My first time dining here and I enjoyed it very much. The Spinach Artichoke dip was amazing. For lunch I had the Gulf Coast Paella and it was very flavorful and had big yummy shrimp. My daughter had the Pine Nut Crusted Trout and she was impressed too. We both needed to go bags. The service was great and we enjoyed the big Christmas tree they decorated for the holidays with, right in the dining room. read more

Very disappointed as 5 star prices for 3 star food and lackluster service. Went for my dad's 78th birthday. If the prices were on par with the 3 star food quality I'd have given it 3 stars. But they're not, so the experience warranted 2 stars. The Ribeye Steak was overcooked. The waiter looked at it when we complained, confirmed it was overcooked yet did not offer to replace it or lower the bill, just gave an excuse blaming it on the kitchen for letting it rest too long! One lobster tail delivered with no lemon (and both were disappointing quality - overcooked chewy consistency and not flavorful). One "loaded" baked potato delivered plain, and instead of replacing it they brought the "ingredients" for us to "make it loaded" ourselves. Shrimp and lobster bisque wasn't hot and had formed a film on the top because it clearly sat for a bit before it was delivered to the table. Outrageously overpriced for the quality of food that you get. Was just "meh" food. Not bad. Nothing special. But those prices! PASS. Drinks really overpriced as well and no discernible liquor in the mixed drinks (best stick to beer if you're wanting a buzz...). I would definitely not recommend, which is a shame because their outdoor patio is fabulous. read more

Brunch today was great! Some of us ordered off the brunch menu, others ordered off the main menu. It was all great and so was the service!

They serve up the best appetizer in greater Austin, no joke! These shrimp and crawfish fondue is incredibly delicious! We get to go to this seafood restaurant rather frequently. And we just have to start off a great meal with this stupendous appetizer. It comes with huge slices of French buttered toast to dip and drown into the fondue. OMG it's just so damn good! read more

Great restaurant with great food, presentation and service. When you go, ask for Jacob!! Definitely on his game. Ordered off menu. Not a problem. I recommend the appetizers snd pasta dishes. Bow tie pasta was a great addition!! read more

Excellent seafood! The redfish and paella were excellent. Great outdoor seating! Server was excellent.

The food lacked any distinct flavor and was mediocre at best, and the server who brought it was drowning in his bad attitude. We don't think there was anything there that gave us a reason to go back. definitely not priced commensurate with the quality. Overall: Meh. read more

The food is always amazing. The servers are very attentive. This has been our favorite go to restaurant even when we have our of town guests. They are always amazed at the service and food read more

So I came to Austin to visit family and friends and it seem that Freda's was on everyone's must try list. We made reservations and came in. The decor was nice nothing Spectacular but a nice mood was set. Our waiter was very nice and attentive and even other waiters made small talk with us here and there. I ordered the fried seafood platter it was pretty good. I subbed on of my shrimp for grilled shrimp which didn't have much flavor . The bacon wrapped shrimp was good but also lacked salt. The three stars are because for anyone who didn't get fried food they complained their food lacked salt or flavor. - gumbo lacked salt - the étouffée was a weird color and my cousin said it taste very flour based and lacked salt - the kids chicken was said to be very flavorful - the kids pasta had bow ties and macaroni which was good for the children just weird at sight - the pasta for adults my cousin said also had bow ties and macaroni noodles she also wasn't very into her dish and didn't finish it - the martini was a hit ! And had a lot ! The filler their cups about 4 times ! - I may come back just to try other stuff on the menu but idk for a seafood restaurant that had the upscale appearance the food was lacking this time read more

We came for my mother's birthday, party of 4. It was busy when we arrived, we had a short 10 minute wait. The restaurant is clean, casual setup, and not too quiet or loud. I got a Mexican martini (amazinggggg) and the bourbon street pasta, it was so good. My mommy got the catfish and étouffée which she said she enjoyed, my sister had the paella, she loved it. The only down side was my BIL burger was over cooked and wasnt well seasoned . Outside that one hiccup, the food was good and our server was attentive and kind. read more

The food is so good. We love the crab cakes. Service is always pleasant. It's a treat to eat here.

I love my seafood. I found this place one night and decided to take my wife out for a special time. The atmosphere is nice. I would say Business casual however you can show up in shorts and a t-shirt and they will not turn you away. The food selection was pretty great. They had your traditional items. I got an appetizer and a main course. I would normally get a desert but the portions were pretty big so I was honestly full. The only reason it did not get a 5 star from me was because one of my items was cold and one of my wifes items was prepared incorrectly. We didn't say anything because it wasn't a big deal but when you pay the prices they are asking (and they are not on the cheaper side) you expect almost perfection. I really want to try it again so I can get a better review. I will post an update when I go. read more

Freda's is a must-visit for any celebration. Their prime rib and creamy mashed potatoes are mouthwatering, and we even had the pleasure of meeting Freda herself. The seafood selection, from shrimp cocktail to lobster tails, was expertly prepared and showcased the culinary talent at Freda's. Really good service and ambiance. read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

This was another one of our restaurants we visited on our girls weekend spa trip. I must say this one was the best!! After leaving the spa and soaking in all the steam, cleansing our bodies and enjoying the fabulous massages we were famished!! Let me tell you we were so hungry I don't have one picture if our food! I know I had steak and asparagus. My steak was delicious. Shucks everything was delicious; everyone enjoyed their meal. Our waiter needed a little more training with groups of three or more, but we pivoted, adjusted, and ate! read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Restaurant sign - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

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WOW ! We had brunch this afternoon. Our server was Ross and he recommended the Trout and Shrimp and the half and half. He did not steer us wrong. Both dishes were so flavorful and unique. It was one of the best meals we've had in Austin so far. We would definitely come back. Thank you to Ross for making our dining experience so delightful. read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Trout & Shrimp, HALF & HALF - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

I have gone to Freda's several times since discovering it on Yelp many months ago. It is a seafood/steakhouse but my experience is the steak takes backseat to the seafood dishes. I generally will make a reservation ahead of time and it has, seemingly, been necessary on weekend evenings and Sunday afternoon. Parking has never been a problem. Don't hesitate to sit in the bar to eat. The service there has always been spot on and you more easily eyeball other folks' dishes and drinks for ideas :) Plus when I've been there HH there have been some real bargains. Last visit I had the crab stuffed mushrooms topped with capers, snapper topped with crab in buerre blanc and voodoo greens. All were very good. The price tends to tip toward the more upscale seafood/steak houses outside of happy hour, but they do their best to make the visit worth the price. read more

SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY at this place! I called the day before to make reservations for a dinner for the next evening with my husband. Small party of two, and I did not mention the reason I was making this reservation... TONY is our server and he is AMAZING, to top it off the ambiance is VERY romantic. We casually mention to Tony that we were at Freda's celebrating our 5year anniversary... the details to our order (before and after we ordered) was very special. Made out date that much more memorable (because the Chilean sea bass and Mexican martinis are UH-mazing enough to never forget). It was a cherry on top to a great evening. THANK YOU SO MUCH, TONY! read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

The food was excellent! Very tasty fish. The atmosphere is pleasant, very clean and the waiter is very attentive. read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Pecan Crusted Tilapia - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

A small group of ladies (6) and I went for lunch today at Freda's. We had reservations on a Tuesday at 11:30 and although our table was not ready, we still expected to be seated in a reasonable amount of time. We had to ask when our table would be ready after waiting for quite a while. After being seated for at least 20 minutes, Nobody bothered to take our orders until we approached the desk and asked that someone please take our orders. It was not a busy day for the restaurant so we saw no excuse for being ignored. As far as the food, some thought the food was fine, but those who ordered salmon thought it was fishy-tasting and watery. There are six ladies and their families that will never again darken the door of Freda's. A restaurant is only as good as their service and their food needs to be consistently good. read more

Freda's is one of the first restaurants to reopen in the Austin area! My fiancé and I were excited to have our first date night in months and decided to try Freda's. WE ARE SO GLAD WE CHOSE FREDAS! The short version: great atmosphere, splendid customer service, delicious food in superb portion sizes, and all for a decent price!!! We loved our first visit so much that we returned for a second experience only 5 days later. The interior of Freda's is well lit, the seating is comfortable, and they have a nice bar set up with LIVE MUSIC! The noise level is perfect for a good conversation, not too loud at all. I had a Mango Cosmo from the bar to sip while we browsed the menu, and it was so tasty!!! To start, my fiancé had the crab cake and I had the crab stuffed mushrooms. My god, we were licking the crumbs off the plates!! For our entree, we had the crab stuffed salmon and the pine nut crusted trout. Both were phenomenal, and again, we were so impressed by the portion sizes! I took half home and had it for lunch the next day. We finished off with the white chocolate caramel bread pudding and it was divine. We could not have imagined a better way to jump back into the world of dining. When we came back five days later, we had almost the exact same dishes, except I had the Mango Tilapia which was equally as mouth watering and filling. Then we finished with the carrot cake which was PERFECT. We're planning to return for brunch soon. This will definitely be a regular in our dining rotation. THANK YOU, Freda's, for reopening! We'll be back. read more

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Food was good- sort of like a local version of Pappadeaux's. Service was great. The cornbread was a nice treat. And the creme brulee for birthday dessert was great. read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Creme Brulee - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Best ribeye in Austin. This place has better steaks than steak restaurants. Everyone is so friendly here. Definitely my go to steak place in Austin! read more

Had an amazing dinner at Freda's! Party of six in from out of town. Ubered 20+ minutes from downtown and it was worth the drive! We had everything from fondue, oysters, steak, stuffed salmon, etouffe, and lobster. It was top notch across the board, and was literally half the price of the downtown restaurant from the night before that was a food letdown. Jack was our waiter and was absolutely awesome! As the only non-drinker I ordered coffee and he was thoughtful enough to make me a fresh batch and even that was delicious! He took really good care of us. I highly recommend taking the short trip out. It's def worth it! read more

Has improved from a year ago - we now visit almost weekly - great seafood, just over-priced drinks, but good service and atmosphere.

A special occasion has arrived and wanted to celebrate by trying a variety of dishes at Freda's. Made a reservation for dinner on Monday night, but upon walking in, realized none was needed as only a few tables were occupied. Despite recent mixed reviews, Freda's reputation is great, so we eagerly opened the menu to see what they had to offer (just kidding, we totally already studied the menu a few days prior). We started with the Oysters and the Seafood Stack. The oysters were decent. It was hard to tell what the Seafood Stack was supposed to be based on the menu, and it definitely wasn't what I had expected, although it made sense in hindsight. All the seafood was pretty good and combined well with the salsa and avocado. But honestly, you can't go wrong with shellfish, avocado, and salsa. The complimentary cornbread had visible pieces of corn inside and was super addicting. Wanted another but made the correct decision to save stomach room. For entrees, I had the Chilean Sea Bass, and she had the Cioppino. My sea bass was tender, flaky, and had a delicious flavor. The sweet asian glaze was perfect on the fish. All that being said, it was nearly upstaged by the mushroom risotto. The mushroom flavor was super tasty and wasn't overpowering, and the risotto was cooked perfectly. A flawless dish that could've easily been cooked improperly. The broth of the cioppino was sharp and strong in flavor, and although I felt that some of the seafood was a tad overcooked, it was pretty good and she really enjoyed it. We finished the night with free bread pudding thanks to Yelp's check-in offer. It was a well made and tasty bread pudding with a nice gooey interior, but it lacked a crust and was much sweeter than what I personally prefer. Nevertheless, the plate was licked clean. Definitely no more cornbread for me. The service was excellent and the experience was awesome! read more

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First informal, let me explain that this is probably a gym... Hidden gym in Austin Texas. It's really located up north but it's an amazing cajun, seafood bistro. Lady Freda, is this adorable Asian woman that knows her Cajun cuisine. Everything is made fresh to order from the gumbo to your blacken redfish and mango martini. The cornbread is delicious, the environment is inviting and warm. Overall if you love seafood, Cajun food and a good time you should definitely go! The lunch specials during the week are amazing any include different menu items that you can't get during dinner! Happy hour is always a good deal too!! read more

Seriously the best seafood I have had in a long time!! We still keep talking about the flavor! The waiter was great and gave amazing recommendations. One of my kiddos was sad and the manager brought over a cup of ice cream and cheered him up! It was just an amazing treat!! read more

The one star is referring to the gumbo, it was basically a large bowl of thick brown gravy with sausage, shrimp and crawfish, but mostly thick brown gravy with white rice. I was Very disappointed with their idea of gumbo. I can recommend the crab stuffed mushrooms, I actually tasted real crabmeat. The restaurant itself is clean with a nice ambiance. The waitress was very sweet and considerate. read more

Dear Freda's Wow, Ya'll blew us away. My wife and I came here for an anniversary lunch and everything about your restaurant wowed us. Food, atmosphere and service are all top notch and the restaurant feels cozy. I recommend everyone should have a date here at some point. The waiters especially are really great and greatly elevate the dining experience. They're funny, crack jokes and check up on you just often enough during your meal. And the lunch menu might be the best bargain in all of Austin, most clocking in around $10 - and it's definitely fresh seafood. The food is on point - my wife got the paella and it was perfectly seasoned and well cooked all the way through. Each individual piece of seafood was executed flawlessly and then melded together into the awesome melting pot that good paella should be, with a softly spicy undercurrent for some cajun flare. And there's an abundance of seafood in that thing too - squid, mussels, shrimp galore. I got a half-half and really was digging the crawfish etoufee over pillowy rice. Great flavor, smooth and velvety to coating your palate with bayou bliss. The fried crawfish is basically popcorn crawfish with a thin breading to really let you taste the fresh crawfish. Fries are also perfectly seasoned too. As if all that wasn't enough, lunch comes with complimentary house salad (raspberry walnut today) which was a nice starter, as well as some pretty amazing cornbread. It's soft, supple and not the least bit dense or dry and pairs well with a nice slather of butter. I like also how its not homogenized cornbread, but you see some kernals of corn here and there too. FINALLY, as others have noted, if you check in on yelp you can get a free serving of dessert too, the signature bread pudding. I don't tend to like bread pudding too much because its overly sweet often times and since I'm used to making it, normally an afterthought with stale bread. But the one here at Freda's is elegant - custardy bottom, nice crisp top for textural contrast, just enough white chocolate and caramel to play with your taste buds and not heavy enough (shockingly!) to not put you in the mood for a nap afterwards. So ya, we had a lot of food for lunch at a great price, with great service that made our anniversary amazing. I wish we only lived closer - I think if we did, we'd definitely regularly come to eat through the whole menu. Hopefully this gets your place more love as its off the beaten path, but c'mon Austin, COME EAT HERE ALREADY. Thanks Freda's! read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Cajun paella - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

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this is a hidden gem! food and service by Nicole were exceptional! we will definitely be back!

I really wanted to like this place because everyone has been raving about it. We came here for a birthday dinner celebration. We were seated in the back of the dining area, it was quite dark back there. The service was not so great since on multiple occasions they filled drinks over my purse and spilled, what was luckily only water on it. But by the end of dinner there was a pool of water on the ground behind me. The food I found was quite bland, and mediocre for the price that you are paying. The food didn't even look appetizing to begin with. We got a Cesar salad and it was drenched in dressing, it was just so overwhelming. He got the tilapia pontchartrain and it was also mediocre, but the voodoo greens were pretty terrible and the rice was extremely bland. I got the burger (my fault for getting a burger at a Seafood restaurant, but it wasn't my choice to come here) and it was pretty disappointing. I'm not surprised it was disappointing, the burger was extremely dry and the mashed potatoes also lived up to be bland. We were not impressed with my wet purse and the mediocre food. I hope that we don't have to go back here. Unfortunately it did not live up to the standards the everyone had set. read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Stopped here while in town for business. Weather was nice so sat on the porch, which was lovely. Great happy hour items. Bisque was a little thin for me and fried shrimp had an interesting taste. But the pine nut crusted trout and green beans were a 10/10!! Great setting and great service. read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Pine nut crusted trout - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Amazing atmosphere and service I had the tenderloin with asparagus SOOOGOOD! Can't wait to go back read more

Update: restaurant reached out and invited us back with a hefty discount and promised to address the service issue with staff. We are satisfied with this solution. OP: Terrible service and not enough food for $142 + tax and tips. We ordered a crawfish Mac and cheese that never came. We would have reminded our waitress, except she NEVER came back to check on us. I resorted to raising my hand like a schoolgirl for over 5 minutes and nobody acknowledged me, so we just gave up. Since she never came by our table, our water, iced tea, and coke never got refilled. Food tasted good, though we felt it was over-priced for the portion. The kid's meal was way too salty for children. Will not return until these issues are addressed. read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Spectacular dinner from @fredas_seafood 20% Off the bottle of Sauvion Vouvray which paired perfectly with our Blackened Shrimp Caesar Salad, Spinach Artichoke Dip, and Bourbon Street Pasta! Can't wait to order again and #SupportLocal #cheers #deutschfamilywineandspirits #maisonsauvion #chateaudecleray read more

Freda's Seafood Grille - Blackened Shrimp Caesar Salad, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Bourbon Street Pasta, and Sauvion Vouvray - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

On Sunday August 25 my husband and I attempted to go to brunch after church as we do from time to time this Sunday no one was at the bar and a few people were finishing up my husband and I sat and waited to be served for about 10 mins the bar person never went behind the bar but came to our backs to ask if we wanted a menu very unprofessional to talk to someone back a so called manager was at the bar making drinks for a waitress never acknowledged us or looked our way which was very rude but three other people came in and he immediately took there drink order and told them about the specials and they were served bread as we just sat waiting this was the worst service I have ever had when my husband addressed the manager he acted like it was no big deal we asked to speak to Freda and he informed us she was busy as I told this very unprofessional/ rude that I wasn't sure why he had a problem waiting on us or acknowledging us but we will spend our money somewhere else he seem to have a problem with people of color I do not recommend this restaurant and will not be returning worst service ever and very disappointed on how we were treated Freda you should speak with your staff on professional behavior because this was not acceptable read more

Toughest ribeye steak ever. I could barely cut it. My date suggested I ask for a sharper knife but I already had a steak knife. I said I think I need sharper teeth! $35.00. I don't think so. Thanks but no thanks. read more

Very disappointed. We went on Mother's Day for the first time. One note is they only had the buffet available. The regular menu may be an improvement. The buffet wasn't awful but for the prices they charge I would expect significantly better. Most of the food was either room temp when it should be hot or cold. The service was average at best. The most disappointing thing was the restaurant was dirty. Overall we won't be going back. Nothing was bad but for the prices they charge things should be much much better read more

We were able to easily get reservations the day of, for a Friday night. The place was pretty much empty when we came in. We were seated right away at a large table. Loved the dim lighting and the live piano. The complimentary cornbread was a bit dry, but tasty nonetheless. Would not recommend the seafood stack: just a small dip and crackers. The oysters, however, were quite fresh and only $1.50 each! The entrees were pretty expensive, around $20. The grilled shrimp I had was quite nice, but didn't stand out in particular. What really blew me away were the desserts. For my birthday, we got a free creme brulee. Also, for checking in on Yelp, we got a free white chocolate bread pudding! Two free desserts?! Yes, please! I preferred the bread pudding - soft and creamy. All-in-all, a pretty great meal. Loved the ambiance and the food was mostly good. We hope to return soon, probably for lunch since the prices are better. read more

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I've come here a lot in the last year and usually the food is super good and the service is great. Mostly pros, but a few cons that are really bad. Allow me to extrapolate Pros: good service, nice ambience, a good wine list and reasonably priced wine. Most of the seafood dishes are really good, including the scallops, pine-crusted trout, excellent Seabass (usually) plus a delicious cheesecake and crème brûlée Cons: so, as mentioned, the Seabass is usually excellent, but my dinner companion - who almost always orders this - got a bad one on our penultimate visit. She said it tasted old and definitely not fresh. The next time we came, she was afraid to order it for that reason. Hopefully that was just a one off. For $45 that is completely unacceptable. Then, shockingly, last time I came, I wanted to get the grilled shrimp, as I had done before, and it was excellent, but when I asked for fried shrimp instead of grilled, Sofia, (great server, btw,) was very nice and she informed me that there would be an up charge for frying the shrimp... She said she thought it was about $1.50 per shrimp. Say what?! PER shrimp? For frying instead of grilling? She checked in the kitchen because I could not believe it. I had ordered that once before and never had an up charge. She came back and sheepishly told me that the up-charge was two dollars PER SHRIMP! To make matters worse, she ventured that they did that, "to deter people from making substitutes". I'm speechless. I thought you opened a restaurant because you wanted to serve delicious food that people love and to please them, so they don't stay home and cook instead. But you overcharge so they won't ask for a substitution? At any rate, I went back to my go to order of scallops, and they were flawless, as usual. The mushroom butter divine, but the new potatoes were over cooked and dry. My friend loved her redfish and étouffée, and we both loved the delicious cheesecake. Dinner for two with a glass of wine each and splitting an entrée and a dessert is usually about $150. I've loved this restaurant for over a year, but the two surprisingly bad experiences recently make me hope this is not a trend. I understand that Frieda's has been open for 20 years and it's always crowded, so let's hope they get it together or I'll have to find a nice seafood restaurant someplace else. I'm just not sure anymore. read more

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