Fred's Downtown Philly

If I was only rating the cheesesteak it would get 5 stars! It was perfect, the bread was really good too. The service was great and fast. Why not 5 stars then? The fries were mediocre, the ranch was disappointing, and the ketchup seemed like it had been sitting in the container for way too long. Also, they had those bad tasting soda machine sodas instead of reliable Coke products + Dr. Pepper, and 3 of the 6 soda options weren’t working. I will definitely be going back, but will probably just stick to the cheesesteak itself without any add-ons.

My wife and I tried this location three times in 8 years and I must say, I am always disappointed, so I think this is it for us in Carrollton. Three strikes and you are out. We first tried Fred’s Downtown Philly at the Plano Store at 2229 W 15th St. My wife is Vietnamese and is a bread lover (Banh Mi). She fell in love with Philly cheesesteaks that day in 2015. We walked in and the cook is singing Opera. The place is done in Green and White for the Philadelphia Eagles, and you get the only real Philly Cheesesteak in the entire metro area, and we have tried them all. My wife asked why is this so much different than anyone else’s Philly? And the lady behind the counter said, “Griddled beef with cheese is easy to do. But a true Philly, is all about the bread. We have our bread flown in from Philadelphia. It is that important.” We became fans big time that day. But there is something about this location in Carrollton that always is eschewed. The first time we tried it the AC was out, and the Ice Machine was out of service. So, no cold drinks, the restaurant was not clean, and it was very hot. They had a bad day, I will give them that one, but a smart manager would have stayed closed. The second time we tried it the place was cleaner, but not clean. Even the sidewalk going into the place is nasty. The ice machine was working but the fountain drink server was not and there was no brewed tea. So, no drinks again. Today we walked in, the drink box was completely empty with only bottled water and Sprite left cold. The ice machine / fountain seemed to work but there was a mountain of drinks piled in front of it at Lunch Time, which made it hard to access the fountain at all. And still no iced tea. I don’t care if you are trying to duplicate a Philly Restaurant, this is Texas. The next thing to water is Brewed Iced Tea. So inexpensive to have and you make about 98% profit on the sale of it. Worse to me is the fact you are given this big sandwich and fries, and you are issued one napkin per person. There are no napkins / paper towels to be had in the whole Restaurant unless you ask for more at the order pickup counter. Then to add the icing on the cake, the Bread has been changed. My wife tasted it the minute she bit into the Philly Cheesesteak. Even I noticed the difference. They now taste like every other place in town that makes Philly’s. I have not tried the old location again in a while. It is not convenient for me since I retired. I will see if they have forsaken the original Philly, by changing the bread. But this location is officially off my list of places to go. It is always a disaster to go here. Three stars, only for the food. Until further notice I recommend the Plano location.

Delishiousness!

If you call in, it's ready when you get there. I have to get a broadstreet at least once a week.

Hands down best Philly I’ve had in ages. The staff and service are absolutely wonderful. Great environment 100% recommend to stop by if you ever have the chance. It’s worth it !

Fred's is an ideal Philly Cheesesteak location. Unfortunately, Authenticity means that they promote the city and the football team. I love visiting after every eagles loss just to soak up the bitterness and regret. Highly recommend the food though.