I love it when a restaurant exceeds expectations! We were tired after a long day and even though we didn't have reservations, we decided to take a chance and walked in. Even though they were slammed, they were kind enough to squeeze us in. The food was amazing, even the bread service was tasty! I started with clam chowder that really hit the spot. I took several of my fellow Yelpers advice and went with the lobster risotto. That was seriously good eats! As you can see from the photos, it's as much about the scallops as the lobster, but there's plenty of claw meat to satisfy fans of those red critters. My companion asked if she could substitute a downsized beet salad for her garden salad and they had no problem with that. She loved her pork chop, but her only complaint was mushy brussel sprouts. Eh...they got A LOT right. If you're in Cooperstown, I HIGHLY recommend stopping in (but make a reservation first, it's a very small place). read more

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

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Bringing my son to Cooperstown Dreams Park and figured we'd grab an early dinner. California burger was great. Big juicy burger, brie, avocado.... The southern style burger with pulled pork and a fried egg was also juicy. Definitely left feeling full There is a decent kids menu (doesn't include a drink). The place was empty because it was a friday at 4:30, service was ok... water refill.... keep waiting. The waitress was nice, just not attentive. The restaurant is right in the heart of downtown Cooperstown so it's a convenient location. Since it's in Cooperstown I'll rate it a run scoring double off the wall. read more

Amazing food and amazing service! Colleen our server is the BEST! My girlfriend and I loved dealing with her. Her suggestions are on the money! Talk about a server who knows her food and suggestions!! read more

I have never dined at a more excellent restaurant in Cooperstown than Mel's. My boyfriend and I came up for a snowboarding trip back in April and realized this was the new, awesome spot in town. They even have live music Friday! Anyway, back in April my boyfriend and I went to their brunch. Excellent French Toast and my boyfriend has a delicious egg dish with toast. Drinks were fabulous, and the restaurant has a quaint view of Main Street. Love! The service was friendly, prompt, and overall excellent. If I could give the servers 6 stars, I would. Even when I complained that my drink was weak, they brought me back a stronger and better one. Mel's will always have my business, and I was just there this past Friday with my boyfriend returning for some amazing live music and scrumptious food. Cheers! read more

The restaurant is adorable, and the staff are all really friendly, but the actual service was extremely slow. The hostesses need to handle crowds a little better. In all fairness, I was there during the hall of fame inductions a few weeks ago. The restaurant wasn't full when I arrived, and there was still a lot of confusion happening at the hostess station. Plus by the time I was seated, they ran out of many of the dishes. I heard the waitress explaining that it was due to the rush brought on by the inductions - the delivery trucks couldn't get into town or something. My waitress was great, very friendly, and made suggestions as to what we should eat. I started with the seared tuna, it was fantastic. My husband had the crab cakes and he said they were delicious. I then had a bacon burger with pesto fries, also very good. Hubby had chicken parm that he enjoyed very much. Wish we lived closer, we'd definitely be back to try more dishes. read more

We didn't eat any food because the hostess was extremely rude. It started when she told us they had a bunch of reservations so we had to leave by 5:30. That was 2 hours away and they were only serving sandwiches. Then she walked off and left us standing there until we finally just walked out. Not a good move for a party of six. read more

Great food with the great staff with a nice atmosphere with a great bar section right in the town of Cooperstown New York.

Just finished a wonderful dinner with friends. We are at the bar served by a friendly, knowledgeable bartender. Our appetizers included a buffalo chicken rag ion that was just the right type of hot and a flavorful calamari. One friend had a clam chowder that left him smiling Our entrees included lobster risotto with dry scallops, pork chops and anointed roll. All were great We highly recommend Mel's. read more

The lunch menu/food was mediocre. The service was alright. They weren't refilling our drinks as often as they should have considering the fact that their cups are small. The California dream burger was really good. The twin tacos were okay.. kind of bland. The clam chowder was very delicious!! read more

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

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I agree with this restaurant as the #1 on the top 5 picks in Cooperstown. Very delicious food - I got the shrimp scampi, my oh my it was very delicious! As well for dessert, extremely good radp read more

Mel's is one of the best places to eat in Cooperstown. We stopped here for a quick lunch before heading to Ommegang, and were very pleasantly surprised by the food and cocktails at Mel's. The tots were a great side to our tacos and wrap. And the drinks were super refreshing and a great alternative if you're tired of all the beer. Our server was also very on-point, friendly, and made sure we had a great overall experience. Very highly recommended! read more

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

Hello, I write this on the basis of 2 different dining experiences at this restaurant. I have been seated in both the formal dining area as well as the bar/lounge area. 1. General appearance and Atmosphere: Frontage displays both sides of restaurant (bar and dining area) with large windows on either side. Appealing. Restaurant interior: bar side is slightly darker, restaurant side brightly lit, perhaps a little too much so. Clean interior. Dining side has more of a formal feel (art prints on walls), while the bar/lounge side is more relaxed (occasional live band). 2. Greeting: hostess staff ambivalence very noticeable, almost antagonistic but was not. 3. Service staff: waitress very friendly and approachable. Present throughout course of meal. 4. Table: simple, clean, unpretentious. 5. Menu: their usual menu appears to be old and worn in both appearance and, therefore, change. The specials were few yet varied and clear in description. Drink menu separate. 6. Food and Drink: Non alcoholic beverage completely devoid of taste. Entree: Fish with side salad. The side salad had the appearance of being thrown together at the last minute. Small. Greens were fresh, however. The fish was prepared hot and fresh. The colors of the sauce and accompaniments (grains) were varied, vibrant and inviting. The sauce for the fish was slightly acidic and savoury; however, the remainder of the dish was incompletely seasoned, lacked true flavors and it appeared that this dish was "trying to hard". This is the only phrase that I can best describe this. Dessert: N/A. 7. Value: is in keeping with this meal costing less than the national average meal price. 8. Conclusions: It is only my opinion that this location has potential that has yet to be realized. As the town has some options for dining, it is my opinion that another location for excellent cuisine would be very worthwhile. Thank-you for your consideration. read more

Fantastic dinner at Mel's 22. For appetizer had the Rangoon and scallops, both were delicious. Ordered the smoked mozzarella ravioli w scallops also amazing . Our waitress was so gracious and sweet. Would recommend this restaurant to anyone . read more

Went out for lunch, the lunch menu had variety and was reasonably priced. Food was delicious, wait staff was very helpful and friendly. The atmosphere was pleasant, especially the marble top rod iron tables. Would definitely go back! read more

We ate a late lunch here and had an incredible experience! Our server Mikayla was so kind, sweet and helpful. The food was life changing. I had the Buffalo chicken salad and my husband had the California burger. Our speciality cocktails were tasty as well. Other tables were complaining about having to wait for their food, though the wait was no more than 25 minutes at most. Yes, it was busy. But it is also Memorial Day weekend, with a baseball tournament going on in town, so this was to be expected. Don't go to a busy restaurant during peak hours if you aren't willing to wait for your food. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for incredible food and a friendly experience. read more

The burgers were excellent. There was a snafu with our order causing 4 tables arriving after us to receive their food ahead of us. To make matters worse, those tables received 4 burgers - yes, I got up and counted. After telling a server, not ours, that we didn't receive our order things got better. The owner insisted on paying for our meal, despite our protests. The waitress was simply new and forgot to put in our order. So, my three stars are not because of the service or quality of the burger. The three stars are due to serving fries that were not hand cut and tater tots that were not homemade. I'd still go back because the burgers were that good. read more

If you are looking for a hearty meal look elsewhere. You won't find it here. If I had my choice, I'd rate this at 2.5 stars. My wife and went here for a Wednesday night as we were visiting Cooperstown for a couple of days. I had the baked haddock, my wife the salmon. My haddock was fairly good as were the potatoes (mashed) and the green beans cooked just right. My wife enjoyed the salmon but they put in a hot sauce (Not mentioned on the menu) with Quinoa. Needless to say she ate around the edges. MY dislikes. They serve the worlds smallest salad. The plate size may be slightly bigger that a coffee saucer. Two cucumber slices, two small onion slices and one tomato. Our drinks - I had a white Russian, that was in a 6 oz. glass that was mostly ice. My wife had the house chardonnay and she said it tasted watered down, The tables are small and if you are there when the place is full forget about having a conversation with the person sitting directly across from you. I took out my phone and did a DB check. It was from between 66 and 85. 70 is busy traffic sound. All this for 70.00 read more

Fantastic dinner. We had salmon, lobster mac n cheese, side salads, tomato soup, cheeseburger w fries, bread and oil/balsamic. Friendly service and it was so busy. Highly recommend. read more

Mel's at 22 - Salmon with vegetable noodles over rice. Excellently done. - Bars Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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Delicious lunch with my husband and son. We're in town for my younger son's stint at Cooperstown Dream Park, and stopped in here for lunch after visiting the Fenimore Art Museum. The atmosphere very nice, with good decor and comfortable tables. The playlist was terrific. Our server was a tad soft-spoken, but quite attentive. I got the Hang Ten salad with added crumbly blue cheese. My husband got the spinach salad with salmon special, and my son got the Hometown Burger with a side salad. Everything was fresh and delicious. My husband declared his salad the best he'd ever had. This was a great spot for lunch, and I'm hoping we have a chance to go back for dinner before we leave town. read more

Great restaurant. Good food. Soup was very good. I got a $35 parking ticket - can't blame restaurant though. Nice cow picture behind bar. Fun place read more

We had the scallop appetizer and a veal marsala for our main course. Everything was excellent.

Spectacular food! Had the wedge yesterday for lunch and the clam chowder. Awesome. Burger was great today also. Service great. Have to update. Lunch - third day in a row. Met Brian the owner - so friendly. Great service at the bar with two Sets of parents and three kids. Spectacular awesome food!!!!!!! Chowder to die for. read more

Amazing food and atmosphere! Their burgers are amazing and they have outside seating which is nice! The clam chowder is amazing. Definitely recommend. read more

Mel's has amazing service and the food was really nice. Great environment and such a a good vibe of both locals and baseball tourists. Everything we had, having gone twice, was great! read more

This place is so quaint & the food is superb. A must try is there crab cakes & so is their baked haddock. Someone had the black & blue bugger which was huge & quite tasty. Another must is the garlic pesto fries. read more

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I was here on a birthday brunch. Everyone here was extremely arrogant and rude and the customer service was awful. We came in and after ordering we waited an hour without the waitress coming at all to explain the long wait. No one asked us if we wanted something to eat in the meantime, refilled our water, or apologized about the wait. Even after asking for our waitress numerous times she didn't come. We decided to leave and upon explaining why we were leaving all they gave us was shocked faces. They didn't care and we are more than happy to take our business elsewhere. Extremely disappointed and would not recommend. read more

We discovered this cute place on our way through Cooperstown and it was best choice we made. The atmosphere is quaint. But the food is phenomenal. As a fan of New England Clam Chowder I'm always trying different places who make it. Mel's NECC was homemade and the best I've ever had! My friend licked her bowl! My husband and friends order the burgers and and I had salad. Everything else was just as amazing! My husband then ordered a lemon marscapone dessert that was incredible. We didn't want to leave, telling the waitress were just staying for dinner...lol. Well we finished lunch and bought 2 more orders of soup. We will definitely be back! Highly recommended. read more

Found this place on a prayer. We had gone to a couple of locations prior to this and had walked out... so glad we stayed at Mels. We came with a group of 6. Sat us with no reservation and restaurent was packed. Lively bar and beautiful decor. Attentive staff (they were lovely!) who was knowledgeable about the menu. Couldnt have asked for a more enjoyable night with our friends. Food was amazing. Simply amazing. Great wine list. Would absolutely come back...and frankly cant wait to do so. read more

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On a recent trip to Cooperstown my bf and I dined at Mels on 22. We made a reservation 2 days prior. This is a necessity. I oedered the french porkchop and he has the lobster risotto with scallops. The food was excellent. The chop was succulent and moist. Risotto was creamy and flavorful with a generous amount of the crustacean. Seared scallops were cooked to perfection. The only caveat would be our tiny table. We had to reposition the cup, plates and silverware to accommodate our entrees. Attentive staff and quick service, would definitely be back. read more

Mel's at 22 - French porkchops and Loster Risotto with scallops. YUM - Bars Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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Great food, do takeout at least once a week.My husband's favorite is the grilled steak, nice cut and seasoned perfectly. Burgers are great too read more

First off, they have heady topper cans. Secondly, the food is amazing. We went for dinner on an extremely busy night, and while we waited a bit for the food it was worth every second. I had the stuffed avocado and it was the best thing I have ever eaten. It was both light and filling, flavorful but subtle. It was quite frankly, amazing. We also tried the mozzarella half moons (yum) and bacon blue burger, which were also great. After a long, hot day we stopped at this place because they had air conditioner, but we were sooo glad we did. 15/10 would come here again. read more

Really nice selection of foods. Great chef. Nice little bar inside. This place gets crowded on the weekends but worth the wait.

We were in Cooperstown to see a show at Ommegang and check out the Baseball Hall of fame and museum. Went to Mel's for dinner based on reviews and wasn't disappointed. Last night we had the fish and chips, chowder and studded avocado and tuna appetizer. Today we had cheeseburgers and a lobster roll. The burger was awesome!! read more

The food and service are quite exceptional here at Mel's. The clam chowder was the best I've had in quite a while, and I was in Nantucket recently. The lobster risotto was the show stopper! It was topped with heavenly seared scallops, and huge chunks of lobster claws read more

Pesto garlic fries are an absolute must. Lobster Roll was on point. Awesome choice for lunch! read more

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

Way too noisy & crowded - the service and food suffers accordingly. The noise is compounded by a band. Food is well done but uninspired - but go there when the decibel level is bearable. Works better as a bar. Frankly, there are better options within walking distance - the newly refurbished Hawkeye at the Otesaga does the same sort of food better in a pleasant setting with lake view, Toscanas does Italian well, and Alex's is for serious foodies who can actually hear the sound track. read more

Lunch 8/9/2018. Best Haddock sandwich I've ever had. Everything else was good. Interior a bit tired, but the food and price was a good value. Good service. Many places in Cooperstown are overpriced. Mel's provides a good alternative for quality food. read more

Stopped here based on the many verbal recommendations and we were not disappointed. My dad had the muscles appetizer and he said they were the best he has had. The sauce they came in were delicious. I had the California Burger and loved it. We actually liked our dinner so much we went back again for lunch the next day. I would highly recommend Mel's but make a reservation early! read more

Had a great lunch at Mel's at 22/while in Cooperstown. I ordered the Philly Steak sandwich which was one of the specials. The beef was so tender it melt in my mouth. The onions and peppers were sauteed to perfection. Our server, Chris, was fantastic! My husband thought his Rueben was delicious and well-proportioned. read more

Nice atmosphere, great food and friendly service! The chef personally came out and asked how the food was. Our waitress Meagan was polite and punctual. We would eat here again! read more