Rude customer service and lack-luster food is the fare at AKA Friscos. If you are passing through, please keep on driving. This joint is not made for the family just passing through town. We picked it based on Yelp reviews that usually never lead us astray. We walked in...ok, squeezed in the doorway and tried to read the menu. The counter is right up next to the door with a gigantic billboard style menu with so many options and details that you can't wrap your head around what is available. We step up to order and the guy working the counter is clearly exasperated by the fact that I ask for a grilled chicken sandwich for my daughter. No. Can't do that. Can't? Interesting choice of words. So, I order a kid's grilled cheese and a "what he called the closest thing to a grilled chicken sandwich" for my daughter and I to split. It was called "the Chronicle" My husband got one as well. The grilled chicken was average at best. It was grilled much like you would do at home on your grill. The grilled cheese for my son was...less than appetizing. Pretty bad when a four year old won't eat a grilled cheese. While there were plenty of people there eating, I can't imagine that they are enjoying this less than average meal. Perhaps there is nothing else to choose from in the area. Maybe it is locals who have grown up thinking this is the best food out there. Maybe we just got the wrong things. Here's a hint AKA Friscos...help your customers who don't have a clue pick some of the favorites on your menu if you are going to have a mammoth of a menu! read more

Biggest Yelp disappointment to date. Place was packed and the small ordering area left me working the door. The menu is far too large and descriptive for any first timer. From the side you cannot read the many different item descriptions. Naming food items after SF landmarks, for example, is cute and all, but does little to help tell me what the item is. The descriptions underneath are so long they border on run-on sentence. The staff seemed somewhat annoyed by our lack of experience with their complex system. I've read more than a few reviews that mentioned the staff issues. I'm not sure who ever said this is good for kids either. Nothing most kids would eat was on the agenda. Asked for a plain chicken breast...told that wasn't on the menu and to try again. Had to buy an appetizer and an $8.95 sandwich for our two. Sandwich was underwhelming to say the least, especially for 9 bucks. Subway is as good a choice. Grilled cheese and chicken sandwich were nothing more than standard back-yard grill fare. Swapping provolone for American cheese isn't all that avante-garde I'm afraid. Nothing remotely special about our meals. Had the spicy chili. Decent but, again, nothing I will be craving anytime soon. Service is subpar and just getting a plastic fork and napkins required me searching around the restaurant and asking for help. I was 2/3 thru my sandwich when my side of chili came up. This place is loud and lousy, sorry to burst any Yelp! bubbles. My only hypothesis is the fact that the location is in an industrial park-type area and there weren't many options in the immediate area. Yelp! has never let me down but this left me with a horrible taste in my mouth, both literally and figuratively. I generally try to find the bright spots in any visit because I spent so many years in the food-service industry. I felt a lot of optimism heading into AKA Friscos but that quickly turned to all-out frustration and anger. After we left my wife pointed out that they didn't have menus and posted a note that recommends you download it yourself. I won't be back and I hope that for their sake they adjust their "Dick's Last Resort" attitude when it comes to their customers. Gave one star because I couldn't give it zero. Update 6/24/12- I stand by my review, even in light of Owner's comments. Why should I have to defend my opinion? read more

My husband and I have been coming to this place since 2001 and eat there a minimum of once per week (it is very close to our home). There seems to be very little turnover in the staff which I think is quite telling about the quality of the restaurant and the owner. There are 2 guys who have worked there for at least 5 years and we look forward to seeing them during our weekly dinners at the restaurant. The owner is a consistent fixture and will make the rounds to check on his guests. I have to admit I was a little disappointed when they closed the "Way Cool" ice cream shop to put in a beer and wine shop... but I am totally over it now. Being a new wine drinker, I love going to Friscos to purchase my wines because the guys that work in the beer & wine shop know their stuff! They are so knowledgeable and I always feel like I have my own personal shopper every time I am there. So far, I have not been disappointed with a single wine recommendation. Plus Fridays at the wine shop is where its at.... all of their wines are $1 over their cost so you can make out like a bandit (but Saturdays are kind of a crappy time to hit the wine shop as people clear them out on Friday... but who could blame them!) Now, on to the food. Can I just say, AWESOME! I have my favorites and usually stick to them but my husband has pretty much tried everything on the menu and I don't know that we have ever had a bad meal. Their mac & cheese is to die for and we have grown fond of the BBQ beef sandwich, but it is so huge that we normally split it. The beer selection in the restaurant is expansive and you can try a lot of interesting craft beers by the bottle which I really like, the owner is a beer connoisseur so he is great to chat up for a beer recommendation. The baked potatoes are a fun option if you aren't in the mood for a sammie or soup, and you can't leave without a cup of the exploded potatoes, it is an institution as far as I am concerned. My only "meh" with the place is the décor. I like that the Friscos menu is totally built on San Francisco (just look at the titles of the menu options) but the décor of the place is totally confusing and out of place. On the main wall that you see as soon as you walk in the door there is a giant painted palm tree on a little island in the ocean. It is a really childish version too and doesn't fit the vibe of the place (plus the palm tree looks like a cross between Mr Hanky from South Park and a wiener due to the poor placement of the coconuts). There is a lifeguard tower in the corner and the service station in the middle looks reminiscent of a cabana. These could perhaps be left overs from whatever was in that spot before Friscos (if someone was even there before them) but I wish they would get rid of the beachy décor and make it fit with their theme. Paint over that phallic palm tree already and put up a Golden Gate Bridge or something!!! There are also some other random things hanging on the wall that make no sense like an Indy 500 flag and a Captain America shirt, this just junks the place up. But at the end of the day I am not going there for design inspiration I am going for the great food and awesome staff and that will keep me coming back all day long. read more

Finally the weather turned nice enough for us to eat outside on their patio. I ordered the "Russian Hill" on exploded potato. The potato and cheese were wonderful. The meat, not so much. Very, very chewy. My dog enjoyed a piece of the meat, though, and begged for more. However, there are plenty of alternatives on the menu. read more

I am not sure what is going on with this place. The service is non existent and the food luke warm. This is the 2nd time I have been back, with the same result. read more

In all if our travels, 180 shows a year in 10 different states, AKA Friscos is probably our favorite place to eat. Healthy choices, good stuff for the guys that eat like pigs. Everything is fresh. Great soups, and one of those menus you want to eat your way through. The people that work there are friendly. One guy is a big metal head, which is a plus. The food comes out really fast and sometimes with free cookies. read more

The real food king of Frederick that most residents surprisingly don't know about because of the location. Full flavor in all the items they serve - I don't know how they already haven't been featured on some sort of Food Network show. read more

We came here for lunch when we were visiting the Flying Dog Brewery based on all of the positive reviews it had online. We enjoyed the food so much, we came back that same day for dinner. Since then, we make sure to hit it up anytime we're even remotely close to it, including going out of our way to go through Frederick when driving from New Jersey to stop in. As everyone else has mentioned, the star really is the buttery scalliony amazing exploded potatoes...pay the extra $0.50 to upgrade the regular potatoes to exploded. Our favorite is probably the Flat Iron Steak (really good steak, homemade steak sauce, cheese and scallions). They also do a couple of specials after 4 and on the weekends. I've had the Grilled Chicken Special, which has really flavorful grilled chicken served with some exploded potatoes, a small salad, and an awesome cilantro sauce. They have a ton of great looking salads and sandwiches, but haven't ventured to that part of the menu....yet. read more

I've really REALLY tried to like a.k.a. Friscos. Our office orders from here frequently, friends have raved about it. But, after sampling at least 10 different menu items, just think I'll pass next time someone suggests this place. Have never gotten a dish as ordered. Salad is really hard to mess up, right? Not here. Ask for dressing on the side, get swimming greens. No cheese? No problem-we'll give you extra. Bread not toasted-that's okay. Take a bite-it's burnt on the INSIDE! Exploded potato. Dare ya to ask for minimal toppings. All I can think is "kids in the kitchen" and owner could care less. Even if someone else is offering to buy lunch-I'd suggest somewhere else. read more

Great place. Soup was awesome, salad was awesome, sub was awesome, and exploded potato was awesome.

We'd never been here before and James could tell - he immediately gave us samples and was super courteous. The portions were great, you can't beat the sandwiches here. 10/10 I'm always coming here if I'm in the area. Atta boy James read more

Not bad for a restaurant located in the middle of an industrial park. They actually have a pretty decent beer selection too. I can't get overly excited about any restaurant where the microwave is their main cook, but the food is decent and prices are fair. read more

Their exploded potatoes are fantastic. I love adding the sausalito toppings to them. You can add any baked potato toppings to the exploded potatoes. It makes an excellent meal! They also have delicious salads and soups. Everything is very filling, delicious, and at a great price. Wine and beer are available as well. read more

I liked this place a lot! Good service, great menu and awesome food. The layout can be a bit confusing your first time, but, once you get it down, it's fairly simple. If you tell them it's your first time there, they will make sure you understand everything going on. Once again, great food. read more

Great find. As the employee I spoke to said, "We make good food and give you way too much of it." Lol We will be back.

I love coming her to eat with friends and family. It has a very home quaint feel to it and the food is spectacular. They don't skimp on your food and provide not only the most but also the best. I can't wait to go back. read more

Great place, great price, great staff. Been there dozens of times and have never had a bad meal, sandwich, soup or service. Def. best of Frederick read more

What an unexpected surprise! After passing many places on our way to DC, my wife found aka Friscos on yelp. She rarely errs when it comes to picking eateries so we went for it. Not where you would expect a treat like this to be found and unimpressive in decor but you quickly ignore all that when you sample their exploded potatoes and read through their menu. We shared the flat iron steak sandwich and a medium exploded tater. More than enough food for lunch for both of us. Their craft beer selection is awesome and I urge you to try something different. They will not steer you wrong. read more

Have you ever gotten a food craving that just can't be satisfied until you have that food again? That's how I feel just thinking about Friscos! Everything I have ever had from them is amazing and I've had a lot. They have an extensive menu so if you're struggling with what to try I recommend 1 - The Bart 2- Exploded Potatoes 3 - Santa Fe Chicken. Yes, you should get all three and it will cost you just over $10. The atmosphere is awesome, the people have always been super friendly to me and the food is amazing! I don't usually like to try new foods once I have a favorite and once I was debating (out loud) trying the Santa Fe chicken vs. sticking with the same thing I always get and the man behind the counter said, "Here, try some and then decide." Best decision ever! I seriously can't get enough of Friscos! Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area or if you're like me and live 40 minutes away it's worth the drive! read more

We've been here a number of times. The ambiance is casual and laid back, which I love on a Friday evening after work. The food is also good. Very upscale deli. They also offer outdoor seating. A few recommendations I'd have for the owner would be to offer some gluten free pale ales or IPAs. They have a ton of craft beer choices, but that offering is missing. Also please quit with playing a radio station with commercials. Bite the bullet and pipe in pandora or play a good play list from an iPod. Just so weird to listen to a radio station while eating at a restaurant. Overall though I give this place two thumbs up. read more

Great food! Favorite is the flat iron steak sandwich. Can't go wrong with an exploded back potato. One of their staples! Also serve beer and wine including craft :) says it's child friendly but not much on the menu to offer them. A recommendation is to order a sandwich like the Alcatraz it's Huge, and pick off pieces of the other side. Definitely a shareable sandwich. Serves ice cream in the warm months. Not necessarily dog friendly but there is outdoor seating. read more

Vegetarians don't have many choices. Just one in each category. But the exploded potatoes and their veggie pizza were quite good.

AKA Friscos: Home of the 23 minute sandwich. And, I am disappointed in my fellow Yelpers. A measley 1.5 stars. I will try to touch on the points that the other reviews failed to mention. First, when you pull up to the establishment, you have to figure out where to go. There is one part of the building for carryout and catering, another for ice cream, and another which is the restaurant. Now, I was going for carryout, so does that mean I go to the carryout door? I chose the restaurant, and it all went downhill from there. I walked in to find some people preparing food in the middle of the room, and what appeared to be a bartender in the back. No menu anywhere, as I had seen on the Yelp pictures. One of the workers asked if I had been there before. I told her no, and she pointed at the menu board on some random side of the counter that no one would have ever seen. At 4:00 on a weekday afternoon, there was only one person ordering in front of me. She ordered from the 2 people working there, then moved on. I was left standing there. And standing there. Finally one of them said they would be right with me. They weren't. Then someone came from another part of the building and took my order. After taking my order, he offered me a sample of the exploded potatoes, which looked totally unappetizing. Luckily I asked what the red bits were before I tried any (fyi they are bacon, for those of you who don't eat red meat). Seeing as I had just ordered 2 vegetarian sandwiches, you can probably bet that I handed that sample right back to him. Anyway, I took my order note over to the bartender-type guy, who rung me up--now tell me, why can't I just order from this guy? Doesn't make sense. So then I proceeded to wait, get this, 23 minutes for my 2 sandwiches. At 4:00 in the afternoon. With one person in front of me. Better be one hell of a sandwich. It wasn't. The Golden Gate, consisting only of tomato, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, 1 slice of cheese, and no dressing or seasoning, was pretty bad, especially when it was on cheap bread. Reminded me of a hot dog bun., It was pretty much inedible. It was trying to be Jimmy John's veggie sub, but I'd rather go the 1/2 mile down the road and get JJ's, on better bread with better flavor (and cheaper). The other vegetarian sandwich, The Mission, was better, mostly because it was on a higher quality baguette-type crusty-chewy bread. I think the green olive tapenade (that is what that is called for those who were struggling to describe it in other reviews) would have meshed well with the brie had it been a little less salty. All in all, I would probably have this sandwich again, but not from here. Its not worth the hassle. Both sandwiches were a decent size, but for $7-$7.50, they ought to be. Bottom line: If sandwiches are your claim to fame, then they better be damn good. Each and every one should be just as good as the next, with no "misses". And, no, I don't need to try any of the baked potatoes--I can make those at home. read more

Love this place!!!!!!!! Food doesn't get much better than this. The exploded potatoes are the best and the varieties of smothered potatoes is top notch. read more

I loved this place and can't wait to go back. Ordered grilled steak special which came on a fresh salad with a potato on the side. The serving of steak was a half pound and was tender and delicious. Lived the beer selection too. My friend and I wandered into the beer store after we ate and chatted with the knowledgeable staff. We were traveling the next day so neither of us was buying beer to go but instead the nice man gave us a free ice cream cone. I can't wait til I'm back in town as this will be my default dinner spot. Healthy food and craft beer. Yep! read more

This is a 3 * review that I really hope to go back and change to a 4. After reading all the hype I finally made a trip to AKA Friscos. It seems that AKA Friscos has a cult like following, and is fully illustrated by the fact that the location is in the middle of an industrial park. This is very different from the 4,397 other places to eat in Frederick that find themselves either downtown, or lining 40, 85, 355 in one of the MANY strip malls. I walked in and immediately got the this is 'one of those places' vibe. You know, that place you go when you are craving something great, out of the ordinary that fills a void that no other place seems to. The menu is extensive and can be overwhelming having done some pre-meal research via yelp I knew that there were a couple things I wanted to try but on the top of the list was the baked potato concoctions. So we had two of those Kong Lobo which had bacon, cheese, chili and the hot sauce which was more smokey then spicy and the other was the Santa Fe. They both were great taste wise but here comes the 3 star review part both potatoes came out very quickly which was great almost before we could find seating, but both were cold which wasn't so great. Both were sent back to be reheated and both came back hot on the sides with the middle and most of the actual potato part cold. Which really was a shame both chili was on point, and the Santa Fe tasted great. I think the key is making sure the potato is hot throughout prior to placing all the toppings on it. That really is my only complaint, but no matter how good something is tasting it's not so good cold. We also had the mildly spicy wings which were not really spicy at all and were baked not fried, but were just as good as if they had been prepared the 'yummy but bad for you way' they came with a smokey ranch type of dipping sauce which was great. Last but not least was the exploded potatoes and BBQ sandwich. The BBQ was good not the best I have ever had but it was still good. The highlight was definitely the exploded potatoes they were great! All in all had a good meal, tried a bunch of stuff, and am excited to go back and give Frisco's a second chance. read more

Maybe it's me, but every single sandwich on their menu tastes exactly like all the others, no matter what you get. I think it's the spice blend they use, which is shaken out of a large container. The exploded potatoes are the only reason to go back, they are really exceptional. read more

Wow. Like all previous Yelpers said, this place is in the middle of nowhere. It is eccentric as all hell, but has cheap booze, great food, and it is just quirky enough to warrant a return visit. Awesome. read more

Frisco's is a great place for lunch. It is located a little bit out of the way but it would be incorrect to call it a "hidden gem" since it is both popular and busy. Stopped by today to meet my wife for lunch and it took me a while to find a parking spot. Just as I was about to enter the building, I got a text from my wife wondering when I would arrive! The sandwiches are the best around. They offer several outstanding vegetarian options in addition to the regular fare; I have tried quite a few menu items and have never been disappointed. Today I opted for the "San Bruno" (curried chicken salad on whole wheat with tomato, alfalfa sprouts, and onion) and I loved it. One of their "signature" items is the Exploded Potatoes. Do yourself a favor and add them to your order. You'll be glad you did. read more

Awesome Chili, friendly staff, have yet to try my Flat Iron Steak Sandwich. More to follow... read more

Aka Friscos - White Bean Chicken Chili. Awesome!! - American Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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The best subs in the Frederick area by far. Try the Embarkadaro, The Presidio, The Golden Gate, or all of them. The Baked Potatos are excellent and the monterey Chicken Salad is incredible. And no trip is complete without an order of 'sploding potatoes. It is difficult to find, and can be very busy at lunch (quick tip- FAX IN YOUR ORDER!!) but it is so worth it. read more

Excellent quality food in Frederick. Family run and very good service. Seems to be crowded always even though the location is away from other restaurants. :) read more

Great sandwiches! This place is so out of the ways that I tend to forget it exists and then about once a year or two I am reminded somehow and get all excited all over again for their tasty sandwiches. read more

This is one of Fredericks Best!!! Surprised to find that a lot of people do not even know about it... I have been going here for years... Maybe 8 or so... I have had many things, and have liked all of them... Have never once had an issue... You will love this place I am sure of it... A little secret is get your food, and then sit upstairs... Much quieter, and cool... read more

Food was great selection was great, guy with brown hair, red beard, and huge ego made the experience a mediocre one, hope for a better experience in the future. read more

Can you say EXPLODING potatoes?! Mmmmmmmmmm!!! From sandwiches to salads to baked and exploding potatoes--everyone can find something delicious on this menu. My favorite is the Salsalito. Great for lunch or dinner and there's always plenty of leftovers. Portion size and price are terrific! read more

Saw a friend post great reviews about this place and finally found myself looking for a lunch place while in Frederick. So glad I took the chance because it was delicious. Cool atmosphere! I must have stared at the menu for 10 minutes because everything sounded delicious. Will definitely be back! read more

You'll have no clue where this place is, so CALL AHEAD. The sandwhiches... the gourmet preparation of everything on the menu... and it's just a take-out, or eat in, catering place! read more

Was here for lunch with kids. Welcomed at the door with samples of exploded potatoes and chili. Kids had BBQ sandwich that they liked and potatoes that they loved. I had a cold cut with a house hot sauce that was really tasty. The chicken chili was a hit also. Great place that makes you feel very welcomed. The staff is like theme park tour guides, taking the time to explain and navigate the big variety of great eats. This place is a must try. We will definitely be back! read more

Place is out of the way and kind of hard to find. Besides that this place rocks. Great little spot for sandwiches for lunch. Got the trans-am and the exploded potatoes, delicious. Would come back. read more