The Best Side Dish At Red Lobster According To 27% Of People
If you're looking for a restaurant that's a bit fancier than McDonald's but not as expensive or hard to get into as a Michelin star eatery, you might opt for something like Red Lobster. In other words, a step up from fast food, but still a relatively affordable chain restaurant that you wouldn't necessarily want to wear your pajamas to.
Red Lobster first opened as a family-owned restaurant in Lakeland, FL, in 1968. Today, it has more than 700 locations worldwide and several partnerships with ocean conservation organizations. According to CNN, the seafood chain also works with fisheries in the Bahamas to help promote sustainable practices.
With menu items ranging from salads to pasta to seafood, Red Lobster has something for just about everyone. Does it get much better than garlicky biscuits and endless shrimp? While the appetizers and entrees are certainly a catch, Red Lobster has many side dishes, too. Soups, rice, baked potatoes, coleslaw... The possibilities are about as endless as the shrimp. But which side is considered the best? We attempted to find out.
As it turns out, it's all in the name
Mashed conducted a survey to find out America's favorite side dishes at Red Lobster, and 27% of the 602 respondents said the lobster bisque is the restaurant's best side dish. This creamy soup can be ordered in a cup or a bowl, and has origins in 17th century France. However, it's also worth noting that Red Lobster has come under fire over the years for the contents of its lobster bisque –- more specifically its occasional lack of lobster, according to Restaurant Business Online. But don't worry, the bisque still contains langostino, which is somewhat similar to lobster, and as our survey shows, people still enjoy it.
The second most popular side dish is the New England clam chowder, receiving 20.4% of the votes. Red Lobster's garlicky mashed potatoes ranked third, with nearly 16% of the votes. The chain's fries took nearly 13% of the votes, while 12.3% of people voted for the crispy brussels sprouts. In last place? The creamy langostino and Norway lobster mashed potatoes, with 11.3% of the votes. It seems like customers prefer their langostino in bisque form!