Fred’s uses frozen stouffer’s packaged products. Actual fact. If you’re into eating low quality food, marked up when you could easily buy it at the grocery store then this is your place. I also highly question your taste buds if you rated this restaurant above two stars.
Irwin Z.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Chatsworth, Los Angeles, CA
Got off a flight from Dallas to Houston checked into hotel and then drove around looking for s place to eat. Asked the phone for nearest location of a place to eat and they guided me to this neighborhood restaurant called Freds Italian Corner. Lovely ambiance-nice charming service and good solid food. I had shrimp fra Diablo which lived up to the spice and heat but not overpowering served with fresh linguini perfectly prepared. When I am back in Houston I will surely be back. Nice find. Irwin Z
Claude G.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Houston, TX
This small cozy café never fails to please with friendly service, tasty dishes and very reasonable prices. The house salad that comes with most of the dinners is very good and so is the house dressing. The dessert tray has some wonderful stuff on it, but I can’t resist the spumoni ice cream. Thanks, Melissa, for a wonderful evening tonight.
Wayne F.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Houston, TX
Fred’s is our ‘go to’ place for fine Italian dining. It’s not fancy but the food and atmosphere are excellent. We’ve been dining there for years and hope to do so for many more. My only ‘whine’ is that they’ve stopped serving Scungilli. The menu provides enough variety to please any gourmet.(Or gourmand!)
Joe W.
Évaluation du lieu : 2 Houston, TX
Food decent enough, but service a bit lacking. One order came out with sausage instead of chicken, took 20 minutes to get it corrected.
Kristin L.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Duluth, GA
So I purchased the groupon like most people in the reviews. It was a decent deal. You get a side salad for each and got to pick any entrée under $ 18 each plus a dessert to share… Not bad for $ 27 total. Buuuuut my BIGGEST turn off was the waiter asked us to pay him in a cash tip??? Like you never ask your customers for that… I thought it was very strange and he kept mentioning it the whole meal saying that he was«broke». That is super unprofessional and a little rude. We obviously purchased drinks and extra sides but I always pay with a card. When a waiter asks you to give them cash you have to wonder what’s going on! It’s not my job to pay your salary nor do I care your financial status. It really bugged me. The food was good but the way the waiter spoke to us made us very uncomfortable… Not sure if I’ll go back.
Ashle D.
Évaluation du lieu : 2 Fresno, TX
Having been admitted to TMH and absolutely tired of the dreadful hospital food, I looked to my good buddy Unilocal for some local delivery options. I settled on Fred’s bc I love Italian food. Knowing that the minimum delivery fee was $ 25, I took my time to figure out what all I wanted. The ordering process was pretty painless. Fast forward to the delivery… : The driver meets me in the valet area and I see my total for the first time — $ 39.18! I was most definitely taken aback, but I quickly let that go bc my greedy ass ordered with no hesitation. Lol As Im going through my bag, I notice Im missing two things(salad and strawberry lemonade) but the driver had already SPED off. I called to inform him and had to wait 15 minutes for him to return with my items. Finally back to my room, I take everything out to fully survey what I spent almost $ 40 on. A pasta(w/salad included), a soup, a dessert, and a drink. Minestrone soup — Being a bit of a soup snob, I was a bit hesitant about how it would taste. It was pretty good; I was satisfied. Although for the price, there definitely should have been more. The included cut french bread pieces went well with it.($ 3.25 for a small ass«cup») House salad — Blah. Glad it was included. Would have been pissed if I had to pay for it separately. You get some almost wilted greens and ONE cucumber, ONE red onion, and ONE tomato. Dressing was okay, kinda a knock off Olive Garden thing going on.(Included with pasta) Penne alla Capri — I was a bit disappointed here. I asked to have the shrimp subbed(Im allergic) for chicken. Bad idea! I took ONE bite of chicken and discarded the rest. It was super rubbery and bland. Just totally gross! The pasta was al dente, sauce has a distinct aftertaste that I cant quite place. It wasnt bad, just… different. I enjoyed the spinach though.($ 15.99) Strawberry Lemonade — A major(pricey) mistake. Weird tasting to say the least. For an 8 oz. cup, I shouldn’t have had to pay as much. It should have been FREE.($ 2.79) Cannoli — The pièces de résistance! I absolutely love a good cannoli! It was sooo good. Really was the only thing that could redeem this shoddy meal. Slightly smaller than what Im used to getting, especially for the price point for them individually. I would order them again only.($ 9.00) I’m not a person to say NEVER, so I’ll say I for damn sure won’t order from Fred’s again. Especially since they include 18% gratuity without allowing me the opportunity to do so.
Helen A.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 River Oaks, Houston, TX
Ok 4 stars ONLY cuz the waitress was really nice n the meat sauce is solid! The meatballs on the other hand. No Bueno! They taste like they r store bought n taste old, like they’ve been frozen for a long time… i m a meatball freak so I know when I they r not good… BUT would like to come back for their other pastas.
Jeannette S.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Sugar Land, TX
Chill out folks, it’s a pretty good Groupon deal for 2 salads, 2 entrées up to $ 17.99/each and a dessert. Yes, they tagged 18% gratuity and most if not all the time it’s mentioned in Groupon. Twice we’ve enjoy our lovely dinner with friendly service. –Crab Cakes: A bit hard on outside but the crab meat was delicious. –Shrimp Scampi: simple and garlicy. –Shrimp Fra Diavlo: I asked for not spicy and it tasted ok, maybe it’s meant to be ordered spicy only. –Linguini Peacatore: it’s like a seafood party in my mouth. I liked it. –Chicken Marsala: tender chicken infused in wine. Very tasty. –Dark & White Chocolate Mousse Cake: Soooo good! I’m keeping in real for yall! Nice cozy little place with decent food and price. I’ll be back!
Zain R.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Houston, TX
I purchased a GroupOn(disappointed by the wording(more on it later)) for this place as I had never heard of it prior to that. I called up a friend of mine and she agreed to meet me there. I got a little carried away at the gym and was running a little late so she beat me before I could get there. Finally after upon arrival I was not greeted by anyone. I seated myself after adjusting my eyes to the dimly lit inside after being out in the Jupiter like sun of Houston. My friend already had a menu and was just browsing through the choices. The server looked confused when she came to ask me if I was ready to order. I politely told her I needed a menu. I think there was a lot of confusion going on as our menus were taken away by another guy while we were in the middle of our appetizer and the main entrée order still had not been placed. I think this place can definitely benefit from better trained servers and some coordination amongst them. Onto the food: 1) Calamari for appetizer — Slightly thick batter but the more you ate it, the tastier it got. Marinara sauce was a little spicy. The other sauce was great with the calamari. Make sure you squeeze your lemon on it because it really enhances the flavor. 2) Two entrees with two salads — So with the GroupOn deal we could get two entrees that were worth $ 17.99 or less. The salad was included. For an additional $ 2.99(I think) you could up your house salad to a caesar salad. No thank you. The salad was fine. I actually enjoyed it. Not sure what experience other reviewers had when they were complaining about the wilted greens. My friend got a pasta with clams and pesto. It looked microwaved. I felt bad for her. The clams looked like they were not fresh. I, on the other hand, got myself an order of the chicken marsala. It was a little on the fattier side but I needed to make up for my lost calories at the gym. The fettucine alfredo was a little too drenched but it paired so well with the oily chicken and mushrooms cooked in marsala. I ate every last bite of it. That also could have been due to the fact that I was EXTREMELYHUNGRY and I needed to sober up because we killed a bottle of malbec between the two of us. And by the two of us, I mean I had most of it. 3) Tiramisu — It was too big for me. They bring out a little tray of desserts to show you all the dessert options you can choose from. It was nice but unfortunately the desserts did not look appetizing. They looked dull and almost all the same. The tiramisu had a nice flavor. It helped me finish the remainder of my red. Overall, if they improve their service and don’t make the dishes so rich(overly rich with oil and cream) then I think they can be what I think they used to be just from looking at the menu and the loyal customer base they have. We received a $ 5 off card for our next visit. Not sure when that will be but I really enjoyed the ambience and I hope that when I do go next, they will have fresher food and the service is en pointe.
Sasti S.
Évaluation du lieu : 1 Houston, TX
If you are thinking of getting the GroupOn or similar offer from this place, a word of advise. Don’t. They advertise a 3 course meal for two, when in fact you get to order two entrees(up to $ 18) and one dessert to share. The entrée comes with a salad, so that is your first course. In addition, they add 18% gratuity on the total menu price of the meal. I wouldn’t mind paying the 18% if the service was deserving. Although the server was friendly, he was slow and we had to ask several times for a child booster seat. All of this could be forgiven if the food was any good. Unfortunately it was not. The Garden with Olives actually serves better food than this place. Their Alfredo tasted like it came from a food service package and their seafood pasta was bland. Do yourself a favor. Go somewhere else. You have been warned.
Michael B.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Houston, TX
Recently went to use a groupon. Restaurant was small, but packed and service was good. We started with the calamari which was large, but mediocre. The marinara was good, however, as was the aioli. Both the house and Cesar salad were average. The house dressing is homemade and was pretty good. The complimentary bread was merely untouched french bread and was nothing to write home about. I had the linguine pescatore which was surprisingly good and full of seafood as advertised. I would def get this again. The herb salmon was also pretty good. All desserts are housemade and looked good. Overall, this was a good neighborhood Italian spot and i look forward to exploring the menu more.
Kaylin B.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Houston, TX
Fred’s is that comfy, cozy, old-school, neighborhood, Italian restaurant. In the evenings with the lights turned down low and white linens, it’s romantic. Definitely better than a Buca do Bebbo! Service is polite and together. In terms of dinner, both the house and caesar salads are adequately crisp, if a little overdressed. Unmemorable, but at an Italian place, it’s the classics that matter. Osso Bucco usually is braised for hours to in order to soften the toughness of the shank. Fred’s didn’t quite get it there — the masala sauce was rich and flavorful, but the pork itself required a steak knife. For dessert, the dark and white chocolate mousse cake is decadent — the ganache alone is smooth, creamy, just enough sugar to let the chocolate shine and the chiffon cake is moist, light, and airy.
Anne Y.
Évaluation du lieu : 1 Houston, TX
I will not reccomend this merchant at all. They CHARGE18% gratuity on all groupon orders. It was a date night out and this place upsets me. :(I talked to them before hand and telling them that I have a groupon but they NEVER mentioned anything regarding this 18% I got $ 29 groupon for this place. Technically it says 3 course meal which you think might include appetizer, main entrée(up to $ 18) and ONE dessert for two people to share. What you get was NO appetizer, salad(which usually come as main entrée, and a dessert to share). If you ordered a caesar salad, supposedly come with in the groupon, they make you pay for the service charge of it. What I am very upset about was, you ordered $ 50 worth of food(which you have technically paid in groupon for $ 29) they charged you 18% gratuity from the $ 50. so I have to pay an extra $ 14 out of pocket. The only extra item we got was a root beer that costs $ 2.99 with tax($ 3.34). But because we got — one caesar salad($+2.99), two main entrees($ 17 each) and one dessert(+$ 4.50) they charged us about $ 10 just for the gratuitiy. This should not be legal. I would have happily give them tips, but forcing us to tip is just illegal. I think they need to take down the groupon offer. Servie was nice enough though, I like that the«owner/manager» came and ask how is everything. We got caesar salad(+2.99) and a house salad(comes with the entrée). I got shrimp alfredo and my boyfriend got veal alfredo. The sauce is tad too thick for his taste and his veal is tad too thin(doesn’t balance. in his words). I like my alfredo sauce. Shrimp was fresh and huge as well. I enjoyed it. :) We got canolli as our dessert(just one dessert provided as stated in groupon and I’m totally fine with that) The 18% gratuity still trumps everything. They should not be doing business this way. Seems like they make us pay the 18% and somehow it turns out they don’t lose much. It is not written anywhere that we have to pay for the 18% in the groupon as well. I think I will have to ask groupon to pull their offer down. This is unfair to other people who are thinking to get the groupon and dine there only to find out, oh you have to pay about $ 20 extra out of pocket after paying $ 30 groupon so the restaurant doesn’t lose as much money. This is definitely not a deal. Do not order groupon from here!
Mahal L.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Pearland, TX
Loved the Shrimp Risotto! The ambience is perfect for a good dinner. Desserts are delightful! =)
Claudia L.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Houston, TX
I wish I could rate this place a 3.5, so don’t let my 3 star review dissuade you from eating here. Let’s get one thing out of the way, though: this place is overpriced. Not terribly so, but if some of the prices were more reasonable, I’d definitely bump it up to a 4. Fred’s fancies itself a fine dining restaurant, but it’s location in a strip mall suggests otherwise. To their credit, Fred’s has a cozy environment and the servers do make an effort to give you a fine dining experience(but then again, so does the Olive Garden, and they charge half the price). If you’re in the med center, however, and you have a craving for good Italian food, then give Fred’s a try. I tried the fried crab cakes appetizer and, for someone who considers themselves a crab cake snob, I was actually very pleased with the flavors and textures. Again, a little overpriced for the size of the appetizer, but dammit I love me some crab cakes! Recently I had the linguine pescatore(served with a small house salad) and found it enjoyable. It was a huge portion – I had enough to take home and eat lunch the next day – and while the flavors were good(standard seafood/tomato sauce) the texture of the pasta was out of this world. Fred’s, are you guys serving up homemade pasta? If so, then that would explain the pricing of some of the menu items. Overall our meal was very enjoyable. They skimped on the bread and the dessert tasted store-bought, but I would definitely go back again. FYI, if you bought the groupon there’s an upper limit on the amount you can spend for each course. I personally would not purchase the groupon again as it didn’t cover the appetizer and I have no interest in eating dessert here, but if you have a sweet tooth it may be worth your while.
Diana A.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Houston, TX
We celebrated our anniversary today. We decided to stop in to neighborhood Italian restaurant. There is plenty of parking. There is indoor and outdoor seating. When you walk inside, the ambiance is quiet and intimate. It is a great place to have conversation with close friends, family or date. Staff was attentive, helpful and friendly. Our meal was full of flavor and spices. We had wine and paired great with our meal. Tiramisu was our favorite. Overall 4 stars out of 5 due to tight seating for two. Our table could only fit a limited number of items. We do plan to return soon. Basil soup — nice taste and subtle Minestrone soup — more vibrant taste Caesar salad for him — good House salad with Italian dressing — came in cute bottle and tasted good Monday special — beef and lamb with pita, hummus, and cucumber dip. The lamb was extremely soft. Manicoto with sausage, it was cheesy and great combination of spices. We tried to save some of our tiramisu for tomorrow. After a few bites, it was gone. Staff was helpful, told us specials on the wine, and also let us know about extra charge when you upgrade to ceasar salad. We were the 3rd group to arrive Monday afternoon. The restaurant was getting full. Someone stop by our table and asked how our meal was and we told him it is really good. It is the best place to relax before heading back out into busy traffic.
Paul C.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Hoover, AL
I used to eat at Fred’s regularly in the 80s. I can remember Fred sitting behind the register taking my order. He had a heavy Italian accent and always wore a white chef’s hat. Each summer he would shut down the restaurant for several weeks and go to Italy. I always thought it was cool that he elected to give up the revenue to take a break. I know running a restaurant is hard work, and taking a break was probably good for him and his employees. Fast forward thirty years later, and I’m having dinner at Fred’s last Friday night. I was happy to find it still open, but learned Fred had passed in 2004. The restaurant is stuck in time, but is still strong. I love small family operated restaurants like this. I ordered the Shrimp Fra Diavolo, and the menu’s description warns the dish is spicy. I usually find that even with a warning, dishes are never spicy enough for me. That was definitely not the case as it was almost too spicy. The pasta and shrimp were fresh and overall the dish was pretty good.
Mike M.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Houston, TX
I went for dinner last night on the recommendation of a friend. The restaurant is located in a shopping center on Holcombe and was easy to find. When I walked in I immediately received a good vibe. The interior is nicely decorated and all of the waitstaff were dressed in white tuxedo shirts with bow ties. This added to the restaurant giving it a somewhat upscale feel. Upon being seated and presented the menu I decided to go basic and order the spaghetti with meat sauce. It comes with a side salad for $ 11.95. The salad arrived about 5 minutes later with a basket of 3 slices of bread. The salad was good with the Italian dressing along with the bread. About 15 minutes later the entrée arrived in a nice sized bowl. I thought the spaghetti was good. The meat sauce was a little tangy for me but I toned it down a notch with some of the Parmesan cheese that was provided. This was a good meal. I would order it again. My score of 3 should not prevent you from coming here. This was my first visit and I ordered a basic Italian dish and everything was acceptable and the way it should be. I hope to come back and try something else on the menu maybe a pizza… This could be a 4 star restaurant and if so I will adjust the rating after my next visit. My table service was very good.
Jasmine R.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Houston, TX
I really liked this place. I wouldn’t call it high end, but they do try to give you that feeling. I’m a basic Italian foodie. I always order the basic stuff like spaghetti and meatballs or fettuccine Alfredo. So I took a walk on the wild side and got the fettuccine Alfredo with grilled shrimp. Lol. Anyway it was good. My friend orders this Penne pasta dish. I don’t remember. But it was good. I even liked the salad dressing. I’m telling y’all this is the Italian spot if you’re in the West U area.