Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Holmdel comes in sizzling hot

By:  | October 24, 2025 |  Dining |  Holmdel

By Ryan Loughlin

I tend to be pretty adventurous when it comes to food. I don’t shy away from exotic dishes from halfway around the world and I’ll be the first person to sample something I have never had (within reason of course, you aren’t getting me to try those fried tarantulas they eat in Cambodia no matter how good you tell me they are or how much you beg.)

But as much as I enjoy stepping out of my culinary comfort zone, sometimes a craving for an American classic simply cannot be denied. I found myself in this exact predicament on a random Thursday evening this month when I got a hankering for a burger. Of course, burger options are nearly infinite in Monmouth County, but I wanted to try a new spot that I had heard some good buzz about — Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Holmdel.

Freddy’s is a chain, but mostly unknown in New Jersey until recently. The brand is branching out, and the Holmdel location is the first in Monmouth County. It was packed on the night I went, which is always a good sign.

The space is bright and cheery, and its red and white color scheme might remind you of Five Guys a bit. The similarity ends there though, because while Five Guys is notorious for having a very small menu, Freddy’s boasts a variety of options with everything from burgers to hot dogs to chicken sandwiches in both grilled and fried formats, as well as an impressive list of desserts all themed around their famous frozen custard.

I had my wife with me, which meant we could sample a few more items than if I was flying solo. We started off with the Grilled Cheese Steakburger, an awesome mash up of two all-stars of American comfort food. Served on triangle-sliced griddled white bread with American cheese and bacon in addition to a beef patty, the combo was a hit. The patties were thin with some nice lacing on the edges and the flavors all blended nicely. The unsung hero award goes to the swipe of tomato spread which topped the sandwich and added a bit of tang while also cutting the richness down a peg. It was reminiscent of the experience you might get dunking a grilled cheese sandwich into a creamy cup of tomato soup, but this time with a burger in the middle.

From there, we sampled the California Double Burger, a straightforward and delicious tower consisting of two beef patties paired with two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and thousand island dressing all on a toasted bun. The burgers at Freddy’s are all pressed thin, meaning even a double is still manageable to bite into without too much trouble.

We opted for chili cheese fries as a side dish, which were also a hit, thanks to the mildly spicy yet intensely flavorful chili that topped their razor thin shoestring style French fries. Topped with shredded cheese and diced onions, they would have been great on their own, but we couldn’t leave them as is, because one of the signature items at Freddy’s is their fry sauce, a creamy pink condiment that is available in original, smoky and jalapeno versions. We sampled all three and the jalapeno was our pick for the winner, its kick of heat balancing the creaminess perfectly.

Though we were fairly stuffed after chowing down on the burgers and fries, it simply seemed unacceptable to go to a restaurant with the words “Frozen Custard” in the name and NOT try any dessert, so we did just that. The custard options at Freddy’s allow you to choose between having it in traditional sundae form or as a “concrete,” which takes the same sundae ingredients and mashes them up into a slurry of sorts, much like the Dairy Queen Blizzard. We chose the Reese’s Royale in sundae form, which consisted of their signature vanilla custard topped with peanut butter sauce, crushed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, whipped cream and a cherry. Decadent and delicious as you would imagine, the richness of the custard distinguished it from similar desserts we have sampled, and the toppings were so tasty we polished off the entire thing despite originally not even being sure we wanted dessert in the first place. Kudos to Freddy’s for keeping us shoveling in sweet spoonfuls well past the point of actual hunger.

It’s safe to say, if you find yourself in search of a new burger joint, Freddy’s won’t let you down.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is located at 2136 Rt 35 in Holmdel. Go to Freddys.com for more info.