Excellent service and food. I had the Beef Short Ribs with mashed potatoes and Steamed Vegetables. The Demi glaze was spot on!

Seriously the best place! my husband was across the street at Cpmc hospital and I ate here almost every day. I've never had anything bad. Great waitresses and excellent food! We will continue to go here. read more

Had Mel's for dinner while staying at the adjoining Courtyard Marriott hotel with my mom on Mother's Day. Ordered cocktails at the bar and ordered food to take up to our room. The server/bartender was great! She even brought over a rose for my mom for Mother's Day :) Totally made our visit, wonderful personality and conversation. The food was solid. BLT is classic diner style with lots of mayo and juicy tomatoes on San Francisco Sourdough. The salmon was good, but not outstanding.. really liked the sautéed veggies though! FYI they have a limited menu now due to Covid, and its not on their website. I have included pics of it to help any future diners. Can't wait to try their breakfast options! read more

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Little disappointed. Staying at the hotel attached and walked in at 10:35pm. Says it closes at 11pm. Kitchen staff was cleaning and I asked if they were open. Both looked at each other and said they were closed. I asked when they closed and sheepishly looked at their watches and pretended they didn't understand. Ultimately said "uhhh, 10:30". I said, I thought it says on the door and online 11. Responded and said no you're wrong, 10:30. read more

I have gone to Mel's Kitchen several times. I usually order the Nachos. They are delicious. The quality has been the same every time I have ordered them. I would recommend this place to all my friends and family. read more

My wife and I were in San Francisco because my son was having surgery at CPMC Van Ness Campus. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott across the street from the hospital. Incorporated into the NW corner on the ground floor of the hotel is Mel's Kitchen (a restaurant affiliated with the famous Mel's Drive-In franchise). We were in SF for six days. To put this review into some perspective, we were under duress, anxious, very concerned parents - Mel's Kitchen became our refuge as well as our regeneration place. We ended up refueling at Mel's many times during our stay - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mel's customer mix was a blend of regulars, town folk and visitors (many from the hotel). I would describe the food as upscale "diner-style", but that would be a bit of a disservice to the cuisine. Everything we had (and we ate a wide variety) was very well prepared and presented. And, everything was very delicious and tasty - full meals, salads, appetizers, small plates and drinks. (If you're a fan of old fashioned milk shakes, wow, this is the place.) Great fried chicken entries and sandwiches, nicely prepared salmon, amazing burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, all-day breakfast, short ribs, meatloaf and the best chicken and waffles! By chance, we were in SF for Mel's 75th anniversary celebration - what fun! The staff became our traveling family. Ricardo, Primi, Jake, Antonia, Felipe, and Delma were gracious, fun, comforting and treated us with laughter and kindness. Can't say enough about you guys! Many, many thanks! You won't go to Mel's for fine dining. You won't go to Mel's for fast food (although their fries are superb!). You will go to Mel's for yummy comfort food, mouthwatering upscale diner fare, tasty appetizers, adult beverages in a welcoming, friendly, enjoyable environment. It's hard to capture the special atmosphere and nature of Mel's Kitchen and what it and its staff meant to us as visitors to SF. Let's just say it will be a lasting memory. How often do you hug your servers when you leave after your final meal - we did! Ten stars! read more

This is the first time I came here din e they renovated it to Mel's kitchen. I was pretty surprised by the limited entree selections versus when it was Mel's Diner. Well, getting to the lunch I ordered, it was not very good. I ordered the 1/2 clam chowder and 1/2 BLT. The chowder were luke warm and bland. It had no taste and the bacon from the sandwich was like cardboard. Close to burnt. Next time I have an appointment at the medical building across the street, I'll go to Tommy Joints instead for lunch. Nice that management took notice to my review. I may come back only to take advantage of the 10% off that I noticed yelp offers when you check in. read more

Mel's Kitchen - Lunch special 1/2 soup and 1/2 BLT - American Near Me - San Francisco, California

$23.55 for two eggs and a side of potatoes and orange juice. Not including tip. Definitely not worth it.

Seated immediately during the (weekday) lunch hour. Staff was friendly and mostly attentive. The lunch menu is simple, and lends itself to the "diner" experience, with perhaps a San Francisco twist of not being messy on the plate, as well as "healthier". I had the burger, and the toppings and bun were fantastic. The meat could have had a bit more flavor, but arrived cooked to my request, along with an order of fries that were fresh, but again - could have used more seasoning. With a diet soda, the bill was $21 before tip, which is a little high - even for downtown SF. Was a good walk though, being just north of City Hall. Suggestion for 5-star review: experiment more with seasoning your food, and lower your prices 10-20% for lunch. read more

Mel's Kitchen - American Near Me - San Francisco, California

We went to breakfast at 8:30 am on Sunday 11/12/23. The diner was empty when we arrived and the male server at the door pointed into the restaurant and said sit anywhere you want. He didn't walk us in and was not friendly. The restaurant smelled like a barn when we came in. It was very clean but smelled awful. A female server took our order and was very pleasant. She brought us coffee too. We thought oh good this is getting better. Another person dropped off our food and then we never saw our server or anyone else come back to the table. Nobody checked on us or brought a second cup of coffee. We were completely ignored. The food was good but it sucked we couldn't get a second cup off coffee. No check arrived so I got up and asked the bus boy for the check. Nice looking place with terrible service. I wouldn't go back. read more

Asked for a mojito and she replies very rudely and asks for my id. I showed her my id and still doesn't give me a drink just because I stuttered lol. This is the same lady with an accent with a long hair that everyone complains about in the yelp reviews. Dont go here. Bad customer service. read more

I wish I could give no stars to this horrible restaurant!! Customer service SUCKSS!!! I definitely do not recommend this restaurant!! Their employees are very rude and forget about their customers! Food was alright . NEVER COMING HERE EVER AGAIN!!! read more

The food was coo, but the hashbrowns could of been cooked longer. The waitress asked me if everything was ok, but I told a white lie. I ate most of the hashbrown. that should of been crispy almost all the way through with no soggy insides. Thankfully I was full and got the best parts of the hashbrown. Going to be one of my spots to go to on cheat days and carb and protein load days. [Sometimes I'm lazy and dont want to cook my own food, when I know I can cook pretty good.] Meal: 3 chicken apple sausage with no casing ( good meat) Hashbrowns (good potatoes none the less) Two scrambled eggs (organic) read more

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A few weeks ago, my mother, GF, and I went to the re-branded Mel's On Van Ness. The menu is much smaller than the old Mel's, although here are some new additions, such as the Impossible Burger (which I had, and thought was pretty decent). Service was fine, but the food continues to be pretty ordinary. read more

They have the Impossible burger and it's delicious and for some reason, huge! Their fries are pretty good and overall it's a nice meal at a decent price. We tried one cocktail, the mistakenly named Herb Caen,(his drink of choice was the (Vitaman V which was Stoli with a twist) it was not made very well and was sort of a Dark and Stormy hybrid. Service is ok, hands off which is kinda good. read more

Mel's Kitchen - The impossible burger. - American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I live in San Diego and love American Graffiti. If you love great food and good times, you need to be at Mel's! It's a blast from the past!!

I reserve a 5 star for perfection service was pretty good the Bloody Mary I had was good. I loved the avocado toast. The French dip was good but nothing spectacular the dip was good and the fries that came along with it would I come back definitely for some of that toast and to try some of the other items on the menu read more

The food was good. The service was not. We were seated at the booth for about 10 minutes (there were only 3 other tables with guests) waiting for the sever to ask if we wanted coffee/water/juice. The server was about 10 feet from our table showing pics on his phone to another server the entire time. When he finally came over, he said: "Are you ready to order because it looks like you're ready to order." And he was just as friendly the rest of time we were there. If you don't want to be in customer service, don't be. read more

This restaurant gets most of its business from the hotel guests - it is recommended as the only hotel breakfast place and restaurant. This is probably why the staff utterly doesn't care about service. Since we stayed at the hotel, we gave them several chances and every time the hosts and waiters were rude and didn't care at all. They make you stand and wait for 20-30 min before they seat you even though the restaurant is always empty. Then it takes another 30-40 min to get served. Best of all, the waiters messed up our orders every time but did not care. There are so many good options in SF. Avoid this place even when staying at the Marriott. read more

I popped in for a late night snack, got their burger and fries. Pretty standard diner food. I loved it!! Great atmosphere, talkative staff and locals! I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and time at the diner. I'd defn return!! **Breakfast all day!! read more

Service is awesome always - I've been coming here for a year to have their deeeelicious southern fried chicken before the ballet or S.F. Symphony oropera and all of a sudden they've changed it and it's terrible! Don't order it. They've ruined it! So very disappointed ! read more

Short ribs nachos is really fresh and will melt in your mouth. I love the fact that that the to go order is stapled and sealed shut for a tamper-free delivery. read more

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What the what?! When did Mel's transform into an upscale diner/bar?! My friends and I traditionally come here every Christmas morning before catching a matinee at the nearby AMC Van Ness. It has always been a reliable greasy spoon that served hot coffee and good eggs & bacon. Mel's STILL delivers on all these accounts. However, it's underwent a pretty impressive makeover, and it doesn't feel like a greasy spoon anymore. This is now a legitimate restaurant with solid food, friendly service, and a full bar! My mind is officially blown! My go-to here is always the 2 eggs (over-easy) with bacon, hash browns, and English muffin + cup of Joe. On my most recent visit, my vegetarian friend persuaded me to try Mel's Impossible Burger. And I'm not gonna lie, it was super good. I'm a die hard carnivore, and this Impossible Burger tasted just like meat! I would totally come back for this dish. All in all, Mel's continues to be a reliable SF/breakfast institution. I'm already looking forward to next Christmas morning! read more

We stayed at the adjacent hotel and this place had great food, breakfast or dinner, and service too. Decently priced. Very clean and nice bathrooms. Definitely recommend. read more

I like this place, we come all the time. Today was terrible. Whoever decide to "redesign" how food was presented needs to go to culinary school. WHAT THE FUCK? On the new nachos - they don't melt the cheese. Dry nachos center plate with everything ON THE SIDE. A little pile of cold cheese. We had to ask for them to melt the cheese on our nachos. They don't toss salads. They serve you dry lettuce with everything ON THE SIDE. Weird. Also messy. Louis was great. Be prepared to dress whatever you order. WEIRD. read more

Very friendly service and good diner food. There is nothing pretentious about this place and for good american food it's one of the better places around the neighborhood. read more

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Went tonight and Ricardo was so sweet and awesome! He gave exceptional service, 10/10 experience.

I like the place, classic dinner atmosphere, service is good. Food is ok, not too big.

Adorable diner conveniently located on Van Ness with fantastic folks. It's like the well-dressed older sister of Mel's Diner. Home style food with a classy touch. I've eaten here twice. Meatloaf was ahhhmazzzing. Hamburger was absolute perfection. No idea where they get their pickles, but they must use the crispest, best pickles in town on the burgers. Definitely order the onion rings because they are super delish! read more

Really cute, clean, diner vibe inside. Food was EXCEPTIONALLY fast to come out and delicious. Especially the Elvis Scramble. Could eat that all day. BLT with Avocado was very yummy. And our server was very very nice and let us stay as long as we needed. Seems like average review should be much better based on our experience. read more

This place is delicious. My husband and I went here over my birthday weekend just on a last-minute stop and now he can't stop thinking about it The corned beef has was so flavorful and cooked to perfection. I had the French toast breakfast which was equally as good. We definitely plan on going back. read more

Corner diner with cleaner bar feel and B&W framed city pics. Background music was timeless and proper levels for conversation.. Wed 7:30a breakfast crowd was all of 9 people making for quick service. Breakfast burrito and coffee was the mission. Ample burrito w/ hashbrowns came out hot and the coffee mug was the heavy large type making good initial impression. Taste was 4.8stars as I prefer spicy. Hashbrowns only needed a little salt seasoning. Free coffee refills appreciated. Clean, crisp kitchen was noticeable and some of the counter cushions showing wear but I could make this a return destination except for the $$$. read more

Lovely place! Easy to get to and has a good variety of food. Staff is friendly and its a fun diner vibe but higher class. Really enjoyed it and the food was delicious. read more

I go to Mel's kitchen when I'm in the area because it opens late and they have good coffee. The food is 3 stars all day . But I have to take out a star for their service . The lady/ manager is very rude and try's to crack jokes . And she's not very funny . read more

Oh dear God. Mel's has always been pricey but the quality was acceptable. Not today! The place was EMPTY and it's a huge place. And the prices $14.95 for avocado toast (I'm sort of an expert on the dish and I knew it would be a disaster) I ordered corn beef hash and eggs with sourdough toast. It took 30 minutes. Upon delivery, I saw whole wheat. read more

We recently stayed 5 days at the well located Courtyard Marriott Van Ness in San Francisco which is located above Mel's Kitchen. We have eaten there many times over the years but during this visit, we really appreciated the convenience of having a great restaurant right downstairs to easily bring up to our room. For breakfast, we enjoyed their veggie omelet, waffle, French toast, pancakes, eggs, bacon and potatoes and more. For lunch and dinner, we loved their excellent crispy fried chicken, club sandwich, grilled chicken sandwich and BLT. They are quick to prepare the food and on time plus their staff are friendly and professional. We were so grateful to have the convenience of a reliably delicious restaurant that is both casual and friendly. The historic photos are fun to view as well. Highly recommend for locals, visitors, families, group celebrations and much more! read more

Great place to chill and have breakfast. Remodeled. Great service. You can't ask for more in a diner. Clean as Mr. Clean can get. The food quality def is above diner quality. read more

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My son and I went to Mel's down on Mission street a few days ago and we're pleased with the food but very disappointed with the service. This was a real shame as I have been going to that Mel's for 10 years plus - whenever I'm in San Francisco This Mel's location corrected that and was soooo different. The staff in there couldn't do enough for us and were attentive and pleasant. The food as always was excellent. The Avocado toast, just perfect. My son said that this made up for the other place as he finished off his Penguin shake! The guys down on Mission street need to go there and see how service at Mel's should be done! read more

This one is attached to the courtyard hotel. The food is a bit pricey and greasy. The service can vary in quality, but overall I had pretty fast service. My brother in law, however, waited for quite some time. I think they forgot his order and it wasn't until he asked about his burger 30 minutes later they realized and so 45 minutes later, he had his food. read more

We had a wonderful experience getting takeout at Mel's Kitchen on Van Ness tonite. The place had good social distancing and I felt safe being there with diners spaced VERY far apart along with the use of plastic barriers. It is fortunate they have a really large physical space as well which lends to easier distancing. It was quiet but there was a steady flow of customers for takeout and a few eating indoors. Antonia - the host/server that night- was very responsive to our many questions about the menu and gave us super helpful recommendations. I really appreciated the careful covid precautions she took during the payment process as well. Anyway, we finally decided on the classic Mel's hamburger with cheese and onion rings. The burger was perfect and juicy. The onion rings were some of the BEST I have ever had (and we order onion rings often at establishments). They were crunchy and flavorful even after the 20 min ride home. Great with a generous side of ranch dressing. Also we tried the chocolate cake - amazing double layer cake with just the perfect sweetness and rich dark chocolate icing. Note: as of this review, the menu on the website has NOT been updated since pre-covid - so it's really best to call ahead and find out the new menu now that they recently re-opened. BTW they also have Liquor To Go ! read more