We did the 4 course gluten free and it was a lot of food. We had the Quattro Formaggio for the cheese fondue. Very cheesy. Had lots of GF bread, mini peppers, carrots, broccoli, and Granny Smith apples. They bring out more if you want more, which we asked for more broccoli and mini peppers. The salad gets served during this course, which I got the Caesar salad that comes with pine nuts. Next is the entree. We choose Mojo cooking style , which it describes zesty and citrus flavors. I selected the Land & sea which comes with Garlic Pepper Steak, Herb Chicken Breast, Shrimp, and Atlantic Salmon. They offer Greek goddess sauce that went really well with the steak and salmon and curry sauce that went well with the chicken. There was also ginger plum and a sweet bbq glaze, which I didn't care for. They had zucchini, white mushroom, red onion, and mini potatoes. Last of all the Chocolate Fondue. We choose rocky road. They had GF snickerdoodle cookies, GF brownies, strawberry and bananas, and marshmallows. Believe we were there for 2.5hrs. With how we took our time dipping and cooking. read more

The Melting Pot - Mojo cooking style/entree course - Fondue Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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I haven't been to a melting pot in years. Is it dated and cheesy - heck yah. But it was fun and lots of food for restaurant week. read more

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We usually have a good experience but last night, I believe, was totally self inflicted by the establishment. We were there for an early dinner and they were already an hour behind on reservations. 1-Three people at the front desk checking folks in with tables needing bus service. Sorry but it's all hand on deck for Valentine's Day and those folks were capable. Pitch in and help out. 2- The court Bullion takes way longer to cook food especially when multiple people are using the pot. I'm talking double the time. Four minutes or more on chicken alone vs 2 in oil. We were at the table for 3.5 hours after an hour wait in the lobby. 3. Our waiter was falling apart of fell apart before we sat down. I was going to go into detail on this but decided against it. It just wasn't good. I'd be willing to bet there were folks still eating at midnight they were so backed up. Management: For next time. Consider using Oil to improve cooking times. I know everyone doesn't do oil but I'd rather have some happy customers dine elsewhere for the night than have a night full of angry patrons at every table from 5pm and on. Have your cooking medium hot and ready to go in the back. And get those tables turned over faster. I think you will have better success if these tips are considered for future events. Know your workforce. Some folks can't handle the stress of an evening like that. Should have kept him to minimal tables. He was a wreck. Positive Food was good as always with large portions for the holiday feast. This location always looks nice and is well lit to be able to see your food. We will go again as this place is a favorite but we will likely stay away for any high traffic events. I will say, most times this place is 5 stars. Sorry guys, this night was a bust. read more

I always just get the cheese and dessert to save money and always leave full! Delicious and great staff! read more

The food was delicious and the portions were fair. It was a unique experience and we enjoyed the esthetic of the restaurant. "John with the black shirt" was what made the experience so positive. He was very helpful walking us through the menu and very kind. Would definitely do this again! read more

Wow ok....so I've been a Melting Pot enthusiast for over 15 years, typically in other states. I've been to this location in Illinois approx 3 times (for special occasions only since it's a commute). The first couple times were okay, leaving room for improvement. But on this occasion for my family's birthday (just the 3 of us) it earned worst dining experience for a few reasons.... And I did not want to bring it up and ruin our night further ... so we simply paid and were anxious to leave. My family felt the same as me. 1. Dirtiness. Every course included a dirty plate or silverware ... it became sad when my little daughter said she wasn't comfortable eating there since everything managed to have food residue and old crud on it 2. Presentation Serving us our bread on watery wet plates/wet cutting board, so our bread was wet with dishwater (?) At least the water on plates appeared clean though. 3. Wait time between courses. Longer than usual especially considering we know the menu & routine really well and didn't request refills or anything extra. 4. We came for a birthday ... the hostess acknowledged it in our reservation but the server didn't so there was zero acknowledgment from our server on the birthday. 5. We weren't checked on either ... as long as we waited in between courses .... we were their approx 3 hours (only realized how much time passed as we got our check). I felt the server forgot us a few times. 6. There's a few other minor things but I feel this is enough. We all 3 went home kinda hungry and wanted to celebrate at home more ... but it was too late ... we enjoyed our time together, at least, and decided we won't be back to this location ever. read more

The Melting Pot - Filthy looking spoon. One of many dirty silverware and dishes Not our usual experience here. - Fondue Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Horrible experience where we ended up walking out before we ever got served even a glass of water. Reservation for 6:45. Took 25m to be seated. They sent us to the bar to wait but two bartenders never glanced in our direction even though we were seated at the tiny bar. When we finally were seated, we sat and sat. No waiter arrived with any acknowledgement of us. One took the drinker order next to us and then left. (Can they not take two orders at once?!) After a 45m wait of zero service (not even water) after our reservation time, I went to the host stand to alert them. Someone promised he would follow me back to my table. That didn't happen. A server showed up at the table next to us to ask if they had been helped. When she turned around to face us, I let her know that I believed she was looking for us. "No, not you" she said to me and immediately walked away. I gave it 2 more minutes and then we left. Unbelievable. Will never be back and would never recommend. Beyond horrible service, the place looked incredibly dingy and dirty. read more

My daughter, fiance and my daughters fiance went here last night. Which was 2/8/25. It was a first for my fiancee and I. My daughter got a new job and it was a congrats kind of dinner. It was fun and the food was decent. I'm not sure the price justifies the food though. What really pissed me off was what Mark the waiter did at the end. Never...ever have I seen a waiter circling the tip of the bill. Because of this, I'm never going back. Very arrogant. So I circled 18% instead. I should have not even given 18%! read more

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My husband took me here for my birthday. He had called earlier in the week and made a reservation for a table with Roses petals and candles, very thoughtful of him to surprise me. When we got there they had no record of the reservation. My poor husband was so disappointed however there was no wait. We got sat at a very small booth right by the kitchen. Took waiter over 15 mins to greet us and get our drink order...however our server was nice just could tell they were busy. Timing was good for all the courses, and we did enjoy ourselves. This was our first fondue experience. However way Way over priced. We can say we tried it once but not worth the drive from our area. read more

Awesome experience with friends and family, A unique experience to put your phone away and enjoy your time talking and sharing a fondue with conversation instead of looking at your phone lol read more

I have been a diner at The Melting Pot for close to 30 years (at multiple locations) and they never disappoint. Took my best girl there for a belated Valentine's Day dinner and we were wowed by the drinks (great margaritas, great wine selection), the service (Mike was outstanding and they accommodated our seating request), the atmosphere (always romantic), and of course the quality AND quantity of food (so much with the Bigger Night Out we couldn't finish it all). I cannot recommend The Melting Pot enough. We rate them 5 Chef's Kisses! read more

This place is just a dumpster fire. Had a 9:15pm reservation on Valentine's Day. We got there and was told that they were running behind and it would be an extra hour and to wait by the bar. Trying to get a drink at the bar was a chore with a very overwhelmed bartender who was acting as if he was working at a dive bar the way he was talking to customers. They were out of Tito's, moscato, ginger beer. It's as if they were caught off guard they would be busy on one of the busiest nights known for restaurants. At no point was there a manager around to explain to the customers on what was going on or to even help out the struggling employees. When we finally got to the table the service was extremely slow and every server walking by were dropping F bombs and again overwhelmed. The food was average. Never have had such an awful restaurant experience in my life and no way will ever step foot into this restaurant again! Management should be ashamed and be retrained on how to actually manage read more

Walked in and waited for 10 minutes to be seated. Hostess was new, but nice. While I waited to be seated some dork walked in with his two kids and was upset because he had to wait to be seated. He embarrassed himself by throwing a fit a stomping out. I don't think it would have actually been a 25 minute wait, but patience is a virtue not all hold. Food was good, service was very good. read more

An extremely mediocre evening. My wife and I went in for the day after Valentines Day for their Thursdate Special. Pros: Our table was beautifully set up. I arranged for rose petals and roses ahead of time for an extra add on, and it looked lovely. (See photo) Server attitude: Our server was very welcoming and friendly and explained the menu and everything on the table well. Thursdate Menu: Selection was a good deal overall compared to the other deals offered. I REALLY thought the mushroom ravioli hearts were cute (see photo) -Yin & Yang chocolate fondue: yummy chocolate, accompaniment were mediocre (see photos) Cons: Service was NOT good overall: - The hostess was not very welcoming and did not smile at all when we arrived. Nor did the gentlemen who sat us. - The bartender was RUDE RUDE RUDE. For starters, drinks took a LONG time. My wife ordered a peach Bellini and I got a Diet Coke so nothing very complicated. Bartender came out with her drink only and practically tossed the drink on the table, looking annoyed that we were bothering her with our pesky drink order and like she wanted to be anywhere else. We were going to point out that the drink was wrong but waited for our server because we didn't want to anger her further. We waited another 15 or so minutes before our server checked in and pointed out the "Bellini" was just Prosecco and peach Schnapps (no peach purée or juice as described on the menu). She said that was how they make them, so we let it go. - Our server was SLOW and not very attentive. She would disappear for 20-30 minutes at a time and our empty glasses and dirty plates sat a long time before she returned to check on us. Food: - The cheese course: The Quattro Formaggio wasn't great. The wine didn't cook out at all so it tasted of white wine mostly. The mozzarella didn't melt well. And our server spilled the basil pesto adding it to the pot and never brought more (see the photo), so it was bland. - salads: they brought the wrong salad for me. Then the one that arrived was limp, browned lettuce and these weird candies pine nuts that don't really work in a Caesar. Salads tasted like they were made and dressed the day before. Most definitely NOT worth the $8 listed on the menu. -main: the mojo broth was fairly bland, lacking any of the citrus or Caribbean spice described. Meat selection was pretty good. We added the lobster and the selection was good with the date night deal. (See photo) The issue is the price. It's not much steak or fish for the price. -dessert accompaniment: a lot of the dessert dippings were stale. Donut hole, churro, waffle were all a couple days old. Fruit was fine and the macarons and pound cake were nice. (See photo) Atmosphere: - restaurant was loud, and very warm. Made for a slightly uncomfortable and far less romantic evening. In the end, service was very lacking and for the price, we could do a nice steak dinner at most any steakhouse in the area and dinner wouldn't take 3+ hours. I'd recommend looking elsewhere and we likely won't be back. read more

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I love melting pot, I've been to several locations through the years and I'm always happy with the experience. I mostly get the chocolate fondue but decided to try the cheese this time around and I was not disappointed. We tried the classic alpine which was on the stronger side - if you don't like intense cheese this is not the one for you. My husband and I both loved it - it came with cheese and some veggies for dipping. For chocolate fondue my favorite is the turtle. We don't eat anything with gelatin so they were able to swap the marshmallows and rice Krispy treats for extra fruit which was nice. Melting pot has been a prime spot for date night and intimate birthday dinners with the girls - I love the simple but classy interior and the service has always been great! read more

The Melting Pot - Fondue Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Was waiting for my table for 20 minutes after my reservation had been then they took forever to get to my table. Would not recommend to go

Tia provided excellent service during our visit. We appreciated her attentiveness and the variety of delicious food options available. Overall, it contributed to a great dining experience! Will definitely request her again & come by for another dining experience read more

My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday last night and we generally had a great experience. Our waitress was super nice and engaging and helpful throughout the process since it was our first time. The food was pretty good except our entrees. We got the classics cooked in traditional oil and the oil kept burning the food in way less time than we were suggested to cook them for. We tried to cook them in less time so we didn't burn them, but I'm afraid there was something wrong with the meat. I think we both got food poisoning. I will spare details but around 30 minutes after we ate I got so sick I passed out twice and was in the bathroom for hours. It's been 24 hours since we ate, and I am still horribly sick. The food that made me ill is my only complaint, but the other 3 courses were delicious, and like I previously mentioned, we adored our waitress. read more

We had dinner last night 10/24/25. Our waiter was extremely awesome and helpful for us ordering. We started with basic cheese and it was by far below par. read more

Tried to go here on July 30. Place was dead except for a few people in the bar area. Stuck up kid says "do you have a reservation?" We did not have a reservation for Wednesday night. She offered to make us a reservation (for the presently empty dining room) 45 minutes later, and I am glad I asked because she then informed us that they would refuse to accommodate my allergy because we only had 3 people so could not be seated at one of the 20 open tables with more than one burner. Such a shame, I love fondue and used to love this place :( read more

We went here after lunch only for desserts and tried "The Original" and "Rocky Road". The Original was the best and I would highly recommend. They served extra pecans on the side with Rocky Road incase if we needed to add more. They have a nice bar area/lounge where you can have some drinks while you wait for your table. Overall had a very good experience. Good Ambience. Service was good except for the part that we had to ask for our check twice. read more

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Loved the experience! Good service and wonderful environment! The food was delicious and fun! read more

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Me and my boyfriend went here and did the complete fondue experience for two. For our appetizer we got Wisconsin cheddar cheese. With the cheese appetizer round there is 2 or 3 different breads, broccoli, celery, carrots and apples. I personally am not a fan of cheese with celery, carrots and apples. But the rest tasted great! For my salad I chose the melting pot salad and it was good. For my entree we choose the pacific rim and steak lovers, cooking style was vegetable broth. The ginger plum sauce with shrimp is really good. Green goddess sauce delicious, teriyaki sauce delicious, ginger plum delicious, gorgonzola port delicious. Yogurt curry was okay, not a fan of Dijon so I didn't love the garlic Dijon butter. Need to monitor salmon otherwise it overcooks and is chewy. The salmon turns grey in the broth. Teriyaki steak was delicious as well as the potstickers. I am not a duck fan and so I didn't really enjoy the duck For the dessert chocolate we choose the flaming turtle fondue. It was really good, I didn't love all the options given for dipping into the fondue but the chocolate was delicious. read more

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Really like the melting pot. This location is a little smaller than others since it's in a strip mall, but it's still very nice. We had a wonderful waiter named Jon who explained everything and made good recommendations. I love the 4-course meal. Every course is delicious and I always leave stuffed. It's expensive so recommend going for date night Thursdays or when they run unlimited entree specials. read more

I have been going to the melting pot for years. We went this year (2023) for Mother's Day and it was excellent! Our server was Brady! He was excellent! They were very very busy! And ever person in that restaurant was hustling! The food was great like always! But many times it's about the experience! Can't say enough nice things about Brady! He was on his game! I hope the management recognizes an employee with great services! Hats off! Great job! Thanks for making Mother's Day a great day! read more

This was such a fun place to go ! Went here to celebrate a birthday and it was a great time ! We loved the experience of fondue from the cheese to the meats and then the best of all dessert! There are a lot of choices in what you cook your food in along with the what food you're cooking so be prepared to have a large menu to look at . It was all very yummy and our waitress did a great job of explaining everything to us . This is a great place to go for a special occasion :) read more

Service was fantastic. Was greeted and sat with drinks served almost immediately. Food was very delicious. Takes a bit of patience as the premise is that you are cooking it in the melting pot. We ordered the dinner for 2 I got the steak entree wife ordered the seafood. Both were delicious. Started with a fondue appetizer with veggies and bread over fondue cheese of many options. Next was the salad, we chose the bacon ranch which was delicious next entree and finally dessert we had the milk chocolate fondue served with Rice Krispies treats cakes and treats. . The entire experience was great and our waiter was truly a gem. We recommend anyone who wants a nice new restaurant experience to visit this place you will not be disappointed read more

A recent visit here was enjoyable in the face of the pandemic. Not trying to be dramatic, just was a welcome night out and the set up here was terrific for a recent evening out. Dinner was an all-you-can-eat four course special. The little extra entrée and dessert choices were welcome and service was good as always. read more

I worked at another location of The Pot (as we affectionately called it) years ago. I haven't been back since those good old days and was missing all the things. So for date night, I dragged my fiancé out to the burbs. We weren't upset! The four courses are just as good as I remember with a few changes. The entree portions are slightly smaller and there are some new dipping options for dessert. The service was great, despite the restaurant being short staffed. The meal did take longer than usual in the beginning, but given that it was date night, we really didn't care. The only reasons I couldn't give this a 5 were (1) the wine selection wasn't very large...we did like what our server ultimately found for us, but it was a struggle and (2) the bread for the cheese course was pretty dry. So, really, more like 4.5. Fiancé loved it! We'd come back. read more

I went here over the weekend with friends for my Birthday and had a very nice experience. It was a total of 10 of us and this was all of our first time. The 4 course meal is TASTEE and it's set up for everyone to have to interact. No one sat at the table looking at their phones. We barely took pictures due to the interaction. This is the perfect spot for date night. I will definitely go back!! read more

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Our waitress was wonderful! She was very attentive and considerate. The ambiance was perfect for a date night! read more

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Let's start with the fact that it seams pretty dirty in there as soon as you walk in. But of course it's been around a long time so we didn't judge, at first Then the server came. We told her it was first time for us, she didn't explain anything and seemed rushed. We made decisions based on another server explaining to another table. The food was pretty tasteless. Everything seemed dirty. And it took forever. We actually thought our server forgot us. Not to mention it was 100 degrees in there and people were just leaving. They finally turned air on as we walking out. And now we are home. Not feeling well. All of us feel the same and hoping it's not from the food or lack of cleanliness. We won't return for $300 for 3 people. read more

We had just had a very disappointing lunch not far from here when we all decided we needed chocolate. Luckily they were able to accommodate us without a reservation. We got the Flaming turtle and ying-yang desserts. The chocolate was delicious as always we also had the nutty Irishman coffee, the white gummy bear martini, and a bellini. Everything was delicious as we have come to expect but both my sister and myself were in a funk after how bad lunch was(we ate elsewhere) that it was our server who really was what turned things around John C. Was not only great at his job he was truly friendly and just wonderful. Absolutely between chocolate and kindness it made the day better. read more

A few years ago, my husband and I came here (my first time) and we did dessert, but last night we decided to have the full meal to celebrate our belated Valentine's Day. Our server was amazing! So attentive and friendly! The manager stopped by to see how dinner was going, and another server was very prompt in clearing our used plates. So service was absolutely 5 stars! The only draw back is, the food is definitely overpriced. Although everything was fresh and fine (veggies, fruit, bread) I just felt that $40 a person was extremely high for what you get. read more

This Melting Pot location has been a go to for my family of 4 for many years. We always have a fun time, and the wait staff have (for most of our visits), have been great. We ate there very recently, and they had followed and prepared the setting we wanted. We were warmly greeted at the door, and our waitress was so sweet. Having said that, we had a later reservation booked through open table for 8:00, booked through Open Table, the only time my son could be there. They even had later times available on Open table. Started off great, waited a bit longer for the first course but not anything too bad, until about 9:30, (they close at 10). Suddenly a bus boy literally stood by our table looking at it waiting for us to hurry it up apparently, and we were still finishing dinner. It just got worse as time went on. Bus boy staff continuing to come to the table and trying to take things we weren't done with yet. The waitress was very kind when we asked her if it was a problem that we were still there, which I shouldn't even have to ask. While waiting for our last dessert to come out, the manager turned the lights off. Our table light was still on, but we were just baffled by it. We have been there past close many times before, and nothing like that has ever happened. I noticed the manager pass our table pacing back and forth several times, and the the bus boy again waiting for us to finish, apparently not knowing that I could clearly see how irritated he was. At that point we no longer felt comfortable at all. We did not take an extreme amount of time, or having drinks and conversation. We were rushing trying TK eat the main course because we clearly realized they wanted us out. So we just left without finishing the dessert all the way, and taking a box of stuff home. I was really disappointed and upset about that experience, we could not have felt more rushed, and not by the waitress at all, she kept telling us it was completely fine. Apparently not last night. I feel if they are going to act that way, they need to take those reservation time slots off Open Tables website. Very unexpected and very upsetting. Not sure we will be back after that. read more

Another great meal at a melting pot. I have eaten at melting pots since the 80's in Florida and I have eaten here three or four times over the years when I get to town. It is a great meal that can be spoiled by a bad or new poorly trained server, since they are the chef for the cheese fondue portion of the meal. So far I have had seasoned people. The portions have gotten smaller over the years. The salad size is painfully small but still good. Chocolate fondue for dessert, speaks for it self. read more

The Melting Pot - Fondue Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

How do you mess up melted cheese?!? None of the four of us liked the cheddar or the alpine. Meat was not tasty either. One of the four of us liked more than one of the dipping sauces. So food is bad. Menu is strange with too many obscure options and requires good guessing as to what meats might taste better with which "cooking style" or fondue boiling "broth". Burgundy wine or maybe Caribbean style to cook your teriyaki chicken or herb crusted chicken? Do those sound good together? Maybe but how can I choose these? None we're very good. Took 2.5 hours. Rough with 2 kids. With good food I would forgive almost any issue but not the case. And it cost $300. I'm a pretty easy going dude and hate to say bad things about anyone but this place deserves it and I feel I have to do my duty and save people from this place. Be better melting pot. read more

I don't think I've ever had a better dine-in experience at any other restaurant. Our server, Alex, is the best server we've ever had. She was so friendly, patient, and gave some great tips on how we can make cheese fondue at home! (Backstory: we tried making the alpine cheese fondue at home months ago, but it didn't come out right). This was our second time here and it was even better than the first visit. We did the full fondue experience (cheese, entree, chocolate) and everything was a hit. I highly recommend the alpine (for cheese fondue) and dark chocolate (for chocolate fondue). We cooked in a coq au vin broth and it was fantastic. I can't wait to come back here. It's perfect for a date night or night out with friends. Make sure you try it out! read more

We received a gift card to the Melting Pot as a gift. After some research, we decided to go on Oscars Day. According to the website, the Melting Pot was doing trivia, swag bags and other fun activities in honor of the Academy Awards. I called the restaurant prior to making reservations to see if this was happening all day, as well as to verify the special menu would be available all day. I was told that yes, the awards event was happening all day on Sunday as was the Special menu. We walked up to the restaurant and immediately noticed that the outside rug had not been cleaned in some time. There was dirt and rock salt on it. It hadn't recently snowed and there was no salt anywhere else nearby, so I assume that it had been there for some time. The lobby has an odor, not sure if that was cooking oil or what, but that was no bueno. The host seated us promptly, but in a tiny, drafty booth across from a couple with a very loud baby. Points for bringing your kid out, I do not object to this, but as this is a two hour dining experience, I am not going to sit shivering while the kid next to us wails. The host agreed to move us to one of the 50 open tables in the place. As soon as I got up, my seat collapsed. No kidding. The host said it was a storage booth. Great. So, we are in a not drafty non-broken larger booth. There is now confusion over who our server is and if the host is in fact or server. Once this was reconciled, the experience greatly improved. However, there were no Academy Award events happening. No swag, no trivia, no fun. In fact, so special menu as listed on the website and verified by my phone call. Our server was delightful and helpful. In fact, he really made the experience very good for us, with recommendations and tips. We ordered a four course menu. Everything was good. I liked my shrimp and chicken. The salad was portioned adequately. I did not need the dessert, as I was pretty full by then but we made it through. Would I do it again? Probably not, but if we did, I would more than likely opt for Geja's. Melting pot is probably a good date place, just not the place for us. read more

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The service is AMAZING! The manager Rick was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME and our server, Joy, was amazing as well. Very hospitable, sweet, and friendly. The food was really good and it was very clean !! read more