My wife and I ate here recently on a Sunday evening. The service was very good. My wife had salmon that came with zucchini spirals and quinoa. The quinoa had a spicy sauce that she couldn't enjoy. I had really good pork chop, baked asparagus and mashed potatoes. All was delicious. We shared a Godiva chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Out of this world! read more

The food was terrific! The flavors were so good. There was a local band playing music and they were great too. If the staff had been just average, this would have been a 5-star review. Unfortunately, the staff did a really poor job. The hostess couldn't smile to save her life. She spent more time on her cell phone and drinking wine than she did on her work. Our waitress was incredibly distracted. The restaurant wasn't especially busy, and it was clear socializing with her co-workers and counting her tips (literally) was more important than taking care of her customers. If this review was based solely on service, it would be a 1-star. read more

Early weekday dinner. Chose to eat on the front patio which is well shaded. Went with the chicken/chorizo dish and Lobster roll. Small snafu where our order got crossed with another tables (requested no chorizo) - they comped us dessert so all was fine. Meal was paced well. Everything out of the kitchen was very good. Beer selection strongly tilted towards local options. read more

Lunch's are great at the bar. Dinner, very nice. Burger's great. Medium rare was medium rare. Recommend it highly.

Lavish lunch Our threesome loved our lunch @ Mel's! The soup d' jour was a delicious chicken vegetable bean. The breads from Heidelberg bakery made every sandwich delicious. Atmosphere is delightful- the seats are not overly cramped , which is always a plus in a busy venue like Cooperstown. Our service was terrific . Love this place! read more

I really enjoyed my experience here, it's pretty much at the end of Main Street, but still a nice view when seated outside. Service was above par and very friendly. I opted for their southern burger and it was delicious, perfect combination with pulled pork and pickled onion. Their drink menu was extensive which included local breweries. read more

Fantastic place! I highly recommend their jalepeno margarita. I ordered a delicious burger with garlic pesto fries. Nothing was over looked... from the delicious and fresh bun, to the toppings, as crispy delicious fries! Great stop! read more

Mel's at 22 - Bars Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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Best burger I've ever had. And I've had a lot of fancy burgers in my life. Great customer service and friendly atmosphere. Drinks were great as well. read more

Very nice, bistro-esque decor. Menu wasn't too pricey for what was offered and promised. The service, while friendly, left you wanting a little. How to explain it; they did what they had to do, answered questions, smiled, brought our food, checked on us, but it seemed they weren't really hearing us. Certain comments were met with a blank stare, smile and a giggle. I saw two servers with this attitude, ours and another. So I'll try to give an example while I summarize the meal. My husband had the clam chowder to start. Generous portion and thick, tan in color and didn't smell overly fishy. He loved it, but it was way too salty for me. The plus was it was full of big pieces of fresh, tender clams and it did taste good. For meals, he ordered the blackened chicken sandwich and upgraded to garlic pesto fries for $2. Kinda steep for regular fries just drizzled with flavourings if you ask me, but they were delicious. His meal was a win. I had the special mahi tacos with mango salsa. So, here we go. They arrive and look beautiful. 2 toasted flour tortillas filled to overflowing with Asian slaw, avocado, generous portions of griddled mahi and the fresh salsa sitting in a metal taco rack. The rack was sitting on a teeny, tiny rectangular plate the exact size of the rack itself, we're talking no plate showing on the sides at all. I'll get to why this is a problem in a bit. Our waitress brings extra napkins because "the tacos tend to be messy". Oh truer words have never been spoken. One careful bite and pieces of mango fly everywhere - on the floor, the table, all over my shirt, pinged into Hubby's plate...you get what I'm saying. This would be expected, but had the plate been a normal size, they would have simply landed in my plate and I could have popped them back on and eaten them. The tacos were also extremely juicy but it's not as if I could move the plate closer to catch the drippings! They just hit the rack and you get it, slid onto my lap or dropped onto my shirt. They were; however, AMAZING. Good thing hubby is a fast eater because he grabbed my tacos and put them on his empty plate so I can eat my 2nd one in peace. After our meal and the waitress came with the bill, she saw my trying to clean my shirt and said pleasantly "I told you the tacos are messy!" So I said, "about that, can you please make a suggestion to the kitchen, manager, whomever, that if they simply used a larger plate, they wouldn't be so messy. She just laughed and answered " yeah right?"... and that's as far as it went. So to the next unsuspecting taco orderer, wear a bib or ask for a side plate, but they were tasty! read more

Mel's was great. Our food was amazing. And our waitress was so friendly. We wish it was more vibrant. But Feb during the winter is expected.

Great variety on the menu at very reasonable prices. The chicken parmesan was good for a restaurant that isn't specifically Italian. Only reason I docked a star is because they did not bring bread to our table. read more

Mel's at 22 - Bars Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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The wait was over an hour but the food and service were good. It didn't seem to be very family friendly when I walked in with my two young kids but our server was very kind and tried to accommodate them as much as possible! read more

Unacceptable noise level. Outstanding food It could earn a Michelin star if it gets noise handled. Clams wonderful in a non butter sauce. Shrimp scampi delicious read more

The food was good at Mel's. The place was crowded with Little League baseball families and couples. The bench seats along the walls needed wiped down and food needed to be picked up from the floor. I chalked this up to how busy the place was. Our waiter seemed to be very new at the job. There were a few hiccups in the service but the kid was so polite and pleasant it was enjoyable. Hubby ordered fried cob and fries. He declared the side of coleslaw that accompanied the dish to be really good, which is high praise from him. I ordered a special which consisted of trout, rice and green beans, with a cranberry sauce. The fish was good, the rice was plain old white rice, the green beans were lacking. However, the cranberries brought flavor to the dish. In fact we are looking forward to trying this at home. If the restaurant wanted to make an immediate correction they should focus on drinks. Every thing had to be dispensed by the single bartender. Between serving guests at the bar and providing drinks for the tables a long line of servers were held captive waiting. Our tab with tip came to $52 read more

Friendly service and delicious food! Four stars because they charge you for every topping on your burger and I think 17.00 is a little unreasonable for a bacon and egg burger. The pesto fries are FANTASTIC read more

Mel's American fare is top notch, everything on the menu is good. Located in the heart of Cooperstown. You can sit inside or outside and the restaurant features a full bar and cocktail list. read more

Rarely am I faced with the challenge of convincing a server to actually up-sell and serve us, but my party of five experienced this at Mel's. On a quiet Tuesday night, we had to convince this woman to bring us additional rounds of drinks, or appetizers before our entrees- which she tried to clear three times before we were finished, or engage in the least bit friendly banter, with the goal of making our experience pleasant. We gave up at one point. We stopped ordering drinks, and were honestly afraid to order dessert because of the dour disposition this woman emanated. She could have easily added $150 to our tab had she picked up the clues we were throwing about bottles of wine and asking about house cocktails. If we couldn't engage her about her own menu- what's the point....? As for the food, we sampled a few appetizers and five entrees. Nothing was memorable. Even now, a week later, I'm having trouble recalling what everyone had. The prices are on the elevated side for the quality/creativity of the menu, but about you'd expect from a resort town restaurant. I would add, however, IN NO WAY is the lobster risotto worth $26- considerably higher than any other entree. My single most favorite menu item- which was absolutely memorable- was the house Old Fashioned; it was perfectly balanced. I planned to have another it was so good, but after my husband practically wrestled our server into bringing him another beer, and receiving the wrong one at that, I cut my losses. As we drove home we all agreed that if we were in Cooperstown and needed a place to go, Mel's would probably be considered, with the caveat that we would not be served by that pathetic server. We would not, however, drive even a few miles out of our way to eat there. In a word I would sum up our experience as- meh. read more

Popular lunch spot. Great atmosphere and delicious beet salad and New England clam chowder.

One of my go to places when I want to get something to eat in Cooperstown. Their mac n cheese is amazing. Don't bother with toppings since it's amazing as is. Also it's even more perfect as take out and make for amazing leftovers. read more

We started out with Josia telling us he was new there but no worries, he's a pro. He guided us through the beers and specials and served them promptly. Fried cauliflower to start took the edge off our hunger. Baked haddock was nice and fresh but only 5 green beans and mashed. My pork tenderloin with prosciutto over spaghetti was good though I should have requested it cooked medium. read more

Everything we ordered was really good. First time in town for baseball games and looked up on yep for the reviews and find this place in town was has the best reviews on it. We love the food and service was great ! Will come back again during the week we are here. read more

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We chose this restaurant based on the great reviews. Feels small and intimate inside. Unique decorating. Called ahead for our group of 8 from 2 hours away. We arrived 30 minutes early and they were still able to accommodate us. A very diverse menu and we chose to order many different meals and share. We had steak, baked avocado, beet salad, fried calamari, lobster risotto and drinks. Everyone enjoyed all the food. Our waiter Luke was attentive and refilled drinks often. The chef/owner came out to greet us at the end of the meal. Delightful man! Will visit again when we are in town. Definitely give this place a try when you visit Cooperstown. read more

Mel's at 22 - Bars Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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This is a place we will come back to next Summer for sure. The food was great, the service was good and we got to eat at a table by the street and just took in whole vibe of Cooperstown as people passed by. I ordered a burger and it was very good, the salads and other sandwiches at the table looked great too and everyone enjoyed their meals. I look forward to our next visit. read more

My husband and I were passing thru Cooperstown after a business meeting. We decided to stop at Mel's at 22 because of the Yelp ratings. When we arrived around 6:30pm, the hostess informed us that the restaurant was totally booked for the evening. However, there was still room at the bar and the bar offers a full dinner menu. Perfect! There is a outdoor patio that is cozy and inviting. Just be sure to make reservations ahead of time. The entrance inside has steps and you open a door into a small area for dining and or is used for live entertainment off to the right of the room. The restaurant is nicely decorated with beautiful chandeliers, black walls, white trim around the windows and white leather seating that adds warmth in the dining room. The bar is a full size wood bar. There is enough surface area for large plates so you can enjoy a nice dinner, without feeling cramped. The high seated bar stools are comfortable and are an additional bonus if you choose to gather at the bar. The restrooms are to the right of the bar and roomy enough to accommodate a few people at the same time. The menu was a delightful selection of fine dining and casual selections. My husband ordered the Chicken- Bacon Snadwhich ( that's how the restaurant spells it!) with a unique chipotle sauce that give a nice hint of fire to the sandwich. He chose the regular fries as a side. He was thrilled with the quality of chicken, the blackened season and sauce. I decided on the Clique Six Salmon dish. It's was amazing!! The presentation was lovely. The salmon was pan-seated perfectly, with a nice garnish of veggie noodles on top. The mango salsa was also placed properly around the quinoa. The owner himself had served my husband and myself. He shared with us that the Clique Six Salmon dish is a dish he always cooked for his daughter and her friends. Her friends are pretty lucky kids! Lastly, my husband inquired about the name of the restaurant. The owner told us that the restaurant is named after his late wife who passed away 3 years ago. G*d bless him and his family. His attentiveness and on hands approach shines thru. Thank you for sharing your story with us. read more

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This restaurant was good. Only the New York Pizzeria was better. We ate here on Father's Day! The restaurant was busy and the servers were swamped. They did a pretty good job of keeping up. The food was good and the prices were fair. read more

Both me and my girlfriend have been to Mel's once before. We very much enjoyed our visit and decided to come back to celebrate her birthday. Reservations were made well in advance, however upon our arrival they scrambled to find adequate seating for us. The food was very good, however it was almost ruined by the fact that we waited an hour and 45 minutes for our entrees. People that were seated after us came and went. I have some allergies but have had no problem before with getting everything in a more than timely manner at this establishment. Disappointed and not sure if we would return, especially considering this was supposed to be a celebratory meal. read more

Great food, great service. Recommend the Brussel Sprouts appetizer and Mac and cheese.

I believe it will be an horrible experience for everyone! Service is the worst. We ended up walking away without tasting anything! The server didn't even apologize at all. What an overrated place. Will never recommend anyone to this place. Not only not recommending but will warn all my friends who come over to this town to avoid this bad place. read more

Mel's at 22 - Extremely awful experience! - Bars Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

Excellent food. The caprese panini was A+, pesto fries are a must, and wait staff was friendly however slow. Partner that with nice outdoor seating, and I think this a great place to go. I initially had a 5* review and it was worded slightly differently. However see the changes below. Changed my review from 5* to 4* because it's now been 15 minutes since we've been done eating and no one has come to check on us. Service has been slightly slow. And I've now changed down to 3* because it took 15 minutes after our waitress dropped off the bill to take it off. And an additional 10 to get our credit card back after we paid. Definitely started off strong and ended up with really slow service and miscommunication. read more

Perfect every time! Staff is attentive but not intrusive. Burgers are outstanding!! Would give 10 stars!!

The shrimp cocktail, scallops and Caesar salad were all very good. Rebecca, my server, did a fantastic job and is a real asset to Mel's. I'd actually give 4.5+ stars, but yelp doesn't allow it. I'm hard-presses to give 5-stars, but occasionally it's earned. I hope to get back here for the chicken parmigiana sometime in the future. read more

Excellent service! Mussels were unexpectedly great!!! Not how we imagined but damn the cream and bacon and onions turned out delicious! California dreamin' burger was also great! It was taller than it was wide, packed with delicious ingredients. On a Friday in summer, definitely make a reservation at least earlier in the day otherwise you may need to wait. No need for a week in advance though, thank goodness. read more

Fantastic find in Cooperstown! We stopped by the baseball hall of fame during the off season and thought that we would be out of luck finding a nice restaurant for dinner. Boy were we wrong! Based on the excellent rating we decided to give Mel's a try and we were not disappointed. The food was amazing and the portion sizes were just right. Generally in a tourist destination you cannot expect good quality food and service; that is not true of Mel's. We were seated immediately and had excellent service from a server who really knew the menu. If you find yourself in Cooperstown, do yourself a favor and visit Mel's! read more

We went in one evening, and service was friendly, but slow. I had to ask for a refill, and my husband had an empty beer glass the entire time he ate. Just wasn't up to par. Our food was good, but pricey. As everything in town is. Not sure if I would go back read more

I would recommend this place. Food was good, the service, while a little slow, still did their best. The pulled pork was tasty and the sandwiches were good. The reason for the fourth star is because at the end, the server voluntarily offered to split the check amongst the three families. This was a pleasant surprise. read more

This place is all class with great food and great service!! Server Kelsey is a Gem!!! She was so attentive and made our dinner perfect! Don't waste ur time going to the Lake Front Restaurant, we did the night before and had a 0 Star meal and service!! Mel's at 22 is where u want to go in Cooperstown!!!! read more

We were here for the baseball tournament but could not eat until it was 2 of us on Wednesday night. It was worth the wait. Excellent happy you waiter, efficient service despite being full, nice open space. The star though is the food. We had the ribeye steaks and it was really great but even better for the price, which was ~25 dollars. Mozzarella half moons unbelievable. So like others have said--great place!! read more

In Cooperstown to visit cousin KC and husband John and we stopped in at Mel's 22 at my request. Saturday lunch Mel's was busy (not a big place) and we had a party of 6 so we had to wait for a table in the main dining area. No problem we were not in a hurry. Sat at the bar had some drinks (a great bloody mary) and good conversation with a good bartender. after approx 15 minutes or so we see the staff setting up table for 6 right next to the front door. KC was not happy. I told her "just wait for the table you want" because and this is key here, We Were Not In A Hurry. But there were some non-confrontational folks in our party and we sat at the table next to the front door which opened every 5 minutes and doused half our table with a blast of cold upstate New York fall air. Personally i'm 300lbs and i didn't mind :) but my aunt and 80 year old mother not so much. Here's the kicker 5 minutes after we sat down in Antarctica the table we were originally waiting for was open and taken by a group that just walked in. God i hate whining about this but the waitress as an explanation says " well we just wanted to get you in here and fed and on your way"..remember the key? We Were Not In A Hurry. Lesson to learn? Listen to your patrons they are not all here for the same reason. The food-I had the portobella mushroom sandwich and cup of chowder white-both very good. Everyone agreed on the food being a highlight. Our waitress rebounded from the seating snafu and did a commendable job while wearing the hat of hostess as well.. Definitely worth another chance. read more

Mel's is a favorite amongst locals and I understand why! I looked for their recommendations on what to provide family members who just loss their mother/grandmother, and they put together two fabulous platters that provided a variety of food choices, looked incredible, tasted amazing, and they delivered it on time. I couldn't be more delighted with their customization and service. I strongly recommend dining here! A+ read more

Mel's at 22 - Steak caprese and a shrimp platter - Bars Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

Came from out of town, was very impressed with how good the brunch was for the price. 3 people plus one mimosa for $35! Homefries were super good. read more

Mel's at 22 - Mascarpone Crepe with berry compote and candied walnuts - Bars Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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