The Lounge at Fratellos

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  Summary: Service sucked.. Food was good. Patio is dumpy, other places nearby are much better
  
  Patio: First the patio, Picnic tables on sidewalk concrete..... yup..... There's much nicer patios that have a river view. Beckett's and the ground round at rivers edge being two of them. The inside is in need of some renovations too, just looks very early 90s.
  
  Service: First, we asked if the matradee (spell?) if there was any room out on the patio and her response was "go look, its seat yourself."  So she was about as accommodating as a storage closet. Meanwhile, Our server was about as friendly as a dead fish. I asked for a large glass of water and he looked at me like i just asked him to go milk me a cow so that I could have fresh milk.... Table next to me waited about 10 minutes for silverware after they got their food brought to the table.....i guess the owner is wealthy and hires his wealthy friends kids to work there -which equals spoiled brat waiters who don't care how good a job they're doing.
  
  Food: the food was good, i had the bbq chicken pizza, person i was with had a chicken salad, and another had fish tacos. Everyone liked their food a lot. The prices were very reasonable.

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  Posted on 07.14.13 B C.

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  Had a wonderful happy hour with a new colleague.  Two huge appetizers, five home beers and we got out for half of what it would have cost in my hometown of Lake Geneva.  Great service, great leftovers later that night....Just a side note on some of the other reviews...who goes in at closing time expecting the place to stay open for them - So if there were 15 tables of people there, and it was closing time - they should expect the servers to be closing... not changing the time for those in the place.

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  Posted on 09.28.12 Brent W.

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  Again, this must be a trend in Oshkosh, where waitresses just rush you out? or maybe they think I am fat, and dont ever suggest dessert? hmmm? not sure...I guess I am spoiled back in the East Coast, where at least the wait staff is less dismissive. The food at Fratello's is average, nothing very impressive. But if you want a nice view of the River then here is the place to come. I will pay just to come sit here and enjoy a glass of wine and be left alone.

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  Posted on 07.27.12 Mar P.

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  I went a couple of times and the food was OK so I decided not to go back unless someone else wanted to go.  I've now gone a few times because someone else wanted to go and each time was bad.  My food the last 3 times has been terrible.  My fish fry last Friday: horrible.  I could have spent 1/3 of the price at a fast food place and got comparable fish and most likely better fries.  The atmosphere is good and the service is hit or miss.  I've had great service here but I've also waited 10 minutes for a refill.
  
  To sum up, if you want to overpay for below average food, Fratellos is the place for you.  I will no longer go back if someone else wants to go and will fight to go anywhere else.  Sorry Fratellos, I've tried several times to like you and I just don't.  I honestly don't know what the appeal is.

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  Posted on 05.26.12 Marvin K.

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  The good: you can sit outside near the river in the summer.  The average: they have micro-beer, but it is average at best.  The bad: the prices are over priced for Oshkosh.  The food is average too.  I would recommend finding Becket's if you want good beer or drinks, better food and service, and equally cool ambiance.

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  Posted on 04.29.12 Alan H.

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  I feel like a hostage when I go to Fratello's.  The outdoor area is great but the food and service leave much to be desired.  Slow service because the servers were preoccupied with closing down even though there were at least 15 tables of guests.  Also waitress dropped an entree, barely apologized and finally brought the replacement dinner as the remainder of the party finished their dinners.  The waitress was very nonchalant about the error and inconvenience.  We would have been happy with a sincere apology but instead felt ripped off because we got no apology or discount on the ruined meal.  This type of service is typical. Looking for a better place on the water.

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  Posted on 11.01.11 Lenore O.

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  We live almost next door to Fratellos and have eaten there often as it is our default go to place when we don't want to drink and drive and when the weather is crappy   It is at its best during the summer when their patio and Tiki Bar are open and they have live music on the weekend.  The food varies from mediocre to pretty good, but is very inconsistent, we suspect depending on who's at the range.  
  
  The building is pre-fab girders and industrial aluminum, but with large windows overlooking the Fox River.  There are large model airplanes hanging from the ceiling in a nod to the Experimental Aircraft Association one suspects as well as a racing shell.  Odd, as I don't think Oshkosh is exactly a rowing hotbed. The old lounge has been replaced by a sports bar called The Fieldhouse which has its own menu of predictable sports bar food, pizzas, dogs, burgers etc.  You can order from the main restaurant's wine list which is a plus.
  
  Speaking of their wine list, it's not too bad for this neck of the woods and on Tuesdays if you are a member of their VIP club all bottles are half price.
  
  Service is friendly enough. Most servers appear to be college age women and men.  Unfortunately, they have to perform the ritual "My name is...." and then write their name on the butcher paper on the table top with crayons.  Kind of dorky, especially if the server has waited on you umteen times and you already know their life history.  They also must offer an absurdly huge honkin decanter for your wine.
  
  Our visit last night demonstrated to me how out of touch they are.  I ordered fish and chips, as I have done there on a number of occasions.  The dish used to come with waffle fries and two decent size fillets of beer battered cod.  It now comes with two fillets that are slightly larger than my thumb, and wait for it...potato chips.  This was a first for me, having had fish and chips all over the world.  I pointed this out to our server who simply didn't get it.  Fair enough, she probably never had them in her short life.  However, the manager also didn't get it and frankly anyone in his position should.  
  
  That all being said, we will still go back there on Tuesdays for the cheap wine, and at the weekend on the summer for the music on the river.  But don't really expect too much from the food and definitely watch out for those fish and potato chips  or should I say fish and crisps.

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  Posted on 10.26.11 Buzz T.

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  Great location on the water and the menu selections are good.  We had a pretty large group and service was good and very friendly.  Food was solid but not specatacular and I thought the prices were reasonable.  The wine was excellent and they had a very unique decanter that had everyone in the place looking at us.  We will be back.

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  Posted on 06.28.11 Craig L.

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  I have come to Oshkosh at least once a year for many years. Each time I have come to Fratello's for dinner at least once. I have never had bad service. I like the menu. This week, I was there three times. Too cold to venture far. I had the Thai Shrimp, the Blackened Chicken Tacos and last night a Pizza and a salad. Especially liked the Tacos but they are all recommended. Had Pasta and Seafood entrees in the past. Brew their own beers and they have a good wine selection. Based on the other reviews they can't handle the Airshow crowd but from my experience, I highly recommend Fratello's.

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  Posted on 02.11.11 Kermit K.

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  Atmosphere: 2 Star
  Dark, poorly laid out, nice view of the river and some cool decorations but out- dated bathrooms and cramped together tables.  
  
  Beer: 2 Star
  I had the Pilsner and it was weak in flavor and lacked any depth.  the Porter was better but still a bit weak.  One gripe: We visited December 23rd and they didn't have their Winter Ale available yet?  When do they think winter starts?
  
  Food gets a 3 star:
  Anything on a Pretzle bun is great!  I had the turkey burger which was tasty and moist.  We started with some home-made chips and mayo, and the salads are large and full of toppings.  My boyfriend had the chopped salad and we had a hard time seeing the lettuce until he was pretty far into it.  
  
  Price: 1 Star
  The prices are pretty high for such a quite town/ part of town.  I wasnt able to find any lunch portions of pasta.  Most sandwiches were $10 and Pasta was $15-20.  Just a bit spendy for the atmosphere and lunch time.  Not bad for dinner prices.  
  
  All in All:  And taking into consideration the location, i'm not hatin' but it is a smaller town, I felt some things were lacking.  But the food was good and I would eat lunch there again.

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  Posted on 12.29.10 Nicole P.

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  If this is what passes for good food in oshkosh then  we are in trouble.  I had a shrimp pasta that was really a bowl of over cooked mushy pasta and grease/oil.  Oh yeah there were huge pieces of nearly raw onion and pepper.  Just horrible.  I could not get a refill on my Iced tea, the only time the server came back was to give me the huge check!  I am not squimish about paying for a good meal but this felt like robbery.  I can't believe this place stays open.  The only nice thing was the view but I could take a walk along the river for free.  
  Just terrible!

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  Posted on 03.19.10 b c.

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  Boy did I have a shocking experience at this place!
  
  I have dined at FRBC at least once a year while in Oshkosh to attend the annual EAA convention.  Ordinarily I have a great experience and I was expecting nothing less this time around either.  
  
  We sat down and ordered a few beers and a couple entrees.  The entree I selected was a garlic shrimp pasta.  When my meal arrived, I knew right away that it wasn't what I ordered.  Instead, it was some pasta dish that was so incredibly spicy hot, I choked on the first bite.  Don't get me wrong, I *love* spicy food, but this went so far overboard, it wasn't even funny.  
  
  After drinking a glass of water and regaining my composure, I called the waitress over to discuss.  When I said that this obviously wasn't what I had ordered, she smiled at me with this "lights are on, but nobody is home" stare and said, "Oh, I'm sorry..." took the uneaten plate of food and walked away.  
  
  Yup, you read that right.  She just walked away.  Never to be seen again until the check came.  I was outraged.  
  
  When the check came, I was even more shocked to see that I was charged the full amount for the inedible entree.  At that point, I asked to speak with the manager.  The manager comes over and right away launches into a dialogue of excuses rather than a simple apology.  I told him that I didn't believe I should have to pay for a dish that was not edible.  He grabs the check (and my credit card) and says, "I'll take care of it."
  
  A few minutes later, here comes the waitress back with my credit card slip showing that I was STILL CHARGED for my dinner!  You have got to be kidding me!  
  
  I refused to sign it and instead, got up and left, while calling American Express to dispute the charges.  
  
  NEVER AGAIN will I set foot in this place!

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  Posted on 08.03.09 Ryan H.

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  We LOVE the Captin Crunch breaded chicken fingers!  The bar is pretty lame though.  Not my favorite place in town, but worth going to try the chicken fingers!

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  Posted on 02.22.09 Gabrielle Z.

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  For those of you in the bay area that are reading this, Fratello's is like a Gordon Biersch or Faultline brewery.
  
  Standard fare. Sandwiches, salads and other entrees.
  
  My crab cake cesar salad was a C+. I had a cup of "white" chicken chili and that was YUMMY! Service was great. Cool thing was you could buy a case of mixed beers in a 6 pack on your way out.
  
  What also gave this place an extra special uumppppfh was the CUPCAKES!!
  
  They cutsie cupcake craze hasn't hit Oshkosh but they had a nice selection on the menu.
  
  I had the turtle chocolate with caramel and pecans. TO DIE for. I took a pic of it on my blackberry and will be posting it soon!

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  Posted on 09.12.08 Lily R.

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