So, I've been going to this place for over a decade and I know they've been going through a lot ever since the milkshake incident. But this review is in regards to their milkshakes. Now don't get me wrong their food is good and I like the fact they have cheese curds. However, what they mostly advertise is their milkshakes which is quite depressing. I tried the animal Cookie milkshake which is one of their seasonal flavors and let's just say I felt like I was at a cheap circus. The vanilla flavor was underwhelming couldn't taste it at all the animal cookies were not adding anything at all to the shake it didn't bring anything to the table. I felt like I was eating cookies from the dollar store. Which totally wasn't the case seated as how I had to pay 850 for a large. Hopefully they get their stuff together before Halloween. read more

Fantastic burgers. I normally order their halibut burger. I typically add bacon to kick it up a notch.

I love that they have a Gardenburger optioon! Reasonably priced and tasty. Just make sure to order it "standard dress" if you want the standard burger toppings. The GB comes with mushrooms. Not a big deal. Just sharing. Stop by! It's good! read more

Frugals - Grabbing a couple of Gardenburgers! - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Who the hell puts toppings on the BOTTOM. Ketchup goes on top. Ruined my whole burger experience with a dry burger. You can't fix it... the damn cheese is stuck to the top bun. Stop being cute and make burgers right. Burger was dried up/not juicy also... overdone... and over seasoned salty. read more

Frugals - Double Cheese... dry... salty... ketchup on bottom... cheese stuck to top bun. - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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My butterfinger crunch milkshake was given to me luke warm.. it was gross. I thought for sure all the stuff that happened at this place about milkshakes earlier last year, that this place would have the best now.. that they cared more. I threw it away.. I wasn't chancing it.. do better Frugals. Burgers we got were hot and had great flavor! Fries were hot and yummy. But milkshakes need attention! read more

This is quintessential Tacoma to me. Although, I think they're all over western WA now. If you're craving a burger and a yummy milkshake, this is the go-to. Most recently had a blackberry Oreo milkshake, and it did not disappoint. Added a bacon cheeseburger to that order, and it was tops. We were on a drive to Mt. Rainier, and passed out from the delicious goodness on the drive there. read more

Stopped in here after an averted disaster at a used car lot (ehh, long story) and got my first Frugal burger and fries. YOM. About a week ago I paid over twice the amount at another burger joint for a mushroom burger that didn't have nearly as much flavor as the Frugal burger did. Fries were perfectly salted and didn't need sauce. All good stuff! Only one turnoff, though it's a small one -- Frugal's is a drive-through only business, yet when I got to the pick-up window they requested a tip. IMO, tips are for sit-down service; the practice of tipping got weirdly twisted during the pandemic and now people ask for tips EVERYWHERE. But that has no bearing on the quality of the meal. read more

We had raved to some visitors about the fabulous shakes at Frugals. The 4 of us just HAD to go get some huckleberry shakes, so we ran out just to get them. There were no huckleberry, but we settled for blueberry which is close enough. We were BEYOND disappointed. How they make milkshakes that aren't even cold is a mystery. We all described them (at separate times) as flavored whipped cream. Terrible. Terrible. TERRIBLE!!! I cannot fully express our disappointment. Don't know what that was, but it was NOT a mildshake. NO STARS. Except it won't post without them. read more

It's almost a 4 star. I've been a few times and I get a different burger each time. So are hot and some are cooler. read more

Frugals - 5/23/25 men - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

This is still the best burger place in town, the prices haven't changed and the staff is 100% quality. It's never a long wait and you can enjoy your favorite milkshake and maybe try the newest one of the month, along with new ideas of brugars and chicken choices. read more

The service was very prompt and polite. We didn't have to wait long for our 2 burgers and 2 fries and the milkshake was ready when we got to the window. The food came out in a very timely manner and the fries were very hot and crispy. The fry sauce was on point as well as the burgers. Hot and juicy with a soft warm bun. We sat in our car in the next parking lot watching the cars go by. I highly recommend. read more

Depends on time of day, but usually top notch with extra fry sauce. They had health issues with their I e. Ream machines years ago but worth the risk today. Great original flavors. Butterscotch, huckleberry etc. read more

when I lived in Washington this burger place was always packed. The food was delicious, and the vibes were very welcoming, caring with a retro look. read more

Frugals - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

It was so many many years when I came I just got fries, and I remember them being so good and crispy. My cousin and I were wanting fries again while we were going to pick up our dinner (yes, we need a snack while we get ready to eat dinner lol), and decided to grab some from here. And since I was here, I decided to also try a cheeseburger, and I added the grilled onions. I didn't eat the burger until later (since I was already grabbing dinner elsewhere), and it was still tasty even after being reheated. And the fries good and crispy; definitely was not disappointed on our choice of fries. read more

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7-4-25 11:30am Black guy working window" was very rude. Ordered a #5 with large shake..got small, never got reciet" paid cash.. This place keeps falling hard when it comes to service and food ... This location has turned to crap.... read more

Even tho I did not like their new payment system, it didn't take away the fact that their burgers are constantly good. We enjoy their Mushroom Swiss burger, double cheese burger with no mustard, add bacon and grill onions, and Bacon cheese burger with no onions. Their chocolate shake is also tasty. If you haven't tried their cheese curds, be careful since it's really addictive and great to share. Also, I give props to any company that is willing to give 100% proceeds for a day to a cause. Thank you Frugals for being part of our community. read more

Frugals - 100% proceeds for a day going to a good cause. - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

best burger ever, and seasonal shakes are usually fantastic, dont for get the cheese curds! amazing. i will got 10 miles out of my way to get a frugal burger! we need one in lynnwood! read more

Food and service was great. Very busy all the time so be prepared to wait! We got a CC sandwich and double cheese. Sandwiches are way better than fries. I loved the fries were fresh and crunchy and super hot, did not love the amount of salt on them though. read more

Frugals - Menu 2023 - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Ordered frugals through the drive-thru. The food is very good. I really loved the burgers. The fries are good I like how they make their fries definitely similar to the soft kind of McDonald's fries in a way. They are milkshakes are great they have good cheese curds. The service was nice ordering. The drive-thru is easy to get into and they had to drive through windows which was nice. It definitely is a little bit spendy but I don't think it's any that much more expensive than going to a fast food place and ordering normal food not on the value menu. It's not expensive but not cheap. Definitely worth getting food there. Food is definitely worth the price. read more

Neil, from Frugals made my screwed up order perfect! What a caring sweetheart employee. I am a sous chef. NEIL NEEDS TO BE PROMOTED FRUGALS!! His customer service is above & beyond. He should be a manager yesterday! Thanks for even bringing my replacement order out to me! read more

This review occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and is for to-go only. I first caught wind of this place on Instagram where are they had a promotion for their Giving Gouda Burger - 100% of their proceeds will go to Nourish Pierce County in the month of November. I was sold. I told my friends. We decided to make the trek out here for some philanthropy grub. We were a little disappointed. Burgers were pretty ordinary and average size, but obviously made in a big hurry and just tossed together. Flavor was good but we were questioning if it was really gouda? Fries were okay too but nothing special. Fried cheese curds were an off-menu item but a definite plus, but they seemed a little rubbery to me. Overall, I give this place kudos for heart. But my tummy wanted a little more, especially with the distance from my house. I may give this place another try in the future, but I don't think I'll get my hopes too high for round 2. read more

Frugals - Giving Gouda Burger Promotion - Nov 2020 - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Okay, truth be told I've grown up going to Frugals in Parkland and this was a letdown. My first spidey sense went off when they no longer provide wrapped straws. Not an issue. The issue was that the person handing me the straw is the same person who just took cash from the car in front of me, cards from the previous, and had just handed me a dog biscuit for the pooch in the backseat. Meh, not using it but thanks for providing me a non-paper straw. I proceeded to dig around my glovebox and found a random straw from a previous excursion. Success! I go to sip my root beer and what the heck, flat... so very flat. I'm not going to get back in line and wait another 15-20 minutes to tell them my soda is flat, call me selfish but no one has the time or wants to do that. Okay, whatever let's try the fries. I mentioned I've been going here FOREVER. Their fries have never let me down. Again, what in the all that is evil are these soggy, old, lukewarm, salty things?! Not the hot fresh salty goodness I've always cherished. Et tu, French fry?! Thoroughly letdown, I sulkily unwrap my burger. Hallelujah! Redemption has been found! The hot messy, cheesy, I'm gonna regret this later, is there! The burger was solid and was definitely the winner from this grease soaked paper bag. It's been awhile since I've been here, maybe it was an off night, or maybe things have just changed that much since my last visit. read more

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Burger was nice and juicy and the buns were nice and soft. I had a double cheeseburger and a bacon and bleu. The bleu part of the bacon cheeseburger was a shot in the dark and truthfully it was a little underwhelming. Loved they had cheese curds which is a delicacy and hard to find at most burger joints. Top 3 burger joint in Tacoma hands down! read more

Frugals - 1/2 Lb . Double Cheese Burger - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I've ate here since I was kid with my family and it will always be a go-to with their amazing fries and burgers that are basically to die for! Also get the strawberry milkshake, does not disappoint. read more

Frugals - Here's an updated version of the menu for June/July 2024 - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

The day finally arrived when I was able to stop here to grab dinner and this place did not disappoint! I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, cheese curds, fries, fry + ranch sauce for dipping and a peach shake. The burger itself was amazing and I wasn't expecting too much, but wow. Everything else was pretty solid, but the shake was so runny.. which was odd considering I tried it as soon as they handed it over to me also. Hopefully the shakes are normally not like that because i'd love to try other flavors in the future. Other than that the service was great and we moved along pretty quickly in the drive thru. The employee helping us offered the kids lollipops too so this place is definitely sold for my kids as well haha. Anyways - can't wait to return to try more in the future! read more

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We used to go to the Frugals in Auburn years ago when we lived in the area. We were driving up I5 and re called there was a Frugals in Tacoma so we thought we'd go get ourselves a burger. The location is terrible. It's crammed in the corner of a parking lot of a marijuana shop and a strip club. There's warning signs on the windows about refunds and asking people to not yell at the employees. Terrible location. It was fun people watching while waiting in line for 15 minutes though. The food wasn't as we recalled. Small portions of fries. Burgers seemed dry and tasteless. Purchased fry sauce but the containers were less than half full. Disappointed. read more

Drive in there's two lanes. We ordered the 1/4 bacon cheeseburger combo and extra fry sauce, puppy patty (yes, puppy patty) and 2 milkshake : chocolate and seasonal huckleberry. Everything was good. It was pretty fast from the time we order and gotten our food. read more

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The customer service was honestly trash (rude employee taking orders at the drive thru, with a strong negative vibe). The food was decent and the exterior style of the diner was fun. It seems like they need to upgrade their speaker systems in order to communicate better between employees and customers. read more

The best $5 burger around. If you have not tried one and you are a fan of the burger, you are missing out. Quick service, tasty and hot food, amazing shakes makes this my go to when I am feeling like destroying the diet. Love this place! read more

They have fantastic burgers! It is drive-through only with no dine-in options. They have special shake flavors that rotate monthly. Fries are good as well. Service is usually prompt and friendly. Prices are pretty reasonable. The parmesan ranch dipping sauce is fantastic! One of our favorite burger stops. read more

A decent burger drive thru! Burgers are good, fries are good, milkshakes are good, love the cheese curds! It's an all around good spot & it's open later than most burger places so that's usually the only time we lean for this option. I'd go here more BUT sometimes the oil tastes old & that just kind of ruins the food for me when you can taste the dirty grease on the fries/curds! But we've had it when they oil tastes fresh & it's great! Service is always good, long lines but they move fast. read more

Always soooo delicious!!! Service tends to be as quickly as you would expect for make as you order! Staple of the community & consistent!

Bit of a hot mess here... second time coming here and with only 5 cars in front of me, I spent about 25 minutes in line. Awaiting me at the end were stale fries and a double charge for the milkshake substitution (advertised as +$1.60?). Also, if you get grilled onions apparently they include the regular chopped onions as well? It was a little much for me and seems counter intuitive. I used to avoid this place due to the lines, but when even a small one isn't managed well and the order experience is poor, I'm not sure what else is left. read more

Frugals - Double charge. Advertised as 1/2 price when ordered with a combo - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

October has a Brown Sugar Burger! Yummm! I went with a classic cheeseburger for my first time trying Frugals but someone in my group ordered the Brown Sugar Burger and it smelt amazing and apparently tasted even better. Burgers here are tasty, a little greasier but that's okay and the fries are pretty good, not overly crispy, not too soft, smaller cut and they give you more than enough. We also subbed out fries on two meals and ordered cheese curds which were more fried than usual and delicious. For 4 burger meals it was $40, really great price! We came on a Saturday afternoon and the line was long. There are two lanes though, the line on the left is shorter because you pay and grab everything from the right side so if you're alone you would choose the longer right line or walk around your car like I saw some people do. Check in for free fries! read more

any time am in im in the area always stop in frugals.best burger anywhere ! they raised the prices but worth it.........great fry sauce too that I always put on the burger......... read more

My childhood burger place. Still my favorite "fast" food restaurant in Tacoma. Almost always a long line, but always worth it. They cook them to order, their ingredients are always fresh. They never park you on the side of the building to wait for your order. Building is a cool two-sided drive-thru. If you have a someone on the passenger side you can go to the one on the left and it's usually a much shorter line. Overall could I be biased? Yeah. You still need try it because it's amazing. read more

Kind employees good food and shakes worth the crazy lines. I wish they used more fresh fruit in the shakes though. Nice treat and I suggest the cheese curds also read more

Frugals - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Iconic little burger drive thru with spot on food & service! Do not worry if the line is 5 deep, they rock through the orders so the wait is never too long. Menu is pretty simple which is probably why they're so fast. Hot & fresh with reasonable prices, who could ask for more? read more

Man I do like burgersand heard about them from a few people who have had shakes from here. So went to try it my self. The line was long do to the anniversary taking place. The was one rude person who cut a few people off. The wind was mild and a smell of rain was in tbe air , there are a couple of open shops in the area. So foot traffic is abundant . people standing outside of the cars or going to the close by cannabis shop . This stand has been here awhile you can tell by the royal customers . Thesimple regular burger was just 99c. This day i got 3 a small fry and this months shake which was banana. read more

Frugals - The line is long here at Frugals - Burgers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Always good food here. Lines get long sometimes but worth the wait. The only fast food in this area that I eat.