Highly recommend Federico's Grill & Catering, (also listed as Federico's Tapas & Bar in Google Maps). The food and atmosphere was amazing!! We had a great time, and the food and drink was even more amazing! It's a step back in time to the old west, enchanting little gem of a town with amazingly friendly folks. El Gato ;) has the best curtsy and is an amazing host, chef, pastry chef, and all around amazing human! We can't wait to come back for our next visit! You're missing out if you don't visit Rico, his lovely and original establishment... you might just find yourself a cowboy! read more

See all

It's been a long time since I've come to Federicos. The hospitality and food are still as stellar as I remember. We came for my birthday and had an incredible time. The patio was the perfect place to sit and enjoy our food while enjoying the warm weather and some great music. Although they were short staffed and packed inside, those of us in the patio got to enjoy peace while eating our meal. Federicos may become our go-to dinner spot for special occasions or if my wife and I just need an outing for us two. read more

See all

This is one of my favorite places in Fremont (and, formerly Union City). The owner is the friendliest, most welcoming person ever, who takes such pride in and truly enjoys sharing his food with customers. They have a full bar and excellent wines. It's a quaint restaurant with seating inside as well as a back patio. Their portions are large. I really enjoy their special food and wine pairing events (also available for NYE and Valentine's Day). Everything is cooked to order and packed with flavor. Steaks are juicy and pastas are perfectly al dente. They have a small parking lot and street parking is available. read more

Okay if I were basing my review solely on the appetizers, I'm going to have to say pass. We tired the crab cakes and the Gorgonzola gnocchi. These both were a pass for me. The complimentary bread was slightly underbaked and floury which left me feeling like we may have made a bad choice. The restaurant is well lived in, if I'm putting it politely. The lacquer in the tables is now tacky and the pictures on the wall a little dusty. But I'm going to forgo all of that for the actual stars of the show. The risotto was actually DELICIOUS! The veggies had a prominent seat at that table in that dish for sure. And my absolute favorite was the chicken Marsala. When I think of a chicken Marsala this is EXACTLY what I want. It was incredibly flavorful and the sauce was unctuous and rich. Listen, I'm not saying this is a fine dining establishment. But the entrees were awesome. We did also order the rigatoni with sausage but the smoke in the smoked paprika or chipotle that they used tasted a little fake. So I would pass on that. Overall, it wasn't a terrible experience. But I'd suggest sticking to some of the hidden gems on the menu that we had. read more

See all

Where to start!? We walked in on a whim this evening, we are always out and about in Niles and have always said "We need to try this place." Well tonight was the night, we walked in just as they opened. We were greeted almost immediately by the owner, Rico and his warm, friendly smile. My boyfriend and I have a great appreciation for cozy, dim lit -- no loud TVs in your face, cafeteria looking -- ambiance in our dining experiences and Fredrico's DID NOT disappoint! The setting was perfect. A carafe of water with a twist of citrus and warm, FRESH bread was brought to our table, and they do offer butter with your bread, however there is olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table next to fresh flowers for your dipping pleasure. My boyfriend ordered the French Chicken and I, the Spinach and Cheese Ravioli which came in a pesto sauce --which since we were the only patrons in the at this time, Rico honored us by allowing us to see his chef freshly prepping the ALL FRESH MADE IN HOUSE Ravioli, that I was ordering. Having worked in the restaurant industry I can gladly say the prep area, from walls to floor was clean, tidy and organized. The chicken was severed lightly breaded in a white wine sauce and capers. Sided with some sort of red cabbage, zucchini and mashed potatoes, all the ingredients were clearly fresh, by taste texture, the works. The pasta was delicious to say the least, the dough was cooked perfectly, the spinach cheese filling was pillowy and creamy, with all the right flavors. And ugh the PESTO sauce was just a dream! All the right texture and flavor a creamy pesto should be and they do not make it with pine nuts in mind for people with nut allergies! Although, there were not pine nuts (how I make mine at home) it was still just perfect! The restaurant walls are filled with art, a lot of which were painted by the owner's late brother. On warmer days they have an outdoor patio, I can't wait to sit and dine out on the patio. They also have live music a few nights a week. Definitely a hidden gem, DO NOT PASS THIS PLACE UP! read more

See all

Let me preface by saying, I hate giving bad reviews. That being said, this was my second time at Federico's. It was the first day of Fremont's Restaurant Week and we came with two other couples, so a total of six people. We were seated in a large table near the back patio door. There was quite the bad draft coming in, and my husband was freezing all night because he was the closest to it. It took them a very long time to take our drink orders, even longer to take our food orders and even longer than that to get our food. I have a feeling that they were understaffed, as they were only two servers, one being the owner and it was a pretty busy friday night. The food once it did come out was very tasty. Either that or we were super hungry. The desserts were mediocre. It was mostly whipped cream in my tiramisu. Plus, the portions were rather small. I don't know if I would come back here having been twice and both times were very underwhelming. read more

Federicos Grill - Crab Ravioli - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

We had our Company Holiday Dinner here and it was great. Everyone had a good time. The food was good. Rico went out of the way to add some extra appetizers and dishes that were not on menu. We had exchanged a few emails back and forth to see what they could prepare. And the extras were yummy. read more

Federicos Grill - Desserts - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

The food was the highlight. I had the Caesar Salad and the cioppino. The salad was properly dressed and the cioppino was nicely seasoned with plenty of seafood. The service was very good, attentive and helpful. The ambiance was a bit too casual for me. I would have preferred it to bit more up scale. The food is the most important and it worth additional visits. read more

Federico's is a warm and inviting Italian restaurant where the owner himself hustles the best he can to get his valued customers served promptly with hot and delicious food. As soon as you walk it he treats you like family with kind eyes and a warm embrace. His food is high quality overall and all pasta is handmade in house. It is very apparent the food is made with love, and every mouthful feeds my soul. The live music from locals is enjoyable on the patio and service is very friendly. The ambiance is eclectic and unique to the Niles village, nothing you have ever encountered before, especially in an Italian restaurant. I consider it a hidden gem in Fremont where my family and I love coming to on occasion. I highly recommend the experience. read more

Federicos Grill - Owner and restautanter Federico holding one of his many diverse decorative pieces. - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

My friend and I decided to meet for dinner here because of the great reviews and it was the halfway point between our homes. The restaurant is unique and cool looking place. Loved all the different artwork throughout the restaurant. I also noticed some hidden crystals in the decor. The food was average. The best part of our meal was the warm bread. The service was below average. We kept having to look for someone to help us. The bathroom was really dirty. I would not return or recommend it. read more

Went there last night for my special Birthday dinner. Rico was warm and welcomed us as soon as we arrived. My crab cake and crab raviolis were delicious! The atmosphere is cosy and unique. Such a great experience. Can't wait to come back soon. read more

Heard so many good things about this little restaurant , unfortunately for us it was not good, there was a gathering of some kind and we had reservations but was going to be seated outside during this rainy evening? . The waitress didn't seem to care and stated we could t go inside because it was too crowded! Really upsetting to take reservation but couldn't be seated indoors. What more annoying is that it was my husbands bday and had to leave. Unhappy with reservations and not being told that there would be such an event . Hope they will let others know of such things. Disappointed customer Mrs J. Campos read more

It seems more like a bar that became a restaurant. The presentation of the food was beautiful. Cutting open the Seafood Papilote at the table was so much fun. The noodles inside along with the seafood were delicious. The mozzarella in the caprese salad was a little dry as was the chicken in the French chicken dish. It was cut very thin and therefore dried out and was tough. Service was great and we had a great time overall. read more

Federicos Grill - French Chicken - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

See all

Cozy little shop with a unique interior. I believe it was a Thursday when they gave a love singer/guitarist. Food is good and downtown Niles is very quaint. read more

Extremely cute, unique, welcoming, quaint gem located in the Niles district of Fremont. 8-10 parking spaces in the private lot with ample street parking. Came on a Tuesday evening to celebrate my parent's wedding anniversary and the outdoor patio was all open. There were diners inside, but the weather is beautiful and the patio is super cute with a rustic type charm. We were greeted with the warmest, most genuine welcome by Rico! He had excellent customer service, was attentive and made us feel welcomed. He memorized our order, brought everything out quickly and kept our waters/bread filled. Bread is complimentary and comes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Gnocchi appetizer was a 7/10. Flavorful, but not best I've ever had Champagne chicken was delicious, per my Dad Pork chop was amazing, per my mom I got the rigatoni pasta with sausage and I'd say 9/10! It was delicious, everything was very flavorful and I'd order it again. I would add that it's a spicy dish though. I wasn't ready for the lingering spicy taste in my mouth. All in all, if you're looking for an authentic, mom&pop type, unique, rustic and charming gem... this is your spot! Come here to have a good time, be social and eat good food. Don't expect fast food chain service here. ***Tuesday was open mic night! The crowd was nice with some older folk type songs being played on acoustic guitars. Lots of talent and I remember a girl, Riley singing accapella and she was excellent! read more

See all

Came back for date night, they were playing the godfather sound track. The food is consistently good, will need to make this a part of the regular rotation. read more

See all

This review is for Federico only and not the food (I haven't had the chance to dine here yet). I have been planning the 20-year reunion for my high school for roughly 5 years now. When I say that "I have been planning", I mean literally every single aspect of planning and throwing an event. So that obviously entails finding a venue. With that being said, over the course of a few years (since the pandemic calmed down), I visited in-person, as well as spoke on the phone to the owners of a plethora of venues. Not only were the prices of every establishment absurd, each business attempted to nickle-and-dime me; "pay to use this speaker", "this side-dish cost this much compared to the other one", "this color tablecloth costs this much", "if I move this for you, I have to charge you", etc. Needless to say, this caused even more stress. Earlier this year, I thought about Federico's Grill and decided to give them a call. Federico answered the phone during what was probably a busy dinner-rush. Yet and still, he listened to me, answered my questions and offered to have me come by whenever worked for both of us. Things were off to a good start. Shortly thereafter, I stopped by the restaurant a little before they opened for business. Federico greeted me, offered me a drink, gave me a tour of the restaurant (he even showed me the kitchen where they were making the fresh pasta) and then sat down with me to listen to my plans and ideas for the reunion (by the way: I'm quite verbose). I informed him that I needed some time to go over a few things and that I would get back to him soon. I probably shouldn't say this because you might get jealous, but he sent me home with two pieces of their freshly-baked rolls! Within a few weeks, I returned to the restaurant to let him know the price that I wanted to spend per attendee. I was expecting some push-back, but there was none! Federico was more than happy to accommodate my guests and I at the per-person price that I was willing to pay. Unfortunately, I recently had to cancel the reunion because of a lack of ticket sales. Before calling to notify him and even now, I felt/feel bad; Federico was super nice, hospitable and easy to work with. It's rare to find a business owner that operates like him. He really deserved the business that I was hoping to give him. To sum up this review, I highly recommend that you reach out to him for your next party, gathering or engagement. And yes, I plan on eating here very soon! Thanks again Federico, you're awesome! read more

Flavor in every little bite. Very casual service with no pressure. The ambiance is so comfy.

Awesome tasty food. Spinich Salad, Apple Pork Chop and the French Chicken tonight. Apple Strudel and Creme Bru lei' for dessert. read more

Federicos Grill - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

Food was excellent, taste is delicious. Service was incredible super friendly and polite. Very nice people and place read more

Federicos Grill - Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

See all

This place is just the best. Not only can you count on great food & drinks but Frederico is also such a joy to visit. He will always greet you with a smiling face and so much kindness. Service here is top tier. Thank you Frederico, this will always be my favorite place in Fremont! read more

Last night was our 3rd time visiting. The food was exceptional, again. All the food is made in house. It's a very friendly environment and the staff are incredibly kind and attentive. There's music on Thursday. I highly recommend! read more

Federicos Grill - Beef Wellington - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

Enjoyed a delicious birthday dinner of lamb paired with a light Merlot from Spain Wednesday evening. There was also enjoyable live music in the back patio. Best of all was the service by attentive, Hannah and the one and only Rico, proprietor and sweetest host ever. read more

See all

Amazing food, service, live music! Love this spot. A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ read more

Federicos Grill - My date - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

See all

Ate here tonight and had a great time. Thursday's they have live music which was wonderful and the staff was super nice and friendly. The man who served us tonight was incredibly nice and helpful and really treated us like family. read more

Amazing service food and the owner is exceptional. Highly recommend this place. Best pasta and dinner we've had in a while.

A true gem of Fremont!! The food is so fresh and tasty really there's nothing wrong about any choices they're great! We love the decor inside it really does feel like you're in Niles. To top it off the service is impeccable. The owner is attentive and caring. Truly hope this place stays open forever! read more

Federicos Grill - Seafood - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

One and done type of place for me. Although, the service was good; the food wasn't what I thought it was going to be after reading all the good reviews here. The bread tasted like store bought bread that was toasted and the olive oil didn't have any taste at all. We ordered the polenta w/ meatballs and it was very underwhelming. The polenta was okay but the meatballs also tasted like they were from a bag of meatballs from a store. The size of the meatballs were really small too. We ordered the champagne chicken which was actually not bad at all. The chicken was perfectly cooked but the mashed potatoes could use more work as it was a bit dry. We also ordered the NY Steak that was cooked a little under medium than what I asked for but it was seasoned well and it was pretty big. I just wished the cut was a better cut than what I was given. read more

See all

I like Ciapino.. but can never spell. I have eaten this dish all over Europe, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. This dish was perfection. The shellfish was tender, prawns, so fresh and the fish ...oof. Perfection. The sauce that these were swimming in was nectar..food of the gods! Try it. Worth it for quality, price and presentation. Ambiance superb and super friendly owner. I am not a foodie but this is worth a mention for a sleepy town hideaway restaurant. Don't let quirky exterior fool you...deliciousness is inside. Recommended. read more

Federicos Grill - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

Such a cute establishment! Service was stellar. There was 1 young lady that was manning the entire restaurant and she was very efficient and nice. Had the following: Crab ravioli = 10/10 Risotto and added chicken = 10/10 Definitely will return! This is a great place to celebrate a special occasion, have a cute dinner or a nice date! read more

See all

A little quirky, and a lot of fun! Food is good, especially the pastas. It's easy to strike up a conversation with other patrons and the wait staff. Truly a Niles experience. Small restaurant, so would be a challenge for large parties. read more

I always look forward to dining here because I know I'll leave happy and satisfied. The food is consistently fresh, high-quality, and clearly prepared with care and attention to detail. Rico is not only willing to accommodate, he seriously goes above and beyond! What truly sets this place apart, to me, is the outstanding service. The staff do what they can to make every diner feel welcome and valued. That rare, personal touch, combined with the restaurant's wonderful ambiance, keeps me coming back time and time again. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can sit back in the patio! Having a place like this in the community means a lot. Supporting local businesses is so important to me - especially in Fremont, where locally owned and operated restaurants have become scarce. Truly, this place is a gem and I highly recommend it. read more

Federicos Grill - Crème brûlée - Wine Bars Near Me - Fremont, California

See all

We decided to check out Federico's for Fremont Restaurant week (review is a bit overdue). Located in Fremont's historic Niles district, this is a local sit-down favorite. We went in with high hopes, but left quite disappointed. FOOD For the Restaurant Week, Federico's had a $40 3-course fixed menu. Between the two of us, we tried the options available to us. We also opted for the $5 Margarita special they had. They also had complimentary bread as well. The Margarita was great. Perfectly balanced and rimmed with plenty of salt. Definitely a very solid drink. For the appetizer, we had a choice of soup or salad. Both are pretty standard, nothing really stood out about them. For the main course, we got the lasagna and the chicken piccata. For the price, both were pretty delicious and left us quite full. It was great that they didn't skimp on the lasagna, but I wish they used a square plate to really get that classic lasagna shape. That being said, based on what I could tell, this isn't a normal menu item, so I'm guessing they used whatever dish they had on hand to make this. Dessert was tiramisu or cannoli. Was not impressed with either of these. The tiramisu was served in a champagne glass, which looks good for social media, but it's a bit tricky to eat, especially when you get to the end. Tiramisu was on the dryer end, which I did not prefer. Wasn't a fan of the cannoli either, but, to be fair, I'm not a fan of cannoli in general and this didn't change my mind. Overall, food was okay. Pretty average other than the drinks and the lasagna, which isn't on the standard menu. SERVICE This hurts to write, because, as far as I could tell, the owner, Rico, really goes out of his way to make you feel attended to. Unfortunately, we did not get that level of service while we were here; we saw other people being served with hospitality, but we were not. We actually got there early before the rush, but we sat there for a while without being served. We had to flag down someone several times, once to order and twice to ask for our next course. Someone who arrived at the same time as us, finished right as we got our main course; they didn't order the 3 course, but it was still not great. There were definitely enough servers and the place did get busy, but we were there before it got busy, so I don't think it's a good enough excuse. What really sealed the deal for us, however was shortly after our main course was brought out, they asked us if we could move tables so they could seat more people. I understand if they asked us BEFORE we had food on the table, but having to move tables after your food has arrived, especially for a sit down restaurant, is not the experience I'd want to have. On a positive note though, Rico brought us two margaritas, when we only ordered one. He said he misheard and that the second was on the house. Rico also did thank us for stopping by as we left. It's great that Rico is very hospitable to his guests, but it's not consistent enough. For that reason, I cannot recommend the service. COST We got the special for Restaurant Week, so it was $40/person before tax and tip. It's a decent price for what you are getting, even if the food is only okay. If I was ordering off the menu, I wouldn't recommend it though. SETTING Pretty cozy place. There's a lot of art on the walls so plenty to look at as you wait for your food. There's also an outside patio with some interesting decor as well. Lighting is dim to add to the ambiance. Would be a good place for a date. Lots of street parking available. If it isn't, there's a large parking lot about 5 minutes away that should have spots. Overall, I was very unimpressed with the service. While others may have a different experience, that's not what I got and for a place with this level of inconsistency where it's literally hit or miss, I would not recommend it. 2/5 read more

See all

We started with the gnocchi appetizer which was delicious, as was the bread served with our meal. My date had a pasta dish with prawns, which was delicious. I had the rack of lamb which was ruined with a too heavy balsamic sauce. I could not taste the lamb at all. The mashed potatoes were dry and pretty bland. Vegetables were ok. Service was spotty even though there were only 4 tables of customers. I might try again, but won't order the lamb. read more

Fantastic service and amazing view. Treated our family so nice and were accommodating in every way. Nothing but love for the establishment and staff would recommend to anyone read more

I think we just found out new favorite spot!!! I've been wanting to try Federico's for a while but hubby isn't into Italian too much so I chose it for my bday dinner. And now he can't wait to go back again LOL. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted by Rico who makes you feel welcome and comfortable right away. I honestly haven't met anyone with so much love and energy. He asked us about our preference in wine and immediately brought two bottles to the table for us to try. Then we were greeted by this lovely lady for our orders. The crab cakes was delicious. The sauce that came with it was amazing. I ordered rib eye steak and man o man was it good!!! It came with eggplants, potatoes and grilled vegetables - it paired so well with the steak! Hubby had NY steak and he was eating it so slow cause he didn't want it to finish. He killed everything on his plate! The meat was very fresh and great quality. And then Rico and his staff surprised me with a bday cake and sang me HBD I honestly have not had that much fun on my bday in a very long time. Thank you Rico and family for making me so happy!! We will definitely be coming back soon!! read more

See all

My girlfriend wandered into Frederick's one night and told me that we needed to come back together. We've been back quite a few times since, and now it's time to share my feelings: - It's a great place for joining the Niles neighborhood experience. It's easy to spend an evening there with open mic, live music, and an art-filled ambiance (with paintings on the walls and a great backyard) - Backyard space has stunning views of the hills and lovely frogs and toads that croak at night - The wine selection is excellent - A great variety of foods to choose from - An intimate environment. This is a real place, and not a cookie-cutter boring restaurant. - I enjoyed meeting Rico, learning his story, and his passion for the restaurant business and his initiative to expand awareness and training around how to help people who are choking (an essential in the food industry!) - A real small business who cares about their patrons This has turned into one of my go-to places for date night. Thanks, Rico and team, for your hospitality! read more

See all

Cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. Thank you for such a an amazing, beautiful sweet night out with friends. We met here as an equidistant spot between Oakland and the South Bay with COVID friendly outdoor seating. The heaters were roaring and that back patio was just adorable. Water feature, cute lights, sexy pirates...what's not to love? There was even a cute croaking frog nearby chirping along as we dined. Frederico's is such a special place. It's unique and homey and you'll go home with a story to tell. Our server, whom I assume is the owner (and maybe Frederico himself, gasp) is a true showman. He's warm and shows so much love for food and his restaurant. The food was very fun. Not the fanciest Italian food you'll have, but you can taste the love. And that's worth a lot more. The ravioli was I think a favorite at the table, and my French Chicken was delicious and bright. After our appetizers of eggplant and.. something else I can't recall, the bread which was fluffy and hot, and the entrees, we all somehow had room for dessert. Our server brought out our two dishes with complimentary espresso liqueur in mini copper Moscow mule cups. So sweet We probably overstayed our welcome but our server was too polite to interrupt our laughing as we finished the wine. Thanks for letting us stay late and apologies for forgetting the time! We'll be back next time we're in the area. Much love read more

I believe once you walk into a restaurant first impressions are important, this place is awful! Had a RSVP at 7 on Valentine's Day and we came 10 min early and the two waiter/waitress awful impression. They stared at us when we walked in, and didn't even greet us but looked annoyed. The man in the red apron who I believe is the owner helped us, after waiting 30min to be seated...got more irritated that when a party walked in after us they got seated immediately and they didn't even have RSVP..... People sitting down all look annoyed, they told us they were slow and it took them 2 1/2 hours to get their food and 1 hr to get their bill....this restaurant is not big so I don't understand, how it can be so disorganized. Plus when we sat down I saw the waitress look at us and roll her eyes with annoyance. It doesn't matter if the food is good, that doesn't compensate the horrific service and our first experience at this establishment. They should have planned better staffing on a day like Valentine's Day, because in the kitchen it looked like no one was there cooking and it looked like food wasn't being prepared. After we sat, waited about 10-15min....no water, no service, NOTHING! just ridiculous! We ended up just walking out....what a disappointment and disaster!!! HORRIBLE read more

Charming atmosphere excellent food and service. The owner warmly greets diners and makes you feel like he is welcoming you to his home.