This place opened in 1964, My Father used to drag me their as a young boy “eat the crust” he would say. Well it didn’t take long to figure out he wasn’t just trying to get me to clean my plate. This family owned and operated spot is what I call the real deal, why? because they really do make their own stuff. Homemade noodles,sausage and sauces I’ve witnessed it being done. Today I bring my family of six to Freds as often as possible. We never have to argue about where to go ot’s everyones favorite, they have a large selection even their wet burrito is the best in town! Frankly I’d spend almost the same for fast food, what a deal. The wait staff is great he’s had the same people for years now. They actually treat their customers like they value them how refreshing! http://www.fredspizza.com

I went to Fred’s based on a review here. It was fantastic! The marinara tasted like it had been made from fresh, ripe tomatoes—in November. Everything we ate was wonderful. The second time was a little less fantastic, and the third time was a little better. One thing I can’t stand is a pasta dish that is drowning in thick sauce and cheese. I want to taste the pasta and other ingredients! Sometimes my dish at Fred’s has been perfect, other times….drowning. I can’t figure it out. I guess that I want to cut them some slack, because they do make so much in-house, that consistency can be a problem. It certainly happens to me at home! Sometimes it’s just better than others. But then, I would assume that there are no kids running around the kitchen at Fred’s, which is usually my problem.
I guess the best thing I can say about Fred’s is that I still want to go back. Obviously, the excellent outweighs the mediocre. And it has never fallen into the “bad” territory.
One thing that I find amusing is that, of all things, Fred’s Italian Restaurant has the absolute BEST WINGS in Grand Rapids. Seriously, they are big and meaty, flavorful with a good, but not completely overpowering heat, and EXCELLENT blue cheese dipping sauce. Obviously homemade, with big chunks of blue cheese that I fish out when my husband’s not looking. Go figure.