Fred's Rivertown Ale House

 

11

25

Aquanetta F.

San Diego, CA

We went there after a long day of hiking, and needed nourishment in the form of beer and also solid food. They have a pretty extensive beer list, with some exotics like Chimay and Lambic from Belgium. The downside is that there are no prices on the beer list. I take away one star for that.

The food was really good, I highly recommend the Mick Jagger, which is sweet potato fries covered in a brown sugar and butter sauce, and manage to stay crispy, full of sweet artery clogging goodness. I also had the gumbo, which was tasty but came lukewarm. My boyfriend had the Mills Burger with the soup of the day, it happened to be Italian Sausage Bean soup and it was really good and hot.  My friends really liked their Greek Prawn Salad as well.

The service was really spotty, the waitress came and took our drink orders, didn't pause to ask for our food orders. When we placed the food order, the waitress offered the option of cheese on the burger. It was noted nowhere in the menu that cheese was an additional cost. And the waitress did not know how much the cheese upgrade was. I take off another star for that as well.

I'd definitely go back, because it was an enjoyable experience overall, but have low expectations for service.

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0

25

kate q.

Seattle, WA

I kind of like it here.  Service is slow but the menu is usally pretty good and the food good too.  The beer selection usually rocks and most of the time there's a table available.  The halibut fish'n chips is probably the best I've ever had.  
This place used to be related to the Barking Dog Ale House in Seattle but I thing Fred's sold it and now it's really, really bad.  
One time we went across the street after our beers to the tavern and a girl fight broke out and they busted bud light bottles over eachothers heads and one got her teeth kicked out.  It was really gross.

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Elite '08

14

137

Lydia K.

Snohomish, WA

I'm a Sno-ho.  There, I said it.  But since I'm a transplant to Snohomish, I am regularly disappointed with the restaurant options "downtown."  So when I'm looking for an easy lunch, I head over to Fred's.

The food is pretty good--mostly burgers and sandwiches.  The french dip is tasty, but too big (I almost always need to split it with someone).  The service is mind-numbingly slow.  Seriously, does it really take 45 minutes to make a lunch order for two?  Ugh.

When your only other options in town are a Mexican joint or a traditional British restaurant, the wait at Fred's isn't so bad.

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1

14

Smellee the Great O.

Snohomish, WA

Fred's has delicious food from the lunch menu sandwiches to the halibut  and chips. The coconut prawns are excellent.  the wait staff is friendly, but this place is usually pretty busy so sometimes it's slow. Great beer choice from lots of local brewers.

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Elite '08

9

91

John R.

Seattle, WA

This is one of the only places I know of on the west side of the Cascades where you can taste fresh Winthrop beers. Cask night is on Tuesdays, where you can find the professional beer drinkers and locals spinning fantastic webs of conversation ranging from hunting to ballet (mostly huntin', shootin', offroadin'). Fred's does host dozens of flavors of Scotch (even Talkisker, my favorite), and many microbrews.

The food here is probably some of the better pub food in the city of Snohomish, but that's really not saying too much. Try the Mill Burger, The Ale House Burger, and the Lobster Bisque (artificial lobster, but it still tastes good [did I just say that?]).

Other than fast food joints, the competition for burgers is Jake's (a greasy spoon), Pilchuck Burgers (inspector?!!!!), The Hub (barf), Sebastians (uh, no), Mardini's (pass), and the Buzz Inn (no thanks).

I used to live in Snohomish and still own a house there.  A general note on restaurants in the City of Snohomish: nothing has changed since E.C. Ferguson founded the city in 1860-- the city of Snohomish food and service sucks, which is why no one food establishment can capitalize on tourists in that town. Someone could make a mint if they actually paid attention to the service part of the equation, because most of the food isn't that good, and Snohomish's demographic is changing with the influx of well-to-do families and Seattle-ites weary of the rat race).

Mostly, Fred's is a place where you go to meet up with a friend, or (if you're a local) to do some business with other clients. The spring and summer crowd can push the pace of the servers and wait staff (who are mostly friendly), and whole families are very welcome here.

Stop in out of the summer heat, and rest your weary bones with a limited production micro brew.

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0

24

Kathy M.

Snohomish, WA

When my parents came to visit from out-of-state, I took them to downtown Snohomish to browse the antiques shops. We randomly chose the Rivertown Ale House for lunch, but what a delicious, filling and satisfying lunch it was. (I had the halibut sandwich.) I kept telling hubby he needed to try this place, but it fell on deaf ears until we had another out-of-town guest. Our guest declared their apricot beer to be the best apricot beer he'd ever had, and their "Black and Bleu" burger to be the best burger he'd ever had. (I stayed with my halibut sandwich. Monogamous to a fault.) I don't remember what hubby had, but he's eager to return.

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0

10

Dean K.

Snohomish, WA

Good beer and, um, well they have good beer.
I'm  local micro-beer enthusiast who scours the region for good beer and come to Fred's a few times a month. I can usually find a really good beer, however there are a few things about this place that are really annoying. The service is just plain bad. I've sat there and been ignored for more than a half hour by waitresses passing my table dozens of times without even acknowledging me. The food ranges from "ok" to "sucks". Stick to the basics like burgers or the Ahi tuna salad, or fish n chips. But be wary of the 'specials'.
The beer menu is usually way out of date, I've learned to 'walk the taps' rather than relying on the menu or waitstaff. Its often very busy and the crowd is loud.
All in all its one of the better beer pubs of Snohomish, but I'd love to transplant any one of dozens of similar small town Washington pubs in Snohomish to give Fred's a run for its money.

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