I go to Fred's whenever I get a chance. The burgers love up to the billing. My favorites are the Cajun Burger and the Fred Burger. Great chips too - homemade and fresh, where else do you ever see that? Appetizers are excellent as is the beverage selection. The atmosphere is very inviting - especially now that's it's almost fall and footballs are flying again. A great place to unwind and enjoy with the family. I will be there tonight or tomorrow - not sure yet, but already looking forward to it! read more

Fred's is a simple yet delicious burger place. You order at the bar they bring out the food. Full bar and wonderful chips make this an absolute find. Located in quaint and cool downtown Burlington, it's a must-stop burger place for those looking for a superior meat patty grilled to perfection between buns. read more

My absolute favorite burger to eat in Burlington. Really tasty. My favorite is the garlic burger. Yum!

This is the freshest burger and bun you will ever get. Back to the basics of fresh ground beef from the butcher every day and fresh buns from the bakery. Perfectly seasoned just like dad did on the grill when I was a kid. Nothing is overdone like your new burger places with all the different type of burgers it's just great a simple great tasting burger. This place is truly unique and worth every mile I drive to get there. read more

We love Freds! The burgers are truly up there with the worlds best never frozen and always fresh to order. They also have amazing veggie burgers! The apps are outstanding as well! Ask for the special sauce (insider tip) read more

As a newbie, the only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because it was difficult to figure out. You walk in, and sit at a table with menus, but then have to get up and place your order at the bar. They bring your meal, and then you go back up to the bar to pay after you eat...that process was unusual for our area, so my party (as well as others unfamiliar with Fred's) were at our tables for quite a while before figuring out how it worked. The burgers were amazing. I thought I would love the Parmesan Garlic fries the most, but they actually weren't as good as the homemade chips. The chips could have been cooked a little less, but they were super tasty. And, the chocolate chip cookies were fabulous - albeit, quite pricey at $1.50 each for the size of them. But, they were worth the splurge. I'll definitely be back. read more

This place is good, decent burger and friendly staff-I wouldn't go so far as calling it 'worlds best' but they are not bad. The only issue I had here was an exceptionally long wait to get our food, and it seemed like they had more staff than customers. Also, getting your food was weird too, they have some odd system of ordering on scratch paper and bypassing waitress, but this means you kind of do everything on your own which is cool but also weird too. It was just ok, nothing to write home about read more

This establishment has very stale food. Everytime I've gone it's like eating a brick. The service is OK, but when you see the photos it will scare you. I still get nightmare's from that place. If you come here you will get scarred for life. read more

This is a fun casual place for everyone. The burgers really are good. Maybe not the world's best but maybe Wisconsin's best. Great atmosphere, lots of fun for the eyes, and just a cool place to visit. This is a must visit for tourists. read more

Food is outstanding for bar type food, although it does seem that they recently made their appetizer portions smaller. Service set up leaves something to be desired though. I truly believe the staff is eager to please, but no waitress service, so it's place your order at a station at the bar. During busy times this can be extremely frustrating. Just to get a drink refill sometimes takes 15 minutes. I've got to believe this costs them many dollars in drink sales as I know many people who just don't get another round because of the wait. Love the remodel and expanded dining area, but it's not enough to overcome the frustrating service set up in my opinion. read more

I had been to this out of the way burger-shop several years ago and had a memorable experience thanks to the laid back "corner bar" attitude. The experience hasn't changed this time around despite it being 5+ years since my las visit. Atmosphere- Small, but cozy.. Has a corner bar with seating behind it. This restaurant is not big mind you. We went on a Wednesday night and it was pretty busy... We ended up sitting at the bar. The bartender said tho, it is not usually this busy on a weeknight and that a local youth sports team must have came in not long before our visit. If you're planning on going during the weekend though, keep in mind the place fills up fast due to its size. Food- Keep in mind that the restaurant was Nominated for best burger.. It didn't win a award. None the less, they make a mean one. I write this assuming you're going to be coming here for one since they use this nomination as a selling point. 9 beers on tap, bartenders look like they know how to make basic drinks. Coke products are served. When you order a burger, chicken (crispy or grilled) or cheese steak, the sandwich does not come with fries. They must be ordered separate and it usually comes before the sandwich. Fries were good, kinda greasy though. The burger was good! Having buns fresh every day makes a Huge difference! The meat was alittle dry but having cheese on it made up for it. I had the 1/2 pound and it filled me up! Service- We sat at the bar so we expected pretty quick refills and napkins. Not what we got. Service was slow and we basically had to ask for anything we needed. Only one bartender was behind the bar so this may not be typical but at the same time its not a huge bar to manage. Also, be aware that it takes awhile to get your order. We waited about 35 minutes for 3 burgers and fries. Above the standard in my opinion. Price- Three burgers and two orders of fries with three cokes came to about $30.00 with tax. Not outrageous but again, the service could have been a bit better for what your paying. A family of four going to dinner will cost you around 40 some dollars. About the same as two "two for $20s" as Applebee's. A good restaurant for a beer and an appetizer during the game, but there is competition for a family outing scenario. read more

On Friday my wife and I were looking to "do lunch". Suggested driving out to Burlington and eat at Freds'. I've always heard good things about the place, and had just seen it featured on "Around The Corner". When we got there we were told to sit anywhere and make out our order slip and bring it back up to the bar. I brought the order slip back to the bar where the meal information was transferred to another order slip. We received two iced teas,(which we had ordered), a number, and sat at our table waiting for our meals. Being as this was our first visit, we waited patiently for our"worlds best burger" to arrive. We began to notice that other patrons coming in after us were eating while we still waited. After an hour I went up to the bar to find out how long it usually takes to get an order out of the kitchen. I was told twenty minutes was normal. When I asked where our order was, I got a confused look from the barmaid. "Didn't you get your order?" By the time they figured out what happened (they misplaced the order slip) my wife and I had had enough the place. We sat there an hour in a very cold noisy room. The worst part was that nobody even noticed how long we sat there or asked how we're doing. Does Freds' have the"the best burgers?" I will never know. We left and walked a few doors down the street and had a delicious hamburger at Johns' Main Event. I will never again make any kind of effort to go to Freds'. To me the place is a joke. read more

Excellent burgers and curly fries. However beef and vegetable soup only fair....hot, yes...but broth was very watery and mostly onion flavor. Would give Fred's five stars if they could bring burgers and fries out at the same time. Fries always seem to come out first.. and are gone by the time burgers arrive...such is life!!! read more

Man, I really wanted to like this place. It has incredible reviews on Yelp which may have set my expectations up for disappointment. The place was PACKED so the locals love it. The burger was fresh but didn't really taste like anything other than plain hamburger, fried, and plopped on a bun. Fries were bland too, even with parmesan on them. Everything was fairly greasy, too, which kind of took away from the dining experience. read more

I have to agree with Stacie E. The burgers ARE dry and that's because I've seen them pressing the burgers with a spatula instead of just letting them cook and trying to get the burger out faster. I've lived here all my life and have to say I have had way better burgers. Personally I can cook a better burger at home and it won't cost me extra for my topping. read more

Stopped by Fred's as, kind of, a whim. Occasionally, I have an appointment in Burlington and passed it all the time. Many people had recommended it, so we decided to leave Milwaukee a little early to stop by and check it out. When we got there parking was easy which was surprising because it was on the street. We walked in the front door to see in front of us a beautiful, large, fully stocked bar. The patrons seated there were mainly eating lunch... not too many just tying one on at noon. To the left, protruding from the heavily adorned memorabilia, were a few heavy looking tables. Few were empty so we headed towards the dining area in the back. It's here that the atmosphere changed. Wobbly diner tables, with raggedy chairs to match, tightly filled the room. Personally I would cover the windows or turn down the lights in this room so nobody could see how shoddily maintained this portion of the restaurant is. We decided to return to the bar area, it felt a little warmer. We noticed plenty of servers running around with trays and plates of generously loaded meals but none approached us. After sitting confused for about 10 minutes I was looking around and found a small box with those little golf pencils inside. There were also slips of paper and some menus. We figured it out that we had to write our own orders. Now, I've never been a waiter or anything remotely dealing with the food service industry. I do know that every restaurant has it's own system and abbreviations to be handed to the cooks. I wrote everything we wanted, verbatim, from the menu, then waited about 5 minutes for someone to come pick it up. Getting somebody to stop to answer a question was impossible... I hope they don't rely on tips as their main source of income. Finally, I got up and went over to an area at the end of the bar where a cash register was located and, it seemed, carry-out orders were being picked up. I asked the woman there, who was very friendly, what to do with the slip and she took it. Then she rewrote it in whatever culinary vernacular they used and collected my money. Keep in mind I'm on a time constraint. A server approached our table after about 10 minutes and set a large plate of fries in front of us. They were awesome and, I believe, they were most likely cut when we ordered them. Another plus in my book is that they didn't put any salt on them. For me, most places dump too much salt on them and they become inedible. I had ordered an old-fashioned 1/4 lb patty melt and my Dad ordered a Fred Burger... which was a 1/4 lb hamburger patty with a slice of ham, cheese sauce and onions. Pretty simple fare, huh? It took 25 minutes from the time the fries arrived for our sandwiches to appear! It was now 1:05 p.m. and my meeting was scheduled at 1:15 p.m. I was ready to ask for it to be packed "to-go" and just eat it cold in the car after I finished handling my business. Instead we quickly gobbled them down and, thankfully, the office is right around the corner. Do not eat here if you're in a hurry!! Fred's is self-proclaimed to be the world's best, but I agree with those who say that needs to be reexamined. The meat was very fresh and cooked to a perfect medium-well. However, it was unseasoned, like the fries, and needed some doctoring. The marble rye used for the patty melt looked beautiful but had no flavor and was toasted until your teeth might break. The sautéed onions were delicious and the swiss cheese was real which earned my forgiveness. My Dad liked the ham/beef marriage but was not impressed by the cheese sauce or the bun. My overall opinion is that Fred's inaccurately thinks too highly of themselves. read more

Best burger in the world? Not even close. Best Service ever? Don't think so. First off, as an out of towner there isn't clear direction that you can sit anywhere, and that you have to order at the bar. The woman who took our order was beyond annoyed that we didn't rapid fire order, and then snapped at me for trying to pay. I will give credit to the guy at the bar, he was really nice. The food: the burger was dry, over cooked and flavorless. The Parmesan fries were terrible, no flavor and not crispy. The restaurant gets 2 stars for the good fried cheese curds, onion rings and the homemade chips. If you enjoy good fried bar food, go for that and the beer - skip the burgers. read more

This place has no management of the "kids" cooking and serving the food. All I saw was one of the young high school kids a cook, stuffing his face with a burger in the kitchen?!!!! Code violation??? Hope he washed his hands after!!!? They all looked annoyed at having to be there. Just one girl was working hard and smiling the rest annoyed, bored and complacent...Also a sign on the door on the way in saying "Seat yourself and place your order AT THE BAR!!!" would have been nice too. The two bartenders didn't seem to care about anything either, very complacent staff altogether... World's Best my @$$!!! High priced drinks... Over priced burgers ($7) just for the burger alone...Hell, I've had better burgers at McD's!!! Much better!!! Oh! If you want extra's on your ("World's Best!!!!!???? Fred's Burger"???) onions , lettuce, etc....you MUST ASK I should have called Fred , his numbers on the menu. (See my pic of my wife's burger the kids tried to serve her) read more

Fred's - This is a Famous Fred's $7 burger in Burlington WI. my wife was served. We'll Never go back!!! Raw as you can see... - Burgers Near Me - Burlington, Wisconsin

Literally no direction at all. I am not from around here and never heard of this place but I wanted a burger. We sat down assuming someone takes your order but you have to write it yourself and take your order to the bar. From someone from a completely different state and this lack of direction from the employees, I wanted to leave. A costumer from another table had to tell us what to do because the employees could careless. Not welcoming or friendly. Will never come back due to this lack of professionalism. read more

Burger wasn't all it was hyped up to be. Very greasy. Hand cut fries sounded like they would be great but it was just a potato cut in a spiral and they were twice as greasy as the burger. I thought I was gonna gave a heart attack. They weren't even crunchy like a fry should be. Only reason they even got 2 stars is because their cheese curds were pretty good. They had a very unique, light batter to them that was unlike anything I've had before. It was the only food I had that I could recommend. read more

Best burger in the World? Probably not. Best burger in Wisconsin? No, but probably in the conversation. Best burger in the county? I'll give them that. Favorite bar/ grill in Racine/Kenosha/Walworth county? Absolutely. After noticing fellow MKE Yelper Kyle K. check in her 39 times in the past few years, I felt it was time to check it out. The wife and I were in the area and since it was lunch time, the Packer game was on, and I like burgers, I was drawn to Fred's. I was expecting more of a greasy spoon-type diner, was was very wrong. Fred's is a family-friendly well-light bar and grill. While most of the menu is burgers and deep fried goodness, there are a few chicken and grilled options there too. Being our first time, we had to order burgers. I went with the 1/2# Mushroom & Swiss, while the wife ordered a simple 1/2# Cheeseburger. They were both good, properly grilled, just the right amount of grease, but neither of us were blown off of our bar stools. We also ordered fries which were quite forgettable. So far this doesn't sound like a four star review, right? Well, don't get me wrong. We loved the place. The people behind the bar were very friendly and very welcoming. I loved the local decor; lots of high school sports themed displays. If course you can't ignore the most famous local athlete. If I have to tell you who it is, you should be slapped. So, let me tell you about another: Bill "Kaz" Kazmaier, 3x World Strongest Man champion, and winner of countless powerlifting competitions. Why have you never heard of him? Well, quite simply, he's not a douche, and he never dated Jessica Simpson. Truly a world-class athlete, Kaz knew what it took to win; he never choked when the pressure was on. Now a commentator on the Strong Man circuit, Kaz is revered as a living ledgend, kind of like Bart Star or Dan Marino or Joe Namath. Why aren't their any homages to Kaz in this town? Anywho.. Here's what you need to know in a nut shell: 1. Solid burger. 2. Solid beer list. 3. Solid employees. When in the Chocolate City, Fred's is the solid choice! read more

Some of the best homemade burgers ever. Love the variety. Juicy greasy (in a good way) burgers with homemade chips. Wish I was there now.

When you walk into Fred's, you immediately see wood paneled walls, windows tables that have condiments and menus stationed at the ready. Instead of smelling line a fast food joint, it had a nice woody scent. Each of the four of us in the group ordered a burger, shared fries, chips and fried cauliflower. I had the cajun burger and found it way oversalted. Everything else delicious and I was excited to see how many microbrews were available. Unfortunately, a half of an hour after the meal, a different scenario played out. Every single person in my party had an upset stomach. In fact, after finishing the meal at 4 p.m., my stomach was still very angry until 10 that night. The one who ate the most is still, more than 24 hours later, still has a very upset tummy. We all eat burgers and fries regularly, so it's not like consuming that kind of food was the thing. We think it was probably the oil used...? Unfortunately, unload just grabbing a beer, I would not go again OR recommend the place to a friend. A frenemy...maybe.... read more

Fred's - Picture of tables, windows, tvs, etc. - Burgers Near Me - Burlington, Wisconsin

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This place has gone down hill. I don't know what happened. The burgers use to be good but by no means can they claim to be the worlds best. They seem to be frozen patties and they're extremely greasy. The red headed bartender has terrible attitude as well. read more

We've been a fan of Fred's amazing food for a long time, but today was one of the very best experiences we've had here. Maggie was an amazing bartender. The burgers we had were out of this world (as per usual). The perfect Sunday afternoon! read more

We returned here after the renovation , it looks very nice. I liked my rootbeer, but to be honest, my burger was..so-so. I wish they had an avacado burger. I donht think I will b rushing back. read more

Fred's used to be a great place for a burger...not so much anymore. Since they added on it has not been the same. Burgers get smaller every time I visit. This is NOT a great burger, average at best. Just left there and will not go back. Placed our order and 20 minutes later came our fry's and mushrooms. 20 minutes after that came our less than average burgers. Passed Culvers to go to Fred's, wont make that mistake again. read more

Their sign says "World's Best Burgers"! I have to agree their burger is very close to perfection with a light airy bun, fresh ingredients and especially the freshly-ground beef. The handmade Parmesan potato chips are the best for sure. I wouldn't drive to Burlington from Chicago to go there but I would go out of my way a bit to grab one of their scrumptious burgers. read more

Just really love the burgers here. Staff is usually friendly and good food quality. No frills good food. But fries can be hit or miss sometimes. Also if you don't ask to have the fries delivered with the burgers / meal you will have your fries delivered as apps and they will be cold when your actual meal arrives. Tables and facilities are kept clean. This is a must visit stop when Im in the area. read more

The food is ok, it has a big selection, but the food always seems under seasoned. Great local place to eat if you want that hometown feel.

I'm sorry to hear the last reviewer was disappointed. I am allergic to MSG and have never had a problem. Those of us that grew up near Btown look forward to visiting home and hitting up Fred's. The burgers are never overcooked, and juicy, flavorful, and delicious. We also enjoy the casual, kicked back atmosphere. At Fred's, you are always among friends. read more

I have had 100s of burgers all over America and this place has unmistakably one of my top 3 burgers I have ever had in my life anywhere. Great beef recipe, and the bun is to die for. Perfection achieved! read more

My mushroom, Swiss, and bacon burger was very good but hardly "the world's best burger." The fries were tasty but undercooked.

Fun little spot. Very casual and kid friendly. You order at the bar and they bring food to your table. It was a bit of a wait but they serve spotted cow so it didn't seem so bad. The kids meal came with fries. Adult burgers did not. The garlic and Swiss burger came on a great garlic bread roll. (I ordered better than my husband who had the nacho jalapeño burger that was topped with the cheap nacho yellow cheese sauce that you get on nacho chips at a ball park). The hash browns stuffed with cheese and jalapeño was good and a large portion to share if you are in a spicy mood. read more

A clean family restaurant with great burgers and yummy fries. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I don't like that the fries are served before the burger, I like to eat them together. read more

Tried. the 1/2 lb. cheeseburger from here and it was just ok. I have had better burgers. The house potato chips were quite good. We had some cheese fries that were pretty decent as well. Also one of us had the cod sandwich and it was also just ok. Want to try the fried green beans they looked good. Not a bad place but their specialty is burgers and they were not the greatest. Would go again and try something different. read more

Fred's is a fun little place in Burlington with friendly people and as family-friendly a bar atmosphere at you're gonna find...at least during the day on the weekend. As for the burger, it's not the best in the world. Or even best in Wisconsin. Its decent, it'll do fine, but it's not great. It's a little better than good. Fries can be VERY greasy. Deadly. Of course they have the usual WI bar fare, lots of fried things served with melted cheese. It can get really busy so be prepared to wait, esp. if there's a Packers or Badgers football game on TV. WI is full of places that serve very good hamburgers. I'd rate Freds among them. When we're up that way I still like Chuck's on the Water in Fontana, a ride from Burlington and more $$ but MAN that's a great burger. There's some other places around we want to try too, like Bella's and Patty Burger. read more

Not the best burger in the world. Maybe the best Burlington has to offer ,but I have had a lot of better burgers all over this great state of WI. Fries nothing to write home about either. Bar with food is all you have there. Don't waste a trip to find out. read more

For an establishment that claims the world's best burger, I will have to kindly disagree but it was definitely not the worst burger I've ever had. The fries were pretty bad though. Get the jalapeño poppers. The service is what bumped my score up one star. Sweetest bar lady working her butt off. Super busy place. Difficult and confusing to get a seat. No type of system or order whatsoever. read more

I went to Fred's this afternoon. My dad ordered the Double Burger that was huge and as another reviewer mentioned was "perfectly greasy". It was sort of difficult to look at due to its enormous size. But my dad was quite content as he reached intermittently for napkins to swab his mouth between greasy cheesy bites. He reported that it was good but the best he has ever had. He certainly looked as though he was enjoying it! As a vegetarian my options were limited to a veggie burger, a grilled cheese sandwich and a host of fried food products. I ordered the veggie burger that was incredibly dry and seemed as though it had been in the freezer too long. When it came it arrived as a dry veggie on a regular hamburger bun. I asked the waitress where the tomato and lettuce was as it was advertised. She informed me that it didn't come with lettuce or tomato. I showed her the menu to correct her and she bought me the veggies. When she returned she informed me that the menus had not been updated to reflect changes. If you're into fried foods I recommend the fried green beans or fried pickles and their root bear on tap. I would have given it a four, but watching the GLOVE-LESS cooks procure slices of cheese next to the raw and uncovered meat patties in the full size fridge behind the bar scared me. read more