Fondue Fred

Lovely staff, solid food, cute décor. Is it the best fondue place in the world? No. But it is the best fondue place in Berkeley.

Great food and great service but very uncomfortable company. Me and my 2 other friends were the only ones in the restaurant and a man comes in and sits directly behind us. We soon notice he is staring directly at us, practically breathing down our necks, and not breaking eye contact. (Keep in mind he is no less than 2 feet away from us since it’s a small restaurant) We noticed he was eavesdropping on our conversation because every time we said something funny he would giggle. The waiter told him he had to leave soon but the man said his «friend» was coming. A friend never came. The waiter finally got him to leave after my friend had said he’s making us uncomfortable. He was waiting around the corner so we asked the waiter to walk us to our car and he kindly walked us out and watched us walk to our car. Great waiter, delicious food but, be aware of the area and the people there. Better to be safe than sorry.

Concerned. I’ve been coming here for 35 years. Food always very good. I gave 4 stars because I don’t want to beat you up but my experience last night was not 4 stars. Out of the steak on a Saturday at 530 was odd but I understand things happen so I won’t make a huge deal out of it. My concern was your prices and this probably explains why the crowds are gone from your restaurant. 2 fondues, a desert, and a carafe of house wine and my bill is over a hundred bucks? In Berkeley? Look, I really want you guys to make it but prices like that are driving people away. Please make some changes, do some advertising. Something. Don’t want to see Fred’s go away. The place used to be a favorite of Cal students but they can’t afford that. Please figure it out guys, seriously.

Love fondue especially the Gouda here. Reminds me of Switzerland with the wood Ella and benches We went with a large party and it was very tesonable

We see this place across the street from one of my favorite stores in Berkeley. My friend and I always say we are going to eat there but never do. On Friday night we decided to check it out. We walked in and there wasn’t a soul in there. The place is very dated. Now I have had Fondue before so I was a bit confused by this place. We ordered the cheese with garlic. They brought us a basket of cut up bread and a bowl of potatoes. No meat or vegetables. I asked about it and he said no and that we would have to order the meat fondue with the meat already in it like a stew. The fondue was very good. We ordered a HALF carafe of Chablis. The cheese fondue was $ 24 dollars and the wine was $ 21 dollars which is completely overpriced. Oh, we were still hungry after our dinner so we went straight out for Thai food. I will not be returning.

Went on a date here last night and it was my first fondue experience which I enjoyed. The fondue was really good, we ordered #9 (Cinque Formaggio), #12 (Meatball), and the chocolate. I was a little worried about the cheese fondue just because I’m not a big fan of the fancy cheeses but this was actually really good. The meatballs were really good, and I suggest dipping the meatballs in the cheese! I don’t think the chocolate needs an explanation, that of course was amazing. They serve you a good amount, we had well over enough food for us two so you definitely have to go on an empty stomach. Ours came with bread, potatoes, and we ordered a side of apples. We had a lot of bread and potatoes left over and a lot of fruit and marshmallows from the chocolate as well. The only thing that bothered me a little was there was only one waiter working and he really didn’t check on us, we had to keep calling him over if we wanted something BUT, I will say we were there just talking for well over 3 hours and I never got the feeling of being rushed or like a «hurry up, are you done??» Type of vibe and he was good at coming over right when we called him so not being constantly checked on wasn’t completely a bad thing. Overall it was a great first time fondue experience!

The waiter was so nice & held the restaurant open for us even though we showed up close to closing time! Sooo yummy and amazing service!!!

Came here with a group of 20 for a birthday party and had a fantastic time. Did the party package of bottomless wine and fondue. They were so good about refilling the fondue and wine. Food was great and the wine did the trick! I would highly recommend this place to anyone!

Excellent food and great, personable service. The owner and the chef both visited us. Easy going laid back atmosphere, the ambience will especially appeal to those who appreciate kitsch (its not over the top, but theres definitely a bit of throwback vibe). Ultimately, the food is the winner here, reasonably priced if you split the pots and extremely satisfying. We had three pots of fondue and all were very tasty (two cheese – appenzeller, «goodies» — and the meatballs). Stick with wine by the bottle, or try the house before buying a caraffe (we werent fans of the house white, but were given a taste first and were able to go with the bottle instead).
And in contrast to another review, we really enjoyed the meatballs.

Had a really good time here. The food was great and the atmosphere was very cozy. You could feel an authenticity and a history. Survive was good.

Love Fondue Freds. This is always our go to place for out of town guests when we are doing the SF/​Berkeley tourist thing for years now. Easy to get a table — in fact, not sure how they even stay in business as it is never crowded. 4 people can get two cheese fondues (with bread and grilled potatoes to dip) and small salad for about $ 40, so price is good. Throw in the chocolate fondue if you are not stuffed at the end for $ 14. Often you can find a coupon for a free chocolate fondue but make sure to print it — they will not let you show them your phone coupon. Parking is feasible on this part of Telegraph.
It is not fancy, it is just fun. Always seems like a one man show when we go there but you do not have to wait long and the cheese fondue is great. Skip the meatball dippers though. Just pick a couple of different cheese ones. I will say, I have never gone on a weekend, so probably is crowded then. As for quality, it is probably not up to par if you compared it to Switzerland, but it is still damn good!

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday last night. We made a reservation, just to be safe but it turned out we didn’t need one. The staff was extremely helpful for us first-​time-​fondue-​folks. Our waitress helped us decide what was safe to try for our first time and was very attentive. Great job, Fondue Fred! We will be coming back!

It’s fine for a random visit with a bunch of friends, but it took us forever to get seated, this last time we were there.

Was here on Valentine’s day and they only gave us seats. Waited for 30 minutes still nothing. Not to mention you’re elbow to elbow with othe customers. As in you’re at arm’s length with the other customers. Ended up going to the Korean BBQ next door. We’ve already wasted our time for nothing. If you can’t respect our time, don’t expect us to spend our money on your business… Melting Pot in San Mateo reigns king in fondue…

Horrible! Horrible! Horrible! Do not go to this joint. I had the worst meal I’ve eaten in a very long time and to be charged $ 30.00 per head was an added insult. We should have taken note of the fact that there were only 2 there people eating there and I should have taken note of the bad reviews on this site!

Had fun here with my cousin while we were visiting from out of town. Cool environment and seating set up that is comfortable and spaced out. Making the whole experience better, great kid-​friendly place. Service was prompt and ambiance was great with the lighting and indoor-​outdoor seating set-​up. You get the freshness of being outside without the bugs and being too cold. Great place!

I just don’t see how this place could survive surrounded by as many good restaurants as it is. It’s a complete insult to Swiss people around the world to call this Swiss cuisine. The cheese actually wasn’t bad, however when you have a restaurant like the melting pot just an hour away, you might as well make the trip, and save yourself the heartache of suffering through a subpar, overpriced disgrace like fondue Fred’s.

I’ve been going to this place since I was a kid, I love it! I don’t go a lot, but when I do I am never disappointed!
Went with a group of 5 last night so we decided to get the party package #1. It included unlimited fondue, chocolate, wine and soda. The wine was a liter of three different types, and we were able to pick 5 different fondues, the price was $ 31 a person and for what we got that is a great price!
It’s always the same guy that serves at least every time that I’m there and he’s a really nice guy!
Love this place!

Now that I don’t live in Berkeley anymore, I find that I really miss fondue Fred and believe it to be a fun legit fondue experience. The menu isn’t so large but they offer a good variety of cheese pots and it’s always filling.
It is a great place for a date or birthday parties!
My favorite is the FIESTA fondue pot!!!

Nobody was in the restaurant. The fondue was not the good. It is crazy to put salami directly in the cheese. The price however is really correct.

All good things to say about this little place. I’ve gone here twice and lovvvee it. Crave it all the time! The enviornment here is very cozy and quiet so you actually get to talk with the people you came with. Other places are too loud and crowded that i always end up not being able to hear the other end of the table so i dont usually like going out to dinner with my large family but we will definitely be coming here for our next celebration. The blue cheese fondue and meetballs are my favorite. Overall, amazing food, great service, and a calm romantic ambience.

What a great experience! The Fondue tasted great and the service was excellent. The setting was intimate and a great place for a nice sit down date. In addition, after leaving my phone at the restaurant, the owner drove all the way back after closing for the night to personally return my phone to me! I could not believe how kind she was.
For a reasonably priced, delicious and fun meal, I highly recommend this restaurant.

The gist: excellent customer service, great value, tasty though not the tastiest
We came on a Saturday night, and I’d called ahead to make reservations. I’d called and asked if I SHOULD make reservations, and the owner told me that we probably should — there were a couple big groups coming through that night. It was a good choice, as we ended up missing a big group that had been there earlier in the evening.
We were seated at a round table that had room for more than 5 people, so it felt a little weird at first, but once the wine, fondue, plates, glasses, everything else came out, I was pretty grateful to have a big round table. It made for some different dining experience things — swapping seats with others to get closer to the fondue, having side conversations that didn’t feel too exclusive. It was a different experience for sure.
Also, the ambiance at Fondue Fred is killer, sitting in that little open air walkway. Such a cool use of that space — I can’t think of any east bay equivalent, and the only SF one I can think of is Belden Place. This definitely isn’t Belden Place East, but it’s still super cool, and the temperature was perfect back there. Sometimes some street walker would walk by smoking and we’d get a whiff, but whatever.
On to THE FOOD. It was alright. Definitely pretty tasty, and with the prefix we got 5 fondues that all had their own thing going on, but not a thing different enough to offer a real reprieve from the others. I definitely enjoyed them, and it was fun comparing the bacon-​cheddar one with the fiesta, but I wasn’t blown away. And that’s okay. We got the prefix knowing that we’d be getting unlimited wine and fondue, not the best wine and fondue you could imagine. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between a 4 and a 5 for this spot, and I think I’ll settle on a 4 because of the food.
Oh, THE WINE: You get three varieties, which aren’t terrible, pair with the fondue somewhat well, and aren’t nearly as strong as you first think they are going to be. That’s probably a good thing.
If you have any questions about the prefixe menu, which when we went was $ 27 per person, I don’t think you should be worried. It’s a great dining experience, and any worries you may have should easily be assuaged.
Also, the service was impeccable. The man serving us was always there when we needed him, whether for more dipping things, more wine, more water. I think unlimited can be an anxiety-​ridden thing for some people (e.g. «I’m filling up eating the low quality stuff — when will they refill our high quality stuff?!»). That was not a problem the evening we were there — they even brought us out some extra bananas for the dessert fondue. It really was a 4.5 experience.
As a vegetarian, it was great, although I could see a meat eater having a better go of it in terms of variety. My meat-​eating friends feared they would fill up too easily.
Anyhow, if you’ve got a group of 5 and want to try something different, I highly recommend Fondue Fred. $ 27 is a pretty good value when you factor in dessert and drinks, and Prefixe makes the meal feel relaxed in a way that I can’t remember feeling at a dining experience.

Fondue Fred is where I’ve been to for a couple of birthdays, some celebrating others, some celebrating myself. The fondue does tend to take awhile. However, it tastes good. The location in a small mall feels charming.
The only problem is that a lot of this does get kind of expensive. They also could provide for better drippings for some fondue variants, like chocolate. Overall, it’s fun and fondue being melted cheese can do no evil unless bad.
Fondue Fred works for your fondue needs.

The whole idea of fondue and dipping things in cheese and sauces is mouth watering, so I really wanted to try out a Fondue place. I purchased a
gift certificate and decided to give Fondue Fred a chance with a couple friends.
When I got there, I did not know what to expect. This place has been around for over 50 years. The place is small and located in a mall that looks like an old Disneyland Village with lots of different shops. We arrived at Fondue Fred and felt the place was in dire need of a makeover. That aside, we decided to go for it and order up a couple pots of fondue and such and a pitcher of Hefeweizen.
The place really is a great place for groups because of the way the meals are set up. You pick your fondue, it comes with a standard green salad, lots of diced fresh sourdough and roasted red potatoes. The waitress/​owner suggested that we order a cheese fondue in addition to our meat selections. Each pot was around $ 16 – 17.
We chose the:
* Beef Burgundy Fondue: Not actually cheese at all, but stewed chunks of steak in a gravy with mushrooms and they put raw broccoli on top that cooks as you eat the fondue.
* Parmesan Fondue: Cheesy Cheesy! Seriously when dipping the cheese did not stop. Topped with a couple slices of pepperoni and mushrooms. This was great dipping for everything.
* Beef Meatball Marinara: OMG, these were so good. Nuff said.
Then the dipping began. It was easy to want to EVERYTHING. Go ahead and dip the beef in the cheese, then the marinara. The meatballs in the cheese and the bread and potatoes in everything. It was a dipping fest and even after we were full, we were still dipping.
It was a lot of food, but we all really liked it and left feeling very satisfied and glad we tried a new fondue place.