Mom and pop place for sure and with a name of Ethel & Fred's just backs that up! Love the name and a shout out to our greeting waitress who was very cool and loved her honesty! We all had your average breakfast of eggs, bacon/ turkey sausage, hash browns, and toast. The breakfast was good as it should have been, it's breakfast you just can't screw up breakfast?! Good hot coffee. Busy place and I will visit Ethel & Fred's when I'm back in the area. read more

I had been going to Ethel and Fred's quite often but stop because I don't like to eat with dogs around me. I don't mind service dogs on a leash. The waitresses were nice but I can't stomach eating there anymore. Sorry not meaning to put your restaurant down. read more

A small family restaurant that I occasionally stop in for breakfast. Im never disappointed friendly efficient waitresses and breakfast always good read more

The food is good, however we don't like the idea that pets are allowed where I eat. Service dogs yes, but not regular dogs. No emotional support dogs or animals. Just service dogs. Outside, you can bring your dog, but not inside a restaurant. I don't want to eat where there is a possibility of dog hair flying in my food. I won't be back until they change their policy on dogs. read more

Always consistantly good food at a good value. Employees are always helpful and happy to see you.

Home style little family breakfast/lunch spot. Just a good old fashioned breakfast with excellent prices. We had the country omelette and fried egg sandwich. Best. Egg Sandwich. EVER!!! Highly recommend! read more

Ethel & Fred's - Wall menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

ambiance was fine, service was fine too. However, it was the food that was terrible. I had what was supposed to be biscuits and gravy, instead I was brought a floury gloppy mixture with cut up sausage links mixed in with this mess. Sausage gravy is not that hard to make, ground sausage, make a roux with flour, season with salt and pepper, add milk and maybe a little water to thin it out. It should be a rich creamy mixture, not a gloppy mix of congealed flour. My companion had the regular eggs, sausage and hashbrowns that he said was average. Ethel or Fred need to hire a competent cook. read more

Are you looking for fancy decor? If so... beat it. This is a dive and they know it. There is a communal table in the middle and "seat-yourself" 2 and 4 tops around a sparsely decorated dining area. The staff is quick, friendly, and fun. More importantly, the coffee is GOOD. Did you forget your glasses? Doesn't matter, Ethel & Fred have your back! They put the menu is extra large font (They should win some sort of restaurant award! GENIUS! A menu you can read!) Our group ordered breakfast and everyone loved it. Nothing fancy but the price we AWESOME! Thumbs up to the neighborhood diner!! read more

See all

First off, the food was good. It came quickly and was satisfying. The wait staff was friendly and efficient. Overall I had a good experience. But... The dining room? The dining room had zero appeal or warmth, my high school cafeteria felt more cozy. There is no art on the walls, all the plates and silverware were cheap, even the kitchen was wide open so you could watch the busboy eating his lunch. With a little work this could really be a place to go. read more

Stopped by here for lunch today with my mom. We sat ourself and our server quickly approached us. She was very friendly and helpful. She took our drink order and delivered our drinks promptly. Our food order was promptly taken. I ordered meatloaf, garlic mash, gravy, and kernel corn. Our meals was delivered promptly and I have to say that the meatloaf is the best I have eaten in the county. Absolutely delicious. The garlic mash was also exceptional and very tasty. The kernel corn was good. The patty melt my mom ate I am happy to report was very good. The side of veggies she had was excellent I will definately be back soon. read more

Ethel & Fred's - Meatloaf - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

Our absolute favorite place to go for great, home cooked, comfort food!!! Chicken pot pie is a special and when they have it, I always take home several, soooo good!! Same with shepherds pie!! Pancakes are wonderful and very large and filling. Homemade desserts, great service, and still great prices!! read more

Ethel & Fred's - Breakfast menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

See all

As mentioned in other reviews, the atmosphere is lacking, reminded me of an open bingo hall to be honest. They have a couple murals that obviously has effort put into them but did not fill the vast space, and some of the lights need replacing. It's obviously a mom and pop business that might be struggling but when it comes down to the food, I have no complaints. The pricing makes it a great value, I ordered the pot pie and I quite enjoyed it. You also get decent side options making it overall quite the portion size. Also as mentioned previously it is served HOT. While the ingredients may not have been homemade I had no concerns of it being cooked improperly. As food is the main reason you would choose this I'm not going to fault them on appearance. Even though it isn't the prettiest, it was a clean facility and the staff was pleasant. read more

See all

Excellent "diner" food. We had Cuban sandwiches, an omelette and an open chopped steak sandwich. Everything was delicious. Staff was attentive and friendly. read more

Great little place. The best homemade corned beef hash. They have amazing breakfast pizza skins too. Definitely recommend. Staff is very nice as well. read more

Service was ok, food was mediocre how do you send pancakes out that look like this, cook and server had no pride in the presentation of this pancake breakfast. read more

Ethel & Fred's - a stack of pancakes on a plate - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

Love this small little place. Omg the breakfast is fire like amazing. Definitely will come back. The staff is super friendly. I was so happy to have real home cooked food. I got a coffee and biscuit and gravy. If you're looking for real home cooked food then this is the place. It's a great place to feel at home when far away from home! Thank you guys for our service and the amazing food. I am a customer for life! read more

No pretense- E&F is homey with good food at a reasonable price and a friendly serving staff. Spanish omelette was tasty n the biscuits just right with Good coffee. Decor is modest along with unmuted noise levels. Bathrooms need an upgrade to allow multiple usage. I do recommend. read more

We were shopping in this plaza and were ready for lunch, so thought we'd give this place a try. It's not much to look at, bare bones decor. The service was friendly and quick, even though the place was packed those two gals flew around the place. We tried the country omelette and the chili cheese omelette. CHILI CHEESE OMELETTE you say?!?! I was hooked. When the food came Oh. Em. Gee. Absolutely delicious. The C.C. omelette was.... unbelievably good. Like, how have I lived without this good. We devoured the food. The grits were one and the biscuits and gravy and coffee good too. Only criticism is the gravy was a tad on the salty side. But overall, five stars. Priced right and yummy. We will most likely be back! read more

Food was ok, surprisingly did not get menus, has to use the ones on the walls (out first time there).

We LOVE Ethel & Fred's!! We happened to try this restaurant out about 4 years ago after we moved back to the area and have been going there at least once a week since. All of their food is homemade with that southern, down home goodness, especially her specials and her soups. The atmosphere, service, and food is exactly what you would expect from a country diner. Delicious and big portions!! If you happen to be lucky enough to hit it on a day where the special is chicken pot pie, give it a try. You won't be disappointed!! Denise & Scott read more

They treat you like family. If your one of the "regulars", you usually have your drink waiting for you on the table before you get to the door. Prompt and friendly service. Hot foods served fast . Great choices and since the Rona started they've got big blow up menus on the wall (and throw away menus for those that can't stand up and look) Meatloaf Monday is my favorite!! read more

As you know I give my star ratings based on how my experience was. Today I throughly enjoyed my first visit to Ethel & Fred's. The staff was super friendly, the restraint was clean, and the food was served without delay and it was delicious. Definitely on my list of new breakfast stops. read more

I have been coming here for years! I find the staff to be fabulous and am always shocked at the low pricing. I never tip the standard 20% because that is much too low for the quality and service. Thank you to all of the staff for being so friendly and proving me with a consistently great dining experience!!! read more

Ethel and Fred's has a great local diner atmosphere. The food has a home-cooked appeal. It was tasty, cheap, and fast- everything I like in a quickie lunch spot. I tried the open-faced roast beef with mashed potatoes and coleslaw as a side. My daughter had the simple grilled cheese. She said it was good, not too fancy. Simple and filling. My roast beef was good, a little bit too salty, but yummy nonetheless. The mashed potatoes tasted real, no potato flakes here. Is my grandma in the kitchen? The coleslaw was pretty good, your generic run-of-the-mill type. I would definitely come back here for breakfast or lunch. Sundays breakfast is served all day. The staff was prompt and friendly. I'll be back... read more

See all

It's been a long time since I've had breakfast at Ethel & Fred's. So long that it was like a whole new experience for me. While the food is 4-5 star worthy, on this occasion the service was not. She was very sluggish and lackadaisical. We went for brunch on a weekday morning, and she just seemed as though she couldn't be bothered. A different server brought out our food (which was piping hot), and checked on us after, but then we waited a good 5-7 minutes after we finished eating for our original server to acknowledge us and bring our check over. All the while she was setting near by tables with silverware and place mats. The only other thing to worthy this a 3 star review is that when my boyfriend ordered a soda it came to the table in a can with a glass of ice which struck us as strange. Ethel and Fred's is located in the corner of an older strip mall, so if you aren't looking for it then you may miss it. The food is good, and it is very reasonably priced. Definitely worth a try -- especially their home made muffins! Request yours to be heated on the grill; delicious! read more

This place is suffering significantly an identity crisis. I don't mind old, outdated nonsense on the walls, but no one cares about this old dump. Food served cold and partially cooked. Only four tables in the place being utilized and it still took 45 minutes to get our food. Had the runs before I got back to my car. I ordered biscuits and gravy and it went right through me. Yet another breakfast establishment serving hot bean water and calling it coffee. Please, someone do something. Save this place. People believe in it and I don't know why. Either have a little pride or shut her down. I would be embarrassed to call this my restaurant! read more

Go here only 3 or 4 times a year, usually on a Sunday for breakfast. This rating, although only for this past Sunday, would be pretty consistent over time. This time: waited at the front door to be recognized only to have to almost grab someone to get attention. Then they said to sit "just anywhere" So ... we sat at the only empty table, which was dirty. Sat there a strong 10 minutes, unrecognized so we moved to another table that they had just cleaned. Sat there a strong 15 minutes before anyone came to say hello! She gave us coffee and came back 10 minutes later to takes our breakfast order. Note that by now we had been there about a half hour. The place has maybe 25 tables and there were at least 4 waitresses on duty. 45 minutes later we got our breakfast! So, about an hour 15 minutes til we ate! My rating: Service 1 star Facility 4 stars Food 4 stars read more

Trully love this gem. The girls are friendly and fast, love the food. Takes me back in rime. Highly recommend it!

Just had breakfast, everything was delicious, service was great! Had bacon, eggs. Grits, hash browns, toast.

Don't let first impressions sway you. Yes, the place needs a facelift... But I don't go to restaurants for anything else besides the food. Waitress was wonderful, service was fast, food was yummy. I will come back when I'm in the area. read more

They serve my sweat tea in glass jars (like they use to preserve jelly) which, believe it or not, does make the tea taste better......OK, It's psychological, but great none the less. I'm new to the scene at this very simple, but inviting country style restaurant. I've only eaten breakfast there, in fact I ate there this morning. So far, I've been there for breakfast about 10 times and each time I'm pleased with the food and the price. It's kinda cool, sitting there watching the locals discuss their daily lives. I'm guessing some of these folks have been eating there for decades. If you like a simple menu,, with good ole boy hospitality, then stop by and have a bite to eat. If you get there early (8am) you may catch me reading the paper while I eat my eggs-over-easy, bacon, and hash browns. read more

Today my wife and I ventured into Ethel and Fred's for the first time. Having seen many people comment on the roast beef I chose the open face roast with mashed taters and gravy, my wife with the french dip with au jus. The food took about 8-10 minutes to arrive just after hearing the sweet sound of a bell and proving to me someone is in the kitchen working it out by him or herself , one table at a time and for me thats perfect. Nothing rushed not to much pre-made in advance just order it and I'll cook it for you!! The beef was tender and delicious , the mashed potatoes were tasty especially with the beef gravy over them . My only complaint would be to toast the bread or use another kind as it was soggy and gooey before I finished. My wife mmm'd over and over as she ate her first french dip and exclaimed that from now on all food items need to be served with a side of beef au jus! We also had sides of black beans that were just a bit tough and under seasoned and cole slaw that was too vinegary for my wife but I enjoyed! I personally can't wait to go back and try something else!! read more

We went for breakfast and the first thing is the tables were really sticky. They wipe them down with wet towels. I don't think they use any cleaner. We should have left then. The atmosphere is dull and the food wasn't good. Took it home and my dogs wouldn't eat it. Wound up in the trash. read more

I found this place for breakfast by simply looking on my GPS and the name caught my attention. I wondered why it wasn't called Fred & Ethel's instead. Finally a place that had sausage in their sausage gravy. The hasbrowns were cooked really well. If you are looking for a place to have a awesome decor, this isn't it. It is located in a strip mall with outdated tables and chairs with no real decorating. The service was good. I gave it 3 stars simply because of the inside appearance. The food was good and hot. read more

My fiancé and I have been to practically every restaurant in this area and this place is way underrated! French toast is one of the best in town. Eggs and bacon were cooked perfectly. My fiancé had eggs and bacon and she also loved every bite. The service was excellent, fast and our order came quickly and exactly as ordered. Servers were also excellent and always seemed to pop in at the right time. I'm actually shocked this place doesn't have much higher reviews.. Come check this place out its worth it. read more

Today was my first time at Ethel & Fred's, I knew I couldn't eat much because I am vegan but I was visiting family in the area and the took me. I had some hash as it was really the only thing I could eat, but as I was paying I realised they had a plant based menu and I was disappointed because I could have ordered something from that menu. It would've been nice if they had promoted it in their regular menu. read more

my friend and i had breakfast today...i had steak and eggs with grits and toast, he had eggs, hash browns, and toast. Food was home cooked, service excellent, friend appreciated the close eye on his coffee mugs with continual refills... and i means many refills as we were talking a lot. bottom line if you want home cooked food, prompt service, clean envirnonment then this is it. Prices verry reasonable. My steak was sirloin and cooked as requested. Steak with steak sauce and perfect fried eggs...hard to beat!!!! read more

Used to love their cabbage rolls. Don't serve them regularly any more. Breakfast is mediocre. Nothing else on menu is appealing. Veggies are canned. Mashed potatoes are instant. Yuck! Probably done with this place. read more

Wow, just called three times wanting to place an order..and no answer on the phone. Get it together.

Decided to check this place out for breakfast one day with a group of friends and I regretted it as soon as we sat down. The service lacked enthusiasm and our waitress was rude and neglected our table the entire time. The food was alright nothing special and the place itself was just blah. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time or money here. read more