The Melting Pot

Let me preface this by saying that I have a chronic illness that causes me to pass out from time to time. I went to The Melting Pot tonight and sadly, just after I got my cheese my illness decided to rear its ugly head. While I luckily didn’t actually pass out this time around I began to feel very faint. We had to explain the situation to our waitress Jasmine, cancel our entrée order, and leave in a hurry. I was all ready to pay for the cheese we had half-​eaten when Jasmine informed me that it was taken care of. We didn’t have to pay. She was so kind, offering me ice and some nice words, (managers, if you are reading this, Jasmine is a GEM.) telling me she hopes I feel better.
I’ve been here before and they have delicious food served in a quirky way, with lots of gluten free options. So 5 stars for that, but also 5 stars for understanding that things happen and not having us pay for what we had eaten and also 5 stars for Jasmine being so sweet.

I went when it first opened loveddddddd the concept and good. You get what you pay for also with the prices. The food quality and quantity was great! Need to go back ASAP

I am a very big fan of the melting pot, usually go only twice a year though because of the expense. The experience is worth everything and the food is always mouthwatering and decadent. The one drawback I have is how often they change or remove items off their menu. I tend to really like something and on my next visit they don’t have it anymore. I would recommend the baked potato cheese fondue and the smores dessert. The pot stickers, herb crusted chicken (no longer avail) were my fav entrees. However, for me, the item that steals the show is their blondies. TO. DIE. FOR. I also purchase their garlic and wine seasoning and use it in my daily cooking, I love it!

we were in the Melting Pot on Saturday evening — because the restaurant is located in a Mall it was really busy and we had to wait up to 8:30pm to get a table. Showing up in time we still had to wait for another 15 minutes. But once in the restaurant it was a good experience. We’ve got a booth and the server (Paige, she’s from Albany and in Buffalo for College) was really nice and helpful bringing additional stuff like sauces and vegetables to the table. The Melting Pot format is quite unique — I never started with a Cheese Fondue in my life and as a Swiss Guy I know good Cheese Fondues. But I have to say it was really ok freshly prepared right at the table. After that we had the Tuna Fondue and I added some Lobster. My daughter finished with the chocolate fondue always a temptation. I tried to figure out were they had the chocolate from (because I’m working in the chocolate business) — Paige went back to ask but it seems to be a special mix for the Pot. I will go again in Buffalo or in another Pot to have some Fondue fun — even with a Cheese Fondue as a Starter.

If I could give 2 ½ stars I would! This place was middle of the road for me. The restaurant itself is gorgeous! The staff is friendly but the food? Meh. It’s not that it’s really horrible or anything but there is sooo very little of it and the cost is high for what you do get. We spent $$$$ quite a bit of money for salad, cheese (loaded baked potato & the Alpine) and chocolate fondue (flaming turtle and ying and yang) and still left hungry! I wasn’t interested in cooking my own meat in broth (yuck!) so there was nothing to really get full on — have I mentioned what small portions you get?! I waited so long to come here but unfortunately it is most likely a one and done place for us.

I have been to this Melting Pot almost 10 times now. It is a great place for a date, a girls night, or catching up with a friend. The service is always friendly. Can be a little slow, but they get very busy. Always make a reservation here! My favorites are the alpine cheese, California salad, shrimp with curry sauce, mushroom with green goddess sauce, filet mignon with blue cheese sauce, and the turtle chocolate.
Restaurant week is a good deal and I’ve had parties of 7 here for my birthday which went very smoothly. The more people you have, the more different fondues you can try! It is a little pricey, but worth the treat. And if you sign up for the email list, they will send you info about special events such as: girls night and endless fondue.

TOTAL rip off. Left there frustrated and hungry. Two people get the same amount of food as FOUR people for TWICE the money. No one should have to work that hard to eat boiled little pieces of meat. Boiled potatoes and broccoli are not satisfying sides. Kids love this place because you get to play with your food, but adults just get frustrated. Never again.

This was our first time coming here and it was amazing. The waiter explained the menu to us and how the whole process worked. I recommend if it’s your first time to go for the four course menu. This way you get a good feel of what you like and don’t like. This place is expensive but worth it!
When we go next time:
–We probably will skip the salad course since the other courses are so filling without it.
–Go with the beef and seafood! The chicken wasn’t anything to write home about and you spend most of your time worrying if it is done enough.
–Bring your big girl/​boy pants. It doesn’t seem like a lot of food but over time you get very full!
Save room for dessert!

My granddaughter loves this place and wanted to go for dinner. Have been here a few times for occasions with her. I learned to make cheese fondue in Vermont back in the 1970s, and still have the fondue pot I bought in Burlington. So maybe that skews my perspective; I am sure it must. Their cheese fondue, meh. And that’s what I have to rate a fondue restaurant on. Service was slow too. It is an experience, and that is worth something.

I had gone here for New Years for dinner. The service was impeccable! The waitress I had was super attentive and very well knowledged on the menu and options. With that being said, there are not many «options» for a New Years dinner. You either get the expensive meal or you add lobster and make it more expensive. (which is fine we expected to spend money) … This just is not a place to if you don’t intend on spend at least 150 bucks (for 2 people).

Overall I found the experience pleasant yet nothing memorable, I will give 4 stars because the service was outstanding, the food not so much.
A lil pricey for two people $ 150.

I’ve never never never had a bad experience here after trying it out a few times.
The first time I was here my friend made reservations for us for my birthday. The hostess walked us past all the tables and guided us to this dark hallway. I began to get worried. Where were they taking us? What is going on! Because my friend made reservations, they seated us in a special area called Lovers Lane. The booths are high and U shaped so you’re sitting next to eachother. The lighting is dim and SUPER romantic and cute. I must say, it was the most romantic date I have ever been on lol Even though it was with my gal pal and unintentional lol
They brought us out a champagne toast to celebrate (complimentary) and we ordered.
If you go here, keep in mind that you’re going to be dining for awhile. We were here for a little more than 2 hours. You’re cooking your own food in courses. Everything, regardless of what you order is going to be delicious!
Join their email club and get a half dozen chocolate covered strawberries for your birthday! This place definitely makes you feel special regardless of what you’re celebrating!

I went here for my birthday and decided to do it up with the 4 course experience.
First off when I was seated the melting pot already had a birthday card waiting for me, what a cute touch!
Our server was amazing, so nice and patient.
We ordered the garlic and herb cheese fondue, honestly amazing, our sever said it wasn’t super popular but one of his favorites. I’m shocked more people don’t order it, it was so tasty! Next came the Cesar salad, it was the best Cesar salad I’ve ever had. The pine nuts really just made it amazing. Then for dinner we got an assortment of meats, the teriyaki beef was by far my favorite and the shrimp. For the chocolate we got the turtle, AMAZING is all I can say. It was the best thing ever. To top all of this off, the love martini was so tasty, it was like juice, I had 2!
Since it was my birthday our sever brought me out a plate that said happy birthday with a candle and champagne for my fiancé and I. Talk about feeling special. It was awesome!
I highly recommend coming here for special occasions. It’s worth every penny.

I went here last night with boyfriend and his sister/​her boyfriend to celebrate both of our anniversaries (although I think that was just our excuse to go out to eat, but whatever. I like food. It’s why I Unilocal.). They arrived and were seated before I did, because I was coming from work. However, I believe they were seated around the time of our reservation. We were also given 2 cards, one for boyfriend and me and the other for the sister/​boyfriend couple, wishing us each happy anniversary from The Melting Pot. I thought that was very kind, although I’m sure they do this for everyone.
We opted to go for a date night special thing that boyfriend’s sister found, and it was a meal thing for 4 people for $ 99. It included a cheese fondue for the table, a salad per person, and an entrée per person. The cheese we decided on was the Garlic & Herb Quartet, and I believe this was one of the better options. I had never been here before, but sister/​her boyfriend stated they’ve tried some of the others and didn’t like them as much (the swiss cheese one and the beer/​cheese one, although I would have liked to try the beer/​cheese one).
Our server, Jen, came to the table to make the fondue for us. This particular fondue consisted of a wine base, then some mixed shredded cheese, garlic and herb butter, fontina and goat cheese, lemon juice, and scallions on top. The menu also lists Butterkase as an ingredient, but I’m not sure where that came into play. With the fondue, we were served apples, a bowl of broccoli/​cauliflower/​carrots, and two bowls of white bread and pretzel bread. Jen stated that if we needed any more things to dip, she would be more than happy to bring them (we ended up needing more, so it was nice to know that was an option).
For our salads, boyfriend and other boyfriend ordered Caesars and sister and I ordered the Californias. The California consisted of mixed greens, tomatoes, candied pecans, gorgonzola cheese, and a raspberry black walnut vinaigrette. Tasty!
As our entrees, we had to have the land & sea (part of the $ 99 deal), but it came with the teriyaki steak instead of the filet mignon listed on the menu. I asked if I could get anything besides the chicken, because I don’t eat chicken (ew), and Jen said they could do double steak in place of the chicken. Hooray! I was very excited about this. So, I had two portions of the steak and one portion of the shrimp, and we also added on two lobster tails for the table. The entrees also came with potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms. We opted for the seasoned court bouillon cooking style, because it seemed good enough and that is the option that comes with the entrees for no additional charge. This was suitable for what we ordered, especially because we also had all of the dipping sauces to use once our food was cooked. (Note: I cooked the seafood longer than recommended, because it seemed the minute and a half suggestion was not enough for the shrimp or lobster.) I did find this to be the strangest part of the meal, because I’m sure there are plenty of cases where people don’t cook their food long enough. Also, this is certainly not the best way to cook steak. It comes out with a rubbery consistency (because you’re literally just cooking it in a pot of water, and who eats boiled steak?) but the dipping sauces and the overall flavor of the steak almost make up for the awkward chewiness.
Finally, sister and other boyfriend got the cookies and cream chocolate fondue, (boyfriend and I were way too full to indulge in dessert). This course did take a little longer to come out than the others, but that was fine because everyone needed time to digest anyway. This was the most visually appealing course of the evening, because I was not expecting the Goblet of Fire to appear before my very own eyes! Jen lit the bowl of chocolate fondue on fire (see picture for reference) and I thought that was a neat touch. I did try one strawberry dipped in the fondue, and the flames certainly did not effect the overall flavor.
I did enjoy my first experience here as something different to do, but I think if I were to go back, I would stick with just the cheese fondue and a drink or two (I did not have drinks this time, but would have a few if I wasn’t having a full meal). The entrée course was good, but the way it gets cooked kind of freaks me out. The salads were also good, but if I was just getting cheese fondue, I don’t think I would want to pair a salad with that. I’m also not much of a dessert person (unless it’s a layered chocolatey fudge cake), so I would opt out of the chocolate fondue. It’s definitely a fun place to try if you’ve never been, but there are a lot of other local places in Buffalo for the same amount of money you’d spend here, and better quality food.

This was an amazing Melting Pot location. I have been to many Melting Pots. All 3 Colorado locations, 2 in NC, one in Nashville, and one in Ohio. There may be others. It is basically my favourite restaurant, so I’m a bit biased. However, I have high expectations for what it should be like, and they definitely did not disappoint.
This location is built into the big mall in Buffalo in their outdoor section. It is a little difficult to find parking nearby at the moment since they seem to be doing construction on the parking lot nearest to it, so allow a little extra time for that.
When we arrived, we were greeted by the hostess and seated right away. Our server was friendly and knowledgable. This location is a test location for new menu items, so they have thing that other locations do not have, but they also might not have some of the things you are used to and like from the others. For instance, they have pretzel bread and carrots to go with the cheese fondue. They had less dipping sauces to go with the meat course than when we were last at another location. My husband was sad that they didn’t have the cocktail sauce as one of their standard sauces, but our server was able to make some for us.
We ended up choosing the a la carte meal option that allows you to choose each protein individually, and we were really happy with our choices. The barbecue pork was surprisingly good.
Since we were celebrating my dissertation defense (and because we were there at the end of the night, I suspect), he brought us champagne and chocolate-​covered strawberries with out dessert course. They actually have a little pecan pie that they have with the dessert was a nice addition, but a bit hard to dip. I was glad that this location seems to have brought back pineapple on the dessert fondue.
I know that some people don’t like the fondue concept because you have to cook the meat yourself, but it’s just so tasty. I like the long, relaxing dinner. The lighting is low and it is a romantic place. There is so much food. I don’t know how some people have said they left still feeling hungry because I swear eating here is a great way to instantly gain 3 pounds. Plus, the servers are really helpful, so they will bring you extra dippers for the cheese and chocolate courses so you can make the most of the fondue. They’ll also bring you extra sauces and veggies for the meat course if you need it.
The service at the Melting Pot is always excellent, and this experience definitely lived up to my expectations. I will look forward to returning when I have something else to celebrate!

I love the Melting Pot. I usually do the four course only because it is all so good.
My favorite cheese fondue is the Bacon and Jalapeño. Ask for it hot! That way it has the most flavor and it really isn’t overly spicy. I’ve tried the classic which has a strong beer flavor and also the loaded potato which is very good (had bacon and scallions). The pretzel bread is amazing. Ask for just that. Skip the plain bread. Not worth it. Dippers are endless.
The four course comes with salad. They have great choices. All dressings are made in house but the caesar. The raspberry walnut vinaigrette is my favorite by far.
Not many people like the main course but I love it. I usually get the teriyaki marinated sirloin, filet, and old bay shrimp with a mojo or miso cooking style. The mojo is Caribbean flavored and the miso is Asian style. Honestly it doesn’t impart too much flavor on anything but the seafood, veggies and potatoes. It’s easy to cook the food and it really is good. It does not taste just boiled. The sauces they come with the main course make it. The blue cheese port, carrot curry, and green goodness are my favorite. It comes with eight sauces. All delicious. The sauces, veggies, potatoes and mushrooms are endless.
Desert is obviously great. I’ve tried the classic with crunchy peanut butter, the turtle, and caramel nut. The caramel but is my favorite because it has crunchy peanut butter, milk chocolate, and caramel. The plate of dippers comes with everything from fruits, cakes, and other little snacks (see my photo).
It’s just so warm in the restaurant from all of the pots boiling. Sometimes it’s very uncomfortable. The pricing is also a bit high. The four course for two people is about $ 100. But they are very accommodating and the waiters do not sit at your table like some people have mentioned. They say their piece and leave you be. They have cute little nooks for special occasions. Definitely request those for anything special.
I only nicked a star for the pricing and warmth. The food really is delicious!

I visited this place with my husband. We ordered three dishes from the menu. We were given a hint by the waitress that we have to cook our ordered food. But boss we never expected that the food would be completely raw and it wont be cooked at all.
Now let me tell you that both of us were starving and then we have to cook our food ;)
Quantity of food they serve is too less. Believe me we finished everything that was there on the plate. After finishing food we were not hungry but we were not completely satisfied. Food was neither too good nor too bad.
What can i say about the bill. Dude this place is super expensive.
But the experience was different and definitely a good one. May be to experience that «different experience» people visit Melting Pot.

Went to the Melting Pot for dinner with my sister as a late birthday gift. We went on a Thursday and had a Groupon to use, which included salad and an entrée for both of us.
We were seated all alone at first with no one in our section of the restaurant, kind of awkward at first but then more people arrived. The food was good, I guess you really come for the experience. My only fault, our server. She was horrible. She only came over to the table four times during our whole time, the first to welcome us and get drinks, second to take our order, third to give us our food, and fourth to take our plates and give us our check. Let’s just say she wasn’t having the best day.

Excellent greeted and seated with in a minute of coming in the doors. Manager greeted us as returning guess. Erica greeted us and took our drink order. She was friendly and very helpful in picking our meal out. I can’t say enough about how the staff can make or break your dining experience. The food was great, the loaded baked potato fondue was very tasty. The salads were nice and not too large. Erica was helpful in picking the cooking method. Mojo, which was new to us. The chocolate fondue was A+ dark chocolate, very very good.
The good was great. But the people made it even better. The owner said hello and check on us. Erica made are dinner special by going that extra step.
Thank you for a memorable time.

The Melting Pot is such a polarizing restaurant. The high prices and the main courses tend to throw people off. I had a difficult time picking a rating because some of the dishes are five-​star and some are worthy of lower ratings, in my opinion.
The first time I went, I was very unimpressed by the restaurant because of the main course. I have since learned to adjust my order so that I thoroughly look forward to dining at the Melting Pot.
My recommendation is to order a salad first. All options are delicious and fresh. The homemade dressings are so unique. I especially love the house dressing. After a filling salad, I recommend ordering a cheese fondue to split with the table. My personal favorites are the beer and cheddar fondue, the spinach artichoke Swiss fondue, and the loaded baked potato fondue. They melt the cheese and add the ingredients right in front of you. It’s fun to watch. They give you veggies, fresh bread and sliced green apples to dip in the fondue. It’s really delicious.
The next course would be the meat, however I advise that you skip this course. It’s way overpriced and it doesn’t even taste good. I don’t like seeing my meal in the form of raw meat and boiling it myself in under seasoned water. It was kind of gross.
Finally, the dessert fondues are wonderful. I highly recommend all of them. The classic chocolate is always a good way to go. The restaurant always has a seasonal specialty fondue. I usually order whatever the special is. The last time I went, it was banana’s foster. It was unreal.
I chose four stars because I really enjoy going with a friend for salads, cheese fondue and a dessert fondue. However, I give the main course one star. I would recommend avoiding it.