Fred's Szechuan Chinese Restaurant

My husband and I went to Fred's tonight and were pleasantly surprised. The service was great, the food was excellent and very reasonably priced! We will definitely be back!

I have been eating here for 30 years. It is always great. Whenever my family comes in from our of town this is where they want to go out to eat.

I love Fred's. I first started going there 18 years ago. I live about 45 minutes from there. There food is the best. Everything is fresh, and freshly cooked. The service is top notch. I don't eat Chinese any where else. I will drive the 45 minutes it takes to get there. The best around.

Fred is an amazing chef and some of the best Szechuan Asian food that we've eaten in 2 years of traveling all over the United States I can't say enough about this place. It's small and indiscreet but it's so well worth stopping. Excellent kung pao chicken and Mongolian beef.

We love this place we've been there for takeout four times in the past two months as we passed through Nevada City to go camping. Fred is super friendly and his food is so tasty!

First time here 07/21/2024. Very good food. Had the curry squid, sssoooo good! Very good curry and I've had a lot of curry in my day lol. Very friendly people too. Will for sure come back sometime!

My family had a great lunch at Fred’s. Since moving out of town it’s been a few years since I’ve been here, but it’s just as delicious as I remember. It’s hot outside, so the cool and cozy environment of Fred’s is a welcome oasis from the sun. Everyone at my table loved their dishes, and the lunch special is a great value. We had General’s chicken and Kung Pao Shrimp lunch specials, which came with delicious hot and sour soup. Everyone at Fred’s is friendly and helpful, and it was nice to see them chatting it up with regulars. Looking forward to visiting again next time I’m in town!

If you want a traditional experience with AMAZING Chinese food. This is it! Fred and his family are a Nevada county institution. We love the chicken chow mein but you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu!

We enjoy good Chinese food, but are very selective about what is considered "good". Fred's is EXCELLENT!! Hands down one of the BEST we have ever had. There is another Chinese food restaurant in Grass Valley, but it isn't anywhere near as good as this. Try it and see for yourself.

Food was great!! We went early, so no crowds and found street parking. Had pot stickers (first dish I use to assess Chinese food), shrimp.fried rice (2nd dish I use), and lemon chicken. Pot stickers were perfect blend of steamed and pan fried and the filling was flavorful. Fried rice was very good, actually was "fried" and had crisper elements. The lemon chicken was good, stayed crispy with the sauce.

So, so good! The food was gone before I could take a picture. You won't be disappointed!

Great food, awesome service and clean. The soup is bangin’ and the general’s chicken is one of the best I’ve tried.

Excellent recommendation from the folks at Inn Town Campground. It was hot outside, I wasn't feeling well and just needed some soup and potstickers. It was early on a Sunday night so I was literally the only customer. Service was attentive (the owner and his wife I believe) and the food did not disappoint. As I have found in my travels, no two restaurants make their War Won Ton soup the same way and this was no exception. A bit spicier than I like but plenty of meat and veggies (especially onions), heavy on the bamboo shoots, and clear broth. I'll be back for heartier fare the next time I'm in the area.

Food was absolutely awesome. We are very critical when it comes to this type of food. The service was good and food came out fast fresh and hot with amazing flavor.

BOMB!!! I ate here 2 of the 3 nights i stayed in ne ada city! All the food was very fresh and reasonably priced. The portions were nice too! Service was fast and on top of things. Whole place appeared to be very clean, had a good look at the kitchen.

Family owned wonderful people. hot and sour soup is my favorite here. definitely worth stopping by.

Food is delicious at fantastic prices, and the atmosphere is very cozy, great for family dinners and date nights! I just got takeout again the other night and everything was A+!

Great sweet and sour pork. Great chow mein. Good cocktails. Will go back if we're in town.

We really enjoyed their food with generous portions and prompt service. The restaurant is fairly dark inside with old, dark wallpaper 😔. Changing the ceiling light bulbs to bright or white would make a nice difference!

Melissa Kinzer

Food was absolutely awesome. We are very critical when it comes to this type of food. The service was good and food came out fast fresh and hot with amazing flavor.

Dimitri's Dream

BOMB!!! I ate here 2 of the 3 nights i stayed in ne ada city! All the food was very fresh and reasonably priced. The portions were nice too! Service was fast and on top of things. Whole place appeared to be very clean, had a good look at the kitchen.

stephen olsen

Family owned wonderful people. hot and sour soup is my favorite here. definitely worth stopping by.

John Webber

Food is delicious at fantastic prices, and the atmosphere is very cozy, great for family dinners and date nights! I just got takeout again the other night and everything was A+!

Jose Jordan

Great sweet and sour pork. Great chow mein. Good cocktails. Will go back if we're in town.

Can’t say enough good stuff about this place. Food was perfection. So tasty, hot , and quick. Service was excellent. I hear they are short a cook in the kitchen but we got there early and we’re unaffected. They send you next door for cocktails which was kitschy and kinda fun. I love Nevada City and this restaurant seems to have the essence of the place all wrapped up.

I love Fred’s! Great service every time I come, nice atmosphere, and tasty, affordable food. There’s not a lot of Chinese food in Nevada City, so thank goodness for Fred!

We ordered a bunch of different dishes and everything was delicious! We had takeout and dined in the saloon next door. Such a good option !

Fred's name is on the building and he earns it for a reason, my go-to spot for Chinese food. Specials have nice variations if you can't decide on something to let them pick for you, but you can still get a ton of great food for the money & have leftovers the next day. Service is kind and fast, sit down spots feel a little quaint but in the middle of Nevada city? Fit right in. Lemon Chicken & Broccoli Beef are amazing here, but don't forget the sides.

Fred makes anything happen! Always a favorite place to gather before heading to Nevada Theatre for a show! Family style is the way to go here!

Best curry I've ever had...highly recommend the curry squid!

Lupine Romonica

I love Fred’s! Great service every time I come, nice atmosphere, and tasty, affordable food. There’s not a lot of Chinese food in Nevada City, so thank goodness for Fred!

Dillon Daundivier

Best curry I've ever had...highly recommend the curry squid!

Jo Hanna

We ordered a bunch of different dishes and everything was delicious! We had takeout and dined in the saloon next door. Such a good option !

audrey delgado

Fred makes anything happen! Always a favorite place to gather before heading to Nevada Theatre for a show! Family style is the way to go here!

Nico Krause

Fred's name is on the building and he earns it for a reason, my go-to spot for Chinese food. Specials have nice variations if you can't decide on something to let them pick for you, but you can still get a ton of great food for the money & have leftovers the next day. Service is kind and fast, sit down spots feel a little quaint but in the middle of Nevada city? Fit right in. Lemon Chicken & Broccoli Beef are amazing here, but don't forget the sides.

Dillon Daundivier

First time here 07/21/2024. Very good food. Had the curry squid, sssoooo good! Very good curry and I've had a lot of curry in my day lol. Very friendly people too. Will for sure come back sometime!

Terese Pearson

Can’t say enough good stuff about this place. Food was perfection. So tasty, hot , and quick. Service was excellent. I hear they are short a cook in the kitchen but we got there early and we’re unaffected. They send you next door for cocktails which was kitschy and kinda fun. I love Nevada City and this restaurant seems to have the essence of the place all wrapped up.

Fred's is always consistently good! I also enjoy the fact that we can order in the restaurant and Fred will deliver our order through the connecting door to the Mine Shaft next door. We can sit in the bar and have a toddy with our dinner.

Their Lemon Chicken and BBQ Pork Core Main are incredible! I would have given 5 stars if their Fried Rice loved up to the flavor quality of the rest. It was honestly a bit bland. I'll just get steamed rice next time.

We were walking around and wanted Chinese food. Fred seated us, helped us decide on what to order. Food arrived fairly quickly, fresh made, tasted very good. We had sizzling shrimp soup, spicy basil chicken, and shrimp noodles. All very good, and some left over for later.

Good selection of Chinese food favorites, friendly service, and best of all great prices in a tourist town. Seating was comfortable and atmosphere was relaxing. Bathrooms are in the business next door; there is an interior side entrance to get from the restaurant side to the business where the bathrooms are located.

Sandeep Kundra

We were walking around and wanted Chinese food. Fred seated us, helped us decide on what to order. Food arrived fairly quickly, fresh made, tasted very good. We had sizzling shrimp soup, spicy basil chicken, and shrimp noodles. All very good, and some left over for later.

R Stroud

Good selection of Chinese food favorites, friendly service, and best of all great prices in a tourist town. Seating was comfortable and atmosphere was relaxing. Bathrooms are in the business next door; there is an interior side entrance to get from the restaurant side to the business where the bathrooms are located.

Best Chinese food, friendly atmosphere and you can order and eat at the bar next door. The Mine Shaft

My eating schedule is all messed up. I don't eat breakfast and I don't do lunch. My first meal is normally after 9 and I eat right before I go to bed. After a dinner in Nevada City and dessert at a Choco shoppe I knew I would still need a late night meal and decided on Chinese. Fred's was there to make it happen. The restaurant has a small front opening and looks very much like a classic chinatown type establishment. It is not as refined in presentation as many of downtown's eateries are, but if you are Chinese Food restaurant eater, this is a visual 3 out of 5 and you know what that means. It is connected to the neighboring bar and if you want to use the bathroom at the restaurant, you actually have to go through the door inside the restaurantt hat connects the bar and the Chinese food and are actually using a bathroom in the bar's space... what happens if you need to go and you are not 21...? I ordered the Black Bean Chicken with a side of rice and it is now 11:56 PM as I type this and am eating the food now. In terms of flavor, it is good. On the lighter side and not as punchy or strong. I think that is better for American palettes but I would think Asians would want it stronger. The chicken strips are cut flat and there is a significant volume of veggies in it. Onions, bell peppers both red and green, water crests a plenty. I did feel that the chicken to veggies ratio was decent enough and the veggies were not just filler but I would prefer my chicken ratio a tad higher. Based on this one dish, not bad. My wife dropped her Chocolate Shoppe candy after heading to the bar restroom and a patron found it, brought it to the counter and I overheard the cashier tell her it was not theirs and identified it as a bag from the choco shoppe. I intervened and saved my wife's candies. She did not even know she had lost it.

Karen McKeown-Matheny

Best Chinese food, friendly atmosphere and you can order and eat at the bar next door. The Mine Shaft

Dat Nguyen

My eating schedule is all messed up. I don't eat breakfast and I don't do lunch. My first meal is normally after 9 and I eat right before I go to bed. After a dinner in Nevada City and dessert at a Choco shoppe I knew I would still need a late night meal and decided on Chinese. Fred's was there to make it happen. The restaurant has a small front opening and looks very much like a classic chinatown type establishment. It is not as refined in presentation as many of downtown's eateries are, but if you are Chinese Food restaurant eater, this is a visual 3 out of 5 and you know what that means. It is connected to the neighboring bar and if you want to use the bathroom at the restaurant, you actually have to go through the door inside the restaurantt hat connects the bar and the Chinese food and are actually using a bathroom in the bar's space... what happens if you need to go and you are not 21...? I ordered the Black Bean Chicken with a side of rice and it is now 11:56 PM as I type this and am eating the food now. In terms of flavor, it is good. On the lighter side and not as punchy or strong. I think that is better for American palettes but I would think Asians would want it stronger. The chicken strips are cut flat and there is a significant volume of veggies in it. Onions, bell peppers both red and green, water crests a plenty. I did feel that the chicken to veggies ratio was decent enough and the veggies were not just filler but I would prefer my chicken ratio a tad higher. Based on this one dish, not bad. My wife dropped her Chocolate Shoppe candy after heading to the bar restroom and a patron found it, brought it to the counter and I overheard the cashier tell her it was not theirs and identified it as a bag from the choco shoppe. I intervened and saved my wife's candies. She did not even know she had lost it.

Typical Chinese fare. Okay-sized portions. Typical flavors. Fred seems so sad though. TIP: if you want a lot of veggies in your dish, I do NOT recommend the Chow Fun. See my pic for how many veggies vs noodles I was served!

Good food, terrible service. Wouldn't allow us to do a substitution that the menu said we could do (for an extra charge, which we were fine with) because the server, Fred, said they were too busy. Our 7 month old started to fuss and so we asked for the check and to go boxes after our food arrived and our server Fred seemed irritated that we made that request. We won't be dining in again. The food was great.

I had high hopes, given I’ve seen Fred’s here in downtown Nevada City for many years. I found the experience underwhelming. The restaurant was likely renovated in the 90’s and not updated since. Greeted by no one, after a few awkward minutes milling about we were led past a big round table in the front stacked with restaurant supplies (splenda boxes,etc) and to a booth not far from another table piled with table cloths and napkins. It was a cool night but it was noticeably stuffy in Fred’s. At the last renovation mirrored recessed lights were put into the ceiling - the bulbs and functionality are long gone but the skeleton remains, giving an unsettling feeling about dedication to service and quality around here, unless you managed to visit in the 90’s. Service was decent if not awkward, like we may be interrupting some other activity. Positive - they are connected to the mineshaft next store so a full bar available including ice cold draft beer. Ordered spring rolls, which hinted at being very tasty save they had that oil-logged look and taste that is usually the result of a fryer that needs its oil changed. Chow mein entirely serviceable, nice meat portions, especially two big shrimp in the mix Pretty standard fare for white people chinese but the “mongolian chicken” took that concept to a new level - the sauce was literally barbecue sauce! Sweet, lots of onions, again good meat portion but was not a fan. Also asked for extra spicy and it was not spicy in any way. Next time I need Chinese in Nevada city I’ll do the pro move I noticed on my bathroom trip - get it to go and sit in the Mineshaft’s garden at the back of the bar.

John O

I had high hopes, given I’ve seen Fred’s here in downtown Nevada City for many years. I found the experience underwhelming. The restaurant was likely renovated in the 90’s and not updated since. Greeted by no one, after a few awkward minutes milling about we were led past a big round table in the front stacked with restaurant supplies (splenda boxes,etc) and to a booth not far from another table piled with table cloths and napkins. It was a cool night but it was noticeably stuffy in Fred’s. At the last renovation mirrored recessed lights were put into the ceiling - the bulbs and functionality are long gone but the skeleton remains, giving an unsettling feeling about dedication to service and quality around here, unless you managed to visit in the 90’s. Service was decent if not awkward, like we may be interrupting some other activity. Positive - they are connected to the mineshaft next store so a full bar available including ice cold draft beer. Ordered spring rolls, which hinted at being very tasty save they had that oil-logged look and taste that is usually the result of a fryer that needs its oil changed. Chow mein entirely serviceable, nice meat portions, especially two big shrimp in the mix Pretty standard fare for white people chinese but the “mongolian chicken” took that concept to a new level - the sauce was literally barbecue sauce! Sweet, lots of onions, again good meat portion but was not a fan. Also asked for extra spicy and it was not spicy in any way. Next time I need Chinese in Nevada city I’ll do the pro move I noticed on my bathroom trip - get it to go and sit in the Mineshaft’s garden at the back of the bar.

The menu is extensive but the food did not taste fresh. It was the day after several days holiday but the meat, the wontons in the soup, the pancakes for the moo shui, even the rice did not taste fresh. Service was quick and friendly. Dining room had laundry stacked everywhere.

Order food to go. 2 po po player to go and 2 different lunch special. Only got one order of the appetizer po po plater for 2 in the order. There was only one order in the container. When I called to inform them what happened. She completely doesn’t understand the menu. Lunch special 12.95|2 each. Po po platter the same.price. Got charged 52.05 . How does it add up first and last time. And every time I’m next door I will not recommend them. Really disappointed in her customer service

Michael Loane

Order food to go. 2 po po player to go and 2 different lunch special. Only got one order of the appetizer po po plater for 2 in the order. There was only one order in the container. When I called to inform them what happened. She completely doesn’t understand the menu. Lunch special 12.95|2 each. Po po platter the same.price. Got charged 52.05 . How does it add up first and last time. And every time I’m next door I will not recommend them. Really disappointed in her customer service

Based upon it's reviews I was expecting a good meal here on my 1st visit. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. I ordered wor won ton soup and when I finally got to eat it thought it 'ok', maybe 2 1/2 stars. The vegetables were fresh and the won ton good, but the broth was flat and not flavorable. I say finally because the waiter didn't serve any soy sauce with the soup and there was none on the table. When he finally did deliver it, after I got up from the table to ask for a 2nd time, it was brought in a little plastic cup big enough to fit about 2 olives. I am glad he could spare it. But at least he was consistent as we had to ask for our water and tea a 2nd time also. My friend ordered the Kung Pao chicken and I wish I could tell you what it tasted like when I tried it, but it was so bad I had to use my napkin 'Seinfeld-style'. I have no idea what was in it, and frankly, don't want to know. Oh well.... With so many good restaurants in N.C. it's too bad we stumbled onto this one (it was Tuesday evening and most restaurants are closed). Next time we'll visit on another day or decide on a different place.

If your looking for food that just gets microwaved and soggy vegetables this is the place for you. Me and my boyfriend went there today and we our food arrived literally 3 minutes after we ordered. My shrimp was old and soggy along with it being cold still in some spots. I couldn't even easy my meal without getting stick to my stomach. WORST CHINESE RESTAURANT I HAVE EVER BEEN TOO

Got a lunch special…at lunch time- the rice,and chow mein tasted like it was made hours before, the main dish while it might have been freshly prepared was not very flavorful. Worst food ever!! At least the fortune cookie was good. Will not ever return

This was by far the worst Chinese food I’ve ever been served. I should have been tipped off by the fact that my wife and I went in at 5PM on a Friday and there was no one in the restaurant. We were greeted by some young family member playing a video game amidst a table of half eaten food presumably by staff. The service was terrible, unfriendly and inattentive. The food was horribly prepared and served cold. A nightmare. All this for $75. The best choice locally is Asian Garden in Grass Valley. At the end of the meal we left almost full plates of uneaten entrees to which when asked if we needed boxes to take home we politely declined.

Jennifer Mosley

Got a lunch special…at lunch time- the rice,and chow mein tasted like it was made hours before, the main dish while it might have been freshly prepared was not very flavorful. Worst food ever!! At least the fortune cookie was good. Will not ever return

skenic1952

This was by far the worst Chinese food I’ve ever been served. I should have been tipped off by the fact that my wife and I went in at 5PM on a Friday and there was no one in the restaurant. We were greeted by some young family member playing a video game amidst a table of half eaten food presumably by staff. The service was terrible, unfriendly and inattentive. The food was horribly prepared and served cold. A nightmare. All this for $75. The best choice locally is Asian Garden in Grass Valley. At the end of the meal we left almost full plates of uneaten entrees to which when asked if we needed boxes to take home we politely declined.