Freida's cafe is a bit small but food was exceptional. Service was professional and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this place.

I'm conflicted on this one, Freda's was definitely an odd duck. Coming into it, I loved the decor including the stained glass windows. We were seated immediately by our server Flossy who also had very good recommendations on what to order. I followed those recommendations and got the Crab Cakes and the Key Lime Pie Cheesecake. My friend ordered the Seafood Pesto. I loved the Crab Cakes, it went well with the mango sauce and it was a very lump meat crab cake. Might be one of the best crab cakes I've ever had. The key lime cheesecake was very fluffy, airy, with the perfect balance of sweet and citrus. The seafood pesto was just OK in my opinion. I did like the food for the most part. However, the portions are a little on the small side. If it weren't for dessert and Flossy giving me a second dinner roll (another point for service!) I think I would've left still hungry. To be fair, I am considered a big eater and I came in starving. There were a few other questionable choices that prevent me from fully recommending this place. Some may consider the dining room cozy, I found it cramped, especially as it started to fill up with other customers. So this place is likely not going to work with a big party even if it's half full. We were a little surprised when trying to find the restroom too. We were handed a key, and had to go outside and in their back alley on a little treasure hunt to find a door labeled "Locked door". When ordering dessert, I was surprised the dessert menu did not list any prices even though their main menu did. Kind of obnoxious and pretentious if you ask me, but Flossy mentioned they were all $18 and big enough to share. That brings me one other point: pricing. I loved the food, but felt each menu item was twice the price that was appropriate for the portion. All in all, Freda's cafe has good food and great service. But it's held back by portion sizes, pricing, and a few other weird issues. read more

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We were walking around town on a late Sunday afternoon & happened past Freda's and decided to give it a try - there were open tables outside & it was a nice day so we sat outside. Very nice little cafe - inside looked pretty full, but when we sat down, we had the sidewalk tables to ourselves (but not for long;) We ordered drinks & an app - Shrimp Shu Mai - which came quickly. App was AWEsome, so we knew we were in for a treat. Entrees were great & pacing of our experience was perfect. Server didn't leave us hanging at all - all in all a great experience! I will add Freda's to my rotation of Cape May dining establishments! read more

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Freda's Café deserves five stars! We have come here many times over the last 10 years. We have never been disappointed in the food. The service is very friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is charming and cozy. But the real reason to come here is the food. The husband and wife who do the cooking do an extraordinary job with seafood. Last night I had a seafood dish that included lobster, crab, scallops, and shrimp. Each piece of fish was cooked to perfection, melt-in-your-mouth, and the sauce was wonderful. It's no easy feat to cook fish so perfectly, and to do each type perfectly in a combined dish is outstanding. The seafood bisque is delicious and the homemade desserts are also quite excellent. We have eaten indoors and outdoors at this café and highly recommend it. read more

Not a pleasant experience, no air conditioning, the place is way too small, you have to go outside and request a key for the dirty restroom and the food is just okay and pricey. read more

The atmosphere was cozy and the host and server so friendly. The food was prepared as ordered. It was delicious. I had the seafood Alfredo made with shrimp, scallops and lobster in an light Alfredo sauce in pasta. There was so much to pick from. I will be going back and highly recommend it. read more

Freda's Cafe - Dinner was seafood Alfredo made from shrimp, scallops and lobster with pasta in a light sauce. It was delicious. - Cafes Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

The food was very good. The service was great. Our waitress kept us informed on when to expect each course. Only complaint is the amount of time between salad and entree. This seems to be a recurring issue but the food is worth the wait. Just be sure you're not in a rush to go somewhere afterward. read more

Such a nice atmosphere and AMAZING food. Staff could not have been friendlier. I have never been to Fredas before but will be making this a part of all future trips to Cape May! Get the crab cakes. You can thank me later. read more

Excellent food, cozy space with great atmosphere and art on the walls. Friendly, knowledgeable servers. This BYOB was the perfect spot for one of our Girls Weekend dinners! Highly recommend! read more

Tl;dr the food is not worth the high prices and inefficiency of how this restaurant is run. My group arrived around 6:30 on a Saturday for dinner. We were lucky enough to snag a table inside without a reservation. Our waitress took the time to explain how everything is made in house and made to order. Unfortunately, this is where things turned south. It took about 30 minutes from ordering to receive our salads that came with our dinner entrees, which was truly just a handful of lettuce leaves on a small plate with dressing poured on top. Our entrees took another 20 min to arrive after that. They did come out piping hot, so it seemed that the kitchen just didn't have enough staff to run the dinner service efficiently. The lamb chops and seafood tortellini were delicious and cooked perfectly, and the ribs were good but a tad sweet. One person in my group ordered the seafood bisque, which had a very off putting bitter aftertaste. Unfortunately we did have to send it back. Our waitress was kind enough to take it off our bill, but it took a while to correct the check when she forgot to remove it the first time. All of the tables around us also had incredibly long wait times. Freda's does have (mostly) delicious food, but at these wait times and prices ($40-50 per entree), we will not be coming back. read more

We are outside on a beautiful evening. The special crab stuffed beef Wellington was amazing. Well worth it! The service was friendly and accommodating. Great meal! read more

The restaurant was cozy with friendly staff that greeted us at the door. Due to the cozy environment, reservations are required as there aren't many tables and is typically always very busy, especially on the weekends. We were seated promptly and on time for the reservation. The waitress came over to take our order and let us know that everything was homemade and made to order from a husband and wife chef and pastry chef duo. You can tell that from the bread, to the salad dressing, to the dishes that leave the kitchen. The food was spectacular and the staff made sure the guests were well taken care of. The staff aimed to please. Since everything is made to order, it takes sometimes a little longer for dishes to be served, but everything came out together and was well worth the wait. This is definitely a spot you don't want to miss in your next trip to Cape May! read more

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Food is great and so is the wait staff. When I was there this winter I order a special, chicken Parmesan with crabmeat. It was delicious. Flossy, our server, told me that Chef Steve would make it for me if I ordered in advance. And he did! Wonderful. read more

I would give Freda's 10 stars! We had an absolutely fabulous dinner! Fresh, delicious and beautifully plated. We lucked out and walked in without a reservation and were able to grab the last available seat of the night. Next time we will make a reservation to be sure we don't miss out! The restaurant is very small but that's the charm! Our waitress was an absolute delight. I had the baked brie appetizer - amazing! For dinner we ordered the beef wellington and steak with bacon and it was fabulous! And be sure to save room for dessert!! Oh man, now I am craving Freda's! Highly recommend! read more

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Great service, great food, lovely ambiance. My husband had Thai Curry chicken/shrimp. I had the two crab cakes with mashed potatoes. It was amazing! read more

4.5 stars. Freda's crab cake sandwich, served during lunch, is quite honestly the best crab cake sandwich I've had to date. The crab cake is moist and tender, well-seasoned, and has very little filler. It's also pretty massive. I love coming here and ordering one to go, then sitting outside on a bench and enjoying it while taking in the bustle of Washington Street Mall. I've tried a few of their dinner items, like the unimpressive coconut-crusted scallops. The breaded exterior was too crispy and fell apart upon first bite. The service can also be excruciatingly slow. No matter. Just keep serving that crab cake sandwich and I'll be a happy camper. read more

Freda's Cafe - Freda's crab cake sandwich. - Cafes Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

For the fifth year I come back to this resturant for the most amazing fried oysters. Best I had in my life . I had few other items on the menu and they were good but the oysters is why I come back. Thank you for staying consistent which is extremely hard thing to do . Will see you again as this is now part of my cape may tradition with my son .oh I forgot to mention how amazing the waitress are , kind , pleasant, nice , love you ladies read more

Freda's Cafe - Best fried oysters, from the smile on my sun's face he is a happy man - Cafes Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

We've been here twice, once in October 2022 and had desert and coffee. The second was in April 2023 for dinner. Each time was absolutely lovely. It's an old home turned restaurant, dining room is small but cozy. The staff is attentive, kind, courteous and extremely helpful. The food was outstanding and we finished every last bite. Cannot wait to go again. read more

Freda's Cafe - Shrimp Pesto and rice - Cafes Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

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Food was incredible! We got the beef Wellington and crab cakes. Everything was cooked to perfection. I can't wait to go back

The food was very tasty; nice selection. The waiter was quite attentive. Only negative is that the space is very small....tables are cramped. read more

Frida's Cafe has been in Cape May for quite some time and in my humble opinion is one of the best restaurants in Cape May. The flavors of the food are delicious. I went on Father's Day and had one of the best crab cake sandwiches that I have ever had. It is a cozy ambiance with friendly servers and terrific food. read more

Freda's Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

Absolutely outstanding meal. From the shrimp shumai with Asian slaw to the artichoke, crab and marscapone spring rolls, the seafood crab bisque with cognac to the crab cakes over potato purée, to the service and the ambiance. One of the best dining experiences we've ever had. Highly recommend! read more

Wonderful ambiance. Located in an area with lots of burger joints, this feels romantic, intimate. Everything we have tried has been very good. A small amount of indoor seating so a reservation is a must during the season. Service is ok, not great, since it often seems there is one waiter for the entire place. read more

Crab cakes served with mashed potatoes are delicious. Probably the best crab cakes hands down in Cape May! Stuffed chicken was a tad bit dry, and on the salty side. My boyfriend seemed to think it was tasty. Stuffed with spinach, portobello mushrooms, mozzarella cheese. Salad was crispy, and very chilled. I love this because it's refreshing. I thought it was lovely that they add some radish into the salad. Such a nice touch. Unfortunately, the ginger dressing and Russian dressing need some SERIOUS HELP. I would give the dressings two stars. The Russian dressing tasted as if it was pure ketchup, and the ginger dressing contained far too much balsamic vinegar. Extensive dessert menu. It was so difficult to choose!!!!! We wound up ordering the rum cake. Definitely hit the spot. The best rum cake I have had since my great grandmothers. Coffee was below room temperature. Very disappointing. I loved the wallpaper, and decor. Food presentation is beautiful. Service was very good, and host was impeccable. He really knew the menu quite well, and did a wonderful job explaining the extensive, detailed specials. read more

Freda's Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

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Came to Freda's for Dinner on 08-20-20 during the COVID crisis. Cape May looks like it's doing ok as of now. The staff at Freda's we're doing their best to keep everyone comfortable and safe. The service was friendly and attentive. Not sure why some previous reviews said they aren't family friendly. My wife and I were surrounded by families with young children. The staff went out of their way to make them feel comfortable. So for the food. We started with the spring roll appetizer. It was very good. For entrees my wife had the beef Wellington and mashed potatoes. It was very good. I had the crab cakes. I asked them to put the mango sauce on the side. I don't really care for sweet and savory. The crab cakes were some of the best iv had. The mango sauce was a little to sweet for me. I'm glad I got it on the side. Margo was our server and she was awesome. I definitely recommend Freda's and will be back again. read more

Our party of four adults and one baby stopped in here yesterday for lunch. They were able to seat us right away but they don't have any high chairs so we all had to take turns holding my baby during lunch which was fine. The restaurant is pretty quiet which kind of made me feel bad when my baby started fussing but - oh well! The server was very nice and brought our waters out right away and told us what the specials were. They seemed to be out of a few things like the clam chowder and the fish tacos. I guess maybe Thursday's lunch was busier than they originally anticipated. I ordered the Focaccia with Crab which is like a mini pizza. The husband ordered the Mac and Cheese. It was AMAZING! So cheesy and hot. My parents both ordered the Ship's Passing which happened to be the last two because I heard the server tell the next couple that came in that they were all out. The Ships Passing was basically a Lox and bagel sandwich with Pastrami-style Smoked Salmon. It took a while for our food to come out which was disappointing because we were all so hungry but the food was worth it. Before leaving I asked where the restroom was. They give you a janitor key and you have to go around the building to their deli where the bathroom is located. A little strange but at least they have a restroom! read more

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Haven't been to this place in about five or six years it was so nice to walk in and see the same people the same ambience and the outstanding food the crabcakes were absolutely delicious no filler just crab the roast pork was just exquisite it was so nice it's almost like coming home again Thank you to Freda's read more

Scratch cooking! Impeccable menu and quality. Lots of extra unexpected flavors. Server, so informative, friendly, smart, welcoming. Don't think. Just go. read more

Food and service were amazing. Have been there numerous times and never disappointed.

This is my favorite restaurant on Cape May. It's a highlight of our annual summer excursion and usually makes the off season visit list as well. Great specials. Great menu and great service. It's cozy -- translated small so you often overlap with an additional patron but aside from a lack of elbow room the place is amazing read more

Freda's Cafe - Coconut crusted scallops and crab/spinach wontons. - Cafes Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

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WOW, did not expect this place to be small. Upon our arrival, only a few tables were taken. By the time we sat down, the place started to fill up! It was so funny. What sold me was their special - crab spinach dip. For appetizers, we ordered to share: crab dip mac n. cheese - very good cobb salad was loaded http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/8e4iEfiUN5wKbi6pE0MayA?select=25mDYap3d7OV__8D2dhpEg i ordered the crab cake sandwich, it was alright. the bun was a bit too thick for me because it was not a regular burger bun, it was an actual roll (kaiser roll). I'd prefer either a burger bun or something as soft as a focaccia. Reason being is that the crab cake is very thick, fried and requires a balance of something less dense. But the crab cake was nicely made and prepared. So I only had the crab cake part of the sandwich. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/8e4iEfiUN5wKbi6pE0MayA?select=GnHQ86YyXSBd4DTlChIk5Q THe other items ordered was the fried oyster sandwich:http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/8e4iEfiUN5wKbi6pE0MayA?select=rHoan7NpoaJPLdpY6XXHDg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/8e4iEfiUN5wKbi6pE0MayA?select=U1JHjtO0N90jYijL05NFzA The chicken wrap was huge, my friend only finished one part of it :( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/8e4iEfiUN5wKbi6pE0MayA?select=sAz56tnUCh_c67UJTpdvVA Oh, we noticed a looot of the customers ordered iced tea. Very cool!!! read more

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We've been to Freda's two times now, and both experiences have been great. Our first waiter was Derek?! I'm sure they will know! Most importantly is..the food is very good. Save enough room for the excellent desserts! Share one between 4! read more

We understand the covid employment depression but simply just seat half your available tables and serve ok food. I would have paid 3 times the menu price for as well as it read but the restaurant was over sat, understaffed, and most importantly no F's were given "especially with food quality" read more

The food and service are first-rate. Crabcakes and Filet were outstanding. A must visit in Cape May!

Had lunch for two on a Thursday around noon. Not many people so we got a table quickly. Our entrees were spinach salad and salmon wrap. Both were very good. Cost was $14.95 each. The surprising part was $3.75 for iced tea. Small issue but higher than most places. Server was friendly and efficient Would recommend read more

Freda's Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

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The best food I have ever had. This chef truly knows his craft. The food melts in your mouth and hits all the notes. The plating is beautiful. Do not go anywhere else in cape may. read more

The food was fresh, service was excellent. Sarah was so sweet. My only complaint was that there were no paper towels in the bathroom. HOWEVER, once I brought it to Sarah's attention, she went and stocked the restroom right away. Clean, nice lunch menu. Pricey, but my sandwich was so big that I brought half home. Overall, this place was a win! read more

Freda's Cafe - Beautiful grilled cheese with brie on a croissant. Fredas was a great lunch spot! - Cafes Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

Tried this restaurant one night while most of town was closed. The yelp reviews suggested that it was really good food, so we figured why not! I was not a huge fan of this restaurant- of course, I've had worse, but I likely won't come back with so many great restaurants in Cape May. The good: BYOB Cute interior - a little weird, but I like that. Felt like we were in someone's living room. I like that kind of atmosphere though Good location of restaurant- right by the little outdoor mall, short walk to Congress Hall Good prix fixe app- my boyfriend did the $65 dollar prix fix and one of the apps was a deep fried crab stuffed portabella mushroom, really yummy Excellent dessert- we had some sort of butter scotch cake and it was delicious The not so good... Service wasn't great. Very nice, but just not great Bathroom was not IN the restaurant- they give you a key attached to a mini frisbee and you have to EXIT the restaurant and go next door... I think this only bothered me as much as it did because I wasn't blown away by this place. And because I use the bathroom a lot so it was pretty inconvenient... Some of the food was disappointing: -the bread and butter was awful and I know shouldn't complain about that but if I don't eat all of it when it's in front of me that means its reallly not good.. -Salads coming with meals is awesome but the dressing choices are awful. Russian or a "ginger soy" or something asian ... We had one of each and the russian was fine, but the asian dressing was literally soy sauce. It was hard to eat. -Crab cake dinner on the prix fix was upsetting because it would have been delicious, had it not been soaking in an extremely sweet sauce. Ruined the flavor and kind of nauseating -The "baby back" ribs were soooo salty. Whatever BBQ sauce they make (or buy) is just really odd.. This was so salty and difficult to finish. Also, they are Spare Ribs... not Baby back. I LOVE spare ribs so I don't see the point in saying baby back if they're not...... They give out a coupon when you leave so I'm not sure if I'll use it when we return to Cape May. There are just too many places that compete (and other BYOS...). I do think the place is so cute and has a lot of charm, I would love to see it get better (and add a restroom!) read more

Visited 08/08/2019 Been here several times over the past few years and it's been one of our favorite BYOB places in Cape May although there are many really good restaurants in CM. My wife started with the Seafood bisque, which she enjoyed but felt the 'seafood' was missing from the soup. Little bits of fish (?) but not much of it. I opted for the \warm goat cheese 'rolled in pecans' salad with poached pears which was terrific. My wife had the filet mignon with brie, wrapped in a puff pastry. She liked it enough that she ate it all, but said it wasn't 'what she was looking for.' I though the dish was pretty terrific, judging from the bite she allowed me. Filet done medium rare as requested. I had a bowl of angel-hair pasta with shrimp and scallops with pesto sauce. The shrimp and scallops were done perfectly, not overdone as they are in many restaurants. The sauce was good... lots of it made like a "pesto broth" almost. Good... but not as good as what I make at home. No desserts today. Too many good ice cream places we need to try nearby. read more

Very busy Cafe off the Washington Street Mall. They were able to accommodate 9 of us with ease.. Service was "good". Server was pleasant. Food was amazing. Ty read more