Always starving after school, we tend to go out for a bite to eat when Jess gets out. Today it was Mel's Diner. It had been a while since we'd been there, I'm glad we decided to stop in. The place is full of American memorabilia and the music playing from the juke boxes on the tables are fun and up-beat. We both ordered burgers and fries with soda to wash it all down. The service was good. Nothing over the top, but not lacking either. Our food was delivered quickly and hot. Cooked perfectly, our burgers were yummy. The fries, on the other hand, were lacking. The table and menus felt a little sticky... But over-all ok. Only able to eat half of my burger, the rest was packed up to bring home for later. Overall- good burgers, fun atmosphere and friendly people. Food: 4 Cleanliness: 4 Service: 4 Value: 4 read more

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What you need to KNOW: - Location is clean and open 24/7 - Food not bad for the cheap price (feeds your taste buds and stomach) - ONE THING: Customer Service is the BEST here.... You never get this type of Customer Service (small town / family feel) like back in the days.... Example: From taking our order....our server built rapport with my family (how are we, did we visit the outlets & etc), informing us Specials (what there popular dish is), touch basis with customers (water was constantly filled and if we needed anything else 4X), our server even introduce her filler as she had to go on break, and lastly close the deal with ... Have a nice DAY and be safe out there... OMG LOVE IT read more

The Original Mels - Banana Milk Shake - OMG ma sa rap GOOD in Tagalog - Diners Near Me - Vacaville, California

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Terrible !! Waited a good 15 min before anyone showed up to take our drink order. Ugh. Then it was a long time before our server came back to take our order. Then forever to get our meal. All in all it was shy of 1 hr before our dinner came ! Shorted us a side of bacon & 1 sausage. It was like pulling teeth to get our server back to ask her what happened. During our meal she didnt come back to see if we needed anything. We had to always flag her down ourselves. Never got my tea refill. Well this seems like Mels in VV is going downhill. Will have to find another place to get breakfast at dinner. read more

Always come for the ranch. Good is great. Atmosphere is always awesome. We are usually late dinner people and it's nice to not feel like you are closing a place down. Karina was our server this time. She was awesome. read more

$1.89 coffee Slow service due to lots of teenagers but open 24 hours. Refilled 3 times and shared Brownie Buster with my friend. Caffeine jolt lasting to 4:00 am, current. P R I C E L E S S read more

Mel's is your standard American diner. The food isn't terrible and the atmosphere is pretty cool. The service was pretty good.

Fast, friendly, good food. I've been here several times and have not been disappointed. Today, the orders were bleu cheeseburger, Mel's burger, soup and salad( not me!), and a chicken sandwich(?)...2 strawberry shakes, a vanilla shake, and a chocolate shake... And of course fries... I'm still feeling it 8 hrs later, but it was yummy :) Plus- we had a blast picking songs on juke box on our table...and singing. read more

After a disappointing attempt at grabbing lunch somewhere, we decided to go to Mel's instead. They haven't done me wrong anyway. So off we go. We were immediately greeted and seated by the hostess. Jacquelyn, (might not be the correct spelling) our server came over and got our drinks promptly. Very nice and friendly, she got our food and made sure all is well with us. My daughter enjoyed her burger, my son his omelet and I, my fried chicken. We didn't have our drinks empty. Lunch (or early dinner) was very enjoyable. way up! read more

Mel's is always consistent. Always nice to step back in the time machine to enjoy a hearty lunch or breakfast surrounded by the nostalgia of yesteryear. Karina, our waitress, was friendly and attentive. Eat inside -- dine in is now available (wear your mask to your table) -- and remember how it was. read more

Major regret coming here. The decor looked tired, despite the staff who were awesome, tried to keep it clean. My Fish n Chips were a bland, tasteless oil slick. My wife's Classic Burger was equally disappointing. Lunch was more than double the price of In n Out. Prognosis? Never again !! read more

My kids wanted to go to Mel's after shopping at the outlets. I sure am glad I obliged. We enjoyed our meal. James G., our server rocked. He was awesome and genuinely nice. He forgot my salad and made it up with ice cream. That's great customer service. Thank you James D. read more

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Everytime we come in before and after Covid, it has been a good experience. Very clean, wear masks properly, sanitized immediately after patrons leave. We order from Doordash often from them too. Thank you for all you are doing. Stay safe!! read more

Absolutely the best breakfast...I love Cali Benedict...but I want everything extra crispy...perfectly prepared...and if you sit in Cindy's area, you will be very well taken care of....Best server ever. Thanks to all. read more

Well first off getting there having to wait for 20 minutes just to get drinks then my waitress comes takes out order. So noticing while looking around the buster walks out with a stack of glasses some of them pressing up against his hair and face and lips Not Good. Then our food comes well my husband ordered a Omlet Very Nasty, my 2 Neices ordered sandwiches dry as a powder house and me lol I got the steak it was good but my hashbrowns were bigger than the steak. Nope we will Not Go Back read more

Mel's diner was a great experience. They have amazing food with a great selection. They have jukebox on every table that you can select from a wide variety of all these music. Their staff was very friendly helpful and professional. Would definitely come back and recommend it to our friends. read more

The Original Mels - Great little jukebox with tons of old music!! - Diners Near Me - Vacaville, California

What we order: Country fried steak and eggs Steak and eggs Large OJ The server was nice and polite but the food was... The country fried steak was burnt as heck. My GF barely ate half of her fried steak and I finished the rest of her food for her. The country fried steak was not worth it. The steak and eggs was alright. It did its job. Would I order it again? No. As for the OJ, we found hair!!! Hurrrrrrr?!?&$@ Why Whhhhy?! Gross. The reason why we give this place a 2 star because the server was nice and the steak and egg was alright. read more

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We haven't really been out much since the pandemic started. Usually we're getting take-out ourselves or taking advantage of the DoorDash that seems to have become invaluable during this madness... Anyway, today was a particularly difficult day for me, and we were traveling as a result, also something we've mostly avoided over the last year. When I realized there were no places offering indoor dining, we decided to hit In-N-Out in Vacaville. True to precedent, the line for the drive-thru was blocks long. Pulled Yelp! back out and saw Mel's Diner nearby. They had limited outdoor seating, but since hubby is driving, I thought we'd try our luck. There were only 6 tables set-up, but 3 available and one group ahead of us. Stoked, because the two gas heat lamps they had were putting out quite a bit of warmth. More than I expected. Our server, Marchus, took a moment to get to us, but returned quickly with our drink order and took our meal order in short time thereafter. He stayed attentive, asking how things tasted, making sure we didn't want refills, etc. He even asked if I wanted a to-go cup for my 1/4 of my soda after I'd politely declined a refill. He wore gloves and a mask, (properly, I might add, since plenty of people don't seem to understand your nose goes INSIDE the mask). He was more than pleasant and we tipped him $10 as a result. I included our receipt so you can see their prices. My husband had the cheesesteak. He said he's had better, but it was hot, fresh and a serious helping of food. I had the chicken bacon melburger. The bacon was thick and cooked perfectly, and the bun was a toasted ciabatta, I think. I really enjoyed the onion strings, though it was a little heavy on the lettuce. All in all, you won't be disappointed if you stumble across this place. They're taking all the right precautions. read more

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During our road trip to Portland, we decided to dine here at one of our pit stops. I actually have never heard of this place but my husband has (but he's never tried it) - I really like the retro-ness of the diner itself and our waitress was very friendly. My husband ended up getting a Reuben sandwich - we substituted his fries for the cheesy mel fries because that's what Yelpers recommended! The sandwich was good and the fries were decent...some of the cheese didn't really melt well though. I had an omelet, which was very delicious, but most of the potatoes in my hash were not cooked at all. I ended up not eating most of it since I didn't want to get sick eating raw potato (and didn't think it was worth it to have them re-cook the hash in the kitchen since I wasn't super hungry). We both also shared a milkshake, which was very yummy! Overall it's what you would expect from a diner - can't say it's amazing but it's pretty good! read more

Always a favorite spot when traveling to California! Wonderful breakfasts and their ice cream is so yummy!

Phenomenal . The only way to describe our service . From the moment we walked in to the second we left we felt right at home. Karina did an amazing job and the e food was delicious. We will be back and highly recommend. read more

The service. Even when they're busy they acknowledge that things are taking a bit longer but still strive to be the best. We love this Mel's Diner and visit on weekends, when we can. This Mel's is always my daughter and I's favorite choice to eat breakfast before shopping in Vacaville. read more

My family and I arrive it about 1:15 restaurant is not very busy. We order our food about five minutes later. Had to ask for straws and water . The family next to us gets their order taken and then the waitress takes our order. About twenty five minutes later the table next to us gets their food. I then ask the waitress the status of our food she then states it should be out soon that a couple of tables orders had mistakes. That should of been our clue to leave. After more than one hour of waiting I get up to ask her about our order she then responds let me find out. I hear the manager ask what is going on? Waitress then comes and tells us that there is three more orders in front of us!. That is after waiting more than an hour. What a total disappointment. We then tell her we are leaving. Manager never came and talked to us. Awful customer service! read more

I usually dine here when I want to spend some quality time with my parents. The customer service here has been consistently superb. The staff are always friendly and helpful, which is always a plus. The food, however, is usually a hit or miss for me. Don't get me wrong, the food is decent, but I just wish it consistently flavorful. There were a couple of instances when my food tasted bland, but thank God for Tabasco sauce and black pepper. Overall, this restaurant offers excellent dining experience with average food. read more

24 hours of fun at Mels Diner. I've been coming to Mel's for years. It's on Hwy 80 near Vacaville. You can count on Mel's for good burgers and fries. The festive music puts a smile on everyone's face. You see people smile as soon as they walk through the door. The standards are great but Mel features really good coffee, pie and Bly sandwiches with avocado. The crowd is both young and old. Everyone loves the low key experience at Mel's. in fact, I'm surprised to see so many people under 30. read more

Good food. Good service. If you are HUNGRY eat here. You will leave satisfied. Been coming here ever since they opened.

The 50's theme and decorations were AWESOME! I went there for breakfast around 6 AM today (Sunday) and I was the only customer. Needless to say, I was seat5ed immediately, given coffee & ice water and a menu. They were patient as I looked through their very interesting menu. I ordered an omelet and hash brown's. I took most of the generously sized omelet home with me. They kept my coffee cup topped off. Prices were average for this type of restaurant. Or, perhaps, a little less than average. I'll definitely be back soon--most likely for breakfast on a weekend. read more

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Cindy M. was the best server on point with everything always asking if we needed anything or topping off our drinks! Food was good as well!

Araceli is the best. We love coming here just for her. She is a he best. Mels has been in vacavillle forever and has always been one of those places you can come to any time with there 24 hour service. read more

Nice subtle atmosphere. Tried the Crispy Chicken salad, buffalo style chicken with ranch dressing, it was a big salad and well worth it. I devoured the whole thing, it was probably one of the best salads I've ever had. If I couldn't decide on what to get at Mel's, that salad would be my go to. Service was good, attended to me fast, and food came out fast. read more

The Original Mels - Crispy Chicken Salad, Buffalo style chicken with ranch dressing and raspberry iced tea. Amazing salad. - Diners Near Me - Vacaville, California

Caitlyn at Mel's Diner was a great server! Her cheerful nature was very welcoming. The burger was GREAT! the avocado wasn't brown - it was perfect. read more

Today was great breakfast served by a waitress mom and daughter tag team. Angela and Cindy were do fun attentive. Wonderful experience! read more

The worst experience ever, I don't know who was angrier if the person who took me to my table, the girl who said I'll be your server tonight or the person who collected the money when I was paying, my god... first of all is not my fault that you all have to work the Night Shift on a Friday damn it, I'm never going back there again Mel's let me tell you something your customer service fucking sucks. read more

STAY AWAY!! Bunch of drunks and punk kids. Hell I even saw a homeless person go to the bathroom on the side of the building and the staff not care. Then you have staff flirting with guests and not taking orders. Once I got someone flagged down she was rude as hell. Then it took almost 40mins to get my food and it was cold. I told the waitress it she didn't care. I tried to tell the mgr but he was no where to be found. I bet he went home. Then 1/2 the place was drunk. Will not come back. read more

Thanks Mel. Just busted my diet. I had the prime rib sandwich open face. Mash and gravy. Then half of roast beef sandwich. Cheddar and potato soup. And frys. Well it was retro just like the one in Reno circa 1978. I really really enjoyed my Lunch. The mash was not your average it was celebration of potatoes For anyone who reads my reviews. I flew up from the north Bay Area. read more

This is my go-to restaurant when I need to have that late night dinner run (past midnight-ish). The service is great as most of the servers smile and greet you. The food doesn't come out too late and you won't find yourself waiting too long. I've never had bad service on the times I've come here. The food is average diner food. They serve breakfast items (all-day), burgers, fries, sandwiches, etc. The amount of food they give you is decent. It will fill up but won't leave you stuffed. The food tastes delicious but don't expect something too spectacular. The prices aren't too expensive either which is always good in my book. The restaurant has that classic diner atmosphere. There are plenty of nice 1950s-era decorations such as juke boxes on the tables, the colors of the chairs and walls, the posters on the wall, etc.(the flat screen TVs take away from the vibe though haha). It adds to the laid-back atmosphere and the casual setting of the restaurant. I can't find really anything to complain about other than the lack of variety in food. I haven't really seen a daily special or special occasion dish that would really change the menu. There's plenty of parking, open 24 hours, and it's not too noisy during the late night. I find myself coming here constantly and don't plan on stopping. This place is great if just want some decent food to fill you up and nothing too fancy. read more

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Don't do it!!! So sorry that there were only 4 tables and serviced and food was horrible! Trying to support local but darn it. What a mistake! Yuck! Orders completely messed up! Beware... read more

Karina was a super sweet server--politely waited for us and came back to take our order very quickly after our last person arrived. (: Yummy food, nice environment. read more

This restaurant is so clean, and makes you feel like you've been transported to the 1950s. Most of the tables have a jukebox with a variety of songs that you can choose from to elevate your dining experience. I came with a bigger group and my waitress, Cindy, was so welcoming, friendly, and fun. The customer service was attentive and amazing. read more

The Original Mels - Diners Near Me - Vacaville, California

I went to this diner with my brothers while we were out of town and the customer service was above and beyond. They were very kind and friendly. Maria and Vanessa were the best :) read more

This place is very friendly and great customer service. Our waitress Shay was AWESOME. I asked for something I saw on their YELP, but didn't see on the menu. She quickly said, don't worry we can make it. We were hungry and as it was our first time, a little indecisive on what to order. She was very patient and helpful with menu choices! Great family restaurant! We will definitely return. read more

The Original Mels - Pralines and banana sundae! Ahhh-maz-ing!!! - Diners Near Me - Vacaville, California