WOW FACTOR? Yes. Despite all the traffic going by, it was pleasant sitting out front looking across the street at the lake. Of, course, we could have crossed the street and eaten at a picnic table closer to the lake! HAVE AGAIN: Big Boss burger was good. Orange Crush freeze delicious. Hard to choose the freeze since the shakes are so good. read more

People are nice/Food is good but Always so slow I wait almost 20 minutes for my hamburger, fries and drink.. DONT COME HERE IF YOUR IN A HURRY read more

Pretty disappointing experience overall. The service was really slow, and the young lady working at the front came across as rude and impatient, which didn't make the wait any better. The burger was probably the biggest letdown. It honestly tasted like cafeteria food and wasn't something I'd order again. I will give credit where it's due though: the M&M Twister was BOMB. Easily the best part of the visit and definitely saved the experience a little bit. Overall, I'd come back for a Twister, but probably not for the food. Ps don't come here if you want your food quicker than 30 mins read more

It is a bit pricey but it tastes amazing and it supports local business. So, if you want to cool off in the summer go and get yourself a yummy ice cream and sit by the lake! I recommend the banana splits and french fries! read more

I stop in when traveling thru and several times I have seen and heard, I'm assuming management yelling at the employees which are mostly young ladies. I see the employees working as fast and hard as they can and it's not good enough in the eyes of management. I have witnessed this multiple times stopping in but didn't catch the name of the woman. She's an older woman between 50- 60 and wears glasses. I will not be coming back as I can't watch this happen anymore. You should look into better mature management to oversee these young ladies that are doing their very best. read more

Usually I regret eating soft ice cream because most places serve junk but this place has decent soft ice cream.

Stopped by for a Cone. 6 people on staff but no one could help us. They were all in the kitchen arguing. I would love to buy this place. Anyone know who owns it? btw the cone was just as I remember them from working at one for years read more

Great Food Burgers Cooked to Perfection Quick Service Extra Clean Restaurant Friendly Staff Will Return read more

Food is pretty good! I just got a single cheeseburger and a root beer freeze. The inside is kind of depressing so I'd recommend sitting outside lol. The employees are okay, but it's a good spot to get good ice cream! read more

The food was very expensive $10 milkshakes, also the service was not good. The lady complained there was 6 of us ordering and how they were low staff but there were multiple people just sitting down in the back. The young man with curly hair was nice and hard working though. read more

I love stopping at Fosters Freeze for their Tater Totes and milkshakes coming and going to from Sac to Eureka. The employees are nice and the service is fast. read more

Ice cream milkshakes were great and the burgers were decent; affordable prices on the menu. Fast service and friendly servers Clean restaurant and convenient to State Highway 20 Clear Lake Certainly worth the stop while driving by. read more

First off I drove half way around the lake with my 90 year old grandfather to get a milkshake ended up spending $40 on a chili dog that was wrapped in paper squished beyond repair. Who does that ? Haven't you heard of paper boats ? What a shame I could have saved the $40 made my own chili dog and bought him a milkshake from Jackbox which he would have been happier with. Well lesson learned. The whole meal was garbage. First time for that place. Two thumbs down read more

The front kids should remember that the customers pay their wages. Being abrupt in providing excuses as to why it takes over half an hour for a hamburger fries and a chicken sandwich is bad. Getting a lot of customers at once is an opportunity to shine not a burden. It is my opportunity to explore other options in for dining in Lucerne. read more

Of course the food is wonderful, we always stop on our way to and from Fort Bragg. On Wednesday 12/4 I was excited for the pumpkin spice twister and ordered a large. The woman behind the counter was ridiculous. She asked me if I knew the size of a large and I said yes, it's huge. Please I'd like that size. She went on and even said that grown men can't even finish a large. I waited quietly for my order and she just couldn't stop with the rudeness. Another customer ordered a cone and she told her co-worker she would have to wait because "someone" just ordered a large and it took all the ice cream so now everything is backing up. I'm not sure why she was so concerned about my order, I don't know why she's so angry about having to make it that she spent 5 minutes insulting and mocking my order but it's not a good look for the restaurant. Yes, we will go back next time we travel, I just hope to not have to deal with her again. read more

Mediocre $10 Cheeseburger served cold by rude indifferent people. I have been here a few times and nothing improved.

Good spot for burritos and corndogs but everything else is a bit overpriced , the kids working there are polite and the food is sub par

Overall I would come back here again! Unfortunately the team is currently understaffed, so there can sometimes be a little bit longer wait than you expect, but the staff is so kind and thoughtful. When we were there the credit card machine went out so we had to go to an ATM to get cash. When we got back they realized they had overcharged us (grateful they realized) and fixed the issue. They even gave us a free ice cream to make up for it. All of the food was delicious. Me and my boyfriend got the classic cheeseburgers with fries and onion rings, the onion rings were the best! The inside gives the vibes of a burger shop, it could be a little cleaner but as I mentioned, they're low on staff. Will be back when I'm in Clearlake next read more

Heavy GREASE stench in the air, business opens at 11 in Lucerne. Yet that manager has someone with a blower loud as hell at 6am waking people up while i try to sleep till i get up for work but that noise stays on well past 8am, then theres a loud ass truck parked in the business also loud. I been talking to people for signing petitions to erradicate this brsak of peace so they may conduct orderly business after 8am. Besides who wants overpriced greasy tasting burgers meant for fat nasty greasy bimbos. read more

Just had a horrible experience at Fosters freeze in Lucerne. It took a half an hour for them to make a cheeseburger and a hamburger, and there were no other cars in the parking lot. Customers walked out because it was taking too long. The girl at the counter had an attitude, I'll never go there again. Wish I didn't today. read more

Staff needs NOT to be so RUDE--especially when it looks like you have someone in training!! Be more professional!! Now the line is out the front door because employee keeps asking the same question three times read more

The lady with glasses at tattoos on her left arm was taking orders and completely RUDE to each customer I seen come in. No patience for the elderly and just looks like she hates being there. Barely anyone in the store and had an attitude with every order she took read more

Food is amazing.... But one of the staff members was having a bad day or bad life because she was a real asshole. But it wouldn't stop me from coming once every 25 years when I need to drive through clear lake. read more

I can't say enough good things about this old school hamburger & ice cream everything restaurant. This Fosters Freeze is absolutely immaculate..including the restrooms which is amazing because they are available to the public. The inside & outside is also immaculate.. Great interior paint choice of colors..Red white & blue.. Now the food.. delicious, hot & the freshest you can get. YUMMY! Last but not least, the staff is amazing.. friendly, helpful & just plain welcoming.. Shoutout to Alexeya, at the counter taking orders...Just the best! Not far behind is Alyssa..a great employee in training..A huge shoutout to the owners that require cleanliness & it shows.. This will be our lunch spot from now on when visiting Ukiah from Sacramento.. PS Be patient when waiting because this place is popular & they are working hard to get your delicious food to you as fast as they can!! read more

Trin provides 5* service with a smile. Austin, on the other hand, is the sole reason this is a 3* instead of 5* review. He had a bad attitude towards his coworkets and in front of customers. His coworker said, "Just a minute, I'm doing something." He blurts out, "You ain't doing nothing" in front of four customers. Just rude. The Butterfinger parfait was sooooo good! Also, it was nice to find that the bathroom was clean. read more

We were happy to find this Fosters Freeze while on our recent vacation. This location is super busy so plan on waiting in a long line to order. We ordered 3 classic cheeseburgers, a large order of both fries and onion rings to share. Our burgers were really good and so were the crinkle cut fries. The onion rings were a little overcooked but hey - it happens. When we were finished we stood in the very long line again for soft serve ice cream cones. For some reason the chocolate ice cream tasted off -- kind off fruity but the vanilla in the half and half was good. Over all our burgers and fries were amazing so I'd give this little place 5 stars. Our visit was during the heat wave and they were super busy but employees were very nice and had great customer service skills. Yum read more

My parents have stop by here for strawberry milkshakes anytime they travel along HWY 20, as they've done for years and years. My wife and I gave it a try, and we grab milkshakes on our way through now as well. Sometimes we grab a snack or two. The employees have always been friendly, even if they're always short staffed. They're willing to customize the milkshakes if you want, and the snacks have been as expected. Minus one star for the bathrooms. We appreciate having easy access to bathrooms, but one is always thrashed or backed up. The employees are not plumbers, and people are animals, so not a ton they can do about it. It's not their fault. Maybe management could add a key or passcode lock to the toilets to mitigate falling into bad shape. read more

Classic burger joint We ended up here one evening because of a miscommunication with my family... we thought we would be cooking dinner at our Worldmark units (timeshare) once we arrived at Clearlake but I guess everyone went on their own for dinner. Hubby and I snuck out and found Fosters Freeze at the next town over at Lucerne (about a 5-min drive) and was able to make it 20 mins before they closed at 9:00p. Fosters Freeze is a local California burger joint that serve made-to-order burgers, while you wait and delicious shakes. They are known for their amazing (made with real milk!) soft serve ice creams. I didn't get ice-cream this time but chose a mocha shake. I got the Old Fashion (beef patty topped with Fosters sauce, lettuce and tomato (I held off on the pickles and onions) and we got some crinkle fries too. Hubby got the Double Old Fashion which was about twice the size of my burger. We realized it was almost closing time and the young people working the shift were probably anxious to clean up for the evening and get home already but they were nice and professional and friendly while they took our order, although they probably rushed my husband's burger while making (see photo) LoL! The food was delicious. We ordered them to go. A California tradition since the mid 1940's, Fosters Freeze is probably California's first fast-food chain! A good place to stop for a bite on the way to/from Lake County/Mendocino County and Sacramento! It's right off Highway 20. Review #1234 read more

See all

Stopped here and was very disappointed in our order. Had a chili dog the bun was burnt to black and charcoal, the fried burritos were doughy inside. The counter girl was very nice the manager grumpy and not worth complaining too. So we ate the fries and left dissatisfied. We stop there 4 or 5 times a year. Maybe find another place for a while. read more

Fosters on the Lake! This Fosters is rumored to be the oldest, yet it's clean, freshly painted, and has a good patio. They have a local favorites menu which includes a burrito! The burrito is similar to one of the fried chili bean burritos from the gas station, but bigger and not greasy. Best thing? It has a crosswalk to a cute park for kids! Why a great place to take the kids. We ordered twisters: dirt & worms, s'mores, a banana one, and snickers. The "toppings" like marshmallow and graham are at the bottom. A "medium" is in a legend cup; perhaps 16 or 21 ounce cup. The s'mores was mostly vanilla with blended chocolate chips :( Happy eating read more

We have been stopping here for years and always get great food. Then I thought, why haven't I given them a review on yelp? Their plane fries are the best anywhere. If you like the original french fry, go no further. There hamburgers are made to taste and not taken out of a warmer. And if you are a fish sandwich person, you have to try these. Two large batter dipped pieces of fish on every sandwich. So if you are driving around Clear Lake and the munchies hit; stop at the Fosters Freeze in Lucerne. There is even a park across the street on the lake to enjoy your meal at. read more

Fosters Freeze - Best Fish Sandwich! - Burgers Near Me - Lucerne, California

If you only have a half hour for lunch DO NOT eat here!!! The food is good and the staff is great but if you call in your order you still have to wait in the lunch hour line. Today I called in my order 20 minutes before lunch then had to wait 25 minutes to pay and receive my food. I only have 30 minutes for lunch so I couldn't eat it until dinner time so my food had to be reheated in the microwave and reheated fries are not good. To top it off my fries weren't in the bag so because I couldn't wait in line again I basically donated 3.00. There's got to be a better way to accommodate all customers. Lucerne is a small town but everyone that drives by stops to get ice cream so it's crowded like it's in a big city!! read more

Pretty good burgers & fries. Staff is friendly & service is pretty fast. Very busy fast food restaurant. Great shakes & sundaes. Ice cream is yummy. Bathrooms are outside at the back & haven't been very clean when I needed it. read more

This is a stop over for us every time we come across the lakes however today while dining inside, an Asst. manager(?) was ripping into an employee very loudly. It was 3:54 pm, Monday, Sept 23rd, and this woman was cursing and behaving in a manner that was completely inappropriate for the people in the dining room sitting at an ear shot. The young man finally just walked outside the back door to get away from her... After he walked out she continued taking about him to the other employees in the back, but those of us in the dining-room could hear every word. Very unpleasant, and uncomfortable. Perhaps she should be given a class on management 101... because she lacked the skills to have an appropriate conversation with an employee. Other than this poor experience, we love this Foster's Freeze and our food was great! Especially my peach milkshake! Kudos!! I'm only giving a single star so hopefully the owner sees it. The single star had nothing to do with the food! read more

This is your typical Fosters Freeze - nothing special. We enjoy their generic burgers and fries, we really love their ice cream. Although this is a small town, they always have someone new working here. All of the employees are very friendly and do a good job. This place gets very busy so sometimes you have to wait 20 to 30 minutes to get your food. read more

Delicious ice cream cones and good service. Danville family spot and staff is friendly. read more

We just stopped for the chocolate dipped ice cream cone. The place was super busy for a Thursday afternoon, but the ice cream was worth the wait. The ice cream itself tasted yummy and the chocolate covering made it plain sinful. Must visit if you are visiting the Clearlake area or passing through. read more

I've been coming to this very same Fosters Freeze off and on for the past five decades! Sadly many things change around us, and not for the better; but on the bright side Fosters still makes a screamin' hot fudge/peanut butter malt! I think it was 1977 when I first ordered one at this location. Yesterday, I decided to take my family for a Sunday drive to get ice cream, and I ordered one again... It was great! Took me right back to the era of CB Radios and the Bee Gees, and who could forget Fosters Freeze? If you have the opportunity to visit this little place I highly suggest you stop and get yourself a treat! read more

Foster's Freeze, started in Inglewood, California by George Foster in 1946, claims to be California's oldest fast food chain. They now have nearly 100 locations, as well as a marketing agreement with El Pollo Loco, which sells their ice cream (soft serve) products. The full name is Foster's Old Fashion Freeze, and the full-line cafes come in a variety of shapes and sizes with full menus that include burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, and rings. I was rolling through Lucerne, California ("America's Switzerland" - but don't tell the folks of New Glarus, Wisconsin, that!), the other day, Northern California's beautiful lake country, and spotted a roadside Fosters at high noon. Being as it was also time to download the morning's coffee, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to revisit this California icon. I say icon, because in one tale, the location "t-bird" girl to be later memorialized in the BB's song "Fun, Fun, Fun." The standard burger at Fosters is called "The Original", about a 1/4 and comes dressed with lettuce, tomato, and gobs for Fosters secret sauce, on both the top and bottom of the bun. The special sauce, as at most places, is a variation of thousand island. This particular Fosters was very generous with it. As you can see from the pic of the entire sandwich, the bun was beginning to show its age, but overall, this is a good burger, and I like the fact that with the combo, they give you a choice of fries, waffle, or rings at the same price. Ambience is one thing that makes for a pleasant burger experience, of course, and sitting in the sun, next to California's largest natural lake (entirely within California), made for a pleasant Foster's burger stop! read more

See all

We always stop here when we are driving on the 20! Delicious milkshakes, I recommend the peach shake. A must!