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    Mel's Country Cafe

    4.3 (768 reviews)
    ModerateSouthern, American
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    MEL'S COUNTRY CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Mel's Country Cafe

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    hot sauce
    Michael R.

    Ooen since 1994, Mels has expanded over the years and now seats 148. Maybe we got them on an off day. They were rated one of the best burgers in Texas so I tried the cheeseburger... it was not great. They overcooked the tater tots, and the ground beef, the tomatoes on the burger were past their prime, so it was frankly below average as an experience. They do better on other dishes-- the small chicken fried steak is huge and made from good meat. The catfish also got high marks. Service was good. Order rolls, not cornbread. Large open space gets loud.

    No nice, and remodeled.
    Bethanne A.

    We split the hamburger steak and ordered an extra side for me...Black eye peas. They were the best. Hamburger steak a grilled onions were delicious. Hubs had corn and green beans. The yeast rolls are good, but sweet cornbread is too dry. The service staff is on top of everthing.everything.. Since the remodel, the place is so nice.

    Jeff C.

    Love this really lowkey hidden local gem!! Food was amazing, service was amazing. 1st time there and I really can see myself coming back for the burger. They even have the burger challenge! The stuff u see on the food network channel. Thank you Jace for taking care of us. Long day shooting firearms but that lunch definitely did the trick!

    They decided to close 30 minutes early
    Sharon S.

    Sept 13 2025 My dad would have been 76 today. He passed 21 years ago on Sept 26th. We come out to these parts to change the flowers on his grave and then eat at Mel's because he loved it and because we all ate here after his funeral. We showed up at 8:32. They are supposed to close at nine. It's a Saturday today. I fully expected to possibly order to-go so as not to keep them too late in the dining area. A young lady met me at the door to tell me they closed early. She told my husband it was slow so they decided to shut down. So much for Dad's remembrance dinner.

    Isabel - Our Awesome Server - with her "Dollar-Bow-Tie" Award for going 'above-n-beyond' the norm....
    Ron M.

    "ENJOYING SOME COUNTRYLICIOUSNESS with FAMILY" Met up with family at Mels Country Cafe in Tomball. Have not been there since they reopened after the fire. I have always loved their Burgers and Desserts. Isabel is our server and took our drink order. Wife and I had their WineRita Pineapple-Jalapeno (Margaritas). We also ordered from the Appetizer menu, the "Fried Mushrooms" (2-orders); Hand battered Fried Mushrooms. Served with your choice of Horseradish or Ranch Dressing. Chose both. When our drinks arrived, we placed our food order. My wife and I are each having the "Raspberry Chicken Salad"; Cajun grilled Chicken Breast on a bed of Spring Salad Mix, Feta Cheese, BACON, Red Onions, Croutons, Cucumbers & Tomatoes. Served with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing. The Boys, Daaron, Chris & Tyler are each having "The Mel Burger"; A full pound of Fresh Ground Beef, 1/2 pound of BACON, 3 slices of American Cheese garnished with all the traditional favorite trimmings. The Girls, Step & Jaiden are each having the "Southern Hot & Spicy Chicken Sandwich"; Southern Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich. A Chicken Fried Chicken Breast served on a regular bun dressed with Hot Honey, Lettuce, and topped with Homemade Pimento. Several French Fries will be around the table for all to enjoy. While we were enjoying those Pineapple-Jalapeno Margaritas, the Fried Mushrooms arrived. First off, that drink is mighty tasty with a solid kick - that's some good stuff. The Mushrooms didn't last long. They are absolutely the Best Fried Mushrooms around, with the Perfect Breading creating a slight crunch - with some very fresh Delicious Mushrooms inside. The Horseradish was a good choice, it really added a kick to these Mushrooms. Ranch goes with everything and these Mushrooms were just that much better. We chatted for a while, then our main food arrived. Those Mel Burgers are HUGE with lots of BACON all around and draping down the sides. Lots of Tasty Meat Patties also, and each was also prepared Perfectly. All three of the boys loved their Mel Burger. It's also one of my favorite Burgers ever. I had this before and they look the same now. Mels does Burgers right. The French Fries were also enjoyed and most of them were gone. The girls loved their Spicy Chicken Sandwich. which has the Just Right amount of Hot Honey to the Chicken. My wife and I loved our Raspberry Chicken Salad. It has a lot of Chicken in there and was Tastyliciousness in every bite. Love that Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing. It was thick and strong on the Raspberry, the way it should be. Mels always hits it our of the ball park, and they did so the night we were there. Isabel was great and earned the Dollar-Bow-Tie Award for going 'above-n-beyond' the norm. It's always fun getting together with family and Mels was the right place to do just that.

    Dinner rolls and sweet cornbread
    Ruth K.

    So we started by ordering a basket of onion rings and I have to tell you that those are some of the best onion rings I've had in years. They were super crispy but the breading was very light, in fact super light. That was a nice surprise because I get tired of a gob of breadcrumbs in my mouth while I'm trying to eat an onion ring. They brought some rolls and cornbread and I liked the cornbread because it was sweet. They don't have butter for it and I don't eat whipped margarine spread, but the sweetness was sufficient that I ate it by itself and enjoyed it. Mr. Picky is not a sandwich man, but I talked him into trying a house special sandwich that was not on the main menu but rather was listed on a small side menu. That was the southern hot honey and spicy chicken sandwich served with green tomato and pimento cheese. He really loved that and I had to pull hard to grab just one sample bite, and I agree that it was very tasty. It was super duper messy so my suggestion is that you just sit there and eat the thing and don't bother cleaning your fingers until you're done :-). I ordered the chicken fried steak but honestly couldn't figure out why so many people talk about it, I thought it was just very average and I left most of it on the plate. One of my sides was the potato cheese soup and that was actually a nice surprise, not too thick, and really quite tasty. When it came to dessert we couldn't make up our minds on what to get. I looked at the menu and there were three things that seemed interesting. I asked the waitress what her favorite things were on the dessert menu and she named the three things I had been looking at. Well, we just had to order three desserts and we'd share them all to see what we liked. Our great waitress, Madeleine, joked that there were no judgments in the place for eating extra dessert. :-). We just like to sample so we know for future what we like. Anyway, Mr. Picky glommed right onto the homemade bourbon chocolate fudge pecan pie served with ice cream, and I had to fight him again to get one tiny little bite; it was actually pretty good. We both tried the blackberry cobbler and it was okay but we didn't love it; I like a cobbler with an actual pie crust not a soft cake kind of thing, so most of that stayed on the table. Our third dessert was the banana pudding and that's the one that I really liked. Next time I will tell them to leave the little cookies and cream in the kitchen and just bring me that lovely bowl - and it was generous in size - filled with custard and banana. Loved that! Overall, Mr. Picky had a fabulous meal, but I would order something else next time, but the experience was good enough that we will go back.

    Catfish
    John B.

    This restaurant was quite busy on a Friday night but we only had to wait a few minutes for a table for four. I had the grilled catfish. If you are not hungry this is a monster amount of food to get through. If you are famished, you will appreciate the plate full of food. My catfish had a good flavor. Overall a good experience. As we were here before the fire and were returning for the first time we were pleased to see that the overall feel of Mel's has not changed. Our server was efficient and the food arrived quickly. There is lots of parking.

    Catfish!

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    3 months ago

    Mui Buenos the burgers were juicy and the jalapeño buns were killer the fries were just right the banana pudding was Soto die for

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    17 days ago

    The wait for our table was not too long! It was an experience to visit a popular diner in Texas! Service and food was good.

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    8 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Good old fashioned comfort food. It's pretty noisy at night you might not be able to enjoy your conversation but you will enjoy the meal.

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    4 months ago

    Such kind and caring staff members and the food was outstanding! The fried catfish was amazing! And their desserts were delicious!!!

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    1 month ago

    Amazing food. Attentive service. In a small country setting. Would take all my family and friends here for a great meal

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    3 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Delicious Monte cristo and fried catfish. Definitely recommend this place and will come back.

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    2 months ago

    Friendly , clean & delicious food ! Definitely returning ! This WAS ALL our first time!

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    4 months ago

    Very good service. Food was excellent and large portions. The menu has a large range of menu options.

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    4 months ago

    Service is not good. Staff is rude. Do not order appetizers-unless you have 2 hrs to dine. Your food will be served very late.

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    As of 05/16/2024 Mel's IS open

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    Hartz Chicken Buffet

    Hartz Chicken Buffet

    3.0
    (34 reviews)
    3.6 mi
    $

    Man was I impressed. All these sides were made from scratch…read more Sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, navy beans, carrots, squash, cabbage, heck the list goes on. Fried chicken, baked chicken. COVID-19 has affected everyone, they serve you for safety measures. But it's good. Real good.

    Worst experience EVER!!!!!! Walked in only 2 other tables being used. We got 2 buffets. Went to…read morefill our plates. I wanted some chicken livers. They looked really burnt but I picked 2 thst looked the best. I also got a chicken thigh. Went to the vegi's and there was 1 boiled red potato (small) I got that because I din;t want mashed potatoes. Got a cup of cream gravy and a roll. Stopped by the salad bar and got a few sliced beets. Sat down and decided to try a chicken liver. I put it in my mouth and I had to spit it out. IT WAS RANCID. I went up and asked if they could cook a few more. I was told NO becuase they were closing. I asked why we weren't told that when we paid and she just shrugged her shoulders and said The kitchen is closed, So I sat back down and tried the chicken thigh, I broke the skin and oil ran out. So needless to say I wiped it off and ate a few bites. The gravy was like water. My husband got up and asked if he could get a small cup (like they give you for the gravy) of peach cobbler since they were closing and the man said NO you eat here cannot take it out. In the meantime another couple came in and paid for 2 buffets and after they paid they were handed 2 takeout boxes and were told to take it home. Now I realize that today is the 4th of July. There was no sign on the door that said they were closing early and when we left the OPEN sign was still on. NEVER NEVER NEVER GO THERE. I hope I don't get sick from the food. This was for the Hartz's on 249 in the Hobby Lobby Parking lot.

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    Hartz Chicken Buffet
    Hartz Chicken Buffet
    Hartz Chicken Buffet

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    Tumble 22

    Tumble 22

    3.9
    (384 reviews)
    8.9 mi
    $$

    Accustomed to Houston hot chicken, Red Chickz and the like, I causally walked into Tumble 22 fully…read moreexpecting a fast casual, order at the counter experience. Boy was I surprised to be seated by a hostess only to glance around to find a bar, enclosed patio and semi open kitchen. Did the meal itself differ from its fast casual counterparts? Not by much, but the offerings were more robust. I love to see pie on the menu alongside shakes, and while Mac and cheese and fries are welcome, orange chicken, Korean spices, broccoli salad, collards and heavenly eggs are a welcome change of pace. Our first trip (dine in) was about a 4-5 star experience. I waiter was not the most attentive and the food took quite awhile but the experience was positive enough for me to return. The second trip was a drive thru experience and it was...not as pleasant. Our service wasn't the best, our attendant less than enthused to be doing their job. A matter of fact, I felt like I was bothering her by ordering. While my food was fine, my sandwich came without napkins and again the food (one sandwich) took quite awhile. I'm unsure if I'll return with so many options in the area, but I'm glad I experienced them twice!

    Service was awesome. They were very welcoming and they stopped by often at the table. It was our…read morefirst time and they helped guide us through the choices. Broccoli salad tasted great, my chicken sandwich was moist and shoestring fries were crunchy! I really liked the dirty mac as the cheese was cheesy and the chicken sandwich was also really good. The sandwich looked squished but for the amazing price who cares as long as it taste right! I would absolutely come back. I hope they open more locations and into a bigger location for this one since it was busy!

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    Interior
    Interior
    Dirty Fries
    Dirty Fries
    Tumble 22

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    Mel's Country Cafe - southern - Updated July 2026

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