If you want to eat grilled food with your favorite drink on the lake, go to Famous Freddie's. If you want to dance the night away, also go to Famous Freddie's. I've gone during the day and at night and I love the environment during both. During the day is when you really get to enjoy that it's on the lake. The outdoor seating is so nice and there's also a large covered bar outside if you need more shade. Waitresses will take your drink orders, but you do have to go inside to order food. They have the order numbers on display outside too though so you can go back to your table and wait instead of standing inside. My seasoned vet friends told me I had to try the kabobs and definitively, I will never not order the kabob when I'm here. Also the shrimp with cocktail sauce are the perfect lake day bite and they'll give those to you as soon as you order. The vibe definitely shifts at night and is a much younger crowd with everyone hanging out upstairs either at the bar or on the dance floor. The DJ always plays good music that you just want to sing along to, but the nights can be hit or miss as far as it being packed or not. Either way it's always fun. Everyone on staff is pretty helpful and they add to the fun. The vibes are just right. Price wise, you may spend $20+ a person for food but it's great quality and sooo good. The drink prices are pretty normal for the area/being on the lake. The last time I went on a Sunday there were some ambassadors that were giving out drink samples too so even if you feel like drinks are pricey, you might catch a break by getting a chance to try a drink or two. Freddie's also owns the Airbnbs next door so you can rent those out and spend the whole weekend out here. read more

Note, this is a review of Famous Freddie's as a customer that enjoys their great location and entertainment ( music, bingo,etc)... late afternoon and early evenings inside and outside.. I am not the late night club customer. Food is consistently 3 star. That isn't a discredit to them, it is what their menu is. The preparation is consistent. The bartender/ wait staff service on the other hand ranges from a sub zero to 5 star. If you want miserable service, show up between 4:45pm and 5:15pm on a Friday during "shift change" of the bartenders at the outside bar (an odd time to change over all the bartenders). Pre 4:45 generally great service at the bar. Post 5:00..hit or miss. Away from the bar outside, totally hit or miss (not because of lack of staffing). Inside, consistently top notch. read more

The bar itself is huge and lots of space for hanging out and having drinks. Plenty of docks to tie the boat when out for the day. However, weird setup with food and drinks. The food is inside, like a cafeteria style setup, but the food isn't horrible. Tiny menu but not terribly expensive either. But they allow you to sit outside all the way down the stairs and you have to go all the way back upstairs to order and get food. I just felt like this could be a way better set up and enjoy food by the water. read more

No customer service for lunch, don't waste your time. Tiny menu. And you have to walk all the way to the outside bar to get drinks even when you are sitting inside. Order food at a counter. read more

Famous Freddie's has a great vibe on their patio. It's a fun place to be. It's actually where I went to have my first legal drink when I turned 21! We normally come by boat because we really like their docks. Servers bring drinks to your table and to get food you go inside, order, and then wait for your number. They're serving a limited menu right now. I'm not sure if they'll bring their wider menu back, but I hope so because they used to offer awesome peel and eat shrimp. You can also call Moretti's and order for delivery if you tell them you're at Freddie's. We tried this when we were there on Saturday, but it was a ~90 minute wait for delivery. We instead got some chicken sandwiches, burgers, and the brat. Whenever we've visited, we've received great service, both at the bar and when sitting at a table. This time our server's name was Sam and she was very friendly, attentive, and quick. However, I must say that their lack of concern for the global pandemic as well as general health and safety measures is incredibly worrisome. Very few patrons are wearing masks. Many of the staff are also not wearing masks at all when talking with customers or wearing their mask below their nose when walking around which completely destroys the purpose of masks to begin with. The restaurant is also quite dirty and lacks sanitation that I would want on a normal day - so it certainly is not enough in a pandemic. read more

Famous Freddie's Roadhouse - Current menu - American Near Me - Fox Lake, Illinois

Whatan awesome bartender to make our favorite drink. We love coming here. Such a nice enviornment read more

Famous Freddie's Roadhouse - a red, white and blue drink - American Near Me - Fox Lake, Illinois

I freaking love this place. Whenever we go out on our jet skis, we dock at Famous Freddie's to chill and get some grub. Their doc is pretty big, I have seen some larger boats docked there. They have a cute outdoor area with bags and a huge outdoor bar. To order your food you have to go to the cashier inside and then you wait for your number. Good news is that they have a counter outside so you can wait for your food at your outdoor table and keep an eye on the number being served. Their food is surprisingly really fresh and tasty. They have outhouses outdoors but you can also go inside to use that restroom. This place is super chill and the wait staff is always great. They have a bunch of drink specials, so make sure to look at those before ordering *I do not want to bash any business in particular, but for places on the lake that you can dock at, this one is by far my favorite* read more

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It's a little bit of a walk to get inside but it's worth it if you're up for some good fast food it is a great choice and the atmosphere is really lively read more

This place has a bomb atmosphere, and although I think this place is a hidden gem for drinks and atmosphere, the service has gone downhill and so has the food quality. The outdoor waitress that we had today was SO slow and talked so quietly. She forgot our beers, and when we were calling her, she ignored us because it was like she knew we were going to comment about us not getting our drinks after 15 minutes... of course she handed us our drinks RIGHT after. The food was eh today, too, but normally it's very good. I got a hot dog, and the bun was so old that it was crumbling. My parents got brats, and both were cold. I would recommend the cajun chicken sandwich here though, because that's normally delicious and my go-to. This place has a number system, but it was clear today that orders before the current number can be done sooner. It was obvious our cold food was waiting on the counter much longer than when our number was shown. Their mixed cocktails are great here, and I highly recommend the pina coladas. They are amazing and taste like so much coconut! The mai tais here also are very good! Best part of this place is the cute atmosphere outside. I would recommend sitting outside because the place sits right on the lake and people who own boats can dock them and eat. Huge catfish are in the water and everyone feeds them bread and fries. They have a bar outside, bean bags, and firepits with comfy couches and chairs. read more

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The happy hour is EXTREMELY deceiving. The menu advertises so many drinks, but it only is for Coors.... Still a good view. Although the beer tasted like lake water.... I mean I'll go back but cuz it's local. read more

I have only really come here at night on the weekends for the dancing. That being said it is a pretty nice atmosphere. They make good drinks and the energy is high. There is plenty of space to where it doesn't feel like you are on top of people when dancing. However my only complaint is the dj. They are very hot or miss on the music they play. They will play good dancing music for a few songs then play slower songs and a ton of people leave the floor. If they played good dancing music the entire time it'd be 5 stars but because they have large gaps in the good music it's 4 stars. read more

Draft beer really tasted like lake water. The owner may be drunk 24/7. The happy hour menu is false advertising.

Wasn't sure what to think, but we thought we would visit and try out the new menu. For a Saturday night, it was a little empty, but I'm guessing people are still finding out about them being him open in the winter and that they have a menu far exceeding their previous offerings. We seated ourselves and waited for our waitress. It took a bit of time, but she finally came around. I think she was the only waitress out there. SenSe she was handling all of the tables, which obviously was less than ideal. Definitely slowed down service as she stopped by fairly infrequently. Again, it seems she was the only one out there taking care of the tables. As for the food, we ordered the full slab of ribs special and avacado chicken and a couple of side salads. The food was really good. Far exceeded our expectations. The ribs were falling off of the bone. The side of corn and jalapeno mashed potato were great!! Not spicy either. Just great flavor. Coleslaw was different, but tasty! My wife said the Avacado chicken was really good as well. Overall we had a nice dinner. A casual place with great food. Service needs to be stepped up for sure. But we'll be back to try again for sure. read more

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If you've never been to Famous Freddie's be warned: it is a little bit tricky to find. It is roughly three blocks off Rt. 12 tucked back in a neighborhood. The location is great if you are boating on the Chain. It is located on Pistakee Lake, and I'm guessing they have 50 or more boat slips. This is a great place in the Summer, but I enjoy it in the offseason just as well. There is no wait staff; just walk up to the counter and order. They will give you a number and post it on the digital screen when your order is ready. The food is very good (I love their fries). Service is friendly and hardworking. The views of Pistakee Lake are a big part of the overall experience. read more

Famous Freddie's Roadhouse - Grilled chicken breast with BBQ, Bacon.and cheese.  The fries are awesome. The ice tea is refreshing. - American Near Me - Fox Lake, Illinois

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What a disappointment. First and most importantly, not a single person was wearing a mask properly - some workers, not at all. It seemed like a great spot since it's right on the dock, but I immediately felt uncomfortable. And we had to ask if they're really open until 3 a.m., which is allowed in this county. Mask requirement is statewide. We asked about ordering an appetizer and as soon as our server told us to literally walk out and go into another building, it was a no go. What kind of place is this? -10/10 would never go back. And I should probably get a COVID test. read more

This was my second time here and it was incredibly slow for a Friday night. Quite unfortunate considering the Nightclub is VERY FUN. JOE is incredibly AWESOME!! Respect him! But the security is awful! We walk in and sit at the bar, we overhear quite a misogynistic and homophobic conversation from a security guard. Openly having conversations about a customer hitting women and how they should have done it "harder". Absolutely disgusting and very sad. Do better. read more

Perfect place for parrotheads, but not for me. Servers ONLY serve drinks, and only at some of the tables, not all. ALL food is self serve and they don't make it easy. Many steps involved, literally. Very complicated system, unless you're a heavy drinker. Then, it's fine. That being said, burgers were 7/10. Fries were fantastic. Won't go back until I start drinking again. read more

Went in there on a Thursday 3:45 pm ish sat down outside at a table next to the best , waited 20 minutes and No one came to wait on me; bartender was too busy yucking it up with the locals , I've been coming here for many years but now I'm done with them, there lame food menu and servers read more

Always stop by here after a long day on the boat. Was a bit disappointed after last night's visit. Our waitress Katie, who only served us drinks (you order your food inside and bring it back to your table) was unpleasant and seemed annoyed by our every request. We had to ask for waters after receiving our drinks, which she seemed quite inconvenienced by. Upon asking for more water (and suggesting a pitcher of water so we wouldn't have to inconvenience her anymore) she looked at us with a look of "really" and seemed quite annoyed. In addition, she served all of our drinks by holding them over the rim with her bare hand. Covid or not, this is unacceptable. Hoping for a better visit next time. read more

Nice outdoor patio with bar. Lots of piers to dock your boat right off the chain. Problem is no waitstaff for food or drink. Then they still expect a tip! No thanks. Won't be returning read more

I surprisingly loved this place! We went on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and it was crowded, but not crazy! Basically, you seat yourself, and a waitress from the bar comes and takes your drink order only and you pay her for that. Any food order requires you to walk upstairs into the main restaurant and order/pay at the same time. Then you are given a number and when your number comes up on the digital reader (there are numerous around the bar/dock) and then you pick up your food upstairs. Kind of strange, but it works! Their food menu is small, but there is a lot of variety. The beer and alcohol selection is large (obviously, it's a huge bar). I ordered the chicken avocado sandwich, a Marga-Rona (Coronarita hahaha). My partner ordered the pig roast sandwich. A member of our group ordered the peel and eat shrimp to share. The food took a little bit to finish, but it was so crowded, so we didn't care. My sandwich was awesome. Came out hot and tasted really good. My partner said his pork was excellent as well. I didn't get to try it. But I tried his potato salad, and that was so good! There were a lot of pickles and eggs and it was so good! The peel and eat shrimp were really good as well, but it's shrimp, pretty hard to mess up. Overall, a really cool place to go with lots of good food and drink. They had a DJ taking requests, the Kraken rum girls were there giving out free samples of Kraken and Coke, as well as free merchandise! We got the last tin Kraken sign! There were contests and all sorts of good stuff. I was surprised at how family friendly this place was (we had two little ones in our group), but also so adult. The bar was huge and had a ton of different things to drink. Great place to dock your boat and have a meal. read more

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Great food and service And what a view. Try the pig roast dinner you can't beat it. Prices are fare and great place to bring the family read more

Famous Freddie's Roadhouse - Having a great time and enjoying the view and food - American Near Me - Fox Lake, Illinois

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Freddie's is a great place to come for lunch on a nice summer weekend! The patio setting is great, and includes games, TVs, and two tiki huts with fire places. They are only open spring thru fall, so outside bar and seating is always available. You can also come by boat which is even cooler and adds to the summer feeling of the place. I highly recommend the chicken sandwich, but all the food on the menu is pretty good. If you like the nightclub scene they do have an upstairs bar as well where there is usually a DJ on Friday and Saturday nights. read more

Came here randomly on a Sunday during lunch hour...not their most popping time, I'd imagine, but there was a decent crowd. The food was amazingly cheap, and not half bad either. I was kind of annoyed that they prepped my fried twinkies first, which they serve with ice cream...by the time the rest of my food was ready it was in a pool of milk. Still, pretty amazing to find a bar where the specialty burgers are around $5 a pop. The drinks weren't badly priced either. Probably a decent place to chill if I was around the area more. read more

Fun atmosphere. Love the huge outside deck! I had a beef sandwich and it was tasty! We will definitely come here again!

My dad fell down the rickety stairs after getting food and literally no one came to help. We waited over an hour for someone to come take a statement and give us a handful of Band-Aids. The waitress was nice enough to make an ice pack after telling us how many people fall down those stairs. They would not give us anything to clean the wounds and literally as we were leaving, the food was still all over the patio! So discusted about the service and lack of sense of urgency. My dad has a black eye, numerous open wounds that as of right now won't stop bleeding. read more

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This could be a great place. Unfortunately service is not their strong point.It was almost like we were invisible.Super slow getting drinks. Waited almost 20 minutes after the waitress took our order before I got up and ordered my drinks at the bar While they were making my drinks the waitress showed up with them.If you want to eat you need to walk inside to place your order then wait until your number comes up so you can go back in to get it. Crappy system. Ordered the Cheesy Beef.It was not even warm,they nuked the cheese to melt it and that's the only heat that beef had. Actually cold in center. If I ever go back Ill sit at the bar and wont eat.There are many better places to go for a beer and a bite to eat. read more

Get your late-night beer on the water, large fish po-boy, and fried twinkies fix! The food at freddies is generally pretty good. I've had a big section of the menu after a friend won a gift card and all of it tickled me pretty well even after I was full to the brim. Be sure to come on a night when you can expect the crowd that you want. Daytime weekend - boating crew, nighttime weekend - party party crew, weeknight - relaxed beer by the lake crew. If you aren't looking for one of these and show up on the assigned day, prepare to be engrossed in what you weren't expecting. Each has their time and each is quite enjoyable to me! read more

Love this place I'll definitely be back we need a reggae night or hey I can just bring my speaker again see yalll again with great music nex Friday read more

Famous Freddie's Roadhouse - American Near Me - Fox Lake, Illinois

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Fun, nice place. Nice setting, right on the lake. Very nice outdoor patio. Quick, friendly bartenders. Decent beer list for a lake bar; and good cocktails too. Lots of fun. read more

i asked them to close my tab and they claimed they had no idea what i was talking about. they straight up lied and said we didn't have an open tab. they made us feel uncomfortable and the girl bartenders were the only nice ones. please never interact with another bar tender, they only want the worst for you. read more

Bought a boat this summer and making our way around to all the restaurants on the chain. Let me premise my review with we have 3 young children and yes this is technically a bar and restaurant and I may feel differently if we weren't with our kids, but that's why we bought the boat- for our family. Also going to dinner at 4:30 on Sunday is a pretty family friendly time and this place was fairly empty. We were the only ones in our waitress' section. That said it's ridiculous you have to go inside and order your food like a cafeteria. This is not a full service restaurant, and for that reason we will never be returning here. Even without the kids I wouldn't return on mere principle that I expect the waitress to being me my food, especially when there isn't anyone else in your section and you have nothing to do except sit on your phone or socialize. read more

Q: We plan to go boating on the chain this weekend and want a decent place to eat. Can you recommend a restaurant with its own dock? A: Freddies! Q: I'm boating this weekend with a bunch of my buddies, but we want to stop somewhere for buckets o' shrimp, cold beer, and lots of TVs. A: Freddies! Q: We'll be out boating with our six year old and want a family-friendly place for lunch. A: Freddies! Q: I want to hook up with a man who owns his own boat. Preferably, I'd like to meet him at a night club and this place should also have its own dock so we can easily "after party" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Where can I get my skank on? A: Freddies! read more

DO NOT GO HERE EVER! Worst experience of my life....... We went on the party boat and when we go there we were being rush to hand them money and then they began to yell at all of us. They even tried to charge us $100 more because "they counted more people then we did". Once we got on the boat the older man with grey hair started yelling at us to follow the rules WHICH they neglected to play before we headed out on the boat. So the whole night while we were trying to have a good time we had this guy screaming and yelling at us all. No matter what we did. It was a total buzz kill. He then said we ere suppose to get smoke breaks and when he slowed down to stop he let us have a smoke break he didn't use the speakerphone to tell us where to smoke then he get all mad at us all because we weren't following the rules. THE RULES WE COULDN'T HEAR OVER THE MUSIC or THE ONES HE NEVER PLAYED. He then tell the entire party on the boat which mind you are all pretty drunk, that Lake County police were waiting for all of us when we got off the boat..... So needless to say everyone got a loud and mad. Once we landed we started to clean up he says... "Mexicans can't clean up after themselves." We told the mangers about everything that happened they didn't really seem to care. All the did was give my cousin a dinner certificate to eat at Freddys..... WHY WOULD WE EVER GO BACK!? I had never had a good time whenever I went to this place. They have poor management and rude employees. read more

This place is fantastic! Have only been here 2 times, but both times were great. Went back a couple days ago with my son. We sat outdoors, right on the lake. Beautiful atmosphere and tons of things to do - baggo, Giant Connect4 game, etc. The food was eccellent! I had the carnitas bowl and my son had the pulled pork sandwich with a half-pound of meat!! Drink specials and daily food specials are good also. Our waitress, Megan, was so full of energy and was a real pleasure!! You don't see that much anymore. Highly recommended! read more

Famous Freddie's Roadhouse - Beautiful view!! - American Near Me - Fox Lake, Illinois

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We went here for drinks and dinner with our kids. The vibe of the bar was great and the life size connect 4 kept the kiddos occupied. Staff was great and food was tasty read more

Place is cool with a lot of nice seating outside with spectacular views of the lake. Also with access for watercraft. Good music, and relaxing atmosphere, and bar is close by for drinks. The staff are young and I am reminded that we are in the North with the lack of hospitality and smiles. When we arrived we were unfamiliar with the place and asked if we seat ourselves, and they just said yea, sit anywhere. Seeing how we were new, they should have maybe explained their unusual system of ordering. The server brought drinks but said nothing about the fact that we needed to go up and get our food like at Burger King and serve ourselves. We looked at the menus and then had to walk like 300 yards and up a flight of steps to go order the food and then get a receipt, watch a counter under the bar, then travel back to go carry all that food back. There was no utensils, no napkins except for bar napkins... they had menus out but only served a few items until 3pm when all of the other stuff is available. the chicken fingers were dry.. the Nachos were really good. 1 Server working the entire outside.. so hence the 2 stars. My girlfriend said the fries are tasty. The serve yourself function reminds me all to much of Walmart and the self scanners. It is an odd system for this place, but I would stop again for the view, drinks, and the food is ok. read more

Great place on lake with good burgers, chicken and shrimp. Our favorite choice to eat while enjoying the lake. Fun outdoor bars, games to play with friends and good Music. read more

This is one of the best waterfront options on the chain of lakes in my opinion the patio makes the place. It's a huge outdoor space with a large outdoor bar and has a few TVs for watching sports. The service is for drinks only you order your food inside and are given a number. You can see the numbers posted in various areas including outside so I recommend ordering and grabbing a table outside. The kitchen and waitresses are not speedy so I generally order a beer at the bar inside before I walk out too. The inside of the restaurant has a lot of great old signs which make it fun to look around and the inside bar has plenty of TVs for watching sports when it's not patio weather. The menu here is basic limited to a few selections of burgers chicken etc. It would be nice of they would add some additional items like a veggie burger for non-meat eaters. So for me the patio is 5 stars the food and service are 3 stars rounding it out to my 4 star review. read more

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Very cool place to have drinks next to the lake. The outdoor area has basketball, bag courts, and has a nice, big full-service bar. Eating here is a mistake, though. It's just standard but expensive bar food and, if you are sitting outside, even if the many waitresses aren't busy, you have to climb the stairs to go inside where you order and pay for your food separately. Then when it's ready you have to climb the stairs and go back inside to pick it up. Not cool. read more