Certainly not a health food! But it was good enough to go back a second day. Something my husband had years ago while traveling the old route 66 and it is just the same. Spaghetti Red is spaghetti with Chile over the top served with saltine crackers. Not fancy, small menu but they did have burgers, dogs & fries. Service was good and they were busy. No tables just a counter with stools. read more

Fred & Red's - Spaghetti red - Diners Near Me - Joplin, Missouri

Great chili diner with a U shape counter surrounding the wait staff &,,, everything the cooks did not want to squeeze in the kitchen. I could not help & watch women clean dishes, dip chili & talk about their lives. The food was the good & greasy comfort food I expected. Noodles & homemade tamales covered with chili plus a side of onions & pickles. The taste was bland so I added what was on the counter before me- chili powder, tame " hot" sauce, mustard & parmesan cheese (I did not add the salt & ketchup), Overall an interesting meal, place & value. read more

Fred & Red's - Diners Near Me - Joplin, Missouri

Incredible!! You want to stop eating the spaghetti about half way through the plate , but you can't!! It's so good!! The pickles and onions top it off!! Definitely a must stop in Joplin!! read more

Been here many times and it's always very consistent. Service is great. Ladies up front are friendly. We are regulars that's for sure. We need to at least once a week to keep joints lubed. read more

Fred & Red's - Inside line and back area along with a Waitress/Manager that's been here for 20+ years. - Diners Near Me - Joplin, Missouri

Every time we've ordered from this restaurant and we ordered Parmesan cheese or some other topping we don't get it even though we were charged. Every dime doesn't take a high school education to work at this place to follow instructions. We are done. read more

If u can call chili bland then this is it! I am sure it's a local fave but I wasn't a fan!

I have visited this place a few times and never a single disappointment whatsoever. I highly recommend this restaurant for sure.

Always amazing! Love the chili and spaghetti. Tamales are good too! Always get extra pickles!!!

Wonderful food! My family has been going here for 25+ years, and the delicious food keeps us coming back! If it's the spaghetti, the cheeseburgers, or only the fries, it's made with love and made wonderfully. The taste is like no other. 10/10 I have recommended to multiple family members and friends. Will be coming back. read more

Fred & Red's is a MUST for at least five generations of our family. The food is always good, but the experience is priceless!!!

food was cold and wasnt co so I called they were rude and told us to just come get pint of beans to make it right. not only did the food suck it was cold and upset my family's stomachs so much grease. won't eat there again nasty read more

I really wanted to like this place because it's old school and fun and just nostalgic, but yeah it's just a greasy spoon and not the good kind....the literal kind. I LOVE spaghetti chili and being from KC I thought maybe it would be like Dixon's Chili, but it's not. I got an order of spaghetti chili to go and some tamales, but everything was so greasy that everyone agreed it was just not enjoyable. The best part of the experience was the kind staff that was very helpful and super fast at prepping our food and getting us out the door :) Cute little diner, but good luck finding a seat at lunch or dinner as seating is limited! read more

Really neat old diner! We've eaten here several times. Really great waitstaff. This is not a good place to go if you don't like grease! Chili is their main food whether served alone, over spaghetti, over tamales etc. Even if you don't like greasy food, you should go. It's a neat experience! read more

Do not come to Joplin unless you eat at Fred & Red's ! I was raised in this area and moved to Little Rock years ago. But when I get back here this is a must!!! read more

Fred & Red's - Diners Near Me - Joplin, Missouri

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Came here on our continued exploration of Joplin restaurants on our on going work trip. Decided to get the Spaghetti Red since that's what everyone else recommended. I got the jumbo size and a grilled cheese sandwich and couldn't finish half. It was nice and greasy comfort food and was just what I needed after a long work day. My guy's got the overload and chili burger and liked their's as well. The ladies working here are extremely nice and were pleasant to talk to. They kept our glasses full, packed our massive amounts of leftovers, and even gave us good recommendations for other places we should eat on our trip. Once we make the rounds and I finish my leftovers, we will have to stop by again. read more

Fred & Red's - Jumbo Spaghetti Red - Diners Near Me - Joplin, Missouri

Came for lunch with another couple because he grew up in the area and remembered this place from when he was a kid. You really need nostalgia to enjoy this place - and/or a cast iron stomach! The food is actually quite tasty, it's just a heart attack on a plate. One of us ordered a chili hamburger. He thought it would be a hamburger with chili on top, but no, it was an open-faced cheeseburger on a large plate with two cups of chili poured over the top of it! One of us ordered their tamale spread. Once again three tamales with two cups of chili spread over it and some shredded cheese and onions. Truly very tasty but greasy to the max - it would be a great post drunk meal. One got just a plain hamburger and french fries and said it was all very bland and mostly tasteless. The last guy got their spaghetti red. Which was overcooked pasta covered with two cups of their chili - he loved it. So the bottom line is the food is actually good but you got to really be wanting and willing to eat something that's this bad for you. By the way the service was A+ diner service. read more

Spaghetti red was bland for my taste, but I only use Williams chili seasoning. Nothing else has the bite without being overly hot. IF we would have considered making a second visit, the lack of sanitary practices sealed the deal. No gloves when removing meat from cooler, no washing hands before grabbing the salt/pepper shakers to add seasoning but wipe hands on pants after. Gloves were donned to put fries in the fryer.....no thanks. I'll make mine at home. I guarantee the original owners used more common sense. read more

Stellar! Classic counter eatery. The girls who work here are the true rockstars. Friendly, fast and cultivate "regulars". read more

Fred & Red's - Diners Near Me - Joplin, Missouri

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Try the "Half & Half." It's spaghetti and tamales, topped with chili. Don't mind the sound of your arteries hardening, and if you feel chest pain, just slow down and relax and it too should pass. But otherwise, it's a fun little hole in the wall with no tables or booths, just a lunch counter, but that's just fine (as long as it's not too busy in there). The ladies working the counter were very helpful. Service was fine. If you're in Joplin and you're trying to avoid the chain restaurants, then check this place out. read more

This is an older review (I'm merging accounts) Love this place, I've been eating here since some time in the late 60's. Look forward to going back every summer and winter vacation. Not health food, but who cares when it tastes this good. Buy your self a brick of some of the best chili around to take home for later. You will stand around for a bit at lunch time for a seat to open but it's well worth the wait. read more

The service was wonderful and the food was amazing! You must try the spaghetti red! This place is worth a try and worth the few dollars you'll pay for a large portion. You can't go wrong at Fred and Red's! read more

Mixed review for us... His... Awesome chili... greasy greasy greasy... Jumbo tamale spread is oh my god good. Spaghetti red is pretty good. Me... Eh... I could live without ever eating here again. I got the hambuger. It wasnt that great.. Small dining area. Looked kind of dirty. Had people standing in line behind us as we ate.. Not the kind of place you go to enjoy your food... more eat and get the hell out. read more

Outstanding. Been coming here for years for take out tamales for my dad. When they closed for a while I was very sad but was happy to enjoy the tamales again on Friday Feb 8,2019. I had them without chili but had some of the chili from my husbands coney. DELISH. Highly recommend this little diner where you eat at the counter and they dish the food up right in front of you. Staff very friendly enjoyed every minute of our time there. Definitely will return. Wish I lived closer. read more

It's impossible to give Fred & Red's any other rating than 5 star. No credit cards or checks, no telephone. The cash register doesn't do math, your check is added by hand or pocket calculator. To a person, every single person working there is charming, friendly and helpful. The restaurant is very small and VERY clean. This isn't diet food. Every woman, during pregnancy, craves something... We lived in Joplin 1994 - 2000, and when my wife was pregnant with our first child her official craving was Spaghetti Red. On numerous occasions I had to rush to town to get it before they closed and bring it home. Over ten years later, I now find myself visiting Joplin on business occasionally. Each time I stop at Fred & Red's, and buy a cooler full of "bricks" (one pound frozen blocks of the chili for $6.00 per brick), and dozens of the one-of-a-kind tamales (frozen in three packs for $2.20) to take home. There, we add our own pickles, pasta and raw onions to complete the Spahgetti Red meal regularly. Why Guy Fieri and "Diners, Drive-In's and Dives" has not been here yet is insane to me. Should have been in the first episode. The chile recipe is secret and at the time of this writing for sale as a significant goodwill item associated with the restaurant, custom tamale making machine and I'm hopeful that it sells before the owner decides to just hang it up as it is a Joplin tradition that should not go away. read more

A Joplin classic and great tamales and spaghetti. The "dining area" is tiny and really all set around a U shaped counter that holds big chili heaters. Give your order, get your goods, and sop up that delicious sauce with some buttery Texas toast. Repeat next year. The place is great, but so greasy. So so greasy. Not in a way that makes the food bad sorta greasy but the kind of greasy where you know you just traded six months of your life for a plate of spaghetti greasy. You have to eat the food while it is hot because if the chili gets cold it will actually start to set up. But what the hell? Go in, order a delicious plate of something that would make a cardiologist's eye twitch, and leave with a full belly, a full wallet, and a smile. It's always the outcome. read more

They are known for the chili dishes but go for the burgers. Get the double hamburger and crinkle cut fries. I have ketchup, hot sauce, black pepper, onion and pickle. Good juicy burger AND ITS LIKE 4 BUCKS +/- read more

Was not aware that my hero, Anthony Bourdain ate here, until much later in the evening. Not sure how that would have affected my experience, anyhow. Good and solid, if oily, chilli, spaghetti, tamales, and burgers. Ice cold soda in paper cups. Friendly staff. CASH ONLY. As Tony himself said, it's definitely one of those places where you crave their food late at night after a lot of drinks. read more

Fred & Red's - Diners Near Me - Joplin, Missouri

They have the best spaghetti red in town! I have seen reviews where people did not enjoy their meal as much as others. Spaghetti red is a local tradition and can be somewhat of an acquired taste, with that said if you want it done right go to Fred and Red's. There is a reason for their longevity and history. read more

Unique experience whether you are eating the spaghetti red or whatever! Neat family experience.

Joplin's greasy spoon. I grew up on it and I love it. It's not for the health conscious! Spaghetti Red is my favorite. Chili burgers are great (get them with grilled onions). Tamale Spread and Frito pie are both good. read more

I am a supertaster. If you found this place good to eat then you will find almost every restaurant okay in Joplin Mo. But a supertaster is always on that perpetual journey of trying to find a good place to eat. I found their little place quite quaint and they did have some chairs instead of stool in the back wall and I liked that. But the chili was not so special to me. I liked the stuff in the cans at walmart better than this. I found it to have an old taste, and it was not bright at all. I could not taste any tomatoes, and the chili powder was not a good one either. This left me feeling bad and even my husband, who likes most places, said he did not want to eat there again. I cannot do food that is made from prepackaged item all conglomerated together so they can say it was made inhouse from scratch. You may have scratched yourself and then opened a box or a can, it was not made from fresh ingredients. Don't feel bad Fred and Red, I have not found a good place to eat in 3 states now. read more

Best spaghetti red in the entire world! For everyone that don't know spaghetti red is chili on spaghetti noodles. SO GOOD! Very limited seating so try to go on an off time. Sometimes your whole party can't set together but it's fun. Kind of reminds me of a food counters in an old dime store. read more

This place is a Joplin institution. Get the spaghetti red and add ketchup. Trust me that's the secret. The first time you eat here you have to dine in for the full experience. I recommend going sometime after 1pm during the weekday so you can get a seat. The best, so glad this place reopened.. it's a little slice of history.. such a cool blast from the past. read more

Fred & Red's Chili is old school chili, tamales, & spaghetti red. This is food for a "working man". You may have to wait for a seat, because there is only counter seating. read more

I'm not sure what all the hype is about. Spaghetti was over cooked and the chili didn't have very much sauce. It was like eating seasoned hamburger meat on soggy pasta. Service was so slow and the food even though the waitress made it right in front of me was not hot. They seem to focus on the to go people instead of customers seated. read more

Great food! Taste just like it did, but the line was so long we waited over an hour. The service was terrible and they were only serving the people sitting down. They kept running out of food, and instead of serving what came out fresh to people who had been waiting, they opted to serve it to family friends who had only been there ten minutes. Very disappointed since everyone in this town loved this place and was only hoping for the best. read more

Spaghetti Red would be on my plate at my last supper. If I have room I would chase it with a tamale.

First time being here and I'm not sure what took me so long! I'll be a regular and always one of my top 5 go to places. Kris took care of us and she was amazing! All the food was fresh, made to order, and delicious! Thank you Fred's! read more

I grew up in Joplin so Fred & Red's was something I knew from birth. The food didn't thrill me as a kid, and still doesn't now. But I have to admit there's a certain homey charm about this tiny chili joint. I have heard from several people in the restaurant business that Fred & Red's is obsessively clean. They close at least once a year to deep clean the place, and everything gets cleaned with bleach. A friend who delivered food to dozens of restaurants (including many upscale establishments) tells me that he would eat off the floor at Fred & Red's, it is that clean. I suppose this is a good thing, since they cook a lot of greasy foods. If you really like chili over spaghetti or chili in this style, I'd recommend the place. Likewise it's a fun stop if you just want novelty. I usually get a cheeseburger which is average - but I understand burgers aren't their specialty here! read more

Grew up on Fred and Red's. Met Red before he died. Good food and miss it being all the way over in Knoxville.