Fred’s

Delicious little spot on the high street. Tiny café, but makes a great flat white, and good food for take away (or dine in on their little patio!)
Sad I found this on my last day.

Fred’s is … Cute, it’s confined and intimate and yet friendly. There is seating outside and in, though I admit its very cramped inside. The milkshake flavours are wow. Its vintage with a hint of urban. Does Fred’s have anything special? yes, the creativity of the flavours is amazing and while I will defer to coffee drinkers to rate THAT side of it, its a great little place.

Great strong coffee, a short but tasty looking breakfast/​lunch menu, and very friendly staff. I had the baked eggs, which were perfectly cooked, but the standout was actually the sourdough that accompanied them. Wowza, that bread was good.
A big shared table makes this a good place to come by yourself if you need to get some work done. Only thing that was a bit disconcerting on my visit was that they were beginning to sweep/​mop at 3pm — I had to check they were definitely open till 4pm and that it was okay for me to stay! They are, and it was. I was the only person in at that time on a weekday though, so perhaps they were just seizing the opportunity

Great service, yummy coffee and the best muesli I’ve ever tasted.
On the corner of Franklin and Ponsonby Road. Has indoor and outdoor seating with a retro style.
I highly recommend the museli!

A bit of a blast from the past. Came here years ago when living in Auckland. While many things have changed, the service and atmosphere remain fantastic. Such a cute spot, simple food and wonderful coffee. Loved the bircher muesli.

Tucked away just off Ponsonby Road and on the corner of the famous Christmas light street Franklin Road I visited Fred’s that pumps out Coffee Supreme in the mornings for all the local corporates on their way to work. They have a small breakfast menu that features none other than Best Ugly Bagels they also on the odd occasion stock The Caker treats for something sweet to go with your coffee. Fred’s can also fulfil your inner child if coffee is not for you that day with Master Milkshakes that come in wicked flavours like choccy fish and apple pie. You could add a bag of Fred’s $ 1 mix lollies to really top it off if you wish. I stuck with my usual long black which was made short and strong the perfect way to start my day

Nice atmosphere, friendly service and really good coffee. Small and quiet and tucked away — lovely outside area too.

Fred’s is a wee café found on the corner of Ponsonby and Franklin roads. The menu isn’t extensive but offers mostly breakfast with a few lunch options thrown in there.
We came early on a saturday morning and I recommend you do the same because as we left it was packed inside, and Fred’s isn’t the largest space. They also offer a small outside area with bohemian tables and blankets for the cold weather. Although when the sun is out, its a great area to just eat and relax.
I chose the breakfast bruschetta instead of the avocado on toast, as the avocado was combined with ricotta and finished with basil. Just a great breakfast twist, to your ordinary avo on toast. Again another menu item originally served with eggs, which I swapped out for tomatoes. We both agreed the portion size of both of our breakfasts were great value for money.
The banana smoothie gets a thumbs up and next time, maybe not so early in the morning Ill come back for a milkshake — which seam to be the popular choice at Fred’s. Lovely service and food is efficient.
Rating
Food: ⁸⁄₁₀
Service: ⁹⁄₁₀
Value for Money: Very Good
181 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby
Opening Hours: Mon-​Sun 7am-​3pm

Friendly, accommodating staff and a relaxed atmosphere. The Chocolate Fish smoothie was perfect and the roast vege sandwich delicious. My only complaint is that the seating is not that comfortable.

Fred’s is all you could hope for in a local coffee shop. Tasty coffee (Supreme); owners who make an effort to know your name and the way you have your coffee (and who are usually on the floor); and a good selection of snacks and sweet treats. If I dine in I get the breakfast bruschetta, made with a delicious mix of avocado and ricotta, boiled egg, and basil (sometimes will add ham or bacon for an extra couple of dollars). Lamington with jam and cream is always a good nudge, and if you are not on the coffee buzz, the shakes are really good — particularly chocolate and peanut butter. Great environment too. Good times.

Great coffee and the menemen is just great. A very tasty and not to large lunch, but still expensive like all of NZ. Like the small room, small outdoor atmosphere and the large table to sit at. Would like some more comfortable seats as well but possibly not enough room.

This is the first time I have stepped into «Fred’s» (for a while) since the good old days of «Agnes Curran», however nothing much has changed: great stuff!
There is adorable seating outside on the cobble footpath with colourful benches and quirky tables. Inside there is a huge communal table: scattered with current newspapers and magazines, or you can sit by the street-​front window that is captivating, watching life walk by.
Coffee is «Supreme» beans I think.
Service is impeccable, food is café-​fare, with cronuts to boot!
Pleasant ambience, Beyoncé music in the background and lots of banter, just cool.

So this four star review is based purely on the awesome service which I received at Freds earlier today. When I arrived I ordered coffees for my mate and I in anticipation of him arriving shortly. The coffees came out promptly, alas my mate wasn’t as quick and his coffee sat there getting cold. The awesome barista saw that my friend was running late and promptly offered to make a new coffee when he arrived! Great service.
Maybe one day I’ll have the chance to write a five star review having sampled the great looking food at Freds! I’m sure to visit again soon as its one of my favourite places to grab a cuppa in this part of the city and its such cool place to chill out.

I’ve only been home a short while and already I find myself making excuses to come to Fred’s. It has this homely, neighbourhood vibe that immediately makes you feel at ease. Without a doubt, if I lived in the area, Fred’s would be my local lickety split.
What I love most about Fred’s is it’s vintage, ‘take me back to the good old days’ vibe. There are pastels stools and matching crockery, lolly jars packed full of K bars, water served out of old school milk bottles and giant fluffy Lamingtons generously filled with cream. It’s all just a bit cute and I love it.
On my last visit to Fred’s I desperately wanted to try their toasted sandwiches but being not yet 9am I opted for the Bircher with raspberries and coconut instead. The muesli was served in a deep ceramic bowl with some unsweetened yoghurt and honey on the side so that I could make it as sweet or sour as I liked. It was every bit delicious and I thought the addition of the raspberries was brilliant, as it cut through the creaminess of the oats. If you’re a Bircher Muesli fan like me, I definitely recommend checking out Fred’s.
Also good to note is that Fred’s has a small but fantastic collection of cookbooks for sale in the middle of their communal table. I was perusing through these the other day and found the cookbook for A16, one of my favourite Italian restaurants in San Francisco. I am definitely putting that one in my back pocket for the next I need a gift on the fly!

I used to come here all the time, back when it was Agnes Curran and when I visited the other day I was very surprised to see it was now called Fred’s. Before I went in I was hoping that it hadn’t changed at all because I throughly loved Ages Curran and thank goodness it hasn’t, or if it has it’s for the better. This café is just gorgeous, it’s so small you could probably put it in your pocket and that’s its charm. They have a communal table inside as well as café furniture in their corridor style outside area. Their food is absolutely incredible but the real speciality here are their milkshakes. When they underwent the name/​gender change (from Agnes to Fred) they also changed the brand of coffee they use which is now supreme. This was a good choice I decided after I tried it, if was rich and full just the way I like it. Throughly impressed with this café still and I believe it is a valuable member of what makes Auckland special.

I visited here one weekend afternoon for a coffee after work. I think I probably also caved and had something sweet! Tucked away on the corner of Ponsonby Road and Franklin Road you you will find this cute, retro kitted out café.
From reading other reviewers comments I now want to definitely return for the KIWI classic — the lamington!
I was impressed with the fast and friendly service at Fred’s. I liked the courtyard and found a table out there no problem. I was able to grab my favourite section of the Sunday paper too for a read, so that was great. A great spot to chill out, and being on the corner of Franklin Road and Ponsonby, I think it is probably a bit easier to find a carpark if you are driving.

A café is only ever as good as the coffee it serves and the coffee at Fred’s is Supreme, Coffee Supreme beans that is and they know how to work the coffee machine here. The location itself also is another plus, on the corner of Ponsonby Road and Franklin Road the space is away from the busy Ponsonby strip and outdoor courtyard will have you seated and relaxing in the shade without all the passerby’s gazing at you as they pass 30 cm from your table.
Fred’s has a real laid back relaxed vibe and the staff are equally fantastic. Fred’s serve up some pretty amazing sodas here in addition to their coffee and food menus. If you feel like eating indoors, there is a large communal table and they have awesome new lighting, the naked bulbs on long ropes which seem to be a prerequisite to being a cool café these days. Fred’s even provide reading material. Fred’s is a great place to come and relax with friends, you won’t be disappointed.

I would’ve given Fred’s four stars, but I was hugely loyal to its previous incarnation — Agnes Curran. The place is very similar to before now that it has new owners, but there are things that have changed — the cups and saucers aren’t those beautiful old ones you used to get, the teaspons are now regular ones, there’s now a fancy new cake cabinet. I’m just not good with change, okay? I don’t like the new logo or the fact that they’ve changed the lightbulbs.
One thing I do like about it now, though, is that they have a really good toasted sandwich on the menu and that they’ve kept the lamingtons and the Harney & Sons Tea (‘Paris’ is my flavour of choice).