Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I saw this place driving through Fairfax a couple of months ago. Having already been to SmashBurger I was familiar with the concept of a Steakburger. I checked out some reviews on Yelp. I could (and probably will at some point) write a whole separate article about that. This particular Freddy's fetches only 3 stars from the local yelpers. At the same time, many of the worst reviews seemed either petty or clueless (e.g. "It's not Five Guys, so they suck..."). Nonetheless I figured that there had to be at least a grain of truth to the group consensus. I was wrong.

My initial impression... well, the place was clean. The appearance was Five Guys-esque. There was a lot of red & white. It was somewhat retro 50's diner. The menu was reasonably well laid out. I studied it for a good few minutes before deciding on a #7, the "Bacon & Cheese Double Steakburger". I subbed onion rings for the fries, since I'm not much for shoestrings. The drink selection was typical for a fast-food joint with the addition of iced tea. I opted for a soda so I couldn't tell you if the iced tea was any good. The order only took a minute or two to come out. Not surprising given the workload. The staff were pleasant, on par with any of the classier establishments. The burger was good. I'd say typical for the type of burger. I liked how the cheese melted into the burger patties. The onion rings were good too. Overall, I'd say I got the quality of a lower-end sit down restaurant for less than ten bucks, which is not bad for fast food these days.

• Bottom line: Better than Wendy's; on-par with SmashBurger, with a bit less class; Not as good as The Counter.
• Freddy's website: http://www.freddysusa.com/
• Freddy's in Fairfax: 10030 Fairfax Blvd, Fairfax, VA  22030