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    Mel's Downtown

    4.4 (24 reviews)
    InexpensiveAmerican, Pizza, Diners
    Closed 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Mel's Downtown Photos

    MEL'S DOWNTOWN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Malibu Chicken dinner also included a great bowl of soup.
    Anthony U.

    The first thing I saw upon entering was an old bust of Elvis in the corner. Shortly after I sat down I was talking to a local and it turned out this guy was both the town school bus driver AND the postal delivery person. Yes, welcome to super rural Indiana. With that said I decided to not judge too harshly on the mismatched tables and chairs or the poor choice of displayed "art". I had the Malibu Chicken dinner with fries and soup. The Twice Baked Potato soup was possibly the best soup I've had in the last few years. Large firm potato cubes, a selection of veggies, and enough cut up bacon to equal it's own sandwich. The chicken was solid as well with a juicy boneless breast, ham off the bone, and an ample amount of mozzarella cheese melted on top. The Italian Beef sandwich came with a bowl of a jus and the fries were meaty and crispy. Another winning meal. The only negatives here are CASH ONLY sales and a very tiny single bathroom. But again, it's a small diner in a small rural town and these weren't big issues. If you're driving past on 114 then make the three block drive north to downtown Morocco and eat at Mel's!!

    Best Burger around!
    Griffin B.

    The food here is spectacular. They have a wide range of food and for a small price you get A LOT of food. As an appetizer I suggest you get their Garlic Dots. The pizza for a main dish is great and the burgers are the best around. Small place in a small town, so you can only use cash or local check, which is the only downside.

    Perch, fries and slaw
    Elaine K.

    Skin on fries, perch, bluegill, homemade slaw. What's not to like? Our server couldn't have been more pleasant. She only works at Mel's on Fridays, but truly made our stop a pleasure. Hoosier hospitality at its best!

    This was a spontaneous stop on our way home from Chicago and wow are we glad we came! Great service, and even more delicious food! I got a 1/2 pound bacon cheeseburger with onion straws and my husband got a double bacon cheeseburger and curly fries and cheese. We traded burgers because I prefer thinner, crispy edged patties. It's a massive meal, neither one of us finished and we got a box to take home. When we are in the area again, we will without a doubt be back! Thanks Mel!

    The best Italian Beef I've ever had, besides my Mom's.  And cheese curds, of course.

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    10 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Awesome food. First time there today. Nice kind people. Prices great. Big portions. Definitely will go back to try pizza. JULY 13 2024​​

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    3 years ago

    Garlic cheese curds are to die for. Chicago style pizza is great as well. So far so good. We'll be back

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Absolutely yummy! And friendly service! Nice place to dine in or take out. I would recommend this restaurant to all!

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    Review Highlights - Mel's Downtown

    The Italian Beef sandwich came with a bowl of a jus and the fries were meaty and crispy.

    $6.59 Italian Beef

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    Fenwick Farms Brewing Company - Kids' cheeseburger and sweet potato fries

    Fenwick Farms Brewing Company

    4.0(48 reviews)
    15.7 mi
    $$

    Smoked kielbasa as an appetizer on the menu? Heck yeah, I'm here for it. And you know what? The…read moresmoked kielbasa was even better than I was hoping it would be. It came with three different sauces: beer-infused mustard, tangy barbecue and creamy horseradish. I could have just sat here and ate charred pork and drank beer and I would have been happy. We also got a Caesar salad, which was OK but would have been a bit better if it came dressed -- the dressing came on the side. The wedge salad was good but was less of a wedge and more of a regular salad. Fenwick Farms has a kids menu, which features things like cheeseburgers, buttered noodles, chicken strips and other kid-friendly foods. Each kids meal comes with a side and a dessert (ice cream sundae), although we didn't get our ice cream, but it was fine because my kids didn't need anymore sugar that day. Speaking of kids: They have free arcade games to play! My kids played Pac-Man and NBA Jam while we waited for our food. The Fenwick Farms Brewing Co. beer is made right here at the brewery, and this is the first and only craft brewery in Rensselaer. They have 30 different beers on tap (most their own, some guest beers), and they offer flights. Indiana knows how to do craft beer, and FFBC is another great example of great beer.

    We have been wanting to visit here for a while, and I'm so glad we finally did! The service was…read morefast and friendly, the drinks were great, and the food was memorable! The server helped me pick a popular drink, she let me try any of their tap beers before deciding what I wanted. We had the sausage appetizer and it was delicious! We will definitely be back!

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    Fenwick Farms Brewing Company - Dining room

    Dining room

    Fenwick Farms Brewing Company
    Fenwick Farms Brewing Company - Front of Fenwick Farms Brewing Company, Rensselaer

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    Front of Fenwick Farms Brewing Company, Rensselaer

    Pizza Di Farfalla - Pepperoni   10/10

    Pizza Di Farfalla

    4.8(41 reviews)
    45.2 mi

    Found this pizza place in an unexpected area. It certainly doesn't look like anywhere you would…read moreexpect it to be as good. Pizza Di Farfalla is located in the back of a coffee shop in New Lenox. A kind of pretty strange setup but it's apparently popular enough. The prices are pretty crazy even for those artisan types of pizzas. Coming in here the first time it was confusing. It's actually in the same location as Gost Coffee Roasters. They usually have a sandwich board out front when they're open so just go in there. Go around to the back. There's a counter to order at and more seating. It's about $12 for the Garlic Knots. We got these and they were great for sharing. Bad thing is these are often sold out. That's no surprise because these are by far the cheapest thing. It's $20 or more for a pizza. These are just regular sized pizzas. Crazy prices to be honest. They may be good but it's way too much for this. Great pizzas as long as you can get past the high prices and running out of so many ingredients and items. It's closed Mondays and Tuesdays. They have pretty limited menu and they still run out of whatever.

    Pizza Di Farfalla has been getting a lot of hype, so we had to see what the buzz was about. It's…read morelocated inside Ghost Coffee--our favorite coffee shop in New Lenox--so right away the vibe is fun, light, and a little unexpected. (And yes, we obviously grabbed coffee too. It's impossible to step foot in Ghost without one of their top-tier drinks.) For food, we ordered the garlic knots and The Cade pizza (garlic, sausage, pepperoni, jalapeños). I added a side of Mike's Hot Honey for a sweet kick--not that it was necessary with the jalapeños, but it worked. The garlic knots were delicious, generously portioned, and a perfect warm-up. The pizza itself was beautifully presented and tasted just as good as it looked. One thing to note: this isn't your typical greasy, grab-a-slice type of spot. Farfalla leans into the fine dining side of pizza--brick-ovened, elevated, and full of flavor. It's not where I'd go to pick up a stack of pies for a family party after a long day, but it's absolutely where I'd go for a date night or a cozy movie night at home. I'll definitely be back--because apparently coffee and pizza is my new weird (and wonderful) combo.

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    Pizza Di Farfalla - Pizza Di Farfalla

    Pizza Di Farfalla

    Pizza Di Farfalla
    Pizza Di Farfalla

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    Mel's Downtown - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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