The Melt Irvine Spectrum

I used to come to The Melt every time I visited Irvine Spectrum. I always got the Italian job for $ 4.95 and loved it. There was enough cheese to make it a great grilled cheese and if you wanted an extra kick, the free tomatoes and jalapeños were always available to add.
However, ever since they redid their menu and underwent renovations to their store, I feel like my visits have been much less satisfying. I feel like they’re trying too hard to enter too many food categories to target a bigger variety of people. That’s cool, but people come to «The Melt» for the perfect grilled cheese, not a hamburger or a piece of chicken.
I tried again last week and got the «Mac Daddy» while my boyfriend got the «Italian Job». I would have ordered the Italian Job as usual but like I mentioned, they made the grilled cheese so much more complex and less of a true grilled cheese sandwich by adding mushrooms inside. So instead, I decided to try something new and opted for the «Mac Daddy». Boy, was I disappointed. The mac & cheese was hard and not cooked soft enough to be put into a sandwich. It was flavorless and didn’t have enough cheesy flavor to make it feel like a grilled cheese. I thought the bacon would be a nice touch but it just added another confusing dynamic to an already hectic sandwich. As much as I wanted to love it, I was unable to finish and threw almost half of it away.
While their grilled cheeses are still unique and tasty, I feel like the prices are getting a little steep for a grilled cheese because they keep adding things like mushrooms that don’t even traditionally exist in a grilled cheese. I’ll be back, but I’m not entirely happy with the changes they’ve made to their menu.

They messed up the order and burgers were slightly better then McDonalds. No plans on coming back.

I’m not sure «Sandwiches» is the right category for this place — with a variety of sandwiches, salads, soups, and mac-​and-​cheese concoctions, they have a pretty special menu. The mac-​and-​cheese with bacon absolutely hit the spot on a rainy afternoon; I can’t say anything about the other menu items, but the place was pretty busy in the middle of the afternoon.

Ive never really been big on grilled cheese. I mean id eat it but it was never my go to food of choice.
My girlfriend has been bugging me for a long time to try it. Finally i caved since we were in the area. I got a grilled cheese classic with bacon. It… was THE best grilled cheese i have ever had!
The bread was perfectly done with I don’t know what seasoning but it was delicious. The cheese was a good consistency. Most of the time i get grilled cheese that is a little liquidy. Not the case here. While there wasn’t a lot of bacon there was enough to give it a good flavor.
⁵⁄₅ would eat here again. Next time though I might order more.

From my experience here, I can definitely recommend this to anyone who is in the area and needs a quick bite. The tast combinations to me were perfect. I have nothing to complain about. It’s amazing how something so simple as a Grilled Cheese can be made into something so delicious! The melt is definitely one of my «go-​to» spots now. And especially with the great scenery that is the Irvine Spectrum, you just cant go wrong. ⁵⁄₅.

Amazing!!! Was walking the mall here at Spectrum Ctr. and saw their burger picture on the board. It drew my husband and I in. The food was freshly prepped and the wagyu beef was what made the decision for us. We ordered the burger combo added avocado and bacon too. Delicious!
Highly recommend trying this place.
Three kinds of fries: naked, sweet potatoes, and well dressed (loaded). They have Mac N cheese for kids. Milkshakes, desserts, salads and chicken too.
Stevia is used for the no cal drinks for diabetics or calorie counters.
Simple yet gourmet, quick and satisfying! Must try!!!

For the money it’s not worth it, the fries were the only thing that had any decent flavor. Besides that nothing seemed to be working and all the appliances seemed to be ghetto rigged. Don’t waste your money

So I’m cruisin around the mall with the gf and we decide to pop into this place. Kinda wish we would’ve kept walking.
I ordered the steak lovers grilled cheese. It should probably be call the steak liker, because there was barely any meat! And the meat that was on there was super small pieces. Tasted like a 2 day old White Castle burger.
The gf ordered a Mac daddy, and it was alright. For being called Mac daddy, the amount of Mac and cheese was lacking. The pictures here put up a way better image of what you actually get.
Fully dressed fries were ok, they were just cold.
Next time I’m at the spectrum, I’ll remember to just keep walking by this place.
Only got 2 stars because they had beer… that wasn’t cold

I tried this place with a friend today and I must say, this place is definitely a new fav! Their Italian job sandwich was amazing! Totally hits the spot. Their prices are very reasonable and service is great. Our food came out super quick! Love it, definitely coming back here!

So I will say the Mac and cheese was DECENT but the fries were really good! I’m giving 3 stars because unfortunately I received poor customer service. I came in on a rainy day so it was pretty empty, I felt that they could have been nicer. I work at the spectrum and this was my first time, the girl didn’t even tell me how they call orders or anything. I really enjoyed my fries and the Mac and cheese was decent. just nothing special. I would suggest trying it to see if you like it! My coworkers informed me that their burgers are a little better. But definitely didn’t leave me wanting more or become a returning customer.

the melt used to be awesome until they experienced some identify crisis and decided to add burgers to the menu and drastically change up the menu…
i haven’t been back in a while and i decided to stop by for a classic grilled cheese to go. i was hoping they still had their delicious salad that came with the grilled cheese but that was removed from the menu.
my grilled cheese was stale and by the time i went home the bread was pretty much in this foamy inedible form (maybe from the moisture)… i ate it regardless because i was hungry :(
crossing the melt off after this experience… until they find their identity back AND provide quality food.

Mehhhh!
Don’t waste your money.
I’ve passed by this place SO many times and figured I would finally try it out. Well, I really wasn’t missing anything, especially with all the food options here at the Spectrum!
I ordered the classic grilled cheese and fries. I paid $ 8 for what should have been $ 4-​$ 5 and a considered a kids meal anywhere else. No drink even. The taste was bland, servings weren’t even great — again kids meal size. I’ve had much tastier, cheesier grilled cheese sandwiches at non-​sandwich restaurants. Huge let down, I was expecting more from a place called «The Melt»! I will stick to Corner Bakery’s grilled cheese kids combo meal or even the meal at the Nordstrom Café when I want a grilled cheese. Tastier, more food, cheese in sandwich and cheaper elsewhere.
I won’t be back, at least not for any grilled cheese, they suck here! You can honestly make a better one at home. Ouch!
Also, the employees aren’t really friendly at all.

Was at the spectrum last night with my fiancé and cousins and we wanted to try out a new place for dinner. Walked by this place and it looked inviting so we stopped in.
The menu is easy to read but it kind of went downhill while we were waiting in line. It seemed like they needed more staff and the staff they did have seemed very disorganized. The line definitely did not move quickly but we finally placed our order.
They call out your initials when your order is ready, but when mine were up on the board it said order ready (without anyone calling out) and then it just disappeared. When I went up to ask they said it just wasn’t ready yet. Which to me sounded like they forgot and hadn’t started it yet.
In the meantime my cousin had ordered a burger but got a sandwich. When we brought it back to the counter they kind of just stared at us. I mean, the incorrect order and the receipt are right there, so you can check for yourself if you want… They did end up correcting it so I guess that’s good.
I got up again a few minutes later to ask about my order because about ten people after me had already gotten their food by now, and they handed me one item. I asked about the other two things I ordered and then they started making it. Wait, I already asked about this several times, why are you just now making it?
The food itself was okay. I love cheese so of course I liked it but it’s nothing spectacular. Also while we were eating, I noticed there was no cashier taking orders for huge chunks of time and the line was out the door! Maybe when this place isn’t as busy the service is better, but even so I’d probably pass next time.

Came here for a lunch meeting. I have been wanting to try this place for a awhile. Seeing the bad reviews and experiences made me reluctant. However, I’m a person to try everything myself and I’ll be the judge.
My colleague and I ordered our meals, they informed us of our meal/​order will be on the monitor and that is all.
Ordered the Steak Lover’s combo.
— Bread was buttery
— Cheese oozing, a good balance of meat
— Fries had flavor and crispy
— Natural soda machine was decent, to be picky, I wish they had a regular soda fountain
My only gripe was when I went to get ice for my drink, it was out or low, I asked the employee and she replied, «wait 10 minutes and you can get ice» Really? Hence losing a star IMO.
Other than that, its a good, quick meal. Can’t expect the most premier customer experience.
Food *thumbs up*
Customer service — could use some improvement.

Because I love cheese! I mean really who doesn’t!?! I’ve been to the melt a few times and the menu is pretty decent overall. I’m a simple kind of girl who doesn’t require much of anything. I will say that I do love a good grilled cheese and melt has one of the best.
The location at the spectrum is super convenient being that my office isn’t too far away just a few exits. I like the mobile order option if you order via the website you can just scan your phone upon arrival and they’ll prepare your meal. If you have the mobile app you can choose to have your food ready before arrival.
I usually go with just a grilled cheese and tomato soup. The grilled cheese is extra cheesy and gooey. The soup is also great and the price isn’t too bad. I also like how they have craft sodas. They also have milkshakes, but I have yet to try one.
Overall the melt is a great option for a quick lunch. Whether you’re on a lunch break or doing a little shopping.

Super friendly workers, but the food wasn’t spectacular or anything worth making a special trip for, unfortunately. The grilled cheese was definitely melting, but the bread was soggy. The sweet potatoes fries were good, but I thought the portion could have been better for the price.
Vanilla bean milkshake was pretty standard and the steak lover sandwich could have been better without the jalapeños. But that’s me!
I appreciated the worker coming by to ask if everything was going well… but the food quality was not the best. I would recommend making a grilled cheese yourself at home! Sad to say.

This place used to be really good, I came back tonight and it is very sad how poor in quality it is now. It is a busy night, yes, but I’m not sure why the burger is so cold, all flavors of the drinks were out (only carbonated water coming out), and the soup was cold. The order was picked up on the first call.
When we asked for a replacement, they were hesitant. We did get another burger, but the fries were just reheated since they came back hard and rubbery.
Oh yeah they forgot my pickle. Way to go. I will not be back.

Got the Italian Job (the one with mushrooms) and I liked it a lot. I’m a total sucker for melted cheese and when I saw the guy next to me having the Classic I was drooling all over the place, I née to try that one next time. The setup is simple, small and rather organized, with a screen that shows your spot in line so you know how long you have till you can stuff your face with melted cheese. The service is OK, the seating is limited but you can take your tray outside where are tables available. Just one short, sour note about the Zevia Cola can I got — 0 calories and all that good stuff– it tasted like dirty dish washing water!

My friends and I stopped here since we had time to kill before a meeting just down the street. We wanted to grab a bite to eat (cause we were starving) but didn’t want to fill ourselves up since we had dinner plans.
I got the well-​dressed fries and was happy I did. At first, my friend and I debated about sharing an order, but decided we would just get an order each. I’m glad we did because we devoured them! The fries were cooked perfectly and each fry was evenly coated (not just the top ones like so many places, and then you end up with naked/​regular fries on the bottom). The cane sugar sodas were also really good.
Will definitely come back to try more stuff off the menu.
By the way, one of my friends ordered a salad and we were blown away over the fact that the croutons were basically little mini grilled cheese sandwiches!

Wow I think this is my first official STINKER!
I had such high hopes for this place, and with a platform of cheese and the name of the melt… I really felt left down. I really don’t like to give bad reviews but this one is earned.
Its in the Spectrum with alot of other lunch time items. We normally skip this place as its on the other side of the quad and with comp like TLT its hard to wander over, but today I made the suggestion that we should try it.
I ordered a cheese sandwich and the mac + cheese.
First of all… the Mac + Cheese was more like boiled noodles with shredded cheese on top. Look at the picture I post. Nothing like what you would think.
All in all I will never go back.