Better Then Fred's is a BBQ sports bar in downtown Grande Prairie, AB. I drank a local beer, the Grain Bin Red Willow Amber ale (brewed locally in Grande Prairie), and ate the smoked beef brisket dip (beef brisket with sautéed onions and mushrooms, topped with Swiss cheese and served on a baguette). This sandwich was absolutely amazing!!!! And so was the Au Jus :) The atmosphere is cool, has TVs to watch sports, has pool tables and also has a stage for live music. read more

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This is a tough review to write on a couple of levels. Better in that Fred's treated us well, but they missed the mark on a couple of fronts. Be more like a 3.5 from our point of view as the good was the excellent green salad and the light smoke on our half chicken. The bad was the dry chicken, most definitely overcooked by more than a little bit. The pierogi's were stuffed with potato, and dry to the point that they were almost like little tanks. You had to use a knife to cut them in half, and the accompanying onions might have been better left in the kitchen. The decor is pool hall dark, which is ok, because that is what it is. The place was pretty full of locals on a Sunday early evening. Our server was quite attentive, but the food came out quite slowly, the mains for sure took longer than they should have. Pricing seemed quite reasonable to us, but where we live eating out has become quite a luxury. Would we go back, maybe, but there are still plenty of places to explore in Grand Prairie prior to doing so. read more

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they have best pool tables in town and really nice food and service. They had band playing on weekends which was awesom.

Amazing atmosphere, really good food, well priced, awesome staff and John always supports other local family operated businesses & organizations. They offer delivery anywhere in Grande Prairie & area. read more

Great service and food. Has live music often on weekends. Tons of specials different ones on different days. Nachos are amazing and large. Love the chicken carbonara. Drink specials, pool is hourly at fair price. read more

A shout out and thank you to Ashley and the wonderful chefs who prepared a delicious fantastic wedding supper for my son's wedding on June 28... It was delivered piping hot and on time..and the price was beyond fair!! EVERYONE loved our better-than-fred's buffet pulled pork meal with all the fixings.. Thanks guys! So wonderful to have this unique special source of food fun and good energy available to us in Grande Prairie! read more

Awesome quality food here and they offer delivery too. The pulled pork sandwich is my personal favorite.

If you want sports and great bbq this is your place! I love this place...the drink are cold and if manage to get there before 7 the pricing is quite reasonable! Beer, wine, highballs all for a very good price indeed... The BBQ is also excellent St Louis ribs, Brisket, pulled pork all amazing! Maybe the best service in Grande Prairie also...always friendly and attentive. If you want live entertainment this is kinda the go to place in GP on the weekends. Incredible live acts from current hot acts to our 90's hero's Great place to eat and drink, watch a band or just chill for the night...check it out read more

It was my first outting since moving to Grande Prairie, I came out for their live show with the band Arrival of Autumn. It was an absolute amazing experience. The place was set up well, and the food was absolutely amazing. I can't wait to experience more shows and delicious food here! read more

The only Pool Billiards/hall, every once in awhile they do something to support local non-profits and their clients. There isn't much parking, not even from being just across the Crystal Center/Revolution Place/Torquette for that parking often fills it's surrounding parking instead. read more

My first visit in Nov 2020 I had the BBQ sampler platter. OMG it was amazing! Told everyone when they are in the city to go there. Hubby and I were there today early afternoon. I wasn't as impressed. The wings were dry, smoked BBQ flavour but dry. I read an earlier review and they said something to the effect of the food being fresher at night. I may agree. The service was awesome. It wasn't super loud in there so we could have a conversation. I'll still be back... love the smoked BBQ flavour, but I'll try again at night. read more

This is my 101% go to place for Great food, great service, great atmosphere, well I could go on but in short, ITS THE BEST PLACE TO BE IN GP. My Friends and myself, frequently love coming to Fred's, whether it be to play some Pool on their giant tables or feast on their excellent BBQ, they got it all! Not to mention they host some of the best entertainment that comes to GP. The only thing I could nit pick about is the Pulled Pork Sandwich could use some more of that Delicious SAUCE! Better than Fred's will have my business for years and years to come,because nobody else in Grande Prairie can compete! read more

Great Food and Friendly Staff! Always a good time when there. They often put on some great concerts as well! I highly recommend them!

About 55 minutes ago I finished eating at better than Fred's. The service is good, our waitress was nice and greeted us within a minute of sitting down. (That's fast) Atmosphere is awesome. The issue was with the food. The MAIN issue was that the brisket was almost as dry as beef jerky and cold. Very dry, I'm a chef so you can take my word. An attempt was made to oven warm the brisket but it was still cold. The mash potatoes were microwaved too hot to eat. And the Caesar salad was underdressed and the chicken was very dry and unseasoned. Now I'm not the one that ordered the chicken ceasar salad dish. I would never do that at a BBQ house. But the issue is with both proteins and how they where served. They need to be the star of your meal. They need to be served promptly and preferably by the server herself. When I asked if it was day old brisket she said she'd ask the manager. Then came over with the bill and said that she "discounted" the meal. That was her only mistake. When something is wrong and explanation needs to be given! When you use a QSA on a bill a manager needs to touch the table. even if it's to reconfirm a servers response! Shame So summarized. NO explanation given for my problem FORCED solution by giving me a QSA without manager touching the table. Improper handling of food in the kitchen. Seems to be understaffed as-well... 1pm on a Monday NO SHIT I don't blame them. Lol And just a generally poor experience. The quality of the brisket today was like my PIT BOSS home smoker I got for 30$ (AKA very poor.) I've been here after 4pm when the brisket was fresh and it was a very good meal, so I have a standard for this restaurant. I want to call this lunch a bad dream. I'd be great to come back to "Better than Fred's" one day with my family and have the quality brisket they advertise. I hate leaving a bad review more than receiving one. Hopefully someone can reach out privately or publicly and offer an explanation. That way I can delete this review. read more

Went to a Mother Mother show here...you have to go early (7 pm) to get a good seat for the show. Bands don't start playing until 9 or 10....so kind of a long wait. Most people ate here, but we didn't....will for sure next time...food looked really good. It's nice to see a bigger band in such a small venue...most people went to stand up at the front once the bands started to play so it blocked the sight line to the stage.. 4/5 stars because of the long long wait time...and only stingray (Telus music station) until the live music started. They cover all the pool tables to provide extra seating...it would be tough to sit at this makeshift table for several hours...too high to eat...no place to put your legs while you sit...for that reason..come early so you don't get stuck at one of those tables. Servers were friendly Came for dinner and Matt Good show on sat night...food was good....ribs and wings were tasty.. read more

Right downtown. Had lunch there with friends for the first time. (even though I've lived in GP my whole life) I never went there before, because the atmosphere seemed kind of "bar ie". Was surprised to find great food, a clean place, and good service. John has been around GP forever and is a great host. Highly recommended; even for a work lunch. Not just a bar. read more

Best smoked meat in town! Very fast and friendly service. Always happy with everything!

Better than Fred's is by far my favourite place in GP. It was the first place that my fiancee and I tried when we moved to GP based on many recommendations, and we come back again and again. I come here over my lunch hour sometimes, and they always get you in and out in a pretty reasonable time period, no matter how busy they are. My favourites are the Deep fried Pickles and the Chicken Carbonara. My fiancee loves the pulled pork. There's pool tables, big tvs, and although we've never taken in a show here, it's also a popular concert venue. I've also had a work event catered by Better than Fred's and myself and the attendees were blown away- the food was AMAZING. Chicken, Ribs, mashed potatoes, cornbread, salad- it was all to die for. They did call me a couple months later asking if we paid (we had, and I got them the cheque # and etc and told them the day they'd cashed it) so I'd recommend keeping your paperwork as it doesn't seem to be their strong point, but the quality of the food is more than worth it. Though apparently disorganized they were so professional and handled it well. They even picked up all their equipment from a different place than where they dropped it off and were very accommodating. They also have a private back room you can rent out for a really reasonable price for private events. Like the other reviewer I try to take out of town guests here, and they are always impressed- they food is definitely better than the atmosphere might suggest. read more

Stopped here for lunch because the reviews on yelp were good. We're from out of town. This did not disappoint. I had the chicken carbonara and it was SO GOOD. The chicken was perfectly smoked. My coworker had the pulled pork and also throughly enjoyed it. Yum! read more

A Grande Prairie staple, Freds has faced a lions share of Adversity in its Time in GP. The quality of service has never Diminished, the staff are super friendly and the food is unreal. Grande Prairie is a better place because of businesses like Freds and Owners like John! read more

Pretty decent bar with a very good selection of Craft Beers on tap. Daily sandwich specials and a decent menu. On the higher end of your average bar for selection and perogies available as a side. read more

Yelped it...so was not sure what to expect. From the outside a little shady but the food portions, flavour and freshness was awesome. The server was very knowledgable and friendly. We had a wonderful lunch read more

Enjoyed this place quite a bit. Stopped in to watch the Stanley Cup finals on vacation. Smoked wings are tasty. Prices are a bit high but you're pretty far from civilization in Grand Prairie so what can you do. Good selection. Tons of TVs and I think 10 pool tables. Service was attentive. Really clean. Nice place, variety of people there - families with kids, groups of oil workers, young people, old people. A+ read more

Stopped by this pool hall / pub after a concert at Revolution Place. I was surprised to learn patrons are required to swipe their drivers license and have their picture taken to gain entrance. I am always a little concerned over the collection and sharing of personal information. It hardly seems necessary in a laid back pub setting as this one. I did enjoy the regulation size billiards tables. Racks of balls can be rented at the bar for a reasonable rate. There is also an alcove in the back featuring video arcade favorites. I received a severe trouncing at the hands of my daughter in Big Buck Hunter much to the amusement of all present. The kitchen was in the process of closing so only appetizers were available. Our table ordered a sample platter. I only hope this is not an indication of the quality of the full menu as it was pretty sad. Consisting mainly of processed frozen chicken fingers and pirogies ( both over cooked) and chicken wings (still pink in the middle). Frankly I'm a little surprised as the food here seems to be highly regarded. However the wait staff are friendly and attentive. I will have to come back for lunch and try again. read more

Very good food just needs more bbq sauce flavors, like spicy, sweet and devils spit (really hot). Great service.

Great food terrible servers got alot of attitude from them and they spent alot of time talking to each other

Best local place, by far. Food is delicious, and reasonably priced. Atmosphere is amazing, including live bands and comedy shows. And the staff is generally very accommodating, with obvious exceptions on busy show nights. read more

Not only does the owner have a giant heart, and does a ton for our community but he definitely has the best live music venue in GP. I am a huge fan of the spindip burger, their specials are creative and they carry a large selection of local items on hand. read more

Great local BBQ pit /Bar , huge space, good craft beer, ok service. Great food all BBQ meat smoked in house. Try the pulled pork or the brisket. . read more

This place was so nice, we ate their twice! It was even better the second time around. Soooo recommend this place :)

I kept on hearing that Better than Fred's had some dang good BBQ from fellow coworkers of mine. Well being from Texas I had to see what this place was all about. First off, great atmosphere. The locals are friendly and offer to buy drinks all the time. Second, the staff is very helpful and will help you if you don't know what you want to order or to drink. Now keep in mind the only thing I ordered was the BBQ. Third, the BBQ is ok, they lather their meat up with BBQ sauce before the serve it. To me that is a sign they hiding something, burnt or dry meat. Am not a fan of BBQ sauce but rather the quality of the meat. You can tell it's cooked over the open flame rather then smoked. Nothing compared to Texas BBQ but I have to give credit where credit is do, the pulled pork was damn good. I will be sure to order the pulled pork again. I will be sure to return the next time I am town. Nothing compares to a few cold ones with the locals while playing pool and watching the games that are on. Cheers! read more

Better Than Freds - Pool Halls Near Me - Grande Prairie, Alberta

This is by far the BEST food in Grande Prairie! We have been eating there since we moved in June, and recently brought our friends who had travelled to Grande Prairie to see the place - they were blown away! My recommendations are the spinach dip - has a kick to it - the mac and cheese wedges are to die for! As well, the sampler - you get a bit of everything - ribs, perogies, pulled pork, smoked chicken, beans and cornbread - hubby went nuts over it. Myself, I am in love with the wings and the sweet thai chicken stirfry. And the best part - very inexpensive for what you get. They are amazing!!!! The service is top notch! read more

Stopped here the other day for dinner. I had the pulled pork sandwich with smashed potatoes and caesar salad. The pulled pork sandwich and smashed potatoes were great, but the caesar salad was lackluster and I didn't finish it. The waitress was friendly and the service was prompt. Will be coming back for sure. read more

Friendly relaxed atmosphere and fantastic food makes for a great night out. The BBQ pulled pork was so good. I'll be back.

Love this place! Would recommend anybody to go here! Great food, atmosphere and excellent staff!