fred's texas cafe

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 the back yard and you know the value of a dollar, prepare to be disappointed. burgers are decent but notworth8-10 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

this restaurant makes you feel like your in texas. some of the best food in fortworthand for a good price. staff was very helpful and friendly. guy was on top of his game when he visited this place on diners, drive-in's, and dives.


-----01 nov, 2014-----

chicken fried steak is huge and with a sourdough batter which was awesome.


-----01 nov, 2014-----

lamb stew. it's a lot like beef stew except is lamb. also, has a slight bit of fire to it, but i loved it!

worth it!. went on a busy saturday night....crowded, but we enjoyed every minute of it. the coldass beer lived up to its reputation...nachos with hatch chiles were excellent....ordered the 1/4 burgers with the chiles, cheese, and avocados and they were excellent.worththe trip and will definitely go 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 go back for the cold beer on the patio. the food is just the icing on the cake. fred's makes fortworthhome.

great burger but notworththe price seems like noteriety allows one to jack up the prices. patio is great tho!

delicious burgers!. i love fred's! they have a great outdoor patio with live music and an awesome burger. the chef is a real chuckwagon chef. a must try for fortworthgoers.

burgers... but don't forget brunch. you should get over to fred's for the burgers for sure... i have had the fred and the spicy diablo. both are great. but if you haven't been there for brunch you are missing out. we have only been on sundays, (not sure if they offer it other days...) and it a great way to start the day, a plate of migas or huevos racherors or the eggs and quail and a scooner of beer or bloody mary. the servers are always friendly and quick we havent checked out the new fred's in nfw but the original isworththe trip.

great burgers but notworththe hassle. loved the blue cheese burger & i guess the ambiance is very texas but it's too cramped inside & too loud outside. not really a great value for your money & time

loved it!. i went here the other day with some friends, we each ordered something different and tried a bite of everything. one got nachos which were out of this world delicious topped with lettuce cheese, beef, guacamole, onions jalepeños, the works! then my other friend got a burger with chipotle cheese, and all the vegetables, it was soooo good and the burgers were huge, a meal on it's own, really juicy but also greasy. i had the mushroom burger with thick slices of mushrooms, onions, bacon, swiss and all the vegetables, it was delicious! the only thing i would have changed would be the fries, they weren't that great, a little overcooked. but for a little diner tucked in the middle of the tall buildings of fortworthit definitely surpassed my expectations.

originally opened in 1978 by j.d. and gari chandler and named after their dog fred (now gone,) the place is now run by their son terry chandler. this place is an enigma. it still has the same character and charm (seating) from when it first opened. but in the last few years, the lots surrounding them have been pummleed and bright, shiny new buildings and apartments have been put in their place. and even as the latest buidling is going up behind fred's it looks like a slice of fortworthhistory neatly preserved amonsgt the fancy new places. admittedly, this is one place we have been to many times before burger saturday even started. and while the prices have creeped up over the years (we guess to keep up with the other places around them) the service and food have remained the same. fred;s has always been unique in that on any given day, you could be sitting next to a billionaire or just another person like yourself. featured on tv's diners, dives and drive-ins, the charm of fred's sta

a must if you are in the fortwortharea and want some real local fare. i grew up in fortworthand fred's captures what cowtown dining is all about, for those able to mingle with the lowly, blue-collar, trendy, and everything in between. i recommend a burger (diablo if you're into spice) or a chicken fried steak, and definitely some fries.

freds is a gem, a true dive that sells great bar food to go with good music. it is not fine dining, it is not a gastropub, it is not dallas. if you are a dallasite, don't go to fortworthor anywhere else looking for dallas-like places and get disappointed when the locals don't give a f about dallas or what you think. fred's stands proud in the face of
development. the beer is cold, the burgers and ribeye are
excellent, and the patio is a unique fortworthvenue. stay true freds!

far from the best burger in fortworthlet alone texas! over rated, over priced, marginal service. reading the reviews on urbanspoon i would have to say fred's is undisputedly one of the most controversial restaurants in fort worth. you either love it or you hate it. in my case it was the later (hate). having been to fred's about a year ago on a friday night for some drinks i ordered the loaded fries which were good for a late night bite. i had heard that this was on food network's ddd and thought i would try the diablo burger. as a arrived i was lucky enough to find a spot in the front but parking is definitely an issue here. i arrived right before noon and it was already packed inside. the interior is a small sardine can and holds about 15 tables along with bar seating. on this particular day there was only 2 servers for the 15 tables and they were less than attentive or helpful. they also have a nice patio area that is ideal for cooler weather, but on this day temps were in the mid 90's. i ordered 2 diablo burgers and a beer. the order came in out in what seemed to be an eternity probably in actuality 30-40 minutes but that is extreme for a burger and fries. only just before the burger came out did our server speak to us to let us know that the burger was on its way. once the burger arrived the diablo burger was less than spectacular. i can handle hot but in this case the chipotle peppers completely overwhelmed the burger with spiciness and took away from the natural flavors of the hamburger meat. the burger was decent in size maybe 1/3 lb and included fries but not worthy of a $11.25 price tag. when i was ready for a second beer i had to literally flag our server down to get one and when i did it didn't come right away.

simply stated fred's is a good place to grab a friday or saturday night beer with average bar food, but is not a good restaurant, with a top notch burger. fred's is far from the best burger in fortworthlet alone texas!

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 flying back to 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.worthno 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 it back to 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.

good but pricey, again. sorry, but the prices are pretty huge. the burger is good, but, just notworthit. and most places aren't charging $13.00 for a bacon, mushroom burger. really wanted to like it, but no.