"Try their shakes; they are very good."
(in 6 reviews)
"My little piece of greasy heaven, Frisko Freeze."
(in 7 reviews)
Loading...
Frisko Freeze
Rating Details »
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
26 reviews for Frisko Freeze
Review Highlights
Remember the good old days of rolling up with your folks on a hot summer day in your banana yellow 1976 Chevy Malibu Classic (that is what we had anyway) with your thighs sticking to the black vinyl seats? This is my everlasting memory of Frisco Freeze.
I have gone back quite a few times over the years and always order the same thing: a double double, order of fries with tartar and a rootbeer malt. It can't touch IN-N-OUT, but fairly solid in a different sort of way. I really like the flavor of the big onion chunks and mustard together. Sure, they are overly greasy, but I think that adds to the nostalgia of the days gone by that we didn't care about carbs and fat! As long as eating that is a rare occasion it doesn't bother me too much.
Prices are a little high for what you get. (Too bad the nostalgia didn't stay the same there!) Also, the wait time can be horrible! Try not to go during lunch hour.....crazy busy.
Go fight the biggest congregation of pigeons and get your fat on!
Frisko Freeze is to Tacoma as Dick's is to Seattle. The two main selling points here are price & nostalgia. This is a very cute, real, old-fashioned drive in with drive up & walk up windows for ordering, not even a pretense of tables or an eating area.
Good for a kids, a cheap burger fix and shakes. Hamburgers are $2.35 - add chz .35 cents, shakes - $2.95. More "spendy" are the fish & chips - $6.75, which are okay. I wouldn't go just for the fish & chips. Everyone in my family really likes the shakes & sundaes, they have about 6 flavors.
If you're a Seattlite, I think the burgers here taste like a Dick's Special - that relish thang goin' on - which I like a lot; but it's not as fast or consistent as Dick's. Sometimes I get a dry patty, sometimes it's nice & juicy. Yes - it's always oddly slow here. The fastest I've gotten an order - and we're talking 2 burgers and a shake - is about 10 minutes.
Most kids will probably love this place & it's a unique slice of Tacoma. On the late night side - it's a good spot for drinkers to stave off "the hangover".
Overrated! I love burgers, and this is the closest burger place to where I live, but I never go here.
I know a lot of folks love the Frisko Freeze, but I figure it must be resting on its laurels. I've been here a few times since I moved to Tacoma and have been underwhelmed each time. First of all, it's never taken less than 15 minutes for me to get my order, whether it's been busy or not. Compare that to the wait at Dick's or Pick Quick and it just doesn't make any sense. On top of that, the burgers? Okay at best. Nothing to write home about.
Is this place...good? It seems busy all the time. But the food was so-so and I can't find any reasons for going back...not bad, just nothing to note for. Maybe it has some emotional or historical value for locals...the sign is cool.
Second Rate to Dicks but delicious nonetheless. I love the burgers and the basic shakes, they also have good corn dogs and onion rings. The place is a gem in tacoma and well worth the drive if you are not a local. The wait is usually about 10 minutes but whatever, i could eat here everyday.
Am I crazy, or has Frisko Freeze gone downhill over the years? I remember going here as a kid and thinking it was the greatest. Frisko Freeze has practically attained landmark status in the area, but I just can't wrap my head around what makes it so special. What in the world is all the hype about? It's been here forever, is that it?
The service is god-awful, the wait time required to actually get food in your hand is ridiculous, and the food is mediocre at best. Honestly people, why do you like this place?
We cruised into the Frisko Freeze this week for the first time in 20 years. Sure it's a local institution and 60's era novelty burger joint so we thought we would check it out first hand. Paul took down our order very accurately. This small place seemed overstaffed and upon placing our order we noted two co-workers sitting atop the counters inside chatting it up while others were working. Break time on the counters that you serve food on?
There were three of us so we ordered the hot dog, double burger and cheeseburger, three drinks and two fries. Over $17 bucks worth. I would say the burgers were OK at best. Nothing to really brag about. They were all sweaty in the bag and some of the guts fell out as we ate it. The fries were a big disappointment. They were seemingly overcooked and stiff saturated lard sticks. They were over salted and greasy.
We headed down to Wrights Park after picking up our order and ate our lunch by the small lake filled with ducks. We must admit the ducks and squirrels loved our unwanted greasy fries and had no complaints. (that we know of)
We will admit that we had eaten at the Little Holland Burger place in Tacoma (for the first time ever) the week prior and their burgers and fries absolutely blow this place away. We wouldn't go out of our way to eat at the Frisko Freeze anytime soon. Maybe in 20 more years.
I would give it 4 stars but you always have to wait (I swear they take your order and start it 20 minutes after they recieve it!). Took 4 girls on a Friday afternoon - after lunch rush and had to wait 28 minutes for 4 bacon cheeseburgers, 3 fries and 1 chocolate malt! Prices were fine - it was $22 for everything. The burgers were messy but very good, fries were fine (but there was no ketchup or sauce) and the chocolate malt just ok (next time - I'll order the hot fudge sundae). Will be back but only when I have lots of time to spare and it's not raining out!
The food here isn't bad, but it's not anything special either. Honestly I've had a better tasting burger at McDonald's. And I'd much rather get a burger in 2 minutes at a fast food joint than wait 25+ minutes for a dumb burger! And both time I've been here it seemed as though only 2 employees were working and the other 5 were standing around doing NOTHING except maybe gossiping. Not sure what all the fuss is about, I don't care how long a place has been around, I won't be going back anytime soon and I work 3 minutes from there!
Whoa the best! You other folks don't know what the HELL your talking about... Frisko Freeze makes the best burgers in Tacoma... The fries are sublime, get tartar sauce like butter baby.....A Tacoma institution, and worth the visit.
Sometimes I wonder if I love Frisko Freeze more than I love being skinny or living. Because if I didn't then it could be every meal everyday! :D
Then I realize I would have to buy a new wardrobe, funerals are really expensive, and I might be kind of pissed.
It would also make me the worst vegetarian ever.
This is pretty consistently my daydream during calculus.
I've lived in Tacoma for nearly three years. Two of them were spent in the Stadium District. & I never went to this place. I'm not sure why. I think it might be because of the interior's unappetizing yellow glow (my husband explained that it keeps the bugs away). Recently, we've gone there a few times with varied results.
Time - make sure you have A LOT of it if you plan to order food there. This is NOT fast food. It took 25 minutes, on a Monday night, to get an order of 2 burgers and 2 onion rings.
Food - I've only tried burgers, onion rings and the "fishwich" & I'm not going to say it was anything more or less that OK.
Ice cream - I tried a hot fudge sundae once. YUMMY. They have some really spectacular hot fudge - hotter and fudgier than all the rest!!!! I hear the shakes are good, too.
Loitering - despite the many signs discouraging such, (due to the time it takes to have your order filled?) there's a lot of it going on. Annoyingly so. There are no good places to wait. Some people think the drive-thru area is a perfectly fine place to do so.
This place has SO much potential. It's adorable and nostalgic-looking and the burgers aren't bad. I just really wanted to LOVE it.
Overrated.
It's all about the fond memories of 50-year-old Stadium grads and the hospital nurses across the street keeping this place going anymore.
Pick Quick in Fife for a drive-in .... or, even, Malarkeys Pool Hall on 6th and Tacoma Ave for a better than average burger downtown.
I'll admit, the first time I went here I was impressed. The next dozen times I have not been hence the poor review.
I waited for an hour for fries and even got back in line to ask for my order 3x. The guy kept saying that it's coming up. Eventually I asked for my money back, he asked for my order and I explained it was fries. He said "Oh, well I could have gotten that". I still got my money back, no apology.
Another time they said they'd charge me for using my check card under $5. I added some fries to go over the minimum, but there was still a 75 cent charge. He said there's a charge if I'm under $5 and a charge for my debit card. I had no cash so I sucked it up but told him I wouldn't be back.
I've been hearing bad stories from others too. I still know a couple of faithful fans but this place is washed up...and expensive for what you get.
Just like Dick's, this place carries a huge name reputation. Stick with the double cheeseburger and onion rings. The Onion rings are really crispy. Also the Blackberry Milkshare was really good.
Its kind of in a weird neighborhood, so just come with lots of friends, also there is no seating, so you have to sit and eat in your car.
It's the best burger I've ever had.
I like upscale burgers, I like downscale burgers, I like greasy ones, I like ones that cost $20. This is the best in show of burgers. It's a little greasy (I usually add bacon, but I don't have to), but man is it good. It just really hits the nail on the head of what made America great.
I am tired of hearing people from California talk about In-and-Out; it's good, really good. They are a little bit sterile, though. They lack personality... they are really good, but lack personality. Frisko Freeze burgers have personality. They have joie de vive!
The spot is amazing. There is nothing better than waiting idly in the parking lot of the Frisko Freeze for a burger and really good shake (my best friend loves the fries, I find them somewhat tedious). However, let me leave you with this story...
My best friend and I used to live a few blocks away (by Stadium High School) and one night we went up to Frisko Freeze with our last $10. We were psyched. We went up, into and through the 'drive thru'; got home... opened up the bag, he pulled his burger out, we were starving... chomp... he eats half of it in one bite, he's in bliss... WTF?!?! I look at mine... cheese. I abhor cheese. He ate MY burger.
Have you ever had a wild animal look at you like it was about to kill you? That's how I looked at him. He has never forgotten that look. We laugh about it today, sure, but at the moment... it wasn't funny at all.
I was pissed. And I'm still pissed about it. Even more pissed, though, these days, that I don't live 5 blocks away from the best burger there is.
Since 1963 I've been eating at the Freeze, off and on. It's no Johnny's Dock but it's not McDonald's either. ENJOY!
Doogle
This place carries a bit of nostalgia to me. It's been there forever, and for good reason.
Don't come here if you're looking for a nice neat little burger. That it is not. What it is, however is a little greasy piece of heaven. You've got to keep the sack on the burger, or else the whole thing just falls apart. It's luscious gooiness is dripping of cheese and their thousand island dressing (I'm talking about the double double, of course).
Surprisingly, the onion rings aren't too shabby either. I'm also a fan of their chocolate milkshakes. Altogether, it's a good thing that this place is near the hospital, because I'm a heart attack waiting to happen!
One other thing just so you know... You eat in your car. No outdoor or indoor seating. In fact, no indoor period! You order outside. I guess that's the way it always has been, and that's the way it always will be... Just how I like it!
So if you come here, don't compare, just enjoy it for what it is... My little piece of greasy heaven, Frisko Freeze!
Damn! I love me some Frisko Freeze! We'd get a bag of burgers: double cheese, single cheese, cheese with cheese, and fries to go with my (blackberry) shake. Then we'd head to the nearest grocery store and buy a damn fine bottle of wine. Once home, we'd bust out the wedding china, and eat in style from our huge couch as we played Baulder's Gate. Good times, by golly. Good times.
Sorry, Tacoma. I love you with all of my heart. But I just don't "get" Frisko Freeze. Sure, it's fun. Hell, it's trashy! A burger drive-up right by the hospitals with a huge, gaudy sign? Put me on the mailing list. But I think we deserve better than this. The burgers are greasy. The fries are too, but not in a delicious way! The shakes are OK, but not enough to fit the legend. Don't we deserve a sleazy burger place where we're not kinda ashamed to take visitors? And at these prices? I'd rather drive 'em over to the Pick Quick in Fife, even if it takes the extra 15 minutes. I'm just not feeling the Frisko Freeze fever.
It's the one place we go out to eat on a sunny day and one our way to the park. Drive up style establishment with that good old Tacoma charm. Not the cleanest place, not the healthiest, but it totally is exactly what you want on a care free day. Try their shakes; they are very good.
The fries were good and plentiful -- the burgers were decent, but kinda small for the price and kinda cold for how long it all took. The malts were okay -- nothing amazing for flavor, but satisfying nonetheless. The service was slooooow -- and it wasn't busy at all... go figure. I'm new to the area, so I'll probably explore other burger places before I head back to Frisko Freeze, but I'll likely get back to it...
I have worked at Mary Bridge for almost three years total and I had never tried Frisko Freeze until last night. I have to say that I wasn't totally impressed. First, I asked for no onions and there was a PILE of those pungent little devils on my burger. The burger was also pretty soggy, sauce must be too runny. I really love the fries because they are perfectly crunchy and a good medium size, not too greasy. I was hoping to discover my Washington In-N-Out equivalent but alas, I will have to keep searching.
I have to say that I rather enjoy filling myself with junk. Greasy burgers (undeniably delectable), milkshakes (creamy and marvelous) and fries ( each unique and special in their own fry way) If you are looking for a tasty treak, quickly and easily-the compass point here!!
Frisko Freeze is a classic! I went here as a kid and they're still around making great ice cream and shakes. Their ice cream is really great, better than most others in fact and the portions are huge. Next time you're craving some dairy let Frisko rock your world.
If you're in Tacoma better head for this retro burger-ette. Not too many left like this one. Like it? Get a t-shirt to mark your visit and you'll get plenty of comments from others who've visited.
