The Melting Pot

My Aunt and I celebrate our birthdays each year by going to the Melting Pot. Unfortunately, some other locations that we have gone to in the past have closed. This was our first time at the Grand Rapids Melting Pot and I must say that it was a stellar experience! Half of the reason that we go is for the delicious food, the other half is for the ambiance and the experience. Our waiter was extremely educated on everything on the menu and with what he was doing. We always get the 4-​course meal and each course was delicious! This was the 4^th location that we have been to and it is definitely one of the best. The drinks were great, it was easy to make a reservation, and everyone was friendly. Because we were celebrating our birthdays, they even made us each a nifty little paper about the year and date that we were born and its history.
Not to mention, the location is great. It’s in an adorable little area with a movie theater, restaurants, and shops. Definitely a fun little location to explore on a nice day! We will definitely be going back to this location.

Celebrated anniversary here getting special seating for 2 back in an area where there I setup no traffic and is very private with ancient curtains to your private both. Had champagne and flowers prearranged. The service and food was just right for the event. Great experience and looking forward to our return.

We were there for a birthday party. We had a reservation for 5.
When we arrived, the restaurant was empty.
Took a very long time to get drinks and to order. We were just about to get up and find the waitress when she finally came to the table.
I had bought the birthday package, contains balloons, teddy bear and candle/​happy birthday with dessert.
Balloons and teddy bear on table, waitress forgot candle and song with dessert.
Also, 2 of our 5 orders were wrong, and again, the restaurant was empty.
The food was great but service was poor.
If the service was improved this would’ve been 5 stars.

Great service and food. I haven’t been to a Melting Pot since the early 2000s, so I’ve forgotten how fondue works. The waitress provided very detailed instructions for how to order and how to cook the meats. Everything was delicious. If you’re out on a date and don’t want to feel like your stomach will explode, I recommend only ordering the four course meal for one. Otherwise, you’re going to be left with LOTS of food. Bonus: You can take the meat home as long as you cook it.

By far the best experience I’ve ever had at a restaurant. Our server Tina, was amazing and helpful with explaining the menu and taking care of us. I have no bad things to say about this place. Worth every cent, had a wonderful experience here.

What an experience! This place isn’t just about food but about an experience and they sure know how to deliver!
The knowledge the server had was exceptional. He was able to answer any silly little question I may have had without skipping a beat. Checking on us often enough but not too much!
It was a lot of fun to be chef for the night at a restaurant and cook the food ourselves. The misconception I had with is that I thought everything was dipped in either cheese or chocolate. Not sure if others have this same thought but it is totally wrong. You don’t even have to have those options if you don’t to and just have the entrée where you cook your meat, seafood or veggies yourself! However if you are going for the full sha-​bang I would recommend doing all the courses… the cheese fondue, the salad, the entrée and the chocolate fondue.
They source local, specifically mentioning that the apples were from Robinette’s down the road which was a surprise to me as well.
Oh and they are super good at taking allergies into consideration without cross contamination. The server was even great at reminding not to put something into certain places because that is when the cross contamination could potentially occur. If you are gluten free they have LOTS of options. I was very impressed by the variety. You don’t feel like you are missing out on any of the fun as they have replacements for each item!
This is a great place to come for a special occassion as I do feel like it is pretty pricy. Worth it for the experience but definitely not a weekly adventure unless you have the means to!

Always have loved going here. We had a great server and shared a 3 course meal for 1 and added a salad. Which by the time you are done eating all 3 courses you are full. We had the Alpine cheese fondue which tasted really good with the veggies, bread and apples it came with. Then had Caesar salad which had these tasty Parmesan crusted pine nuts. Then picked from the meat combos which come with 3 sauces and 2 different cheese spreads for dipping. You are the only one that can screw up your food since your cooking it. Slow enjoyable night out to really enjoy your company and food.

In general, I’m a big fan of the melting pot and this location delivered. Our server Dan was great. He helped explain some items and gave some good ideas on using the sauces. Will be back the next time we are in GR.

Had my first fondue experience last night and had a great time. This type of dining is a welcome change of pace from the 1 – 2 course fast paced meal most of us in the United States are unfortunately used to. It was refreshing to take the time to talk between courses and between individual bites. Make sure you go with someone you like to have a good conversation with! The s’more dessert was the best!

It’s a fun experience and the food is tasty but i dont think it’s worth the money. My husband and i use to go every so often but The dishes are quite simple and it’s not difficult to do something similar at home if you have a fondue pot.

Visited the Melting Pot in early September with our Groupon for two salads and two entrees. The meal was good but not stellar. If you have food allergies, keep in mind there is no deviation from the designated Groupon menu. We ordered a drink each — sangria & margarita. Mixed drinks/​cocktails are definitely not their strong suit — watered down and pricey. Even with the Groupon, the bill was quite high.

My husband and I love this place! It never disappoints! It’s our anniversary go to but if in town its hard to pass up. We always go big and and are very satisfied when we leave. The servers know there stuff and are very helpful! If you have never been you should give it a try!

The food is good. I’m not sure if I missed it, but a melting pot in Illinois had a dress code. I miss that here. I know every business needs money to survive but if they want to represent themselves as an date nite restaurant don’t let people come in with sweat pants and sweat shirt.
Make it to where you must wear a polo shirt or better. Jeans are fine but no torn holes.

I adore the Melting Pot! Not necessarily for their simple food, but for the atmosphere. The food is very basic and you do the cooking yourself! I’ve eaten at several Melting Pots in other cities, and this one is the largest one I’ve been to! When you walk in, there is one large room with lots of booths! They took us all the way to the back of the restaurant where there is a hallway with very private L-​shaped tables for couples. We were excited to get our own little table away from the main room; the walls between the private tables were tall enough that we couldn’t even see the people at the table next to us.
The staff was very friendly and inviting even giving us the prices on the happy hour wine that was supposed to be in the lounge only. Our server was helpful, but when she realized that we had done this before, she kept her distance a bit, which didn’t bother us at all! Sometimes the staff at other restaurants continually check in on your pot of boiling liquid or cheese which can detract from the intimate experience.
We decided to order the 4 course menu: cheddar cheese fondue to start (my favorite!), Caesar salad for him & the wedge for me, the classic meat plate (shrimp, pork, peppered steak, teriyaki steak, chicken), and dark chocolate with raspberry swirl for dessert!
As always, we had a wonderful time spearing our food with the 3 fondue forks per person and cooking it in the court bouillon (I prefer the coq au vin, but it’s not worth the extra money) as well as dipping our bread, veggies, and apples into the cheese! The chocolate is very thin and runny which makes it easy to drench the strawberries, bananas, pound cake, cheesecake, rice crispy treats, marshmallows, pineapple, etc into it.
We sincerely enjoy the atmosphere so much that we end up staying for at least 2 hours eating & talking! Luckily, this most recent time was on a Thursday night, so they weren’t too busy. If you haven’t tried fondue before, it’s something you should do for a special occasion with your honey! I recommend going with 2 – 4 people only! Otherwise you’ll have to reach over people in order to dip into the pot and you’ll all also have to decide on the same cheese, cooking style, and chocolate since there is only one burner per 4 people.
Note: you can go for just 1 course: cheese, meat, or chocolate… you don’t have to order it all. The meat is brought to you raw which you cook yourself (some people don’t like to do this, so they skip this course and save some money!)
Beware that your hair and clothes will reek of fondue when you leave!

The boyfriend and I came here last week to get the HH cheese fondue, but end up staying for an entrée and chocolate fondue as well… this seems like a pattern for us every time we end up at melting pot =). Good thing we don’t live in the same city and usually see each other on weekends, which means no M-​F HH for us, otherwise our wallets would be crying and our stomachs would be bulging!
We went at exactly 4pm and pretty much had the whole restaurant to ourselves for a good part of dinner, until they put a family of 4 next to us… even though the entire restaurant was empty? Too bad their loud conversation wasn’t all that entertaining, or eavesdropping would have been pretty fun xD
3 stars for the food and the overall experience, as it is like all other melting pots we have been to +1 as our server was attentive and the duck breast is AMAZING (if you are a meat eater, try this! you won’t regret it), the shrimp is ok, and the sirloin steak was decent.)

First time at this location but I am a Melting Pot veteran. Waitress had the oil too high and gave me incorrect cooking times. Good thing I took it out in half the time because I had an oil fountain. It was still crispy and overcooked. I adjused accordingly. Waitress also had vanished for at least 20 minutes maybe 30 after turning on the oil. I heard she had a toothache and went to Meijers to get a painkiller. I feel bad for her but turn your table to someone else. She ended up leaving while I was cooking.
Food was typical of the chain. I love the cajun combo. Meal took too long because of the service. Glad I brought my paper and phone. I am in town for business.
I am editing this. Manager took off 50% without me saying anything. He apologized for the events that I portrayed. That was very thoughtful and unexpected.

Been here for over an hour and still no food on the table! Two waitresses and they still can’t accommodate us… And we had a reservation and it’s 8:07pm!

I’ve been to numerous Melting Pot locations in the Chicago land area and I have always left happy. Decided to give this location a try for dessert after dinner at PF Changs. The food was good, but portions seemed skimpy. They didn’t give us the fancy 5* attitude that Melting Pot is know for, I felt like I was at IHOP. We were left with so much chocolate, after our skimpy portions, so I asked for more stawberries, we got them, after waiting 14 minutes! Seriously?! Not impressed and I don’t think I would dare give dinner a chance based off other reviews. Did I mention she brought the check within 5 mins of bringing us our dessert?

OK dining experience for wine, cheese and chocolate.
Their main entrees feel rushed and not worth the price of admission.

HYPE! Only reason for the extra star is you won’t leave hungry.
Went there on Friday 6p reservation. Not busy. 3 adults and a 5 year old shared three 4-​course dinners. Place was not busy but we were there for nearly 3 hours. You would think they’d be sensitive enough to serve a table with a small child faster. If they were in the kitchen cooking some elaborate gourmet meal then it’d be almost justifiable. But it’s easy to see that everything can be prepared way in advance.
Starter course cheese fondue was OK. Bread was good to dip. However vegetables were mediocre at best.
Second course salad was decent. Choice of many.
Main course chose the «coq au vin» style. The broth seemed like a good idea. A lot of flavors. However, when you have such a rich broth already, the proteins and other ingredients to be cooked in it ought to be plain. The sirloin beef was coated with way too much black pepper. Teriyaki beef had been marinated for at least 12 hours. Pork was unrecognizable with such a colored coating. Chicken too salty. Shrimp was the only thing not totally messed up. After everything was cooked, I tasted the broth, which resembled dishwater with a unpleasant and complex union of everything that went in it.
I do not crave sweets, so not a qualified judge of the chocolate fondue course. However from what I see and hear from rest of the table, that’s the only redeeming factor.
So I say, this place sucked. 3 ½ people spend almost $ 200 before gratuity (I had 3 beers and wife had 2 wines). This was a birthday dinner for my 17 year old stepdaughter who is born and bred mid-​westerner, so we thought the Melting Pot would be perfect for her. Meghan absolutely hated it and I felt so badly.