Mike B.
Yelp
Wow! We were impressed with everything about this place. We were driving through Greensboro and my wife proposed two options. The first was Freeman's and the second was a place we have already visited. I said, let's try Freeman's. Thanks again to my wife who keeps tracks of places we want to try!
We arrived about 3:30pm on Saturday afternoon. We had read that parking can be somewhat tricky, so we were prepared to circle the block at least a couple of times. They do have a small parking lot which was full. Also, much of the street parking nearby appeared to be limited and occupied. There is a small drycleaners next door that is closed on Saturday's and there was parking available. We did double check with the server when we sat down to ensure we were okay to park there and he said yes, they use that parking lot when the drycleaners is closed.
The building is super cool, it is a two/three story brick building that is narrow and unattached. The front porch was decorated for fall and very welcoming.
Inside, it is just as charming. A decent size bar allows for approximately ten barstools and there are less than 10 tables of various sizes to the best of our recollection.
We were immediately welcomed as we took a seat at the bar and the young man provided us menus and took our drink orders. Everything sounded delicious and we decided to try the seasonal Firecrackers for an appetizer (fried gyoza stuffed with buffalo chicken and jalapeño pimento cheese, served with ranch or bleu cheese).
For our entrees, I narrowed it down to the Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwich, served with Swiss cheese, ranch, lettuce and tomato and rosemary garlic shallot fries. My wife chose the Cherrywood-Smoked Beef Brisket served with the brisket sauce on the side and a house salad with ranch dressing.
After our orders were taken we were looking at the various items on the walls and noticed a cool history of the building which was built in 1911. For the first 5 decades it served as two different neighborhood grocers. Beginning in the 1960's the building switched hands and served as a beauty salon, pawn shop, drycleaners, etc. Freeman's Grub &Pub has occupied the building since 2014.
The Firecrackers arrived shortly after we placed our order and I immediately dug in. They were very tasty and flavorful, I also discovered the dill ranch served with them which was delicious as well.
Our entrees arrived in a timely manner and looked fabulous! The brisket was seasoned well and cooked perfectly. The side salad was tossed in the creamy dill dressing and my wife immediately commented on just how delicious it was. So much so, she told me she was going to ask if they sell the dressing to go.
My chicken sandwich was stacked tall and was also prepared perfectly. The buffalo chicken with the cool ranch and crunchy bun was excellent. The fries were seasoned well and I ended up dipping them in the brisket sauce which I really enjoyed.
When we inquired about dill ranch dressing we were told they do sell it for $6 per small mason jar. I also asked about the brisket sauce and told they also sell it for the same price. Needless to say, we left with two jars of dill ranch and one jar of brisket sauce.
After we finished our meal, my wife used the restroom where she noted they recently received a 99.5 on there health inspection, which always makes us happy to see. She reported the bathrooms were just as well kept as the remainder of the business.
She was also excited to tell me the hallway to the restroom was lined with awards, accolades and articles showcasing the business. Since I am a proud Yelp Elite contributor, she told me Freeman's was chosen as a "Top 100" in the U.S. for 2023. It then hit her that she had read that some time ago. That is why she already had it on our list. This is the second "Top 100" restaurant we have been too and we agree whole heartedly. We would and will recommend this to others. We are already talking about coming back very soon!