, but we get a little giddy when it comes to anything mac and cheese-related, especially if it's topped with yummy goodies that would only work to amplify its flavor. What we've found, however, is that many people aren't happy with the mac and cheese at Red Lobster for a variety of reasons.

The first reason seems to be that the cheese is liquidy, very similar to what you'd expect from Velveeta, according to one diner. On top of this, some say that the bacon comes off as "fake" and that the mac and cheese, on the whole, tastes overly salty. And while these might not be deal breakers for everyone, we kind of had higher expectations for this establishment if we're being real. Oh, and don't forget that price point -– $5.99 for an a la carte order of bacon mac and cheese? Good grief!

Despite the delicious description on the menu, we're going to have to rank this one a little lower on the list of great options for side dish offerings from Red Lobster.

Creamy lobster mashed potatoes sound amazing, but is it really as good as it seems? Maybe. This uniquely offered lobster-infused mashed potato side is indeed luxurious-sounding, but people who have tried it contend that it's really the sauce the lobster is covered in that takes the mashed potatoes up a notch. As for the lobster itself, some reviewers claim it doesn't really stand out, and that any other meat, including shrimp, would likely taste just as good on the potatoes because it's the sauce overall that truly amplifies the dish.

Despite how people may feel about this side dish, we must warn you that ordering this luxurious treat comes with a hefty price tag. As you've seen with Red Lobster's similar side dish — the creamy lobster baked potato — this option, too, will cost you close to $8 a la carte and $5 for a simple side dish upgrade. We'll leave it up to you as to whether or not the extra bucks are worth it. 

The most common reaction to Red Lobster's New England clam chowder we've found is, eh –- it's good. For some, the soup seemed to need a bit of doctoring up (aka salt and pepper), while for others, it simply serves as a good pick -– nothing more and nothing less. We did find one reviewer stating that the New England clam chowder was "on point" — so that's gotta count for something, right?

Either way, expect to cop this creamy clam chowder either in cup or bowl form, where it will cost you anything from $6.49 to $8.49 as of the time of this written post. It's served with crackers and can make for a yummy start to your seafood meal, though you should be advised that we don't see options to substitute it for a traditional side. This means you'll need to expect to tack on that extra $6-$8 to your bill — just something we think you ought to know!

Like the house salad, a Caesar salad isn't always something to get very excited about, but at Red Lobster, you Caesar salad lovers are likely to be well-pleased. Like most Caesar salads, this Red Lobster side dish grab comes meagerly topped — it comes with thinly shaved Parmesan atop romaine lettuce and brioche croutons. Still, despite its run-of-the-mill ingredients, customers seem to indicate that what truly makes this salad shine is the Caesar dressing.

The Caesar dressing at Red Lobster is apparently so good it has certain folks on Reddit on the hunt for what makes it so amazingly tasty. And while we aren't quite sure what the Caesar dressing tastes like, we know that many Reddit users have come back to the thread to confirm that the dressing is, indeed, incredible.

Take it for what it's worth, but the humble Caesar salad at Red Lobster is definitely worth trying out. Grab it for $4-$5 on its own, or upgrade the side dish that comes with your Red Lobster meal and get it for only $1.99 at the time of publication. From what it sounds like, you'll be glad you did!

The Cheddar Bay stuffing sold at Red Lobster is a fairly new item that certainly had us feeling intrigued when we first heard of it. Of course, there were several people who ran out to sample it for the purpose of a review, and we're so happy they did. Before we dive into what those customers have to say, however, let's first assess Red Lobster's description of the meal. Yes, Red Lobster actually provided a description, stating that the stuffing contained brioche, bacon, mushroom, and, of course, crumbles of the ever-popular Cheddar Bay biscuits we all know and love.

So, what's the verdict? Customers really seem to like it. Despite it not having cheese directly in it, the stuffing still gives off those cheddary vibes, no doubt thanks to the biscuit crumbles. The flavors of the mushroom and bacon help pull everything together for a deliciously flavorful stuffing that would work as a dynamite pairing for any of Red Lobster's seafood meals. One tiny criticism one reviewer had was that it was slightly dry, which can be expected of stuffing from time to time. Still, the overall flavor was impressive, and most seemed pleased with this new offering from this popular seafood joint. Yum!

Red Lobster side dishes ranked worst to best was constructed using information gleaned from popular customer opinion as well as our own experience when applicable. We also took into account pricing and other factors as needed to provide you with the best and most accurate information we could muster.