I live a few blocks from this place. I love that it's such a cozy lil spot, where you fell like family. I'm vegetarian and I love the veggie skillet. Portions are good, a bit too much for me, that I always end up taking half of it home. The ladies that own this place are such sweetheart's with a bit of sarcasm it makes it so much fun. read more

Great chicken! Too bad it's in that spot where getting in and out is not easy bc of the concrete wall dividing 41. But it's very juicy!

I have been coming to Freds for years. Every time it puts a smile on my face. To see the favorite neighborhood ladies known as Joyce, Annette, Patty, and Gina along with their team of excellent cooks is a true bright spot in my day. Food is great! Ambiance is a much needed laugh! Ladies, you ARE Grayslake and we love you!!! read more

Breakfast, breakfast, and more breakfast. If you like traditional American fare, go no farther. Try it, you'll like it.

Have been going here since I was a small child. Nothing but respect for this place. The staff is kind, the food is delicious. Great place to be. read more

Absolutely love Fred's! Love Joyce, the owner. Always fun there. Good home cooking. Small, cozy, old tyme diner. Many regulars we have gotten to know over the years. read more

My goodness... We LOVE Fred's! This place has a solid breakfast menu. What really draws us back are the owner and her sisters! We've never had a bad meal or experience.. like an old school diner! Don't go there if you're looking for anything off the wall. Just solid breakfast and lunch fare. Full breakfast with coffee under $20 w/o tip You can order takeout and eat at the picnic tables around the corner. read more

This place knows breakfast!! The staff is incredibly friendly and there's an amazing familial atmosphere! I love the authenticity and the environment. I wouldn't call it fine dining with the outdated decor but my goodness was the food and experience amazing! If you're looking for a chill, cozy and delicious place this is it! read more

Delicious diner food with big portions, as well as great service. Got the corned beef hash and was not disappointed. Was it the best breakfast I've ever had? No, but it was pretty darn good and better than anything I could cook myself. It is a bit small inside so there might be a wait, but when I went on a Saturday morning, I did not have to wait for a party of 2. The only thing to take note of is that it is cash only. read more

Fred's Diner - Diners Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

I love this place and the funny servers! Good variety of foods to pick from! Nice diner atmosphere and good prices

Love this place, food is delicious and plentiful, and despite claiming to give customers a hard time, I find their staff delightful and caring. read more

You walk in and the place is kind of a dive, but the breakfast was delicious. Old time diner feeling.

I have eaten takeout from Fred's Diner twice. I have been looking for a good olive burger, and found it at Fred's Diner. Today I got a cheddar Olive burger. It was very good. I look forward to eating in the restaurant, if that ever gets to be safe again. read more

Fred's Diner - Cheddar Olive Burger - Diners Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

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Perfect experience. Here from California for my sons bootcamp graduation and wanted an authentic local experience and Freds is that 100 percent. If they were open on Sunday we would be back tomorrow!! read more

The food here is amazing and the people are even better!!!! I love to go to Fred's and get an incredible breakfast any chance I get and make sure you ask about their soups read more

Local diner where everyone knows your name, sarcasm is served with love, and the food is good and hot, like home! Absolutely the BEST breakfast strip steak this side of Vegas. Make this place your regular stop. read more

Best breakfast around!! Friendly serve ! Been around for over 30 year!! Downtown Grayslake and you can shopped the local shop!

EARLY MORNING FUN My wife has been picking out amazing restaurants in the burbs and after I made a list for her on Yelp. She has been feeling the pressure. So she handed me this gem for breakfast. After a 4am run to O'Hare, the little one and I headed here because it opens at 4:30am. We rolled up at 5:30am. At first I thought there was a police station nearby. There were about 5 police cars parked out front, in fact parking was hard to find. This place opens at 4:30am and people come. No where down the street does anyone have this much business at this hour. When I walked in there were 5 officers trying to pay there bill. One of the locals said to the officer...don't tip you'll make the rest of us look bad. I thought that was funny. My wife told me that this place would be a show. Apparently she read that there are some great verbal fights that go on here. I was so looking forward to this but I was a little let down. Joyce our waitress started a little, when my kid asked for water. Joyce said, "Sorry kids can't have water here!" My little one thought it was so funny. She asked "pretty please" and broke Joyce down. It was really cute. I even saw Joyce smile. We ordered a kids breakfast which was so cheap and a ton of food. I thought I was getting one egg with bacon for the little one but it also came with hash browns and toast. That was a ton of food. Also my little one who wants her own Yelp account gives this place 5 stars for food and fun. Look at that two reviews in one. Cool! I ordered the ham and cheese omelette. I just wanted a real traditional breakfast that was cooked perfectly and it was. I asked for my hashbrowns crispy and Joyce said, "You want onions in your hashbrowns?" I said, "How much extra is it?" Joyce looked at me and said, "I don't run that kind of place. There's no charge for that!" Can I be honest and say that I like Joyce and her business sense. I also got an English Muffin too. I will say that the hashbrowns were cooked perfectly and the sweetness of the onions on top were amazing. I am so glad Joyce offered that as a suggestion. The breakfast here was old school. Eggs for breakfast just done normal. So many breakfast menus have forgotten the world of a basic breakfast Food. I would not call this a fancy breakfast but I will call it an amazing find. You're not gonna find belly fat swimming in pulled pork over a hand poached egg covered in romesco sauce. You will find omelettes, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, pancakes &, French toast. There's something refreshing about a simple menu and I loved it. As I sat here I kept waiting for the fighting and nothing happen! I was thinking my wife read the wrong reviews. As the morning progressed I noticed Joyce warmed up. At 6:25am Joyce started throwing some comments out. Here is a list of things I heard Joyce say in about 10 minutes. I was so sad my breakfast was over and we were about to leave. Joyce "You can't comisurate with me you're retiring. I need to still work!" Joyce "oh no the evil child's back" Joyce "I'm working here damnit!" Joyce "You look confused!" Customer "I do?" Joyce "More than usual." Annoying customer Cell phone rings out loud in the restaurant. Joyce yells "that's a 5 dollar charge!" Two customers come in looking confused. Joyce "sit down! Are you waiting for an education? But pick a clean table. If you pick a dirty one you clean it yourself!" Joyce "is that your money laying there? Half of its yours & half of its mine!" In fact, when I paid my bill I told Joyce I was let down with the level of rudeness. I told her I was expecting more. Joyce admitted to me she was being nice to us because it was our first visit there. I told her she was gonna have to take it up a notch for me to come back. She promised. I also told her she was too nice before 6:25am. I asked if she just had her coffee. Everyone at the counter laughed. This place is small & was close to capacity from 5:30 to 6:30 am. That is amazing. It's a breakfast joint and not a Starbucks. This place has loyal customers who keep coming back. It has built in security with the police eating here. There is a little comedy if you listen to Joyce's comments to customers. I think this is part of the diner attitude rule. The food is simple and good. Also the staff worked there butts off. There were 4 guys in a tiny little space. Each doing there jobs perfectly. One was washing dishes, one was prepping food, one sous cook and one cook. And let's not forget Joyce. She may act tough with her little comments but she is a softy. She is also really good at her job. She was literally taking everyone's orders, delivering orders, filling coffee, picking up dirty dishes and running the register. I asked if she was the owner & she told me yes. She has a great little business. It is a total institution on the block. So if you're looking for a fun breakfast joint with simple & good food, then this is the place. My wife picked another winner! read more

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Hitting the Grayslake antique show today, we decided to find a place not too far from the fairgrounds for a bite of breakfast first. A Yelp search turned up this GEM of a place!!! A tiny place in downtown Grayslake, it was all hustle and bustle when we arrived at 8:00 but luckily got the last little 2- person booth at the very back. Instantly a menu and coffee appeared and after ordering, almost instantly breakfast arrived! The food we got (basic 2 egg breakfast with sausage and hash browns) was cooked to perfection. I like my eggs over hard (no runny stuff allowed !) and it's amazing to me how often I get eggs with the yolk not cooked through. My husband loves his eggs over easy and usually his are way too done---each of our eggs were cooked perfectly! The massive pile of hashbrowns we got (yes, they'll add yummy sweet onions and a LOT of them at no additional charge!) were delish. When asked if we could have them done crispy, they actually were, whereas most breakfasts we get out, this request is simply ignored! We were told we could have pancakes instead of toast and were so happy we did as they were really great, too. The coffee refills just kept coming and the whole staff really seem to work well as a team to keep everyone very satisfied! This place is going to be a weekend habit, I'm afraid. So nice to know there is still a place out there where you can get a truly great breakfast done right and for such a reasonable price! Can't wait to try some of their lunch menu, too, based on some of comments. read more

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Someone commented it was just a tap. I don't care the intent or the force involved it was an unwelcome assault on my person. Again such behavior is unacceptable. Especially as cutlery was involved. If I don't know yopu keep your hands and tableware to yourself. read more

Super friendly waitress - this place really does make you feel like you are stepping back to 1960 (well before I was born). Simple menu done right! read more

Fred's Diner - Two 1/2 cheeseburgers, order of fries, two coffees, lunch with Dad...$17. Worth every penny - Diners Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Lived in Lake County for over 25 years and never ate at Fred's until I moved to Michigan and visited my parents one weekend. The environment is old school like a diner you would see in a movie. The food is top notch and delicious. The staff treats you like they've known you for years. I can't believe my wife and I got a table at 9:30 in the morning on a Saturday. So good! read more

Fred's Diner - Diners Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

If you like a diner style restaurant with an eclectic staff, you will like this dining experience. It takes cash only. The breakfast I was served was just fine. read more

Loved this place!! It's a small locally owned place that has excellent food. A lot of regular customers. We will be back many more times

We walked in and knew we were in the right place for an All American breakfast. The menu has no surprises. It's a diner and has the items you expect. You can spend some time just reading the various signs posted or take a look at the little league teams Fred's has supported. One order was for ham and eggs. The other for waffles and bacon. No fuss--order taken and coffee delivered. The waffle could have been a little crisper--a small tick. Coffee came and the cup stayed filled due to the experienced waitress (I opted for some milk, not the thimbles of some wannabe creamer). As we sat enjoying our meal, others dined, some leaving, some coming in. Regulars and first timers. All pieces of a pleasant jigsaw puzzle, fitting perfectly together. read more

This tiny little diner in downtown Grayslake is woven into the fabric of America. They serve-up generous portions of tasty food and good natured ribbing at reasonable prices. I don't know how old this place is but it predates my time in G-Lake (I moved my family here 13 years ago (almost to the day)). Today I had two eggs over easy, with corned beef hash, toast and hash browns. I'm very picky about corned beef hash, and it is excellent here. It has good flavor and is served crispy (my pet peeve is undercooked corned beef hash). If you order hash browns they will ask you if you want onions...SAY YES. The diced onions really enhance the flavor. Their slogan is very accurate: "Where A Hard Time Isn't On The Menu, But It's Served With Every Meal! The ladies frequently engage in friendly and good natured banter with the customers. The interaction is often very entertaining, and embodies all that is Fred's. But be warned: don't disrespect them. I remember about a year ago some D-Bag walked in and sat down with coffee he purchased at Starbucks, and thought nothing of it. Joyce took him to task (and rightly so). This is a must visit for anyone passing through Grayslake. Come early, as it is small and gets very busy. But even if there's a wait - it's never very long, and well worth it. read more

Neighborhood favorite! Best breakfast in town. Love the servers enthusiasm and humor!

Love the sassy staff and the strong coffee. Always a good time when we go. The food is always hot and fresh.

Great diner, great folks who run it and it has a lot of atmosphere and great food; been coming here for 26 years.

CASH ONLY A place worth waiting for because everyone wants to eat here. Great food, great environment, great service and staff members are the best! read more

Kinda the "in" place for locals especially the early risers of Grayslake. Opens really early and closed up by 2:00 or so. Great omelettes and pancakes IMHO. It's a small venue so seating is limited. Fun to sit at the counter and listen to some of the old farmers talk. read more

Great.nice portions ate half of my veg egg white omelette and it was wonderful. The waitress was excellent a little sassy in a good way. And very attentive. Next time I will try to sit at the counter and see the of the kitchen!! read more

Fred's Diner - Diners Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

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If you're craving a traditional, breakfast diner, and home cooked food, where theres more seats at the diner rail then in the restaurant and everyone shares sections of the newspaper and friendly words even with strangers, without a single phone in site in entire place.. it's a must stop place. The food was great, the service and random conversations were even better. read more

Fred's Diner - Ham, Egg and Cheese Croissant, Todays Special ! With a side of corn beef hash!! - Diners Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Love the home cooked food and friendly banter with the ladies. My kids are grown and moved out of state and still remember the ladies teasing them and making them laugh when they were little! read more

Amazing food, waitresses are hilarious. Best omelettes in town and you can customize anything on the (expansive) menu!

We love Fred's! It's a fun environment and the food is good too! It's an icon in grayslake!

Fred's Diner Food is superb and the portions are gigantic atmosphere is unbelievable cool

My favorite spot in Grayslake. Best people and breakfast in town. Always a good atmosphere.

The food is decent but it is the staff that makes this place great! Funny, quirky and just a good time at a local spot.

Small place... dirty Very loud, the workers made all the noise. Food wasn't horrible or great Price is low. Cash only and they didn't have change for a twenty. I guess this is the best place in this little town. It's probably why they have good reviews. Service bad. read more