Cafe Freda

This is like an obituary, we went there for lunch today and it was closed forever! This was a great place. Food was excellent and the owners were great. Sad to see them go.

Café Freda’s staff did a wonderful job hosting the JAX by JAX writers event tonight. They served patrons quickly and had a fun small space where everyone could see. I’ll definitely be back. Great pulled pork too.

Not a sweep you off your feet experience, but I definitely will go back and I do recommend it.
The menu is varied, with dressed up takes on a number of sandwich type dishes, as well as other formats of entrees and appetizers. You can take a vegetarian or vegan knowing that they will not be relegated to one or two choices; there are also meat based dishes.
There is a small but nice selection of wines and beers with reasonable mark-​ups.
The dining area is in the front rooms of an old house, with the kitchen in the back. The décor and seating are understated but perfectly pleasant looking and comfortable.
Our server was very friendly and proficient.

As somewhat of a «new Unilocaler» I’m not too familiar with the rules on writing a second or even third review for the same establishment. HOWEVER, this place DESERVED an additional review from me so here it is…
I brought my mom here for two reasons: ONE: she is an artist and small business owner and loves places like this, and TWO: I’m addicted to the veggie curry entrée. I convinced my mother to sit inside at the bar because it’s ungodly hot in August and I don’t feel like adding salty sweat to my food AND because Mary Ellen, the owner, is the loveliest person to talk to while enjoying your first drink and waiting on the food. Mary Ellen is everything you ask for in a restauranteur; she is a Jax Native with lots of stories to tell and can talk up her options to the point you’re biting your nails trying to decide what order. She’s real. You like real people? me too
Like I said, I came for the curry. I am NOT a vegetarian by any means (In fact I once imagined myself opening a free hod dog stand across from the Hari Krishna’s lunch stand during college. Yeah, I’m evil). This curry dish is so delicious and a perfect balance of spices. They place a dollup of mango chutney in the middle of the dish and I savor the heck out of that stuff, like you wouldn’t believe!
Momma, ordered their Scallops Special, and it was even better than the scallops she had at a certain $$$$ restaurant a previously wrote a review on. These scallops actually melted in your mouth they were so good. Honestly I’m surprised Momma even shared one with me. You know that thin line between undercooking (uh is this raw?) and overcooking (hm… chewy), well these cooks were skipping on this line they did so well on this dish.
When we walked out of the restaurant the first tthing Momma said was, «Thank you so much for bringing me here! I loved it so much.» I love giving my business to this restaurant and getting the opportunity to share it with others who are willing to try something new. Do yourself a favor, step out of your normal routine and go eat some great food at a local Jax establishment!!!
p. s. oh yeah and get the coconut battered portobello mushrooms… SO TASTY!

Café Freda is a great restaurant that offers many vegan options on its menu. We had 4 items: the coconut batter dipped Portobello mushroom appetizer, the fish and chips, the Asian salad with tempeh, and the gingersnap pudding for dessert.
The Portobello mushroom appetizer was very unique and crave-​able. I am not a huge fan of mushrooms, but something about the whole combination made it absolutely delicious. My mouth is watering as I type this. I will definitely be going back.

This would have been four stars if it wasn’t for the very last moments of our time at Café Freda.
There are certain environments that you can just walk in to and tell it’s awkward. This is one of them. I’ve been here three times and the food is good but nothing I’ve had so far is to write home about. If you read most of my reviews, you know I’m all about a genuine customer service.
Again, food was good the gentleband got the falafal and loved it, I got their staple chicken curry dish. I had to add a lot of salt but it was good.
There were six tables and one waiter. So everything was taking a little while to happen. Every time I’ve gone here I do feel weird because I’m the only one in my age group. (My age group being young)
The moment that knocked it down to three stars for me was right when it turned 9 and they were closed I could hear the cooks yelling, «We’re closed, we’re closed» to the waiter who was yelling back at them while filling our water glasses up. I could see the waiter look to the owner and she came over and tilted his wrist towards her again as he was filling up our glasses to make sure it was 9. Welp, we felt pretty unwelcome right at 9:01. We were finished but think how you made your other guests feel. As our waiter was walking away he frantically turned around and I could tell felt the need to give us his whole thing, «room for dessert?» but you could tell he didn’t want us to or he didn’t want to tell the cooks they had to make something else. We knew we needed to leave so uh no to dessert.
Once again, food good but awkward environment. Maybe read a situation or a room before yelling things back and forth?

The following review was published under my byline in the Florida Times-​Union on Thursday, October 10, 2013. This is an original, unabridged version of that review.
Riverside’s Park & King district has become the birthplace for many of Jacksonville’s more recent eclectic dining choices. One of its newest players, Café Freda, does homage to that reputation with a diverse, palate-​pleasing menu that knows no borders.
Locals will pick out the Park Street edifice as the former home of Alphadog Grill, and before that, Caribbean House Restaurant. The current concept, which debuted in early September, marries a Riverside bungalow and distinctively downhome décor with a philosophy called «global comfort food.» Tastes as varied as Asian, Mediterranean, Indian and Louisiana collide in a thoughtful fusion of appetizers, sandwiches, salads and entrees. It’s all reasonably priced for lunch and dinner, with many selections designated on the menu as vegetarian– or vegan-​friendly.
I joined two friends on a postcard-​ready Saturday afternoon at one of Freda’s three umbrella-​clad picnic tables. You can dine here at street level, at one of four smallish tables on the elevated front porch, or in the dining room.
We eased into the menu with the Southern Cheese Duo ($ 8), middle-​thick flatbread wedges served alongside dippers of pimento cheese and white cheddar habanero beer cheese. Plenty for two or three, the wedges were crisp and needed the heft to easily excavate the pimento dish. The creamy habanero beer cheese was bubbly, tangy and thoroughly enjoyable.
The Falafel Sandwich ($ 7) includes three plump chickpea patties atop flatbread with lettuce, tomato and your choice of tahini or tzatziki sauces. In fitting with this dish’s theme, my friend chose the tabouleh as a side (also available a la carte, $ 3). The falafel filling was well seasoned and unmistakably fresh, with the quinoa-​based tabouleh a light, fitting accompaniment.
My entrée choice, the Island Pulled Pork ($ 13), was a vertical arrangement of roast pork atop black beans and rice with pico de gallo and sweet plantains completing a thoughtful presentation. While tender and melt-​in-​your-​mouth texture-​wise, the roast pork needed more of an edge in the flavor department to balance the mild base of beans and rice.
Our third diner selected the Veggie Curry with Tofu ($ 12; $ 9 without tofu), a generous bowl of cauliflower, potatoes, carrots and green peas in a mild yellow curry over basmati rice, including toasted almonds, scallions and mango chutney. Again, cue the mild for this dish: the curry flavor was pleasant and true to the «comfort food» menu promise. It longed for a lingering finish, and not necessarily heat-​based, although the mango chutney accent was a step in the right direction.
While you will not find it on the menu – yet – ask to finish your meal with the Chocolate Lava Cake ($ 7). The very shareable portion was addictive, with rivers of molten chocolate bubbling just beneath the whipped cream-​clad surface. This is comfort food to the max.
Beverage selections include coffee, tea, still and sparkling waters, fountain drinks and Boylan’s Specialty Sodas. For harder-​edge offerings, ask for the beer and wine menu, which features nearby Bold City and Intuition brews and others found around the world.
Service was generally friendly and attentive, if on the slightly watch-​tapping side between courses during our visit. Perhaps that’s part of the comfort food charm.
Freda serves up lunch and dinner six days a week, along with Sunday brunch. With a month under their belts and just a few flavors to sort out, it’s clear that Brian Freda and his family are on the right track to become a Park-​and-​King delicious destination.
Café Freda
2782 Park Street, Riverside
(904) 619‑7687
Type of cuisine: Multiple/​world cuisine
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday Brunch 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; closed Monday
Bar service: Beer & wine only
Credit cards: All major
Children’s menu: Yes
Catering: Yes
Reservations accepted: Yes
Price range: Overall, moderate

I was here with a MeetUp group and found a great new spot!
Bad things first, so I can end on a positive note: fix your A/​C stat!
The food.
Our group had several bottles of wine, and a few of us brought wine. Corkage is very reasonable ($ 10) and their house selections are okay for a family restaurant.
We had the Spring Rolls, Kabobs, and White Bean Fondue as our appetizers. All were great, but the kabobs need sliced or cubed beef – not ground beef.
That being said, all the apps were delicious, adequately portioned, and well presented. We even tried someone’s Duck Nachos, which were also delicious.
For dinner, we had the Chicken Curry and the Pulled Pork. Both were incredible, enough to have leftovers, and very reasonably priced.
The menu is a little eccentric, but very good. Don’t shy away because of the lack of a specific cuisine.
The service.
Ben was fantastic. A little overwhelmed with a party our size (most restaurants would task 2 servers for our party of 20), but was great considering. Attentive, charismatic, very accurate, and conscientious in every aspect of our experience.
The price.
Great forwhat you get! For 2 appetizers, 2 glasses of wine (for my lady friend), corkage, and 2 entrees, I spent $ 58 – and regretted nothing that I ordered. I even got to try the Ginger Snap Banana Pudding, which is sinfully delicious!
This is a good spot, and you will be glad you made the trip.

I stopped by today to check out the restaurant and was greeted immediately upon entering. The young lady that helped me was extremely friendly and helpful. I decided on the white bean dip as an appetizer and a yellow curry with mango chutney for lunch. I loved the bean dip, getting a different flavor everytime I dipped the bread into it. What I didn’t like was the bread that was used was a little greasy. They were very nice about it and offered to substitute pita bread, which I accepted and loved.
I hadn’t had a curry quite like this one before and loved it. The mango chutney really brought alive the whole dish.
I look forward to going back there soon and trying the duck nachos… as well as just about everything else!

Came here for lunch with a friend. We had a decent meal. The atmosphere was nice, and the server was very attentive and described the menu items with great detail. I ended up with the veggie curry. It was nicely plated, very colorful, and went very well with the grilled tofu. My buddy had no complaints on his ribeye.
We got there around 1:30pm and there were maybe two other tables being served. It was pretty quiet, no music, but a nice eclectic place to relax and converse with a friend.
Overall it was a good meal, and there is a good chance I would go back for another try. The only complaint I have would be the awkward end to our meal. We received the check and paid by credit card. The owner came out and apologized that it was taking a long time for our server to return. We thought nothing of it, she honestly hadn’t been gone very long. The owner attempted small talk, but the intent was to let us know the reason it was taking so long was because the card we used would not slide. She then went on advising us it would really be to her benefit and others that we got a new card. We agreed and apologized saying we had other forms of tender, but she said no, it was alright. It should have ended there, but she kept going, letting us know we were costing her more money because it costs more for them to run it manually. We felt really awkward by the confrontational remarks, and were ready to dip out ASAP. It’s kind of sad when the server has more etiquette than the restaurant owner. It didn’t ruin our day, and I’m sure her intentions were good. It was just mildly uncomfortable.

What a meal! Café Freda really hit it out of the park today. Thus far our experience as vegans (with a gluten free restriction) in the Jacksonville area has been rather disappointing as far as exciting entrees go. Lunch today changed that. Tamarind marinated local black bean tempeh on a crispy coconut rice cake with fresh green beans in a green curry sauce. And a side of pickled vegetables. Interesting layers of flavor without being overly complicated. And for $ 12 the price was definitely right. The service was equally as spot on in this charming restaurant. Please keep serving more dishes like this and you can count us as regulars. Thank you for a lovely lunch.

Went two more times after the first and each time regretted it. Brunch ribeye bene was 5 strips of fat on top of the rest of the «meal». Owner overheard me complain and asked if it was good-​I responded that for 16 dollars I was hoping there would be some actual ribeye on the plate, and that I found the pre-​slicing strange and unwelcome. Her retort was that ribeye was a fatty cut of meat and had I ever had one before?! Seriously. Condescending and unapologetic.
We went one final time to use the free apps from before during happy hour and were again sadly disappointed. We tried white bean fondue, duck nachos, and something with shrimp. White bean was bland, duck nachos experienced the same lack of protein as the ribeye, and the shrimp were the crappy imported kind you get frozen. Boyfriend remarked that the only things he liked were the beer and the jalapenos on the nachos. Concur.
Café Freda needs to get their service together and their recipes fixed. We wanted to like them and gave it 3 tries, but no more.

My fiancé and I were finally able to try Café Freda tonight after two attempts (Both times they were closed). We arrived to an empty restaurant, and were promptly greeted/​seated. The server was very friendly, and knowledgeable of the nightly specials. The restaurant was mildly decorated, and lacked a bit of intimacy you desire from a little café like this.
We started our meal with the crab cake appetizer. The flavor of the crab cake was decent, and the accompanying sauces were tasty. However, they were lukewarm at best. They were also lacking on portion size and presentation. Spring mix on a plate is a sad garnish.
For our main course, I had the Chicken Curry ($ 13) and she had the Pork Bahn Mi. The Chicken was very dry and overcooked. If the chef intended on a braised dish, they should have choose thigh meat. The sauce was boring and seriously lacking any prominent curry flavor. The only redeeming (barely) factor was the Golden Raisin Chutney.
The Banh Mi ($ 9) was actually pretty good, but we couldn’t find any Pâté on the sandwich. Also, the portion was not very big, and the sides came a la carte– for $ 3. We sent back the potato salad and cole slaw. The potato salad tasted like it was pre-​made Publix brand. The cole slaw just tasted wrong, like a sour off flavor. The server explained that it was just a vinegar dressing, but we both agreed it was strange. After two tries, we just forgot about the sides.
Here is where it got awkward– the server sent the chef out to our table and he confronted us about the coleslaw. Mind you, he wasn’t aggressive and he tried to offer us something else, but we were a bit taken aback. He ended up bringing us a dessert anyway. It was a Boston Crème Pie Cake, and it was another redeeming factor of the night. It was delightful!
The other delightful aspect of the night was the service. The server was excellent, and hopefully it would be the same service on a busier night. The café seemed to have a bit of identity crisis. They had paper place mats, plastic soufflé cups, and baskets for sandwiches. The prices didn’t match the presentation.
If Café Freda is still around in another six months– although this space seems to be cursed as other reviews have noted– then I would like to come back and give it another try.

Another win for Riverside! I had been hearing about Café Freda and — like Anthony H. — all the check-​ins were making me curious as to what was going on in this little house. When I heard a fellow Unilocaler was going to be in the kitchen, I knew we had to go check it out.
We found our dining partners at a cute little table in the corner and started to peruse the menu. What to get, what to get. I was drawn to the Fried Oysters with fries and while the French Dip special sounded intriguing, it wasn’t enough to pull me away from my first instinct. The oysters were so lightly breaded, the fresh oyster flavor was able to shine right through! My only wish was for MORE! The fries were done just right as well.
Excited to go back and try it for brunch. I love me some brunch time and to sit outside on a nice Florida day would be perfection.

The oysters are perfectly breaded and the cassoulet… OMG. Just get it.

For several days I kept seeing people checking into Café Freda. I have to admit that my curiosity got the best of me. A family friend came to town to visit and I figured that it was a great opportunity to try them out.
We arrived at the restaurant shortly before 6pm which was great because a little crowd began to trickle in after we were seated. The décor was simple and clean. It felt like a place where I could lose track of time while having a beer and talking to friends.
Our waitress was extremely nice and helpful when it came to deciding on what to order. She really knew the menu and also the beer selection. She even gave me some information behind the names of some of the local beers which was great. For appetizers we went with chicken spring rolls and bagel with lox. The bagel chips were a great twist to the bagel and lox app. I liked the fact that it was a decent portion size and allowed for you to add as much or as little topping as you want. I can’t really speak on the spring rolls because spring rolls all taste the same to me. For entrees I went with the duck banh mi and everyone else went with theTuscan chicken. Both sandwiches were really good. I only had banh mi sandwiches on toasted baguettes before so this was different. Next time, I will ask them to toast it for me. We also ordered a side of fries which were freshly cut which is always good. I was surprise that the sandwiches didn’t come with a side such as fries, chips or even a pickle which was odd.
Overall great little restaurant. Staff was really friendly and the owner came out and chatted with us for a few minutes. I really could see that she and her son really enjoy what they do. We ran into a few items that they were out of but being a new restaurant that is busy shows that they have something people are looking for. I will be definitely be going back.

We had an awful experience our first try. We’ll give them another shot, but the problems were numerous.
Despite an adequately sized wait staff on this evening, service was incredibly slow and inconsistent.
We received the bean dip appetizer and duck nacho appetizers after an abnormal wait time. The bean dip was excellent. They do not provide a proportional amount of bread crisps, but that was alleviated by asking for a few more. The duck nachos: oh my how I had such high hopes for you! They came out under temp first of all. A dish with cheese on top is instantly unappetizing if it isn’t piping hot. The whole dish became one giant chip/​cheese/​duck blob. Not good. Secondly, it is very light on the portions. For $ 10 I’d expect more than 5 – 8 chips. With some corrections these two problems are easily avoidable.
Next comes the horrendous encore with our entrees. We waited about 25 minutes from the time our appetizer dishes were cleared to the time the server came to notify us of a problem with the dish my wife ordered. Apparently they ran out of the chicken/​pesto sandwich, but rather than notify us right away, we weren’t notified until all other dishes were ready. My wife subsequently ordered the chicken wings as a replacement. Now it gets comical at this point. These «chicken wings» are nothing beyond chicken tenders and a dipping sauce! I kid you not. They arrived and of course everything was cold since they held our food until the chicken wings (tenders) were ready.
I worked in food service beginning in high school and continued so for about 6 years. I’ve cultivated above average patience. I also understand issues are always present with a new restaurant venture. My entire gripe could have been fixed if a manager/​owner (Freda) merely visited my table and offered up some explanations and apologies for the awful experience. Instead, our confused server brought us a voucher for a free appetizer on our next visit.
I want to revisit this place, but I’ll certainly have to wait for some of the wrinkles to be worked out and for my bitterness to wane. It has such potential.

I’ve been twice (dinner + lunch) and it’s okay. I think with time it’ll improve but for now just a general middle-​of-​the-​road rating.
Pros:
— great location, easy to park, cute atmosphere.
— the veggie curry is my favorite item — it’s full of flavor and texture and is satisfying without being overly filling or spicy.
— lots of vegan and vegetarian friendly offerings. The fried tofu was cooked perfectly.
Cons:
–the white bean fondue which the menu said came with grilled flatbread. The fondue wasn’t overly flavorful and what accompanied it was more like thick crisp crostini. There were only 5 small pieces, and 3 of us. We had to ask for more (which our waiter was nice about) since we had plenty of fondue left and nothing to put it on.
–the mac ‘n cheese — had it both visits and agreed it was lackluster.
–the apple crisp dessert — very small portion and not good flavor or texture. Would not recommend this.
–weekday lunch visit was slow. There were 7 of us at noon and only one other table of two and it still look us more than in hour to get in and out.
–menu says house salad comes with seasonal greens and veggies. Ours was lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Not overly exciting.
The Okay:
–pork bahn mi with house pâté. Traditional bahn mi are served on baguettes that are crisp on the outside and chewy inside. The bread was very soft and not exactly baguette-​like. The sandwich was somewhat flavorful. For $ 8 it was small and didn’t come with anything on the side (not even a garnish).
Will be back but will probably wait a few weeks for Café Freda to work out its kinks.

We have just returned from Café Freta again. They have been open for 3 nights now and we have been there twice. We will return again cause the food is that good. Global Comfort food cooked with Local Love. How true that statement is cause they source everything that they can locally. From the bread (a secret) to the lamb bellies. We enjoyed the both cheese apps and the chips are so good and compliment the dish very nicely. I can’t say enough good about this place they cure their own meats and the lamb belly is simply to die for and I will fight for the last piece. Brian and his Mother are such a pleasure to visit with to. They feel so strongly about their food and it shines thru with every bite. We had the lamb belly gyro and the Chicken Curry with a balsamic rice and a mango chutney. The mixture is absolute heaven to your taste buds. With the mixture of sweet and the spice of the curry is delightful. I’m not a curry fan till I had a bite of this one. I can’t get enough and Brian and his crew is really making it hard to go to work tomorrow. But if I don’t go to work I can’t come back and eat later in the week.

This place is a breath of fresh air in Riverside. We really enjoyed the food and the ambiance of the remade bungalow. The white bean fondu was amazing. They served it with house made crisps. I had island smoked pulled pork with black beans and rice and pico de gallo and plantains. This dish was a flavor explosion for my taste buds. The only thing that could have made it any better for me would have been more plantains. The meal was awesome and the chef was kind enough humor my foodie husband with all his questions. They have only been open 2 days and they are still working out some bugs but Eat here soon!