Cafe Melissa

Delicious food, friendly staff, and great atmosphere! We just stumbled upon it because of it’s name and loved it!

This café has a wonderful, frequently-​refreshed menu with a wide variety of entrees that will satisfy any pallet and a beer selection that will please even a beer snob. The brunch here is best in The county and easily matches up with the best spots in Tremont.
Today we arrived for brunch and tried the corned beef hash for the first time. Having snacked earlier In the morning, my wife and I chose to split the meal. The kitchen separated everything for us and provided a beautiful presentation on our plates.
The food was delicious and refined, with the corned beef seasoned well (but not overly so) and complemented with diced peppers. The eggs were topped with a subtle hollandaise sauce and accompanied with a slice of rye toast, reminding me of a common lunch sandwich pairing I love from Sliman’s in Cleveland. Prior to the entrée being served, we were presented with a small plate of fruit and a mini-​scone.
Service was awesome. Lisa was very attentive and kept the coffee flowing. When the kitchen was a bit slow with a kid’s order of pancakes, she kept us informed and reassured us she was on the ball.
The kitchen is visible from the dining area and it appears well run. The guys were quick and efficient.
Others at our table were equally impressed with their meals. My sister in law proclaimed the waffles the best she’s ever had. Not sure what makes waffles great but she loved them. The omelette was also complimented by our friend.
Great job overall! Keep up the perfection. For those so inclined, they also serve mimosas and bloody Mary’s for brunch. I don’t often hand out five stars but this place deserves it.

Love this place! Always fresh food and service is great. Nice presentation of dishes. Portion are generous. Recommend meatloaf, grilled cheese, eggplant parmeasean and gnocci.

My mother and I stopped into Café Melissa today for a quick lunch while running errands in the area. Our server, Lisa, was outstanding. She was so accommodating, attentive, friendly, and sweet. I had the blackened shrimp salad. The shrimp were cooked perfectly; they and the dressing both had a nice spicy kick. The flavors in the salad were vibrant and although it was pricy for a salad, it was satisfyingly filling.
I also ordered a coffee… the mug was as big as my head! I hadn’t had my daily coffee yet, so its arrival was like seeing an angel float down from heaven. Lisa was even kind enough to send me off with a cup for the road. My experience today was great. I would definitely recommend and return.

I won’t make this long and drawn out-​we frequent sweet Melissa’s very often and food is always consistent, fresh and service always attentive and quick. Café melissa on the other hand, I have been here twice and ordered the same salad-​salmon salad which I love. The first time and the way it’s supposed to be had a nice crunchy jicama slaw on top-​this time had red bell peppers which were wilted along with the jicama wilted on top-​I honestly thought it was cheese at first because of the texture! My daughter had chocolate chip pancakes for brunch and we love sweet m’s pancakes-​the texture was off on hers and felt almost hour old and not fresh. Super disappointed. Service at café melissa was the same slow service we had before and the same waiter. We were checked on once, never asked for our waters to be refilled and we were siting outside in the hot sun, I finally asked when they came back and it then took 15 minutes to return with no water but my check and then I was asked if I wanted water??? Service needs to be on point which it isn’t and my friends who prefer to go to sweet Melissa’s instead have told me the downfalls of café’s food being inconsistent along with service but we were in the area and I wanted the salad I love-​which I didn’t love at this visit. Work on service-​it was dead in there and it shouldn’t matter dead or busy be consistent! Food needs to be exactly the same every time you order it. And another side note, in order dressing on the side and as I’m drizzling it on with my fork I have chickpeas and random food floating in the dressing container… Uggg sloppy details people!

We love Melissa café. The brunch is great on the weekends and my family and I are obsessed with their burgers and fries. We have been there many times and always have a great experience.

Awesome food in a great neighborhood. Fresh, farm to table with nice menu options. Salads are excellent, light and tasty. It was so good I went back the next day for the same lunch salad.

Fair warning, in any other location I would be giving Café Melissa a four star review, but because they are located in Lorain – a definite quality food desert, I’m going with a five star review. Location –does– matter.
Café Melissa is a cute, unassuming looking place off the side of a busy road and somewhat in a shopping mall. Inside though, it is really well decorated and a pretty, calm, and fun place to be. The service has always been good, the food has always been yummy, and the beer specials are super cool. (They have a selection of $ 2 beers all the time – awesome!)
My one real beef with this place is that it is an a la carte style menu, which I generally hate. Unlike most places that use it though, I really think that at Café Melissa you are getting what you pay for. Yeah, it can sometimes feel like you’re overpaying by a couple bucks, but then you eat your food and you decide you’re okay with it.
Over the times that I’ve been here I’ve probably sampled about 40% of the menu because I’m generally always there with family and I try everything on the table. I love the fried green tomatoes and the goat cheese gnocchi. The stuffed artichoke hearts are a great idea but the filling needs a bit more ‘punch’ to it. The Portuguese stew is very yummy and exceedingly generous in its portions of fish. The steak on top of mashed potatoes are –amazing-​. And the garlicky spinach is basically manna from heaven.
The only thing I really dislike about this place is that the booths are done with a completely straight back. If you have any back or shoulder issues at all, it will be torture to sit in one of those. I have no idea why anyone would put that kind of booth in – it might look ascetically pleasing, but it’s physical torture.

Enjoyed a lovely brunch on the patio this afternoon. It wasn’t crowded at all for a beautiful Saturday. We ordered the Carolina (eggs, potatoes, cheese grits), buttermilk pancakes and biscuits and gravy. Everything was delicious and service was excellent and attentive. Will definitely return for brunch!

The only difference I found between here and Sweet Melissa’s in Rocky River is this location does not have a bar but they do serve beer and wine!
Our waitress Samantha was awesome! She was very nice and made good food suggestions. I ordered the Burger and a side of Sweet Potato Fries which were great! I don’t know if they make their own pickles or where they get them but I think they are my absolute favorite restaurant pickles! They go great on the burger! My boyfriend ordered the Scallop Risotto (recommended by our waitress) and the scallops were cooked perfectly!
We will be back to check out brunch!

The waitress recommended the Caesar salad with blackened chicken and I expected boring… but I got super tasty chicken and a non standard Caesar salad with avocados and lots of flavor! Highly rec trying this special dish!

On a family road trip from Vermont to California and back. We have eaten at A LOT of restaurants but this is the first time we have ever written a review.
This place has by far THE BEST kids menu choices of anywhere we have EVER been. As well as some incredible and tasty Gluten Free choices for all.
What a find! If your looking for good food take the time to get off the highway.
The only complaints the family has are the air conditioning was pretty chilly and there is a TV playing in the dining area which is a drag.

I am a regular costumer and I love coming here because it feels so cozy and like home. And their food is amazing. I particularly like their chicken carbonara, and I get that almost every time. I love coming here and definitely recommend it to everyone else.

I loved the vibe of this place! It was a cozy café, with ALCOHOL! I ordered the Fried Brussels Sprouts which were phenomenal! They were crispy, sweet and a little spicy all in one! I ate just the appetizer as my meal and I left satisfied. I can’t wait to go back again and get more!

So happy to have Café Melissa in town! Always a great spot for friendly, consistent and nicely-​priced options. For me, the take-​out window is perfect for taking home dinner after work or to supplement food for parties. The chop salad and chips and dip and mainstays for me to accompany a main dish.

Small, cozy place (no more than 20 tables) serving similar food to Sweet Melissa in Rocky River – high quality diner food. One thing I didn’t see on the menu that I really liked from Sweet Melissa (though I see it taken off their online menu as well) are the whole red baby potatoes served as a side with the meatloaf entrée. And while Café Melissa has a small case with a couple of cakes and cupcakes for dessert, it didn’t have the enormous cakes of its much larger, parent location.
The meatloaf sandwich was very good and the spice from the siracha added a little kick that was simultaneously mellowed out by the fried egg and cheese. It is very filling: I ended up taking a nap after getting home. The Reuben with turkey substituted for corned beef was not as well received, with the turkey coming out overcooked and dry. This might be a warning for other diners to stay on script.

The food at this place is to die for, highly recommend the Grouper and the Reuben, my favorites. Welcoming and attentive service, the cute manager stop by and was very charming. Worth the visit!

Café Melissa has a wide variety of food options, I have tried a lot of things on the menu and have not been disappointed! This location is pretty much identical to the Rocky River location far as the menu goes although the actual restaurant is a little smaller and does not have as many dessert options.
Brunch is one of the best things to come for especially since Avon Lake does not have that many options for unique, delicious brunch. They have a lot of interesting menu options and everything comes with a little scone and fruit, yum! Try anything with the potatoes… they are so so good!

I love Melissa. My husband loves Melissa. Even my kids love Melissa. The restaurant itself is a little odd (former pizza restaurant or something), but it’s always very clean. Staff is always nice and food is quick. They have amazing specials, but everything down to the cheeseburger is outstanding. Matzo ball soup is wonderful, as is the Italian hoagie. Oh, and the risotto bowl is great too. You get the picture. Try it out.

Came here for brunch on a Sunday morning. Place was not very busy, but got busier during our meal. Service was good… although there were a couple lulls where we were waiting for the server to come back to our table, she did a good job of keeping our drinks re-​filled.
The food was decent, although my corned beef hash was not prepared the same way as when I had it at another location (on the east side). The scone and fresh fruit served to us before our meal was a nice touch, too.
Considering the lack of quality breakfast spots in the area, I imagine we’ll be back.