Fred’s Diner

Great breakfast place. Kinda small but food is worth the wait. I will go back to this place.

There’s not a bad thing that can be said about Fred’s! Portions are above average, the food comes out quickly, the service is fantastic, and the meal is always top notch.
It’s cash only, so that can be a nasty surprise if you’re not expecting to pay in that form.
In all honesty, I don’t know that we’ll be going to any other breakfast joints in the area. I’m sure there are other good, or even great ones out there but why even bother when Fred’s exists?
Save yourself the trouble of looking elsewhere and just head on in when you’re craving some great breakfast food!

Great food, small resturant, family owed and we just love it. Down t bring large groups and if going during busy hours be prepared to wait outside. Its small. Maybe 5 – 6 booths small 2 person tables and a counter to sit at. They are not open for dinner or Sundays. We haven’t had a bad meal yet.

I really enjoy eating here! The atmosphere, food, and staff are a real treat. I am happy to live so close by and I would definitely recommend this place to anyone.

A Grayslake staple! Always come back here when I am in town, extremely friendly and consistent staff. Great food and at a great price. No alcohol and limited seating but those facts will not prevent me from returning. Cash only.

Fred’s Diner is real treasure – an old fashioned diner with great food and character. The motto at Fred’s is «Where a Hard Time Isn’t On the Menu, But It’s Served With Every Meal.» Joyce, Annette, Patty, and Gina are your hosts, and I recommend that you play along and give them as much joshing as they give you. The regular cooks are Bernie and Miguel, and they are just amazing to watch. I have images of Chef Gordon Ramsay visiting Fred’s Diner and actually complementing them on their teamwork! Fred’s is small, so at busy times you might have to wait a bit, but it’s worth the wait. Our favorite spots to sit are at the counter, where we can watch the cooks and talk with Joyce. Going to Fred’s is our Saturday routine, and we look forward to it.
Everything on the menu is awesome, my favorites being the Patty Melt, and the Strip Steak. Their specials are awesome, so don’t forget to look for them, or ask about them. Fred’s is NEVER afraid to do something special that’s not necessarily on the menu. My favorite is deep fried hash browns! If you’re in the neighborhood, you owe it to yourself to stop in!

What you see is what you get at Fred’s. It is family run, and kind of divey, and the food is basically «old time diner». No trendy stuff here. Basic eggs, omelets, sandwiches, etc. A bit low on the veggies (as you would expect from a place like this). It is well known and visited by the locals, and you can quickly tell who is a regular and who is not based on the camraderie between customers and staff. A great show along with your eggs!

Another Saturday, another perfect breakfast at Fred’s Diner. Corned beef hash and eggs with fruit and wheat toast. Superb!

This is by far one of the best breakfast joints in the area. The food is great, the service is excellent, and the prices are very reasonable. Mind you — this is definitely not a gourmet restaurant. If you’re looking for some kind of foo-​foo crepes or Michelin rated fare — this is not the place. But — it is a great place to get a filling meal and a halfway decent cup of coffee.
My only issue — at times you may need to wait 10 minutes for a table (it’s quite often packed) — and I would not suggest bringing a party of 6. However — the 10 minutes are easily filled listening to Joyce and her «friendly» banter with the customers.

Tried it several times and it got worse as time went on. The Waitresses are crabby and foul mouth. The Bathroom is disgusting and the deal killer was when I walked out of the bathroom and saw a 15 lb. pile of cooked Bacon, sitting on a box at knee height… that «was» going to be part of my Breakfast. This place should be shut down by the Health Dept. Eat at your own risk!

This tiny little diner in downtown Grayslake is woven into the fabric of America. They serve-​up generous portions of tasty food and good natured ribbing at reasonable prices. I don’t know how old this place is but it predates my time in G-​Lake (I moved my family here 13 years ago (almost to the day)).
Today I had two eggs over easy, with corned beef hash, toast and hash browns. I’m very picky about corned beef hash, and it is excellent here. It has good flavor and is served crispy (my pet peeve is undercooked corned beef hash). If you order hash browns they will ask you if you want onions… SAY YES. The diced onions really enhance the flavor.
Their slogan is very accurate: «Where A Hard Time Isn’t On The Menu, But It’s Served With Every Meal!
The ladies frequently engage in friendly and good natured banter with the customers. The interaction is often very entertaining, and embodies all that is Fred’s. But be warned: don’t disrespect them. I remember about a year ago some D-​Bag walked in and sat down with coffee he purchased at Starbucks, and thought nothing of it. Joyce took him to task (and rightly so).
This is a must visit for anyone passing through Grayslake. Come early, as it is small and gets very busy. But even if there’s a wait — it’s never very long, and well worth it.

Found Fred’s on Unilocal,read the reviews, was very excited to try their food. First attempt was after 2pm and they were closed. Second attempt was successful and I ordered a half order of Biscuits and Gravy with two eggs over medium. The Biscuits were only ok, doubt they are home made. The gravy was average at best, I’ve had better and had worse. The eggs were served over hard, which was disappointing to say the least. They were not busy, so no excuses there! Fred’s has a lot of great reviews, the place has character. My guess is that most reviewers either have really low standards or just haven’t had really good cooking. BTW– my background includes extensive culinary and hospitality training and experience and I have won several awards and competitions. I will give them another chance, they do have really reasonable prices but I’m dubious about the quality !

My favorite mom and pop breakfast place with great prices and great food. Have never been disappointed been coming for years love the waitresses I always have a good time!!!

Decided to come here, because my boyfriend and I saw the pictures of the food on Unilocal and thought, «This place is perfect! Let’s go!» And boy did it exceed our expectations.
The owners and waitstaff have a great, sarcastic sense of humor and I love it. Very lively atmosphere. There seem to be lots of regulars and the conversations between the waitstaff and the regulars are hilarious. My boyfriend and I came here on April 18^th at around 5 in the morning and the place was almost completely packed. We were lucky that a table was available right when we walked in. The place is completely decked out in University flags, photos of school teams that they sponsor, etc. Very old-​school, «hometown-​y», and comfortable.
The food is portioned perfectly and tasted soooo yummy. Plenty of food for the price! We were actually shocked by how much food we got for the cost. I ordered a vegetable omelette and my boyfriend ordered Eggs Benedict (which is a special that is not normally on their main menu.) Mine came with toast and hash browns. We both loved it and were super well-​fed after. Hands down best breakfast food I’ve ever had.
We are dying to come back and hoping that we can become regulars someday. (Unfortunately, due to our busy schedules, we’ve only gone once.)
Also, make sure you get onions with your hash browns = ¹⁰⁄₁₀.
I’d say the only downside is that it’s cash only, but the whole experience and food is definitely worth it. Yum yum! Go go!

Freds diner has the best breakfast in the area, and huge portions. Everything is great but I always get the ½ and ½ which is eggs potatoes and biscuits and gravy. The waitstaff is amazing, totally local, they remember everyone and treat everyone like family. We love this place.

Great. nice portions ate half of my veg egg white omelette and it was wonderful. The waitress was excellent a little sassy in a good way. And very attentive. Next time I will try to sit at the counter and see the of the kitchen!

Come with cash, an appetite, and a sense of humor and you’ll enjoy yourself.
Straight from a period in time when places didn’t accept credit/​debit cards, this little breakfast nook is an easy-​eating, affordable, sarcastic diner that’t not meant for the easily offended.
Though a lot of the décor hasn’t been updated in years, you can still sense a lot of care that goes into the place. You’re not coming here for gourmet breakfast. You’re coming here to be well fed and get a heavy dose of enjoyable sarcasm to help start your day off right.

These guys are freaking awesome. They are hilariously disorganized. The food is very good _​good old fashioned diner

Hitting the Grayslake antique show today, we decided to find a place not too far from the fairgrounds for a bite of breakfast first. A Unilocal search turned up this GEM of a place!!!
A tiny place in downtown Grayslake, it was all hustle and bustle when we arrived at 8:00 but luckily got the last little 2– person booth at the very back. Instantly a menu and coffee appeared and after ordering, almost instantly breakfast arrived!
The food we got (basic 2 egg breakfast with sausage and hash browns) was cooked to perfection. I like my eggs over hard (no runny stuff allowed !) and it’s amazing to me how often I get eggs with the yolk not cooked through. My husband loves his eggs over easy and usually his are way too done — each of our eggs were cooked perfectly!
The massive pile of hashbrowns we got (yes, they’ll add yummy sweet onions and a LOT of them at no additional charge!) were delish. When asked if we could have them done crispy, they actually were, whereas most breakfasts we get out, this request is simply ignored!
We were told we could have pancakes instead of toast and were so happy we did as they were really great, too. The coffee refills just kept coming and the whole staff really seem to work well as a team to keep everyone very satisfied!
This place is going to be a weekend habit, I’m afraid. So nice to know there is still a place out there where you can get a truly great breakfast done right and for such a reasonable price! Can’t wait to try some of their lunch menu, too, based on some of comments.

EARLY MORNING FUN
My wife has been picking out amazing restaurants in the burbs and after I made a list for her on Unilocal.She has been feeling the pressure. So she handed me this gem for breakfast.
After a 4am run to O’Hare, the little one and I headed here because it opens at 4:30am. We rolled up at 5:30am. At first I thought there was a police station nearby. There were about 5 police cars parked out front, in fact parking was hard to find. This place opens at 4:30am and people come. No where down the street does anyone have this much business at this hour.
When I walked in there were 5 officers trying to pay there bill. One of the locals said to the officer… don’t tip you’ll make the rest of us look bad. I thought that was funny. My wife told me that this place would be a show. Apparently she read that there are some great verbal fights that go on here. I was so looking forward to this but I was a little let down.
Joyce our waitress started a little, when my kid asked for water. Joyce said, «Sorry kids can’t have water here!» My little one thought it was so funny. She asked «pretty please» and broke Joyce down. It was really cute. I even saw Joyce smile.
We ordered a kids breakfast which was so cheap and a ton of food. I thought I was getting one egg with bacon for the little one but it also came with hash browns and toast. That was a ton of food. Also my little one who wants her own Unilocal account gives this place 5 stars for food and fun. Look at that two reviews in one. Cool!
I ordered the ham and cheese omelette. I just wanted a real traditional breakfast that was cooked perfectly and it was. I asked for my hashbrowns crispy and Joyce said, «You want onions in your hashbrowns?» I said, «How much extra is it?» Joyce looked at me and said, «I don’t run that kind of place. There’s no charge for that!» Can I be honest and say that I like Joyce and her business sense. I also got an English Muffin too.
I will say that the hashbrowns were cooked perfectly and the sweetness of the onions on top were amazing. I am so glad Joyce offered that as a suggestion.
The breakfast here was old school. Eggs for breakfast just done normal. So many breakfast menus have forgotten the world of a basic breakfast Food. I would not call this a fancy breakfast but I will call it an amazing find. You’re not gonna find belly fat swimming in pulled pork over a hand poached egg covered in romesco sauce. You will find omelettes, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, pancakes &, French toast. There’s something refreshing about a simple menu and I loved it.
As I sat here I kept waiting for the fighting and nothing happen! I was thinking my wife read the wrong reviews. As the morning progressed I noticed Joyce warmed up. At 6:25am Joyce started throwing some comments out. Here is a list of things I heard Joyce say in about 10 minutes. I was so sad my breakfast was over and we were about to leave.
Joyce «You can’t comisurate with me you’re retiring. I need to still work!»
Joyce «oh no the evil child’s back»
Joyce «I’m working here damnit!»
Joyce «You look confused!»
Customer «I do?»
Joyce «More than usual.»
Annoying customer Cell phone rings out loud in the restaurant. Joyce yells «that’s a 5 dollar charge!»
Two customers come in looking confused.
Joyce «sit down! Are you waiting for an education? But pick a clean table. If you pick a dirty one you clean it yourself!»
Joyce «is that your money laying there? Half of its yours & half of its mine!»
In fact, when I paid my bill I told Joyce I was let down with the level of rudeness. I told her I was expecting more. Joyce admitted to me she was being nice to us because it was our first visit there. I told her she was gonna have to take it up a notch for me to come back. She promised. I also told her she was too nice before 6:25am. I asked if she just had her coffee. Everyone at the counter laughed.
This place is small & was close to capacity from 5:30 to 6:30 am. That is amazing. It’s a breakfast joint and not a Starbucks. This place has loyal customers who keep coming back. It has built in security with the police eating here. There is a little comedy if you listen to Joyce’s comments to customers. I think this is part of the diner attitude rule. The food is simple and good.
Also the staff worked there butts off. There were 4 guys in a tiny little space. Each doing there jobs perfectly. One was washing dishes, one was prepping food, one sous cook and one cook.
And let’s not forget Joyce. She may act tough with her little comments but she is a softy. She is also really good at her job. She was literally taking everyone’s orders, delivering orders, filling coffee, picking up dirty dishes and running the register. I asked if she was the owner & she told me yes. She has a great little business. It is a total institution on the block.
So if you’re looking for a fun breakfast joint with simple & good food, then this is the place. My wife picked another winner!