Red Sea Restaurant

My first experience (about a year ago) at the Red Sea was quite enjoyable...the food was outstanding, the shrimp HUGE and so tasty! So last night I was craving some good tasting shrimp and lentils, my boyfriend, a friend, and I went up to the Red Sea around 7pm on Friday night. The waitress, although friendly, had no idea what was on the menu...they did not have ice tea or diet coke and our water had black stuff floating in the glass. The bathroom was gross, and they were out of soap and papertowls!! We ordered our food (from the very dirty menu's) and then the waitress came back to tell us that they out of shrimp!! We told her thank you and left...still having to pay for the overpriced long island ice tea that was missing half of the ingredients!! I was so disappointed, especially since I was the one that talked my party into going to the Red Sea. Will NEVER go back!! My aunt told me that this place use to be oustanding about 10-20 years ago...what happened the RED SEA???!! Pros: At one time the shrimp was amazing... Cons: atmosphere/overall dining experience more

THIS PLACE $UCK$ SWEATY GIANT BALL$ AND MIGHT BE THE SEVENTH PIT OF HELL. I HAVE SEEN BETTER ESTABLISHMENTS ON ROAD TRIPS THROUGH ARKANSAS. Pros: LEAVING Cons: EVERYTHING FROM THE SECOND YOU WALK INTO THAT HOT HOLE IN POOPOO more

My wife and I ate at this place this evening. The appetizer of lemon shrimp was outstanding! However, the main meal was good and not so good. I had the beef and my wife had the chicken. My dinner, depending on which piece I had, was either tender or tough. My wife's chicken lacked flavor and a bit tasteless. The vegatable sides were good, and the bread was outstanding. Drinks were good. I'd be willing to give this place another chance, but my wife was not happy. Service at 5 pm on a Friday was good, prompt, and timely. Didn't wait too long for much of anything. However, we were the only two customers in the place. Met the cook on the way out, and asked him what part of Ethiopia he was from. His response was ""Louisiana"". Although the portions were good, the flavor was lacking a bit. Meskerem Ethiopian Restarant off of South Grand here in St. Louis has better quality food than this place. Pros: Service Cons: Although it was clean, does not give a clean appearance more

I had the very worst dining experience here just last night. On a Sunday night, we arrived at 6:30pm, there was 1 other table eating. We waited over an hour for our food - which never arrived due to our impatience - we left. Paid for our drinks, didn't even bother to ask to be comp'd the drinks due to the unbelievable wait time. We had the worst service, a bartender was also serving that didn't know the menu, so any time we had a question about the menu, he would have to step into the kitchen and ask, and when he returned he still seemed unsure of whether or not the information he was giving us was correct. more

My favorite restaurant and spot for music is the Red Sea. I started going there around 20 years ago since I love Ethiopian food. When I returned to St. Louis for a couple of months, I started eating there again and the food and service continues to be excellent in a funky atmosphere. Pros: Ambience, music, service, activity, bar, dancing, people, unique Cons: parking at times, could use more light during the day more

We decided to go to The Red Sea since every place else was very busy and they weren't - that and the bathroom like smell upon entering should have been the first sign. The waitress avoided us like the plague and it took over 40 minutes to order. We kept seeing food being brought to the table next to us and every time we saw a plate coming our way we became excited thinking our food was finally coming. An hour later we finally were served - wait, half of us were served and only one of the main dishes was correct. Twenty some odd minutes later the rest of the food came out. The chicken dishes consisted of drumsticks - half raw drumsticks. We actually did get bread - what a miracle. We waited another 30 minutes to get our check and the waitress never returned to take our money. When we finally just decided to leave and got up she came over and counted the money - MAN- I guess that's what it takes huh? We sat down at a little before 6 and didn't get out until 8:30. No way would I ever go back. The experience ruined our evening since almost everyone started to feel slightly ill - maybe it was the half cooked chicken or the layers of grease that covered our barely touched food either way I would steer clear. Pros: hella strong drinks Cons: food, service, ambience more

I had lunch at Red Sea recently, and was quite disappointed. The service was poor, the staff seemed very disorganized. I'm not much of a stickler, but the place just disn't seem clean or well maintained. more

It is unfourtunate that this is the only ethiopian restaurant in STL. Although the food is decent, you will most likely wait 90 minutes to get it - 2 hours if you want injera (which usually comes out after you are finished eating). Your appetizer will usually come out after the main course. The staff is not the friendliest either, but I think that is because noone stays there for long. One time I brought a group of people there and the cook had quit just a couple hours earlier so they had a waitress cook the food and we were there for 3 hours. My friend's chicken sandwich was hardly even cooked. The venue downstairs is pretty neat, but the bar is never stocked and the soda is always flat. I'm honestly amazed that this place has been in business for so long. Pros: I love ethiopian food. Cons: Only ethiopian place in STL. more

Pros: location Cons: Food, ambiance, cleanliness more

This is not even close to being an Ethiopian restaurant! My family and I went there with high hopes of tasting true authentic Ethiopian food, like we have had in the past in Tampa and in Jacksonville - boy were we ever highly disappointed. First of all, the place had a very unclean, stale, musty odor to it. We adjusted to the odor and sat down at the table. Next was the drinks - we were looking for Ethiopian tea or some type of house specialty brew - they offered us Lipton. I ordered a glass of wine - it was the cheapest glass of wine I care to ever have again in life, I can't even come up with a cheaper comparison, it would do a dis-service to the everyday household brands of wine that you can pick up at the grocery store for about $8 bucks and enjoy! Ok, next the appetizers, I had my heart set on dipping into a bowl of hummus - didn't see it on the menu - I assumed, it must be a staple and they do not have to advertise it on the menu, so I asked the server for hummus, just to find out they do not serve hummus????! Come'on, what Ethiopian restaurant does not serve hummus?! That's like a hamburger joint not serving fries! Next on to the main dishes, I asked for yekik alicha(yellow split peas) as my side order - they were out! I had to chose something else that consisted of wheat barley? Mom ordered a fancy spicy chicken dish with mango, I ordered the chicken alicha...oh, boy! The fancy chicken dish was served over a huge bed of white rice and the chicken alicha consisted of a serving dish with 2 chicken legs - yes, I do mean I was served chicken drumsticks (bone and all)!!! The injera bread; if they serve it, was never brought to the table. The ""sides"" were served in a small dish, nuked and dried out. The look of it was enough for us. We were out of there, quick, fast, and in a hurry!!! I can't believe that this place would have the audacity to call itself an Ethiopian restaurant - it is by all means not the case. I would caution any one venturing to the Red Sea to look real deep before you leap! Pros: Close to other restaurants that serve good food. Cons: Terrible Food more