So we found ourselves visiting family for Christmas this week in Melbourne, Florida former stomping…read moregrounds of Jim Morrison for you Doors fans. We got up early on Christmas Eve and opted to find a cool breakfast place. After a few minutes in Yelp, we found Backwater which is nestled in Historic Downtown Melbourne. Parking should not be a problem but if you can't find some on your he street their is a public parking garage not to far away. Upon arrival we were seated pretty quickly and all the staff were very friendly. Our server Amy was awesome and recommended a few breakfast items that were awesome. We opted for the Greek breakfast and the Cuban Benedict which were both fresh and excellent. We also split their seasonal Cinammon pancake as well which was great as well. Pancakes are huge so make sure you leave some room if you plan on having one. All portions were healthy as well, no skimping at Backwater and everyone was in the Christmas spirit as well which was awesome! The atmosphere is friendly, laid back and welcoming which is great if you are from out of Town. So if you are in the area, make sure you check them out for breakfast or lunch. I am sure you will not be disappointed! So in fact he spirit of the holiday I will adjust my customary ending to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a prosperous and blessed Happy New Year to all of you! Enjoy and Bon Appétit mes amis!

Wowowow! Friendly staff and incredible food!…read moreHad the Monte Cristo which was fluffy, toasty, heaven. Home fries were nice and crispy. Super casual interior and smell of yummy pancakes all over. Prices couldn't be beat either! Will be back when traveling through this part of FL next

**INITIAL REVIEW**…read more Most of my fellow Yelpers know if food were categorized by a genre, breakfast and brunch has a special place in my heart. Ergo, I am on the constant search for more breakfast and brunch places to add to my repertoire. With that in mind, I must stress that Historic Downtown Melbourne a.k.a. Melbourne Main Street has an amazing number of breakfast and brunch places. But the one I admire the most is The Roots Restaurant Tavern, which I will shorthand simply to The Roots for the remainder of this review. Though an address is provided, it must be stressed The Roots is a little "off the mainstreet" of Melbourne Main Street. Just west of the train tracks, the road splits in which the northernly direction is the continuation of New Haven Ave. or the actual Melbourne Main Street. The Roots is on the southern road, right next to The Iron Oak. Take note that The Roots is quite a cozy location. On the outside, The Roots has this look of an old saloon out in the wild west. There are a few tables and chairs for outdoor seating, excellent for people-viewing while eating your meal. Inside, The Roots looks delightfully tacky with all the knick-knacks hanging around and about on the walls. Imagine how Cracker Barrel used to look before the new CEO decided the decor should be more minimalist. But my statement on how The Roots looks small from the outside definitely shows when you are inside, too. The place is small. They definitely utilize the space as best they could, with large party seating being in the back for only one party. Still, take note of this limitation. My waitresses were very kind and attentive when serving me. But I am sure you all want to know about the food. The times I have eaten here, I have had three meals: The Eggs Benny Flight, and Pancake Flight, and Shrimp n' Grits. I will detail each in the pictures of food (if I have them), but I will say that everything here was delicious. My one lone criticism is that some of these flights are best enjoyed with another, not by yourself. On a sidenote, the restroom is clean and stocked, but there is only one and it is unisex. As I said earlier, The Roots is the best breakfast and brunch restaurant, well for me, in Historic Downtown Melbourne. So it is understandable why I am giving them a five-out-of-five stars for their review. Food, service, and ambiance are all excellent and the issues are way too minimal for me to consider them having any major affect. If you are ever going to eat at The Roots only once. My suggestion are the flights. Either eggs bennies, pancakes, or mimosas, you can't go wrong with any of them.

Experience: I had to take a friend to a medical same day surgery nearby so I decided to try this…read moreplace for some breakfast while I wait. It was 8:00 on a Wednesday. Facility: It's a small place located on a strip in downtown. There are a few tables outside, and inside they have tables and chairs and a few high top tables and chairs. The dinning room had a very cute, country feel, and they are playing country music over head. It was a little cold inside though, so bring a jacket. They have a couple TVs on the wall so maybe they play sports games too. Service: the waitress, Jen, greeted me when I walked in along with everyone else. She was very friendly and patient while I decided what to get. It was early morning but I asked if the lunch options were available too and she said that they could make me something off the lunch menu if I wanted. That's great customer service!!! But I ordered breakfast. LOL! I just overheard her helping another customer and they asked for something custom and she was so nice and accommodating. Keep her!! Food: menu looks great with lots of southern comfort food choices such as country fried steak, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, omelettes, etc. I ordered the shrimp and grits and a side of hash (since she said it was homemade). Shrimp and grits: 4.5/5 the flavor was there, but the grits could have been just a little hotter. The cheese didn't even really melt on top. But it was delicious... I'm from Louisiana and eat a lot of shrimp and grits and this was good. Shrimp was perfectly cooked. Hash: 5/5 when she first brought it, I thought it looks exactly like what you get in a can.... Until you take a bite. Amazing!!! Very good hearty cornbeef flavor fried crispy on top and soft underneath. So good!! Overall: The food was great!!!! Service was perfect and the ambiance comfortable. I would definitely come back and try lunch at lunchtime.

After we got to my mom and I decided to walk to Hell n Blazes brewing in downtown Melbourne. We…read morewere created by a very nice gentleman who told me he would be happily to assist us and whatever we ordered not only do they have a 360 wraparound bar. They also have seating; It's a seat yourself policy. For a drink I decided to get there Mr. pink Porter, which is a American Porter with notes of chocolate caramel and coffee. It is 6.2% ABV. My mom and I are currently sitting at the bar and Boy. Is it busy right now. However, this is the only brewery/bar. I've been to where they keep their additives that they add to the cocktails with the lid on them so no one is breathing or sneezing on them which I absolutely love. The gentleman assisting us was so nice; his name is Nick. He's amazing; very kind and efficient. The ambience of the brewery is like biker gang meet industrial warehouse. Definitely recommend. The flavor of my porter is very light and crisp. It's also very easy to drink. Very, robust flavor you can definitely taste the coffee and the caramel. 10/10

Even if you don't drink, the food makes it worth your while to come. The dining area is spacious,…read moreclean and my only qualm was that there weren't any tables set for just 2... Our server was quick and friendly, answered questions and was excellent overall. The food... Started with the pretzels and spicy gator. The pretzel was soft and delicious, the gator was spicy and delicious, but the fried coating was very thick and gator, very small. I had the pulled pork plate with mashed potatoes and cornbread of which was quite delicious. I enjoyed every bite. I must go back because there were other things on the menu that I have to try.

We love Irish pubs! Meg O'Malley's is our favorite in the Central Coast of Florida! This week I had…read moretheir draft hard cider! Perfect! I ordered the Corned Beef Sandwich! Huge portion and the cheese and special sauce really was great! They have great creamy coleslaw which I often choose to accompany anything I order. My husband had a burger with fries! Fries are great, too! He is a Guinness guy! BTW, they have the perfect Scotch Egg! There is so much to try! Great Fish and Chips! Great Bangers and Mash! We travel over an hour to get there! We just don't get there often enough. Servers are efficient ... they must have a fabulous kitchen! What's not to love about the ambiance of an Irish pub. Ask about the live Irish music "jam".

We hadn't been to Meg O'Malleys since 2019, but it was always a favorite. We live out of town, so…read morewe weren't regulars, but it was always on the list when we came in. This past weekend, we were in town and had to go visit an old favorite. Now that we live closer, we were excited to renew acquiantence. While most people don't go to an Irish Bar for gourmet food, M o'M's was reliably good in our memory. We were incredibly disappointed in our dinner Saturday night. We ordered Shepherds Pie, Corned Beef and Cabbage and Chocolate Cake. The Shepherds Pie tasted like it was made with Heinz Boullion Powder. The Corned Beef and Cabbage had no seasoning whatsoever, tasted like it was just boiled in plain water. The Chocolate cake looked beautiful, all drizzled with white chocolate and rasberry sauce. The drizzles were the best part. The cake tasted like the refrigerator smells. I hope we got it on a bad night but I suspect its not worth going for food again. We'll stick with the Guiness and Irish Whiskey next time.

Why are you sleeping on The Mansion in Melbourne??? If you are you are missing out!!…read more I'll admit I don't get there as often as I would like being I live in the North part of the county, but every time we have been there it has not been a disappointment. We visited this evening for dinner and had a great time! The food and drinks were so good not to mention the amazing selection of bourbon that is available. They also have a cellar where they sell a variety of wine and spirits. We came here looking for something particular and our server took the time to go to the cellar while we were eating to find it for us. We have attended holiday events here over the years as well and it was always a treat. I have seen posts about the atmosphere we sat outside and really enjoyed it. Please check this place out. Reasonably priced for the portions, great presentation, service and quality.

Girlfriend's burger was undercooked so bad it had a pink cold center. We sent it back and they…read morebrought it back her back the same burger (that she already cut in half) on a new bun and with a new side of fries. They put the bacon over the cut she made in the burger... I know it's the same burger because it had the onions on it that she scraped off that was supposed to be on MY burger haha Terrace bartender was good and nice though.

Ribs were excellent, taste was great. Service was awesome. Bartender gave me excellent…read morerecommendations. Remember, Wednesdays have bottles of wine at half the price.

This is the best meal we have had in a long time. We have lived here for years and never heard of…read moreHemingways Tavern, until friends asked us to join them. There were 4 of us and we all enjoyed our experience from first walking in we were greeted immediately and taken to our table. We requested to sit on the patio. As we walked through the restaurant, there is a bakery/ espresso area and small gift area. We ordered the Hibiscus margaritas and they were spot on. From there we ordered the smoked wings and conch fritters both were delicious. Although, we are from Tampa home of the original"Cuban" sandwich we all decided to give theirs a try, and we were not disappointed. There are walls filled with pictures and memories of Hemingway throughout the restaurant. After dinner we had the double espresso with whipped cream and chocolate ..... and once again we were not disappointed! Hemingways Tavern is a must!

Great little please Really good food and service. Good prices. Our server Audrey was the best…read more Sorry forgot to take pics of food. It was amazing big portions.

Great breakfast spot on beachside. This place is always packed. The blueberry and cream cheese…read moreFrench toast did not disappoint!

We stopped in here for drinks with a group of 4. Place is spacious and has a variety of seating…read morelocations which was nice. Good place to sit and have drinks. Service was very slow and a scenario where anytime you want to order something, grab another drink, have a water, get your bill, etc. you have to excessively flag down the waitress. Good place for drinks, service not very good.

Heard so much about the orange crush that we went to Mainstreet pub just to try it. Sweet not…read moreoverly orange tasting but refreshing all the same. Great setup with a lower bar, roof top bar and a bar in the back.

This is a hidden gem in the true sense. Off the beaten path in the heart of historical Melbourne…read moreFL. I really loved this place. For one the food is really good bar food. Nothing special as far as the selections. We ordered loaded nachos and a chicken wing basket. Both were well executed with fresh ingredients. Even the cheese on the nachos tasted fresh. There is inside and outside seating on the deck in front. Inside there is a full bar with great craft beer options. And they have a juke box. When we got there late a Saturday night the band was packing up, so they have live music as well. Loved the food and service here!

Genuinely one of the most casual and relaxed places i have been to, it is a sports bar, and usually…read morethose places are very "commercialized" and loud, however this felt very family friendly compared to any other i have been to. Food is solid, bar food, but still very acceptable. I had mahi mahi tacos, besides the fish being little tougher, everything else is pretty solid. My husband enjoyed his burger, meat was cooked nicely and was not too dry, which is usually a big complaint, however this team made it very good. I don't know that food is to die for, but the ambiance, service, friendliness is on point. The waitress was absolutely amazing, she came and checked on us just enough that we felt seen but not too much that it pressured us. We didn't even want to leave, staying there and hanging out is so much fun. Overall highly recommend for some more quiet and low key nights. Thank you so much for your hospitality, we will be back! P.S. My ratings are based on whether I believe I could make a better or healthier version at home. If food/drinks/service impress me, I'll be happy to come back. If not the stars reflect that.

Crush XL is probably one of the best restaurants in Melbourne serving fresh ingredients and great…read morecocktails. Went with some appetizers and the Bacon wrapped dates were a hit! Classics salty sweet combination made for a great way to open the palate. For the entree, I had the Sriracha Marinated Flat Iron with avocado mashed potatoes. The steak was seasoned perfectly and the avocado mash was creamy and very tasty. I have to steal this idea and make this at home. Our server was very friendly and served our party perfectly. The environment in the restaurant is modern with nice pops of the signature Crush color. Overall an awesome experience for anytime lookin for great food in Melbourne.

We went Crush XI in downtown Melbourne in hopes of impressing my brother who's a legit foodie . I…read moreeven looked up words like gastrique, panzanella, and fettuccini with philosophical intent to order aggressively since it was his turn for the check . I really just went for the insutution of bacon wrapped dates supervised by my wife and is girlfriend (two different people). The Medjool dates with millionaire bacon and goat cheese and I am not exaggerating when I say this dish could solve international conflicts. Sweet pineapple, salty bacon, creamy goat cheese, and a drizzle of what tasted like the chef whispering sweet nothings the way I'm romantic. I was going to order a second dose for "research purposes." Truffle Honey Chicken Tenders (Not Your Childhood Lunchbox) is the most misleading name ever because "tenders" sounds like something you eat in a drive thru parking lot (I'd pick Bojangles of course). These were crispy, sticky, sweet, slightly spicy, and basically the PhD version of chicken fingers a bit dry but the sauce make it good. Brussels sprouts usually remind people of childhood trauma. These charred brussels sprouts with honey, soy, ginger, and peanuts tasted like the chef personally apologized to every person who had ever been forced to eat boiled vegetables in 1987. Smoky, sticky, crunchy, slightly sweet. I would willingly eat vegetables here again, which is a sentence I never thought I would say out loud! We build a strategy to devide an conquer in a unique waiter (I hate the name server, it sounds like tennis) recommendation that was impressive! My brother ordered the heritage pork chop, which looked like it had been bench pressing in the kitchen before arriving at the table. Perfect crust, juicy inside, sitting on sweet potato hash with a slaw piled on top like a fashionable hat and I went with the snapper catch of th day for a surf and turf combo! I considered banging on the door at 3 am for another dose of pork chop like I was in college and wanted the party to go on My brother was impressed with the Blackbird Arise that showed up like it owned the table. He said it was smooth, bold, and dangerous because it makes you start considering dessert when you absolutely do not need dessert. I don't drink so I take his word for it. The women weren't behaving so thy split a smash burger and truffle fries, which means our ordering strategy was clearly "yes." The burger had that glossy brioche bun that looks like it was polished before serving, and the fries were exactly the kind that disappear before you realize you have eaten most of them. A smash burger is supposed to drip greese down your arm and this didn't. This strategy ensured my spot on the couch for bedtime. If you go, order two doses of the dates so you don't have to bring a date.