fred's texas cafe

what a shame...great outside dining environment and the burgers looked very good but service and attitude was awful! live music should and could have been a nice touch but the volume made it nearly impossible to speak without yelling. they have a list of beers they have available but 2 of the 5 listed they were out of but they could not trouble to update the chalk board list. $13 for nachos we got for the table like for an appetizer in texas that did not come with any salsa or tomatoes. we asked for salsa and they brought a 2 ounce plastic cup half filled that they ended up charging a $1 for. the waitresses would rarely come by and after dropping off the nachos, never camebackto take our order. we finally had to go to the bar to get some to cash us out when we finally had enough.

average. good burger, very average fries and poor service. this is a bar. if you're looking for a crappy little bar that servers a descent burger, it's your spot. if you just want a good burger, go around the corner. make sure you have all your shots before going in there however. i don't think any health inspectors have ever been to fred's.

i'm new to the area, but after talking with some locals in-the-know, i've come to learn you can get more than burgers or drinks here if you know what i mean. that explains much now lookingbackon my experience there. people traffickingbackand forth, some looking nervous etc.

you simply have to eat here is you want a burger. the diablo is the one to order...sit at the bar and watch them cook...this is texas and bless you fred's ( who is the owners dog name) for....love taking people there and love going...try to go once a quarter...41/2 buns on the burger scale....


-----04 oct, 2009-----

a devil of a burger. been here before and was not thinking it was great....wentbackafter it won an award for best burger....had a burger taste off with my wife and myself....the diablo was great....hot and spicy with a true mix of peppers that just did not involve throwing jalapenos on the meat....it is fun to watch them cook and the place has a texas party atmosphere...it was not the winner....beat out by m & o ....the burger was great and fries good and the service was very texan....damn but i am proud to be a citizen of this great state....you will like the place but be prepared to wait....4 3/4 of 5


-----12 jan, 2009-----

mixed feelings...see below. ok maybe it was my expectations...i had heard it was being filmed for a segment on ddd on the food channel...the burgers were hand formed and cooked to order and they were pure fat free burgers...they just were not burgers...more steak burgers...i liked them and the fries were good...the service was great and fun...the price...was high...ready for the hollywood set maybe...i certainly will go a again and you should go...just not the best in town.

if you're a d-bag tcu rich kid that doesn't know any better, you might like this place. but if you grew up with your dad cooking great burgers in thebackyard and you know the value of a dollar, prepare to be disappointed. burgers are decent but not worth 8-10 dollars. fries are par, so what's the big fuss about. you pay for the atmosphere which you can get cheaper elsewhere. i was really looking forward to going here needless to say i won't be back

atmosphere. okay, the food is good - certainly above edible. but the atmosphere makes this old place. i've been dining here for longer than i care to admit and honestly gobackfor the cold beer on the patio. the food is just the icing on the cake. fred's makes fort worth home.

s-l-o-w. i would recommend to anybody going to fred's to eat ask their server how long you can expect your order to take. fred's kitchen for the small cafe attached to the open air beer garden was never expanded for the beer garden. so 30 minute or longer waits for a burger are not uncommon. so ya have to know, you could place your order at fred's, drive down camp bowie to kincaid's, order, eat, and bebackin the 7th st area before ya ever see your food at fred's.

laidbackatmosphere, great burger. fred's is pretty much a country-western style dive bar/restaraunt. i've been twice and the burger was great both times. the fries were too limp the first time i went but the second time they were nice and crispy. good, ice cold bud light on tap. this isn't a place to go for wine or a wide beer selection. the inside is cramped but tolerable and the outside is nice. they have big fans blowing in the summer to keep you cool and live music playing both times i've been. it's a good place for laidbackmusic, laidbackatmosphere, ice cold beer and one of the best burgers you'll find. i highly recommend fred's if you're the laid back, down to earth type. i love it, just wish i lived closer. this is not a place for the high maintenance type though. i want a fred's burger right now!

forget the handicap. my brother wanted to take us to fred's for a afternoon of music and food, when we got their there were no handicap parking spots so we parked a block away. i'm tied to a wheelchair but i didn't want to be a party pooper so i went in. after 2 or 3 beers i needed to go to the restroom but when i got there the bathroom was so small i couldn't get in. i went into thebackalley instead, putting myself endanger with the law and possible being mugged.

the next i called and asked the managered why and she stated that it was grandfathered and wasn't her problem. i realize that walking people don't think about these things but if you would think of a friend or family member that is handicap and don't visit fred's i would be great full.

les

burger was dry and fatty, with very little flavor. and when i say fatty i mean lots of inedible chunks of fat that have to be spit out. yeah kinda gross. the place is great, fun food choices wonderful atmosphere, great texas vibe, that is perfect to take out of town guests. i will gobackto try the cfs. but definitely not a burger favorite.

ft. worthless food & service. good music, though!!!. wow, where to begin.

i saw fred's texas cafe written up in the dallas morning news and thought i would give it a try after flyingbackto dfw last sunday.

it was easy to find but that ended up being one of the highlights of the experience.

i walked into the restaurant and waited for almost five minutes before a server/host asked if i had been helped. i said no and then they said i could either sit at the counter or go outside, which was first come first serve.

heading outside, i was met by a server who told me the same thing and asked if i wanted anything to drink. i asked for sweet tea, this being texas and ft. worth no less, only to be told they didn't have any??? okay, so then i just asked for a good tap beer, which was also non-existent here at freds as they only serve swill on tap.

next, i walked over to the outdoor bar myself and looked at the bottled beer behind the counter. deciding on a beer, i saw there was only one empty table next to the guitar player, actually the highlight, on the stage.

sitting down, i ended up sharing with a nice guy named cody. after another few minutes, the server arrived tand asked if i have been helped, which was hard since there were no menus on the table. dropping some off and then wanting to take my order, she also mentioned they were still serving brunch and left to get me that menu as well.

returning with that menu, i was ready to order a mushroom jalapeno burger but she strongly urged me to try something on the brunch menu. ignoring my better judgment, i ordered the huevos rancheros.

i never received any water, asked if i wanted another drink and then when my food arrived, the guy who brought it took off before i could ask for some hot sauce or salsa. no one returned to ask if my food was okay, which it was not, and then when another server arrived, she ended up talking with the couple now sharing the large table with me for around five minutes or so and then when i asked her while she was walking by to leave if i need to pay at the bar or wait for the bill, she said that she'd bring itbackto me. i thanked her and at least had good music to feed my senses.

after about ten more minutes, i just walked over the bar to pay my tab. the second server saw me and looked sheepishly as she walked out of the bar and didn't even say sorry.

the bartender asked if everything was okay and i said something like there was good music and singers since i didn't want them to screw with my credit card if i told her how the entire experience was atrocious insofar as the food and service was concerned. i still tipped a fair amount since hopefully they are pooled together and the good servers/bus staff will not suffer for the failings of their co-workers.

to summarize, this was one of the worst restaurants i have patronized in quite some time, maybe in years from a service and food standpoint. honestly, no sweet tea in texas is reason enough alone to avoid this place but the service and the food drive home the point that fred's texas cafe should be avoided since there are thousands of other options in the metroplex.

sunday brunch - so so. didn't know about the sunday brunch (until 1pm), so will have to comebackto try the regular fare. the breakfast was good but a little pricey for my tastes. i had the quail and eggs, which was tasty - but almost ~$18. my wife had the chicken fried steak and eggs. the cfsteak was ok, but i expected more from a place like this. the meat was tender enough and the crust lacked browning/flavor. would stick with babe's or similar for cfsteak. my father had the migas, which were heavily recommended by the staff. they were good, but could have used more salt and maybe some fresh salsa (imho). the gravy was delicious, but the biscuit on my plate was dense and cold. could have been a bonanza, but instead was a miss. i will definitely come again to try more and hopefully enjoy the patio which was really popular on this beautiful sunday morning.

a great dive. sitting on the patio in the spring or fall on a sunny day, consuming a fred-burger with cheese and chipotle peppers, washing the burger and hand-cut fries down with a cold lager . . . heaven in fort worth . . . do not gobackto work . . .