Review is solely for the chicken and waffle. I found it to be too savory for breakfast. It's not the usual diner style Chicken & Waffles. This had cheese, bacon and green onion throughout the soggy waffle. Chicken was not crispy and had no flavor. Not for me.
Christopher S.
The food was all very yummy. The vibe of the place was very cool with all of the American graffiti posters it was very cool. Our waiter was super nice.
Frank G.
No clue how Mel's only has 3 stars... it was easy to find via GPS and was what we expected; Hollywood diner with basic breakfast staples at a good price. All of us enjoyed our food, unlimited coffee and the environment. Wait staff was nice and attentive and again we were very surprised at the affordable prices so close to Hollywood boulevard. The only thing that was weird was parking. There is a large parking lot right next to Mel's. There is a sign that states they validate parking but when we went in there the attendant said we had to do street parking. So, we parked in the street and used the meter which was fine but just a bit confused why we couldnt park in the parking lot and have it validated... anyhow, would recommend this place and will be back again!
Megan L.
Mel's is a Hollywood staple. You are going for the experience and solid diner food. The shakes are good, too.
Jason C.
What's not to like about Mel's Drive In. Classic diner food. A good atmosphere for chatting it up with friends. The service was quick and smiley. I'll definitely be coming back.
Erik G.
My family wanted the classic diner experience. There are better options for a true diner experience, but this is one of the better options in that area. It was a bit expensive for what it was, but I suppose with rising food costs and the location. Everything is bound to be expensive. I ordered the Short Rib Dinner which is a Short Rib Sandwich with fries. I upgraded to have them cheese garlic style which was worth it. However, the fries were kind of basic shoe string style fries. Nothing to write home about. The Short Rib Sandwich was very good along the horseradish dipping sauce. Our son really liked how his Hamburger came inside a race car We also ordered a Hamburger as well which was pretty good. The waitress was very friendly and attentive. Get the Short Rib Sandwich Dinner. You won't regret it!
Lorenzo W.
A DINER LOVER'S DELIGHT! I'm a big Mel's fan ever since my mom brought me here for the first time. The food is always exceptional. My go-to is the Hangover Omelette which is the perfect brunch meal, try it! The desserts are also perfect. Mel's is a fan of milkshakes and Lana Del Rey so they automatically get points from me! They have not one, but two dedicated shakes entitled "Lana Del Rey Shakes"! I prefer the OG (non-banana) shake with Oreos, fresh ice cream, and chocolate syrup. The dairy shake is amazing, however the vegan one is where it's at! Trust me! I'm not even vegan! The classic tunes and funny decor of Mel's always leads to a great time and it's in the heart of Hollywood, basically a block away from all the iconic spots on Hollywood Boulevard. On a sour note, service was pretty lame recently which is why I can't give it five stars. However, sometimes you get really good waiters. We just went on a bad day I guess because we weren't checked on... Note: Parking fees are charged here! I'd recommend parking somewhere free and walking up. However, parking isn't that horrible compared to some other restaurants.
Anna B.
No, no and no! Stay away from this tourist trap. The food is really baaaaaaad really really bad. Every time I came there it's only gotten worse. $100 for 1 burger, chicken tenders and a beer(that also tasted like water) is a bit too much for the greasy, old, dry French fries and a burger that tastes like ketchup as it's drowning in it. Any fast food restaurant will be better than that. Service is ok though, they are trying to make it through the shift.
Nohailani D.
I came here for my birthday brunch. (Small party of 2) The diner was pretty empty, so we were seated immediately. The booths have a mini jukebox which I think is very cute. They look like they work, but who carries change these days? Unfortunately I didn't have a quarter to try. Lol. I ordered a mimosa and my man ordered coffee. His coffee came shortly after we ordered it and my mimosa took maybe 15-20 mins to get to me, when it came, it was messy/spilling over. For starters, we ordered short rib nachos to start and I ordered corned beef hash with eggs over easy, he ordered a hangover omelet. The food took a long time to come. When the food came, my eggs were over medium. I ate it anyway. (Portions are small, when they say you get toast, it's one slice, the hangover omelet was probably the smallest omelet I've ever seen.) Not to mention, our appetizer never came. We actually finished our meals, and the appetizer still hadn't arrived. We ended up asking for the check and canceled the short rib nachos. The service wasn't the best or friendliest. The wait staff seem to be bickering with eachother. Perhaps this is why we never got nachos? I'm pretty disappointed, wish I had a better experience.
Gabriel V.
Edible but never good, Mel's is a classic tourist trap. Service perfunctory and/or inattentive. And now that it's not even cheap anymore, there's absolutely zero reason at all to go.
Wow hands down!! This is the spot!!!! Great customer service! And kudos to the heart of House making perfectly well burgers and chili cheese fries!!! Definitely will recommend and will come back. Live the Mel's Lager on Draft!!!
Ruth D.
Mel's is go-to in Hollywood for classic diner dishes! Ordered the grilled cheese and asked to add posted and red peppers...sooo delish, paired well with tomato basil soup! Our entire party enjoyed the service , the classic diner vibe and the milkshakes!
Rogelio A.
First time going and I wasn't expecting the hype of it and it's one of the worst experiences I ever had that the sever went on break and didn't even put my order right on my sirloin steak come on the service was bad
Lydia H.
I had my cheat day today, we came here after a day in LA. I had the musuem burger, and it was fire. The ranch here is alright, I'm a sauce person. But the thousand island was FIRE and the burger was bomb. Kid's meals are also served in a pretty dope way. Awesome 10/10
Jim L.
Meh-lls. My daughter wanted to visit this iconic spot. She was happy to get the Lana Del Rey shake (15$) and I craved a smash burger (20$) but both were meh. Plus the parking situation was not great as the attendant tried charging us 25$ at first but then charged us 3.50, so dunno if we will be back. Got some fun memories and that's what we came for.
Review is solely for the chicken and waffle. I found it to be too savory for breakfast. It's not the usual diner style Chicken & Waffles. This had cheese, bacon and green onion throughout the soggy waffle. Chicken was not crispy and had no flavor. Not for me.
The food was all very yummy. The vibe of the place was very cool with all of the American graffiti posters it was very cool. Our waiter was super nice.
No clue how Mel's only has 3 stars... it was easy to find via GPS and was what we expected; Hollywood diner with basic breakfast staples at a good price. All of us enjoyed our food, unlimited coffee and the environment. Wait staff was nice and attentive and again we were very surprised at the affordable prices so close to Hollywood boulevard. The only thing that was weird was parking. There is a large parking lot right next to Mel's. There is a sign that states they validate parking but when we went in there the attendant said we had to do street parking. So, we parked in the street and used the meter which was fine but just a bit confused why we couldnt park in the parking lot and have it validated... anyhow, would recommend this place and will be back again!
Mel's is a Hollywood staple. You are going for the experience and solid diner food. The shakes are good, too.
What's not to like about Mel's Drive In. Classic diner food. A good atmosphere for chatting it up with friends. The service was quick and smiley. I'll definitely be coming back.
My family wanted the classic diner experience. There are better options for a true diner experience, but this is one of the better options in that area. It was a bit expensive for what it was, but I suppose with rising food costs and the location. Everything is bound to be expensive. I ordered the Short Rib Dinner which is a Short Rib Sandwich with fries. I upgraded to have them cheese garlic style which was worth it. However, the fries were kind of basic shoe string style fries. Nothing to write home about. The Short Rib Sandwich was very good along the horseradish dipping sauce. Our son really liked how his Hamburger came inside a race car We also ordered a Hamburger as well which was pretty good. The waitress was very friendly and attentive. Get the Short Rib Sandwich Dinner. You won't regret it!
A DINER LOVER'S DELIGHT! I'm a big Mel's fan ever since my mom brought me here for the first time. The food is always exceptional. My go-to is the Hangover Omelette which is the perfect brunch meal, try it! The desserts are also perfect. Mel's is a fan of milkshakes and Lana Del Rey so they automatically get points from me! They have not one, but two dedicated shakes entitled "Lana Del Rey Shakes"! I prefer the OG (non-banana) shake with Oreos, fresh ice cream, and chocolate syrup. The dairy shake is amazing, however the vegan one is where it's at! Trust me! I'm not even vegan! The classic tunes and funny decor of Mel's always leads to a great time and it's in the heart of Hollywood, basically a block away from all the iconic spots on Hollywood Boulevard. On a sour note, service was pretty lame recently which is why I can't give it five stars. However, sometimes you get really good waiters. We just went on a bad day I guess because we weren't checked on... Note: Parking fees are charged here! I'd recommend parking somewhere free and walking up. However, parking isn't that horrible compared to some other restaurants.
No, no and no! Stay away from this tourist trap. The food is really baaaaaaad really really bad. Every time I came there it's only gotten worse. $100 for 1 burger, chicken tenders and a beer(that also tasted like water) is a bit too much for the greasy, old, dry French fries and a burger that tastes like ketchup as it's drowning in it. Any fast food restaurant will be better than that. Service is ok though, they are trying to make it through the shift.
I came here for my birthday brunch. (Small party of 2) The diner was pretty empty, so we were seated immediately. The booths have a mini jukebox which I think is very cute. They look like they work, but who carries change these days? Unfortunately I didn't have a quarter to try. Lol. I ordered a mimosa and my man ordered coffee. His coffee came shortly after we ordered it and my mimosa took maybe 15-20 mins to get to me, when it came, it was messy/spilling over. For starters, we ordered short rib nachos to start and I ordered corned beef hash with eggs over easy, he ordered a hangover omelet. The food took a long time to come. When the food came, my eggs were over medium. I ate it anyway. (Portions are small, when they say you get toast, it's one slice, the hangover omelet was probably the smallest omelet I've ever seen.) Not to mention, our appetizer never came. We actually finished our meals, and the appetizer still hadn't arrived. We ended up asking for the check and canceled the short rib nachos. The service wasn't the best or friendliest. The wait staff seem to be bickering with eachother. Perhaps this is why we never got nachos? I'm pretty disappointed, wish I had a better experience.
Edible but never good, Mel's is a classic tourist trap. Service perfunctory and/or inattentive. And now that it's not even cheap anymore, there's absolutely zero reason at all to go.
Restaurantji Recommends
Wow hands down!! This is the spot!!!! Great customer service! And kudos to the heart of House making perfectly well burgers and chili cheese fries!!! Definitely will recommend and will come back. Live the Mel's Lager on Draft!!!
Mel's is go-to in Hollywood for classic diner dishes! Ordered the grilled cheese and asked to add posted and red peppers...sooo delish, paired well with tomato basil soup! Our entire party enjoyed the service , the classic diner vibe and the milkshakes!
First time going and I wasn't expecting the hype of it and it's one of the worst experiences I ever had that the sever went on break and didn't even put my order right on my sirloin steak come on the service was bad
I had my cheat day today, we came here after a day in LA. I had the musuem burger, and it was fire. The ranch here is alright, I'm a sauce person. But the thousand island was FIRE and the burger was bomb. Kid's meals are also served in a pretty dope way. Awesome 10/10
Meh-lls. My daughter wanted to visit this iconic spot. She was happy to get the Lana Del Rey shake (15$) and I craved a smash burger (20$) but both were meh. Plus the parking situation was not great as the attendant tried charging us 25$ at first but then charged us 3.50, so dunno if we will be back. Got some fun memories and that's what we came for.