FRED Eatery

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#1 of 1 Coffee & Tea in AldgateQuick Bites, Cafe, $$ - $$$

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FRED Eatery

Review

At a glance

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Website

+61 8 8339 1899Improve this listing

About

Located in Aldgate Village in the Adelaide Hills, FRED is the perfect eating house for the local community, passers-by and destination diners. FRED's approach is to provide fresh, vibrant comfort food utilising locally sourced produce in a welcoming contemporary setting. The FRED menu has a range of options from all day breakfasts, casual lunches, sweet treats and our own house blend coffee. FRED the venue offers contemporary, unique dining areas, courtyard and outdoor tables in addition to our mezzanine lounge and library space. FRED's mezzanine is ideal for group bookings with tailored menus to suit the occasion.

Features

CUISINES

Cafe, Contemporary, Australian

Meal types

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch, Drinks

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

Free off-street parking

Free Wifi

Gift Cards Available

Highchairs Available

Mastercard

Outdoor Seating

Parking Available

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Street Parking

Takeout

Visa

Wheelchair Accessible

Wine and Beer

Location

220 Mount Barker Rd Shop 4, Aldgate, South Australia 5154 Australia

Free off-street parking, Parking Available, Street Parking

Is this restaurant good for local cuisine?

Yes

Unsure

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Hours

Suggest an edit

Closed now

• Opens at 7:30 AM

Sunday

7:30 am - 3:30 pm

Monday

Closed

Tuesday

7:30 am - 4:00 pm

Wednesday

7:30 am - 4:00 pm

Thursday

7:30 am - 4:00 pm

Friday

7:30 am - 4:00 pm

Saturday

7:30 am - 3:30 pm

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4.4

245 reviews

Excellent

158

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Pipstagram83

Adelaide35 contributions

So good - went back the next day!

Oct 2022 • none

FRED came highly recommended, and did not disappoint. Great food, a good mix of breakfast comfort with little touches to elevate it above standard bacon and eggs. I had the zucchini fritter with eggplant labneh, avo, eggs and added some bacon, all was perfectly cooked and tasted fantastic together. Cheerful, lowkey stylish ambience, even though they were very busy, the place never felt unpleasantly crowded when I was there at, presumably, very busy weekend timeslots (Sat and Sun brekky, around 10am), and food came out quickly too. Absolutely cannot fault FRED, and already planning a return visit as soon as possible!

Written 15 October 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kazzi M

Cairns Region125 contributions

Can’t walk passed this one

Sept 2024 • solo

The smell of coffee being made drew me in the door while I was sightseeing. Nearly all the sweet treats were gluten free and large in size 🤗.. a great breakfast and lunch menu too if that’s your choice. Spotless venue, lovely staff, outside and inside dining .. lounge seating plus comfy chairs with cushions for a more chilled just coffee fix Almond/Choc brownie 9/10 Coffee 10/10

Written 4 September 2024

TG2BT

Adelaide Hills44 contributions

Wow Wow …. Chow Chow

Apr 2024 • couples

Well it was the return of Dinner at Fred’s tonight with the theme ‘CHOW CHOW’ Asian inspired menu. All we can say is ‘WOW WOW’ It started with some homemade nuts … followed by Boa wow buns and a squiddly diddly squid salad - all absolutely delicious. Main course we ordered Joy in a Bowl (which was a mushroom gnocchi) and the Firecracker Beef. Both of these dishes were amazing.. The personal stand out was the Beef - awesome flavours and the satay sauce was to die for!! We noticed a dessert listed ‘Malaysian Banana Turnover’ and whilst we were totally full we did decide to share one of these also…. Ohhhhh this is a not to be missed delicious dessert that finished the night off perfectly!! Well done boys - great success!! So glad you are back doing Friday nights again!!!!

Written 12 April 2024

Jane W

Canberra79 contributions

Burst of flavour in the hills

Aug 2023 • friends

First visit to this humming cafe on a cold winter Sunday in beautiful Adelaide hills village of Algate. Delicious Australian Asian inspired cafe menu made it really hard to choose what to eat - with the Malaysian Bang Bang salad winning and did not disappoint with beautifully balanced flavours. Will definitely be back to try more from the menu.

Written 13 August 2023

Safari28604310793

1 contribution

Delicious food, delightful service and dining.

Apr 2023 • friends

I have eaten at Fred’s Eatery 3 times in the last year. It’s fabulous. I’ll return to try other menu items. Food is delicious, brunch and lunch items varied in choice, quite different, very healthy, some with Asian influence sauces & tasty spices. I took five friends, we all loved our meals. The Malaysian chicken bang bang delightful, my friend said the squid was, as well. Lots of oohs and aahs expressed over flavours. Service girls were lovely to us, as was the owner. It can be a busy eatery, they have upstairs dining, too. We visited on a weekday, and could stay chatting over coffee and cake. A lovely time was had by all.

Written 30 May 2023

David W

11 contributions

ARROGENT TERSE ATTITUDE FROM MANAGER

June 2020 • none

I had hoped COVID 19 might have neutralised the acidic attitude of the proprietor, who sadly, being on the till, HE is the public face of Fred's Eatery. What a shame, the food, the work of the other staff and very nice decor is wasted on the proprietor, who is very terse and acts as if he is doing you a favour when orders are placed. I am a local and have just walked out of Fred's with my friends and family for the last time. Perhaps its time for him to be relegated to a position where he doesn't have contact with the public.

Written 7 June 2020

FoodbyFred

Hi Jane We note that you have posted feedback on multiple social media platforms, so we will just respond here. We’re disappointed to hear that you didn’t enjoy your time at FRED. It was pretty hectic on Monday, with managing Covid-19 capacity restrictions proving to be quite challenging. We can’t find a record of your booking or have any recollection of your transaction with us to comment further, but we’re sorry that your experience was anything less than perfect. FRED

Written 10 June 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

128sk2

Adelaide26 contributions

Fusion confusion

June 2021 • none

Service was fast. The owner was hands-on which is rather admirable. Although well-known for breakfast offerings, but the lunch menu is somewhat limited. Our meals were lackluster and not up to our expectations. Especially ‘Hi Hi Shanghai’ fusion meal - thinking the tofu and the squids were heroes of the dish, unfortunately, got drowned by the rather unusual sweet corn ‘porridge’.

Written 27 June 2021

jwh1999

Adelaide19 contributions

Joint birthday brunch for grand daughters

Feb 2020 • none

We were celebrating our grand daughters birthdays . There were 11 of us including one in a wheel chair and a three year old. Everyone had an enjoyable time and the food was great, very tasty and presented beautifully. The staff were exceptional, and we were there on a Sunday morning and they were very busy, but had time to make you feel special

Written 15 February 2020

thurnestar

Adelaide40 contributions

Overpriced

Jan 2020 • family

Came here with grandchildren but found it pretentious and way overpriced. I think Berry coulis was just defrosted packet berries. Mushrooms on toast spoilt by terrible strong cheese. 12 dollars for fruit toast and 17 for mushrooms on toast. And a surcharge on using a debit card to cap it off. Would not recommend. Have been before just with my husband and that was ok but tables close together in downstairs area and we thought it was overpriced then. Today confirmed it.

Written 23 January 2020

FoodbyFred

Hi Thurnestar We’re sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy your experience at FRED. We thought we may hear from you as we recall that you did present a rather negative demeanour on arrival and when ordering. And it seems that it was all downhill from there. We believe that FRED provides great value for money given the use of quality produce and a fun, contemporary atmosphere. The menu items that you have “reviewed” are FRED menu staples and are usually very well received. For example, the mushrooms on toast is served with a lovely goats curd from Lobethal (as mentioned on the menu) but this can easily be omitted from the dish on request. We introduced a 1% merchant cost recovery credit card surcharge late last year in lieu of menu price increases, but debit payments remain cost free. While FRED is a popular eatery, we acknowledge FRED may not be for everyone. FRED

Written 24 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Gryphon_Lodge

New South Wales94 contributions

Modern and wonderful food.

Jan 2020 • couples

Wonderful food. Some interesting, inventive and subtle ingredient mixtures but not forced or for the sake of it. Service was quite amazingly quick given the queue in which I stood to order. The coffee is good too! This place can be crowded so pick your time - I saw long queues on Saturday morning for coffee - we were there for lunch later that day. Not being a fan of lime green I found the plates and cups a little off-putting but at least it was consistent throughout and somehow that usually works.

Written 18 January 2020

Narnia

Adelaide3 contributions

An upsetting experience

Mar 2020 • none

Could not agree more with the sentiments of previous reviewers in terms of the manager being arrogant and unfriendly, rude, abrasive, unhelpful and abrupt. I attended with my cousin a few weeks back and was treated with the same contempt and rudeness experienced by other reviewers. I asked a question about the menu, as did another reviewer, and was similarly met with pompous distain. I had had a very busy day and unfortunately forgot to note my table number before going up to the till to order. The manager found this completely unacceptable and shoved a map at me while belittling me for slowing down service. I wasn't sure which of two tables ours was on the map and pointed to the one I thought was ours. He rolled his eyes. This seems to be a common experience among reviewers. The whole exchange made me feel like I had barged into his home uninvited and was an enormous imposition on him. I wondered if he just didn't like me, or was having a particularly terrible day (we all have them sometimes) but after having seen review after review (both on here and on other platforms) mention the same common themes and experiences, it is very clear that it is not just me. As others have already stated, bad news travels fast. One unhappy customer is likely to tell ten other people they know to avoid a place if they have a bad experience. It's a real shame the manager seems to think that responding to reviewers patronisingly, blaming them for their experiences and telling them not to come back is an appropriate way to deal with constructive feedback, instead of changing his ways. I can only hope that if/when they re-open on the other side of this pandemic that he can find it in his heart to treat his customers with kindness and respect.

Written 10 April 2020

FoodbyFred

Hi Narnia We’re genuinely sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy your FRED experience, but we feel we must question the constructive nature of your feedback. While your visit was more than 6 weeks ago, we do remember the situation and were half expecting an online review, and it seems that you have used your time in isolation to research and embellish the situation. We try to ensure everyone visiting FRED has a positive experience, but we will call out poor customer behaviour and a condescending approach, which was our experience in this instance. Kindness and respect goes both ways, and you have elected to use this platform to transfer blame, and potentially damage our ongoing business (a bit like your previous and only other review). Keep safe, and we suggest you use your remaining free time reflecting on truth and what’s important.

Written 15 April 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Brenton-Jolly

Adelaide1950 contributions

Friendly catch up

Aug 2020 • friends

Caught up with a freind did a little research as to we’re go and Fred was on the hot list. We got there early and had a look around and it looked fresh colourful and amazing. The staff were so friendly and polite and the colours inside were so bright and colourful clean and fresh. We looked at the menu and the food looked amazing so we decided on 3 items the food came quickly and they looked amazing and the taste delicious. Then I ordered desert that was also delicious. Would highly recommend Fred I will definitely be back to try some different dishes.

Written 7 August 2020

KennelKing

Adelaide330 contributions

MAAAYYYYYTTTTE!

Feb 2021 • none

A bit disappointed today, Mate. food was good, though serves have shrunk, Mate. Service, Mate, not so good Mate. More mates that Penguins rutting in a rookery. Service mate, was , mate a let down.. mate mate mate? sad to see mate. basic things missed, mate, and food was 40 minutes to come, mate.. And Please mate, stop calling me your mate - I am not your mate, mate, the prices are not mates rates,mate. Maybe next time, Mate, you can call me plain old sir?

Written 6 February 2021

FoodbyFred

Sorry mate!

Written 8 February 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sean A

Darwin25 contributions

Almost the most expensive milkshake in Aldgate!

Jan 2022 • none

All was fine until I saw the milkshake price, $7.70 which was for an ordinary, same as anywhere else shake. Last time was in Aldgate I gave this place a miss because of that. Went to the cafe down the road instead - Dirtydoris, theirs was $8. Something about Aldgate cafes and price gouging on milkshakes!

Written 21 January 2022

Mr No

Australia5756 contributions

Quirky but expensive

July 2019 • none

Fred is a pleasant and friendly place to visit. The proprietor is happy to enjoy some banter with the customers. Food is very good but quite expensive. Egg and bacon roll for $17 or a Croque Monsieur for $21 - ouch, that's pricey. I've been to many places where that is much cheaper.