In my continuing efforts to find different places to have a nice lunch when working in the Irving area I decided to give Po'Melvins a try. Having read both raving and scathing reviews for this establishment, I really had no idea of what to expect. The restaurant has one large and open dining area that is well lit and clean. I entered just before the lunch rush started and was seated immediately. My waitress arrived within 60 seconds and took my order. The food arrived in less than 5 minutes and was hot and flavorful, the portions generous for lunchtime. The description of 'down home' cooking is very fitting as it would have fit in with anything my Grandmother or Mom would have served. This place goes on my list of places to eat at again. If you want good food, not 'fancy' food, this is a place to try. Why 4 stars? I never give out more with only one meal. If my second and third meals here are just as good, I will up it accordingly. Now for what it's worth, let me address a review I read about the food being too salty. Sadly, salt has been demonizes in recent years as bad for your health. Be that right or wrong, most restaurants now minimize salt to the point of not using it at all and the flavor of the food seems bland to me and others who grew up in a time where salt was in common use. Salt is almost the first thing I add to meals these days to bring out the flavor I expect in a meal. A personal taste l admit, but if you were raised in the South or out West, it is what you expect and you get that from the food at Po'Melvins. read more

This review is going to be short... So the food is great. I mean really good from the salads to the gumbo to the grilled chicken. However, I'm giving this place a 4 out of 5 because the first I went my fiancé and I were seated and were not helped for about 45 minutes...literally 45 minutes. We were going to leave but we decided to stay just so we could see how long it would take for someone to serve us. Eventually someone came and served us, he was really kind and the manager came out and gave us free appetizers. Later I realized that the hostess which was kind of rude never told anyone that we were there. Nonetheless, the food was good and I will definitely be back. read more

The best collard greens in DFW! I'v been coming to this restaurant since 1997 and prices are always affordable. You know the food is going to be good and cheap when the place is always packed. Cheap and best! read more

One of my favorites!! Food and wait staff are amazing!! Lil' Mel is awesome!! I go a couple times a week and love to introduce out of town guest to this delicious place! read more

Food is always very tasty. Atmosphere is fun and lively. Always a good place to go for something down home or cajun.

The best things about this place were the Motown hits they played and our server/waiter (hate both of those words by the way) who was very nice and helpful. I'm a Creole girl with roots in Ruston and Baton Rouge so when I moved near a place called "Po Melvins" I thought for sure there'd be a nice red Creole cook with freckles named Melvin with a love for seasoning and a plethora of stories to share over some dirty rice and a fifth of some dark brown liquor. Instead, what I got here was food that lacked even basic seasoning and a staff that looked nothing like Creole nor Cajun. Should've known my food would suffer when nobody in the place looked familiar. Mais! I couldn't believe it. I looked at the menu and even the description of the food was very "Foreign" looking if that's a nice way to say it lacked seasoning, flavor, and a southern flair. In other words, if you're truly Creole or Cajun and looking for something that reminds you of your roots, you'd be better off at Razoos or Joe's Crab Shack and that ain't sayin much. It took me about 30 minutes just to find something on the menu to eat (it's crawfish/crawdad season here in Texas and there wasn't any on this menu) so me choosing catfish was me playing it safe. I thought for sure no one could ruin fried shrimp and catfish but I was wrong. I'm currently eating a cold salad at 11pm with bits of my catfish sprinkled on top and I STILL had to add some cayenne, seasoning salt, and crushed red pepper to that. This is the kind of "Melvin" you have to think twice about attending his BBQs because you know his sauce is store bought. I'll pass next time and if you have taste buds that work, you should too. read more

I was pleasantly surprised and greatly satisfied. The portion size was huge. My sister and daughters did not need a doggy bag because the food was so good. Our server was so polite and made sure our experience was relaxed. I will visit again. read more

I'm from New Orleans and this was the first time I went to this restaurant and ordered the Red Beans with the grilled pork chop and also 1 dz of the fried shrimps Wow Wow it was off the chain! I highly recommend this restaurant can't wait to go back! read more

Quite possibly the most hospitable place in town! Down home cooking does not do this place justice. The food was hot, fresh, and of superb quality! The location was clean, the staff was excellently friendly and Mel was so kind. read more

Second time been there, great food and hospitality. Meat loaf and roasts beef are great.

One of my favorite haunts that serves a blow-me-away roast beef po' boy that is simply perfect. I get it with plain and dry which means just tender roast beef and a delicious gravy. Be prepared to use a fork and knife to eat the sandwich, but this dish has been a consistent hit with me every time. Please don't change a thing. read more

Been going to Po Melvin's for 25 years and they still get it right. The chicken and mashed potatoes are out of this world!!

When we first entered the restaurant, the Wife and I weren't sure what to expect - it looked like one of those 60's-style diners that are omnipresent back on Long Island, where I'm from (repelete with in-booth jukeboxes). But, it was raining and we were hungry, so we decided to give it a go. Glad we did. We started out with some "Yo Momma" cocktails - a delicious layered combo of frozen margarita, frozen hurricane, Midori, and one other liquor that I cannot remember at this point... very potent and VERY good! The half-order of cheese fries that we split as an appetizer was so huge we could not possibly imagine what the full order looked like. For our entrees I went with the fried oysters & shrimp, served with hand-cut fries, and my wife had the chicken fried chicken. The seafood was very nice - the oysters were very fresh and plump, and it was all obviously hand-breaded. My wife's chicken fried chicken was delicious, also obviously hand-breaded and served with a side of home-made gravy. It was obvious that a lot of care and love was taken in making these dishes, which is even more astonishing given the teeny-tiny price point. The service was also great - our server was everything I wish most servers would be - freindly, down to Earth, attentive... Defnitely a surprisingly great experience!! read more

Terrible service. Service so terrible that it ruined our meal. The waiter was completely apathetic, starting with our drink orders. It was wonderful to know that the "large beer" was "larger than the small beer." The waiter had no idea the drink sizes in ounces and apparently, even though the bar was only feet away, couldn't be bothered to ask the bartender. Next, I asked the waiter what was in the gumbo. He said "sausage." I said that the menu stated that there wasn't sausage in the gumbo. He replied, "It's been a long day." What that has to do with my attempt to order, I'm not sure... About 10 minutes into our meal, the waiter asked us if we wanted another round of beers. We said we didn't as each of our glasses were still half full. Oddly, he began clearing our beers from the table, without asking us if we were done (which we clearly weren't!). Just because we didn't want another drink didn't mean we didn't want the drink we had already ordered and paid for! My husband ordered a chicken fried chicken po' boy and received a chicken po' boy (not fried) and my mother's chicken salad order was correct, but the salad couldn't have been any more wilted or brown. Will never go back. Repeat: Will never go back. read more

Best American food restaurant I been too so far. In Miami I'm use to Denny's and IHOP, but Melvin's was really beyond my expectations.

It used to be good food. The last time I had lunch/dinner there, the vegetables tasted like they had been sitting in water for hours. The meat was chewy in a bad way. I used to go there for drinks and smoking at the bar and a meal once in a while. Now it has gone down hill. Not sure if you can still smoke there or not. They used to have a make your own omelet station on weekend mornings and that was always good. Last time I went there it was dark, dingy, stinky and smells bad-- like it is run by a 100 year old stinky blind man that cannot cook. Just sayin.... read more

I've had the gumbo , which the rice is served on the side (the right way). And the fried catfish. Both where really good. Seemed like each time we went we got forgotten about by our waitress. But I love good food so I'll keep going back! read more

Ordered the grilled pork chops with green beans, okra, and mashed potatoes with gravy. Really great! Loved the old school music that they were playing. Definitely will be coming here again! read more

Food was bland. Lacking any kind of cajun/creole flavor. Don't believe any talk of a huge menu. The cajun items here are far and few between. No boudin, etoufee, shrimp creole, andouille sausage. More of a southern cooking restaurant if anything else. Biggest problem was just boring food. Totally edible, just no flavor and no spice. Server was fine if maybe a little scatterbrained. Brought out rolls after the entrees and gave each person another invidual's plate. You could probably find worse places to eat. Just sure you'd rather spend less money on better tasting food. read more

Stopped into Po's for lunch today, while I was't overly impressed you can't beat the prices or the portions! My only complaint is I don't consider "Homemade or Home Cooking" to be out of a can! However in an area thats 98% Big Box Chain Restaurants Po's is a pretty good place to get some old fashion eats! read more

I've been here twice within the last month because of the reviews I read on Yelp. I had the chicken and dumplings with green beans, mashed potatoes, and corn on one occasion and the gumbo with cornbread on the other. Both meals were very average. Nothing special. One positive: they give nice sized portions for the price. Because of all of the great things I have read about this place, I'm willing to give it another chance. read more

One of the best experiences I have had with a restaurant. My class went as part of the field trip and it was amazing. The food is great, and there is a nice range and portions of it. Melvin was super friendly and generous, he made our lunch very enjoyable. I will definitely be returning. read more

Very good food. Service was excellent. Location is not fancy but the decor is really nice. I had the chicken fried steak which was very tender. Ranch dressing is amazing. Others in my party had fried shrimp and blackened chicken salad and they really enjoyed their food as well. Will definitely go back and do recommend. read more

Had lunch there today. Ordered the chicken fried steak. Steal was to thick & not tender at all. The gravy was just ok, not wall paper paste but no depth either. The fried okra was good as frozen can be. The service was good. read more

It was ok, somewhat mediocre the gravy and rice were the highlight of my meal. I ordered the fried porkchops. It's ok if you havent tasted real southern food. It wasn't bad but wasn't great I would never go back. read more

Took a few years off after eating here for almost 25 years. Still the best place to eat in the metroplex, maybe the best food you can buy anywhere in the world. read more

3-star rating based on the weekend breakfast buffet. Decent selection of the typical country breakfast food options, including multiple ways to eat your potatoes. Fruit selection was surprisingly good. I think my waitress was new, as the hostess had to all but drag her over to my table before she noticed I was there waiting to put in a drink order. Every service encounter after that was back on track. I didn't encounter anything spectacular except for a table of Irving geriatrics discussing how America has gone downhill ever since the Civil Rights Act. This was flabbergasting, but has nothing to do with the restaurant - except maybe that old people really like buffets. read more

We people from down south take very good bread with our food and I ordered the seafood gumbo with a jalapeno corn cake. I wasn't very happy with the gumbo it only had shrimp and the flavor was not very tempting although I will give them credit for their corn bread that was delicious sorry folks I take my food very seriously coming from Miami where there are many different cuisines of all flavors this one didn't make my five star list thanks. read more

I went for lunch today and ordered chicken and dumplings,dirty rice, and red beans and rice. The food came out in less than 10 minutes and was room temp at best. Chicken and dumplings was bland not flavorful. Red beans and rice was descent. Dirty rice was something out of a box. Waiter was nice and did his job. Very disappointed! read more

Great seafood gumbeaux! Taste like the ones I ate growing up in Louisiana. People are nice and not overly formal, as this is what I'd expect from a casual dining joint where the waiters & waitresses wear t-shirts. It's a fun, casual dining place with good food. It's a great place to take the family, go on a casual date, go on an informal business meeting, fun night out with friends or friends like family, and even a church group. The food is great, and is of a down home style. read more

chicken n' dumplins; not so gud. green beans, black eyed peas, and gumbo; really gud. and the popular margarita; i think it was called "yo mama"-- it was excellent! i would go back and try another entree, maybe the country fried steak.... read more

When it comes to good Southern stick-to-your-ribs fare accept no substitute. I've been coming to Po Mel's for years, ever since their first location over at Story and Rochelle. That was in the late 80's. Both Big and Little Mel know exactly what they are doing, and they do it right! If either one of them is at the restaraunt then I can count on a nice visit from them to our table. It had been over a year since I'd last been and I was craving their chicken fried chicken. It's a marinated chicken breast fried till golden the way you would chicken fried steak. Mine was covered in white gravy as were the mashed potatoes that were next to it. Along with that I got my other 2 usual sides, collard greens and fried okra. The one thing that was different this trip is that I actually felt like having dessert. Most people are usually too full to get it, me included. But I was up for it. Cobblers are the desserts here, and I chose blackberry. It was a wise choice indeed. I'll be back here when I next find myself in my home town! read more

So I was in the area looking to get my hair done, so right outside of the shop I went to Po Melvins was right next door so I asked my husband if he had ever been and he said but it was years ago, so we both decided to go in a give it a go. It didn't look like much from the outside looks like a regular store front store but once inside it is huge the decor is old and out dated and some of the seats need to be redone the both me and my husband sat in the seat had tape covering where it was ripped. They asked if we wanted smoking or non and we asked for non smoking but they do not have enough circulation in there because the smoke was stale in the air and it bothered me for a lil bit. Next they hand us a menu and the prices seem to be reasonable. I ordered the seafood platter it comes with a catfish fillet, shrimp, oysters, fried stuffed crab, salad, and dinner rolls all for 14.99, my husband ordered a roast beef PO boy 8.99. Finally our food comes and it did not take long at all my platter looks good so good I dig in and taste the fish and all of a sudden my excitement turns to a big frown, what can I say other than WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SEASONING? The food was bland all of it, it was like they dipped it into cornmeal and fried and forgot the seasoning now had it had seasoning on it man it would have been great. Now on to my husband and his roast beef poboy let's just say he took one bite and sent it back to the kitchen he said it tasted like meat with gravy on it and no seasoning at all what does this place not believe in seasoning it's food and they claim to be soul food? So he sends it back and gets a shrimp PO boy and is satisfied with the taste. I do not think we will be going back to PO Melvins again sorry guys but until you learn how to season your food you have lost two customers. read more

so today wanted to try something different..................well it was different i was very disappointed the food was horrible. i had stuffed bell peppers mash potatoes yam and Cajun rice. the bell pepper taste like none other i cant even put it in too words............yams taste like baby food and the potatoes were bland..........i would NEVER i mean NEVER go back here again and the restaurant looks gross on the inside read more

so good and satisfying. i love the food its like my mom used to make.

I took a friend that is in town to visit. I had the fried shrimp dinner. It was outstanding! Nice large shrimp, lightly breaded, cooked to perfection. On the other hand my shy friend ordered a ham po boy. I asked how it was. He responded, "not very good". He was being polite. I tasted the ham. Actually it tasted nasty! The sides were good. The waiter removed it from the bill. I will give them another chance. By myself, anyway. read more

This is a GREAT restaurant. Truly hospitable team. The menu is Cajun/down home and it's been wonderful every time we've stopped in. The food is hot and fresh, happy hour is reasonable. Welcoming to all ages. We love it. FRESH! read more

Best chicken fried steak I've had in a long time. The sides I got were a salad, green beans(which came with bacon...amazing), and mashed potatoes. Washed it down with a sweet tea. I will be back. Making this place a staple lunch spot. read more

Some of the Best Down Home Cooking! I have been eating here for years (20 years ago was the first time). They serve 3 vegetables with your entree . I love the meatloaf and always get a to go box because the large portions. I need to try that chicken fried steak has been written up as being #1 but I just can't tear myself away from the meatloaf. Definitely try the fried okra and mash potatoes. The service has always been good. read more

I had lunch here with my family on a Friday afternoon. The food was just ok to me not the best. However, the staff was awesome and very friendly. Lil' Melvin was very kind and friendly as well. For me customer service is everything. I would go back and try something else on the menu. I had the roast beef and mashed potatoes, good but not the best I've ever had. read more